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Walter was eating Ginger Rogers? I missed that!

he did it! that wild crazy sonafagun did it. the oldest man to reach space! a credit to his country (canada) his planet and now the whole universe!

the inspiration this great actor gave to millions around the world in his heyday should never be minimized. to us as kids he was space.

The Professionals (1966) One of the best westerns of the '60s, a wonderful combination of ruggedly staged action scenes, an intelligent screenplay, outstanding cinematography, partially shot in Mexico, Death Valley and Nevada, and a great cast of, yes, professional players. Ralph Bellamy plays a millionaire who hires four specialists, the calm, collected former military man leader of the group (Lee Marvin), an explosives expert (Burt Lancaster), a seasoned horse expert (Robert Ryan) and an expert tracker who is also a great long bowman (Woody Strode) to rescue his wife who had been kidnapped by a Mexican bandit/revolutionary and held for ransom. The revolutionary's name is Jesus Raza. "Jesus," says the millionaire, "What a name for the bloodiest cutthroat in Mexico." It's a particular joy to view the vigorous portrayals by Marvin and Lancaster playing roles they could have switched with one another. Marvin plays the slightly more compassionate, reasonable of the two while Lancaster is a mercenary taking on the job for the money. Burt is great fun to watch here in a very physical performance, running, shooting, jumping around rocks. His mercenary character, decidedly more ruthless than Marvin, has been called an extension of the soldier-of-fortune he had played in his other "Mexican Western" a dozen years before, Vera Cruz. Enjoyable as that film was, this one is much better, The two actors also have great macho chemistry in this film which is interesting to note especially since there were reports of friction between them during the filming (Lancaster was incensed when Marvin turned up drunk at one point, with reports that his anger was so great there were concerns he might do physical harm to him). Neither Ryan nor Strode have roles as well written as those of the film's top two stars. Claudia Cardinale plays the kidnapped wife, while Jack Palance is the revolutionary in a small performance in which he makes the most of his limited screen time. One of the best scenes in the film occurs when Lancaster remains hidden in the mountains to hold off the revolutionaries pursuing them on horseback. Once a friend of Palance and follower of the revolutionary cause, he and Palance, while holding each other off with guns and knowing that one of them is probably going to die also have a back and forth conversation about the revolution that is distinguished by sharp, insightful dialogue. Palance, in his only dialogue exchange in the film, really shines here and more than holds his own with Lancaster. Richard Brooks was nominated for Oscars for both his direction (one of the relatively few nominations for best directing for a film not nominated as Best Picture) and screenplay set in 1917 Mexico that keeps the viewer guessing what will happen next. Conrad Hall was also nominated for his spectacular colour photography of rock bound and desert terrains. This is an exceedingly good looking production. And, to top it all off, Lee Marvin has a great closing line of dialogue. In every sense of the word The Professionals is a winner that can be enjoyed with repeat viewings. 3.5 out of 4

.. 5 Fingers, 1952 1 hr. 42 min. Directed by Joe Mankiewicz Screenplay by Michael Wilson Music by Bernard Hermann Starring James Mason, Michael Rennie, Danielle Darrieux This is a first-rate spy thriller that I never heard of. A critical and commercial success, it was nominated for two Oscars, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Based on a true story and filmed on location where it took place. Sheridan Morley, in his James Mason biography says "Here James was able to give one of his most polished and expertly suave performances, much helped by a Joe Mankiewicz production which ought to have been the envy of Hitchcock himself." James plays a valet to the British ambassador to Turkey during WWII, which gives him access to state secrets. Clever and motivated purely by money he becomes a spy for the Nazis code-named "Cicero", turning over his documents to a skeptical Franz von Papen, former German Chancellor who is now the German ambassador in Ankara. There's also a beautiful but cash poor Countess involved, who James hopes to woo with his new found wealth. But whose side is she really on? When the British send a counter-intelligence man to identify the spy, things really heat up, and it's all the more gripping because it's true. 8/10 Full movie. Crisp clear print and good sound quality

Little Big Man--Dustin Hoffman's character is 121 years old Boris Karloff seems a little stiff in The Mummy. but considering he's over 3000 years old, he looks pretty good

Lost Horizon The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

Malone, Dorothy

"WILLIE! I need you to kidnap MAGGIE EVANS..." "WILLIE!! I need you to DRIVE A STAKE through someone!' "WILLIE! I need you to rob a grave!!!!" "WILLIE!! I'M ALL OUT OF INVERNESS COATS: DID YOU FORGET THE DRY CLEANING???? Still not as bad as working for DIANA ROSS back in the day though...

