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How about (not classic yet) stars and celebrities I played softball with or against, or some noteworthy spectators, 1987-2007? These were mostly competitive leagues. Bruce Willis played one season (maybe '89 or '90) on China Club, an opposing team in the NY Restaurant League. He was a huge star at that time. Very nice guy, big and athletic, but not really a ballplayer. He batted 10th and DH'd (I assumed he helped with $ponsor$hip). One day I read in Page Six of the New York Post a gossip item about him hitting a "grand slam home run to win a softball game in Central Park". This seemed unlikely, he did not drive the ball that well. I found out later that it was a tie game, bases-loaded, bottom of the last inning, no out situation. He batted with the outfielders drawn in shallow to rob a single (because a sac fly wins the game) and hit a medium depth fly ball over the drawn in outfield to win the game. Only one run scores, it counts as a 1 RBI single. We played his team the next week and some of the real ballplayers busted his chops about his "grand slam". He said his publicist planted the story without his knowledge, which sounded plausible. He was nice and approachable with players, his team's and opponents' GFs, wives, spectators, I did not resent him. Ran into him once on the street, he recognized me and was friendly. Matthew Broderick on a number of occasions showed up in Central Park (Heckscher Field) or Dewitt Clinton Park on his Vespa and asked if he could "shag" or work out with my teams. Heckscher was an easy destination. Clinton Park on 11th Avenue and West 54th St., not so much. Heckscher was a showcase field, Clinton Park more for softball junkies like me. And actual junkies! Matthew would shag fly balls in the outfield until everyone else had hit, and then would ask if he could get some swings (which is appropriate if you join some other teams's softball practice). I don't think he played high school baseball but he could have, his throwing and his (lefty) batting swing were very good! He was on the small side small (I understand 5'8") but had a little power, though a tendency to hit everything in the air. He was totally nice, deferential and humble. The great, busy character actor Mike Starr was my teammate one season ('91 or '92) in the Restaurant League. Mike, who was our catcher, was a great guy, very funny teammate, decent ballplayer and intense competitor. He had to multi-task a lot because players and umpires, during games would chat with him about movies. There was one home plate umpire who would talk with Mike about movies throughout the entire game, while Mike was catching. Mike's brother Beau Starr (also an actor, played Henry Hill's dad in GOODFELLAS) played occasionally and was a very good player -big athletic guy, very competitive and a legit power hitter. Ray Romano played on opposing teams in Central Park and in Queens in the late 80's, early 90's. For most of that time, I did not know that he was a performer, but I respected him as a pull-hitting righty hitter with pretty good power (I played in the outfield). The team he played for in Queens was Cooper's, a sports bar near Juniper Park in Middle Village, Queens. If Cooper's rings a bell, that's because it was depicted as the local hangout in KING OF QUEENS. Richard Schiff and Sam Robards were my teammates in the early to mid 2000's on a team in the NY Performing Arts Softball League. I didn't know Richard too well, he played third base decently, but when WEST WING became successful he became too busy to play. Sam (excellent teammate) played more frequently (third base/first base) and could hit. They were probably two of the wealthier guys I played with. Richard made big dough on West Wing, and Sam lived in the Dakota. Edie Falco/The Sopranos had a softball team that played in Central Park in the early 2000's in a league that finished its games before my league started at 1:00PM on Sundays. So if we were on the same diamond, I might see the last few innings of their game before my team took the field. Edie managed the Sopranos team. After crossing paths a few times we became friendly acquaintances. She was totally nice! The players on the team did not include performers that I recognized. I did see Federico Castelluccio in ballplayer attire a few times, but never saw him play. James Gandolfini, came occasionally to watch and root for the team but did not play. Danny Aiello was a friend of the manager of the Friars' Club softball team I played on in the 1990's. Mr, Aiello would frequently watch the games and root for us. Mr. Aiello was very much an event unto himself, he would comment on the games, offer the players advice, and engage with spectators. The late, noteworthy character actor Daniel von Bargen lived in my neighborhood (Hell's Kitchen), and was friends with one of my softball teammates (late 80's early 90's) in a very competitive softball league in Harlem (145th and FDR). Dan would trek uptown with us and watch the games. He was a big baseball fan and enjoyed the post-game discussions (and refreshments). RIP Dan.

A Night at the Opera (1935)--the stateroom scene The Cameraman (1928)--the dressing room scene (which possibly inspired it?)

