midnight

the year: 1939

the genre: comedy


the cast: Claudette Colbert (Eve Peabody); Don Ameche (Tibor Czweny); Mary Astor (Helene Flammarion); John Barrymore (Georges Flammarion); Monty Woolery (the judge)


the plot: Showgirl Eve, stranded in Paris, befriends taxi driver Tibor Czerny, then gives him the slip to crash a party. There she meets Helene Flammarion and her gigolo Picot, who's attracted to Eve. Helene's husband Georges enlists Eve's aid in taking Picot away from his wife. It works well... at first. Meanwhile, lovestruck Tibor searches for Eve. But then he learns where she is and that she's calling herself Baroness Czerny.


don't miss: the divorce proceedings. Wait for it...THERE it is.


listen for: "I landed a lord, almost." "Almost?" "Well, the family came between us. His mother came to my hotel and offered me a bribe." "You threw her out, I hope!" "How could I, with my hands full of money?"


did you know: when Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett turned in their script, the studio liked it, but felt it needed some work. So the studio sent the script to two writers for edits: Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett--the studio sent them their own script to rewrite without knowing it. Wilder and Brackett simply retyped their original script and the studio loved the "rewrites" so much, they produced it with no further "changes".


extra bonus points: if you know why Mary Astor proved a bit of a problem during filming.


also listen for: "Now, Helene, don't let's hush this up and don't let's wait until tomorrow. Go on, let's have a lovely scandal!"


you can watch the movie in parts starting here.


my favorite scene:

corrina, corrina

the year: 1994

the genre: dramedy


the cast: Whoopi Goldberg (Corinna Washington); Ray Liotta (Manny Singer); Tina Majorino (Molly Singer); Don Ameche (Grandpa Harry)


the plot: When Manny Singer's wife dies, his young daughter Molly becomes mute and withdrawn. To help cope with looking after Molly, he hires sassy housekeeper Corrina Washington, who coaxes Molly out of her shell and shows father and daughter a whole new way of life. Manny and Corrina's friendship delights Molly and enrages the neighbors.


don't miss: Percy. The kid is a kick.


listen for: "You're the short, silent type aren't you? -I could tell."



did you know: this was only Tina Majorino's second film.



also listen for: the fantastic soundtrack artists. Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington, and Jackie Wilson - to name a few...



extra bonus points: if you know how many versions of the song "Corrina, Corrina" are in the movie.

moon over miami

the year: 1941

the genre: musical


the cast: Betty Grable (Kay Latimer / Miss Adams); Don Ameche (Phil O’Neil); Carole Landis (Barbara Latimer / Miss Sears); Robert Cummings (Jeffrey Boulton II); Charlotte Greenwood (Aunt Susan Latimer); Jack Haley (Jack O’Hara)


the plot: After coming into a much smaller inheritance than expected, Kay and Barbara and their Aunt Susan Latimer abandon the Texas greasy-spoon where they work to and head to Miami in search of rich husbands. With Barbara posing as Kay's secretary and Susan as her maid, the three check into a posh Miami hotel. Soon Kay is in the delightful predicament of being pursued by two handsome, wealthy bachelors at once. Of course, complications arise…



count: how far behind on their rent the girls get.



don’t miss: Jack and his penchant for “Guaca-mala” sauce.


check out: how Kay gets invited to Jeff's party.


listen for: “Let's see what do we want? We want you, the juice of the grape and a good hot dance band.” “But right now we'll settle for those potato chips and cheese.”


extra bonus points: if you can name Jack Haley’s most famous movie role.