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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/21/2021 in all areas

  1. Errol Flynn was most famous for his Robin Hood Hat: but he got to wear a series of cool hats:
    6 points
  2. Some real 1920s hats. Gloria Swanson: Lillian Gish: Louise Brooks
    5 points
  3. I've always loved 20s hats! Here are a bunch from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN:
    4 points
  4. January 8 The Strange One (Columbia, 1958) Source: TCM The second of three movies I watched on Pat Hingle night. I'll be honest right up front: I'm not sure I get this film. The movie poster with Ben Gazzara (see below) with his military cap obscuring his eyes and undershirt partially exposed seems like it would be a fit for a military version of Scorpio Rising. And from what I'm reading, there was enough of a homoerotic context to rile up the Production Code on more than one occasion before the film's release. It was written by Calder Willingham, adapted from his own play, End as a Man. Gazzara had already played Brick in the stage production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which, I've read, is a lot gayer than the movie. Here, in his film debut, he plays a sociopathic student at a Southern military academy. He seems to live for breaking the rules, though rather than doing so directly, he's intuitive enough to manipulate everyone around him into doing it for him. This includes his roommate (Hingle) and two underclassmen who are roommates (one of whom is played by George Peppard). In the opening sequence, Gazzara manipulates the others into setting up a fixed poker game during bed-check, getting a dim-bulb cadet who's quick to anger when drunk to beat up another cadet who happens to be the son of the academy's commanding officer. The rest of the movie is kind of a cat-and-mouse game between Gazzara and the other cadets who are either unwilling or unknowing participants. As one poster on imdb says, there's a comeuppance at the end, though it's not particularly satisfying. I guess the most homoerotic undercurrent appears in the form of another cadet who hero-worships Gazzara to the point of writing a thinly disguised novel of his life that sounds like a love letter, the parts we get to hear, even though Gazzara is abusive to him. Any implications of homosexuality no doubt made the Production Code uncomfortable. I personally am sorry to see that it has to be so tied into a sort of S&M vibe and a cruelty vibe, as if that's the only way it can be expressed. Most of the reviews I read are glowing. Not really my kind of movie, but the acting is strong, and if what I've written intrigues you, then please check it out. Hingle is a good-natured lunkhead in this one, not a very challenging role. It was pretty early in his career, I guess. Total movies seen this year: 15
    4 points
  5. I do not know if Aelita: Queen of Mars was practicing social distancing in 1924 or if this style of hat doubles as a shortwave receiver:
    4 points
  6. Any home improvement movie such as MR BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE or MONEY PIT
    3 points
  7. Steamboat Bill, Jr. (still amazing) do-it-yourself: Kathy Bares in Fried Green Tomatoes
    3 points
  8. Michael Collins (1996), written and directed by Neil Jordan, starring Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Alan Rickman, Julia Roberts, and Stephen Rea Source: DVD Michael Collins (1890-1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader who was instrumental in the fight for Irish independence, mostly as a military organizer, then, reluctantly, as a political operative. The film covers the period from the Easter Rising (1916) through Bloody Sunday (1920) to Collins' assassination in 1922. It's a sprawling, good movie, (Oscar-nominated score and cinematography), which largely accords heroic status to Collins. Like most movies based on history, it does take liberties, and has been criticized for that. An unforgivable alternation, though, is the torture and murder by the British of Ned Broy (played by Stephen Rea). Broy actually lived until 1972, serving the Irish government in many capacities. (This reminds me of the death of Louis Leonowens in Anna and the King of Siam. I understand that these films are not documentaries, but why kill off a character -- Anna's son -- based on a historic personage who lives to relative old age?) Despite the necessarily broad canvas of the movie, the leading characters are generally well drawn, and one gets a sense of their complexity. Aidan Quinn is particularly good as Harry Boland, Collins' closest friend and collaborator, from whom he later becomes estranged. One flaw, though, is the character of Kitty, whom Boland and Collins both fall in love with (Collins wins her hand). At the end of the film, Kitty's selection of her wedding dress is intercut with scenes of Collins assassination. That's a pretty effective device, which conveys the sadness of the contrast of the ordinary lives of the Irish people of that time, with the realities of ever-present violence. Nevertheless, Kitty is often seen coming into rooms in