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I worked on a project with Gavin's wife, the talented and beautiful actress/singer Constance Towers. She was one of the most generous, kind, and lovely artists I ever worked with.

Nearly all the stars of classic films have passed on, (all the ones I listed below are gone) but I wanted to hear any stories of encounters you may have had years ago. Here are my stories, I met them all at either book signings or autograph shows. Charlton Heston He was signing his 1998 book Charlton Heston's Hollywood. One thing about this was there were instructions that they would hold your coat or purse for you when you met Mr Heston. This was during the time he was with N.R.A., so I guess they wanted to make sure no one had any concealed weapons! He was very nice, flashed that huge grin of his and he shook my hand. Tony Curtis This was during his book signing tour of American Prince in 2008. He was known in his later years of wearing toupees, when he was at this event, he was wearing a huge cowboy hat, he removed it to show his totally bald head. The place was packed so they said there would be no pictures or chatting. However when I passed by him, since I was a New Yorker like him, I said to him "How ya doin'?" He winked and smiled and said "Doin' good!" Farley Granger He was signing his 2007 book Include Me Out. He was 81 at the time and seemed to be really feeling his age, he was walking very gingerly. I mentioned to him that I had recently seen They Live By Night in a revival theater. "Oh you did?" he said. I told him many younger people are discovering his films of this period. He smiled and seemed very pleased to hear that. Besty Blair The ex wife of Gene Kelly and co star of the 1955 Best Picture Marty. She was signing her memoir The Memory Of All That. During her talk someone complimented her on her performance in the film and she got a round of applause, she was very touched. When she signed my book I told her Marty was one of my favorite movies. She said "It IS a great movie, and you know why? Because of the writing" Anne Francis This was at a sci fi/horror convention autograph show, around 1995. Most were asking her about Forbidden Planet, but I wanted to hear about A Lion Is In The Streets and her co stars James Cagney and Lon Chaney Jr. She said they were very old school but great professionals. Her honey blond hair was all gray now, but I looked into those beautiful blue eyes and became a lovesick teenager again. Hazel Court I think this may have been at the same autograph show around 1995. She was in many Hammer horror films of the 1950s and 1960s. I had read of a story of her experiences with Peter Lorre on The Raven (1963). She had said he was constantly ad libbing and pinching her behind. I asked her about this and she laughed "Yes! He was such a little devil!" Of course today he would be sued, but she did not seem bothered by it.

I have had numerous encounters with celebrities through my veterinary practice. I've recounted several in other threads before. Only one would probably remember me. Christine Baransky She was a long time client with both dogs and cats. I repaired a fracture one of her dogs suffered from an unfortunate encounter with a car on the little, backwoods road she lived on. She was forever grateful. We would occasionally cross paths at the local grocer. I remember many cordial conversations. She never failed to recognize me and greet me fondly. She is a very kind, neighborly person. Not a hint of pretense. Her late husband, Matthew Cowles was also charming and witty. He did not enjoy the career that she did but they were clearly connected. Alfred Uhry He too was a client, with cats. I knew him before DRIVING MISS DAISY made him famous. He too, was always extremely friendly and respectful. I remember I got his cats through a short and not terribly bad infection, but Mr. Uhry was quite concerned. After they recovered he incredulously asked me "How did you do that?" and I responded, "Well, I can ask you the same question about what you do"....he nodded and we had a nice chuckle. Glenn Close My wife knew her step son-in-law and his wife. We were in Portland, Me. traveling on vacation and stopped at their house for a visit. We did not know that Glen Close was a relation. She and her husband (I believe they are now divorced) lived in a larger house across the back yard. We're having brunch with the kids and in through the screen door strolls Glen Close! "Oh, let me introduce you to my mother-in-law", our host says. "Hi. I'm Glenn." , she says in the most matter of fact way. After a bit of "Oh..we're huge fans....blah, blah, blah..." We have a wonderful 30 minute cup of coffee. At the end, my daughters, who were about 8-10 years old were asked, "Do you know who this is?" and they shake their heads no. Ms. Close puts her hands up by her face like claws and screeches in her Cruella DeVille voice, "Puppies!!!" My daughters immediately squeal in delight as they then know exactly who she is. True story. Art Carney and Peter Benchley Treated their pets. Met them each one time. Very matter of fact. No acknowledgment by either of us as to who they were. Just a normal office visit. They both just brought their pets into the vet. Just as normal as could be. Richard Widmark Crossed paths with him on the golf course, one time. He was having a bad day. My first job after college was in Norwalk, CT. My boss had a bunch of celebrity clients from the Darien to Westport area. I would see them but never interacted with Mary Tyler Moore and Grant Tinker, Richard Thomas, JoAnne Woodward (Newman never, ever came in). I once spoke with Anne Morrow Lindbergh on the phone. She always sent an employee in with her dog. Not a movie star, but a celebrity nonetheless, I took care of Annabella Batistella's dog. She was also known as "The Tidal Basin Bombshell". Remember who she was?

