Tikisoo

Babs is a favorite in this household and usually pretty good bait for getting the newbies to watch an old film with me. When I started recording TCM the amount amassed of Stanwyck movies became my first "box set". When listing the movies included, I was amazed at the breadth of her films- short & sassy precodes, 40's farces, crime & dramatic films. And she's GREAT in all of them! As another poster stated, even in the worst films, she elevates the film's shortcomings with her utter conviction. Jeopardy is a family favorite, if only because of it's crazy story line. I LOVE this photo and even made a magnet for the 'fridge from it: As for comparing her to another big fave Bette Davis....Bette was a B-I-G performer and we all know overly dramatic people like that, it makes them interesting. But somehow Babs seemed natural in every role, like just any normal person, we identify with her on that level. Bette evokes our innermost feelings, while Babs is more toned down. And the few times Babs does lose her composure, we're moved because we "feel" it. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, Clash By Night and Meet John Doe are excellent examples of that. And when Babs has complete command of herself as in Lady Eve, she can be funny without cruelty. She just does it all very well. And always looks great-very contemporary looking woman. There's only a few Stanwyck's this month that are new to me and I'm glad to get them. Looking at the body of work shown this month on TCM, Stanwyck is truly an amazing, accomplished artist.

That photo you posted Fred, is a hoot! I assume it's Marie, although I don't recognise her. What's funny about this picture is when I was a little girl & asked my grandma what it was like to be a flapper, she said; "We would roll our stockings down below our knees to expose them (apparently this was scandalous) and then we'd rouge our knees." That photo is the only time I've ever seen a stocking rolled down that way. Also funny is the short dress with cowboy boots-something regrettably in fashion right now. (Yes, teens wearing shorts & cowboy boots had been seen this past summer) The only thing weird is her ONE tassel? And glad no one mentioned the great Nick Lowe song "Marie Provost". It was based on that awful Hollywood Babylon book account of Marie which has since been debunked.

This is why I like seeing films on the big screen-you see things like that ALL the time. (and yes, I knew that Merman pic was there) Another reason to enjoy big home theater TVs, it enlarges the picture enough to enjoy the set directors work. And there's all kinds of treasures thrown in....keep looking! One of my favorites is the oft-watched It's A Wonderful Life. The pictures that migrate from the Bailey parents home to George & Mary's home, and the pin-up girl on the employee side of the post in the bank. Most commonly spotted is studio publicity photos or props previously used in other films. Tributes, like the Merman one, can be found in lots of other films....but I'm no encyclopedia.

>DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936) & THE WOLF MAN (1941) - UNIVERSAL HORROR CELEBRATION BREW & VIEW Tuesday, December 18, 2012 - 7:00pm >35mm UNIVERSAL HORROR CELEBRATION $10 double feature. Both films will be screened with correct aspect ratio projector lenses. A bunch of us are going to attend this fantastic 35mm double feature at a vintage neighborhood theater. Although I've seen The Wolf Man on the big screen before, I've never seen DD. Even though it's a weeknight, I better NOT fall asleep! I'll look for that Lugosi tapestry! Thanks for the heads up.

I think TCM marketing DVDs is viable. Most of the stations demographics are, ahem, older people. And most of us are in that "cusp" of embracing technology, but also demand quality. DVDs give us that. "Streaming" does not. I have friends a decade or two younger that stream movies and watch them on their computer instead of DVDs/TV. Even my techie brother (who's older) streamed a Netflix movie for us while I was visiting. BAH! The picture and sound quality were completely unacceptable to me-I'll take my BIG TV and 5.1 surround sound any day. (and I feel the same way about MP3's-far too "tinny") I like disks-just hope that last throughout my lifetime!

I really liked Auturo's post.... Remember kiddies, it's EXPENSIVE to broadcast an entire network. Be happy the station shows unaltered movies uninterrupted-I'm sure that means more to you than any of the routine forum complaints. If they want to "hawk" their items, it's at least related in subject matter to the station. And who wasn't entertained by the Robert Osborne bobble-head? I can no longer afford cable, so the TCM released DVDs are a godsend. I don't think the holiday push for merchandise should be a concern. If they make money-great. At least they're NOT SELLING air time to other advertising subjects. If you ever saw a commercial for non TCM products (Stella Artois and a few modern films in Now Playing came scarily close) THEN, you should get worried.

TCM featured Thelma Todd recently (2011?) for Summer Under The Stars. It was a scramble to switch disks all day to record it for later viewing, but I did it. Is there anything featuring her as Star of the Month that can add to 24 hours of Thelma?

>And thanks to film collector friends I've seen everyone of those on the "big screen" in 16mm prints. Me too, because a few have been shown at film festivals. I'd like to use this to illustrate why I don't bother with TCM's Film Festival. I'm not interested in commonly seen films and the fact they are digital projections is another turn off. But go to Cinefest and you'll see rarities like Hellzapoppin' and if you listen, hear the clicking of the projector behind you. And everyone else in the audience is buzzing afterward, talking about Hugh Herbert's scenes. Also of note is Herbert was born in Binghamton NY. City Hall still has a life size rendition of Rod Serling... But in the last 15-20 years or so, any acknowledgment of Richard Deacon being born in Binghamton has disappeared. And there was never recognition for Hugh Herbert.

