jdb1

You're right - trying to hone in on one's 'favorites' is much harder than listing what's 'best.' Certainly the AFI's top 100 listings didn't always comport with my own tastes. However, I will give it some thought, and revert to you shortly, as they say in the law office where I work.

I've mulled this one over for a while, and I can only hazard a very wild guess Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, only I don't really remember the plot, based on Teen Angel - Frankie Avalon Genie - Barbara Eden Monkeyface - Walter Pidgeon (a real oldie called "The Gorilla") or maybe something with Peter Lorre? The clown and Schubert stump me. Henry Daniell played Liszt, but not Schubert, and I think he's in Voyage. A nuclear explosion of some kind is in the plot, which would account for setting the world on fire. And they are all in a submarine, aren't they?

I'd like to cast a vote, but I have a question: when you talk about 'favorites' for this purpose, do you mean what we think are the best, or what are our personal favorites. I've seen enough movies in my lifetime to know that they aren't always the same thing.

Many of the photos in the link you provided are pretty distorted, so I've just looked up Hilda Simms in Google Images. She certainly was a beautiful woman. You are right, our opinions in such matters are formed based on what we can see, and I was not able to see any of these actresses when I was young. One of our local NYC cable stations has shown several Michaux films recently, which I was very glad to be able to see, having only heard about them for years. I'm not much given to hero(ine) worship, and I did qualify my first posting by saying that there is more to a good actress than looks, but that being thought beautiful is generally a part of their job description. Having said that - I still don't think I'll ever get over my childhood girlish 'crush' on Dandridge. I never thought of her as anything but "an actress," as glamorous as all the others, only moreso.

Some years ago, one of the cable stations (forget which one) showed what I seem to remember as "Blotto" with all the dialog spoken in other languages. L&H did many of their shorts for distribution in other countries, speaking the dialog phonetically. I remember seeing this in Spanish, and perhaps in German, but maybe I saw the German at an earlier date. Their language skills were quite good, and it's interesting to see some very subtle differences because of the change in supporting players. Speaking of other countries, my father, himself a great L&H fan who grew up in Poland and then lived in France, told me that in many European cinemas L&H were billed as "Flip & Flop."

True, although there are times occasionally when I wonder who was responsible for something in the film and I do want to see the name. However, in these days of easy Internet availability, I could just as easily look up that information online. The only time I stay for the credits is if the film is running the outtakes at the end. Bend it Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice had the clever conceit of having the people named in the credits take a bow by singing a song as their names were shown. That at least puts a human face to the production team.

The list of inspired moments is endless, isn't it? And many of their films were quite risque, in a very gentle way, a factor I didn't fully recognize until I was older. Stan, as the driving force behind their films, had a great feel for the absurd, and Babe was letter-perfect in executing Stan's direction. They were unusual in the world of comic pairings in that they got along very well, understood, and appreciated each other. Don't overlook Hardy's contribution to the team - it wouldn't be the same if he hadn't been so skillful. Although there have been many affectionate imitators over the years, I don't think any actor has ever successfully mimicked the totally blank look Stan could achieve (a character he appropriated from another Hal Roach player, Harry Langdon, and improved upon). And many heavy-set actors have attempted to re-create Babe, but they generally lack the gracefulness he had - he had been very athletic as a young man, and he and Stan were both very light on their feet when they danced together. Here's a confession: when I was a little girl, I used to fantasize that Stanley and Oliver were my grandpas. They remain my favorite fictional characters, and the real men would have been nice to know as well.

We all understand that there can be hundreds of people involved in the making of a movie, but I wonder if the makers really expect an audience to sit through a listing of hundreds of names. This is why, I suppose, the listing of the technical people is scrolled at the end of the movie, not at the beginning where we see the stars and the writer(s), producers(s) (and just what is a "co-executive producer" and why are there so many of them? and how can there be more than one "executive producer"), etc. I do think that, in the case of a movie with special effects, it boders on the absurd to try to take in the seemingly endless list of technicians, computer experts, animators, model makers, painters, and what have you. Also, do I really care who the caterer, insurance carrier and attorneys were who contributed, however tangentially, to a film? It seems to me to be a case similar to where you agree to display the sign of a roofer or contractor on your lawn to get a 5% discount. Maybe a better way to do it would be to display a theater card at the entrance with all those names, so anyone who is interested could read it carefully at his leisure.

Now that you've opened this topic, you may never get rid of me. L&H are of transcendental importance in my cinema universe. It's a crying shame that so many of their short films are so obscure and deteriorating. As with all true classics, you will find more to appreciate each time you view one of their films. My favorite short of theirs is "Twice Two" where they play each others' wives. "**** for Tat" is another good one (of course they are all good). Their earlier full-length films are better than the later ones, and "Pack Up Your Troubles" is a good start. There are many fan clubs worldwide, and there is a lot of information about both Stan and Babe (that's what they called Ollie in real life) online. Many of their films, shorts and full-length, are in VHS and DVD format, but most are of pretty poor quality, so beware if you purchase any and don't expect too much. TCM's recently released collection is very good, and the copy of "Sons of the Desert" in it is in particular a very good print. I hope you pursue this interest, and I'm sure you will get great pleasure out of it.

Excellent suggestion. I don't think there's any question that there would be plenty of audience interest, I was very disappointed to note that the NY Times online birthday listing for May 12 left Hepburn off. Do they have some 20-year-old intern compiling that list? It didn't want for rappers and basketball players! Goodness knows Hepburn was very good at documenting her own life, and there must be reams of material to work from. It would be a real crime if that lady were forgotten, especially in our celebrity-mad society. I vote yes on the documentary question.

I'm not familiar with Alice Terry. What are some of her films?

Right you are. Too easy, I know, but I am a novice. I'm ready to tackle solving another one, and I await a new challenge.

