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In any case, she was not alone in the sophisticated young woman + noticeably older man department--Grace Kelly was often cast in the same way: Gary Cooper (HIGH NOON) 28 years Clark Gable (MOGAMBO) 28 years Bing Crosby (THE COUNTRY GIRL) 26 years Cary Grant (TO CATCH A THIEF) 25 years True, but of all of these actors teamed with Grace Kelly that you've mentioned, Cary Grant at the time LOOKED the least, lets say "time worn" than the others did, and so not as "noticeably older" than the rest of them. (...in other words, in TCAT I think Cary who was 51 at the time could still easily pass for being in his late-thirties, and whereas Coop, Gable and Bing looked every bit their age at the time of their pairing with Grace)

Ronald Colman in A Tale of Two Cities

Okay, this is an obvious variation on another thread here. The movies have provided us with an array of memorable characters who, even If fictional, can still haunt us, a few even, dare I say, passing into cultural legend. Here's one character that immediately comes to my mind. He was a king on his island until kidnapped and brought to civilization, where he was doomed by modern technology. Yet within his huge heart there beat the love for a woman. Twas beauty killed the beast. So anyone else have any nominations for tragic characters in the movies, some perhaps even bringing tear to your eye?

Make her think she's nuts -- GASLIGHT and MIDNIGHT LACE Frame him for your husband's murder -- the surprise twist in KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS marry someone else and don't tell them -- VIVACIOUS LADY Become a priest --I CONFESS and GOING MY WAY

Hire a hitman: Dial M for Murder (1954) (Ray Milland --> Grace Kelly) Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) (Martin Landau --> Anjelica Huston) Goodfellas (1990) (Robert De Niro --> Lorraine Bracco)

I remember very well one incident that I had the (bad) fortune to be involved with, that combines aspects of your first 2 questions. There were a handful of occasions at The Russian Tea Room when female crooks (usually in a group of two or three) would try to blend in and snatch a purse, handbag or fur coat, and then split. The first time I saw this happen I think was during the high-crime late 1980's. I had noticed two ladies at the bar who by their clothing/accessories/scars looked a little out of place. I later found out that they had asked to be seated for lunch, no tables were available, so they said they would wait. A few minutes later, these two ladies hustle out to West 57th St, a female customer screams, "Stop her! She stole my purse!" I run out and grab ahold of lady #1 on the sidewalk (who is holding a purse, but lady #2 is gone). The victim of the theft and a bunch of staff are right behind. The victim: "Thank you, thank you... oh wait, that's not my purse." So I'm thinking, now I'm committing a crime by detaining an innocent person, so I let go of lady #1, who starts admonishing all of us, "I should call the cops on you mother@#$&ers". I was bewildered... The victim apologizes profusely to lady #1. Lady #1 accepts her apology..."you should be more careful!" Victim: "I know, I'm sorry" Lady #1 walks away from us, with her arm raised to to hail a cab. I, the victim and everyone else go back inside the restaurant. I hear a car come to a screeching stop. Through the windows of the revolving door I see an older Cadillac (like maybe 1974) with a woman driving, and next to her in the front seat, is lady #2 holding the door open. The interior of the car is strewn with junk, which I assume now were coats and handbags. Lady #1 jumps in and off they scrammed towards Sixth Avenue. I don't remember anyone formally banned from any of these joints except party crashers, some of whom as you know make a profession of crashing parties, eating/drinking for free, collecting whatever swag was being handed out. Some party crashers were tolerated to an extent. I think local celebrity reporter George Whipple started out crashing parties but he was charming and likable. Sylvia Miles seemed to show up at every private evening event at the RTR, generally seemed out of place, and behaved like a crasher- early to hit the buffet, early to hit the gift bag table. But she had achieved some legit fame and was a bit unpleasant to deal with, I guess it was better to leave her alone. I remember many drunk, drug-induced, or mental illness-inspired spectacles. I am going to need some time to sift through my memory to think of some that are entertaining. So that answer is TBA. The tourist aspect was significant! In fact we were both a tourist destination, and a celebrity destination. The tourists were essential, and fun to serve because the celebrities and the attendant buzz were exciting for them. European tourists of course were a drag for their bad tipping. But we served so many Europeans and the loss of tip income was such an issue, that management eventually allowed us to "15 and 5" them. We could add 15% waiter tip and 5% captain's tip to the check. We did not actually have anyone in the position of captain, so the 5% tips were pooled for the maitre d' and hosts, so everyone became fine with the Europeans. There were a few regulars who were locals, who were not in the entertainment business. One that I remember well was the late Walter Kaye (insurance business), the brother-in law of our late owner Faith Stewart-Gordon. Mr. Kaye was a big schmoozer who used to brag about his connections constantly. I thought he was full of it until one day during President Clinton's first term he brought Hilary and Chelsea Clinton to the restaurant for lunch. Then like Rick Blaine, I was more impressed, Ugarte! The Walter Kaye story gets interesting, though it has nothing to do with me. So if I may digress from the topic... The reason that Mr. Kaye had access to Hilary Clinton is he was a major contribution bundler for the Democrats and in this regard was a big player. A few years after I left the RTR I learned, during the Bill Clinton impeachment process that Walter Kaye used his influence with the Clintons/the Democrats to get a personal friend's daughter an internship at the White House. Yes, you guessed it... his friend's daughter was Monica Lewinsky.