Really A Hard Days Night is better than Help!? I haven't seen Help! since I was a yout and saw it in the theater. I remember thinking it was a riot (ok, so I think the 3 Stooges are a riot too) I recall the thick accents & Ringo repeating "he's going to disembowel me!" and my catch phrase growing up was "Go to the weendow." Give me a break-I was 5. I bought A Hard Days Night on DVD for $5 and have never been able to get through it. There's some lame running gag about Paul's Uncle that I just don't "get". In fact, I don't get any of it. But whoa boy we loved our Beatles.

>Excuuuuuuse ME for supplyin' the "comic relief" here When someone titles a thread "Help!" in the "General Discussions" forum, it's wholly understandable you'd assume the thread is about the MOVIE titled "Help!". I will never understand why people don't post INQUIRIES in the "Information, Please" forum. Apparently, logic eludes them. >This is just too good a list for any movie lover not to have a copy of. Yeah, including such insights as: DUMBO (1940): Betty Noyes for "Mother Elephant" FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942): The Sportsmen Quartet for quartet M (1931) Fritz Lang for Peter Lorre (whistling)

>Both movies are old fashion kid friendly movie fun. That says it all. We recently screened a Sinbad movie in our film series and I was surprised by the divided reactions of some. We bring our 15 year old who is usually bored to tears with adult themed movies like Now,Voyager, but she was totally fired up about seeing the Sinbad film. She followed the plot and loved the effects, despite the fact she's been brought up with ultra sophisticated CGI & 3D effects. It's a great stepping stone kind of film for teens coming from cartoons.

TCM has shown Harry & Tonto in the past. But because I don't have cable (or TCM) missed it. But the discussions here intrigued me so I looked for it on my local library's database. Borrowed the DVD from the library and enjoyed it very much. The premise is fun, although some parts are a bit contrived making it feel a little dated. The great performances -especially Art Carney's- elevate any flaws in the story. Definitely worth seeing.

"This is Mrs Norman Maine" ...never fails to move me-especially when Judy says it. (also agree with earlier mentioned City Lights & Poltergeist)

Thanks for posting that, FL. As "classic" movie fans I think we have slightly different standards than the average movie-goer. Although I loathe Spielberg, I always give his films a try. Your description almost sounds as if the performances overcome Spielberg's usual heavy handedness. Very glad to hear Sally Field may have the chance to redeem herself as an actress. She's quite talented (but so often ridiculed) and I can absolutely picture her as Mary Todd Lincoln- a weird charactor in her own right.

Funny this was posted... I just got a Dick Cavett Show box set from the library called "Hollywood Greats" that features interviews with several actors and directors of classic film. A few episodes are kind of stinkers, but a few are really outstanding like of course the familiar 2 part interview of Katherine Hepburn. It was great to see...& hear Frank Capra, Orson Welles, Robert Mitchum and John Huston speak candidly about their body of work. Although I find Cavett to be a bland interviewer, he at least sits back and allows the guest to STAR and just ramble on. In the 70's when most of these interviews were made, the stars were still vital and entertaining while revered as "golden age". There is a "bonus feature" of Robert Osborne interviewing Cavett for the box set, discussing the interviews-also excellent! I think these rare glimpses of our familiar stars are great fun for the classic movie fan.

>willbefree25 asked: TikiSoo, did you see Strangers On A Train evening last? I can't place the amusement park, is it a real one? Do you know? Have you worked on their carousel, if it's real? It IS a real Allan Herschell carousel (made in the Buffalo area of NY) and possibly some footage was filmed on the Griffith Park carousel in LA. I recall seeing a few "non-Herschell" horses in a few shots. The studio had an authentic AH carousel in the back lot that was used in several pictures, and most notably the Twilight Zone's "Walking Distance" episode. You can ID a Herschell carousel by the "roached maned jumper" that only AH built: It's amazing (to me at least) the breakdown scene at the end of the film was a model. Whomever crafted it took pains to make the miniature horses accurate, but failed in the proportion of the ride itself.

I agree with darkblue in that I have little respect or reverence for Whitney Houston. ESPECIALLY when comparing her to multi-talented Dolly Parton-who composes, plays musical instruments, sings, performs and simply entertains with her bigger-than-life persona-for DECADES. All Whitney could do was hit high notes and perform, sometimes. And what's most amazing about Parton is she reaches beyond the narrow country genre into pop, bluegrass, traditional folk (musically) and did pretty well in movies too. "Jolene" is many people's favorite song of Dolly's, it's a standout. I love her traditional singing, as she did in the wonderful Trio albums. And she did it all balancing that humongous wig on top of her head:

>Sorry, call me paranoid, but I don't want anybody's software monitoring my music library. You're not paranoid, you've already experienced the Amazon worms. Most kids just click on anything for instant gratification without a thought to consequences. Amazon has become too big, too hard sell for my taste. I NEVER use Google or the wormy gmail. Good thing is just wait awhile and some other huge company will knock them off the pedestal. Look at MySpace & ebay...

