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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

5 Cool Life Secrets I Learned from Old Movies

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

The blue screen flickers—turns black, white, and innocent shades of gray. Music swells. The production company’s logo fills the TV, and a smile forms.

The music always changes—sprightly for a romance or a comedy, tense and imposing for a drama. A combination for both. And then it begins…

I’ve watched a lot of old movies. Musicals, dramas, mysteries, patriotic, and almost everything in between. I love Jimmy Stewart, Deanna Durbin, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, June Allyson, and Tom Drake. Oh, yeah. No one waltzes like Tom Drake. Between his “Yes ma’am” in Two Girls and a Sailor and his waltzing in Meet Me in St. Louis and I’ll Be Yours, it’s the closest thing I come to swooning after Gilbert Blythe’s words I talked about in THIS POST.

So in all these movies, I’ve learned a thing or two. They teach awesome life lessons, although I doubt they meant to. Don’t believe me?

5 Cool Life Secrets I Learned from Old Movies

Links in this post may be affiliate links which will provide me with a small commission at no extra expense for you.

Here are five cool life secrets I learned from old movies.

1. There’s a song for every occasion. Seriously.

It happened in BrooklynIs it raining? Sing!

Is it spring? Sing!

Are you afraid? Whistle (a happy tune)

Is it night time? Well, it’s a “Grand Night for Singing”, don’tcha know!

Really love your hometown landmarks? Sing about the Brooklyn Bridge.

Oh, but whatever you do, “It doesn’t matter if it’s classic or rock, just as long as it comes from the heart.” Jimmy Durante said so. He wouldn’t steer you wrong, and with his schnoz, he could steer a battleship. (No, that’s not one of his jokes, but I can hear him saying it, can’t you?)

See, Aggie had it right. If anything is right, wrong, or indifferent in the world, SING! (She recommends hymns). And as Judy Garland tells us in Summer Stock, “If you can’t sing good, sing soft.” (I think that’s the musical equivalent of “Make a joyful noise.” Let’s go with that one.

Oh, and if you think it’s not realistic for people to break out into song over any little thing, you don’t know the Havigs. A friend’s husband said that to me the first time I met him. After a few months of stopping by my house at lunch to see his family (they spent a lot of days at our house), he finally said, “Wow. You really do sing all the time.”

Yeah.

2. Embrace the ordinary.

It's a Wonderful LifeDon’t believe me? Ask George Bailey about it. He spends his entire life trying to escape the ordinary. All of it. And if you think about it, he also spends his entire life being anything but ordinary. He rescues his brother, he rescues the Savings & Loan, he rescues the town from the clutches of Mr. Potter. It takes something extraordinary—him choosing suicide as the solution to his problems—for him to appreciate the ordinary.

It just hit me that it’s rather like the good guy’s version of A Christmas Carol. Strange…

But that’s not the only one. What about Deanna Durbin’s Nice Girl?  Here you have Jane Dana—oldest of three daughters and destined to a life of relentless ordinary. She pictures her epitaph reading, “Here lies Jane Dana, scientist, and spinster. She died at the age of 82, a nice girl.”

Supposedly that’s bad. But when a little sophistication enters her life in the form of a wealthy man… yeah. She learns that the locals who annoyed her before are true friends—rooting for her, even. And maybe, just maybe, that boy next door isn’t as boring and ordinary as she thought. Or maybe it’s that she learned ordinary isn’t synonymous with plague-bait.

3. We’re braver than we think.

For Me and My GalThis one chokes me up. Look, I’m not an emotional gal, but if anything will make my throat ache and my eyes leak all over the place, it’s a good hero. My mind keeps going to war movies here—but I can’t help it. What about…?

For Me and My Gal— Selfish Harry Palmer just wanted to delay his entry into the army long enough to get married… just long enough. However, the way he went about it—so bad on so many levels. But man, when he steps up and saves the day despite a self-imposed handicap… Yep. Gets me every time.

Yeah, he was selfish. Sure, he was a coward. But the Lord made His creatures stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

Audie Murphy. Need we say anymore? The underdog of underdogs. The young man no one wanted. Time after time, he steps up to the plate, bags home run after home run, and wins the game. The most unassuming man of the bunch keeps them all together and in the end, saves them. This is probably the bravest kid in the history of kids joining the armed services way too young.

Captain's CourageousWhite Christmas— It’s a song, sure. But remember at the end, “We’ll follow the old man wherever he wants to go…” That’s my idea of a hero. You inspire that kind of loyalty—even after the war is over and everyone has settled into a new life—you’re a hero. And a military guy making a go at civilian life… I’m sorry, but from what I’ve seen in my own life? That’s brave, too.

