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Any movie which has a few smart-a** wisecrackers in it gets major kudos in my book. This brilliantly acerbic exchange between Ginger Rogers (Jean) and Kate Hepburn (Terry) in "Stage Door" is one of my favorites: Jean: When does your baggage get here?Terry: I'm expecting the bulk of it in the morning.Jean: We could leave the trunks here and sleep in the hall. There's no use crowding the trunks.Terry: I don't know what we're going to do when the wolfhounds arrive. I hope you don't mind animals.Jean: Oh, not at all. I've roomed with a great many of them before.Terry: Yes, I can see that.Jean: (after smelling Terry's ermine wrap) Fresh kill?Terry: Yes, I trapped them myself.Jean: Do you mind if I ask a personal question?Terry: Another one?Jean: Are these trunks full of bodies?Terry: (pointing to two of the trunks) Just those, but I don't intend to unpack them.Jean: Well, I was just thinking if the room got too crowded, we could live in the trunks.Terry: Yes, that's a good idea. You don't mind helping me unpack. Oh, I beg your pardon, you're not the maid, are you? What are some of your favorite wisecracks???

I've long been intrigued by Deborah Kerr's headwear as Hannah in "The Night of the Iguana. " Seems very nun-like, which I guess is appropriate. I found an entry from what is said to be a diary she kept while filming Iguana, and she does refer to Hannah's wimple. OCTOBER 26: By the time we got to Mismaloya it had stopped raining – although it was still grey. Everything pretty muddy with the rain and steamy with the heat. I climbed into my dress and “wimple” and hat and gloves, etc. – and John and Ray Stark came to have look. Ray felt it looked too elegant. And John felt it was not quite humorous enough. The latter is hard to achieve – a “funny” dress, one that is funny at first sight, but isn’t funny when the scenes don’t call for the dress to distract by being slightly comic. Anyway, after a great deal of hemming and hawing it was decided to use it as it is. we haven’t any time to change it really. And I would rather not. I don’t want her to be a ludicrous figure, and I feel that although she is broke, her original taste is that of a quite good artist – individual and with a style of her own.

I would say Susan Peters (1921-1952) had a tragic life. A promising young actress who garnered an Academy Award nomination for her role in RANDOM HARVEST and further acclaim for SONG OF RUSSIA, she was on a hunting trip with her husband on New Year's Day in 1945 when she reached for a rifle and it dislodged into her abdomen, leaving her permanently paralyzed from the waist down. After a long recovery, she made a return to films with THE SIGN OF THE RAM. She did some stage, radio and TV work, but began suffering from depression. Her physical health started suffering as well, and in August of 1952 she began starving herself. She died on October 23rd of kidney failure, pneumonia, malnutrition and dehydration.

Well, he did end the letter with "so let it be written, so let it be done. Sincerely, Charlton Heston."

Two more: Olive Thomas (1894-1920), star of The Flapper, who was vacationing with husband Jack Pickford (brother of Mary) in France when, from IMDb: Olive accidentally ingested bi-chloride of mercury from a French-labeled bottle in a darkened bathroom, believing it to be another medication. Found unconscious, she died five days later. The death made worldwide headlines. Olive was only 25 when she died. Robert Williams (1894-1931), on the cusp of stardom when he starred in Platinum Blonde with Jean Harlow. Again, from IMDb: Bobby was rehearsing with Constance Bennett for his next RKO picture, Lady with a Past (1932), when he complained of stomach pains. After a day or two the pain worsened, and despite his protests Williams was rushed to a hospital for an appendicitis operation. Before the operation was completed his appendix burst. Days later, on November 3, 1931, Williams died of peritonitis. He was 34 years old. Platinum Blonde (1931) had been released just four days earlier, and the first reviews proclaimed that Hollywood had a new star. Instead, Robert Williams became one of Hollywood's great might-have-beens.

Those Are My Principles, and If You Don’t Like Them…Well, I Have Others.