awkward (for the film) interludes with her boyfriends, and one want to cry out, "What the hell is Julia Roberts doing in this movie?" One of the most powerful scenes in the film is the depiction of Bloody Sunday, one of the tragic events in Irish history. The day begins with the murder, by Collins' comrades and under his direction, of British military leaders in Ireland. It continues with the slaughter, by the British, of football players and spectators at a football match in Croke Park, Dublin. That's a terrifying scene: the crowd enjoying the game, when tanks roll in and start shooting. (Those British can be nasty. The scene reminds me of the 1919 massacre, ordered by Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, of unarmed Indians attending a festival at Jallianwalla Bagh in the Punjab). On the other hand, there are scenes of normal life, including a beautifully shot dance scene. There is also a powerful scene in the self-proclaimed Irish parliament, when de Valera and Boland and others walk out in protest to the settlement Collins has negotiated in London. (Collins had been sent to London by de Valera. Collins complains that he is not a diplomat. The film depicts the assignment given by de Valera to Collins as a setup for inevitable failure.) In 1966, Eamon de Valera (1882-1975), who had served several terms as Irish Taoiseach/Prime Minister, said: “It is my considered opinion that in the fullness of time history will record the greatness of Michael Collins and it will be recorded at my expense.” That is largely what Neil Jordan's film does: Collins (played by Liam Neeson) is depicted as a hero, whose commitment to violence is a reluctant but necessary route to getting the British out of Ireland. On the other hand, de Valera (played by Alan Rickman) is depicted as Machiavellian and deceitful. The film even hints that de Valera may have been complicit in Collins' assassination. Michael Collins was filmed in Dublin and other locations around Ireland. de Valera, Collins, Boland Kitty with her two admirers
    3 points
  9. Interesting little LA Times article on Gilbert. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-may-13-la-et-mn-john-gilbert-20130515-story.html
    3 points
  10. San Francisco (1936) The Sisters (1938) Penny Serenade (1941) Green Dolphin Street (1947)
    3 points
  11. Here are fun 1920s hats from THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
    3 points
  12. I couldn't think of any other films... That Girl, Ann Marie goes to emergency room to get bowling ball removed from her toe Rhoda gets carried in by Nick Lobo A puck incident requires care for Ross on Friends
    3 points
  13. Our twelfth pre-code star is PAT O'BRIEN He had a CONSOLATION MARRIAGE (1931) with Irene Dunne: He married Carole Lombard in VIRTUE (1932): And he stayed at HELL'S HOUSE (1932) with Bette Davis:
    3 points
  14. I read a comparison of THE THIRD MAN to CASABLANCA, comparing the cynicism of Harry Lime to that of Rick except in Lime's case any idealism that may once have existed under the surface had been replaced by greed and corruption. Lime is the charming out for himself loner that Rick claims to be but, in the final analysis, isn't. There was still idealism during the war when sides were pitted against one another. After the war, though, a moral rot began to set in with many, giving even greater demand for the film noir characters that we had seen in the movies during the war and even before it. Harry Lime is such a creature. Casablanca is a completely studio made production while the streets that we see in The Third Man are the real thing (though this film, too, has its share of studio sets, many done at Shepperton Studios, possibly even the sewer scenes, since Welles complained about filming in the real ones in Vienna). One thing these two films have in common, in my opinion, is they that are two of the most clever, thoroughly enjoyable "light entertainments" the movies have ever given us, not just from the 1940s, but ever.
    3 points
  15. Racism aside, it might be said that director John Ford was one of the first Hollywood directors to hire Native Americans in his early westerns, especially IRON HORSE 1924 (featuring over eight hundred Pawnee, Sioux, and Cheyenne Indians) and those made with John Wayne. Many of his westerns filmed in the late forties and into the mid sixties employed native Americans from Arizona and Utah.
    3 points
  16. Last night, after viewing "The Searchers", TCM hosts discussed the problems with racist depictions of Native Americans in this film. Like so many classic westerns, the Native Americans are portrayed as savages and often not even played by Native Americans. I really appreciated that this topic was brought up. It needs to be as movies have influenced the way many people see history and have shaped attitudes toward minority groups. The hosts pointed out that they felt we should still see these movies (many are masterpieces of film making) but to open our eyes and to see the racism in them. I am Native American and greatly appreciate these views. These are the kind of discussions we all need to be having. Thank you TCM.