Room (2015) Panic Room (2002) Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

Equity (2016) A sort of Wall Street cautionary tale. The interesting thing is that women dominate the scene, uncommon in the money game. Anna Gunn is good as an investment banker who aggressively manages a high tech IPO (Initial Public Offering). She is a tendency of micromanage and has a rep of "rubbing people the wrong way." and has been involved in a prior failure which seems to feed her intensity for control. Alysia Reiner is an old friend and prosecutor who also plays hardball and threatens to be an opposing force. My favorite in the film was Sarah Megan Thomas, who plays an underling to Gunn's character, a sort of protege. Of these three, this latter seems to the most interesting of all. A solid film all the way around that i found engrossing. Girl Friends (or Girlfriends?) (1978) Another female genre flick, this was a surprise. As a guy, maybe I'm not supposed to like this? This may be a chick flick of sorts but see if I care. Production values seem iffy, giving It has a rugged look to it, something not merely low budget but more dicey than that ; a threadbare, kitchen sink, amateur attempt of a movie possibility of going astray. I'm probability overstating that aspect but it was a feeling throughout. Yet it plays wonderfully well and with astonishingly good acting. Trials and tribulations of just getting along in the world of relationships and the yearning for artist and financial success.

I don't agree that the " whole story is about a girl who is not attractive": For me it was more than just the girl being average in the looks department: it is also about a girl that is way too shy, has no scene of style, or grace or some of the other "womanly" traits her mother had (as viewed by husband, the girl's father). For me that is a major part of the story: I always get the sense that when her father compares his daughter with her mother, his disappointed centers more around her bland personality and dullness than just her physical appearance. Olivia great acting is in the pulling off of out-of-place-clumsy-shy etc... women and thus the casting and overall film in believable, in spite of Olivia being too-good-looking for the role.

Lifeboat 1944 Sorry, Wrong Number 1948 Rear Window 1954 Alien 1979

Rope 1948 Dial M For Murder 1954 Twelve Angry Men 1957 Run Silent Run Deep 1958 Plaza Suite 1971

I always saw "The Heiress" in a different way. Olivia's character was not so much unattractive as plain. The main attribute that made her unappealing to most men was her mousy seemingly boring personality and bearing. At the end, when she finds her voice, she is much more attractive in different kinds of hair stylings and clothes. Most people are average looking - thus the meaning of the word "average". So to be attractive you have to bring something else to the table - intelligence, sense of humor, kindness.

Nicely stated, thank you! When I first saw "Body Images On Film" listed as a TCM spotlight, I thought to myself really? Do we really need to nit pick this injustice now? Then looking at some of the films chosen and thinking of how I felt for the charactors, identifying with them & their situations when watching these films, I thought why not? Body Image is often crux of a plot in classic movies that really never occurred to me until grouped together like this. Sure, women suffer more then men because men are judged more by $uccess, their own pressure on top of being good looking. As for "too pretty" Olivia DeHavilland playing a "plain" looking woman, as many of us know, people who feel inadequate are usually beautiful, sometimes for comedic effect... ...in the heiress' case, her self image came from years of brainwashing. Although I do think this trend of black/gray/blue dressing with zero personal grooming is a horrible way to present yourself to the world. The outside should reflect the inside, inviting others to get to know you. It has nothing to do with what you were born with.

And then there's the final scene in Blood Feast (1963), when Egyptian caterer Fuad Ramses runs through the city dump and jumps into the back of a garbage truck to hide from the cops. The truck is just about to leave. The driver, not knowing he has human cargo, shuts the rear loader, scrunching Fuad Ramses. The cops rush up, one of them says: "He died a fitting death, like the garbage he was."

Ingagi (1930) Well, I have seen it at last. Although it is presented as a documentary about the explorer Sir Hubert Winstead, it's really all a fake, and was the subject of a court case in its day. Much of the footage has been purloined from other films shot in Africa, and some of the footage was actually shot in Los Angeles (you can tell). However, taken as a fiction film, it has some interesting moments. The restored print looks good, the tinted shots are attractive, and some of the animals are cute. (Some are not so cute.) The authentic African footage is well presented, even if it has been lifted from other films. There is a very cute lemur; and an especially vicious crocodile "that has developed a taste for dark meat." After a while, it wears thin and becomes boring: we've seen much of that footage, better presented, in other movies. The famously shocking bits don't appear until more than one hour into this 82-minute film. They have to do with women and gorillas. Evidently, there is a tribe that sacrifices women to the gorillas (Ingagi); but other women don't get sacrificed to them... "One had a child hugged to her breast, a strange-looking child, seemingly more ape than human." It is said that this film inspired King Kong, which rose, a few years later, from the ashes of the failure of Ingagi. The first all-black horror film, Son of Ingagi (1940), which you can find on YouTube, has nothing to do with this film. Ingagi was thought to be a lost film, but there are a couple of prints at the Library of Congress, from which the restored version was made. The DVD has a few extras, including one about the restoration.