I never considered myself to be a heavy smoker. It took me about a day and a half to go through a pack, but I did it for 44 years. I had a heart attack in February, 2018. It wasn't a serious one, but it was a 'slow burn' wakeup call. I was never pressured by my doctor or friends to quit smoking, because I knew it wasn't good for me. As Lucky Dan said, "You have to want to quit.". I smoked for 15 months after my heart attack, and I ran out one night around 8:00. I could have gone to the convenience store to get more, but decided to wait till the next morning. Next morning came, and I didn't feel like going to re-stock my supply. From then on, I sort of turned it into a game to see how long I could go before I broke down to give in to the need to have a cigarette. It's been two and a half years since I quit, and the urge to occasionally want one has pretty much disappeared for me. 6 months after I quit, I realized that the money I saved on tobacco products was going to the grocery store, and I was literally getting 'too big for my britches'! So, I began eating a healthier diet and started lifting weights. I've only dropped 34 pounds in two years (went from 255 to 221), but much of the fat has been replaced with muscle, so that's not really a bad thing, even though I'm still considered obese for my height and age. Even so, some days I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life, all things considered.

The Legend of Hell House

And now speaking of "commercials" AND characters in movies who make poor choices (or choices you and I or anyone with any sense at all would never make) and thus is something which will elicit these "yelling at the screen" type of responses in many cases, this has reminded me of the following clever (well okay, at least more clever than 95% of most commercials are anyway) Geico insurance commercial which is currently being run on TV quite a bit, and which plays off this very thought...

The Cat and the Canary (1939) You'll Find Out (1940) Two on a Guillotine (1965) One Body Too Many (1944)

Odd Man Out, 1947 1 hr. 56 min. Directed by Carol Reed Screenplay by R.C. Sherriff Starring James Mason, Kathleen Ryan, Robert Newton BAFTA Best British Film of 1947. Favorite of James Mason and widely regarded as his best performance. Not sure if it's the most exciting film ever made (per the poster), but it's pretty darn exciting. James plays Johnny McQueen, an IRA chief recently released from prison in Northern Ireland. The film never uses the term IRA, just "Organization" and makes clear in the opening it's considered an illegal organization, something I assume Reed had to agree to. Nevertheless, it's a sympathetic portrayal of Johnny despite his involvement early on in a robbery gone wrong and shooting death of a man in his attempt to get away. He does, but at a heavy price. From the first act the action and suspense don't let up until the end. Robert Newton doesn't show up until late in the film, in a memorable part as a portrait artist. I'd love to see this on the big screen, and will buy the DVD. You can see from the photos on IMDB how gorgeous it would be. In the meantime, the print on You Tube is free and isn't too bad. I still loved every minute. 9.5/10

