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Diabolique (1955)

Gaslight (1940, 1944) Anna Karenina (1948) Born Yesterday (1950) Petulia (1968) The Color Purple (1985) Sleeping With the Enemy (1991) Not Without My Daughter (1991) What's Love Got to Do With It (1993) Dolores Claiborne (1995)

I can always watch VIVA LAS VEGAS because of the incredible performance of Ann-Margaret. She is the only co-star who matched Elvis' joyous talent & charisma. Look at Elvis' gesture-

Well this certainly is perfect timing....I just watched THE DIVORCE OF LADY X '38, a 3 strip Technicolor screwball comedy starring Laurence Olivier & Merle Oberon. I had seen this as a teen spurring a lifelong love of Merle Oberon who I thought was the most adorable actress ever. I had zero recollection of the male lead & was pleasantly surprised to see it was Olivier in the opening credits. It's the story of a madcap girl who is forced to stay overnight in town because of impassible fog. She's not the only one scrambling for a room, Olivier's charactor snags the last one in town-a big suite. She sneaks in his room just to get a safe night's sleep and being the gentleman, he gives her the bed & sleeps on the floor. The next morning there is of course, misunderstanding about "propriety" and people get confused over what did or did not happen, making the comedy screwball. But obviously all ends well. I cannot imagine what about this movie intrigued me so much, because this viewing, it fell pretty flat in several ways. I was kind of disappointed in Oberon's charactor, she was incredibly manipulative & smug in her treatment of men. How could you? It made Larry's charactor look like a dolt, which I did not like. Although his charactor remained honest & kind throughout. For the most part, he was the straight man. This was a British film, directed by A Korda. It was sumptuous looking, but there were a few lags in the editing. But the real distraction was the overly kooky music: a lot of wah-wah-wah of the trumpet a la WB Looney Tunes. Larry was gorgeous and all the supporting cast great. I was amazed how "Asian" Oberon appeared, I know she was British/East Asian and her make up accentuated her eyes even moreso. Were Americans that prejudice in the 30's to hold Anna Mae Wong back, while British audiences accepted those of Asian decent better? Could this be a reason Merle Oberon didn't have a bigger career in Hollywood? I've always found her fascinating and always thought Audrey Hepburn modeled herself after her. (the absolutely most symmetrical fave I've ever seen)

WOW! thanks for that link! Above is a self portrait album cover-what a talent! ^^^ I will always credit Cugat for discovering the incredibly talented Charo, who many see as a joke. She is actually an incredible guitarist & I was lucky enough to see her perform live. (BTW, not all Hirschfeld have "Ninas")

I love the Elvis movies. Are some better than others? Of course. But they're entertaining and they're fun. I like to watch and wonder "how are they going to get Elvis to sing next?" Some of the situations in which he sings seem more natural than others. I'm trying to see all of them and collect them as well. My favorites so far are Viva Las Vegas (my favorite Elvis movie), King Creole, Jailhouse Rock, Girl Happy, Blue Hawaii and Fun in Acapulco.