What about IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVENUE? ...the story of homeless people squatting in a rich person's apartment while they've gone south for winter. Isn't there a big Christmas dinner in that? We're screening THE LEMON DROP KID for our season finale, our Christmas movie. When Bob sings Silver Bells, it always makes me cry-I have no idea why! Maybe it just evokes memories of childhood Christmas's.

Don't know about any of those....I kind of wish I still had cable TV now. I will tell you when I first got cable (while living in Massachusetts) Zee Cinema was included in the package which began my love of Bollywood. I'd watch these for HOURS despite no English subtitles-I had no idea about the plot, just enjoyed the spectacle of singing, dancing, exotic clothes and locations. Maybe today's sophisticated TVs have translations/captioning, so you'll at least be able to follow the plot. Otherwise you're better off getting "super hit" Bollywood (often Tamil & other genres too) DVDs from your local library that have subtitles. I have bought DVDs at my local Indian grocery without English subtitles too. Beware!

>Recently caught a great film shown on my local "PBS Classics" that starred Hayward as a tragic alcoholic. >This would most likely be SMASH-UP: THE STORY OF A WOMAN. Hayward was oscar-nominated for the first time for this 1947 release. You're right, Auturo, the title just slipped my mind. And yes Andy, I used to mix up Susan Hayward & Ida Lupino too. (I've also been known to confuse Betty Grable & Lana Turner-the bland blondes) I also think Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou on the old Andy Griffith show) bore a striking resemblance to Susan Hayward. Now there is an underrated actress! >I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, where Susan plays a scheming model/dress-maker Who doesn't love the "scheming woman" role? The biggest difference between Hayward & Lupino is that Hayward just kind of fell into acting mostly based on her beauty. She came to Hollywood during the "search for Scarlett" and stayed learning the craft on the job whereas Lupino came from a la family of celebrated actors.

I was named for Susan Hayward, glad she's a class act. Recently caught a great film shown on my local "PBS Classics" that starred Hayward as a tragic alcoholic. She was great and the movie was riveting. I like that she can be a tough boozy dame with sweetness, fragility just under the surface, just enough to make you feel sorry for her, as if goodness is just beyond her reach. She played the exact same sort of dame in I Want To Live.

>She is the only woman that is layed to rest at Main Post Cemetery, Fort Bragg .NC The Tiki family went to Ft Bragg last year to pay our respects to our beloved Martha Raye. Finding her stone was pretty difficult as all the stones are identical. As I recall, there are actually quite a few women buried there. I thought Raye has the distinction of being the only non military civilian laid to rest there. I think "civilian" was written under her name and birth/death dates-I'll have to look at the photos again. Martha Raye was a powerhouse performer and did an awful lot for morale during WW2. There were more than just "pretty" girly girls waiting soldier's return....

>Does anyone remember a '60s television series, International Showtime Nope, but I remember Circus Of The Stars in which marginal celebrities learned difficult physical routines then performed in front of an audience. How could I forget about Trapeze? I just finished Burt Lancaster's biography! I think that film was an excellent portrayal of a performer's life. >Are there still circuses today? There is the *big* traveling US circus: Ringling Bros/Barnum/Bailey where stuff is going on all over 3 rings-too confusing. I much prefer The Big Apple Circus, based here in upstate NY. They have fun acts, large animals and set up stadium seating AROUND the sawdust ring. When the elephants charge in, you can SMELL them, it's amazingly intimate. And their lead clown "Grandma" is everything a clown should be, a total heart stealer. For all those that think clowns are scary or stupid, Grandma will show you what it's really all about. I believe The Royal Hannaford Circus is still performing. Most of the performers are family and descendants of the original performers, it's totally a family tradition. They specialize in "horse" acts and trapeze-thrilling! There is a "filler" short TCM sometimes shows about the famous Christiani circus family. They also specialized in "horse" and "arial" acts, but for the most part working in the private sector. I know one of the Christiani girls (who is about 50 & drop dead gorgeous) who raises & trains horses in the Saratoga area. In my 20's I was on a flight seated next to a trapeze artist. He was also a hard sell make-out artist....guess nothing has changed in the social aspect of circus performers, haha.

I'm with you calcifer, I LOVE the genre charactor logos. Early in TCMs life, these designs were the standard; they were on t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, etc. I was lucky enough to get a vintage diner style mug with the cowgirl on ebay 10 years ago and use it EVERY morning exclusively. (a cowgirl is my business logo) I still look, but never see them any more. There was even a cool "cameraman" design representing film crew. I cannot imagine WHY they replaced these excellent designs (that ensure multiple purchases to get a "set") for the soulless plain "TCM" now found on mugs & shirts. If you are a clever artist, you can d/l the teeny logos, blow them up & clean the edges for larger printing.