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20211011-denis-villeneuve-the-sci-fi-director-of-the-21st-century Denis Villeneuve: The sci-fi director of the 21st Century (Image credit: Legendary Pictures) By Stephen Kelly12th October 2021 Denis Villeneuve has made the genre his own, marrying blockbuster scale and arthouse sensibility, writes Stephen Kelly. T There is a scale to Denis Villeneuve's Dune that borders on the biblical. Monolithic spaceships hang like moons in the heavens. Worms the size of skyscrapers swim like sharks through the desert. Extreme wide shots frame the barren planet of Arrakis as a vast unknowable ocean of sand, its dunes fluttering in the wind like waves. And yet it is not only size that makes Dune one of the most striking science-fiction films of recent years. It is how it marries that grandeur with slow, atmospheric and considered filmmaking – where shots live long, and scenes breathe freely. More like this: - The erotic thriller that still shocks - 'The spy story to end all spy stories' - Is it time to revive the epic romance? Such a balance between blockbuster scale and arthouse sensibility has come to typify the work of Denis Villeneuve, the French-Canadian director who, in the space of a decade, has risen to become one of the 21st Century's biggest, most challenging science-fiction filmmakers. Just take 2016's Arrival, a melancholy love story set around an alien language that allows the user to see through time; or Blade Runner 2049, the 2017 sequel whose moody exploration of what it means to be human thrilled critics but performed disappointedly at the box office. And now there's Dune, the long-awaited adaptation of Frank Herbert's sprawling 1960s magnum opus. "It was a big leap up to Arrival. It was a very big leap up to Blade Runner 2049. It's been a leap even from there to Dune," says film journalist Helen O'Hara, who visited the set of Dune for Empire magazine. "And I think that's because he's had pretty unfailingly good reviews throughout his career. Even when they haven't been massive box-office successes, he's been heralded for his undoubted talent and his very good eye… He would probably be described as an auteur. He has a clear vision of what he wants to do. He's very attracted to big ideas in his movies, and that's true of his smaller-scale dramas as well as his science fiction. Arrival is a 'big ideas' movie. Blade Runner 2049 was a 'big ideas' take on Blade Runner, which is itself a big ideas movie, and Dune is dealing with huge civilisation-wide questions." Villeneuve himself once described his career as a series of karate belts, with each film representing a step up in size and difficulty. With Dune, it's hard not to think that he is only one or two punches away from becoming a master. Denis Villeneuve with actor Timothée Chalamet on the set of Dune (Credit: Legendary Pictures) When Denis Villeneuve first started to take meetings in Hollywood, he would tell any executive who would listen that he wanted to make a science-fiction movie. He had been a fan of the genre since he was a child, when he fell in love with films such as Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey. But, as a young independent filmmaker, he didn't have the means to fund the necessary special effects. As he once said himself, in response to a question on why he had suddenly turned away from grounded mid-budget dramas in favour of science fiction: "I didn't turn to science fiction, I went away from it." Career shift Villeneuve's early films give a poor impression of the director he was to become. His 1998 debut, August 32nd on Earth, is a haphazard romcom full of frantic camera movement and jump cuts; while his follow-up, 2000's Maelstrom, is a surreal psychological drama narrated by a talking fish. He has since dismissed these efforts as arrogant and self-indulgent. Hence why he wouldn't make another film for nine years, focusing instead on helping to raise his children and better his craft. He decided during that period that if he ever returned to directing it would be to make a film for others rather than himself. This led to 2009's Polytechnique, a stark black-and-white drama inspired by a misogynistic shooting at a Montreal university; before moving on to 2010's Incendies, a harrowing story about two Canadian siblings who travel to the Middle East to find their long-lost father and brother. Sober, measured, elegant – they were to be his calling card for Hollywood. "I really wanted to work with him when I saw Incendies," says cinematographer Roger Deakins, one of Villeneuve's most frequent and renowned collaborators. "I said to my agent, 'if he ever makes a film in America, put my name in the hat'. And I was very lucky that Denis responded when he was about to do Prisoners." The thematically bleak Prisoners, a 2013 drama starring Hugh Jackman as the violent father of a kidnapped child, represented something of a refinement of Villeneuve's directorial voice. His camera became even more restrained, content to linger upon the window of a shot for as long as possible before the cut. And even when the camera did move, it moved slowly, creeping like a killer. It's an austere style that worked well with Deakins' cinematography, famed for shrouding characters in blankets of shadow. They would work together again on 2015 cartel thriller Sicario, and in 2017 on Blade Runner 2049. Denis Villeneuve and Director of