Members

Noticed while checking my cable guide today that after so many years of seeing merely a 3-star rating for this western, which has been one of my favorites of this genre since I first caught on ABC's Sunday Night Movie back in the late-'60s, that said guide showed it having FOUR-stars. Just could never understand that whole "3-star" thing it got for so many years, or why for so many years it seemed it was seldom mentioned whenever the subject of "the greatest westerns ever made" came up in conversations. (...and besides it having one of THE greatest movie scores ever)

That's my favorite, it appeared in a few films like The Loved One (1965) and Westworld (1973)

I don't know if hardcore western buffs (the ones into Wayne, Eastwood, etc.) have as high an opinion of this film as expressed by many posters here. Again, I suspect the pacifist message and relative lack of action may be a problem for them. Having said that, it's no issue for me. This is more of a "thinking man's" western, a large part of its appeal for me, while maybe less so for some others.

For the longest time I put off watching CITIZEN KANE, wondering whether or not it lives up to its hype as a classic. I finally realized I needed to see what all the fuss was about and sat down and watched it one day, and I was AMAZED by it. I found it deserved its well-regarded reputation and only wished I had gotten around to have seen it much sooner. But better late than never.

The Big Country has always been one of my favorite westerns. Wonderful cast and the Jerome Moross score is a favorite. So much so that I sometimes humm parts of it. I love this film, have seen it many times over the years and I'm never bored or tired of seeing it. Besides all the great performances by everyone, the film shows us how good an actor Chuck Connors was and especially his range as an actor. An example of this would be his performance in The Big Country and as Lucas McCain in The Rifleman. He's the cowardly, miserable, unlikeable son in The Big Country and in the same year filming his role as the upstanding, understanding, very moral and likeable dad Lucas McCain in The Rifleman. That puts him on the same list as the top notch actors in this teriffic film. I agree dargo, The Big Country deserves that 4 Star rating. editred by me

I'm with you, Dargo. I like it a lot, too.

Bogie's celebrity homes thread made me think that it might be fun to take a look at some of the homes of vintage Hollywood celebrities. Here are some shots of the 20 acre Encino ranch owned by Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Following Carole's death Gable would remain there for the rest of his life, I believe, hearing from one source that he suffered his fatal heart attack in the driveway.

Liberace's Sherman Oaks home: ...and much more to the point, its piano pool, 1954: It's still there as far as I know.

My wife and I have been watching the series, first on Amazon, and now on TUBI, starting from the first episode. I used to watch as a kid in the 60s, but quit at about the 900th episode or so, when "time travel" became a routine part of the show. I never saw the first 200 or so episodes, so it was fun starting at the beginning and seeing the characters develop. A few observations, although I may have more to add later on: Joan Bennett is lousy in this. She's a good actress, but this is not her milieu. Every line is simply read, she can't get through a scene without clasping her hands, and she moves her head and neck forward every time she speaks. Jonathan Frid is not as bad as I remember, and since I read he was dyslexic, I can cut him some slack when he bumbles lines. Mitchell Ryan (who played the original Burke Devlin) was so-so; he had this annoying habit of swinging his arm every time he talked. Some of the better actors in the cast were Joel Crothers and Denise Nickerson, probably because they appeared the most natural and didn't seem to be acting. We are now at the Quentin storyline, although Lorna, you are a bit ahead of us. The silver craftsman (played by Abe Vigoda!!!) just croaked in fear.

What causes you to delay watching a classic film that everyone else has seen? Complete and utter disinterest.

as hard as the work MUST have been, you get the sense that the actors relished the chances the unusual format afforded them to play ALL SORTS of different types, in the 1897 STORY, JOHN KARLEN is playing KARL (not WILLIE) and he is OBVIOUSLY LOVING IT, and THAYER DAVID might just be the MVP of the cast, KATHRYN LEE SCOTT is remarkably at-ease for this to be more-or-less a LIVE BROADCAST (from what I've read it was taped at 3:30, then broadcast at 4:00) the only actor I do not like is ROGER DAVIS, he's doing standard DAYTIME DRAMA stuff, and it was interesting to read on a gossip website that apparently THE WHOLE CAST HATED HIM.

