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JackBurley

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Posts posted by JackBurley

    who are we all

    in Hot Topics

    Posted

    "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

     

    That's the oft repeated quote that is attributed to Mark Twain; though I understand it's apocryphal. This City is known for its cool summer months as the heat of the Big Valley draws wind currents in from the cold Pacific, creating fog and cooling off the City. Sometimes there is a 40 degree difference between San Francisco and her neighboring suburbs.

     

    Poor Rainee was victimized by this phenomenon. Candlestick Park was known for being a cold spot on this peninsula. Giants fans never came to a game without their blankets and sweatshirts. I always say the two coldest months in San Francisco are December and July.

    A World Well Lost

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    "It's certainly not a classic in the pre-1960 sense, but one of a handful of modern films that I do love: "Brazil"."

     

    But Brazil is most certainly a classic in the post-1960 sense. I saw this movie five times when it first came out in the theatres. Now I own the Criterion Collection DVD of it. Yup, it's a classic.

    longest and shortest

    in Games and Trivia

    Posted

    "Unless of course, they were shown as double features; was that often the case?"

     

    It was my understanding the movie theatre played trailers, short subjects, cartoons, feature films in a continuous rotation throughout the day. One would enter the theatre anytime during the rotation and could stay as long as they wanted...

    Silver Screen's Operatunities

    in Musicals

    Posted

    One of my opera professors had told me that Lanza's voice wasn't large; that it was better suited to European houses than the cavernous American halls. Unfortunately relatively few ever heard him sing live. I wonder if any audience members from his Tanglewood days or his Philadelphia performances are still around. Certainly those who attended his concert tour just before starting at MGM are around. Koussevitzky admired his voice and gave Cocozza a full scholarship to Tanglewood when he was only 21. He was young; male voices continue to grow into middle-age. Otello, for instance, is traditionally a role that tenors wouldn't approach until in their 40's. At any rate, all we have to go by now are recordings of his glorious tenor. It's a shame he was in such poor health. There's no telling where his career would have gone if he'd been able to fulfill his commitments at La Scala and Roma in the late 1950's and early 1960's. And it's touching that he's remembered so well today. Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures paid homage to Lanza, as the girls (anti-heroines) were avid fans and played his recordings through the movie.

    Constance Campbell Bennett

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    GarboManiac said, "No one is introducing a thread on Constance Bennett: Love Her or Hate Her because there isn't a strong enough collective memory out there to debate her."

     

    Okay, I'm up for the challenge; this is the TCM Message Board after all. We're not movie neophytes who have only heard of Bette Davis and Cary Grant. So do tell:

     

    Constance Bennett: Take a stand! Her film career lasted 50 years. What were your favorites? What was her best role? Her least successful? Joan or Constance [or Barbara!]: pick one. What Price Hollywood? Topper? And GarboManiac: don't forget Two-Faced Woman...

    E-mail reminders of movie dates

    in Information, Please!

    Posted

    Do you want to choose more? You can go to the "Schedule". There, in the far right column is an icon that looks like a clock. Click there and the reminder form will come up. You can also search for movie titles via the "Movie Database". Once you've searched for your movie and the results are on the screen, look to the upper right. It will tell you if the movie is scheduled for broadcast. And if so, gives you the option of having the reminder sent.

     

    Good luck. Enjoy!

    Favorite Gene Kelly Movies

    in Musicals

    Posted

    "Jack, that' s from It's a Big Country (1951). Great little film. "

     

    Another on my list of unseen Gene Kelly movies. For someone who's so extraordinarily popular, it's odd so many of his movies aren't shown. I'll depend on TCM to remedy this for me. In fact, I'll go to the Suggest a Movie window now...

     

    Thanks Ayres!

    Favorite Gene Kelly Movies

    in Musicals

    Posted

    "...Kelly and Rita Hayworth look amazing together, [and] they have excellent chemistry. It also features one of my very favorite songs of all time, 'Long Ago and Far Away'."

     

    You're so right, Slums. They make a gorgeous couple in Cover Girl, and it doesn't get much better than Jerome Kern's "Long Ago and Far Away". I'll have that melody playing through my head today, thanks to you. :)

     

    "Does anyone else loose their reply when they hit 'preview'?"