Photography Roger Deakins on the set of thriller Prisoners; they have worked together on three films (Credit: Warner Bros Pictures) "I find Denis very thoughtful," says Deakins. "He's not somebody who just directs from a script. He's always searching for something more than what's on a page. His style of filmmaking is pretty exceptional these days. It probably owes more to Eastern-European or Japanese filmmaking than it does to American filmmaking." Deakins adds that he admires the fact that Villeneuve does not shoot a lot of coverage, referring to the process of surrounding a scene with multiple cameras. "He says 'this is the shot', and basically that is what you shoot," he explains. "I like spending time in prep. I like breaking a script down to its essence and a scene down into specific shots. I don't like going on to a set and just shooting every possible option. I like considered filmmaking. And Denis is that." The actor David Dastmalchian, who has appeared in Prisoners, Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, once told The Hollywood Reporter that Denis Villeneuve "is a genius… he's our generation's Stanley Kubrick". A tad hyperbolic, perhaps, but you can see where he's coming from. Villeneuve himself cites 2001: A Space Odyssey as a major influence on his work. But Roger Deakins sees more in common with Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, who used science fiction as a means to tell intimate, psychologically complex stories. "One of the best science-fiction films ever made is [1972's] Solaris," he says, "It's a much more thoughtful film than 2001, because it's about character. It's not about amazing special effects." The truth is probably somewhere between the two. "He approaches everything, first and foremost, from a place of character and theme," explains Legendary Pictures' Mary Parent, a producer on Dune. "And in science fiction, there are certainly filmmakers who approach it with an emphasis on fantastical worlds, which are incredible, but that can sometimes overwhelm everything else. But also, the authenticity of his worldbuilding is jaw-dropping. It's part of what makes his character stories so rich. It all feels incredibly real." In Arrival, decoding an alien language gives a character a different view of time (Credit: 21 Laps Entertainment) There is perhaps no better example of this approach than 2016's Arrival, the film that finally fulfilled Villeneuve's long-standing ambition to make science fiction. Written by screenwriter Eric Heisserer, who adapted it from a short story called Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, it tells the tale of Louise, a linguist played by Amy Adams, who is recruited to make first contact with a race of aliens who have caused chaos by landing in 12 different locations on Earth. Like a lot of Villeneuve's science fiction, it grounds its more outlandish elements in sober realism (a sequence where people crowd around televisions to watch the news brings to mind 9/11), but is unashamedly lyrical and sentimental too. Circles are a recurring theme in Villeneuve's work. You can see it in Incendies, with a family that is caught in an inter-generation cycle of misery and trauma. You can see it in the cruel worlds of Sicario and Prisoners, where violence only breeds more violence. But in Arrival, you can see the circles writhing in the air – a product of the aliens' unique written language, which takes the form of complete thoughts expressed instantly, with no beginning or end. Learning the language herself allows Louise to experience time as the aliens do: as a circle, with no distinction between present or future, beginning or end. This leads to her being haunted by visions of the dying child she is yet to have, of a cycle of time she is helpless to break. But even if you know it's coming, isn't the pain and grief worth the joy? Is it better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? "I think people are quick to see coldness in science fiction," says O'Hara, "and I don't think that's always fair. Arrival is very uncold, I think there's a lot of emotion bubbling under the surface. The fact that Amy Adams wasn't nominated for an Oscar is insane to me." O'Hara goes on to draw comparisons with another contemporary director famed for his big budget science fiction. "I think he has a little bit more heart than Christopher Nolan. The fans might disagree with me on that, but I feel like Villeneuve has a bit more emotion in his films. I think he has much better female roles as well." And yet, unlike the more populist offerings of Nolan, perhaps Villeneuve's brand of slow and cerebral science fiction has its limits. After making waves with the critical and commercial success of Arrival, Villeneuve embarked on the greatest challenge of his career: making a sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 science-fiction classic Blade Runner. Villeneuve was daunted by the task. In a recent interview he talks about "flirting with disaster", and about fears that he may never work again. This was, he says, a potential act of sacrilege. While Blade Runner 2049 was underwhelming at the box office, it was a critical success (Credit: Warner Bros Pictures) Set 30 years after the original film, Blade Runner 2049 follows the story of Ryan Gosling's K, a dead-eyed replicant who helps the Los Angeles Police Department to hunt down and "retire" (kill) other