I am a huge DARK SHADOWS FAN, as is my mom who watched it through its original broadcasts. Have all the episodes on DVD. I always loved the going back in time stories. I especially loved the costumes during the 1897 period. And Quentin was one smart-**** character but he was so darn funny! But Barnabas was always my favorite character. Though I have learned to appreciate the pre-Barnabas episodes as well.

Errol Flynn's legendary/infamous Mulholland Drive home (oh, the parties). Later Ricky Nelson would move into it, and there would be ghost stories, including a couple of poltergeist events. Yes, that is an original Gaugain hanging on the wall. Flynn was an art lover.

Oliver Hardy's home in Beverly Hills

Bogart and Bacall Home - Benedict Canyon

Rudolph Valentino's Falcon Lair, constructed in 1925, the year before his death.

Buster Keaton's Italian villa in Beverly Hills. Purchased in 1926 the comedian said "I took a lot of pratfalls to build that dump."

Vhere Garbo vanted to be alone on the Swedsh island of Ingaro

Marilyn Monroe - her Brentwood home where she died. The only house she owned, purchased in 1961 for $80,000, it was later sold for 7.25 million.

Harold Lloyd's Estate From Wikipedia: The Harold Lloyd Estate, also known as Greenacres, is a large mansion and landscaped estate located in the Benedict Canyon section of Beverly Hills, California. Built in the late 1920s by silent film star Harold Lloyd, it remained Lloyd's home until his death in 1971. The estate originally consisted of a 44-room mansion, golf course, outbuildings, and 900-foot (270 m) canoe run on 15 acres (61,000 m2). Greenacres has been called "the most impressive movie star's estate ever created."[3] After Lloyd died, the acreage in the lower part of the estate along Benedict Canyon was subdivided into approximately 14 large home lots. The mansion, on top of its own hill, retained approximately 5 original acres of flat land. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Courtyard with 1925 Rolls Royce

Pickfair, the legendary home of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. An 18 acre estate located in Beverly Hills, people really knew they were "in" in Hollywood society if invited here. Among those entertained here during the '20s and early '30s were George Bernard Shaw, Charlie Chaplin (Fairbanks was his best friend), F. Scott Fitzgerald, H. G. Wells, Lillian Gish, Joan Crawford, Albert Einstein and Charles Lindbergh. Doug and Mary divorced in 1936 but Pickford would continue to live here (with husband Buddy Rogers) until her death in 1979. From Wikipedia: Empty for several years after Pickford's death in 1979, Pickfair was eventually sold to Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who continued to care for the home, updating and preserving much of its unique charm.[13] In 1988, it was purchased by actress Pia Zadora and her husband Meshulam Riklis.[5] They announced they were planning renovations to the famous estate, but revealed in 1990 that they had in fact demolished Pickfair and a new larger "Venetian style palazzo" was going to be constructed in its place. In 1990, the 42 room estates was razed.[14] Faced with harsh criticism from a nostalgic public, including Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Zadora defended her family's actions, stating that the house was allegedly in a poor state of repair and was infested by termites. In the L.A. Times, Fairbanks, Jr. was quoted as saying, "I regret it very much. I wonder, if they were going to demolish it, why they bought it in the first place." In 2012, Pia Zadora claimed on Season 4, Episode 4 of the BIO channel's Celebrity Ghost Stories that the real reason she demolished Pickfair was not due to termite infestation but because it was haunted by the laughing ghost of a woman who allegedly died there while having an affair with Douglas Fairbanks. Pia Zadora told her story in the Celebrity Ghost Stories on September 15, 2012; Season 4 Episode 12 starring Erin Moran, Pia Zadora and Michael Beach. In the interview she stated, "Years ago my husband and I tore down one of the most iconic Hollywood mansions because of termites … but that wasn't the real reason. When we moved into the house it was beautiful, everything was perfect, it was a dream … but weird things started to happen … so my husband and I, after trying to figure out what to do, decided we were going to have the house razed." Defending her actions, she explained, "If I had a choice, I never would have torn down this old home. I loved this home, it had a history, it had a very important sense about it and you can deal with termites, and you can deal with plumbing issues, but you can't deal with the supernatural." The only remaining artifacts from the original Pickfair are the gates to the estate, the kidney-shaped pool and pool house, remnants of the living room, as well as the two-bedroom guest wing that played host to visiting royalty and notable film celebrities for over half a century. The guest wing was once used as a honeymoon suite for Lord Louis and Lady Mountbatten