Thanks for your contributions, Herman Bricks...these stories and remembrances of yours are great reading material! 👍🏻

What you say is true, but it isn't limited to Hollywood. Society at large judges people based on their appearance constantly. To offset some of the criticism, we tend to compensate with newer clothes, a different hairstyle, re-shaping our bodies through diet and/or exercise, etcetera. This is a good series TCM is doing on the subject, and it also cuts in the other direction too. People who are physically fit and muscular never think they are big enough, and people who are on target with their weight that's commensurate to their height and age think they are too heavy. Personal hygiene can be a factor too that keeps people from respecting or gravitating toward those who don't practice it well.

I've seen Alicia's body images discussion a few times now and I agree with her comments. Men, such as Ernest Borgnine in "Marty" and Dom Deluise (I can't remember the movie in the clip) are accepted in spite of their "unattractiveness." However women have to be reminded over and over that their bodies don't fit the ideal of attractiveness. In "Shag," one of the characters is actually nicknamed "Pudge" because she was chubby. At the beginning of the film, we're told that she lost the weight, but she's still "bigger" than the other girls (though she looks fine) and is still called "Pudge." She's even called Pudge by her friends' parents! That's how deep-seated her nickname is within her social group. She's constantly reminded that she's bigger than the other girls. It's similar to when aging, or even elderly actresses make an appearance and the audiences are reminded how great (or how bad) she looks. If she looks great, immediately there is speculation of plastic surgery. If she looks her age, she's mocked for looking older. If she tries to get plastic surgery and it's noticeable, she's mocked for having gotten plastic surgery. Women cannot win when it comes to their appearance. She's either too fat. Too thin. Too old. Too plastic looking. She's always "too" something. I'm happy that TCM has put together this series and it not only focuses on women, but men as well. Men also face many of the same issues, if they're not tall enough, muscular enough, outwardly manly enough, etc. Kudos to TCM.

Dr. Elvis in Change of Habit but doctor, it's my foot...Doctor in Distress Jerry Lewis checks himself in The Disorderly Orderly

Recently, I watched a short film on TCM where body images on film were discussed with host Alicia Malone and other film personalities and authors. I thought it was exceptional. It's rare to hear a discussion like this. Film is a reflection of our society and Hollywood has been obsessed with female body image. I liked that the presenters pointed out how ridiculous it is that really beautiful actresses have been cast in the roles of unattractive characters (Olivia De Haviland in The Heiress is a good example) fearing that if they actually cast a less attractive actress in a role it would make the film unappealing. The toxic cruelty of judging people by appearance is not critiqued often enough so thank you TCM. Here's the film link:

This year's Memorial Day Marathon is primarily a repeat of primarily World War II movies. The only Vietnam War movie is the too often shown John Wayne propaganda film The Green Berets. One interesting one is Dark of the Sun, which has nothing at all to do with Memorial Day or a war in which the US participated. Good movie, but...... MAY 28: Pride of the Marines (1945); Till the End of Time (1946); The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); Wings for the Eagle (1942); Above and Beyond (1952) MAY 29: Thunder Afloat (1939); Journey into Fear (1942); Merrill's Marauders (1962); Dark of the Sun (1968); Destination Tokyo (1943); No Time for Sergeants (1958); Darby's Rangers (1958); Up Periscope (1959); Imitation General (1958); 36 Hours (1964); Nazi Agent (1942); Act of Violence (1948) MAY 30: The Hook (1963); The Dirty Dozen (1967); Hell to Eternity (1960); The Clay Pigeon (1949); Act of Violence (1948); The Devil's Brigade (1968); Kelly's Heroes (1970); The Green Berets (1968); Memphis Belle: A Story of the Flying Fortress (1944); The Great Escape (1963); Where Eagles Dare (1968) May 31: Ace of Aces (1932); The Enemy Below (1957); Battle of the Bulge (1965); War Nurse (1930); Sergeant York (1941); Flying Leathernecks (1951); The Naked and the Dead (1958); The Steel Helmet (1951); Target Zero (1955); Red Badge of Courage (1951); Battleground (1949); Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)