    2 points
  17. Much has been said about John Gilbert's career ending with the advent of talkies. Some have said that his voice did not match the Great Lover image of his silent movies. Others have claimed the reason is the rather primitive sound equipment of the day. I recently watched "Downstairs", his first talkie that I have seen. I personally did not understand what all the fuss was about. I was not bothered at all by his voice. Any thoughts by you movie experts out there?
    2 points
  18. ...which inspired Woody Allen's SMALL TIME CROOKS
    2 points
  19. I am curious about this film as well. Incidentally, John Gilbert's last film-- THE CAPTAIN HATES THE SEA (1934)-- was produced at Columbia. He was fourth-billed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Captain_Hates_the_Sea I agree that he would have been better served at Paramount. But Mayer probably blackballed him.
    2 points
  20. I think John Gilbert would have had better roles at Paramount or Columbia (in the 1930's.) In my opinion, Mayer was ungrateful toward Gilbert; Gilbert helped make MGM what it was in the second half of the 1920s. He also wanted to write and direct more films, but Mayer didn't want to help him flourish.
    2 points
  21. People who have actually seen HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT (1929) say there's nothing wrong with Gilbert's voice. All I ask the opportunity to watch this film and assess it myself. (TCM programmers, if you're lurking...?)
    2 points
  22. Larceny, Inc. (1942) Edward G. Robinson buys luggage store next door to a bank to break through the wall for a heist. Sexy Beast (2000) drills through bathhouse wall to rob bank next door How about breaking the fourth wall? Road to Utopia (1945) Alfie (1966)
    2 points
  23. A REALLY INTERESTING NEIL JORDAN film I saw a little while back was a very early one of his- 1984's THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, which is a revisionist RED RIDING HOOD and was also excellent and stylistically ahead of its time. ANGELA LANSBURY has a part as Grandmama.
    2 points
  24. I did a quick IMDb search for dance marathon and 55 titles came up. When I narrowed the search down to the years 1928 to 1945, only 3 titles came up: Hard to Handle (1933) - mentioned in your post The Lottery Bride (1930) Sailor's Luck (1933) Most of the rest of the titles show up after the release of They Shoot Horses...
    2 points
  25. I saw The Third Man at least once in the past, but not for a while. It really does not appeal to me. As for the zither music, not my kind and I like a variety of music types. It would be OK for part of the movie, but all of it? I think not. It is not "the greatest movie ever made." I'm not sure why it is held in such high esteem. It's OK as a crime/spy type movie, but there are hundreds of others just as good, if not better.
    2 points
  26. Whale, James, played by Ian McKellan in "Gods and Monsters"
    2 points
  27. Yes, he's been fine in all of the talkies I have seen him do. I really enjoyed his performance in FAST WORKERS (1933) and in QUEEN CHRISTINA (1933). I think this career ended (correction: his career at MGM ended) because of studio politics-- he was on the outs with Louis Mayer. Mayer was looking for an excuse to get rid of him and exaggerated the problems about his voice supposedly not appealing to audiences of the sound era. A lot of rubbish quite frankly.
    2 points
  28. Stephens, Samantha -- played by Elizabeth Montgomery on TV's Bewitched
    2 points
  29. Well that wraps up Winter Under the Stars. Thanks to everyone who read and chimed in. It was fun focusing on some neglected performers. *** Group 1 SONJA HENIE, DAN DURYEA, EVE ARDEN, AUDIE MURPHY, SALLY FIELD, BOBBY DRISCOLL, HELEN TWELVETREES Group 2 GEORGE MURPHY, MARIE WINDSOR, EDMUND GWENN, YVONNE DE CARLO, DONALD SUTHERLAND, PEGGY ANN GARNER, RICHARD BARTHELMESS Group 3 DEANNA DURBIN, JACK PALANCE, MARIA OUSPENSKAYA, GEORGE MONTGOMERY, SANDY DENNIS, DEAN STOCKWELL, GLORIA STUART Group 4 GORDON MACRAE, GALE SONDERGAARD, SYDNEY GREENSTREET, BARBARA HALE, JACK NICHOLSON, VIRGINIA WEIDLER, RICARDO CORTEZ Group 5 ALICE FAYE, ZACHARY SCOTT, AGNES MOOREHEAD, RORY CALHOUN, KAREN BLACK, CLAUDE JARMAN, RUTH CHATTERTON Group 6 DONALD O'CONNOR, JUDITH ANDERSON, CHARLEY GRAPEWIN, DALE EVANS, BURT REYNOLDS, PATTY DUKE, GENE RAYMOND Group 7 MARY MARTIN, LYLE BETTGER, MAY WHITTY, WILLIAM S. HART, DIANE KEATON, JON WHITELEY, FRANCES DEE Group 8 BOB FOSSE, LIZABETH SCOTT, GUY MADISON, FAY BAINTER, MICHAEL DOUGLAS, JANE WITHERS, DAVID MANNERS Group 9 BETTY HUTTON, LAIRD CREGAR, JULIE ADAMS, W.C. FIELDS, MARSHA MASON, JOHNNY WHITAKER, TALLULAH BANKHEAD Group 10 BILL ROBINSON, SIMONE SIMON, GEORGE BURNS, VERA RALSTON, GEORGE SEGAL, SYBIL JASON, JOHN BOLES Group 11 MITZI GAYNOR, RAYMOND BURR, JANE DARWELL, DALE ROBERTSON, CANDICE BERGEN, SAL MINEO, BEBE DANIELS Group 12 DANNY KAYE, ANN SAVAGE, BARRY FITZGERALD, VERA MILES, JAMES CAAN, BONITA GRANVILLE, PAT O'BRIEN