JACK LEMMON and ANNE BANCROFT

Ironically, in both Sabrina and Love in the Afternoon she's playing characters even younger than herself, which means that the age difference between the characters seems, if anything, even greater than that between the actors. It's interesting that the producers + filmmakers involved correctly sensed that such casting would even work (not that the pairing of older men with much younger actresses was anything new). I think part of what softens any potential "ick" factor in Hepburn's case is that her slenderness and short hair gave her a borderline-androgynous, or at least not overtly sexual quality (she was often described as "elfin," "gamine," or "pixie-like"), so that a certain air of chasteness (or at least purity of intention) seems to settle over every situation she's in. She also had the unusual quality of being at once chic, sophisticated, and well-spoken (which reads as "upscale" and thus somehow "mature") yet at the same time deeply sincere and vulnerable (rather than, as one might otherwise expect, cool and aloof). One result is that the men involved can come across almost more like understanding, protective father-figures rather than dirty old men. In any case, she was not alone in the sophisticated young woman + noticeably older man department--Grace Kelly was often cast in the same way: Gary Cooper (HIGH NOON) 28 years Clark Gable (MOGAMBO) 28 years Bing Crosby (THE COUNTRY GIRL) 26 years Cary Grant (TO CATCH A THIEF) 25 years

The three on the left foreground here in this pic easily qualify... (...the two on the right foreground here might qualify too, but for entirely different reasons)

Frankenstein's Monster

The Innocents (1961) Next: Imaginary friend

Laura 1994 Double Indemnity 1944 The Big Sleep 1946 How To Murder Your Wife 1965 Chinatown 1974 A Perfect Murder 1998

Hit your husband over the head with a frozen leg of lamb and then cook the evidence. Barbara Bel Geddes in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Lamb to the Slaughter. In a station wagon: One Day at a Time Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

While I see where you're going here I never had must sympathy towards Rocky in Angels with Dirty Faces. But along those lines, I did have a lot of sympathy towards Roy and Marie in the film High Sierra:

Original Mouseketeer and star of The Rifleman Johnny Crawford dies aged 75 after suffering with Alzheimer's Johnny Crawford, the former child actor who was an original Mouseketeer and young star of The Rifleman, has died following a battle with Alzheimer's. He was 75. Crawford passed away peacefully on Thursday in a California care home with his wife Charlotte by his side, his management said in a statement. In 1955, he was just 11 when he joined the first season of The Mickey Mouse Club as one of the 24 original Mouseketeers. After the first season, the show cut the number of cast members in half, and Crawford was released from his contract.

