Still There?

Where: American History Museum

When: through March 21, 2016

Yet another long period between blog posts - more bad weather, more work craziness, but also a new dog in the Museumgoer household, I'm happy to say.  All time consuming, but I'm hoping that I'll be back seeing and reviewing exhibits on a regular basis going forward.

The archives center at American History has a display up now on George Sidney, an Oscar-winning director from the "Golden Age" of Hollywood (roughly the 1930s - 1950s).  He pioneered new techniques in film, including underwater sequences, think Esther Williams for those of you old enough to know who she was, the mixture of live action and animation, shooting on location and 3-D (no, youngsters, that's not a new invention).  It's the 100th anniversary of his birth, so out of storage come documents about his life and work.

Among his more famous works was "Anchors Aweigh," starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly.  The advertisements for the film exhorted moviegoers to "Get Gay!"  Ah, how slang has changed...

Sidney did a lot of the cinematography himself, and his sequence with Gene Kelly and Jerry the Mouse was groundbreaking.  Later in his career, he became one of the founding members of Hanna-Barbera.

Verdict: Another interesting, if not wildly exciting exhibit from our friends at the archives center - if you're a fan of old Hollywood, or if you'd just like a moment's rest from the crowds, give this a look.