    2 points
  30. I have Native American ancestry but it cannot be denied that some native Americans, at times, engage in barbaric behavior. Likewise, some European settlers and US military forces, engaged in barbaric ways. It was a clash of cultures and as has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout history the same pattern of dehumanizing the “enemy “ is repeated, whether there are racial differences or not. Early European history is replete with this pattern. European tribes subjugated, drove out, enslaved or absorbed weaker peoples. It seems that, though ugly, this struggle ultimately results in the advancement of civilization.
    2 points
  31. I've largely become accustomed to our new world of home viewing, and I don't watch comic book movies that probably play better on a big screen with Dolby surround. This was the first time in a while, watching "Ran", that I found myself actively wishing I could see it in a theater.
    2 points
  32. So how many films made during the Depression actually depicted dance marathons? I know of one, HARD TO HANDLE (1933), with James Cagney as a promoter of one. Allen Jenkins has the Gig Young role as the MC with running commentary including jokes (in reference to one dance couple: "Both of them were born and raised in the hill country. This is the first thing they've ever done on the level.") Two falls and you're out are the rules of this contest and as the film opens the marathon is down to the final two couples, both dragging their feet (Mary Brian is in one, Sterling Holloway in the other). So does anyone know of any other films of the era that featured a dance marathon, or does this Warner Bros. B stand alone as the only one to reflect the craze?
    2 points
  33. January 8 Hang 'Em High (United Artists, 1968) Source: TCM I watched three movies on Pat Hingle night, and this was the first. I believe this was Clint Eastwood's first Hollywood Western after his trio of "spaghetti Westerns" made with Sergio Leone, I know I caught this somewhere on commercial TV in the '80s before there was a TCM. I have sharp memories of the vivid opening sequence, although I probably stopped watching as soon as it got to the first commercial break, because I didn't have any memory of the rest of the movie. And in the four months since I watched the whole thing, I've forgotten a lot of the plot specifics. Eastwood plays an ex-lawman turned cattle rancher who is taking newly purchased cattle back to his land. We know he's a good guy because the movie opens with him wandering into a lake to retrieve a calf who has strayed, then gently carrying it out. Then an angry mob catches up with him. The guy he just bought the cattle from has apparently been murdered, and although Eastwood has a deed for the purchase, the mob - whose members include Ed Begley, Alan Hale, Jr. and Bruce Dern - decide a little vigilante justice in order a la The Ox-Bow Incident, and string him up. Only the semi-miraculous intervention of lawman Ben Johnson saves Eastwood's life, though he's left with permanent rope burns around his neck. Johnson takes Eastwood into the nearest town, takes a couple of minutes to dispatch of attempted escapee Dennis Hopper (who gets to go full bat-S crazy in his two minutes of screen time), then turns him over to a "hanging" judge played by Hingle. More good fortune for Eastwood - his case is investigated, and he's clear of all charges. Now, he wants vengeance on the sorry SOBs who strung him up. Hingle offers to make him a marshal, but he's got to bring the lynch mob and any other ne'er-do-wells he comes across in lawfully and alive. This doesn't go so well his first time out of the gate, as Eastwood ends up having to blow the guy away (I think it was Dern). I thought this would prove to be a pattern for the entire movie and lead to confrontation between Eastwood and Hingle, but it doesn't. I also wasn't sure what the ultimate relationship between those two characters was going to be. Hingle is so high on Eastwood to begin with, it seemed inevitable their relationship would sour. There's some kind of parallel going on between the type of justice the mob wants to mete out in the opening scene and Hingle's justice - he wants Eastwood to bring them in alive so he could rush them through a perfunctory "fair trial" and then string them up. A little odd to see Eastwood, the guy who would go on to play Dirty Harry, in a movie with an ostensibly liberal message about justice, although this was early in his stardom. I kept waiting for Hingle to become an outright villain, maybe the main villain, like Robert Vaughn in Bulitt. It's hard to follow what the real criminals are even up to in that movie, just that Vaughn is a jerk. But I guess the real villain's role belongs to Begley in this movie (did