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Tyrone Power Randolph Scott Robert Preston Charles Bronson

A few other random thoughts about Touch of Evil (3 days later...I always seem to come late to this party.) Again, the music. It's a great soundtrack, I just want to draw attention to that. As I said, the main theme is very cool-sounding and full of tension, perfect for this movie. (thanks, Henry Mancini.) The plot: whaaaa? Well, as I mentioned above, I don't really care that the plot is almost incomprehensible. I could never figure out the connection between the young shoe-salesman who's married to the daughter of the millionaire who was killed , and the Grandi crime family. I mean, that shoe -salesman doesn't even seem to know the Grandis. Other times I've seen the film, I kept trying to figure out what the connection was. But now I think, there is no connection. The only reason "Uncle" Joe Grandi takes an interest in the case is so he can get Quinlan to claim that Vargas and his wife are "hooked" on drugs (presumably heroin), hence that harrowing creepy motel room scene with poor Janet Leigh and the creeps. But come to think of it, even that doesn't make any sense. I thought it did at the time I was watching it, but now I'm not so sure. Poor Uncle Joe. He was nasty, but he wasn't quite that nasty. He didn't deserve that horrible end. I mean, it even makes it clear that he didn't really want Janet Leigh to be injected with heroin - no, just sodium pentothal. ( ?? !! oh well, I'd take the latter over the former too.) That infamous scene in the motel room. Oooh, so creepy and disturbing. Of course it has a lot of sexual violent undertones ; the audience is set up to believe that poor Susan Vargas was raped, as well as shot up with heroin. You find out later that she wasn't, but that doesn't make that scene any less horrible and frightening. Also, come to think of it, what was the reason again why she didn't just go to the town where the investigation was happening with her husband? It looked like there would have been some place for her to stay there. No reason. It was just so the film could have the set-up of Vargas' wife being isolated and helpless with a gang of creeps planning to molest her (one way or another.) Speaking of that scene: "I want to watch." Very creepy, memorable line. I watched for Mercedes McCambridge to be credited at the end, but she isn't. (Maybe she didn't want to be . ) Ok, Charlton Heston's character's name: Vargas. Everyone here familiar with the pin-up artist, Alberto Vargas? I've always thought it was some kind of in-joke that Heston's name was Vargas, since that means his wife is a Vargas girl. I'm sure it's on purpose, there's at least one scene where Janet Leigh is lying around in a sexy "teddy", pointy breasts and all, looking just like a Vargas pin-up girl. One more observation about Touch of Evil : Anyone noticed how many times Vargas leaves his wife? He's forever abandoning her, even after she's undergone the most traumatic experiences. He keeps leaving her, even when she's pleading "Don't leave me !" He's always rushing off somewhere, to talk to Quinlan or Grandi or someone or other. He's always saying, "I've got to go, darling, but don't worry, I'll be back, you'll be safe here." But she isn't. Poor Susan ! I imagine in real life, it would take years, hopefully with a good therapist, to get over the things she was put through. But of course, this is a movie, so off she goes at the end with Vargas, maybe she's finally going to get that chocolate soda.

Yes, that's one of the reasons these giant mergers are never good for the public. I can't believe the DISCOVERY Channel is even "a thing", it's offerings are terrible old, tired shows. If PBS or anyone else takes over TCM, you can say bye-bye to any unique movies. The experienced knowledgeable programmer will be replaced with someone's corporate pal who likes old classic movies like Star Wars.

A Thousand Clowns

You could always count on laughing your you-know-what off whenever Grodin was a guest on either Carson's or Letterman's shows back then. (...too bad the art of the snappy comeback and which made his appearances on Johnny's and Dave's shows back then so entertaining, seems another lost art in television talk shows today)

My Reputation

The problem for AT&T was that when they bought Warner they didn't foresee how capital intensive that asset would become over the next few years. Netflix and Amazon were much smaller in the content investment space back in 2016 when the merger was announced. https://www.statista.com/chart/14731/netflix-cash-spending-on-streaming-content/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/738421/amazon-video-content-budget/ The riskiness of the distribution business is just so different today than what it was even just 5 years ago, it now feels like a high-risk, high-reward business model given how much up-front cash is needed to compete with the streamers. I can see how a long-term, established company like AT&T doesn't want to be the ones to be along for that ride, a colossal failure in media could ruin the whole company. They already have a capital-intensive dogfight in the 5G space.

Robert Taylor - more of a mannequin than an actor, although there is a noir he was in the late 40s, The High Wall, that he's good in. In the technicolor costume pictures of the 50s like Ivanhoe and Quo Vadis, he looks great, although after seeing Quo Vadis, I definitely thought a lot about George Clooney in Hail Ceasar! I agree about Ava Gardner. She is beautiful, but not much of an actress. The same with Hedy Lamarr. From my reading of her biography, I gather she was not really that interested in acting (but more in ideas, inventions, music, etc.); maybe that's why she looks like this bored, beautiful mask. Like others, I completely disagree about Heflin, Chatterton, and Dean. I even think Farley Granger turned in some good performances, such as in They Live by Night. Cooper was the master of underplaying and could say more with his eyes and expression than with a thousand lines.

