Are old Black & White movies still relatable
How I fell in love with them, strayed and came back
When I watched Elizabet Taylor in the 1949 version of Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women' as a teenager, I fell in love. She was beautiful, elegant and a bit self-occupied, but still her family took up the space left in her heart.
It takes place during the civil war and follows the lives of the four March sisters: Amy, Beth, Meg and Jo. A time of war and all that goes with it. Sacrifice, courage, and growing up much too quickly. Still there were times of gaiety, of mirth and parties. Everyday things like helping neighbors who are ill, of getting in trouble in school and of finding yourself as you grow.
The story centers on Jo, a self-reliant, sassy, immature girl who grows up before our eyes into a giving, loving writer who deals with the death of her beloved little sister Meg in a way that tears at our own hearts
No television or even radio, Jo would write plays for her sisters and herself to act out. Hilarious to watch her play an evil villain while Amy makes sure that her character is overly dramatic and faints on the couch. Even if she has to drag on the faint to get to the couch.
There are other black and white movies that have made their way into my heart. "It's A Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart is of course at the top there. A movie that has survived as an annual Christmas gift to each new generation; begging us each to wonder what life would be like if we had never been born. The eternal question most every teenager has threatened their parents with at one time or another. George finds himself no longer one of earth's population after a car accident. No one knows him and for all extensile purposes, George has never existed. With the help of an unlikely angel, George realizes how much his life meant to people. How many people he helped throughout his life. How many people's lives he saved just by being George. It is a movie that reminds us that even as teenagers, there are things we do and say that have effects on people beyond our own understanding. None of us truly knows how many people we have helped with a kind word, how many lives we saved through a kind act.
Gilda is another favorite. Rita Hayworth lights up the screen so that you don't might one bit that it is not in color. She brings the color to the screen with her sexy, playful, tempting and petulant acting abilities. She acts not just with her words, but her entire body and especially her face. You want to hold and protect her and shake her at the same time. She was truly mesmerizing and a real Hollywood star. This is a film Noir and takes place in a gambling house with murder, deceit and romance in the air. One of Rita's most beloved films, it showcases how easily she can slip from nastiness and anger to childlike trust and love. Very well acted.
Last on my list would be the movie: "Whatever happened to Baby Jane? This one stars the incredible Betty Davis along with the infamous Joan Crawford. They are sisters who live together. Joan was in a car accident that confined her to a wheelchair. Betty was a child star who has gotten lost in her past, in her memories of 'Baby Jane.' There are scenes of bizarre makeup, great dialog and a rather famous scene of Betty (Baby Jane), pushing her sister down the stairs in her wheelchair. This scene was in one of the Simpson's Halloween Treehouse of Horror specials. A joke for the adults who knew the movie. My kids and I would watch this movie to the point where they and even some of their friends knew all the words and where we would throw popcorn at the tv every time Baby Jane was mentioned.
They take us back to a time when people had real consequences to their escapades. Where you knew who the bad guys were, and you rooted for the good ones. When acting had to overcome special effects, which to us now bring much laughter (such as when you see a giant eyeball being held up by a string), when there was no color to help hold your attention. They are comforting and just plain fun. You learn about a time before color and green screens. You learn about the Hollywood stars that were full of glamour, style, elegance and seemed too perfect to ever be real.
I still love these old films and watch them when I want to just lay on the couch with my husband and a bowl of popcorn. You know, the movie popcorn where there is way too much butter melting down between the popped kernels and maybe even a hot chocolate with marshmallows steaming on the coffee table between us and Hollywood past.
About the Creator
Linda Suitor
From Texas, my husband and I share a love of motorcycles. We have 10 kids, 15 grandchildren and 2 greatgrandchildren. 1 cat and 1 small dog. I also write poetry, paint, draw, and do crafts. Play the violin and learning the piano.
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The deployment follows the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer during an enforcement action in south Minneapolis. Good, a mother of three, was struck and killed by gunfire as she sat in her vehicle. Federal authorities have characterized the incident as a defensive action, saying the driver’s conduct endangered officers. However, local political leaders and community members strongly dispute that narrative. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other officials have criticized federal accounts of what happened, pointing to bystander videos that they say contradict the claim that Good posed an active threat when she was shot. They have also condemned the broader federal immigration operation in the city, saying it has fostered fear and mistrust in local communities. The legal and investigative aftermath remains complicated. 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Minneapolis, a city with a diverse population and sizable immigrant communities, has become a focal point for that strategy. Critics say that such heavy federal deployment in city neighborhoods undermines community trust and disproportionately affects non-violent immigrants and long-standing residents. Advocates for immigrant rights argue that punitive tactics fuel fear, discourage cooperation with local authorities, and erode civil liberties. Supporters counter that rigorous enforcement is essential for national security and upholding the rule of law. They argue that federal agents must be backed by sufficient resources, especially when facing hostile demonstrations or resistance. Voices from Minneapolis Local sentiment in Minneapolis remains deeply divided. Many residents expressed grief and shock over the death of Renee Good, while also expressing concern about the scale and nature of the federal response. 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For now, Minneapolis stands on edge — a city caught between federal authority and local calls for accountability, grieving a woman’s death, and questioning how far immigration enforcement can go before it deepens divisions even further.
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