Tikisoo

I grew up with black & white in numerous forms (born in mid 80s.) When we were kids we watched Nick At Nite back when it showed only old 50s and 60s TV shows. We had Our Gang/Little Rascals and the Three Stooges on video. Knowing that warms the cockles of my heart. It confirms these truly are "classic". Classic means it can be enjoyed by any age/any culture. (although it helps the old TV shows & you are both US products) It also confirms the validity of TCM's ESSENTIALS JR. to nurture future cinephiles.

But what exactly is a "General Discussion"? Each of us almost certainly has his or her own ideas about what topics should or shouldn't fall into that category Well, today in GD there's 2 threads titled FLAMINGO ROAD that should be in FILMS & FILMMAKERS because they are a discussion about a FILM. A thread titled BILLY WILDER should also go in FILMS & FILMMAKERS as it would be a discussion about a filmmaker. But say you want to discuss musicals, or film noir genres-THOSE sub boards are gone-whoosh! So any discussion about the genre as a whole would appropriately go in Gen Disc. Most everything else in GenDisc today fits the title. As I stated earlier though, the administrators are doing a much better job moving inquiring threads over to INFORMATION PLEASE where they belong. I think the biggest problem with general sub boards like YOUR FAVORITES and FILMS & FILMMAKERS are the glut of vanity threads that do not invite discussion at all. (although I'm glad they're not taking up space in GenDisc!) If those sub boards were more open to real discussion, threads like the Jean Harlow one would bring more traffic to YOUR FAVORITES since that's really most appropriate for it. And Andy, you find it tough to navigate to the forums? I really like that on the main message board page there is TCM PROGRAMS with sub board links listed so you can go directly to them. I miss the sub boards of genres like horror, musicals, westerns, etc. for serious in depth discussions. These have been replaced by DVD REVIEWS, PROGRAM CHALLENGE and OFF TOPIC. Although I don't care for the first two, I love OFF TOPIC.....while I'm sure there's many who feel the reverse of what I do.

I go down to check it out once in a while, usually to find my post of weeks ago is often the last. Me too. I wish there was more participation there....it would keep General Discussions more open for real general discussions. But kudos to the administrators who now bump those "what's this movie?" threads from GenDisc to Information Please subgroup. It definitely helps.

Tcm should be keeping their film choices mainstream and avoid going off halfcocked on all these divergent paths and or eclectic binges of theirs. Really? So now you're going to define "mainstream" as well as "classic"? Sorry bub, but someday you too will have pretty much seen everything "mainstream" and wake up interested in TCM's "eclectic binge" movies too. But if there could be two channels that operated just like TCM does today but one that showed movies made before 1970 and one that showed movies made after 1969, wouldn't that be great? There are ALREADY channels that show more modern movies. There are DVDs out with "mainstream post 1969" movies too. What interests many a true film buff who has been watching classic film for 10 years or more is the more esoteric rarities than CASABLANCA or DINNER AT 8. But TCM still needs to show these for those tuning in for the first time. It's not all about YOU. A good movie is a good movie no matter what the age. Anyone who complains about TCMs programming is a "film newbie". Keep watching and I predict you too will want to delve into some other genre than film noir. Heck, I'm enjoying those crazy Underground movies, as I never saw them when they first came out. Why pidgeon-hole TCM's classic movies by era/genre/subject? It's the fact they show movies unedited & uninterrupted that's the gold key.

Well I didn't quite "get" Jean Harlow either. Funny you mention Lombard because I like her even less. Photographs of Harlow have kept her "icon" status, imho. She was pretty and a good actress, but her image epitomizes 1920's glamor, I think that's what people see for the most part. Her make up was outrageous-thin black lips, glittery eyeshadow and those high pencil thin eyebrows! It just doesn't translate well today. And that shrill voice! Oy! But watch her films, especially RED DUST and CHINA SEAS (my personal favorite) and you may come around. She plays a loose sort of woman, so the harsh make-up fits the charactor. She's brash, but again, it fits her. She's very good in LIBELED LADY & DINNER AT 8, but you've seen those. It is very sad she died young, or we may have seen her in color with better make-up & sound....making her more accessible to modern audiences. She's a snapshot in time which both works for her & against her, I think.

Sure....and WHO is going to cover the cost of an entirely new channel? Can't you be satisfied there is A station that shows MOVIES UNCUT & COMMERCIAL FREE? Commercial-free, people! That alone is worth watching....stop complaining about what they are showing and be more grateful about what they're NOT showing! With more and more people cutting back on expenses, I think cable & satellite subscriptions will decline in the upcoming years. I seriously doubt there will be money around to create another station just for you complainers.

