Mel Ferrer Dies at Age 90

Mel Ferrer, actor, director, producer, and former husband of Audrey Hepburn passed away this week at the age of 90 after a long illness. Mel was born in 1917 in New Jersey, the son of a doctor and socialite mother. He went to private schools and even attended Princeton University briefly. He originally wanted to be a writer, leaving Princeton to write a book in Mexico (the children’s book “Tito’s Hats”) and spending a year in New York as a book editor. However, his tall, dark, and handsome looks soon landed him in acting, a field that many believe he … Continue reading

My Fair Lady (1964)

An adaptation of the 1913 play “Pygmalion,” “My Fair Lady” was one of the vehicles that propelled Audrey Hepburn into super-stardom. We were used to seeing her as an elegant, refined lady, and in the first scenes of this film, we see her as Eliza Doolittle, the crass, dirty flower peddler who hangs out at the opera house to hit up the patrons for a few coins in exchange for her floral bundles. Her accent is the broadest form of cockney in the land, and when Professor Henry Higgins lays ears on her, he knows he must study her for … Continue reading

Charade (1963)

Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) is a young married woman who’s not sure she ought to be married. Her husband, Charles, is keeping something from her; she just knows it, and she can’t live with the uncertainty. She goes on a trip to try to sort things out, and while gone, she meets Peter Joshua, (Cary Grant) a fascinating man who seems interested in her. She, however, is interested in keeping her distance. My favorite line in the movie takes place when she’s meeting Peter for the first time and asks him if he’d like to get to know her. She … Continue reading