The first supernatural element on DARK SHADOWS was the appearance of the ghost of Josette Collins, which happened before the Laura Collins Phoenix storyline. The ghost of Josette was seen walking about when no other characters were around ----- letting the audience know that the ghost was real and not a figment of a character's imagination.

Yes, as I indicated in the thread title, this is about delaying. Not about not-ever-watching. I do expect to watch THE BIG COUNTRY at some point. But it is not a priority right now. Just because TCM airs something, doesn't mean I am ready to watch it at this very moment.

I like how you mentioned the word "stalling." I do think that's part of it sometimes.

Seeing well-worn clips of it. Such as Casablanca - every time I see a clip of Bogie saying that peculiar speechifying dialogue or Ingrid expressing such woeful romantic torment, it has the opposite effect of stimulating an interest to watch it - it tends to stimulate me to laugh at the silliness of these. I'm not saying that the movie is this - I'm saying that the clips I've seen repeatedly have inspired in me a notion for ridicule rather than interest.

Lorna, you need never apologize when it's a matter of obsession with Dark Shadows. I'd be disappointed if you weren't obsessed with it! Granted, the show is not to everyone's taste; the show had its highs and lows, with most of us considering the 1897 and 1840 stories to be high points. Joan Bennett is much better in the 1897 storyline than as present-day Elizabeth Stoddard Collins. I was stunned when I saw movies like Scarlet Street and discovered that she was a good actress with plenty of screen presence. David Selby was great as Quentin. For weeks we only heard him laugh. Because he was so popular, the writers developed the 1897 story to explain Quentin's past. Selby would probably have been a top movie star of the studio era in swashbuckling adventures, romantic dramas, and westerns. Not that I was obsessed with Dark Shadows or anything, but I remember leaving an anti-war protest to catch the bus to go home and watch Dark Shadows.

What about Ivan Drago from Rocky IV?

Alice Faye

Tiger Bay 1959 First Knight 1995

Actually, those "over extolled" virtues are usually what draws me towards a movie. You know, to see what all the fuss is about. And if it turns out that for me, the movie is "much ado about nothing" I usually realize it before(in many cases) it gets to the halfway point. Any delay might be either the title doesn't spark interest, or it stars actors and/or actresses I never cared for. Or too, maybe it's never broadcast at times convenient for me or it's on stations I don't get . Different reasons for different movies really. Sepiatone

CARLITO'S WAY is my personal favorite film of De Palma's as well. Al Pacino and Sean Penn worked really well together. Haven't seen BODY DOUBLE. CARRIE benefits from a sympathetic performance from Sissy Spacek as the title character and Piper Laurie is brilliant as well as her religious freak of a mother. Also helps that you root for the bad kids who were mercilessly tormenting Carrie to get theirs as well. CASUALTIES OF WAR is a well-made film but not a movie I want to watch very often. THE UNTOUCHABLES is watchable but only for Sean Connery. Not a Kevin Costner fan at all, never have been. Also liked DRESSED TO KILL, even if it did borrow a couple of elements from Hitchcock's PSYCHO.

