Old Books and Movies

   This is a very fun musical biopic.  In flashbacks George M. Cohan (James Cagney) tells President Roosevelt (Captain Jack Young) the story of his life and how he became a successful playwright, composer, and performer.  The four Cohans; Mr. Cohan (Walter Huston), Mrs. Cohan (Rosemary DeCamp), and their children; George M. Cohan (James Cagney) and Josie Cohan (played by James Cagney's real life sister Jeanie Cagney) preform the song and dance number "I Was Born in Virginia."   George gives the famous Cohan curtain speech. "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you."  The scene were he meets his future wife Mary (Joan Leslie) is the funniest part of the movie.   George and Mary sing "Harrigan."   George preforms a really fun song and dance routine of "Yankee Doodle Boy."   George preforms a great song and dance routine to "Give My Regards to Broadway."    George writes "

  This movie is hilarious.  Dean Martin stars as Slim Mosley Jr., foreman of the K Ranch; while Jerry Lewis plays Wade Kingsley Jr., a city boy, who wants to be a cowboy.   Wade first meets Slem when he accidentally makes him loose all but the singing contest at the rodeo.   Slim sings "The Wind! The Wind!"   Wade wants to go west with Slim and become partners and friends, because their fathers were partners and best friends.   Slim refuses to become partners and friends. He is mad at Wade for making him loose the contests at the rodeo, and now Slim doesn't have the money to buy Cuddles; the bull  he was wanting to buy for the K Ranch.   Wade buys Cuddles for Slim, because he feels bad for making him loose, and he wants to go west with him.   Slim tells Wade that he can go west with him as far as the first train stop, but then he has to go on by himself.  Due to a mistake when Wade gets off at the first stop, Slim misses the train.   Slim agrees th

                                                                        Scarlet Royal                                                                                               1952  This is a very good story.  The Macintyres are a wealthy family living on a horse ranch.  When their father dies, and they lose most of their money, the three sisters Margo, Connie, Molly, and their mother, turn the ranch into a riding school. Margo's favorite horse is a horse called Scarlet Royal. Because they need the money Margo sells Scarlet Royal.  Margo is hurt that a boy she once went with ignores her now that her family lost their money; and vows that all she'll care about any more are the horses.  In exchange for help at the ranch the Macintyres give room and board to a young college student, Neil Campbell.  The rest of the book is about the Macintyre's riding school, entering horse shows, Margo wanting to buy Scarlet Royal back one day, and Margo getting to like N

   This movie is a lot of fun.  John "Lucky" Garnett (Fred Astaire) is a gambling hoofer with "Pop" Cardetti's (Victor Moore) dance and magic act. He is engaged to Margret Watson (Betty Furness).  He misses his wedding when the other performers of the dance act play a trick on him to try to keep him from marrying and leaving the act.  His fiancee's father calls off the wedding when Lucky is late, but tells him that if goes to New York and makes $25,000 he can marry his daughter.  While hopping aboard a train to New York, Lucky looses his suitcase.  In New York, Lucky exchanges his lucky quarter for some change from Penelope "Penny" Carroll (Ginger Rogers) to buy a cigarette for his friend Pop.   Penny thinks that Lucky stole the quarter, due to a misunderstanding caused by Pop while he was trying to get Lucky's lucky quarter back.   Lucky learns that Penny is a dance instructor at a dancing school and gets a free lesson from he