JackBurley

Is Uncle Buck a "classic" now? [Congratulations, Sandy!]

The version of the Olivier story that I'd always heard took place when he was working with Dustin Hoffman on Marathon Man. Mr. Hoffman was torturing himself to make his performance more "real". For instance, he'd gone without sleeping for days. Lord Olivier is said to have approached him with, "Dear boy, why don't you just act?"

I only found out tonight that Fayard Nicholas died last January 24. I was out of the country at the time and have a list of people to chastise for not informing me upon my return. The Nicholas Brothers were a dynamite duo; often the highlight of the pictures they were in. I hope TCM paid tribute to them after Mr. Nicholas' passing. RIP http://www.bejata.com/images/The%20Nicholas%20Brothers-thumb.jpeg

I have the entire Ultra Lounge set. It always drove me crazy that they didn't give any notes on the bonus tracks. It's no wonder I didn't realize what it was. Took me a few years to realize many of the bonus tracks are Renzo Cesana ("The Continental"). You've just cleared up another one of the bonus track mysteries for me. Thanks!

sandy, thanks for taking the baton and explaining so articulately about "the method". My response was, of course, very simplified. After a one-sentence description of method acting, maybe I can get a job at Reader's Digest? There's a library of books devoted to the theory of method and all the branches that grew from it. I was hoping someone would bring up Stella Adler's influence and then Uta Hagen too. I believe that Mr. Brando was a follower of Ms. Adler; whereas Paul Newman and James Dean were under Strasberg's tutelage.

Uh oh. I have that Ultra Lounge disk, so I guess I have heard that rendition of Mr. Torme's. I hosted a Hallowe'en party one year and requested that everyone dress as their favorite Fellini character. Served lots of Italian food, music from the soundtracks played all over the house. I made a montage of all Fellini's food scenes which played as a centerpiece on the banquet table; and had various films and homages (including Gilda Radner's take off; was it called La Dolce Gilda? Anyway, it was very sweet...) playing on monitors all around. I also hired someone to do the striptease from La Dolce Vita as it played on screen. The best costume? A fellow dressed as the Jesus statue with a helicopter hovering over his head (the opening of La Dolce Vita. La Notte di Cabiria is charming and sad and disturbing and... ah, I love Giulietta Masina. So expressive and tender; she evokes a gentle humility. I wonder if it's ever played as a double-feature with Sweet Charity?

When I think of Mervyn LeRoy, the first thing that pops into mind is The Wizard of Oz, which he produced. Then I think of Quo Vadis, which he directed. Never thought of him as a director of the gangster genre, as I'd forgotten that he made Little Caesar (I thought Wellman made it)...

I love this movie and own it on DVD. Some snappy dialogue and lots of really great music. What a beautiful arrangement of "At Last"! Lynn Bari sounds suspiciously like Pat Friday. I'm always shocked that the father figure was so supportive of her running away with this trumpet player. And it's great to see Ann Rutherford doing something besides picking cotton or chasing after Andy Hardy.

Ah, I see now that you changed the subject title. Sorry for the confusion. It seems your friend is confused too though. There were many versions of Madame X, most notably featuring Ruth Chatterton (1929) and Lana Turner (1966). There were more, but alas, Susan Hayward is in none of them.

Not sure I understand... are you asking what year Miss Hayward's Back Street was released? 1961. I don't believe it's on DVD, and though it was on video at one time, it seems to be out-of-print. You might be able to find a used one...

"The Method" originated with Stanislavski, a russian teacher at the Moscow Art Theatre. This is a process wherein the actor draws on his own background, history and experience to recreate emotions for the part. Lee Strasberg, at the Actor's Studio in New York City popularized method acting in the 1940's and '50's.

No, I'm not familiar with that song. Thanks for bringing to light for me! White NIghts slays me every time I see it. It's one of those movies that whenever it plays in a local theatre I make an effort to be there. The mood of the piece stays with me long after the film is over. I wish Nino Rota's full soundtrack were on cd...

Her untimely death was discussed on the A&E Biography of Miss Darnell...