Birdie--Thelma Ritter in All About Eve

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Jean Harlow, one of Hollywood's earliest tragedies. Harlow died at 26 of kidney failure, thought to have been brought on by a childhood bout with scarlet fever. During Jean's last film, Saratoga, she started to feel ill and went downhill quickly. While I don't believe she was considered a full-fledged alcoholic, Jean's heavy drinking is thought to have disguised earlier kidney symptoms. When a doctor was finally brought in, she was incorrectly diagnosed with a gallbladder infection and given medication that actually may have hastened her eventual death. By the time she was correctly diagnosed by a second doctor, it was too late. Such a tragedy. During her peak, Harlow had proven herself as one of cinema's best comediennes and had developed into an excellent actress. I would have loved to have seen Jean mature into the 1940s. Perhaps she would have proven herself adept at film noir, or a melodrama. But she never got the chance.

Interesting, the different viewpoints. I think the Mrs. Van Hopper character is deliciously vulgar and beautifully overshadows "I," and gives context to how lost this passive young woman is and has to be. Establishing that pattern in her counts a lot toward understanding how easy it is for her to project stardom onto Maxim and echo feelings of intimidation with Mrs. Danvers. If it weren't for the first act, I'm not sure how the approach to Manderley would work. The tension and build-up would be less impactful, to my mind. The dreamy dance between Maxim and "I", and moments like Mrs. Van Hopper extinguishing her cigarette in the cold cream flesh out a lot.

Did you then inform Heston you would be holding into those magazines until someone pried them from your cold dead hands?

Fairchild, Sydney -- played by Maureen O'Hara in A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT (1940)

Evans, Tony - played by Ricardo Cortez in Mandalay

So in other words here Bogie, it seems Heston was able to part the sea of red tape within that organization responsible for the delay in your subscription. (...sorry...just couldn't resist)

Jeff Hunter - see details below While in Spain in November 1968 to film Cry Chicago (¡Viva América!), a story about the Chicago Mafia, Hunter was injured in an on-set explosion when a car window near him, which had been rigged to explode outward, accidentally exploded inward.[23] Hunter sustained a serious concussion. According to Hunter's wife Emily, he "went into shock" on the plane ride back to the United States after filming and "couldn't speak. He could hardly move." After landing, Hunter was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles but doctors could not find any serious injuries save for a displaced vertebra and a concussion.[29] On the afternoon of May 26, 1969, Hunter suffered an intracranial hemorrhage while walking down a three-stair set of steps at his home in Van Nuys, California.[23][29] He fell, knocked over a planter, and struck his head on the banister, fracturing his skull.[30] He was found unconscious by Frank Bellow, actor and friend of Hunter, who came for a visit,[31] and taken to Valley Presbyterian Hospital where he underwent brain surgery. He died at about 9:30 the following morning at the age of 42.[32]

For me, it's Joan Fontaine's best performance and she should have won the Oscar for Rebecca.

microscopes: cutting-edge forensics in Kid Glove Killer (1942) handy to scientists in The Invisible Man Returns telescopes: a little fun on the ferry--Barefoot in the Park close up view of a murder, from Secret Agent (1936)...sorry I couldn't clip this..a great scene

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) I had an opportunity to watch this shortly after its release. I truly saw little of it because of rowdy crowd at the screening. I do not wish to give the impression that I was a chaste and dedicated cinephile beset by hooligans. I can assure you that I threw much more popcorn than what hit me and my squirt gun needed frequent refilling. I have since that time seen little clips and many memes based on it. I choose to set aside the time and watch the movie quietly. Yikes! I know it is a beloved classic. I know it is dear to the hearts of millions. I know I will be accused of heresy if I say one word against it. I know, I know, I know. But seriously . . . Yikes! A disenfranchised little boy finds a baby bug-eyed-monster in the woods after its mother cuts-and-runs. Hilarity ensues. I am reminded distinctly of the: quokka which are nearly-painfully cute and adorable little beasties who look cheerful at all times and are quite bouncy. A mother quokka will throw her babies at a predator in order to give her sufficient time to escape. I understand more fully why my initial viewing was so rambunctious: the story takes forever to start and then really goes nowhere for long stretches. There are four important scenes spaced out over two hours. There are several scenes which tug at the heartstrings with all the subtlety and finesse of a cheetah having dinner with an antelope. I can understand why this was hugely popular with children in that era. I am sorry to say that this is not that era. I am glad that I waited for this to appear on a streaming service rather than spending $12.95 for a used DVD of it. 3.6/9

