The Boop Boop a Doop Girl

Helen Kane is a star who influenced iconic people, characters, songs, etc. There aren't many who remember her now, though.You probably remember Marilyn Monroe singing:"I wanna be loved by youBoop Boop Bee Doop"This song was created by Helen Kane and the trademark scat singing "Boop a Doop" style also was popularized by her in the late twenties. She became such a sensation that Helen Kane merchandise (dolls, comics, etc.) was sold, she recorded 22...

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Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

 When Thunderball went into production, a new song had to be composed for the new title sequence. The producers were amused by the fact that the Japanese fans of James Bond called him "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang".  So it was decided that the theme song for the film would have that very title.Maurice Binder designed the sequence from the song recorded by Dionne Warwick. Since the title of the film wasn't included in the lyrics (as opposed to...

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A front page story: Earl Hays

Remember when the hero sees his picture on the newspaper in Grand Central station and he's on the run? Or the glimpse that the loving wife throws her husband when she's just read her famous lover is coming to town in the morning paper?Surely, the prop man photocopied a pre-existing paper with their pictures and a fake article on top. Yeah, in 1910, they probably did. Very soon, the matters of credibility and copyright came up.Then came Earl Hays....

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Something's Got to Give

There aren't many films that have such a famous scene. Surely you remember that film where Marilyn Monroe swims naked in a swimming pool. Sure you do,... it had Dean Martin in it, right? For some reason, you just cannot seem to remember the plot, though. But that scene got a lot of press coverage and is just as famous as the blowing skirt in "The Seven Year Itch".And yet... there never was a film. At least not one that was ever completed. After the...

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Heart on Sleeve

Here's a film I've seen and appreciated years ago. Sometimes, in a small simple film, profound feelings are found. All the easier if the star is Bourvil.Le cœur sur la main (Heart on Sleeve) tells the story of a churchwarden, chosen by a touring singer to play the accordion on her show one night, an instrument he plays expertly. He falls in love with the creature and follows her to the city, becoming himself the musical phenomenon of Paris. The lady...

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