replicants. It is a job that becomes complicated when he discovers evidence of a replicant who has given birth. "I've never retired something that was born before," K tells his boss at one point. She asks him what the difference is. "To be born is to have a soul, I guess." It is, without a doubt, Villeneuve's most visually arresting film, with the director and Deakins using a range of rich colour schemes, textured lighting design and opulent science-fiction imagery to create a future you could not only taste and smell, but dread. "Denis wanted to set everything in a reality that was stretched," says Deakins, referring to the film's climate-change overtones. "So when we saw things like the red-dust storm that hit Sydney [in 2009], that became a template for Las Vegas. That's great science fiction: projecting into the future where science will go." But Blade Runner 2049 is also one of Villeneuve's most difficult films. Clocking in at two hours and 43 minutes, it's a long and pensive noir, thick with themes of authenticity and alienation. What does it mean to be alive? It's a question asked by Blade Runner before, but this time comes with a subversive twist, as K finds out that he is not, as previously thought, the chosen one. But does being a nobody mean that his life is suddenly devoid of purpose? Or is meaning something that you make yourself? Such weighty questions make Blade Runner 2049 one of Villeneuve's best, most interesting films, but also one that returned $259 million on an estimated $300 million marketing-and-production budget. "It is thoughtful," says Deakins. "And I don't know if people want thoughtful films. I think that's the way the world is. I don't think it is just films. People aren't interested in looking deeper into things, they want instant gratification and instant solutions." Box office isn't everything in Hollywood. Sometimes, failing a total disaster, the awards and prestige of working with a visionary director is enough. But Blade Runner 2049's box-office performance does raise intriguing questions for Dune. The original book is notorious for its long and expansive story, layered with dense mythology, political machinations and a main character (Paul, played by Timothée Chalamet) who is plagued by visions of various possible futures. The first book is so long and expansive, in fact, that Villeneuve is hoping to tell it over the course of two parts (lest he repeats the errors of David Lynch's jarringly cramped 1984 version). But simply put, is there a market big enough for science fiction this slow, cerebral and sombre, made on this sort of scale? "I really loved Blade Runner 2049," says Parent. "I thought that it was an incredible film, but [Dune and Blade Runner 2049] are different offerings. They may be in the same genre, but the story of Dune is much more accessible and relatable. Blade Runner 2049, just by nature, storyline and being a noir, was a smaller film. Dune is more of an adventure story." How does she feel about their chances of making part two? "We've opened the film on a limited basis internationally, we've yet to open in some of the bigger territories, but so far so good," she says. "'Cautiously optimistic' is probably the best way to put it. I don't want to jinx anything… To Denis's credit, he's really balanced something that has all those [cerebral] elements but at the same time is very thrilling". Villeneuve is planning to make a second part of Dune, hoping to avoid the pitfalls that earlier directors like David Lynch fell into (Credit: Legendary Pictures) "I think that we underestimate audiences at our peril," says Helen O'Hara. "I think that something like Dune has sold in book form for decades, and there's a reason for that. They're probably right to throw the dice and see how well a faithful film version does… Why did we get the idea that there has to be loads of gags in a sci-fi movie, you know? It can't all just be Guardians of the Galaxy, there has to be room for other stories as well. I do genuinely think there's an audience for this. It might not be Avengers Endgame-sized audiences, but it is a big enough audience, potentially, long-term, to keep this movie going." And even if Dune doesn't succeed, adds O'Hara, the fact that filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve exist, and that they're still being given the chances to make big risky movies within the major studio system, is at least something to be grateful for. "It gives me hope," she says. "The fact that a studio invested this much money in him, and his next film after Blade Runner was not a huge hit – I think that is a really good thing. That's what we want to see. We want to see good directors get multiple chances, especially if they make a good film that just doesn't do well at the box office. We want to see them get a follow-up film. I think it says good things that he's getting to make this, and I really, really hope it does well enough that he gets to make part two." After all, it is not like Denis Villeneuve to leave a circle incomplete. Love film and TV? Join BBC Culture Film and TV Club on Facebook, a community for cinephiles all over the world. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called The Essential List. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday. Share using Email Share on Twitter Share on FacebookShare on Linkedin SHARE RECOMMENDED ARTICLES FILM'The definition of Oscar bait'