Tom Gibney, the longtime news anchor at CFTO TV in Toronto from 1973 to 2007, died today at 84. He was not an actor by any means, but he can be seen (and heard) as the announcer on the fictional Howard Beale Show in Sidney Lumet's 1976 masterpiece NETWORK, starring Peter Finch. NETWORK was mainly produced at CFTO's Toronto studio, as Lumet figured no American TV station would be willing to provide their premises given the content of the movie. Gibney's career spanned the history of TV journalism, from typewriters and film to computers, satellites and live trucks.

I'm not quite certain if Frances Gifford qualifies as being tragic but, if not, the circumstances in her life were such that she was the next thing to it. She was a beautiful actress who played jungle girls on a couple of film occasions, able to mix sexual attractiveness with a wholesome appeal, first in the 15 chapter serial Jungle Girl, followed by a role not dissimilar to that opposite Johnny Weissmuller in Tarzan Triumphs. She was then hired by MGM, playing a school teacher in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, with the possibility of better opportunities for her seeming to be on the horizon. In 1947, however, she was in an automobile accident which almost killed her, sustaining a severe head fracture. Her career was sidelined because of the incident, and, as the years rolled by, there was a decline in her health, both physically and mentally. Losing her contract to MGM, Gifford had a loss of confidence in her talent after attempting comebacks in some minor films. By 1958 she was placed in a mental institution and would continue to be in and out of various ones for the next 25 years of her life. In 1983 a film journalist tracked her down, now apparently recovered, doing volunteer work in a Pasadena library. This once beautiful actress spent her final years in obscurity, dying of emphysema in 1994. Perhaps Frances Gifford's story strikes me harder than it does many others. As a young boy I frequently saw her on television in the Tarzan film, and developed a heavy crush on her. I also wondered why I didn't see this wonderful looking woman, who exuded a genuine warmth of personality in her Tarzan role, in other films.

I have a little Charlton Heston story. Back in the 70's I subscribed to a magazine put out by the American Film Institute then waited and waited and never received anything. Heston happened to be President of the Institute at the time so being a bit cheeky, I wrote a letter of complaint directly to him. ... "Where are my magazines" sort of thing. Not much later I received a letter on Charlton's personal stationary with a handwritten apology. And yes, the magazines started coming.

I yet find it deeply disturbing that it is: Mrs. Danvers as that implies that there was at one time a Mr. Danvers. It has been explained that: "Mrs." was often an honorific for housekeepers but I can not shake the sorrow and pity I have for the man.

Gene Raymond

Easter is over but I'm not out of hats! Here's some from Glenda Farrell (some as Torchy Blaine)

Oh dear god no. Why do you think he would have wanted to talk with us freaks?

My Octopus Teacher (2020) documentary about a man who visits an octopus every day in South African kelp forest, gaining its trust and eventually forming a bond. Tentacles (1977) A mutated giant octopus wreaks havoc on a California seaside community.

It Came From Beneath the Sea Bela Lugosi wrestles with rubber octopus in Bride of the Monster a scene re-created in Ed Wood

While I like both of these Hitchcock gems, I think "Foreign Correspondent" is too busy with all the ancillary characters in it. That's an interesting take on 'the house' being the star in "Rebecca". I disagree with you though about the beginning of the film. There's something about Joan Fontaine's character that attracts her to Laurence Olivier. He's trying to overcome the pain of losing a wife, although we aren't quite sure at the outset how she died and whether or not suspicious circumstances were involved. He's a lonely guy trying to come to terms. Fontaine is available, and when it's presented to her, she chooses brooding (Olivier) over demanding (Bates). Mrs. Danvers keeps the memory of Rebecca alive and well and would have felt right at home as a member of an Elvis Presley fan club! Like I said, I enjoy both films, but "Rebecca" just stands out as the better of the two for me.

