In 2019, I decided to post a series of interviews with members of both the genealogical and old Hollywood communities, hoping to find common ground between the two and learn more about some people whose online presence I truly enjoy. Welcome to the Hollywood/Genes Crossover Interview series! For the original post in this series and to see the complete list of interviewees, click here.

*****

cat-e1515170970746
Photo from Gill’s blog

 

Gill was one of my first pals in the film blogger community and I’m so happy she agreed to be interviewed for this series! I naturally gravitate towards Gill’s positive attitude (which is infectious) and fun film and TV reviews. Always count on Gill to show up for a blogathon with her game face on and an amazing post to offer. I can’t wait for you to “meet” her, too! 

Name: Gill Jacob

Tell us a little about yourself (anything goes!): 

I’m an expat Scot living in Finland with my (English) husband. At the moment I’ve not got a job but I’m looking! So I spend my days learning Finnish, watching films and writing reviews. However I am hoping to get a job here one day…that is unless I’m spotted by a film magazine who want me to write for them in a work from home way.

What is your earliest memory of watching a classic film? What did it do for you? Why do you remember it?:

To be honest I’m not sure which of those classic films I saw first, but I do remember watching them on a rewatch years later. But one I do remember loving was Young At Heart , I remember watching this film along with a few other Doris Day movies as there was a season of her films on telly. I remember being engrossed in the movie and rooting for Gig Young’s character, who Day’s character callously dumped in favour of Frank Sinatra. Due to this plot line I felt sorry for poor Gig and disliking Frank Sinatra afterwards… I think he only redeemed himself – as an actor – after seeing him in The Manchurian Candidate years later. Also I had a bit of a crush on Gig and I loved the title song for this Doris Day film.

young-e1587815357121
Doris & Gig in Young at Heart

Who are your top 3 favorite classic film stars and why (1900s-1960s)?

 I wrote a post about this once, but I must confess since then a few of these have changed, thanks to seeing more of their work. So now its Rock Hudson, Dirk Bogarde and those early films of Hayley Mills. Rock Hudson I love as he’s a great comic actor and his expressions and timing are always perfect. He also seems more of an all rounder and always makes a movie much better just by being there. This also applies to Dirk Bogarde as he gave a memorable performance in the comedy Doctor films franchise and also with more dramatic roles Judy Garland in I Could Go On Singing. I also loved Hayley Mills films as a kid be it in The Parent Trap or Whistle Down the Wind and always feel she gave a natural timeless performance despite being so young at the time. Also she wasn’t as irritating as some child actors I could mention.

What are your top 3 favorite classic films and why? 

I’ve already touched on two of my favourite classics, Young At Heart and Whistle Down the Wind. The third has to be Gone With the Wind. I do love it as it has an all star blockbuster costume drama mini series feel to it. It reminds me of those North and South mini series in the 1980s where you kinda get caught up in the time, place and characters. This as an all star cast film makes it one I’d easily rewatch and enjoy at anytime.

How does classic film feature in your life today?

I’ve created a website / blog featuring film, tv and other entertainment reviews of mainly the retro kind. I also hold a lot of blogathons on my favourite actors and actresses just so I can learn more about them an their movies. When I enter more classic orientated blogathons I tend to look more for their later appearances just as I’m interested in what they did after appearing in those classics. I love films made in the 1970s (my favourite film decade) and more obscure retro pop culture references such as the Ziegfeld Girls in Fantasy Island or Bette Davis in a random 1970s TV pilot. Sadly we don’t get TCM here or I probably would watch more classic movie with my favourites.

What is your favorite website(s) dedicated to films? Why do you find it so enjoyable or useful? 

Shout out here to a few of my favourite bloggers – I enjoy reading posts on Cinema Essentials, Le Cinema is What the Dreams Are For  and Angelman’s Place. Cinema Essentials writes on a wide variety of films, with some older ones that I often remember watching as a kid and often recall due to his vivid descriptions of these films. Le Cinema is What the Dreams Are For writes on a wide variety of retro films, and I always enjoy reading his posts and tweets about Hollywood in the 70s and more. I could read his site all day and particularly like how he adds photos of the main cast with their character as I tend to see film posts quite visually and this helps me “see” how the plot progresses.  Angelman’s Place is also a favourite as we have similar taste in movies and I love to read his take on a subject.

Do you have a family (or personal) connection to the movies? How so?

My cousin works in the Art Department as a props man with a few British movies. I can’t tell you much about his job as he tends to say what happen on set stays on set.  I used to write to actors when I was wee and ask for signed photos. Now, (probably because of that) I tend to tag actors I write about on Social Media and have had a few likes from my favourites which really made my day (see pages HERE and HERE).

Which film star are you most often compared to or you think you look the most like? Does anyone else in your family (parents/grandparents) have a film doppelganger? 

I always think that one relative looked like Antony Quinn. As for me my dad always said my hair looked like Clara Bow’s which I only got the reference years later, but I thought it looked like Molly Ringwald’s.

Which is your favorite (fictional) film family and why? 

I dont have a favourite fictional film family but my TV fictional family of course is the Ewings in Dallas  and their family tree including those Barnes rivals. I’ve been a big fan of Dallas since way back.. but still have to see the reboot. I DO own all three seasons but haven’t watched it yet…
Where can you find Gill online, you ask? Links are below!