BRINGING UP BABY, WHAT'S UP DOC & SUPERMAN... WHAT COULD THEY POSSIBLY HAVE IN COMMON?

Over the weekend, my family and I sat down to watch one of my birthday gifts, Bringing Up Baby (1938). All of us, the kids included, enjoyed the film very much. For those of you who have never heard of it, feel free to watch the trailer provided below.

The first time that I ever heard of this classic was through another old movie, What's Up, Doc? (1972). What's Up, Doc? is the most beloved movie of my siblings and is quoted quite often at gatherings. As you can imagine, I was elated to find that it was inspired by the film Bringing Up Baby. The Director of What's Up, Doc?, Peter Bogdanovich, asked Ryan O'Neal to pattern himself after Cary Grant's performance. O'Neal went so far as to meet with Grant for inspiration. The only words of wisdom granted to O'Neal was, "Wear silk underwear." So, wear them he did.

One other thing, that my wife noticed, was the similarity in appearance and mannerisms of Grants character (David) to Christopher Reeves Clark Kent in the popular Superman movies. Glasses, occasional hat, random questions & awkward responses seemed to be in perfect sequence. Could it be possible that Reeves meant it to be that way?... Well after some careful research, I discovered it to be true. All sources point to a reference in his biography, "Still Here" stating that Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby was the inspiration for his Kent.

Here are two poorly matched scenes that I hope 

show a slight similarity to the characters.

That means this movie inspired the premises of at least two future big hits. On that alone I think its worth watching.

I began to get intrigued by the idea of Grant's inspiration of Kent, as to create a theory of my own. In Grant's early years he often played the fool in what was called then, oddball comedies. With his classic "Oooh oooh oooh" and his common pauses of bewilderment associated with occasional glares to the audience, he played the best looking nerd around. Later in life he no longer wore the glasses, except in extreme seriousness or extreme humor. He was now the debonair leading man with the purposeful lines and the telling eyes. To see the contrast, compare the 20 year gap of Arsenic & Old Lace (1944) & Charade (1963). Even though his humor had aged, we all knew that he had it in him to be even crazier. I guess that's what made his later performances so interesting.

Still from Bringing Up Baby. Though it lacks the booth,
here he is next to the phone.

This is where my theory comes into play. I began to wonder if his earlier years were his Clark Kent years. He knew how to be romantic, but he was so good at being funny. As he transitioned into his later years, he began to take on the Superman role, saving damsel's in distress. As you watched him, you wondered how he ever could have been a Clark Kent.

By the way, you can find this movie at Amazon for a very good price.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF OLD MOVIES

Before I get into the other topics of old movies, I wanted to explain a few misconceptions surrounding them. There are a few reasons why people are not drawn to older films. Below I have listed a few. I have included my thoughts as well as the thoughts of others. Feel free to comment in on your own feelings.

Is it in black & white?:

This question suggests that B+W = Boring. This is the question my wife use to ask me when it was movie night. I couldn't blame her though, she grew up in a different household. Since then, she has seen beyond the coloring and into the story. In fact, she was the one to introduce me to the clip below.


First of all, not all old movies are in black & white. Somehow we have grouped the two together. Since the 1940's, studios capitalized on the new technology of color films. This means that there are at least three other decades of old films unaccounted for.


Now to attack the boring aspect. If you think the absence of color makes a picture boring, watch an Alfred Hitchcock or a Frank Capra some time. If you don't know who these men are, don't worry we will get to that later. Allow me to let Steven Spielberg sum it up.

Low quality picture:

With the introduction of HD & Blu-ray technology, we have come to believe that the newer the movie the better the quality of the image. I must admit that their are some DVD's out there with extremely low quality. This however has nothing to do with the original production, but everything to do with the amount of time, money and work put in to make the film available on DVD.


In essence, Hollywood is staggering to keep up with the newest technology. Once they finally put a classic on DVD, there is already a better quality available. The process to transfer is both timely and expensive, so only some classics make the cut. This all happens while the other countless movies are grouped onto one disc in a rapid production. So in truth, we have yet to create a cheaper form of technology to transfer the movie from stock.


For another explanation on movie quality, click HERE to be directed to a brief history on black and white movies.

Old movies are only for old people:

For some reason we think of old movies in the same way that we think of old technology. We have no more need of the cassette or VHS and soon DVD's may be obsolete. They no longer pertain to us or are even applicable in our day. If these items were to disappear, there would be no outcry. Old movies cannot be compared to these objects, largely because they are not objects but art.


You may enjoy a good painting or a randomly snapped picture. These are the finished products of someones hopes, hard work and imagination. Through a movie, though, you get to see the paint being applied to the canvas. Here you get to see the whole process before the final stroke of the brush. And it is old movies that have the richest techniques.

As I said there are a number of misconceptions of old movies that keep them from our screen at home. I hope to encourage you to look beyond them and discover the work of early Hollywood.


I promise you, that if you give yourself a moment to watch a classic movie, you will be hooked from the first frame.

WELCOME!

Hi there, my name is Jake and I hope to simplify your passion for old movies or even introduce them to you. First off, let me introduce myself. Ever since I was young I loved old movies. This is credited to my mothers love of them as well. It wasn't till I was older, that I realized this tradition goes back even farther.

My Grandpa grew up in Hollywood and worked at a department store and waited on some of the stars of the day, like the Barrymore family. These and other events in his life instilled a love of the silver screen and a desire to share it with others. This passion has spread through the family tree, as the third and fourth generation continue the work to this day.

Now back to the blog. Some of you may have never seen an old movie in your life, which I would find that hard to believe. Others completely detest old movies. While there are also others who casually watch them, but may not fully understand their meanings. For those of you who I listed above, this blog is for you.