he ever play a nice guy?). Hingle gives an interesting speech about achieving statehood for Oklahoma means proving achievement of all the expectations of civilization, including firm justice. Regardless how you feel about his character, it's an electrifying performance. Probably the best one in the movie. Eastwood is fine, maybe a little softer at times than we're accustomed to. He tries to romance Inger Stevens, who has her own reasons for wanting justice, but these scenes don't really add too much to a movie that's already too long and at times funereally paced. Anyway, a marginal thumb up for me. I'm typically not too crazy about Westerns, so any one I can make it all the way through must be pretty good. Total movies seen this year: 14
    2 points
  34. There's also Summertime with Katharine Hepburn.
    2 points
  35. Well, many of us "centrists" lean both ways depending on the topic. Or lean neither way because in real life there are more than two choices. I've never been comfortable with statues of anyone. People are imperfect beings. In today's age, we know so much about everyone. Its very easy to find dirt on any person and slam them the moment they do something you dislike. So why bother ?
    2 points
  36. O-Lan -- Luise Rainer in The Good Earth (1934)
    2 points
  37. THe above photo of HOLIDAY INN reminded me of the "Washington's Birthday" number -- I love this little ladies' tricorn hat designed by Edith Head:
    2 points
  38. Here's the hat Loretta Young longed for in THE BISHOP'S WIFE
    2 points
  39. Yep. Then there was the time that Wally beat the crap out of his buddy Marlon Brando in a diner in south central North Dakota over who would pick up the check. This guy was fierce.
    2 points
  40. While I was at the hotel to-day, an elderly gentleman called upon me to know whether I was really in favor of producing perfect equality between the negroes and white people. While I had not proposed to myself on this occasion to say much on that subject, yet as the question was asked me, I thought I would occupy perhaps five minutes in saying something in regard to it. I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied every thing. I do not understand that because I do not want a negro woman for a slave I must necessarily want her for a wife. My understanding is that I can just let her alone. I am now in my fiftieth year, and I certainly never had a black woman for either a slave or a wife. So it seems to me quite possible for us to get along without making either slaves or wives of negroes. I will add to this that I have never seen, to my knowledge, a man, woman, or child who was in favor of producing a perfect equality, social and political, between negroes and white men... I have never had the least apprehension that I or my friends would marry negroes if there was no law to keep them from it, but as Judge Douglas and his friends seem to be in great apprehension that they might, if there were no law to keep them from it, I give him the most solemn pledge that I will to the very last stand by the law of this State, which forbids the marrying of white people with negroes. Fourth Lincoln-Douglas Debate (Charleston, 18 September 1858)
    2 points
  41. Glamah? But really, she could lay on the glam (á la Stage Door (1937):
    2 points
  42. The link which I provided is to an Imgur post with thirty-five such charts of various hat types and styles. I am surprised that a person in Australian army would wear Emu feathers since their army did lose the one and only war with Emus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War or Google "The Great Emu war" for further information regarding their ignominious defeat. I must wonder if the buttons on your shirt are to mimic the belt-like part at the bottom of some military short jackets. I have seen shirts which have sort of zig-zag buttoning. I believe the theory is that they are not as easy to rip open because the tension is distributed unevenly. I believe also that it is truly due to seamstresses having more vodka than is good for them. I have a photograph of a certain fuzzy wearing a fedora which was blocked to mimic one worn by Frank Sinatra and others of his ethnic and social ilk. It is precious because he was nineteen years old at the time but the hair at his temples was whitened by bluing and he is wearing a very dark blue suit and his classic scowl. It would be very easy to mistake him for a man in his forties. It is no wonder that he tells of never having need of a false i.d. I believe that this is the one true classic man's hat:
    2 points
  43. Wanna get real depressed? Watch this movie and then The Last Picture Show back to back. Not sayin' here that they're not both terrific films, but oh wee, I still remember distinctly how down in the dumps I felt and with a feeling of "Boy, life sucks and then you die, huh?!" as I walked out of the movie theater after watching them during their initial releases. (...btw...ever wonder why TSH,DT? seems the high point of Michael Sarrazin's career?...thought he'd be a bigger star than he'd turn out to be after watching this film back in the day)
