From the Archives: High Barbaree ( 1947 )

Who said you can't kiss with a mask on? Van Johnson and June Allyson prove that it can be easily done in this photo from a scene from High Barbaree ( 1947 ). 

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store : http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures

From the Archives: Little Women ( 1949 )

June Allyson ( Jo ), Elizabeth Taylor ( Amy ), Mary Astor ( Marmee ) and Janet Leigh ( Meg ) gather around little Margaret O'Brien ( Beth ) who has just received a piano as a present from the kindly neighbor Mr. Lawrence in this still photo from MGM's Little Women ( 1949 ). 

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store : http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures

Hollywood Home Tour: Dick Powell & June Allyson

After the Hollywood Home Tour bus broke down last season due to mechanical errors, the tour was canceled until further notice, but I'm happy to report it has been repaired and is ready to set off once again. Our bus driver, Al, will tell you more about where the Greyhound will be heading this summer.....

"Welcome, passengers! We are in for an exciting tour this season for not only will we be driving by the homes of some of the most famous movie stars, we'll also trek to the outskirts of Hollywood to see some of the ranches and larger estates of the stars. In a few moments, we will be heading west of Los Angeles to drive by one of these larger spreads, the 68-acre estate of crooner Dick Powell and his wife June Allyson, affectionately known as 'Junie'. 

"This estate is often called Amber Hills and is an enormous 12,000 square-feet in size. It was built in the early-1940s and has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a library, its own private lake, tennis courts, and acres of land for horses to roam. 

3100 Mandeville Canyon Road

"Here it is now, folks, coming up on your left. These are just the front gates, the driveway is a quarter of a mile long before you reach the house. It overlooks a canyon and Robert Taylor's equally large spread, which we'll be driving by soon as well. 

"Dick Powell is a hands-on kind of guy and he likes to remodel parts of the house, take apart the furniture to refinish it, or chop down the trees on the property for firewood. He often uses the workshop on the property. 

"June Allyson recalled that Dick Powell had driven her to the property and asked if it was too remote for her, 'Heavens, no', she replied, 'It's a nice community. How many people live here?' Powell's response, 'Just you and I, Junie. It's our 68 acres.'

Up-to-date Info: In 1962, Dick Powell and June moved to the Marie Antionette Apartments when effects from his lung cancer was getting the best of him. In the 1970s, the exterior of the house was used at the Harts property in the "Hart to Hart" television series. On June 25, 2018, the property went up on the market again - with a price tag of $35 million.  

Good News ( 1947 )

"I wish that someone loved me as much as you love you!"

All the gals are crazy about Tait University's cocky football hero Tommy Marlowe ( Peter Lawford ), but Tommy only has eyes for the new student, beautiful society vamp Pat McClellan ( Patricia Marshall ). When Pat plays too hard to get he turns his attentions to the school's assistant librarian, Connie Lane ( June Allyson ), who quickly succumbs to his charms, only to find out that what he wants from her is merely a brief lesson in French in order to impress Pat! 

College never was so fun as it is in Good News, one of the most jubilant films to ever come out of the Arthur Freed unit at MGM....and also, one of the most underrated post-war musicals. This unpretentious little musical is a delightful mixture of 1920s snappy humor and 1940s sassiness. Never mind that the flapper and sheikh fashions of the 1920s is non-existent. The film's simple story-line provides a few excellent excuses for some exuberant song-and-dance numbers, including "Pass that Peace Pipe" and "The Varsity Drag", and lots of fun-filled collegiate hi-jinks. 

Good News was based upon the popular 1927 Henderson/DeSylva stage musical of the same name. It was brought to the screen for the first time in 1930 in an Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pre-code adaptation starring Bessie Love and Cliff Edwards. However, that film removed most of the songs that made the stage musical such a big hit. Naturally, when producer Arthur Freed decided to bring the film back in a Technicolor version, he wanted the songs re-instated and, so, five numbers from the stage production were kept intact ( albeit shuffled around a bit ) for this frothy remake and two more added - "The French Lesson" and "Pass that Peace Pipe" - courtesy of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. 

For Good News, the songwriting team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green put their heads together for the first time to pen its screenplay, and they discovered that they had quite a knack for it! The duo would go on to script some of the best MGM musicals of the 1950s, including Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon, and also share seven Tony Awards over the years for their work on Broadway. 

Peter Lawford and June Allyson made a wonderful team in Two Sisters from Boston ( 1946 ) and are equally good in this film ( they would play together again in Little Women two years later ), while their characters were joined by a great bunch of friends who include Joan McCracken as Babe, Ray McDonald as Bobby, and a young Mel Torme as Danny.

Joan McCracken was a fabulous dancer/singer who should have went on to have a great musical film career but didn't. She is especially sensational in the "Pass that Peace Pipe" number and her scenes with Ray McDonald provide much of the humor in Good News. 