1940

F O O L I S H W I V E S 1 9 2 2

And he probably uttered to the magazine staff in charge of shipping something like, "Let my people read!" 😉

Harmon, Bunny -- Dick Powell in Blessed Event (1932)

George Carey: You be careful, madam, or you'll turn my pretty head with your flattery. Kay Wilson: I often wished I could turn your head - on a spit, over a slow fire. I Love You Again (1940)

SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES (1937) and SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES (1942)

The Man With Two Faces 1934 next: Irene Dunne, Robert Taylor and Betty Furness

Doyle, Bill, played by Sterling Hayden in "Crime of Passion"

Telescope-- TREASURE ISLAND and other pirate films NINOTCHKA -- seeing his place from the Eiffel Tower Microscope -- NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS -- looking at Christmas under a microscope

Moonraker (1979) Evolution (2001) The Phantom (1996)

Collini, Nicky -- played by Desi Arnaz in THE LONG LONG TRAILER (1954)

Who's Minding the Mint?

Curly Howard died at age 48 of a stroke/brain hemorrhage in 1952. He is believed to have suffered the first of several strokes in late 1944/early 1945, while he was still a member of The Three Stooges. In his last films, his deteriorating health is sadly evident onscreen, as his performances became more and more sluggish. He suffered a debilitating stroke on the set of 1947's Half-Wits Holiday and was forced to retire from the group. He spent the last years of his life in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. He didn't live long enough to see the Stooges' resurgence in popularity in the late '50s when the team's films became afterschool staples on American television stations. The team has gained millions of new fans worldwide in the decades since, with Curly being singled out as the "favorite Stooge" of most fans. He has achieved cult-like status in our culture, not on the same level as James Dean or Marilyn Monroe, but almost. And he never got to see any of it. He never knew how loved he is by an adoring public. And that to me is tragic.

She needs a big hat to distract from the fact that woman has no behind!

SPRING REUNION

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Next: New in Town

I enjoyed episode 1. I know little about Hemingway really, only the things most people know, and I've not read or been interested in reading much of his work. I recall only having read in college, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" - and that only because it was assigned - and several years ago, "The Killers" in a short story anthology. I know how he died, and I appreciate how the documentary foreshadows it without revealing it. Years ago, I read Intellectuals by Paul Johnson (an odd book of dirty laundry airing) where I think I came across a quote by a friend of Hemingway saying something like, "He is the only man I've ever known who truly hated his mother." That exact quote didn't come up tonight, but the relationship is accounted for and I think that observation will turn out to be accurate. Of his style I know he is often praised for a his sparse sentences and avoidance of what might be seen as decorative words, and the documentary suggests that came from, or was reinforced by, the style book at The Kansas City Star, where he first worked as a reporter. I enjoyed seeing the visual editing of his prose on screen and learning a little about how he approached the task of writing, such as how he would sit down to begin a writing session and first read all previous work from the beginning before adding that day's work, and not stopping until he knew what would happen next. He must have been a difficult man to know and like, or at least I've always thought I would find him so. This film seems to present him dispassionately, neither flooding the screen with praise nor dwelling on his faults. I suspect I will come away from this finally wanting to read a volume or two of his work. Hemingway's own words are spoken by Jeff Daniels, and there are interviews with current writers and scholars who know his work well. I'm looking forward to the next episode tomorrow.

Telescope ROAD TO MOROCCO -- stars seen through a telescope turn out to be bugs Microscope THE FUGITIVE -- Dr Kimble solves the crime with a microscope -- he learns the samples from the drug study got switched

ESPN went down this path a couple of years ago and ended up laying off all of the "hosts" who were pushing an open political agenda after ratings cratered badly for them. Today all we get is a myopic view on race, as though one party is responsible for everything bad that happened. Of coarse movies reflected society back then, but it is not accurately being portrayed because when everyone thinks alike, nobody thinks. It wasn't until very recently that African Americans received Oscars after a huge backlash about the current state of Hollywood. Even women weren't being given leading roles in many productions, meanwhile this was the "liberal" Hollywood telling us how we were the ones who needed to be inclusive.

William (Bill) Boyd played Hopalong Cassidy in movies and the tv series. His wife was Grace Bradley, the film with Bob Hope was the Big Broadcast of 1938 ????

SNOWBOUND