Current research
GENDER InTHE FILMS OF GEORGE CUKOR
George Cukor with Grant and
Hepburn, on the set of Holiday (1938)
George Cukor is perhaps best known as a “woman’s director.” This homophobic slur also functioned as a backhanded compliment for his ability to direct successful women-centered films featuring “difficult” (stronge, independent) female stars. While we, like Cukor himself, are right to eschew such a limiting label, close studies of Cukor films (he directed more than 50 across 50 years) show sustained attention to gender and sexuality in often surprising ways, inflected by ethnicity, class, and nationality. Utilizing diverse methodologies and an intersectional feminist approach, chapters explore clusters of films in case study fashion. Topics range women's friendships and the male alcoholic to queering the musical and ethnic assimilation in the 1950s.
2012 Interview with Gina Logue on Cukor for MTSU's On the Record. Mike Browning created this video based on excerpts of the interview:
2012 Interview with Gina Logue on Cukor for MTSU's On the Record. Mike Browning created this video based on excerpts of the interview:
UNEXPECTED NOIR (EDITED COLLECTION)
To be co-edited with film scholars Christopher Weedman and Alex Naylor, this volume of academic essays is currently in the planning stages. The goal is a collection that explores film noir style and content beyond the crime film. Chapters written by a variety of scholars will offer case studies of specific films, directors, and approaches.
BORDERS AND BOUNDARIES IN ACE IN THE HOLE (ARTICLE)
Billy WIlder's Ace in the Hole (1951) has received little critical attention, and almost exclusively as a commentary on tabloid journalism. This article will address neglected issues of borders and boundaries, with particular attention to race, nation, and gender in the context of post-war cultural anxieties and film noir style.
Domesticity and ETHNICITY IN THE Films of Judy holiday
This article will explore how characters portrayed by actress Judy Holiday were positioned to navigate conservative conceptions of white female domesticity within the romantic comedy genre. While plots and styles emphasize familiar constraints, Holiday's voice and acting style signify a disruptive (Jewish) ethnic difference. Films to be considered include Born Yesterday (1950), It Should Happen to You (1954), Full of Life (1956), and Bells are Ringing (1960).
