Dear Ally

Welcome to the inauguration of "Dear Ally," my advice column.  I promise we'll have fun.

Dear Ally,

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you're a lot older than me.  A lot!  You probably saw movies back when they didn't have sound.  What are some good old movies to see?

Signed, Young Blogger

Dear Young Blogger,

Yes, I'm old.  I fought in the Civil War and protested to get women the right to vote. :)

You hit the bulls-eye with your question: I'm a film-aficionado and love old movies.  You'll benefit from following my recommendations.  Because some classics are great and others are overrated, let me point you to the best ones.

One classic which works beautifully as both a romance and drama is "Casablanca."  Set in World War II, the movie stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as lovers separated by the war.  Their chance reunion generates deep, mixed emotions and gives the stars an opportunity to show what made them famous.  The movie deserved and won the Oscar for Best Picture, along with many other awards.  You'll remember it forever.

Another, more recent classic is "Saturday Night Fever."  Made in 1977, the film catapaulted John Travolta to stardom.  It prominently features a soundtrack by The Bee Gees whose songs perfectly capture the period.  What most people overlook about this film is its gritty, accurate portrayal of urban life in the Seventies.  It depicts Brooklyn as a harsh and ugly place where people behave like cavemen.  The central question is whether Tony (Travolta's character) will be able to escape his hometown since he's ambitious and capable of more than Brooklyn has to offer.

Finally, my favorite comedy is "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (1985).  Not only does the film star the incomparable Pee-Wee Herman, it was directed by Tim Burton.  The movie is a feast of humor, high and low.  I've seen it a dozen times and can repeat all of its lines.  The story is simple (someone steals Pee-Wee's bicycle and he goes searching for it) and the charm of the film is its wacky characters and surreal events.

Please keep those questions coming!