OK puzzle solvers, here's my first feeble effort: A conflicted footballer is implicated in the murder of one of our earliest ancestors, and is hounded by a reformed buccaneer. He is given grudging aid by a pioneering career-girl.

Actually, it was a terrible bother to have cameras, equipment and actors milling about for two weeks. But I get a real thrill when I see it broadcast on TV -- Hey! that's Ms. So-and-So's office, and there's the hall I walked down a million times a day!! All of the administrative staff and attorneys were played by actors - none of us were used.

OK - but please give me a while to compose this, it's my first time. (Golden Retriever!! Of course!!!! Sheesh!!!!)

MrWrite, This thread is so long that I think I've forgotten the rules while I was scrolling all the way through it. The references are to actors in other films they've been in (or to real-life incidents)? Are Dr.Jekyll and his spouse John Barrymore and Mary Astor? Barrymore was Jekyll/Hyde Astor was Barrymore's wife in "Midnight", and was the mother of five in "Meet Me in St. Louis" As for the rest -- hmmm. There are so many Draculas . . . . The African Queen ... as in "She Who Must Be Obeyed?" And the only golden dog I can think of right now is Old Yeller, but I don't think he was a retriever. I'll need practice with this, though I do like the game. More hints??????

Walter Brennan. In my opinion the greatest character actor Hollywood produced, and they produced some really extraordinary ones. Also, he was in so many movies, there would be plenty to choose from. And please include that deleted scene from "We're Not Married," where he plays an oversexed hillbilly! (I saw it in a TV documentary about movie censorship.)

I saw Redford daily for a week or so when he was filming "Legal Eagles" on the block in Manhattan where I worked. I'm afraid he was not particularly prepossessing in person, and it was a bit disappointing. The screen is very kind to him. A few years later, I worked for the law firm where the office scenes for "Regarding Henry" were filmed, and I thought Harrison Ford, who is a pleasure to look at onscreen, was ever better looking in person.

> Please help me find the stage name of Joan Morrill. > She was under contract to one of the studios in the > 1930's/1940's. I babysat for her two adopted sons, > Jonathan and Landon Morrill. She was married to John > Morrill and retired in the Ojai Valley in the 1950's > I would like to know more about her career and her > stage name. She passed away several years ago. I found an obituary for a "Joan Marsh" which lists Langdon and Jonathan Morrill as her survivors. http://www.obits.com/marsh_joan.html Is this the one?

It would be comforting to the rest of us women to be able to say "What's the difference, as long as they could act (or at least capture our attention)?" but, of course, beauty was one of their jobs, and we all have our favorites in that respect as well. But standards do change. Most of the young women onscreen today look rather plain, or in some cases even grotesque, to me. My concepts of the "beautiful actress" were set in childhood I suppose, and I don't think they have changed much. I always thought that Dorothy Dandridge was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen and I still do. My second favorite would be Louise Brooks. I also liked the Linda Darnell type (Wanda Hendrix and Brenda Marshall too). I agree about Hedy LaMarr - very pretty but rather wooden. I think Lucille Ball was quite lovely, and she was even better in color. Elizabeth Taylor gets pretty close to perfection as far as face, and Marilyn Monroe was very beautiful, and the most luminous onscreen. Since my favorite actresses are the two Hepburns, I would say that I find each of them very beautiful in their own way, and at every age.

I got to see only the first 20 minutes or so of Mann's "T-Men" last night (the first time I've seen it), but boy, was I impressed. Every shot was like a work of art. It's amazing that so much thought and effort was put into shooting what is essentially a not very compelling piece of propaganda for the Treasury Dept. Right from the very beginning - the stark black & white contrasts, the long shots of a lone figure in shadow against a background of deserted industrial buildings; and then that first shot of the office of the Treasury Agents, at an unusual and interesting angle, and with two figures framed and reflected in large windows. Wonderful. I'm sorry I didn't get to see the rest of it. Have any of you looked at the written information on Mann and his movies that was on the TCM homepage yesterday? Very well written and very useful. I hope I'm able to catch the rest of the broadcasts. Thanks, TCM!

I guess that's the thing. As a child my experience of cowboy heroes was of the tall, sonorous-voiced he-man. Also, as a Brooklynite, I wasn't used to soft Texas drawls, so I didn't see Murphy as very heroic. I thought you had to yell to be brave. However, I've learned better now, and I do enjoy his low key presence in his films. And I thought he was especially good in Red Badge of Courage and No Name on the Bullet.

Right - Million Dollar Legs it is. And I love Lyda Roberti - really funny, great potential, and she died much too young. Maybe I'll change my handle. I think I was put off by the names used on IMDB, which is the message board I used to participate in, before I knew better. Some of those aliases are a little icky, not to mention in questionable taste. I like all of yours much better.

I get your name too, LarryDarrell152 - one of my favorite books, and a good and not very good movie therefrom. Are there really 152 of you out there? I haven't had any takers on my previous posting where I mentioned that if I used a movie name for an ID, it would be "Mata Machree." Doesn't anyone out there know where that name comes from? That's disappointing - it's from my favorite movie, which unfortunately isn't broadcast very often. Here's are two hints: think (1) very early 1930s screwball comedy; (2) a relative of TMC's younger host.

Not surprising for the most highly decorated soldier of WWII. He was famous long before he became an actor. I used to like him when I was a kid, but I thought he had a very un-heroic speaking voice, which detracted from his he-man stature. Also he always seemed to be shorter than everyone around him, and the film makers didn't seem to do much to compensate for that, as they often did for other actors. But one thing about Murphy was that he got better as he went along, and not all celebrities-turned-actors can say that. Actually, I like him better now than I did then, so maybe I've matured some as well.