     

    Sometimes this site "times out" when we take a long amount of time to type our posts. Could that be the case? When I'm taking a longer-than-usual amount of time in a response, I always make sure to copy the text first (as a backup). It's frustrating to articulate your thoughts and then lose them! You might want to mention this in the "General Information" Forum. The TCM Web Administrator reads those and advises...

     

    "Most of the time he is too energetic, his facial expressions detract from the dancing, (check the alley scene with Dan Dailey with the garbage can lids, I don't remember which movie, 3 guys reunite 10 years after the war)."

     

    This movie is It's Always Fair Weather, a not very successful CinemaScope musical with Mr. Kelly, Mr. Dailey and the great Michael Kidd as the three reunited war buddies. When I watch this movie, it's for Dolores Gray.

    Silver Screen's Operatunities

    in Musicals

    Posted

    Hollywood opera scenes gives a minute taste of the real thing. Although Jeanette MacDonald sang in some opera houses, her voice wasn't very large and was light in timbre. These are fine attributes when singing the soundtrack in a recording booth, but can be lacking in the environs of an opera house without a microphone as a crutch. But she prided herself on her live appearances, studied with Lotte Lehmann and made her opera debut in Montreal as Juliette in Gounod's Romeo and Juliette in 1942 (years after her famous outing in MGM's San Francisco). Marguerite in Faust was a favorite role of her's and she sang this in various houses during the 1940's and 1950's. Her MGM movies were considered "high class entertainment for the lower classes" -- opera for the masses.

     

    Mario Lanza's voice also wasn't large, but he was a tremendous influence. His popular MGM movies brought opera to new audiences and later tenors (Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo among them) stated Mr. Lanza as their inspiration. He had appeared in Nicolai's Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor (The Merry Wives of Windsor) at Tanglewood in the early 1940's and later sang Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly in New Orleans. The Great Caruso was historically inaccurate, but it's probably the most popular opera movie ever made. Mr. Lanza is handsome and so charismatic and he was given the amazing opportunity to sing alongside experienced opera singers Dorothy Kirsten and Jarmila Novotna. Blanche Thebom and Lucine Amara are also seen in this film. And of course, Ann Blyth, was trained as an opera singer and had a fine voice.

     

    Rise Stevens, of course, was a very successful opera singer; a staple of the Metropolitan opera's mezzo-soprano roles. When I was a kid, I was seriously into opera (freaky, I know...). I remember going to Tower Records and buying the vinyl lps of Bizet's Carmen featuring Marilyn Horne. As I made my purchase, the older cashier sighed, "Ah Carmen! I had my sexual awakening when seeing Rise Stevens sing this role at the Metropolitan Opera." At the time I was embarrassed by his confession, but now I giggle at the memory. Ms. Stevens, by the way, is still alive and well. She is very active on the board of the Metropolitan Opera and she looks swell!

    Favorite Gene Kelly Movies

    in Musicals

    Posted

    I think my favorite number would be the "Gotta Dance" ballet, especially the portions with Cyd Charisse.

     

    I know a lot of people are charmed by his dance with Jerry, but after one or two viewings I don't need to see it again (nor his other foray into mixed-animated dancing in An Invitation to Dance).

     

    For solo dance, I think I'd choose his soft shoe with the newspaper in Summer Stock. And for collaborations, I'm always thrilled to see him dance with my favorite Nicholas Brothers in The Pirate.

     

    Query: In That's Entertainment they show a scene wherein Gene Kelly does acrobatics at a construction site. Kids are watching and cheering as Mr. Kelly dances atop a skeletal building frame. Does anyone know what movie this comes from? It's in black and white...

    Favorite Gene Kelly Movies

    in Musicals

    Posted

    Gene Kelly is so familiar and well-liked, and yet there are many movies of his that I know little about. Sure, I love Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris, but I'd be interested to see Living in a Big Way, Deep in My Heart and Christmas Holiday with Deanna Durbin. These are pictures I've never had the opportunity to see.

     

    I think I must be the last person who hasn't seen Thousands Cheer. But I've always enjoyed The Pirate and On the Town...

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