Sure, I've seen the "Mr. Monotony" number and I think she'd look swell in that costume anytime. Okay, well maybe not as Esther Smith... It's more appropriate in Summer Stock, as Hannah Brown would never have worn that in public in the period of Easter Parade.

One of these threads was a query of whom we would like to see as "Star of the Month". Mastroianni was one of my choices. It'd be swell to see a retrospective of this talented, charming and handsome actor.

I saw Cabin in the Cotton on TCM the other night and was surprised by the reading of that line. It's one of those lines you hear all the time, but I'd never heard the original reading until this week. I thought it was intended to be bitchy, and was surprised when Miss Davis said it in such a sexy, flirtatious way. She was hot!

I always assumed it was intended as one of the plot twists. Just as he hired big name Janet Leigh to open the film, knowing that the audience wouldn't expect the "star" to be killed in the first 10 minutes; he hired boy next door (innocence personified in Friendly Persuasion and The Matchmaker), so the audience would be led to believe he was a sweet kid who cared for his mother.

I'm a Fellini fanatic and have guided many friends through his movies. When approaching his films I think it's best to start with his earlier works. Luci del Variet? ("Variety Lights") or Lo Sceicco Bianco ("The White Sheik") which introduces the character of Cabiria whom we'll get to know better later. From there to his more serious works I Vitteloni and La Strada. Then to the fruition of Cabiria (played by his Fellini's wife, Giulietta Masina) in his Oscar winning La Notti di Cabiria. La Dolce Vita is a turning point; Fellini becomes more and more experimental with character development and plot from here on. Some people who start with La Dolce Vita or 8 1/2 seem to be intimidated by them; but when they see the earlier works first, they get an idea his scope and are curious to see more. Amarcord is one of my favorites; so I hope you'll check out this warm recollection of Fellini's childhood. Mr. Helm was right about Cocteau and his enchanting La Belle et La B?te, which is available in a beautiful Criterion Collection edition. For mid-century french work I'd also suggest Carne's work, especially his masterpiece Les Enfants du Paradis. Kurasawa, DeSica, Wenders, Herzog, Hallstr?m, Bergman (Wild Strawberries might be a good intro to Bergman), Visconti (Le Notti Bianche), Bertolucci, Bunuel, Truffaut, Renoir, Godard... wow, you have so many new discoveries ahead of you, shearerchic. I hope you'll keep us updated with your progress!

Yes, she did; and there are current discussion regarding this movie. For instance, check out this one: http://forums.turnerclassicmovies.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?messageID=7794982

"The studio was shocked at how much weight she had lost, but they filmed the Get Happy number anyhow. When the film was released, she was so shockingly slim in that scene in comparison to the rest of the movie, that a lot of people thought it was an outtake from another movie." And ironically the costume and look that she wore in this number, is from an outtake from another movie; as she wears the outfit that she wore in the cut "Mr. Monotony" number from Easter Parade.

She was in many well known features such as Little Women, Becky Sharp, Of Human Bondage, I Walked with a Zombie...

He would've done a great job on Wait Until Dark. Actually, The Bad Seed seems to be up his alley. The villain hidden by her veil of seeming innocence in the guise of the "perfect little girl". Do you know why he passed on these, Mr.Wright?

Have you tried Mrs. Mike (the movie that I mentioned below)? The baby is coming in the movie, and they're living in the frontier...

You mentioned the outtake of Kathryn Grayson singing "I've Told Every Little Star"; her escort in this scene is Johnny Johnston. He joins her for a rendition of "The Song is You". He married Miss Grayson in 1947. It was great to see these missing scenes. I only wish they'd also included the footage of Lena Horne singing "Bill".

Thurl Ravenscroft! I'm a big fan of Mr. Ravenscroft. Yes, he was Tony the Tiger; and he sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". He also did a lot of work for Disney, and can be heard at the "Pirates of the Carribbean", "Enchanted Tiki Room" and "Haunted Mansion" attractions. He was a member of the Sportsmen Quartet that sings in the MGM musical For Me and My Gal and was one of the cat voices in Disney's [/i]The Aristocats[/i]. He had a long career and was a wonderful guy.