Raymond Burr Ruth Buzzi Jamie Farr Nick Nolte

I think TCM should alert viewers ahead of time when a filthy film will appear. That way filthophiles like myself won't miss it.

Frances Dee Dustin Hoffman Eleanor Parker Carolyn Jones

Angela Bassett Dana Andrews Robert Young Robert Taylor Leonard Nimoy Sally Struthers

NY Times editorial board weighed in on the matter... https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/opinion/nyc-pride-police-parade.html

Yeah, why not address body image by showing our domestic child porn grotesqueness!

For many, low self esteem is a learned behaviour, typically learned in childhood. Adulthood, maturity comes when realizing you are the only one in control of your own life. You have to realize all that was taught you about "not being as good/deserving" is what they think, not what YOU think. Once an individual takes responsibility for themselves, they can break that cycle of low self-esteem. So yes blame is in order, but in the end it's your personal responsibility to grow up & out of it.

Charles on Johnny Carson:

What do you think of the song 'Shangri-la?

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945)

Thanks Dargo. How about a few actors that are less well-known, but were great softball players and great teammates. I am positive that everyone on the board has seen them, but you might not know their names. PAUL URCIOLI played one of the Feds who arrests DeCaprio in WOLF OF WALL STREET. He is a busy working actor and acting teacher. He was also a terrific outfielder and lefty hitter I played with 2002-2007 who easily could have played major college baseball (he concentrated on acting instead). Any casting people out there if you want a pro for whom commitment to excellence is routine, that's Paul. GABE HERNANDEZ is an actor with a rugged look, diverse casting possibilities (looks Italian, Greek, Latino, you name it). Did you see ST VINCENT with Bill Murray? Gabe plays one of Bill Murray's movers, and had lines with Mr. Murray. Gabe also played Division 1 college baseball (Jacksonville) and was one of the best players in the NYC softball scene, starting in the late 80's. He was a relentless live drive hitter and smooth shortstop/second baseman. I was lucky enough to be his teammate starting in 2002 in the Performing Arts League. We entered the last day of the regular season tied for the league batting title. Funny thing neither of us knew it (our manager told us) and we didn't care that much. Gabe had a professional attitude about the acting profession. And we both had the same attitude about softball... all that matters is winning the next game. NELSON VASQUEZ is the tough-looking guy that accompanies Pacino's rival throughout CARLITO'S WAY, and gets a lot of screen time in DO THE RIGHT THING. Nelson, who is also an accomplished dancer (did videos with M Jackson and Madonna) , was one of the best shortstops in NYC softball, 80's-90''s. He had all the tools-fielding, hitting, throwing, speed, and some power. I never discussed with him, why he did not play pro or major college baseball, but he could have. People... the edge he brings to the screen is real, he is very intense!

1946 - The Imperfect Lady 1947 - The Trouble with Women 1952 - Something to Live For Next: Jackie Cooper & Bonita Granville

Imagine a gang with all of these guys: Chester (Neville Brand), Tommy Udo (Widmark), Lawrence Tierney, and Timothy Carey. They would definitely require careful supervision. Someone to keep an eye on them, like William Talman in THE HITCH-HIKER.

1942 - The Palm Beach Story Next: Barbara Stanwyck shows Gary Cooper what yum-yum is.

You happen to live in a state where the state government has set up a statewide network of public television stations. It doesn't work that way everywhere. Oklahoma is similar to SC. Texas has no such setup. Each market in TX has its own public television operator. In some cases, it may be a school or university. In other places, it's just a non-profit corporation that runs the station. What jamesjazzguitar meant was that a public broadcasting station (which may or may not be affiliated with PBS - most are, but some are not) could choose to use one of their multicast programs (digital subchannel) and dedicate it to film. Today, most (but not all) public TV stations carry PBS, Create, World, and PBS Kids. The "Create" and "World" channels that most public TV stations carry on their .2, .3, or .4 channels are actually provided by American Public TV, not PBS. Most public TV stations actually belong to both PBS and APT, though they "brand" their station as a PBS station. APT actually does provide a package of classic movies to stations. Here's an example: https://www.aptonline.org/catalog/PUBLIC-TELEVISION-FEATURE-FILM-PACKAGE-SEASON-2 The Oklahoma public TV network OETA carries this package on their main "PBS" channel on weekend evenings. The Dallas public TV station, KERA, does not. Obviously, this package isn't enough to run a dedicated channel 24/7, but there has been a precedent of public television showing films commercial free. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Public_Television

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) next--the Wienie King saves Claudette Colbert from eviction

Add Patrick McGoohan, Herbert Lom, David McCallum and Peggy Cummins to the cast

Eve Arden

You could always try watching Georgy Girl.

That's right! I forgot, him with Dyan Cannon, hilarious!!!

