Tikisoo
-
Posts
9,238 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
6
Posts posted by Tikisoo
-
-
13 minutes ago, cigarjoe said:
Depends on what or what you are not wearing with them, no?
No, depends more on your legs-mine are chunky-nothing looks sexy!
13 minutes ago, cigarjoe said:Some nice steam locomotive action in that one also.
I'll never forget seeing a real steam train running; the noise! the smell! You don't get that from a movie. (kind of like the circus, a truly dead genre)
Yeah, the accoutrements of Westerns like trains, horses, sets really adds to their atmosphere. The unsettled American West is truly a special setting for a movie.
Horses are often treated like inanimate objects in Westerns, but in reality the relationship between a cowboy & his horse was/is very personal & vital to existence. I've always said it's easier to find a husband than to find the right horse.
-
1
-
-
49 minutes ago, Sepiatone said:
And I understand they had a problem in getting that horse in CAT BALLOU to cross it's legs. An unnatural thing for a horse to do, I've heard.
Um no. It's actually a very easy trick to teach. Teaching a horse to lean against a wall is a difficult trick. Other common tricks are teaching a horse to "shake hands" with it's hoof and the "Spanish Walk". My horse does all kinds of tricks for candy.
Horses can even travel laterally by crossing their legs, in dressage it's called a "leg yield"-part of Olympic competition.
49 minutes ago, Sepiatone said:comedians making reference to "a s s less chaps" .
You are correct. Chaps are like leather tubes to protect the rider's leg & help grip the saddle. Leather is too thick for the hip/thigh crease for easy movement-why they are open at the seat.
Chinks only cover the thigh like an apron:
and half-chaps from ankle to knee.
I wear these- very unsexy.
-
My first thought was similar to the previous one that most people today have no "connection" with the Wild West. Then I thought about the comedy that addresses exactly that, CITY SLICKERS:
(only Bruno is balanced & ready in case his horse trips or spooks^^)
Our society is so far removed from everything Westerns contain, it's hard for people to get enthused about them. Today's audience would rather fantasize about future worlds than empathize with all the grit and adventure it took to settle the West.
Most westerns bore me because they're simply a tale of revenge. In that sense modern movies are just "Space Westerns" the same formula, different setting.
I'm more interested in people and their connection with the land & animals. I'm always amazed people traveled all the way across the US by horse; a horse is slow, not comfortable & high maintenance. You lose an animal, you're doomed.
Errol Flynn and the Humane Society stopped the tripping horses in movies. Even I'm amazed horses were trained to "fall".
-
3
-
-
20 hours ago, TomJH said:
Really, TikiSoo? Amazing how two people can see the same performance and come away with different impressions of it. I think John Barrymore is at his most elegant as the Baron in Grand Hotel.
Oh sorry. I just hated GRAND HOTEL, the plot felt tedious, Garbo's a bore & I hate what happens to Kringeleine. It's being screened this spring & I'm hoping it's better for me on the big screen with an audience.
There's lots of movies that I don't care for until seeing them in a theater setting- that's why I always give a movie another try if given the opportunity.
Also-in general I love Julie Harris performances. I don't know....she always seems so vulnerable.
-
I finally watched 1988's TORCH SONG TRILOGY. This is Harvey Fierstein's tour de force Broadway play somewhat adapted for film.
It follows the life of an adult gay man, Arnold (Fierstein) and his quest for respect and love. It starts with him talking (to us) directly to the camera, bringing us into his world. It's heartbreaking to see him go through flirtations and relationships with men who just want to "have fun" while he's longing for stability and even having a family of his own. ( just like hetero relationships!) Only the pool is smaller and tougher for him to find the "right" one because in the 80's, they were still in the closet, only out in particular sections of NYC, mostly entertainment venues.
The story's success falls on Fierstein's shoulders entirely-he must be entertaining and likable for us to feel his pain & frustration-and he succeeds. His job is female impersonator and I love that backstage is openly shown, what things are like from the performer's side. Fierstein is a terrible female impersonator. He doesn't look like a woman, especially funny when he sings with that deep raspy voice of his, which actually adds to the pathos of the performance. I've always loves Fierstein and was completely won over by his performance.
I especially liked when asked what he does and he says, "Female Impersonator" and the person says, "No, I mean for a living". Another fun scene is in a dress shop, where the saleslady doesn't know why these big men are in there!