Starting Over (remember that movie with Jill C.) The Grifters Goodfellas Groundhog Day Mrs. Doubtfire

Ach! The closest I ever came to meeting a "celebrity" was at a local teen dance club called The Chatterbox in '67 and chatted a bit with Robin Seymore, who then was the host of a local popular teen dance show "Swingin' Time" and came to the Chatterbox with a few local music "stars". Nowhere NEAR anything like your good fortune. Sepiatone

since SLAP SHOT and jockstraps have been mentioned, one of the other problematic moments in the film was a subplot that the TEAM MANAGER PLAYED BY STROTHER MARTIN was once caught in a hotel room by coach PAUL NEWMAN wearing (and i more or less quote) "a black bra with tassles and a zebra skin jockstrap" and then he proceeded to come on to NEWMAN'S CHARACTER. There's a lot of offensive stuff to parse here, the blackmail, the confusing of cross dressing [which is a straight thing] and homosexuality, but most of all: there is no such thing as a zebra skin jock strap. I just don't believe it exists. and i even went online and looked. furthermore, fellow homosexuals, would ANY of you EVER EVER EVER have the lack of decency to wear such a thing, and one paired with a black bra with tassles no less? you match the shoes to the purse OR YOU GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW!!!!!!

In the end Holly can't bring himself to betray Harry because of their old time friendship, no matter what kind of immoral rat he turned out to be. What does cause him to set up his former friend, though, is a desire to save Anna from being deported to the Russian sector, even if it means he'll never see her again. Anna, however, simply regards him as a traitor to her former lover (who, ironically, is only concerned about his own neck rather than what happens to her). The complexity of these relationships adds to the appeal of this film, as you said, MissW. By the way, when all is said and done, we don't know what is going to happen to the proud Anna, who turned down that free train ride to freedom.

Nope. I feel you've got it all wrong. It's interesting that you attribute such basic and oversimplified motives to Holly. Of course he isn't "throwing his friend under the bus" to clear the way for himself to get Harry's girl. He knows she's still in love with Harry. Look, one of the best, most memorable things about The Third Man is the ethical complexity of the story. And its characters. As I said earlier, the film poses a fascinating moral question, one that has no "right or wrong" answer: Is it ok to turn a friend over to the police if that friend is perpetrating horrific harms and sees no reason to stop? What about the trust that friend might have in you? Which is the greater moral good: loyalty to a friend who trusts you, regardless of what kind of crimes that friend might be performing, or putting a stop to the very serious and real harm that friend is causing by turning him in to the police? I don't think your cheap and overly facile interpretation would "make for a better storyline" at all.

Too bad. Graham Greene was a great writer. He wrote many wonderful novels. One quite noirish novel he wrote, "Brighton Rock", was made into a film, starring Richard Attenborough. It came out one year before "The Third Man". It's really good, I recommend it (I meant the film, but the book too.) A life-long preoccupation of Greene's was the question of moral dilemmas human beings face throughout their lives. He converted to Catholicism at the age of 26, and his subsequent religious and spiritual views can be seen in almost everything he wrote. One of the most fascinating aspects of "The Third Man" is the unresolved ethical questions around friendship, trust, betrayal, and morality. Was Holly wrong to betray his friend? But wouldn't it have been wrong, given what he was shown concerning the results of Harry's diluted penicillin racket, not to try and stop him? Evidently Anna didn't think so. I love it that it's so complicated...there is no right or wrong answer, only cinematic food for thought. I've always liked "The Third Man". zither music and all, but this time around (at least my 4th viewing), I decided I love this film.

