JHaft

btw, you can now buy those on DVD...I'm thinking about picking up the box set....

movieman1957, I also LOVE the You Betcha Life re-runs....and watching Groucho zing those prim and proper specimens of the Eisenhower era. Groucho was a great spontenous comedian....his powers of association were really quite stunning to watch....the show is just as much a testament to his humor as it is to his mind. And I agree with your comparison to today's cable shows. Gimme a break!

btw, check out stoneyburke's post on that very topic below...she prefers minnie's boys to L&H as well.....

also a lot of fun is "Why a Duck" by Richard Anobile. less history and more a collection of wonderful photos and stills from the movies (and great lines). i also enjoyed groucho's "memoirs of a mangy lover"

Thanks for the great link. Especially enjoyed the faux bio of Bill Wolfe. Very apt, given TCM's airing of Bank Dick last week. Love him in that. "...ever been boondoggling...?"

have not seen Electra Glide Blue, but i will certainly check it out blake in In Cold Blood is a primer for anyone who wants to be an actor...he discovers each moment as if for the first time...there's this incredible energy that suffuses him....

I've enjoyed it too and very much agree with you. I'm new to these boards and have really found the postings interesting...

cine sage, heh heh this is going to sound a little weird, but i just watched dumont in one of her really old marx brothers movies and she actually looked kind of hot (!) the story goes that she adored minnie's boys, but didn't really "get" their humor....i'm not sure i believe that....if she didn't get their jokes, i don't think she could have been such a great second banana....

scarlett -- thank you for your words. i actually think robert blake is an incredibly talented actor....have you caught his performance in "lost highway"? (lynch) he is one of the scariest presences on film since mitchum in "cape fear".... also of course "in cold blood" which i just saw again a few weeks ago....what a performance....!

ever seen the third man? you might like it even more than casablanca....

just a little nod to north by northwest....things haven't sunk that low for me yet :-)

i?ve got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex wives, and several bartenders dependent upon me, and i don?t intend to disappoint them all by becoming slightly dead.

thanks much....glad to be here....very interesting/smart group you are! (i expected nothing less....)

agree w/ markus on the brilliant judy holliday....i enjoyed watching that again the other day on TCM....what a gem.....

it's been one of those days....

heh heh i guess i never miss an opportunity for a little ad hominem attack :-)

now robert blake...there's a child actor that made it big...

Yup. Saw them all. hated them all. Again, just personal taste....

Can't tell how ironic you're being. :-) I certainly have been entertained.....and educated by your posts, especially....

Yes, more time for introduction and explanation would be good. You're right about Bogdonavich. Anecdotes about primary sources and original cast and crew were very informative and fun to watch. Peter B. was also really entertaining....funny imitations of Hitchcock, et al

scarlett, i never judge another's taste in movies and movie hosts. :-) it's a completely personal matter.

re: the light schtick, I did like the spot when Alan Rickman talked about Jimmy Stewart. Nice insights. The gimmick of drawing with light though was pretty lame.... re: Ronnie Howard, it's really just a matter of taste....His movies and his very presence on screen (Mayberry episodes included) make me heave.

Great idea. (As long as there wasn't too much self-promotion....It would be pretty tough to stomach Ronnie Howard promoting his latest shingle of crap.) But bringing a revolving group of current directors to the Essentials is a terrific idea. That actually would draw new viewers, I think. You should write an email to TCM, Matt. I'd second you.

Matt, I see your point. And I do partly agree with you. It's really just packaging. The only reason I think it's a good idea is because it may (may) attract new viewers to classic movies. i.e., Movies That You Must See. It's almost like an Intro to Great Films curriculum. Now, how successful this slot is in bringing new viewers, I have no idea. Despite the fact that I like Peter B. and Sydney P., their efforts were a bit clumsy. Almost as if TCM were trying too hard. The sets suddenly all futuristic, the hosts stiffly swishing around in their suede safari jackets. Clearly, the directors are still trying to find their footing. But to me, the concept could work if handled the right way......Even if Bob Osborne did the spot, and spent a little more time (than two minutes) introducing WHY the flicks are so essential, that may be an improvement. You don't need to pay fancy guests..... But to me, your point is very well taken.

scarlett, i liked peter b. too....and sydney p. in fact, i liked the concept of having a guest host for the Essentials....not the interview format that they're using now.... though i'm a big bob osborne fan, it's nice to give a guest a shot (ben mankiewicz, however, is one of the smarmiest presences on tv. i don't care who his relatives were....the talent in the family did not rub off on him. his smug demeanor is nauseating....)