Disney films were a guiding light of my childhood, as is the case for most children, and being born in 1987 gave me the advantage of having most all the pre-Renaissance films on VHS to watch over and over while I also got to experience first hand the Renaissance period of Disney. But Disney heroines weren't the only females inspiring me to do great things. In terms of characters portrayed by real people, Judy Garland was basically the love of my life thanks to being introduced to The Wizard of Oz before I was even 3 or 4. Shirley Temple also had a strong hold on my heart since my grandmother owned a good portion of Temple's filmography. My grandmother's nickname for me was even Heidi for a brief period of time. Meanwhile, I was very much in love with the Disney films of the 40-60s, which bear a strong influence of the classic studio era in which they were made - my favorites at the time being Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan (and other, slightly later ones, sneaking in there such as The Jungle Book and Robin Hood). Another form of Cinderella was my light and life for a long time when I was little and that was the Lesley Ann Warren telefilm adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. I didn't know it yet, but it would influence me greatly in my love of musicals in general as well give me an early introduction to the spectacular Ginger Rogers and to a lesser extent, Walter Pidgeon. One other notable mention was my love for the Don Bluth sequel An American Tale: Fievel Goes West. It was the strangest thing and I didn't know how to explain it as young as I was, but I loved, loved, loved the sequence with Tiger and Wylie Burp. The scene itself was a bit boring for my young attention span, but Wylie Burp's voice. There was just something so intriguing about it. Little did I know that it was a precursor to my eventual love affair with James Stewart. It's as if it was predestined. 
So, as you can see, I was introduced to old films just as readily as new when I was little. And this continued throughout my childhood as I watched many old films thanks to my parents' love for them (not that I enjoyed them all). Judy Garland was eventually usurped by Doris Day and Katharine Hepburn in my tweens and by that time Jimmy Stewart had become the champion of my heart although I had made room for others such as Tony Randall, Cary Grant, Mickey Rooney and a few others. My love for classic film only increased when I was formally introduced to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (I'd heard/known of both prior of course) by way of The Barkleys Of Broadway. I was in heaven. Boy oh boy did they just change my world. As did Myrna Loy and William Powell a few years later.
I wouldn't trade my steady diet of pre-80s films for anything in the world. Some of my fondest memories growing up were watching those films with my family as if they were as brand new and shiny as a recent release. The above examples are but only a few and I'm constantly remembering the first time I came across a film or had a phase where an actor or actress was my favorite (I was recently reminiscing my Debbie Reynolds phase, actually). I can look back with earnest and see just how so many of these films and actresses and characters helped make me who I am today. My wit, my intellect, my interests, my taste in music, style, etc. and more are almost all entirely a reflection of that influence. To take away classic Hollywood films from me then, I would not be who I am now.
As I've grown, my love of old Hollywood has only deepened. TCM is the channel my television is on most frequently. I'm always searching for new films to appreciate. I'm always looking to deepen my knowledge of the stars I've already loved for so long. I'm always wondering how old scripts could be, properly, adapted to film today. I'm still fawning over the stars of that era and wondering what it would be like to be even remotely as talented. I'm still mourning the fact that at least 80 percent of the men I crushed hard on, am still crushing hard on, passed on before I was born or when I was much younger.
This blog looks to be an extension of my love. A place to write about my favorite era of film (30s-60s). A place to share my thoughts on films I've seen a million times or have only recently discovered. A place to fangirl shamelessly for the bright stars that made the era what it was. A place to further inspire and develop my passion for and knowledge of classic film.
As a caveat, I am not a skilled critic or elitist. Thoughts presented here are my own and come from my own experiences, positive or negative. There are films and stars that are considered great by popular opinion that do nothing for me, personally. I can acknowledge that, critically speaking, the praise makes sense in a lot of cases, but if I don't enjoy something, I'm honest about it - though I try not to be cruel since what doesn't work for me can be the light of somebody else's life. Furthermore, I like a lot of films that you maybe have never heard of or enjoy films that were considered flops. That doesn't by any means make me better. It just means I have a different taste. On the flip side, I also enjoy a lot of critically acclaimed films and "mainstream" celebrities/films - you know, the ones that everybody and their uncle Bob loves. The point that I'm trying to make is, I am not a special snowflake and I am not a sheep. If you think my opinion is wrong at any point, just remember, subjectivity is what it is.
