Tikisoo

What I notice a lot of TCM "complainers" do is focus on their own personal viewing preferences without really considering different views of others. I started watching TCM upon it's inception and after a dozen years of daily viewing (I'd work an 8 hour shift with TCM on) anyone would hit overload. The library is finite and you can only watch the same movie so many times. The programmers try to keep things fresh, but it is ME who has changed, not the channel. WHY would I expect TCM to change to suit my needs? There are so many others who are just discovering the joys of classic film, and TCM is a wonderful channel for them to see all sorts of movies of the past; good, not-so-good and historically important movies. If you've had your fill of TCM fare and enjoy other network's offerings-great for you. But please don't think you speak for everyone. And stop getting mad at TCM for not showing what YOU want. Some things are beyond their control. Realize, they must air everything bought in the distributer's "package"- it's dictated by the distributer, not the buyer.

But, she was acquitted - was she not? Yes, there wasn't enough evidence to convict her. She went on living in Fall River, but her & Emma moved to a big beautiful estate which also still stands. They were known to throw elaborate parties including (gasp!) celebrity actors of the day. The law firm that represented Lizzie is still in business in Springfield Mass. They have all the records of the case in a vault up for review for public release every 25 or 50 years (not exactly sure). I was living in Mass when the time came up, but they decided to keep the records private. This tells me there must be something incriminating in there.

Well as a former Massachusetts resident, I have been to the Borden House and read several books on the famous murders, which vary greatly. It's a wonderful true "murder mystery" that can be hard for contemporaries to grasp because women's roles have changed so drastically through the years. Many researchers claim all sorts of weird reasons- sexual abuse, Lizzie being "bi-polar" or "insanity" from menstruation. I tend to ignore that and concentrate more on who may actually have swung the ax. (Along with the skulls, the tiny 1.5 lb axe is in the Fall River Historical Museum) It took a special woman to assist in anything bloody like surgeries in those days, it's amazing to think this sheltered woman could murder her dad while sleeping. There was a shady relative staying at the house at the time who may have been bribed to do the deed. I rather liked the Elizabeth Montgomery TV movie about the Borden case. I thought she did a great job depicting the type of woman Lizzie was as well as the strong bond she had with her sister. Although I love Christina Ricci, what you're saying about the music would kill any interest I have in seeing that version.

I was under the impression that they (Disney) will lease out their live action films; but not their animated ones. I was surprised that The Parent Trap didn't end up on Maureen O'Hara's SOTM schedule this year, seeing that it is one of her more well-known roles. TCM had a fantastic Disney package deal a few years ago and broadcast both THE PARENT TRAP '61 and POLLYANNA '60 (my first time seeing that one) Obviously, that deal has expired. Luckily, TCM shows her in TIGER BAY '59 and my favorite WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND '61 fairly regularly. Catch them if you can, they are both unusual stories and Hayley is just magnificent in these dramatic roles. She's great in comedy too-an overall talented gal. And I think she looks exactly the same as an "old lady" of 64. We're lucky to have her entire life's career on film for generations to enjoy.

Well nola, that's quite a list. Hasn't TCM shown THE LOVED ONE? I DO agree with you on having an UNDERGROUND host-it is simply traditional to have a "late night horror" host. TCM's a grown up channel, so not a goofy, wise cracking host like Svengoolie, but a serious host as you mention, with interesting facts about the movie. I'd love to see Underground expand to two nights-Fri & Sat or even Saturday afternoons when I used to watch old PD horror movies as a kid. But then we'd get every TCM fanatic screaming, "It's not classic! It's not b&w! It's not studio era!" and all that stoopid BS.

True, we still do not have the Mao Zedong hour

I think UBS in today's view is indicative of all mainstream media- which will sensationalize any news information, create scandal and controversy to get people watching, will tell them exactly what they want to hear, and will trivialize violence for mass entertainment. I agree 100% I also agree that US dependence on oil drives a lot of news "media". And then add amateur cel phone reporting..... My first indication that 6 o'clock "news" was turning into Entertainment Tonight was the addition of "sports" to the line up. Since when are scores "news"? The movie NETWORK's children are the plethora of today's comedy news shows. NETWORK could have never imagined the jerky mannerism super model as "reporter" we have on the air today.

