The Line King: The Story of Al Hirschfeld (documentary, 1996)

An outstanding documentary about Mr. Hirschfeld (1903-2002), the famed artist best known for his caricatures of stage and screen celebrities for over 70 years. I am a huge fan of his work and watching this documentary (which was nominated for an Oscar) was a real treat.

The film features clips from numerous celebs sharing their best Hirschfeld memories, Hirschfeld interviews and home movies, and of course, hundreds of drawings he did through the years. But he didn't just do drawings, he painted and sculpted too

I learned that at age 18 or 19 years old, he worked for Selznick pictures, and did poster artwork and eventually took over the art department. He die many caricatures of movie stars during this period.

In 1926 he started sketching Broadway show for numerous New York newspapers, and did it for the rest of his life. He also did numerous TV Guide covers over the years.

Deanna Durbin in Because of Him (1946)

A lighthearted screwball comedy set in the world of the Broadway theater, with a top-notch musical score by Miklós Rózsa.


Deanna is a New York waitress dreaming of becoming a Broadway star. Her restaurant manager is played by Charles Halton who played the bank examiner in It's A Wonderful Life, my favorite movie.

Her favorite actor is famed British thespian John Sheridan (Charles Laughton), who is working on a new play, "Strange Laughter".

One day Laughton comes into her restaurant to eat, and Deanna cleverly schemes to get into the play. She also bumps into the playwright on the street (Franchot Tone), who is smitten by her at first sight.

Laughton is funny in this. I like the scene where he visits a bedridden Deanna and sees her shrine of photos of him on her dresser. He also teaches her how to faint properly. Also, it's funny when they both rehearse a scene and one of the characters in the play is named "Tony Randall" - the real actor was not famous yet.

Another funny scene comes during a rehearsal when Deanna breaks down and sobs uncontrollably. Everyone thinks she's trying impress with her acting abilities. But is she faking it? Ha ha. You have to see it!

The film's posters are a little misleading because it gives the impression it's a romance between Durbin and Tone. They really don't light any sparks until much later on in the picture, and even then it's on-again/off-again.


Highlights of the film include Deanna singing "Danny Boy" and "Goodbye", and seeing the two stars of Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 version) reunited on screen.