JackBurley
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Posts posted by JackBurley
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I was there for the screening of Kiss the Blood Off My Hands. Such a lurid title! It was difficult for me to imagine Ms. Fontaine in a movie of that name, but it was nice to see her without the simpering trappings of some of her characters. I found the movie to be quite enjoyable. Beautiful print; amazing close-ups. Burt Lancaster's close-ups in the first scene were striking. Loved the "sickening" angles as Jane experiences her anxiety attack. And thank to Mikl?s R?zsa for the aural backdrop.
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The talented and vivacious Kay Thompson was a huge influence at the MGM's legendary Freed Unit. She arrived at MGM in 1943 to take the place of another big talent, the composer/arranger/singer Hugh Martin, who'd gone into the military service. Ms. Thompson was Judy's vocal coach for Meet Me in St. Louis, The Pirate, The Harvey Girls, among others flicks and became one of her best friends. She wrote arrangements for Meet the People and Till the Clouds Roll By. Kay Thompson was a behind-the-scenes powerhouse. Oh, and she was Liza Minnelli's godmother. (Ms. Minnelli was, of course, her co-star in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon.) Little Liza was Ms. Thompson's inspiration for the character of Eloise -- the little girl who lived in the Plaza Hotel and starred in the popular series of children's books that Thompson wrote.
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I suppose it's possible that Francis Ford Coppola couldn't be bothered due to some ill feelings, but I'm betting his absence has more to do with his work on the upcoming Youth Without Youth that was shot in Bulgaria and Romania. There have been rumors up here in his neighborhood regarding his elusive behavior in the past couple seasons, but he assured locals that 1) there were no unusual problems with the shooting and production; and 2) making a movie takes a lot of time. He's been working long hours on post-production on this pre-WWII drama. I believe it's his first directorial effort in 10 years and he wants it to be right.
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Sounds like Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion starring Jean Gabin and Erich von Stroheim...
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Well there really are about a dozen versions of this. Could be the 1930 British version with Charles Ruggles...
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"Everyone's seen singin' in the rain at least once before in their life. After the movie you've sang the song (singin' in the rain)...has it every actually rained after you sing the song?
I've watched it a couple weeks ago and on and off I would sing that wonderful tune and later on it would start raining! Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe that that song is magic! It's gotta be movie magic or something because it's changin the weather....I know I'm not going crazy here....Where's Gene when I need him.
I haven't noticed this pattern, though I often play the song on my answering machine as my outgoing message during rainy days. The last time I saw Mr. Kelly, he was in Paris. If I see him, I'll let him know you're looking for him.
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Charlie's Aunt was actually made during World War II (in 1941). It starred Jack Benny and Kay Francis. The musical version -- Where's Charley? -- was a stage hit for Ray Bolger. He brought it to the screen in 1952.
Message was edited by JackBurley, who possesses second thoughts:
Maybe I should have given the benefit of the doubt, for there are many versions of Charley's Aunt. The two versions that I mentioned above are the most famous, but if you're looking for a pre-war version, this play hit the screen a dozen times, and as early as the Swedish Charleys Tant in 1926.
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I still watch bits and pieces. Anytime Kay Thompson is on the screen, I'm there. Think Pink! It's great to see Suzy Parker, Dovima (sans elephant), etc. modeling the wares. The fashion shoot stuff is great to watch. Some of the soft focus photography is beginning to wear thin on me and there are stretches that I don't need to see for awhile. Still, it's a gorgeous movie -- and a must for all who are interested in Gershwin, MGM musicals (even if they weren't made at MGM), 1950's aesthetics, etc.
Enjoy!
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I think you might have misunderstood my reply; I was wondering if the original poster was thinking of the advertisment as she searches for the "the name of musical F. Astaire (I think) was in where he danced up and down the staircase." My poor memory doesn't serve me well enough to remember what the origin of the footage. It's been a long time since I've seen that commercial; but I wonder if this what Ms. Dog is looking for?
[but anything that brings NZ in to post is well worth it.]
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I couldn't help but think if she was really thinking of 1) the "I'll Build a Staircase to Paradise" number with George Guetary in An American in Paris; or 2) the advertisement that manipulated Fred Astaire footage to look as if he were dancing on a staircase with a with floor sweeper...
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Hope to see more of you on the board. Enjoy.
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You've described Laura with Clifton Webb and the grandfather clock...
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You can write up here too. I can even lend you a pencil! Write all day, gaze at Joan Bennett and Lizabeth Scott all night.
There are a few more days to go:
Today
The Big Combo- John Alton's camera works over Richart Conte and Cornell Wilde in a restored print from UCLA.
The Spiritualist New print from Sony Classics features Lynn Bari and Turhan Bey.
Saturday, February 3
Burt Lancaster double feature: I Walk Alone (Never on VHS nor DVD) Recently discovered archival print courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (Never on VHS nor DVD) New print from Universal
Sunday, February 4
Joan Crawford double feature with The Damned Don't Cry and Possessed/
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"It was so charming and colorful and I loved Gordon Macrae's voice(or whoever dubbed, you never know)."
That was all MacRae. He never needed a voice double...
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"I think that one of the reasons the Grable set did not sell as well as hoped was that it was a bit overpriced compared to some of the other box sets of classics out there.