Mae West must be one of those actresses that you either really love or don't like at all. Agreed, West is very polarizing. I've heard people say that they thought she was great. I think she's great, one of my favorites. I had never watched any of her movies until about a month ago when TCM showed one, "My Little Chickadee", I think it was. I started watching it because of W.C Fields. This is the same mistake I made. It is the single worst film made by either of them. Whenever my film group would show either West or Field's films, I'd give the old eye roll. Then, someone pointed out I should not judge either comedian by that strained performance. I have since seen several films starring both and finally "get" them. I don't see what the big fuss was with her. Her acting is bad, her singing is terrible, her voice is annoying, she was overweight (compared to other actresses), and her "sexy" walk looked more like she needed a hip replacement or at least a tube of Preperation H. Well, those are kind of the things that make her funny. She is kind of showing you that men are on autopilot-it doesn't take much to get them in gear. My turning point was (I think BELLE OF THE 90's), where she is lauded as the "greatest entertainer, singing star in the world" and the curtains open with her standing in the middle of a tableau, posing. The crowd cheers! Then, another tableau-crowd goes wild! And the final tableau is her as the Statue of Liberty. All absurd, she does NOTHING but stand there and look "beautiful" and the men clamor for her, want to get backstage. It's a joke, and you really can't explain humor, you just "get it" or not. Then you add her crazy wonderful dialogue and realize she's got a heart of gold underneath that brazen surface. The fact that SHE wrote all her own material and it's brilliant wordplay just add to her allure for me. Remember, she was saying "blue" stuff in a way to get past the censors. And boy, watching her films with an audience really helps you find that hidden humor.

Well, just goes to show there can be two polarized opinions about the same aspect in a film. So many decisions are made based upon personal opinion.... It's good there's something for everyone, but glad I'm not the only one who thought Spacek did a great job singing.

Anyway, back to COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER-- a big thumbs down. When I watch something where country superstar Loretta Lynn is the main subject, I want to hear her sing, not a pale vocal imitation. In the same way I would not accept Loretta Lynn acting as Sissy Spacek in a biopic about the actress, I do not accept Sissy singing as Loretta. I want the real thing. Please give the cubic zirconium to someone who doesn't know the difference between the original and the fake. I couldn't agree less. I thought Spacek's vocals were close enough to be wholly believable-we ALL know singing voices change over the years and she was depicting Lynn in her earliest years, before any "polishing". And using your comparison of WHAT'S LOVE GOT... I found Tina's voice booming from Bassett's lips to be rather arresting -it was so obviously lip-synched. Ruined the illusion for me at least. Beyond the singing/lip singing aspect (which may be as personal of opinion as comedy) I find Spacek one of the greatest actresses of our time. Amazing reading in this thread that acting wasn't her first career choice. When this movie came out I thought she was weird & gawky, nothing special. But over time I realize just how talented, dignified and naturally beautiful she really is. Wish all actresses of our day could be of her caliber. COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER was an impressive start.

Darkblue said: I love old-timey horror hosts. Since I've seen all these movies a zillion times, it finally dawned on me it was the "horror host" thing that reeled me in. Super corny, but fun. It was suggested my love of horror hosts is because I watch movies alone-the host acts as a movie partner. I just saw my very favorite hosts (MST3K) speaking on a panel at a convention and the subject of film rights came up. They mentioned sometimes a song in a film can hold up release....especially if the song was written in the salad days by someone who became mildly famous. WKRP was specifically mentioned as a "rights" nightmare. And speaking of antenna TV....I need to find out if there's any kind of "boosters" available.....MST repeats are shown on a station 50 miles from here.

In response to the OP, women's shoes through the ages have had pointy toes and heels: Although I realize you said "high heeled pointy toed pumps" not boots. Yes, pointed toes and even the pictured "stacked" heel elongates the leg and shortens the foot-considered "feminine". Look at how gorgeous Garbo was chided about her "big canoe boat" feet. Not unlike the Japanese culture, dainty hands and feet were attractive feminine attributes. (nowadays it must be severe pulled back hair/tattoos/rolls of fat since that's what I see the kids sportin') I'm 5'2" as well and had a foot injury that prohibits a tight toebox and thin or high heel. No one has ever noticed or cared I don't wear high heels-and anyone who would care- I don't care about. My favorite heel style- which I'm glad is coming back- is the Louis XV heel and Cuban heel. Both started by men FOR men to simply elevate their height. To me French heels look like flapper's shoes:

Egah! That's sad.

I really enjoyed when TCM showed DAVE BRUBECK IN HIS OWN SWEET WAY (2010) a few years ago-it was excellent. I also think TITLE KING (2008) about Saul Bass would be great to see on TCM. They could show WHY MAN CREATES (1968) as a double feature with it. What about the fun SEARCHING FOR DEBRA WINGER about today's women's complaint there's no good roles for women outside of sexpots? And the wonderful THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE about filmmaker Robert Evans? They certainly have "classic movies" tie-ins. Interesting "making of" documentaries that are often part of Criterion sets are also an untapped source for TCM. Although most are a total bore*, sometimes movies with special effects offer interesting behind-the-scenes view on movie making. The often shown POLTERGEIST one TCM shows as a filler comes to mind. *I understand they are often made for insurance documentation purposes. And as much as I love THE ARISTOCRATS, it's not suitable for TCM.

This is an argument I always use when some hipster tells me to "kill my television". Television is where not only actors, but writers, directors (Spielberg came from TV) costumers, make up artists, camera & lighting people can get work - and valuable experience- in the industry. They're all artists....does it matter if they are creating for television, movies or theater? One of my friends, a costumer, currently works for a soap after years in opera theater. No, it's not great "art", but I'm still proud of her and feel like she's "made it" to a certain extent.