For anyone who hasn't seen Hell Drivers, it's a fine British noir starring Stanley Baker and directed by the talented Cy Endfield (Zulu).

Wells, Jenny--Betsy Drake in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

For Noir fans ("Noiristas" as Eddie likes to say), I would feel negligent if I didn't mention that the TCM daytime theme for Wednesday the 19th is Film Noir Road Trip. Here is the lineup (times are ET): 06:00 AM The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) 08:15 AM Hell Drivers (1957) 10:15 AM Jeopardy (1953) 11:45 AM The Hitch-Hiker (1953) 01:15 PM Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951) 03:00 PM Detour (1945) 04:15 PM Gun Crazy (1950) 06:00 PM They Live by Night (1948) The last 5 films have been previously featured on Noir Alley. Check out the daily schedule on the 19th for more info: https://www.tcm.com/schedule?icid=mainnav6-daily-schedule

Does this mean that instead of roaring, Leo the lion is just gonna have that dopey smile on his face? Sepitone

SCOTLAND YARD INSPECTOR

When Cooper was in a role that was right for him (The Westerner, Meet John Doe, Sergeant York, Friendly Persuasion) he was a perfect fit. And within his limited range he could also play, aside from westerners, homespun Capra heroes such as Mr. Deeds, romantic comedy (Desire), screwball comedy (Ball of Fire), and macho heroes (Lives of a Bengal Lancer, General Died at Dawn). Coop's two Oscars and five nominations also show how much the Hollywood community appreciated his acting skills. Watching the simplicity and sincerity with which he delivers his "I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth" address to the Yankee Stadium crowd at the end of Pride of the Yankees has made more than a few audience members tear up. At his best Gary Cooper was a master of understatement.

Ruth Chatterton? See Dodsworth. Not only a good actress, sometimes she was great.

reneex said: Here's my short list of some of a number of actors/actresses from the Golden Age who should never have been afforded a screen test. And now MY assessment of YOUR assessment of them in red... 1. Ruth Chatterton ...no, good actress 2. Jayne Mansfield...yes, you're right here 3. Guy Madison...yes, you're especially right here...lousy actor who, yes, only got that screen test because he was so damn handsome 4. Lupe Velez...no, fairly good actress 5. Nat King Cole...yes, great singer but lousy actor 6. Farley Granger...no, fairly good actor 7. Van Heflin...you're kiddin' here especially, right...no, great actor...one of the best in fact 8. Troy Donahue...yes, you're right here 9. James Dean...no, very good actor who would've only gotten better 10. Jane Russell...no, fairly good actress (...and now MY picks for the worst...George Raft and James Craig)

Wow! I really, really disliked this exercise in Woke Cancel Culture. It tries much, much too hard to scold and lecture us, to which I immediately respond negatively. Conflating women with disfigured faces with overweight women messes up the attempt at virtue signaling. Fat equates to acid being flung at one's face? Pick a problem to gripe about. Men are bashed. Racism is injected. (Can't help but inject GWTW yet again as a problem, can you TCM whine-babies?" Perhaps it needs to pick one issue and explore it intelligently. Isn't there a "garbage" thread where this could be discarded. How aggressively fake, phony and fraudulent. I reject this entire pathetic, amateurish scold. Alicia, however, is gorgeous and I love her accent.

THE BIG TREES (1952)

Fear InThe Night. Forrest DeKelly and Paul Kelly ???

The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend Next: Jane Russell, Rudy Vallee & Alan Young

You might be right about clarifying the plot. Hindsight is closer to 20-20. The original seemed to define Vargas and his role as policeman better but that could certainly be because I’d just seen the movie and figured out his role. You are right about the music. Important. Plot is important too because that’s what moves the action forward. Even if it’s complicated the viewer should be able to figure it out. But I know what you mean — Out of the Past has always intrigued me but I really can’t tell you the plot. All I can see are those ruby red lips of Jane Greer.

Like everything RAY DAVIES wrote, particularly in that era, he illustrates his genius. But I must admit I hadn't heard that song in decades.

Thursday, May 20 “Excuse me sir, but does that include television?” 6:15 p.m. The Party (1968). Decidedly un-PC, but funny Peter Sellers film. I love the touch with the modern watch (above).

LOL Yep, as that old song went, Moe... "If ya wanna be happy for the rest of your life..."

1968 - Oliver! Next: Lionel Barrymore and Madge Evans may have problems, but they can't compare to the day that Billie Burke has been having.

RON HOWARD

"I think I'll give it to ya in the belly nice and slow."

I disagree strongly with half your list. I realize it's all a matter of opinion, however, no way was Ruth Chatterton, Farley Granger,Van Heflin, James Dean, Jane Russell "bad actors". Thar's half of your strange choices for bad actors. Van Heflin? You've got to be kidding there.You need to Re-watch some of the movies they've been in. While I agree about George Raft, he's actually pretty effective in the movie Red Light out to avenge his brother's murder.

SOMEBODY'S MOTHER