Mayim Bialik (especially without makeup) and Margaret Hamilton:

Claude Rains

Noth, Chris

My understanding is that both Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are trying to make this into a regular commercial service. Sure, it's not a weekend at the Space Station 5 Hilton, but it's a start.

Lured (1947) is a good film and being from United Artist I'm glad TCM is showing it even if it is a month after Lucy's SOTM month. The film was made in Hollywood but it gives off the vibe as being made in Britain. Casting Boris Karloff is kind of misleading; he is more humorous than scary. I like the chemistry between Sanders and Lucy.

Raquel Welch plays the 102 year old title character in THE LEGEND OF WALKS FAR WOMAN (1980) whose incredible true story is recounted in flashbacks.

Hope he doesn't see a gremlin through his window!

Sure. I talk and sometimesscream at the TV screen, like during FAMILY FEUD or some political stuff. But never in a movie theater. But I've heard plenty of others in theaters do so, but the most memorable one was whhen we went to see BACK TO THE FUTURE when it came out('85) At the part whereMarty tells he 1955 Doc Brown that he was from 1985, the Doc, at first, doesn't believe him. Then asks, "OK, future boy, who's president in 1985?" And Marty answers with slight reluctance, "Ronald Reagan". To which Doc Brown, with loud disbelief shouts, "What! The ACTOR?" then asks, "Then who's VICE PRESIDENT, JERRY LEWIS??" Without missing a beat, some guy from across the theater from us yells, "Close ENOUGH!" (referring of course, to Geoge H.W. Bush.) Sepiatone

Boldly went where NO OTHER MEN(or very few) can afford to go! Sepiatone

James Garner worked with all three (with Julie Andrews 2 times) If it is correct, next: Shirley Jones, Marion Ross and Henry Fonda

two thousand two hundred twenty-third category Character is a hundred or more years old Sir Roderick Femm is said to be 102 in THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932). Juliana Borderau is 105 in THE LOST MOMENT (1947).

From October 13-15, 1921, the Poli ran The Sign on the Door, starring Norma Talmadge as Ann Hunniwell, Charles Richman as Lafe Regan, and Lew Cody as Frank Devereaux. The film was released in May of 1921 at seven reels. The Library of Congress has a complete copy. Plot: Ann Hunniwell works as a secretary to a rich man named Devereaux. Devereaux’s son Frank is a no-account and sets his sights on Ann. Frank invites Ann to supper at a disreputable resort. When the place is raided, the pair are arrested, and a photo is taken, but they escape by jumping bail. Two years later, Ann marries Lafe Regan. She then discovers that her stepdaughter Helen is infatuated with Frank. Frank attempts to silence Ann by threatening to show her husband the photo of the two of them at the resort. When he arranges a supper at his apartment with Helen, Ann gets there first and confronts him. Lafe arrives to settle a dispute with Frank, and Ann hides in an adjoining room. Frank and Lafe quarrel, and Lafe kills Frank in self-defense. Ann waits for her husband to leave, then phones for help. She then claims she shot Frank to save her honor, knowing a jury would never convict her of murder. In the end, both she and Lafe are cleared of wrongdoing. The stills below could not be placed in context. The first shows Talmadge with Helen Weir (as Helen Regan): The second still shows Talmadge with Charles Richman (far right, as Lafe Regan). I could not identify the other actors. The film was based upon a successful stage play of the same name, written by Channing ****. Another version of the story was filmed in 1929, and starred Barbara Stanwyck. Wid’s Daily wrote that the film “contains fine dramatic qualities and is well acted,” but added that the “situation in the main is not new.” Motion Picture News wrote “the picture is deserving of praise and will without doubt, especially since it has Norma Talmadge as a star, and a carefully selected and most competent supporting cast, find favor with high class audiences.” Exhibitor’s Herald remarked that the film was “a sure-fire interest holding entertainment.” Some reviews mentioned a twist ending involving the District Attorney’s identity, but I could not find any information on that.

@LUCKYDAN: I had that experience, too, about not being properly able to empty my lungs of 'old air' to take in 'new air'. I quit 'cold turkey' in May 2014. I put out a half-smoked Lucky Strike outside and have not had even a puff of one since. (No cigars or 'weed', either!) I don't breathe like a smoker anymore with short, choppy breaths and being unable to speak all the words I want to. → I always go back to that Redd Foxx "Lost Interview" in the New Orleans nightclub in early 1988 that's on YouTube if ever I'm tempted to get some unfiltered cigs. I felt bad for Redd; he could barely breathe. He was 65 at the time. Like trying to breathe through a screen door that's not supposed to have •holes• in it.

My wife and I try to do a b u t t-count in the movie "Hatari," but we have to give up about 15 minutes into the thing. The number of times that everyone on screen starts lighting up begins to approach infinity. So we just sit back and watch the rhino's go after Bruce Cabot.

I knew all my life cigs were not healthy, but until I found it difficult to empty my lungs of old air to take in new air - and this was after a heart attack - the health affects became real. I thought, well, I'll just cut down. Exercise more. One night I put out a cigarette in the ash tray and thought, Crap. I'm out of smokes. I'm going to have to go to the store and buy another 3-pack. Then I said, No. Screw this. I'm not doing it anymore. Knowing it's bad isn't enough. And nagging from others doesn't work. You have to want to quit, whatever your addiction.

