This and That

A few random odds and ends...

...THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES (1987) arrived today, thanks to a recent sale at the Warner Archive.

I watched the first hour this evening. Claudette Colbert is simply amazing, the more so when one realizes she was 83 or 84 when it was filmed...and she hadn't been in a movie for over a quarter of a century! Her assured, wry performance won the Golden Globe. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Liz Smith gave the DVD an enthusiastic review in her column last fall.

...Zachary Scott is an actor who has turned up in several movies I've seen in recent months. A few days ago I picked up a copy of ZACHARY SCOTT: HOLLYWOOD'S SOPHISTICATED CAD by the excellent biographer Ronald L. Davis. I particularly admired Davis's biography of Linda Darnell, which is packed with primary source research, and I have also read his books on Van Johnson and John Wayne.

Thanks to Mrs. Happy Housewife, I was interested to read a story about a butler who inherited a fortune from 98-year-old Ruth Ford, Zachary Scott's widow.

...This news was all over the classic film blogosphere today, but it's worth repeating that a hitherto "lost" John Ford silent film has been found in New Zealand. More from Dave Kehr. The Siren has related news about two films in the same "find" being restored thanks to the For the Love of Film blogathon earlier this year.

...My mom had a fun experience today while vacationing in Philadelphia with two relatives and a friend. They stopped to eat lunch in a sidewalk cafe and struck up a conversation with Conan O'Brien, who was seated nearby. In fact, it must have been the restaurant mentioned in this Philadelphia Daily News column. He ended up paying for their lunch! She said he was an extremely nice gentleman.