Also, it didn't seem like there was much publicity for the Durbin set. I found it while browsing the shelves at my local Borders--and, yes, it was shelved with the comedies. I hadn't even heard that it had been released, or was even in existence! I had only seen one Durbin film--Three Smart Girls--on AMC years ago. But for $23.99, it was worth it to get 6 films!"
I didn't buy the first Grable collection because there were no extra features. I think I only bought of the films because it was the only one that had supplemental material.
I had no idea about the Durbin Sweetheart set either. I was thrilled to stumble upon it at the Virgin Records at Union Square in Manhattan. When I came out to the west coast, I looked for another copy at Tower. It took quite a search as it turned out it was filed under "Deanna"! No wonder they went out of business.
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I love it! I'd never realized that Ginger connection. I wonder if Ms. Rogers went to the premiere of the movie, and what she thought. Girl Crazy is a favorite of mine. "I'm Bidin' My Time" is a classic moment; "Treat Me Rough" is wild with its sado-masochistic imagery; Busby Berkeley meets Tommy Dorsey? I'm there!
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"Joshua Logan was Dialogue Director for " The Garden of Allah ",many years ago he was a guest on " Kup's Show ", a local talk program. Mr Logan did a great Dietrich impression, I laughed and laughed. He did mention the ' r ' problem"
Yes, thank you Mr. 123! 'Twas Josh Logan -- not Garson Kanin -- who wrote of the dialogue challenges of this movie. I've corrected my post. Thanks again.
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I found a new appreciation for The Garden of Allah last night. During the first portion of the film, I was struck by how little dialogue there was and how the faces of Dietrich and Boyer were enough to convey the story. That close-up of Boyer as a tear wells in his eye and spills down his cheek was stunning. I believe Josh Logan wrote about being a lowly assistant writer on this movie during his first trip to Hollywood. He wrote of the difficulty of writing lines for Dietrich who couldn't pronounce her "r"'s and Boyer who could barely pronounce any English at all. He also wrote of the absurdity of filming Dietrich strolling the desert sands in high heels.
It was great to see the legendary ballerina Tilly Losch at work. This is one of the [many] reasons that I love old movies: they are a capsule of history allowing us to actually see the legends of a previous time.
What an astounding supporting cast: Dietrich's own daughter Maria Riva, Bonita Granville, Lucille Watson, C. Aubrey Smith, Basil Rathbone, John Carradine, Joseph Schildkraut, That's rich!
But best of all was the scrumptious cinematography. I decided I would buy the DVD of this movie; turn off the sound and just let those gorgeous images tickle my television screen.
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"Ok, would this be during the Napoleonic period? I think that?s about the only time England and France were at war.
It sometimes seems the British and French rivals have been at war almost as much as they haven't:
1066 The Norman Conquest
1139-1141 War of Stephen & Matilda
1152-1453 War of the Whiskers
1224 Saintonge War
1324 War of Saint-Sardos
1337-1453 Hundred Years' War
1688-1697 Nine Years War (along with Portugal, Spain Holland and Germany)
1701-1714 War of the Spanish Succession
1754 & 1756?1763 The French/Indian War
I believe the War of Austrian Succession also pitted the two against each other... Some might even include the American Revolutionary War as a war of England against France.
With that said, oh Mr. 1, can you tell us in which era the movie you're searching took place?
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"It's interesting that FOX would make a comment like that, yet they've released (or are in the process of releasing) elaborate box sets dedicated to Betty Grable and Alice Faye, two of their biggest musical stars, and have released many of the studio's best musicals (e.g., ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND, DADDY LONG LEGS, CALL ME MADAM, etc.) on DVD.
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Now, if only Universal would release more of Deanna Durbin's films...
I had heard that the Betty Grables set did not sell as well as Fox had hoped and I understand the Universal "Sweetheart Pack" of Deanna Durbin films also left them underwhelmed. They made it to my shelves, and I've been hoping for more Durbin, but prospects don't seem good... Has the Alice Faye set been released yet? I understand The Gang's All Here has been in production, but I don't believe it's been released yet...
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Rhino Records -- in partnership with TCM -- released a limited numbered edition of 2,500 cds of The Pirate under their "Handmade" division. This disk includes the "Voodoo" outtake, along with outtakes of "Love Of My Life", an unused version of "Mack the Knife", demos of several numbers and interviews with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. It might still be available at the Rhino Handmade website...
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Greta Garbo expiring from consumption in Camille
Orson Welles muttering a mystery in Citizen Kane
Merle Oberon longing for the moors in Wuthering Heights
Margaret Hamilton's liquification in Wizard of Oz
Janet Leigh's shower in Psycho
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"I do like her in another little known film only her voice is heard,because it was and animated film. 'Gay Purree', in which she plays a beautiful country cat in france, longing to go to the big city of Paris. The songs in it are great. I have the album. I do not lnow if it has ever come out on cd..."
The soundtrack to Gay Purr-ee was released as a Rhino Handmade in a limited numbered edition of 2,500 disks. I believe you can buy a copy from the Rhino Handmade website...
Please -- Please Paramount --- Release "I Walk Alone"!!
in Film Noir--Gangster
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"Do you suppose Paramount merely discovered the print in its own archives and supplied it for today's screening, even though Universal owns distribution rights?"
If this is a clue to anything, the Noir City 5 program reads with regards to I Walk Alone:
"Never on home video or DVD. A seminal film noir, thought lost, presented in a rediscovered 35mm archival print courtesy of Paramount, expecially for Noir City 5. ..."