There are tragedies & twists which you can discover for yourself. But the story climaxes with a visit from Mom overplayed by Anne Bancroft (Estelle Getty on Broadway). She acts a little over the top NYC Jew Mom, but maybe that's accurate for the time, she's still likable & believable. When Mom gets into a cab to leave, Arnold desperately yells "MOM" out the window and I cried like a baby, knowing all the love & pain he feels in that moment.
I know Fierstein also wrote THE BIRDCAGE, and the relationships are kept to that level. Men kiss, but thankfully there are no sex scenes (I hate sex scenes in movies, no matter who's involved) making this movie inoffensive to this old lady viewer. Loved it. Well written, well directed & edited, my interest never waned.
-
10 hours ago, speedracer5 said:
With the exception of Grand Hotel which I think I need to re-watch, I haven't seen any of the films that you listed. Perhaps that is where my disconnect is with Barrymore. I will keep an eye out for him.
Thank you.
I don't want to disappoint Errol.
Blech, Grand Hotel is the worst example of John's talent. I actually love Barrymore's ham and knowing you love Errol so much, know you will "get" him if seeing him in the right movie. Barrymore did chestnuts Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and Don Juan, but the productions are early and tougher for me to engage.
Of the dozen films in my "Great Barrymore" box set:
'32's Arséne Lupin, Topaz (personal faves)
'31's Svengali, Mad Genius (a little heavy, but great if you're in the mood)
32's State's Attorney
'34's Long Lost Father, 20th Century (every "ting-a-ling" cracks me up)
'39's The Great Man Votes, Midnight
and 1940's fluffer The Invisible Woman with other fave Virginia Bruce.
There's more, but I don't recall how I felt about them like 36's Return of Peter Grimm (fantasy) and '29's The Show of Shows.
Time for a revisit!
-
2
-
-
I watched 2 movies back to back-the second a direct result of the first.
First was 1964's THE PUMPKIN EATER starring Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch & James Mason. Killer cast, eh? I thought I had seen this before and liked it, but was wrong. It's the story of an oft married woman raising a number of children by herself. She seems to love her life, but like most women of the 60's, still has the notion life would be "complete" with a man. She meets & falls for cutie Peter Finch and they marry right away. He tolerates the crowded household while struggling to develop his career as screenwriter. The more successful he gets, the more absent he becomes and eventually hints of infidelity arise. (great cameos by both Maggie Smith & Janine Gray as the gals) His infidelity is finally confirmed by Gray's long suffering husband played by Mason who comes across as sad & creepy. I was waiting for Bancroft to stick her head out the window & yell, "I'm as mad as hell and not going to take this anymore! But no, all we get is the expected confrontation & removal of Finch from the household. The story wraps up with the stupid needy wife's acceptance of her cheating husband. Riveting acting all around, but sad & frustrating. Beautifully photographed, Bancroft never looked better.
Antidote?
The 1966 fluff comedy MADE IN PARIS, starring Ann-Margaret. It's a pretty basic story about a "good girl" who has worked her way up the ladder in the fashion industry. She is aggressively pursued by several men, but is steadfast in protecting her virginity. Fate brings her to Paris on a buying spree for her store, the backdrop for the story. My Mother was in the fashion industry those same years and I can tell you this movie shows the excitement of the industry quite accurately. (so sad it's completely gone-thanks GAP)
While in (Hollywood set) Paris, Margaret is smitten with handsome, exciting clothing designer played by Jordan and tries attracting him by making a spectacle of herself in nightclubs. Wow, those scenes give Ann-Margaret a chance to show what a fantastic entertainer she is, singing & especially dancing. One charming number in particular, she sings with the great Reta Shaw!
Eventually, the smart gal wises up that it's best to be true to herself and is saved by her NY store boss (& gorgeous) Chad Everett, who seems to be imitating Clark Gable every time he opens his mouth. Cute wrap up, obvious/thin story but the sets & clothing are incredible visual support, making this very fun viewing for anyone interested in 60's fashion at it's best.
-
3
-
-
Because we were given high standards to idolize.
Studio era movies were based on "morality", no one ever got away with selfishness, cheating, crimes. Not even in private lives, just look at the lengths studios would go to cover up a star's "scandals".