Love these stories. I lived in West LA from 73 to 96, you see stars frequently but there's not often an opportunity to interact, and if there is they tend to make it clear they'd rather not. I did spend a few minutes talking to Drew Barrymore once at El Coyote in the early 90s. Pleasant, unpretentious and quite cute in those days. The bulk of my celebrity encounters are of the Rockstar variety having been in that business and those stories are boringly predictable,

Great topic! I've had a couple encounters with classic stars and, sadly, an "almost" encounter. Jimmy Stewart Shortly after I moved to DC in 1989, Jimmy Stewart published a small book of his light poetry -- poems he often read during his "Tonight Show" appearances, to the great amusement of Johnny Carson and the audience. Mr. Stewart was on a book tour and stopped at a small bookstore not far from my office in downtown Washington. I went over during my lunch break and stood in a very long line of people waiting to see him -- the line snaked throughout the store and outside into the large lobby of the building that housed the bookstore. When the line finally advanced so that I was in sight of Mr. Stewart, I could see that he was standing behind a tall counter, signing books. Every once in a while, he'd stretch his legs and arms -- I suppose that he must have been getting stiff standing in one place for so long, even though he seemed to be in pretty good shape for a white-haired guy in his 80s. When it was finally my turn to have my book signed, I noticed that Mr. Stewart stood very tall and straight. I said, "We all love you Mr. Stewart," as he signed his name. He didn't say anything but just looked up and smiled at me. Sometimes, when I'm watching one of Stewart's movies, I'll remind myself that I once had the good fortune to stand about two feet from Mr. Stewart and look him in the eye as he smiled. Tony Curtis A few years later, I was in the same DC bookstore where I'd seen Jimmy Stewart, just browsing around. I didn't know that Tony Curtis was about to show up for a book-signing event. Suddenly, there was some commotion, and I looked up with surprise to see Tony Curtis striding directly toward me. He was shaking hands with everyone he passed as he moved through the store. When he was about three feet from me, reaching out to shake my hand, the person accompanying him guided him off to the side, where the book-signing was to take place. Even though I didn't get to shake Mr. Curtis's hand, it was pretty cool to see him so close up, and to have it be a total surprise on top of that. I recall that he wasn't very tall and had a much fuller head of hair than he'd had as a younger man. With a shining smile that reminded me of his character in The Great Race, Mr. Curtis exuded charisma. Cary Grant This was the sad "almost" encounter. Cary Grant has long been my favorite movie star -- it was seeing him and Katherine Hepburn in Holiday on late-night TV that turned me into a classic movie fan. When I was in my last semester at the University of Iowa in late 1986, I learned Mr. Grant was going to bring his "Conversation with Cary Grant" tour to a beautiful old theater in nearby Davenport, Iowa, on November 29. I sent away for tickets so that my wife and I could attend, and we couldn't have been more excited. In those student days, we had little money for extras, so it was such a treat to drive over to Davenport on a Saturday night, have a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant, and then go to see our favorite movie star, Cary Grant, in person. Everything went as planned until we got to the theater. There was someone standing out front, telling the approaching audience members that Mr. Grant was ill and wouldn't be able to appear. I remember the disappointed looks on the faces of our fellow audience members as we turned away. One young woman clutched a book about Mr. Grant, which I imagined she was going to ask him to sign. My wife and I drove back to Iowa City, hoping that the event would be rescheduled. First thing the next morning, I tuned in to the "CBS Sunday Morning" program. At the top of the show, Charles Kuralt reported that Cary Grant had died the previous night in Davenport. Disappointment turned to profound sadness, and I wrote a short appreciation of Mr. Grant for the university newspaper that day. Several days later, we learned that Barbara Grant had asked that proceeds from the ticket sales be donated to the Davenport theater where her husband was about to appear. (They also offered a refund, but I'd guess that most audience members donated the price of their tickets.) I sent a copy of my newspaper article to Mrs. Grant, care of the theater. I few weeks later, I was very surprised to receive a handwritten note on monogrammed stationery from Mrs. Grant, thanking me for writing the appreciation of her husband. I wasn't so much surprised that Mrs. Grant would be so gracious in writing to a complete stranger, but surprised that my article had ever reached her. I still have our tickets and Mrs. Grant's kind note.

Nice post. While attending a theater production in NYC, I had the opportunity to talk to Jason Robards, Jr. before he passed. The play was You Can't Take it With You. He was very pleasant and was a blithering idiot (long story, I want with someone - female - who believed she had a shot with his son Sam). Mr. Robards was extremely nice and he asked me if I enjoyed the play (Colleen Dewhurst was leaving to go to Sardi's (where Mr. Robards was headed) and her hair was the most beautiful I have ever seen. By the way, first time I saw J. Robards on film was in A Thousand Clowns with Barbara Harris.

a well dressed woman with a stylish hat signifies class and style ... a joy to look at ...