He actually wasn't a bad looking guy in his younger years (though even then I don't think I'd crown him Most Sexiest Man Alive). However, his looks began to fade as he got older. He actually starred in quite a few good films before PSYCHO typecasted him (ON THE BEACH, FRIENDLY PERSUASION, FEAR STRIKES OUT to name a few). It's unfortunate though that post-PSYCHO his career never fulfilled the promise he showed in the other films. Don't get me wrong, PSYCHO is a classic and his Norman Bates is a cinematic icon, but it did seriously alter how audiences and casting directors looked at him from that point on.

ALSO, LOOK AT THIS SET RE-DRESSING:

Operation Petticoat (1958) Operation Mad Ball (1957)

The Old Dark House (1932) The Wolf Man (1941) Blue Scar (1949) Under Milk Wood (1972)

...I am also struck by how UTTERLY ELECTRIC DAVID SELBY is, his addition to the cast adds a JOLT to a lot of the performers- he and a much more assured JOAN BENNETT work really well together. Every now and then, you see someone on DAYTIME TELEVISION who really transcends the challenges of the format and brings A-Level game to the show (ANNE HECHE on ANOTHER WORLD) also comes to mind. am i blinded by his SCRUMPTIOUSNESS? Yes, but look:

I greatly appreciate your comments and totally agree with your comments in regards to "kids". Yes - the subtitles, subject matter and length of Seven Samurai are too much for children and the Marx Brothers is an excellent choice for them. However, the topic of this post is "teens" rather than "kids". I have been a teacher to different ages and have learned to not underestimate teens. They're intellectual abilities and curiosity is often underestimated. Sometimes a teen likes to be challenged by a book or a movie. That said, the Marx Brothers are fantastic and funny whatever your age!

THE BIG COUNTRY is a great film, and I love the fact that even though it takes place in western times, its message is one of pacifism. And of course you have Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Chuck Connors in here.....what a cast! Just got the DVD a few days ago, I have to watch it real soon.

I love The Big Country, not only for its intelligent performances and epic size but that great Jerome Moross musical score. However, it's a western with a pacifist message, not cool for many western fans who like to see action and shoot 'em ups, often along with macho heroics.

Olivia de Havilland's Paris home

Cecil B. De Mille's mansion, built on LA street named after him, and later purchased by Anjelina Jolie.

The Mind Of Mr Soames (1970) An unusual sci-fi film about a 30 year old man (Terence Stamp) who is awakened from a coma since birth, he needs to be taught a lifetime of skills in a short time. One doctor (Nigel Davenport) uses a cold, clinical approach while another (Robert Vaughn) uses more kindness and warmth.

Uh oh, here we go again. Sorry Mr G. your explanation was more your "personal" take. The actual definition of "classic" can easily refer to film: "An art form that transcends time & culture". Meaning it is enjoyed yesterday/today/tomorrow and by all people no matter their culture or where they live. A "cult" classic is one where one large portion of people like it, while those from other groups may not. Star Wars was a cult classic at first because US teens made it popular and will become a classic if it endures the test of time & reaches people of all languages/nations/cultures. (easier to do these days in a "global" economy/culture) While I love The Seven Samurai, it's not a great choice as an "introductory" film for having three hurdles: adult theme, b&w and subtitles. When you introduce a subject to anyone, you start with the easiest first. Kids are going to be most interested in stories that involve other kids, or at least adults that act like kids. Marx Brothers can be great because each brother takes a different comedy type, I've noticed adults laugh at Chico & Groucho's wordplay while kids laugh at Harpo's antics. But I don't know one person who doesn't laugh at this 4 minute buildup:

John Barrymore Home - Bella Visa

Monday, August 16/17 Robert Young SUTS 2 a.m. They Won’t Believe Me (1947). Noir with Susan Hayward.

1935

I saw "The Big Country" for the first time this evening and loved it and I agree that it deserves a high rating (although I could be a little bias because I always love films starring Gregory Peck). The feeling of vast "big" country is really captured in the wide open spaces in the film and the rock formations and canyons in many of the shots are amazing. It has very memorable theme music that makes you feel like jumping on a horse and riding away. It's a fun movie to watch.

Preston, Robert