"Sunset Boulevard" premieres 1950

 

Billy Wilder's classic film noir Sunset Boulevard premiered in New York City, August 10, 1950. It starred Gloria Swanson (Norma Desmond), William Holden, Jack Webb, and cameos from Buster Keaton, Hedda Hopper, and Cecil B. DeMille.

It was nominated for a whopping eleven Oscars and won three.  Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black and White, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.  Gloria Swanson and William Holden were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. 

It got seven Golden Globe nominations and won four: Best Motion Picture, Best Director for Wilder, Best Actress for Gloria Swanson, and Best Original Score.

Sunset Boulevard trailer

Book Review - "Silver and Gold" by William Holden

Unlike the main character, Joe, in William Holden’s short story, I’ve never been hit on by, much less seen, a sexy barista.  That’s how “Silver and Gold” opens.  Joe goes into a coffee shop and proceeds to receive thinly-veiled innuendoes from the handsome bearista Alan.  The attraction is mutual and they sneak off for a quickie but are interrupted. 

Joe returns to the coffee shop at the end of the business day, but Alan barely takes notice of him.  Dejected but not morose, Joe returns to his hotel room and discovers Alan has orchestrated an elaborate scavenger hunt for him.  Joe sets out enthusiastically across a snow-covered New York City to find his bearista. 

The reader may wonder how Alan was able to set up such a complex hunt in a relatively short amount of time, especially since he was working most of the day, but as an avid lover of puzzles and mysteries, I enjoyed reading Joe’s adventures.  Of course, it leads to an expected outcome (with a minor twist) but still fun.

I may have to start frequenting coffee shops more in the future.