Late as usual with my comments on the latest Noir Alley feature. Oh well... So, I liked Los Tallos Amargos. Liked it, not loved it. I agree with Hibi that the journalism school venture seemed a bit unlikely and un-noirish. And while it was a bit sketchy, it wasn't exactly a big crime operation. A couple of people -- I think one of his fellow journalists on the legitimate paper /magazine the main guy worked for, and his wife, both told him (Alfredo, that's the character's name ) they thought it sounded like "swindling". Maybe it was, but it also seemed like they weren't really hurting anyone, and they still had to work pretty hard, as far as I could tell. But I think we're supposed to believe that it was when these two people put the idea into his head that it was sketchy, what's up with this guy who's supposed to be his partner anyway ?, etc., that Alfredo started getting suspicious. Did this Hungarian guy's family even exist? That was when he decided to spy on the partner ("Luidas") to see if he was being taken for a fool. Maybe the moral of the story is, don't rely on partially overheard conversations to get at the truth. The scene where he follows Luidas and listens in on a conversation Luidas has with some woman makes a big point of how loud the music in the nightclub was, and how there were many moments when Alfredo could not entirely discern what Luidas was saying. So he bases his whole plan to kill the poor guy based on a few random moments of statements he think Luidas made which he did not hear properly. And his plan begs the question...how come he has to kill Luidas anyway? Wouldn't it be a better idea, and even more profitable, to simply confront him about what he heard? Even if he didn't believe Luidas' explanation regarding his talk with the nightclub woman, he could have forced Luidas to pay him back all the money he'd given him. Or something. Instead he lures the poor guy to his family's home in the country and bashes him on the head to death. Nice. I have no sympathy for Alfredo, but I have a little for the man he killed (even though yes, Luidas did yak on a lot.) Like everyone else here, I knew those seeds were going to come back somehow to haunt him. I actually had a bit of a Jack-in-the-beanstalk moment, by which all I mean is, I was reminded of that folk tale, what with the seeds and all. I also agree with those who have seen a gay subtext in the film. Luidas seems so interested in Alfredo when they first meet. Yes, supposedly it's because he overhears Alfredo say he's a journalist. But I don't know, his stare is so intense. And Alfredo seems almost jealous when he sees Luidas meet with the nightclub woman (Elena?) He also seems jealous of her later, when Luidas' son dances with her. And I feel sorry for Alfredo's wife, in whom he appears to have no interest whatsoever. There's no question that the suicide on the tracks ending would not have been permitted in an American film from that time. But I thought Alfredo was a horrible person who deserved to pay for the murder of his partner, whether the body was discovered in his mother's backyard or not. (Yup, ironic that it was not but Alfredo never knew that.) And I agree with Vautrin , who pointed out that had Alfredo lived, it would have been very weird for him to be the brother-in-law of the son of the man he'd killed. Killed for no reason, I emphasize ( unless, like Hibi, you think Luidas drove Alfredo to murder by committing the crime of never shutting up! )

I am a serial polygamist when it comes to books, so a few that I am currently reading: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter- Carson McCullers Play as it Lays- Joan Didion Room to Dream- David Lynch One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey

This is one of my favorite little movies! It is a quite delightful bit of fluff. My take on it is that Laurence Olivier is a misogynist by trade rather than by inclination. His position as a barrister representing men in divorce actions has forced him to see only the faults in women for many years so that he can be passionate and unswerving in his painting them as the sole cause of the failure of the marriage. I did not see Merle Oberon as being unrealistically manipulative or smug. Her brash innocence reminds me much of a teenager. I ask only for you to remember what many girls were like in high school. Shirley Temple played much the same character in: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947). It has long been my belief that English have at all times been more accepting of other races because it is an upper-class refined aesthetic. Lords and ladies did not care a whit who was serving them or entertaining them as long as the serving or entertaining was done well. Good performances were praised and bad ones punished. It meant no difference to them if the hand receiving their tip or the back under their whip was Asian, Black or Cockney. I do hope that all noticed the brief cimbalom playing. I do not have a fine ear for such things but I believe that it was of the Romanian school.

The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947) Monsieur Verdoux (1947) Nuts in May (1976) The Color Purple (1985)

Dial M For Murder

When my wife and I sat down the other evening to watch The Prince and the Showgirl, we looked forward – as we always do – to a TCM host (and perhaps a guest) giving us some historical background and context, perhaps discussing some aspect of the making of the film or how it was perceived at its initial release. However, we stared at the screen – and then at each other – in utter disbelief as a woman blabbered on at great length about astrology. We would love to have learned more about the making of Prince and the Showgirl, and if any film needs some context (we found to to be an extremely sexist-seeming film), it's this one, far more so than the often-maligned My Fair Lady. How sad that TCM is sinking to such inanity. We have nothing against astrology per se, but unless a particular filmmaker or star was guided by it, or the film being screened is specifically about astrology, we see no reason why it should form the basis for an entire series of screenings. We found it insulting to our intelligence, and it taught us nothing.