I was just watching THE PATSY and loved Hedda Hopper's huge umbrella hat (that umbrella is a hat!) Here are more Hedda Hopper hats: I love how her hat's trim/facing matches her outfit:

A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS (1955) I first saw this movie a few years ago when it aired on TCM as an Essentials Jr selection. I’ve been wanting to re-watch it for a while now. The last time I saw it, I ended up sobbing like a baby by the end of it so I wasn’t sure if I was ready for another blubber-fest. I don’t usually cry at movies, but if any movie can make me cry, it’s one about animals! The movie’s title refers to “Chad Gadya”[One Little Goat], a favorite song of mine from childhood. (One of the characters sings a bit of the song in English at the end of the movie.) With Passover approaching, the song and the movie have been on my mind. So I finally took my chances on a repeat of the waterworks and re-watched the movie this weekend. A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS is the first color movie from English director Carol Reed, with a screenplay by Wolf Mankowitz, adapted from his novel of the same name. It’s set in London’s East End after World War II (specifically the 1950s --- which means the movie was not a “period piece” when it was released but rather a contemporary tale). The story focuses on a boy who lives with his mother above the trouser-maker’s East End shop where she works. The boy’s father is absent, working in South Africa for the past two years (supposedly securing enough to send for his wife and son) so the trouser maker Mr. Kandinsky serves as a father figure to the boy. The boy (whose name is Joe) is so captivated by Kandinsky’s stories about wish-granting unicorns that he believes he has purchased one when he buys a baby goat with a single deformed horn. It’s a sentimental movie, but it pulled me in once again on my second viewing. Yes, the boy’s accent is much too “posh” (as the English would say) for a working class (or even a middle class) London child, but the emotional performance that Carol Reed was able to draw from him is so captivatingly real. Of course, Reed had previously worked his directorial magic on a non-actor child in his more well-known THE FALLEN IDOL. The movie was shot at England’s Shepperton Studios as well as on location in Petticoat Lane in London’s East End, which at the time of the filming was a thriving Jewish community. The segment where Joe buys the goat near the opening of the bridge, for example, was shot near the street markets. One of my favorite parts of the movie --- where Joe chases the runaway goat through the market stalls --- appears to have been at least partially filmed on location. The footage during the chase definitely has a pseudo-documentary look and the ambient sounds seem quite real. By the way, Joe actually pays 3 shillings and 9 pence halfpenny for the “unicorn.” But two farthings does sound more like the two zuzim from “Chad Gadya.”

From Stop Me Before I Kill! (1961), 1960 Jaguar XK 150:

"Goodbye Columbus" is mentioned just before the 3:00 minute mark. The surprise was there was no mention that O'Neal and Barbra Streisand made fun of the famous "Love Story" line in Peter Bogdanovich's 1972 screwball comedy "What's Up, Doc?"

Some beautiful hats from A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Love means never having to watch it... 🙂

Wouldn't be the first or last time that the Razzies went after a performance that wasn't bad. I still think the ultimate in Razzies being wrong was over Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest. That wasn't one of the worst performances of 1981; it was one of the very best.........

Haven't seen that yet, but I'm quite intrigued by it, as both of a fan of Aretha Franklin, and as someone who thinks that Cynthia Erivo is a riveting new presence in films. I've only seen her in two films, the twisty, violent neo-noir Bad Times at the El Royale and the biopic Harriet, but both times she blew me away with brilliant performances (and the films were marvelous too.) Plus she has a singing voice like an angel.

Marriage on the Rocks

You had me at white trash. The only thing that would make this pile of schmaltz better is if The Capetbaggers was included. DVR locked and loaded

Peterson, Ella--Judy Holliday in Bells Are Ringing

Actually, I've been taking in the multi-part "mini series" GENIUS:ARETHA on NetGeo. the last few nights. It's an interesting insight to the background and rise to fame of Detroit's "Queen of Soul" pride and joy. CYNTHIA ERIVO as the adult Aretha does an excellent job with young SHAIA JORDAN, as the adolescent Aretha matching "chops for chops" with Erivo. And COURTNEY B. VANCE as Rev. C. L. Franklin rounds out a cast that's truly up to the task. So far, this long time Aretha fan isn't disappointed. Sepiatone

Les Tremayne....that was a good one. Next: BEAUTY FOR SALE (1933) THE DARK HOUR (1936) TARZAN'S REVENGE (1938) SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) THE OSCAR (1966)

THE DEBBIE REYNOLDS SHOW

HEROES FOR SALE

O'Hearne, Constable Pat - Fuzzy Knight in Wildcat Trooper

Fredric March and Spencer Tracy both starred in versions of "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde". They starred together in "Inherit The Wind".