The Prisoner of Shark Island 1936 Bedlam 1946 Sleuth 1972

Moby Dick (1956) Moon (2009) In the Heart of the Sea (2015) The Martian (2015) The Guilty (2018)

The Collector (1965) Death and the Maiden (1994) All is Lost (2013) My Dinner with Andre (1981)

THE HITCH HIKER SUGARLAND EXPRESS JUST MERCY APOLLO 13

one of the great unsung villains Henry Silva. what has always impressed me about this guy is even though playing villains he elicits a strong screen presence. this guy deserved some strong hero roles.

Another great underrated Hispanic-American actor, Henry Da Silva. Worthy of a Summer Under the Stars Tribute. Although his name is not a recognizable, Mr. Da Silva worked regularly in both Hollywood and television. Some of his movie credits included, Ride A Crooked trail 1958, The Banderos 1958, Cinderfella 1960, Ocean's eleven 1960, The Manchurian Candidate, 1962 and many others.

Please devote a day long salute to a truly underrated actress, Katy Jurado. During the popular, Summer Under the Stars series. Ms Jurado became one of the few Hispanic-American actresses to receive an Academy Award nomination for her role in the Broken Lance. One of her most important roles was in High Noon. Starring opposite Gary Cooper. Although she never became a Hollywood star in an iconic fashion, her legacy helped to blaze a trail for future Hispanic-American entertainers in Hollywood. Some of Ms Jurado's well known films were One Eyed Jacks, Barabbas, opposite former husband and Oscar winner, Ernest Borgnine. The very funny Stay Away Joe opposite Elvis Presley & Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid.

My first attempt here: Father Knows Best Next: Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, William Devane

BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948) Next: Irene Dunne, Ellen Corby and Philip Dorn

Branded (1950) Next: Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston

It was Lena. Good guess though! Tallulah Next: Harry, Judith and John

O'Brien, Margaret

THE SANTA CLAUSE -- the doctor puts a stethoscope up to Scott's chest and hears his heart beating to the tune of Jingle Bells

Keitel, Harvey

Hangover Square

Gillette, Anita

Farr, Felicia

Egan, Richard

Chandler, Jeff

THE ACTRESS (1953) Next: Jack Lemmon, Ann-Margret and Walter Matthau

Next: Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, Teresa Wright

Our Man Flint. (1966) Flint uses a stethoscope to crack into a safe. Ghostbusters (1984)

Re: Don't let the stars get in your eyes ...

I thought this thread was going to be about white trash.

The great film "Jaws" would not be "Jaws" without Richard Dreyfuss. There are so many scenes that I love that are humorous/scary/poignant with Richard Dreyfuss. I love the scene in the boat when he (Dreyfuss) is tipsy and bragging about his diving injuries to the surly, unhinged captain of the boat played wonderfully by Robert Shaw. Dreyfuss is laughing until the captain tells the story of how he was on the USS Indianapolis which was sunk and then the men in the water attacked by sharks.

OH. You want the BEST garbage Oscar? HERE ya GO! Sepiatone

I have two favorite detectives the first being Adrian Monk, from Monk the tv series And the second being Jill Monroe, from Charles Angels the tv series

I was not familiar with DANCE FEVER starring Adrian Zmed and Motion ! Thank you, thank you, thank you for enlightening me!