Wow! What a great thing to wake up too! Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who participated and who voted. "You like me, you really like me!" OK, maybe not, but you did like the schedule! I'm thinking that the next TCM Programming Challenge will be this fall sometime. I want to give everyone time to reset and replenish their movie brains! This will be my first time hosting and I hope I'm up to the, ah, "challenge..." OverEasy

Well, in THAT case, and in MY case, and seein' as how my attempt at humor in the above posting apparently didn't tickle your funny bone at all this time MissW, AND if ya wanna get all serious about this here... I personally have no problem or at least don't hold it against any noirs that show "innocent people" getting bumped off somewhere along the way, as this sort of thing unfortunately happens in real life all the time, and so might make the narrative in such a noir seem even more true to life and reflect and expose an even darker aspects of the human condition. Now, I DO agree with you and took note of it myself while watching The Bitter Stems the other night that the MOTIVATION for the Alfredo character to commit the murder that he did, did NOT seem all that well presented and seemed to be truncated in its presentation and questioned why he --and who btw I do NOT think was "evil" or "horrible" but just more an extremely frustrated and desperate man with and about his own life--would take such a drastic step and instead of just confronting Liudas with his suspicions. (...there...is THAT better?)

Found footage, POV movies are not my cup of tea, so maybe I'll skip it.

REALLY?! Then why weren't you able to find the FIRST thread done about this thing, lydecker??? (...Libras are USUALLY known to be VERY good at doing computer searches, ya know!)

I saw that as a 15-16 year old in the theater and loved it. Can't believe I got the nuances of it, but I absolutely did. The movie helped me visualize what castles were like inside, the rooms, lighting. The homespun clothing. It sparked my interest in the Arthur legend, medieval design & motifs.

Speaking of movies that aren't what they seem when you compare the title and/or poster to the film's actual content: MAN WHO HAD POWER OVER WOMEN, The (1970-UK). TCM has aired this movie 1 time that I know of -- I watched it when it aired. I'd seen it before several times having owned the VHS release for years, but it was *nice* to see this movie on Turner Classic. The movie is steadfastly not about Rod Taylor attempting to seduce members of the opposite sex for his personal gain and lust. He plays an advertising executive who gets saddled with an obnoxious sleazeball singer for a client while also having to deal with his wife who hates him and moves out and various other mid-life complications. ALSO: If ever you've wondered where you saw a scene about a man killed by toilets -- THIS IS THE MOVIE!

Elvis. I see him as more of a musician-turned-character actor, and given the latitude to do his thing and "play himself". I wouldn't want it any other way. Cheesy?? Absolutely! Collecting them all if I can.

WHAT?! No love for THIS one here???...

Even from a third member:

The Lord's Prayer ("King of Kings") Next: Comedy Song from a Western

Everett, Chad

I like The Divorce of Lady X, and there is chemistry between Oberon and Olivier. While Olivier screen persona wasn't much of a "fit" for comedy, he does well enough. The film is better than the next Oberon romantic comedy, The Cowboy and the Lady with Gary Cooper (despite Cooper's better sense of comic timing than Olivier). I'm a big fan of Oberon and she was in many fine films, but like a lot of actresses at her "level" she never rose to be a top 1 - 3 actress at a major studio. Her best years were while married to Korda (39 - 45), and the United Artist films they made with Korda as the producer. One of my top 3 actress beauties, ever since I first saw her in the 1934 film The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Jailhouse Rock Elvis Presley from Jailhouse Rock film 1957 next: Miklos Rozsa song

MIDNIGHT LACE

I found it mediocre. It was visually flat and uninvolving. I didn't mind the twist ending, but it didn't feel earned. Elizabeth Olsen was the best thing about the movie.

Well then. This is an interesting suggestion, not really sure where we fit that in the curriculum. Maybe on vivisection day we can end with this film to lighten the mood.

