I mentioned the names Nick and Nora at dinner this evening. The other people at the table had no idea what I was talking about. So I explained Nick and Nora Charles, The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett’s novel.
I explained the fact that the characters played by William Powell and Myrna Loy were the most romantic couple in cinema history. I even touched on the surprising movie debut of Jimmy Stewart.
I am surprised that people don’t know the classics of cinematic history. It is so fundamental to who we are as a culture, and to how we got here.