I gained very strong impression at young age that they must be horses trained especially for movies and so the action looks very fake to me. I can't imagine what you're talking about, but you cannot make an animal do anything it doesn't already do naturally. My horse does "tricks", even turns in a circle for a carrot, then turning the opposite way for another carrot! They are not hard to train. The most amazing thing I know of is training a horse to "fall". I actually didn't believe it until "chatting" with a real Hollywood stunt woman on Silver Screen Oasis and reading a stunt cowboy's book. What I find funny is typically the saddles & bridles are all wrong for the time period and often the wrong "type" of horse used in movies. Many horse breeds have very distinctive features that give it away. Today's flavor of the month is Friesian horses used in all sorts of films set in places far away from the Netherlands or Germany where they are from. In the 70's, it was Arabian horses in westerns. No 19th century cowboy had access to horses from Africa. And Arabians are very small, almost pony like. Today, Arabians are very popular in Western show culture. Although it doesn't ruin my enjoyment of a movie, it just jolts me back to reality when I see dumb gaffes like that. Although I'm always amused in horsey stories about "the amazing changing horse" where different horses with different skills are used to depict one horse "charactor".

Those who read here regularly know, my step daughter is a complete convert to "old" movies. She'll be 17 next month. Like fredB's kids, she was just exposed to them via her parents and now accepts them as "arty". Even silents. Chaplin is one of her favorites. I think b&w is just a barrier that at first seems odd to kids, but once they themselves mature and start seeing movies as "art" or just stories, or historical artifacts, they accept them. I do think it was great so many Woody Allen films were made b&w. Re: gun toting raccoon- I think someday b&w films will be so different from modern films, they will be referred to as "stories" since new action films HAVE no story.

The main goal of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and the other Indiana Jones movies was to recreate the Saturday morning serial cliffhangers from the studio era of Hollywood. Spielburg and Lucas grew up on this type of matinee fodder. Perfectly said. But I also have a beef with Spielberg (more than Lucas) in that he spells out everything in his stories, leaving nothing to the viewer's imagination. I suppose that's ok when your film is geared towards kids, but makes it dull & contrived for adults.

The "Tiki Kid" has handgun experience? Not my idea....but because MrTeek is in law enforcement, he owns a few guns. Kept in a combination safe of course. He bought her a BB rifle at 11 and instructed her at the shooting range by 14 to familiarize her with handling real guns. Thankfully, she isn't interested in guns in the least (me neither) But knowing what I know about both shooting & riding, I'm always amazed anyone ever hit ANYthing back in the "old west". There is a new organized sport of shooting balloons at close range from horseback that looks kind of fun; But like anything, playing cowboy on a controlled course with modern weapons is a very different thing than being in a real situation with real outlaws on rocky footing with less than perfect weapons.

Whereas the message boards have more active discussions, the Classic Film Union gives members a chance to share media and write articles further exploring their appreciation. Ahhhh, so all those "vanity" threads that discourage discussion have a place over there as a "blog".

The Tiki Family finds many "blunders" that make us laugh through some of the most serious of movies. Since we all have handgun experience, our favorite is the "pumping" action of an actor's arm shooting a pistol, usually seen in gangster movies. Our beloved Cagney is the most outrageous at this. How do they ever hit their target? Bette Davis even held her arm straight in the opening of THE LETTER. Even when seeing a film in a theater, all 3 of us will "pump" our arms & laugh quietly to ourselves. Another favorite of mine is horsey stuff in movies. You watch ROBIN HOOD or other period pieces and the horses are wearing western saddles with blankets over them as "medieval" camouflage. The bridles are also western, with the long shank bits and one ear sling. I realize the horses were extras rented from nearby dude ranches but sometimes they'd wear English tack when it was called for in a movie. But any riding earlier than 18th century is always tarted up with funny costuming. Driving horses are always portrayed accurately, there IS only one style harness throughout history with the only difference being draft tack vs light travel tack. It's fun seeing ancient chariot driving in movies-no one in their right mind would get in one of those-SO unstable! Horsey stuff, like hairstyles you just have to go with the story and forget about it. It's not that important. When you compare accuracy of movies today with movies from 30 years ago, it's almost getting too nitpicky.

1976's Silver Streak starring Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh and Richard Pryor is one of my top 5 favorite movies. I recently got SILVER STREAK and STIR CRAZY out of the library, since I had never seen either. I was disappointed with SS because the really funny stuff happened when Pryor came in-45 minutes into the movie! STIR CRAZY was a bit better since the "team" was in the entire movie. However, it is only a movie so I think almost having a heart attack over burning a piece of prop paper may be an over reaction. The entire story fell apart for me at the end, because Wilder & Pryor were freed after escaping prison. Mr Teek (a CO) & I just shook our heads because escaping from prison is a HUGE offense, more than doubling their "time". This mistake ruined my overall enjoyment of the movie and opened a family discussion of how far accuracy has come in filmmaking in the past few decades. And of course, TikiKid rejected all the black stereotype jokes, not even laughing when Wilder tried acting "black". Despite a few hilarious moments, neither film held up very well over time for me.

Here's the ultimate mustache man: Now that he's older, it's trimmed a bit. What woman could resist this guy? Without the hair he's still gorgeous, but far less impact: I think men with long faces definitely benefit from facial hair. Facial hair evens out weak chins, big nose, etc, not unlike make up for a woman. That's why for some men (with perfect faces) the mustache makes no difference, like Errol Flynn. BTW, that "soul patch" thing you were discussing earlier is called an "Imperial". It looked ok on some jazz musicians but incredibly dumb on overweight, shaved head comic book nerd types.