"Black Sunday" (1960) Italian gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava in his official directorial debut, and starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani, Arturo Dominici and Enrico Oliveri. Loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's short story "Viy", the film takes place in Moldaviaand tells the story of a witch who is put to death by her brother, only to return two centuries later to seek revenge upon his descendants This scared the **** out of me when I was 7!! "Black Sunday" (1977) Conspiracy to detonate the Goodyear blimp turned into a flying bomb over the Super Bowl.

KEN RUSSELL’s THE DEVILS (1971) Hey, the kid’s gotta grow up someday.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one but it's not exactly a glowing endorsement. I've been an admirer of Alexander Korda's movies so when I saw his name I knew I had to watch it. I'm less than enamoured with Olivier however (I still haven't been able to finish Wuthering Heights despite a score of attempts) and I may have actually groaned aloud when I spotted his name in the credits too. So I went into this one with such diminished expectations that anything short of all the other characters dying in the opening scene and the remaining 89 minutes being one long non-stop soliloquy from Larry was gonna be a win. It actually ended up being a fairly decent little movie. Don't know if I'm a big enough fan of Korda to watch it again but it was an okay diversion for the night.

A few more from the Western genre ... The Outlaw Josey Wales, A Man Called Horse, High Noon, Lonely Are The Brave and Shane ...

When my wife and I sat down the other evening to watch The Prince and the Showgirl, we looked forward – as we always do – to a TCM host (and perhaps a guest) giving us some historical background and context, perhaps discussing some aspect of the making of the film or how it was perceived at its initial release. However, we stared at the screen – and then at each other – in utter disbelief as a woman blabbered on at great length about astrology. We would love to have learned more about the making of Prince and the Showgirl, and if any film needs some context (we found to to be an extremely sexist-seeming film), it's this one, far more so than the often-maligned My Fair Lady.How sad that TCM is sinking to such inanity. We have nothing against astrology per se, but unless a particular filmmaker or star was guided by it, or the film being screened is specifically about astrology, we see no reason why it should form the basis for an entire series of screenings. We found it insulting to our intelligence, and it taught us nothing.

Is this a memoir/auto biography? How is his writing style? While I love John Waters movies & his persona, I find his writing tiring to read. Tough to differentiate fact from his fantasies. I think some artistes really live in their fantasy world, making their work interesting visually, but not great with the written word.

6) Oscar winner Miyoshi Umiki co-starred with Bill on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

5) played scientist Dr. David Banner in the CBS science-fiction drama series The Incredible Hulk.[

LOL I LIKE it, Mr.G! Say, maybe they could've also worked into it a magician and a parrot as two more of those survivors?! I assume you've heard the following old joke here before, haven't you?... There was once a magician on a cruise ship who performed mainly slight-of-hand tricks. He had a regular spot on the ship's evening entertainment. He was actually quite a good magician, but his routines were regularly ruined by the on-board parrot who would fly around squawking out and giving away his secrets like: "IT'S UP HIS SLEEVE, IT'S UP HIS SLEEVE!", or "IT'S IN HIS POCKET, IT'S IN HIS POCKET!", or "IT'S IN HIS MOUTH, IT'S IN HIS MOUTH!" The magician was getting pretty sick of this and threatened to kill the parrot if it ruined his act one more time. That evening right at the climax of his act, just as he was about to disappear in a puff of smoke, the ship hit an iceberg and sank in seconds. Amazingly, the magician and the parrot were the only two survivors. The magician was lying on a piece of driftwood in a daze. As he opened his eyes he could see the parrot staring at him out of its beady little eye. The parrot sat there for hours just staring at him and eventually said, "OK, I give up, what did you do with the ship?"

It's a shame that LIFEBOAT (1944) wasn't remade with Elvis in the cast. So Elvis just happened to survive the sinking boat -- AND -- he managed to save his gee-tar as well so's he could sing "SPLISH, SPLASH" with the other survivors. CARRIE NYE could've played the Tallulah Bankhead part. ARTE JOHNSON could've played the Nazi. 😀 It coulda been a BIGGGG hit!