    2 points
  44. There's a difference between forgetting history and, on the other hand, choosing to cease honoring people who did things that we no longer feel are worth honoring. I live in a southern state where there are a lot of statues honoring Confederates -- or, at least, there were until recently. In the county where I live, for example, a statue of a Confederate soldier stood in front of the county courthouse -- on public land, owned by all of us. In our state capital, which once served as the capital of the Confederacy, there were numerous statues of Confederate leaders in heroic poses. These were people who were literally traitors to the US, who fought against the country. Their goal was to preserve slavery, even if it meant breaking up our country. (Some have characterized their goal as preservation of "states' rights." What did they want the states to have the "right" to do? Preserve slavery.) These Confederate statues are not, themselves, "history." They're meant to honor, and I would say glorify, the people they depict. These people took part in historical events, yes, but the statues themselves are not part of those events. The choice to put up each statue was made, in most cases, long after the historical events that the depicted people took part in. Many of the statues were erected by, and in some cases are still owned by, groups that were formed explicitly to honor the Confederacy. (That was the case with the statue at our county courthouse.) Yet, as long as these statues still stand, we are continuing to honor those people. We're also continuing to accept decisions about whom to honor that were made by people who are no longer living in most cases. Why should people today have to accept a decision to honor Confederates that was made by people who lived in, say, 1900? Shouldn't we be able to make our own decisions about whether Confederates are still worth honoring with statues? Until quite recently, our society was willing to let these old statues remain where they are. But lately, many people have changed their opinion about that, or have started to pay more attention to the issue and have formed an opinion for the first time. If we, as a society, now decide that Confederates are not worth honoring with statues on public land, why shouldn't we take down the statues? History isn't being forgotten if we remove some statues. No one is saying that we can't read books or watch documentaries about the Confederacy, if that's what we want to do. We can visit Civil War battlefields and other historical sites. The history is still out there to be learned by anyone who's interested. We're just not honoring certain people with statues. I personally miss the statue that was in front of our courthouse, because it had been there a long time, and I like old things. But I'm glad it's gone. I don't think it was right to honor Confederate soldiers who fought to preserve racial inequality with a statue in front of our courthouse, where everyone is supposed to receive equal justice under the law. (And what about honoring the county residents who didn't fight for the Confederacy. Even though part of our county refused to secede with the rest of the state and contributed to Union forces, there's no statue honoring local Union soldiers -- who, in my opinion, are worth honoring.) I also have serious doubts about removing statues of people like Washington and Jefferson, who had major flaws as slave owners but, in my opinion, deserve to be honored for founding our country based on their principles of democracy and equality -- crucial principles that exceeded the personal flaws of these men. To get back to the point, no one is saying that we can't watch Gone With The Wind, which depicts the Confederacy, or other movies that depict or express outdated ways of thinking. To me, there's still a lot of value in movies that are imperfect in some ways. (And what movie isn't imperfect in at least a small way?) Sure, I wish the blackface numbers had been left out of Swing Time or Holiday Inn in the first place, but I still love those movies for their strong entertainment value -- singing, dancing, humor -- and wouldn't want anything removed from them, even parts that I find personally offensive. If TCM wants to set these movies in historical context by hosting a discussion about them, I'll be glad to learn more. But if someone doesn't want to hear the discussion, they can skip it and just watch the movie. TCM is still showing these movies and has explicitly said, through their commentators, that it's important to keep showing them, unedited.
    2 points
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