Patricia Nolan-Hall (aka Paddy Lee, aka Caftan Woman) welcomed me when I joined the Classic Movie Blog Association (CMBA) several years ago. I was thrilled to join an online community of people who shared my interest in classic film, and after her welcome, she graciously continued her support via her insightful comments throughout the years.
Paddy Lee’s articles often inspired me to see a film or revisit one. One article still resonates with me because it was an inspiration to see a film that I had forgotten about: Union Station (1950), starring William Holden and Nancy Olson. I haven’t yet written about Union Station. I would like to, but I keep getting sidetracked by other films and novels, and maybe (if I’m honest) it’s because I don’t want to compete with a pro like Paddy Lee.
So the best way for me to honor her is to let Paddy Lee’s article about Union Station speak for itself. You can find it by clicking here. To pique your interest, here is the opening paragraph:
Cities within cities fascinate creators and audiences. Consider the nightclub in Piccadilly, 1929, the business complex in Skyscraper Souls, 1932, and the transportation hub in The Terminal, 2004. The transportation mecca for our feature's setting is the Chicago Union Station, with the conveniently located Los Angeles Union Station playing the part.
I love her wonderful observation about Union Station being an example of “cities within cities.” She included a movie poster from another country and crisp screenshots from the film itself. And don’t overlook the comments: Several people, including me, commented on her article, and Paddy Lee answered every one.
She was knowledgeable about a broad range of classic film; film noir was just one example. She had a sense of humor, too, as the subtitle to her blog (“Faster than a speeding scooter. . .”) shows.
And—by the way—Paddy Lee and her father are right about Union Station: It’s a dandy!
My article about Patricia Nolan-Hall and Union Station is my entry for The Caftan Woman Blogathon – Honoring Patricia Nolan-Hall, which is hosted by Jacqueline at Another Old Move Blog and Lady Eve at Lady Eve’s Reel Life. To see all the blog articles celebrating Patricia Nolan-Hall, click here and here.
Paddy was the most generous, welcoming soul in the blogosphere. She knew her apples and if she says it's a good film, that's good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more! And we have plenty of company.
DeleteThanks for contributing this lovely piece to the blogathon in tribute to Paddy. She surely had a knowledge of classic film unsurpassed by anybody in the blogger world, and there was never a kinder person. I hope you do tackle UNION STATION sometime. Paddy would have applauded.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for co-hosting this blogathon!
DeleteBoth the article and the movie look intriguing. Paddy had such good taste. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by. I think Paddy was right when she called Union Station a dandy!
DeleteMarianne, I’m with you in so appreciating Paddy’s unflagging support of we newer CMBA bloggers. I’m sure she would encourage you to write your thoughts about Union Station and I’m sure your post would be fabulous.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the 1932 Union Depot sometime, too, if you haven’t seen that one!
Thanks, Jocelyn! And the 1932 Union Depot sounds like a good one.
DeleteThank you for sharing Paddy's post on Union Station. I've only seen it once, but I plan to revisit it now. She had that effect.
ReplyDeletePaddy Lee's post was "a dandy" too! So much of her writing really was inspiring.
DeleteI love that you shared an article that inspired you. A wonderful way to honor Paddy's memory, as she was an inspiration to so many.
ReplyDeletePaddy Lee really was an inspiration. Thanks to her, I've seen Union Station several times now. I'll have to write about it eventually!
DeleteVery happy to be able to post a comment today! I haven't seen Union Station, didn't really know about it, but your recommendation and that paragraph of Paddy's have convinced me to check it out. Thank you, Marianne!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for co-hosting! It was a wonderful chance to honor Paddy Lee and revisit one of my favorite articles of hers.
DeletePaddy was always so welcoming! I think she must have been one of the most positive people I have known. She did have this uncanny knack for making observations about films that had never occurred to me, but made perfect sense. I remember her write-up on Union Station well.
ReplyDeleteHer write-up was a winner, that's for sure. Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteI loved this entry by Paddy. In fact, I may have re-watched the movie right after reading it. Thank you for the reminder to revisit it.
ReplyDeleteAurora
And I thank Paddy Lee! Her article about Union Station really resonated with me.
DeleteI've said something along these lines more than once, but one of the things that got me hooked on blog-a-thons was finding the perspective of so many other film fans. But it was people like Paddy Lee who really drove that, which was really the whole point of my entry int his event!
ReplyDeleteYou aren't the only one who feels that way about Paddy Lee, and this blogathon is proof of that. Can't be said often enough what an inspiration she was.
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