All-in-all, Good News is a breezy film that leaves you with a light-hearted joyful feeling.....after all, if college students could chuck away all their cares, why can't you? The Best Things in Life are indeed Free.

Merry Christmas Dear Readers!

Merry Christmas to one and all! We wish everyone a blessed and joyous day and here's hoping you find a little June in December! 

Farewell to the Alma Mater!

Hat's off to the graduating class of 2014 whoever you may be! Early June is approaching and that means it's graduation time......throw off those mortarboards and give a hip-hooray and a high-ho farewell to the college that you will never see again.

For those who'd like to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, or perhaps have a chance to fantasize about the college experience they never had, we present you with a selection of some of our favorite college-themed films. They may not be the cream of the crop, but they certainly do embody the All-American college spirit. So tuck away your cap and gown with mothballs, hock your textbooks, and start taking notes....


The Freshman ( 1925 ) 

An awkward college student becomes the hero of the day when he helps his campus' football team win a championship pennant. Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict. 

College Rhythm ( 1934 )

A college football team fights to help win money so an old department store can modernize itself. This zippy yarn features memorable tunes like, "Goo-Goo" and "Take a Number from One to Ten". Jack Oakie, Joe Penner, Marie Brian, Helen Mack. 

Dancing Co-Ed ( 1938 ) 

When the female half of a famous Hollywood dance team takes time off to have a baby, their manager plants a dance pro at a college and then announces a nationwide college dance tournament to find a new "star". Lana Turner, Richard Carlson, Ann Rutherford, Lee Bowman, Artie Shaw. 

A Yank At Oxford ( 1938 ) 

A Yank invades the ol' campus across the pond but finds he has a large chip on his shoulder which his classmates help to knock off just in time for him to help Oxford win the famous team regatta. Robert Taylor, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh, Edmund Gwenn.

Blondie Goes to College ( 1942 ) 

Dagwood decides to go to college and Blondie takes along to keep him out of trouble. Whilst there, the Bumsteads attract suitors for each other and get into a heap of trouble. Meanwhile, Baby Dumpling is sent off to military school and becomes a sergeant. Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Larry Sims, Janet Blair.

Here Come the Co-Eds ( 1945 ) 

Two ballroom dancers find themselves the new caretakers at the Bixby College for young ladies, where they proceed to help the basketball team win a match. Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Peggy Ryan, Martha O'Driscoll, Lon Chaney Jr.

Good News ( 1947 )

A college football star finds he enjoys concentrating an French lessons more than football, when he has Juney as his teacher. Peter Lawford, June Allyson, Joan McCracken, Mel Torme, Patricia Marshall. 

Mother is a Freshman ( 1949 )

A poor widow finds she can put her daughter into college through a family scholarship so long as she attends college herself. Instead of concentrating on schoolwork, "mother" winds up falling in love with the English Lit professor. Loretta Young, Van Johnson, Betty Lynn, Rudy Vallee, Barbara Lawrence. 

Take Care of My Little Girl ( 1951 ) 

A young woman enters college and learns the hard way that sorority life isn't what it is all cut out to be. Jeffrey Hunter, Jeanne Crain, Mitzi Gaynor, Dale Robertson, Jean Peters. 

Bonzo Goes to College ( 1952 )

An intelligent ape ditches the circus life to become the pet of a prof. He ends up becoming a star player on the football team in this sequel to "Bedtime for Bonzo". Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Drake, Edmund Gwenn, Gigi Perreau, Gene Lockhart. 

The Affairs of Dobie Gillis ( 1953 ) 

Girl crazy Dobie Gillis has a whale of a good time at college much to the chagrin of his steady gal pal in this entertaining MGM musical. Bobby Van, Debbie Reynolds, Hans Conreid, Bob Fosse, Lurene Tuttle.

High Time ( 1960 )

The founder of a nationwide chain of hamburger restaurants decides to take some time off to further his education and joins his kid's college. Bing Crosby, Nicole Maurey, Tuesday Weld, Fabian, Richard Beymer. 

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes ( 1969 )

Dexter Riley accidentally undergoes a shocking experience and finds he now has the brain of a computer. He's a cinch to earn Medfield College the coveted $100,000 prize at the upcoming Academic Challenge. Kurt Russell, Cesar Romero, joe Flynn, William Schallert, Alan Hewitt.

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Hollywood taught us some interesting, albeit useless lessons, through these films. Bonzo taught us that even chimps can make a rousing success of themselves in college. We also learned that comradery between classmates was more important than schoolwork, and being great at sports could get you anywhere in life, until you sprained an ankle. But don't take our word for it, check these films out for yourself and when you're ready to head back to your old alma mater for the 20th reunion, then sit back and enjoy some films that give you a little more accurate look at the post-college days ahead, such as Spring Reunion and H.M Pulham Esq.