Just about as bad is when you get a laugh emoji from someone after posting what you consider to be an intelligent, perceptive observation.

Man of the World (1931) Ladies' Man (1931) My Man Godfrey (1936) (I'm noticing a trend here, man) :-) next: Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas

Richard Denning was not the most exciting performer... but he did marry Evelyn Ankers! He must have had something going on.

Sondra Locke....THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER is a fine, bittersweet, poignant film. I would put it above this year's Oscar winner, NOMADLAND. Next: THE KILLERS (1964)

Me too. Every night I go to bed at 10pm to listen to TUNED TO YESTERDAY which rotates comedy, game shows, westerns, sci-fi, crime etc. If I fall asleep they are uploaded the next day. "Theater of the Mind" is the catchphrase: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381443756/tuned-to-yesterday My very favorite ones are Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband Show. She's essentially Lucy Ricardo, her comedic & voice talent is so clearly obvious. While some of the story lines are similar to I Love Lucy, you can't help notice the bland, straight portrayal of husband Richard Denning compared to Desi Arnaz's hilarious husband.

I honestly just went to IMDb to double check this, because I assumed you *had* to be making an error**. Nope you’re right Steven Frears did not get nominated for best director. Nor was the cinematography. That is a head scratcher for me. (i recently saw THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST and was very underwhelmed.) **- That’s not a diss on your memory skills, mind you, it just ***really really reaaaally***seemed like Frears would have been nominated!!! LIAISONS is GREAT FILM DIRECTION 101!!!!

Saturday, May 1/2 4:30 a.m. Z (1969). Costa-Gavras’ political thriller. And an end to Oscars month!!!!

My favorites, with my favorite of the Oscar nominees in second: 1980 Tess 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark 1982 Pink Floyd: the Wall/Gandhi 1983 Fanny and Alexander/The Right Stuff 1984 Splash/The Killing Fields 1985 Shoah/Out of Africa 1986 Aliens/The Mission 1987 Angel Heart/The Last Emperor 1988 A Fish Called Wanda/Dangerous Liaisons 1989 Henry V/Born on the Fourth of July

I dislike those two particularly; they could've been her grandfather...

1938 Bringing Up Baby next: John Barrymore wants win Carole Lombard back.

She had a gift for making an age difference seem not so important: Fred Astaire (FUNNY FACE) 30 years Gary Cooper (LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON) 28 years Humphrey Bogart (SABRINA) 30 years Cary Grant (CHARADE) 25 years

Willie Best certainly got a physical workout with all the running around he does in this film whenever he thinks there's a ghost around. But he also has a few good lines of dialogue. At one point Wayne Morris asks him if he's afraid, to which Willie replies, "I ain't afraid but my feets ain't gonna stand around and see my body abused." Best, a wonderful comic actor, always had great deliveries of these lines. It's a shame that enjoyment of many of his performances today is often impacted by the cringing modern audiences might experience due at the racially stereotypical material. The Smiling Ghost would also be the last Wayne Morris film released for another six years. After he returned from his military war service, having gone on 57 aerial sorties with four Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals awarded to him, that boyish charm he demonstrated in this film would be gone forever. Anyone else find it ironic that Morris is probably best remembered today for playing an army coward in Paths of Glory? Ever since reading about his sterling WW2 military service (a least once one of the planes in which he returned had to be scrapped because of the damage done to it by bullet holes) I take off my hat to Wayne Morris, a true American patriot.

Sophie MacDonald - The Razor's Edge (1946).

Originating in the Steinbeck novel, and brought to life on film by Lon Chaney, Jr, the character of Lennie, in Of Mice and Men (1939) is certainly one that makes me weep. He is a big, mentally-challenged man with a love of “soft” things, eventually leading to tragedy that even his good friend and protector, George (Burgess Meredith) cannot prevent.