@LUCKYDAN: That was my biggest reason for quitting the cigs at age 41 (in 2014) → Fear of horrible emphysema.

Lockwood, Gary

Simmons, Veta Louise--Josephine Hull in Harvey

I just found out that John Karlan who was Willie Loomis passed away last year. Didn't know that. He was good in DS but it made me angry that he didn't do Barnabas in when he was in his coffin. I love Barnabas but he didn't treat Willie nice. In House of DS, he threw poor Willie down stairs and beat him.😥

Alec Guinness Next: Hayley Mills, Barry Fitzgerald, Charles Laughton

Jones, Dean

A friend of mine and I went to see The Klansman at The World theatre in Hollywood, California. Located on the seedier, east end of Hollywood Boulevard near the X Theaters porno house, it attracted, by this stage in its existence, a rough, "colorful" clientele. Among the cast of The Klansman is O.J. Simpson who, during the course of the incendiary melodrama (released during the "Blaxploitation" era), takes on the Ku Klux Klan. Every time "The Juice" picked up a shotgun to open up a can of Whoop-@$$, the predominantly Black audience would whoop 'n holler and stamp their feet so enthusiastically that the entire theatre shook -- felt like an earthquake. Shouts of "Get 'em, O.J.! SHOOT that mutha****** KILL THOSE HONKIES!!!" reverberated throughout the auditorium, drowning out the soundtrack. My friend and I -- who weren't black -- slunk down in our seats, trying to keep a very low profile. On a not entirely dissimilar note, several years earlier, I went to see a 3D revival of House of Wax at the historic Grauman's Chinese movie theatre. Among the audience was a raucous, boisterous, and very chatty group of African-American lads who took to calling Professor Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price) "Pops." Whenever Jarrod's hideous "alter ego" appeared, the "Peanut Gallery" would let everyone in the audience know, "Here come Pops!"

AND for a while back in the 1970s, broken glass was bagged up and sold to little kids to play with... (...think YOU'RE the only one who knows the history of glass around here do ya, Cap ol' boy?!)

This reminds me of a double date I was on. For the life of me, I can't remember the film. A dark, rainy scene. Sounds of the rain beating against the window as the wind howled. The slow steady creak of a screen door. After hearing a thud, the woman slowly investigates each room. As she enters the library, my friend jumps up and screams "He's behind the door". Dead silence...then the chuckles start.

Yes, yes and yes. You stated my thoughts exactly, LYDECKER.

Egan, Richard

Okay, here's one. Every time I've watched that bigoted little southern creep spit in Gregory Peck's face in that Mockingbird flick, I ALWAYS yell out, "PUNCH that freakin' little twerp RIGHT in his freakin' MOUTH, Atticus!" (...yeah yeah, I know the whole idea is because he doesn't, that supposedly makes him "the bigger man"...but I STILL say, PUNCH the freakin' little twerp, DUDE!!!) LOL

My older sister has been known to comment out loud during films while watching them in a theater. Once, we saw SUNSET BLVD. Near the beginning, when Joe Gillis approaches Norma Desmond's mansion and stops momentarily to look in the lighted window, my sister growled "Don't go in there, Man." Another time, we saw REBECCA. In one of the scenes in which Mrs. Danvers is cruelly comparing Mrs. de Winter to the deceased Rebecca de Winter, my sister rather loudly says "B****." 😄 Both instances drew giggles from the other audience members.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) Topper Returns (1941) The Gorilla (1939)

THE HAUNTING Disney’s HAUNTED MANSION MUPPET HAUNTED MANSION

Rebecca (1940) Dragonwyck (1946) Black Sunday (1960) The Innocents (1961) The Others (2001)