I've always wanted to know when brassieres were "invented". By that, I mean commercially available, not home made. I recently saw MY WEAKNESS (1933) where showgirls were shown in a dressing room wearing true brassieres (not the old girdle/bra bustiers) Anything before that?

Wow thanks for that thumbnail of Errol-blown up it's print-worthy! I just came back from seeing William Powell featured in his earliest films. In one, he's a gentleman wrongly accused of a murder and his mustache shaved off for incarceration is part of the story-so you see him both ways in one movie! I always like William Powell just a tad better with a 'stache, but Gable just a tad better without his 'stache. And you're right, some actors just look dumb with one like ole Fred MacMurray. You certainly see Ward Bond with all sorts of facial hair styles throughout his film career. What a handsome man!

It's my understanding that when a person is suffering from a very severe depression it's like they are in a very dark tunnel with no light. It warps their perception to reality. They're lost and can only feel the pain. Great description & wording to describe their side of it. I know his friends & family were well aware of his deep depression, but it often takes a professional to help the darkest times. Although some may object to the word "selfish" or "self centered" to describe suicide, I stand by that assessment. The person is often so wrapped up in themselves, wrapped up in their own unhappiness, they do not see (or care) how it effects others. The key to "keepin' on" is to realize it's not all about yourself. It must be doubly difficult for someone in the public domain- Williams had to always be "on" for the public, had to have a thick skin against public criticism, constantly pressured to be funnier. I'm sure anyone in that position gets sick of considering "others" needs over their own.

Attending classic film festivals is my way of seeing rarities that have been recently restored. Although I'd love TCM to broadcast these, seeing these films in a theater with an audience is the way they were meant to be shown and often helps their coherence. Just last week I saw HIGH TREASON '29, MORALS '21 and the short MEET MR MISCHIEF '47 with Harry VonZell (a riot!) at Capitol Fest in Rome NY. Whenever the LOC logo came up on the screen, the audience applauded. (the featured star was William Powell and we saw some very rare appearances in silent film)

Thank you for posting these here 666! Sorting these out makes it easier for me to d/l & "collect" them. They show great design and most likely I'll print my favorites (photographically) as 4x6's. Even stars I don't care for have great design elements!

Of course, after posting yesterday I recalled my very favorite of William's performances-THE FISHER KING. As someone very interested in treating mental illness, I found this portrayal of psychosis easy for most to understand. So sad that someone who portrayed mental illness so well could not deal with his own demons. Eh, such is the difference between "stories" and "real life". Also recalled another favorite performance in MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON. Williams face said more than the dialogue. What a talent. From hearing the reports it seems apparent that everyone in his personal life knew he was at a low point, having difficulty getting through. I think it just goes to show that if someone is determined to check out, they will. It's just amazing to me that they can't just wait until things get better-they always will. Every time I hear about suicide I get angry, it's such a selfish act. In William's case, I'm very angry. If you don't find your art fulfilling, then retire (like Stephen King) but don't hurt the rest of the world by depriving them of your gifted presence.

I found Dundee's comments about Flynn's fight scenes in Gentleman Jim to be illuminating. "My God," he said of Flynn's boxing style, "there's so much talent there it's scary. Flynn had natural talent in everything he tried. It reinforces my thinking that "talent" is just the physical appearance of intelligence. He observed, he learned and then performed. Brilliantly. I think Flynn most likely had a very high IQ.

Alan Alda. Always struck me as being whiney and one dimensional. But you gotta admit....whenever Woody Allen used him in a film his role was an annoying no talent know-it-all...PERFECT casting.

Apparently he is really dead....I was hoping this thread title meant he bombed in stand-up. So many people criticized him because of his "manic" rapid fire comedy. I thought he was a one of a kind genius. While loving his comedy, really loved his less comedic roles; AWAKENINGS, THRE BIRDCAGE, GOOD MORNING VIETNAM & DEATH TO SMOOCHY. Oh yeah, he was in issue #1 of Playgirl magazine (haha who remembers that?) he looked like his head was sticking out of a gorilla suit.

Groucho played the clarinet, I believe. Ouch. Groucho played the guitar. But he only played it in one movie HORSEFEATHERS. It's one of my favorite scenes as Thelma Todd tries cajoling the "football secrets" from him using baby talk. Groucho doesn't fall for it and taunts back that he'll kick her "widdle teef in"

My Mother loves Out Of Africa....I think if you already like the story, the slow pace just adds to it, like 2001 does for me. The comments here remind me of; Whenever I'm traveling, I try catching a movie at the local vintage theater just to experience it. When in Baltimore, I couldn't pass up a movie at the historic Senator Theater. The English Patient was playing. It was so long and boring I had plenty of time to look around the auditorium and soak in the decor. Sadly, I think the Senator is closed now. I also saw stinkers The Piano and Hope Floats in faraway historic theaters. Seems like the trend is great venues=awful movies when I'm visiting other city's theaters.