SPOILER ALERT: SHANE had one of the most poignant endings of any western. A gunfighter living out of his time, now with an untreated bullet wound, he rides off towards the mountains, from which he originally came, with an uncertain future ahead. I have always found a haunting doom of tragedy about the final images in this film. Listen for little Joey's last cry to Shane in the final seconds of this clip as the music builds (the image is far too dark, I know), and it adds to the tragedy. The little boy, at the end, realizes his hero is not coming back.

So many come to mind, but I’ll begin with Myra, portrayed by Vivien Leigh in Waterloo Bridge (1940). Believing her love, played by Robert Taylor, has been killed in battle, she becomes a prostitute to survive. Upon learning he’s actually alive, she’s unable to live with the shame. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.

Audrey Hepburn tended to find chemistry with just about all her male co-stars, didn't she? It's a precious gift.

Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart Casablanca 1942

The Smiling Ghost (1941) I tend to like this type of movie, a vaguely horror plot, set in a mysterious mansion populated with a lot of odd characters. This one is surprisingly posh for the genre, in terms of cast and production values, but it just gets too silly. Wayne Morris locks himself in his office, hiding from his creditors. His assistant (Willie Best) passes him milk over the transom. A phone call comes, inviting him for a job interview. Wayne and Willie go to the interview, where they are referred to Helen Westley, who is hiring a suitor for her granddaughter -- Alexis Smith -- whose boyfriends have been murdered, after each engagement. The family wants to stage a wedding to catch the murderer. Morris and Best go to the mansion, where they meet the usual gaggle of strange relatives. Charles Halton is probably the strangest. He takes a fancy to Willie Best's head and wants to shrink it for his collection. Lee Patrick is another strange one. She's obsessed with a string of pearls (a very red herring!). Alan Hale is not your usual butler. A few miles away, there is a man in an iron lung who was one of the previous suitors. Brenda Marshall is a busybody reporter. Warner Brothers gives us an A-list cast. It could have been a contender for a great film in its genre, but it just gets too crazy, and there are plot holes and confusing devices. How did the man in the iron lung (David Bruce) get inside the locked mausoleum? Why didn't Helen Westley know about all the secret passages in her house, which she has presumably lived in for decades? There are other silly and confusing issues that I won't go into. I love these movies, so I don't expect logical perfection (or perfect logic). The humour is over the top, and diminishes the movie. But you know what? Willie Best is an excellent actor, and he has some good lines. When he and Wayne Morris go to the job interview, the woman at the desk asks, "Which one of you is the applicant?" Best replies, "The light complected gentleman." Best's exchanges with the man who wants to shrink his head are also amusing. But then, they just get so into the stereotypical stuff, including fear of cemeteries; and the very end is embarrassing. For the first part of the movie, though, Best is a fairly equal sidekick to Morris. Despite my caveats, I guess I enjoyed it.

Robinson and Cagney only appeared in one film together - SMART MONEY in 1931.

There's Always A Woman 1938 The Amazing Mr. Williams 1939 Good Girls Go To Paris 1939 next: Julia Roberts and George Clooney

Egan, Richard

SUGARLAND EXPRESS

Arnold, Edward

DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

The Joads (despite the attempt at an upbeat ending).

and Hopkins is white of course. say it ain't so.

"Oh sure! Mention that rabbit and that mouse here together in this movie, but nooooo, nary a mention of me doing that show stopping piano duet I did in it with that other duck with a speech impediment from the Disney studio, eh?! Why, you're despicable!"

As Bing Crosby says to Frank Sinatra at one point during the 'What a Swell Party This Is' number in the movie High Society: "You must be one of the newer fellas."

Yea, Murphy came to Hollywood via William and James Cagney who signed him to a contract but due to disagreements never featured him in a Cagney production film.