Since "Reel Classics: Elizabeth's Classic Movie Homepage" began in 1997, visitors have been curious about the person behind it.  "Who is Elizabeth and why does she spend so much time building this web site about classic movies?"  If you are one of these curious people, read on.

My name is Elizabeth. I'm an American, a perpetual student of classic movies and a self-proclaimed "younger generation" classic movie fan (which just means I wasn't around to see them when they first came out and in their original historical context).  All this website stuff began as a hobby when I was in college, but in 1999 I incorporated Reel Classics and am now making my living as a film historian, writing about these movies and stars full-time. 

I grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- right smack-dab in the middle of the United States -- and graduated from Casady School in Oklahoma City before heading to New Jersey where I received an A.B. (Latin for B.A.) in Romance Languages and Literatures from Princeton University.  In addition to modern languages (French and Italian), I also studied everything from U.S. History and Economics to Opera and Organic Chemistry.  When I wasn't studying or working on Reel Classics, I was involved in a few extra-curricular activities, many of them sports-related but the most important one being The Episcopal Church at Princeton.  It was during my first year at Princeton that Reel Classics debuted, and I spent many hours doing classic movie research in the university's Firestone Library (B-floor, section N-2).

After graduating from Princeton, I spent a year in London earning a M.Sc. International Relations at the London School of Economics.  After completing my degrees, I returned to Oklahoma and have been primarily self-employed ever since, working as the author of ReelClassics.com (and the owner of Reel Classics, L.L.C.) full-time.  Besides the day-to-day operations of the website (which includes reading email, administering the server, building and updating pages, and of course, researching and writing about classic movies and stars), I also run the business side of things (negotiating special promotion arrangements with studios, retailers and other web sites, selling advertising, earning commissions from the vendors in the Classic Movie Merchandise section, and last but not least, paying the bills). 

Beyond my work on ReelClassics.com, I have also undertaken classic movie consulting jobs and frequently work as a free-lance researcher and writer on a variety of classic movie-related projects around the United States.  These projects have ranged from serving as an advisor on decorations and other cosmetic elements of special events with classic movie-related themes (charitable galas, weddings, etc.) to working as an archival research associate on biographies and documentaries about classic movie stars and the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In addition to major projects about Bette Davis and Victor Fleming, in March 2003, I had the privilege of consulting on the "Previous Oscar Winners Reunion" segment of the 75th Annual Academy Awards telecast, working on the event's production staff and getting to meet several of the stars (both modern and classic) who participated in the tribute.  In 2005, I wrote and produced a 20-minute documentary for the Oklahoma Historical Society called "Moving Images of Oklahoma" about how the state and her people have been portrayed on film.  (It screens more than a dozen times daily at the Oklahoma Museum of History in Oklahoma City.)  Along with my work as webmaster, consultant, researcher and producer, I also lecture on classic movie-related topics to community groups and educational institutions and introduce theatrical film screenings from time to time as well.

For more specific information about the origins of this web site and my love of classic movies, see my Author's Notes.  And for a few photos of a few classic movie stars whom I've actually met since I got involved in this business, check out Elizabeth Meets the Stars and the 75th Annual Academy Awards.

Finally, if you are still curious and want to know more about the some of the most important influences on my development as a student of classic films, check out Elizabeth's Family. There are even a few pictures, although they haven't been updated in a while.

Rosie the Riveter and Le Petit Prince.

I realize this is a rather odd juxtaposition of images, but they're both important to me, so here they are.  First Rosie, because part of the reason I like these older movies (especially those from World War II) is for their strong female characters.  Working girls, house wives, WACS, WAVES or waitresses, be they set in screwball comedies or home-front dramas, the women in these films had a spunk and a strength that you rarely see in films anymore.  Next, le Petit Prince from the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Why?  Well, because a page about me just wouldn't be complete without the little guy.

Stuff About Me | Family | Elizabeth Meets the Stars | 75th Annual Academy Awards