I've reread DANSE MACABRE, a non-fiction book by Stephen King as he discusses what horror/sci-fi books and movies that influenced him as he was growing up. Of course this book came out in 1981. There's been recently a new chapter added to it how he feels about the latest in the horror genre (it's at the beginning of the book). Could have done without his making more potshots at Kubrick's version of THE SHINING though. We get it, Stephen. You hated the movie. Enough already! For the most part I enjoyed reading it, even if there are some areas I disagree with. He has little love for Rod Serling's THE TWILIGHT ZONE (one of my favorite shows by the way) which disappointed me, but then from the way he writes I think he went into the show as a young one expecting it to be all mystery and horror. From what I read of Serling that's not what he intended for the show, he had something to say about the human conditions, such as war and prejudice and a lot of instances they were played out in a most unusual manner but it worked very well for me. Also the show had quite a few sentimental episodes on it as well, which King dismisses as sentimental drivel. Again, I believe he expected TZ to be all horror, suspense and science fiction all rolled into one, so maybe it's not surprising he was disenchanted with the show. I enjoyed his thesis on some of the earlier novels of the late 1800's, such as DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. He makes interesting comparisons to Boris Karloff's Monster in James Whale's films and KING KONG, though I disagree with his opinion that Kong was made to be more sympathetic than the monster or his demise was more tragic than the monster's. Kong didn't deserve to be dragged away from his natural habitant to be exploited as a sideshow attraction, but the monster never asked to be created or to be mistreated and hunted down by others. He gives credit to AIP (American International Pictures) for reviving the horror genre in the 50's and 60's that had been dying away in the 40's. It was actually Hammer Studios that gave horror movies a much needed shot in the arm with it's reboots of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and the Werewolf. Though to be fair I will say that AIP certainly helped to turn in more enjoyable fantasy little flicks. I always liked Roger Corman's Poe adaptations with Vincent Price. He also goes into detail on other such books/films such as ROSEMARY'S BABY, THE STEPFORD WIVES, and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. At the end of the book he does give his list of his favorites from the horror/sci-fi genre. All in all it's still a fascinating read.

I've read up on STEPHEN BOYD in the past. I've since forgotten most of what I read . . . but I do recall when you look at his output of films in the 1970s they are truly a mad mix of genres and low-budget items. In fact, most of his movies from the mid-70s until his death June 2, 1977 are so obscure they're not easily found to watch. THE SQUEEZE (1976-UK) is available, which is a sleazy and gruff crime drama, but Impossible Love, Women In Hospital, Lady Dracula, Potato Fritz (aka: "Montana Trap") + a couple of Italian Euro-crime police movies are not easy to find and watch. → And even if you did find them, they're not in English and so Boyd is dubbed. If you Google pictures of Stephen Boyd by 1975 he was very thin. I don't know if he quit smoking before his premature death at 45, but if you watch "The Squeeze" you can see he was awfully thin. His performance in that film was as a 'bad guy'', btw. This was not nice or honourable Stephen! → He's a British gangster and he sneers at Stacy Keach "You reek of [effing] p-i-s-s!" during one scene. The one thing I simply cannot figure is why Hollywood didn't call for his services by the early 1970s. I've never read, from any source, that he was an obnoxious cuss who alienated everyone and, thus, Hollywood refused to cast him. I guess it was just one of those peculiar things that happens in the motion picture biz? Anyway, you can see his filmography on Wikipedia or the IMDb and note a large number of obscure films he starred in from 1969 until his passing, including a couple of made-for-television movies. I've got some Stephen Boyd movies in my video stash; I'd like to see his 1973 movie CONTROL FACTOR (aka: "Big Game, The"). Looks kind of interesting. (Also starred France Nuyen, Ray Milland, Cameron Mitchell, John van Dreelen). I've seen THE THIRD SECRET (1964-UK) along with the circus movie with Doris Day ["Billy Rose's JUMBO"] thanks to its showings on TCM. At one point his birthdate was considered to be July 4, 1927 or July 4, 1928. I remember reading old obituaries that had his age at '49', but now appears he was actually born July 4, 1931. He died on a golf course. His wife, Elizabeth Mills Boyd (1912-2007), was with him when he was stricken with a heart attack. She passed on in 2007 at age 94. She had been the caretaker of one of his homes in California while he was filming all over the world and he eventually married her. If you Google this in the 'search bar' you should get a picture of Boyd and wife Elizabeth: "Stephen Boyd and his wife, Elizabeth, at benefit party for UNICEF in Tokyo". ALSO: There is an extant 'Stephen Boyd Blog' you can find easily enough on your 'Search Bar'. It's got a fair amount of information contained therein for fans.

The Third Secret is a good British noir. It's been shown on TCM a few times.

Let's not forget about Lucy. From I Love Lucy to her later TV shows, her voice got deeper and deeper until by the time she did Mame (1974), her singing voice basically sunk the film.