Captain’s Courageous— When Spencer Tracy makes sure that Freddie Bartholomew doesn’t know just what has happened to him and tries to comfort the boy until he has to go under. That’s bravery on a whole new level.  “… yay ho little fish don’t cry don’t cry…”  *sniff*

4. Normal is relative.

Mr. DeedsArsenic and Old Lace— Those aunts are hysterical, aren’t they? Uncle Teddy is pretty adorable, too. It’s a horrible, hilarious movie that just goes to show that no matter how “normal” things may appear, we’re all a bit quirky in some way or another.

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town— After all, Mr. Deeds is “pixilated.” The sweet old gals from Mandrake Falls said so. And well, if anyone should know…

Ball of Fire— Look, if those guys in that old house aren’t a bit “unique,” I don’t know who is. No, they’re not “normal” by most peoples’ standards, but who cares? The sweet old guy married to “Genevieve” who spent the first week of his honeymoon bidding his wife goodnight by kissing her hand. Yeah. Totally not normal, but super cute in my not-so-humble opinion. And I’ve heard of cold showers, but cold water on the back of the neck? “You had to water your neck…” Mmmwaaahaha.

Still have doubts? Well, just watch anything Danny Kaye did. That’ll settle it right there. Well, except for The Five Pennies. I think he was startlingly normal in that. Then again, we’ve already established that normal is relative, so there you have it!

5. In the end, the “Good Guy” wins.

Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonMr. Smith Goes to Washington— Uncorrupted politician against all of Washington. Uncorrupted politician wins.

African Queen— An unlikely duo in a small tramp steamer takes on a German battleship. Look, it wasn’t the Bismark, but they got that Luise!

12 Angry Men—oh, this one gets me every time. A boy is almost sentenced to death because of the laziness of a jury. The good guy, in this case, was actually two guys—the jury member who refused to be pressured and the kid who didn’t do what he’d been accused of.

Yep. The good guy wins. Of course, in real life, it’s Jesus.

That’s not all, you know. I’ve learned lessons in Solomon-like wisdom, showing kindness when you don’t feel it, how to turn puddles into dance numbers, and why you need some seriously great shampoo if you’re stationed in the South Pacific. They’ve got man-sized grit over there!

There you have it. Five cool life secrets I learned from old movies. I bet I could have come up with a dozen more, but you’d have more fun just watching one. I recommend For the Love of Mary with Deanna Durbin.  Just don’t call the president asking about fish!

See… you can learn a lot from old movies.  Which one should I watch next…?

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
byChautona Havig

I had another lovely conversation with Toni Shiloh last month. Her latest book, The Love Script released and boy does it promise to be another #BookTouchdown!  Listen in to what you’ll find in this Love in the Spotlight series and especially in The Love Script.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How Many Lies Does It Take to Expose the Truth That Love Brings?

Authors tell me over and over that they experience the same things I do when I’m writing. You start helping your characters work through their problems, and as you do, the Lord starts exposing your own.  He helps you understand where you need growth and helps pull weeds that try to choke out that growth.

The Love Script has a great twist of someone trying to use a lie to smooth over the gossipy ripples of false reporting (genius way to handle it, eh?) and oh the fall out.

Toni promises we’ll see some great wisdom from Lamont’s mother and some deep truths that Neveah discovers.

The Love Truth by Toni Shiloh

A Hollywood hair stylist.

Nevaeh Richards loves making those in the spotlight shine but prefers the anonymity of staying behind her stylist chair, where no one notices her. But when a photo of Nevaeh and Hollywood A-lister Lamont Booker goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her quiet life becomes the number-one trending topic.

The silver screen’s latest heartthrob.

Lamont Booker’s bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent’s push for a fake relationship–something he never thought he’d consider in a million years.

A love that goes off script.

With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems?

You can find out more about Toni on her WEBSITE.  Follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

And don’t forget that you can get 30% off the book with free shipping at BakerBookHouse.com. And you can get You Make It Feel Like Christmas, too!

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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
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I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "A I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "Anne" story without Gilbert and Diana... meet Gage. He's not quite Gilbert, but he's got everything a Gilbert should have--including the ability to completely annoy Anne when he doesn't mean to. She's speaking to him here... barely.
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I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "A I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "Anne" story without Gilbert and Diana... meet Gage. He's not quite Gilbert, but he's got everything a Gilbert should have--including the ability to completely annoy Anne when he doesn't mean to. She's speaking to him here... barely.
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