Eh, in the first 10 minutes of CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, set in India I saw women dancers, dancing for the Indian leader in his palace. They were writhing and used their arms like belly dancers- Indian dancing is nothing like that. The clothing and jewelry was all wrong too-looked like an Aladdin movie! Apparently back then, nobody cared about distinct cultures, it was all just "exotic".

Good. Hollywood has forgotten how to make classic films. Maybe they will now get the message. I think the last new movie I saw was HUGO, and that left no lasting impression on me either. I was thinking of seeing the Godzilla movie when it came to second run theaters, but it died a quick death-meaning it must have been really awful despite the hoopla. The problem is, those who finance the making of a movie are not those in the creative aspects of making a movie-as it's always been. Artists like Woody Allen have a set of regular backers who will finance anything he wants to make or "say", an exception that shows good films can still be made. Gosh, Hitchcock proved with PSYCHO, a great film can be made without huge budgets! The financiers will only back films they think are a sure bet; "Every baby boomer will bring their kids to see a 3 Stooges/Beverly Hillbillies/comic book charactor update". They are so out of touch with real people, real emotions they low ball their thinking by using demographics. I have actually experimented with this on a personal art level: every art show I participate in, my paintings incorporate a raven, gravestone, full moon, etc. Gravestones ALWAYS sell, no matter how good or bad the painting itself is. Ravens, if depicted as evil will always sell-ravens pictured as playful will not. Sure, I'd love to ALWAYS sell paintings, but it severely limits my expression of what I want to say with my artwork. Thank goodness we went through an "indie" filmmaking period that brought us filmmakers like Wes Anderson who can make decent and artistic films. We need more of them and fewer dull formula films. Great acting will follow.

Retro TV had THE GIANT GILA MONSTER (a MST 3000 rerun) on earlier this evening. What? Are Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes in syndication? Yay! I sure miss them! Or are you just saying that GIANT GILA MONSTER movie was once featured on MST3K?

This reminds me of Lennon & McCarney's exchange of "how can you sleep at night?" and "Silly Love Songs". Although I think George Sanders was a genius, it's often a mistake to intellectualize "art". Art is too personal because it's tied to an individual's emotions. Both Sander's & Ahern's written biographies of George are wonderful to read, though.

Well some of my favorite DVDs are from the Something Weird people- "They're dirty....DIRTY!" My local used media store Soundgarden once had an entire display of these priced at 2/$10. Many are double features too. Obviously someone collected them all and sold them to the store. (after either duping them, or dying) I carefully chose like 3 titles and regretfully left the rest. Went back a few weeks later and they were gone. A former bf who has more money than God bought all the rest unbeknownst to me. A few years later we bumped into each other and he said, "I have a bunch of exploitation DVDs...you want 'em?" YES. So a week later a big box showed up on my porch. I'm watching them one by one and deciding what to keep and reselling the rest. Keepers: The Acid Eaters & Weed Bettie Page Teaserama Damaged Goods & The Hard Road Maniac & Narcotic Touch of Her Flesh & Curse of Her Flesh & Kiss of Her Flesh What about Mondo Macabra DVDs? They are pretty cool too. My favorite is a Bollywood Horror double feature Bandh Darwaza & Purana Mandir. It has everything you want in horror films-cute scantily clad heroine, vampires, blood, angry mob with torches, etc. Oh yeah and songs!

If English is your second language, I apologise, but without structure your sentences are difficult to understand. Too bad because I'd like to know what it is you are saying about this film.

Ray we love your trailers! Amazing to me it's in PD what with Paul Muni, but maybe that's why I saw it so much on TV as a kid. I've always loved that movie! I've always enjoyed your "cavalcade of trailers" but never realized they're your creation. No wonder they're so detailed!

Thanks for this thread-I'm on a kick discovering all the 70's & 80's horror films I missed growing up. (wasn't allowed to see them as a teen/too busy in my 20's & 30's) If JoeFilmOne likes it, must be worth a view.

will TCM be able to broadcast MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC? Most likely never-they are held tight by the owners for distribution. But Julie Andrews is absolutely my favorite actress/singer period. I have borrowed every movie of hers from the library and she is amazing in everything she does. Adorable, classy, a good actress with a gorgeous powerhouse voice! She is one of the very few women who have aged gracefully (like Lauren Bacall did) and still looks great. I picked up her autobiography chronicling her early years as a child prodigy which was a fascinating read-I highly recommend it! And whenever you may be in trouble with the devil just call out "Julie Andrews!"

Well I'm in the minority in that I used the books quite extensively to decide what to record on TCM. I liked how in 3 sentences I could discern if I was going to like a movie or find it boring or slow. It was only a suggestion, a GUIDE. I also liked that the reviews would tell me if I might find something violent or offensive (2 stars is right for Taxi Driver, I found it disjointed) or especially if a remake is better than the original. It was a great simple guide. I don't need to read detailed reviews....I can make my own reviews.