From May 15-18, 1921, the Poli ran The Great Lover, starring John Sainpolis as Jean Paurel. The film was released in November of 1920 at six reels, and is presumed lost. Plot: Jean Paurel, aka “The Great Lover,” is a famous baritone who has had numerous love affairs. Now middle-aged, his vocal chords are delicate, and his physician has warned him to avoid stress. He falls for Ethel, a young American singer, and gives her a small part in the opera. He has an understudy named Sonino, who, unbeknownst to Paurel, is the product of one of his affairs. Sonino has also fallen for Ethel. The night the opera premieres, Paurel proposes to Ethel in his dressing room between acts. Sabotini, who has her sights set on Paurel, angrily tells Sonino where Ethel is. There is a quarrel, and Paurel loses his voice. Ethel accepts his proposal out of obligation. Sonino substitutes for Paurel and wins instant acclaim. The following day, Ethel calls on Paurel. While she is in another room, Paurel’s ex-lover Bianca shows up and tells him that Sonino is their son. She begs Paurel to give up Ethel so the girl can marry Sonino. Paurel releases Ethel from the engagement. As the fading opera singer sits alone brooding over his fate, his phone rings. A female admirer is on the line, and his spirits immediately are lifted. “Then we’ll have a little lunch,” he tells her, as the film ends. The stills below could not be placed in context. The first shows Sainpolis with Rose Dione (as Sabotini). The second shows Alice Hollister front and center (as Bianca): The film was based upon a stage play of the same name. Most reviews described the play as a comedy. Wid’s Daily wrote that the original play “is not and never has had any screen material. Its popularity on the stage was due to its catchy dialogue. It’s a one man play, with little action, much grand opera atmosphere, and professional temperament.” The daily added “since it is a one-man picture and since John Sainpolis, although an excellent actor and admirable in the title role, is not a star in the commonly accepted term, and since the dialogue of the play is missing on the screen, little is left in favor of the screen version excepting a picture, approximately six reels long, well directed, well acted and lavishly produced.” Motion Picture News described the film as a “slow moving drama that depends entirely on titles to tell its story, and all the money that has very evidently been spent in producing it will not make up for the lack of action and the many sequences where characters walk into a set, only to talk to each other, while titles explain what is happening.” Director Frank Lloyd employed a seventy-five piece orchestra for the opera scenes, which were shot in Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles. The auditorium’s sixty-foot stage was used to recreate two acts of “Don Giovanni.” Nearly 800 people, dressed in evening clothes, were used as the audience. For technical advice, Lloyd used John McCormack, an Irish tenor and opera singer. The story was remade in 1931, with Adolphe Menjou in the title role. John Sainpolis was involved in an amusing incident in 1919. John McGraw, owner of the New York Giants baseball team, was being honored for his birthday. McGraw, who had been a player for the Baltimore Orioles, had invited some of his New York theatrical friends to the festivities, which were being held at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore. Several people gave speeches, and then was it was Sainpolis’ turn. The actor had once been McGraw’s personal guest during a training camp, and the sportswriters had dubbed him “Minneapolis-St. Paul.” After making several glowing remarks about McGraw, Sainpolis concluded by saying “and at last I’ve come to understand why they call John McGraw Muggsy. I don’t know why John should object to that word, Muggsy; to me Muggsy always was a term of endearment.” What Sainpolis did not know was that “Muggsy” was an insult to McGraw. The name had been pinned on the baseball owner during his playing days in Baltimore; there had been a character in the comics named Muggsy, and also a sleazy Baltimore politician named Muggsy McGraw. Brandon Tynan, another actor at the party, screamed at Sainpolis “you stupid muttonhead; what do you mean insulting my friend, John McGraw?” While this was going on, Harry Schumacher, baseball writer for the New York Globe, laughed hilariously every time the word “Muggsy” was mentioned. His laughter, rather than Sainpolis’ remarks, infuriated McGraw. “You frog-faced lout,” McGraw yelled at the reporter. “I’ve never had any use for you, and now I’ve less than ever. I’ve been waiting a year to tell you what I really think of you. What’s more, I don’t want you to travel with this club again. First thing I get back to New York, I am going to tell your sports editor to assign another man to the Giants. I don’t want to have to look at that puss of yours again.” That was the end of the evening’s festivities.

1991 Thelma & Louise Next: Dying Susan Sarandon is really annoyed by ex-husband's, Ed Harris, perky new girlfriend, Julia Roberts

1959; Some like It hot Next: Jean Seburg's attempts to keep her father a playboy uninterested in commitment have tragic ramifications.

Lol. I think the joke about the hairdo is in there as girlfriend Julie Christie realizes that her new hairstyle is exactly the same as mistress Lee Grant's. Imagine having the nerve to give your girlfriend the same haircut as your mistress. I wish Goldie had that cut too. That'd be funny.

How about a few from the so-called "New Hollywood" era such as: Jack Nicholson Bruce Dern James Coburn Faye Dunaway Karen Black (I'm finding that cross-eyed look of hers doesn't bother me as much anymore)