The studio system gave us high standards for beauty and lifestyle, much of which is unattainable for the average person, but it at least gave the public some kind of goal. Sure, all that was fueled by money, after all movies were a business.
But our society today holds no high standards, community, no pride-it's all about "whatever I want", not how your behaviour effects others.
-
1
-
1
-
-
I was pleasantly surprised to see BERSERK! as the offering last night-I had never seen it before. Also the first movie I think ever seeing Diana Dors too. I love circus movies too!
Horrible. I cannot believe Joan saw the dailies and did not alter her appearance, especially with beauties Dors & Geeson in the same shot.
Joan's hairline is nonexistent, making her look totally bald like Ben Franklin. At that age she'd benefit from softer hair framing her face. Ghastly.
Dors wig was immoveable burnt nylon and she looks preggo- sorry that skirted bow does not camouflage it in the least. It was pretty bold of her to wear that tight costume.
I thought it was campy acting all the way around. Do you think that was intentional? Tongue in cheek? Or just bad? Berserk! just misses being a decent thriller, but glad I finally saw it.
-
Still bedridden...oh goody! Just in time to watch the impeachment trials. Yes, I've been watching them every day from beginning to end (except the first day I gave up at 10pm, it went until 2am) and sometimes think I'm the only person who really cares enough to stick with it. I could be watching DVDs.
Don't let anyone tell you the trial is boring, it's fascinating! Sure, a lot of the same information is gone over numerous times, but often from different angles. It's most impressive seeing people speak in complete sentences using good grammar for the most part.
The biggest takeaway so far has been the request for witnesses & documents: denied. Then the House Managers go on to use available public documentation; like interviews, press conferences, emails & tweets to illustrate their points. You see/hear people damning themselves, admitting wrongdoing in their own words.
I cannot wait for the lawyers defense portion of the program. I want to hear it all and decide.
-
2
-
1
-
-
31 Days of Oscar is one of the only months I don't record anything-they showcase Oscar winning movies-usually good movies- and I've seen them all several times.
-
Ok I know we can go down a slippery slope here, so I'll try being brief:
1 hour ago, TomJH said:Strong as Mammy appeared to be prior to the war, her mind is too "simple" to run a plantation on her own afterward. She needs the strength and intelligence of Scarlett to be there in order to survive.
I don't see it that way. I see it as the only life Mammy knew up to that point and she stayed where she felt secure. Mammy was the one who brought up Scarlett (and Scarlett's Mother) so that was her "family". We also don't know the familial relationships of the newly freed slaves. Possibly Mammy had more people to think of than just herself.
I don't think there were many opportunities for newly freed slaves to strike out on their own to make a living unless they sold their soul to the Carpetbaggers. I will admit every time I hear "darkies" or "colored" it makes me cringe-just like it should!
-
Has anyone here ever seen an Eshelman Sportabout? It's an adult car to be used on the road, but looks like a kiddie car.
I do know Eshelman made kiddie cars too. I bet many ended up on kiddie rides made by Allan Herschell Co
-
2
-
-
I hated DODSWORTH first time I saw it. Then the classic film group I belong to showed it on the big screen with an audience & I LOVED it! Some movies are like that. The entire audience applauded at the end. (we've also screened THE LETTER)
Fedya, try to stick with Mrs Miniver-a movie I avoided a long time. The entire story had an emotional impact on me, so much so I don't think I can watch it again.
Amazing BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES is so long and still so good.
-
19 hours ago, TomJH said:
Of course the film has also long been a source of controversy for its false depiction and stereotyping of slaves
I dunno, you described Prissy as simple minded, Mammy as wise. Polk was a house servant, lost without Tara, big Sam the strong farm manager & protector.
Then you have Scarlett who's silly then strong, Melanie & Ashley who are also lost without their plantation, Rhett who's the opportunist, Belle Watling the town tart.
Seems as though they're just CHARACTORS.
19 hours ago, TomJH said:"I don't know nothing about birthing no babies"
If anyone thinks that's negative stereotyping language, I'll tell you 90% of my school kids speak using double negatives because their parents do.
-
15 hours ago, Fedya said:
She thought turkeys could fly?
Of course turkeys can fly.
-
10 hours ago, cigarjoe said:
Ever notice with TV shows and series we judge the complete run.