I've never seen a Presley film. Overall, it doesn't sound like I've missed out on much.

Well HECK! If we're gonna go all academic/documentary here, then allow me to suggest THIS miniseries: The Story of English episode 1 - An English Speaking World - Part 1 / 7 - YouTube Now, a few of its aspects and details might be a bit dated as it was first broadcast back in 1986, but I still remember quite well being highly fascinated with and by this Emmy Award winning series while watching it on PBS back then. (...of course I WAS "a little" older than the age of 14 at that time, 34 to be exact, but still I think any kid interested in bettering his understanding and knowledge of the world and some of the people living on it, might find it "fascinating" too!)

I have zero musical talent. When I was in middle school, I was briefly in the junior high school orchestra, on trumpet . . . which I played very badly. First tune learned: I Love You Truly, which I horribly and contemptibly mangled. I was such a sloppy player that my trumpet had an "incontinence problem," requiring the water key (spit valve) to be constantly "relieved." Around that time, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was the arguable Numero Uno brass band. Alpert was my inspiration. But no amount of dedication and perspiration from me was ever going to cure my musical ineptitude. Ultimately deciding that the trumpet wasn't cool enough, I traded it in for an acoustic guitar . . . because then "every" young boy wanted to be a Rocker and be chased by impassioned, concupiscent girls -- y'know, like The Beatles were. But again and alas, Rock stardom was not to be. For one thing, I couldn't hack the steel strings on my axe ('twas I who was [not so] gently weeping, not my guitar). For another thing . . . as a musician, I was a hopeless flop. That said, I play a mean kazoo!

Jeez. I've not been inside a Costco in years. When I lived in FL (until 2008) I went to Costco's on occasion, but since I moved to GA I've not even seen one much less been in one. There might be a Sam's Club around . . . somewhere. The only problem we have locally is too damn many DOLLAR GENERAL stores. They are ubiquitous. Sheesh! We're not all po' white trash here in Meansville needing to buy the cheapest-of-the-cheap /and/ bottom-of-the-barrel products! → By golly when I buy my weekly bucket of Cheez-Whiz and Willie Joe Jim Jon's Pork Rinds along with a case of "Bob's Brand X" Anti-****-itch medicine well, shucks, I gots to have sumthin' fancy to go with all that . . . so I heads to da ^uptown^ marketplace to buy Bertha's Chocolates. Bertha is 576 pounds of sweaty, violent 'Love Machine' who's always ready, willing and able to play tonsil hockey with us dopey menfolk. 🤪 But she makes good Coconut Creams. 'nuff said. (I think I've had too much caffeine today . . . ). 😜

Yes, but he was born in Italy to Italian parents. They moved to France when he was 2 years old (1923), because of Italy's Fascist regime and the fact his dad was a communist.

He was gracious to her,he had a better opinion of her when the movie was finished.He said she was a Professional Amateur !

Great locations are waste in this too familiar found footage film about a bunch of dad bod bros encountering the supernatural....on Amazon prime if you must

I'm a big Anglophile myself- my British wife is my biggest trophy 😄

This is my favorite Elvis film. Solid cast, especially Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger and always-good-as-a-punk Vic Morrow, with director Michael Curtiz at the helm.

Sitting Pretty. 1933. Jack Oakie, Jack Haley, Ginger Rogers. Chick Parker and Pete Pendleton are songwriters that are en route from New York to Hollywood to make their fame and fortune; Dorothy, a lunch wagon proprietor, joins them. 1948. Robert Yourn, Maureen O'Hara, Clifton Webb. A family that hires a live-in babysitter is surprised when he turns out to be a man who's a quirky genius.

I'm waiting for the month they do star zip codes. Or have cafeteria workers across the country choose their favorite Cary Grant movies.

Sweet Jesus, just how desperate is TCM?? Star signs?? Come on now!!! And I say this as a long-standing amateur astrologer myself. I am embarrassed!!