About

Welcome! There are few things that allow us to lay aside the realities of our contemporary society, but for many, a trip to the past allows us to escape to a time when the problems of today have no relevance to the “happily ever after” (or not) associated with any great movie.

This blog has been in the works for some time now. I’m certain I was born in the wrong era because the storylines and mindsets and paths to happiness feel far more familiar as I watch them in a classic movie versus what passes for contentment and entertainment today.

The blog, Serenade From the Terrace, comes from two of my favorite movies – Penny Serenade, a 1941 release that stars two of the best Hollywood has ever known, Cary Grant and Irene Dunne; the second movie, From the Terrace, was released nearly two decades later in 1960. It stars the beautiful Joanne Woodward and her timeless husband, Paul Newman – another favorite couple of mine. It also serves as bookends, of sorts, in that most of the films I write about will likely land somewhere between the early 1940s and early 1960s. That’s not written in stone, of course. If you’ve read any of my past works on the classics, you know what a big fan I am of Dodsworth, released in 1936, so there’s room for it all.

Speaking of my past works, I’ll be moving those over from their original home to their new home on this blog.

Finally, I’m taking a slightly different approach. Instead of focusing on posts that feel more like reviews, I’m looking for ways to provide a different perspective, especially if you’re like me and can anticipate the next scene because you’ve seen it so often. My titles will follow something like these (all of which, by the way, are in the works):

• Thelma Ritter’s Best One-Liners (“Six is plenty for a boy to be.”)
• Heaven-Sent: Films with Heaven in the Title (All this and Heaven Too, Leave Her to Heaven, All That Heaven Allows)
• Women-Led Title Roles (think Marnie, Stella Dallas and Kitty Foyle)
• The Little Missus (think Mrs. Parkington, Mrs. Miniver, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir)

In the meantime, let me know your thoughts – I’m always looking for opinions that differ from mine. What’s your favorite classic? Your favorite actor from the 1950s? Be sure to subscribe, too. If you already subscribe to my other blog, thank you! Next year, I’ll celebrate a decade of blogging on It’s All About The Right Writing. Here’s to finding the same success and joy with the new blog, Serenade From the Terrace.