But we all expect situation comedies to kind of diminish near their end-happens to some, not to others.
Yes, I've always said anthology series are spotty, like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Twilight Zone. A friend who made a documentary on the Twilight Zone pointed out there's about 1/3 great episodes, 1/3 good episodes and 1/3 not-so-good episodes. Episodic.
Whoa I just watched the pilot of All In The Family, the clapper card said it was to be called "Those Were The Days". Amazing to see Carroll O'Connor had already nailed his character, but I heard him slip into his Irish speech when he said, "I almost burned me hand!"
The Mike & Gloria they originally had were DULL compared to Reiner & Struthers. I would have never realized their immense contribution if I hadn't seen it without them.
-
32 minutes ago, TopBilled said:
I also think they're playing up southern stereotypes a little too much, even though most of the performers are quite good.
The performers & writing were great.
"Southern stereotype" is right. We spent a week in Mt Airy, MrTiki did a marathon run up Pilot Mountain (Mount Pilot) The people of the area were the rudest, hardest, inhospitable people we had met outside of Myrtle Beach SC. No "please" or even "thank you".
But we did find the legendary "Southern Hospitality" further south in Alabama, one of my favorite places ever visited in the US.
-
1
-
-
On 1/17/2020 at 8:58 PM, LawrenceA said:
Saturday, January 18 2020
The Old Dark House (1963)
Wow was that a stinker!
-
1
-
3
-
-
19 hours ago, Sepiatone said:
Sure, there's still chauvinism, but not too widespread as it was at the time of the show's run.
Really? Guess you've missed all the sexual harassment on the job issues since 1991's Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings.
If chauvinism was diminished, there'd be no "Me Too" movement.
-
1
-
3
-
-
Since I'm bedridden with the flu, I've binge watched The Television of Arts & Sciences Foundation Academy INTERVIEWS. They are amazing, here's one by Pat Morita talking about Redd Foxx:
Who would have guessed he was that kind of guy?
I've watched interviews about Twilight Zone, Happy Days, Andy Griffith Show, The Simpsons, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Jeffersons, Golden Girls, Taxi, Seinfeld....and I never even saw a Seinfeld! Still very interesting.
My conclusion is there are tons of great TV shows from the beginning of TV to the present. Tons of talent that we got to see every week-every day with syndication. Sure, some are geared towards older or younger viewers, but still just excellent quality TV.
Once in awhile someone interviewed talks about being in a movie, like Isabel Sanford talking about GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER. She also talked about Zara Cully, the lady who played Mother Jefferson. The writing was great, but you can't discount all she brought to the role.
Thank You TV Foundation for offering this incredible archive of interviews! What a fantastic resource!
-
2
-
-
I just watched an interview with Rue McClanahan about the casting of Golden Girls:
Could you IMAGINE it any other way?
Gold, pure gold is right. Happy Birthday Baby!
-
On 11/6/2019 at 9:38 PM, slaytonf said:
Le Tombeau Hindou translates as The Indian Tomb (1959):
in which Miss Paget does her famous snake dance:
Well, only pt 1 (Tiger of Eschnapur) can be found at my library- The Indian Tomb must be stolen.
I was very disappointed in Paget's dance. They were right in India filming, you would think they'd employ an Indian choreographer to make it look authentic. Paget just slithered around in a US style dance.
Real Indian dancing is like hula-there are several "moves" employed that help tell a story. Even Michael Jackson's choreographer employed this style/method in his music videos.
-
On 12/28/2019 at 4:10 PM, LawrenceA said:
If you mouse over the titles mentioned, you can also watch the shorts.
Took 3 times reading it to figure out what you're saying. Animation....mouse...I immediately thought of Disney!😎
Why do we idolize Old Hollywood?
in General Discussions
Posted
(granted, many of those movies are adapted from books)
Off the top of my head:
GWTW is a classic example
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
PINKY
MILDRED PIERCE
IMITATION OF LIFE
BABY FACE
NIGHT NURSE
GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT
HEAT OF THE NIGHT/PARIS BLUES/PATCH OF BLUE (most Poitier movies depict unfair treatment of blacks)
I can't think of one studio era movie that focus's on unfair treatment of homosexuals. We had to wait until the 80's. Sad.