1933

6. The Lady Eve 7. Father Of The Bride 8. Easy Rider 9. Taxi Driver 11. Superman 12. Lolita 13. Village Of The Damned 14. The Manchurian Candidate

STEELY DAN Aja

David O. Selznick was involved in this film, primarily in his loans of Cotten and Welles to the production. Any script changes he may have suggested (if any) were ignored by Carol Reed and Graham Greene. Somewhere I read that Jimmy Stewart had been under consideration for the role of Holly. But this would have been post war Jimmy when he was specializing in more cynical characters (at which he was excellent) so I'm glad they went with Joseph Cotten instead, especially since he turned out to be perfect in his role. If you look over Cotten's career he appeared in a remarkable run of films throughout the '40s: Citizen Kane, Magnificent Ambersons, Journey Into Fear, Shadow of a Doubt, Since You Went Away, Duel in the Sun, Portrait of Jennie and, finally, The Third Man. I think that is as impressive a collection of films as any actor in Hollywood had that decade, with the possible exception of Bogart. Unfortunately his hot streak of outstanding films and roles came to an end with Holly Martins but what he left behind at that time is still very impressive.

In the 1996 David Cronenberg film Crash, a weird movie about people who receive sexual pleasure from being injured in or by watching automobile accidents (yeah, weird huh), one scene in it consists of a recreation of James Dean's death while he was driving his newly purchased Porsche 550 Spyder, and which was recreated in this film by use of the 550 replica shown below... (...side note here...after owning a 550 replica for the past 15 years, I've decided to sell it...replacement in my garage will be another small great handling open roadster...either a 2000-2009 Honda S2000 or a 2017-2020 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth...I'll miss the Spyder, but it'll be nice to have the modern creature comforts of the newer cars for my wife)

You beat me to it here, jakeem! And btw folks. Over the course of almost a year since this thread was first begun, we NOW have THREE examples (AND once again allow me to reiterate here that overall I like the guy and the insights he offers up about classic movies), of Ben talking through his nose. I mean, it's right there! THREE whole examples for all to hear! I mean, all ya gotta do is CLICK on those videos up there! (...and so once again I ask: HOW in the WORLD can I BE the ONLY ONE around here who HEARS this????!!!!) LOL

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE

I personally don't have a problem with the commentators telling people that the content may be "offensive" to some people. I appreciate the fact that they are keeping and preserving these movies as opposed to pulling them from the air like other companies have done. I cheer tcm by keeping these films on the air and warning the viewers before the viewer starts watching them. That way it gives the viewer a chance to change the channel if they are easily offended. I thank TCM for doing this and keeping the films on the air for all to see! I say, well done TCM!

The Notorious Landlady (1962) Next: Gene Kelly, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Hume Cronyn

I'm glad you mentioned The Man Between because it is underappreciated. I was able to watch this several years ago and found it very enjoyable. In fact, I just bought the DVD because it rarely airs and I wanted to see it again. I recall Mason and Bloom making a very good pairing and the great photography you highlighted, so I look forward to revisiting this film.

Some of lovely Winona Ryder's different hats from THE AGE OF INNOCENCE. No hat in this one, but just look at that gorgeous dress!

Caulfield, Maxwell

I love those movies and own all of them!

The Third Man is an excellent International Film Noir. The fact that some of the dialog is in other languages only adds to it's American fish out of water disorientation, in a similar way that Dutch angles, high and low angle shots disorientate it accentuates the films Noir-ness. If Reed would have added subtitles some cretins would be complaining about that. It is one of the greatest Film Noirs.

The Third Man remains a great visual feast, reeking with the dank atmosphere of post war decay in Vienna. Not to mention what a classic beauty Alida Valli was . . .

Although I have no interest in seeing Slap Shot, I might need to watch the last few minutes just to see such a profound, brilliantly crafted, deeply moving ending.

Thompson, going out of your way to be obnoxious? It's working.

I like watching "The Third Man". It's a wonderfully shot film in terms of lighting and capturing the mysterious/seedy essence of a city emerging from the chaos of WW2 while dealing with problems that threaten the chance to achieve a better quality of life. The zither music is unusual as a soundtrack, and I love hearing it because it is so different. Alida Valli was quite a looker, and her acting was top-notch, as were the performances by Howard, Cotten, and Welles. And how could you not love 'balllooooooon' man?