Hi there, guys and dolls!  Rest assured, yours truly is hard at work on the next Poppy Cove Mystery (Miss Santa Lucia, Nora Burbank, doesn’t know what’s coming, poor girl), but every now and then a girl needs to take a break amid the work and social whirl of holiday parties.  Here are some of my favorite movies that I’ve enjoyed and get me in the mood to tell my Santa Lucia tales, in no particular order.

The Pajama Game (1957) – Starring the delightful Doris Day and the ravishing John Raitt, it’s a colorful tale full of workplace romance, with an amazing dance number at the company picnic.  There’s so many swirling dresses, it’ll make you swoon!

How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) – A great and fun movie with Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, using the best of their feminine wiles to gain a retirement plan in the form of a husband.  A funny thing happens along the way – the girls fall in love!  The deparment store fashion show alone is worth the price of admission.

The Best of Everything (1959) – The city career girl’s movie.  Based on the Rona Jaffe novel, it’s the real deal.  Set in the New York Skyscraper Jungle with Hope Lange and Suzie Parker, learning the ropes from Joan Crawford, who still has a few loose ends to tie up in the cuthroat publishing world.

Funny Face (1957) — Now who can resist smiling about Audrey Hepburn?  This is such a charming Cinderella tale with real life influences of Richard Avedon and Diana Vreeland being channeled so succinctly by Fred Astaire and Kaye Thompson, respectively.  The fabulous and glamorous jet setting and fashion shows will make you so happy you’ll “think pink” in your dreams.

Rear Window (1954) — What’s not to love?  The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock invites us to peer into other people’s lives, finding out more than we ever needed to know about our neighbors, while watching a Grace Kelly fashion show.  The nosiest neighbor is star Jimmy Stewart, aided by his nurse, played by Thelma Ritter and the director himself attending a piano player’s cocktail party.

I could go on — there are so many more to mention that inspire my Technicolor dreams.  So pop yourself some corn, pour yourself a drink and take time out with a classic flick.  Please feel free to drop a comment and share your favorite adventures with a golden aged movie.

Toodles,

Barbara Jean