Swithin
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Posts posted by Swithin
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I haven't been following the Loretta Young thread. I think whatever she got up to in her private life was not really evil, as far as I know. I guess there could be a line beyond which there might be some concern, if an actor was really evil. I remember people picketing the South African building in Trafalgar Square in London, and encouraging sanctions. That helped end apartheid.
But my issue is this: I think Loretta Young is a really BAD actress. And that means from the pre-codes to the late stuff. She ruins many movies for me.
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I LOVE the film *We're Not Dressing*. One of the few times I can bear Bing Crosby. The movie is stolen by Burns and Allen, Ethel Merman, and Leon Errol. Merman and Errol sing a wild duet together; Gracie Allen plays "Aloha Oe" on the accordion and has one of the funniest lines in movie history. Has TCM shown the film?
I saw a stage production of *The Admirable Crichton* in London, in 1988, at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. It starred Rex Harrison. Edward Fox played Crichton. The cast also included a very young Martin Clunes, now familiar to some as Doc Martin on television.
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Bien sur. Great early film by Agnes Varda.
Your thread.
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Hint: Colbert/Taylor character, for short, during the cocktail hour.
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So sorry to hear about Richard Robbins' passing. I particularly like his score for Maurice. Here is the main theme, it begins over the opening credits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD5TBJHJxC0
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There are so many great films with so many different sorts of great climaxes/endings. But this one is right up there as one of the most powerful (I'm still waiting for TCM to show this movie, it's a perfect fit):
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*Cold Comfort Farm* (1995)
Next: Casino in China
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I used to go to many of those late '70s - early '80s horror flicks. I remember The Manitou, haven't seen it since it came out. Enjoyable as I recall. Am I remembering correctly that there's a scene in which Tony Curtis throws a typewriter at the creature, saying, "Take that, Manitou!"
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Not such a wild guess, but not the one.
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*The Loved One* is one of the brilliant, crazy films. In a film with many extraordinary performances by great and famous actors, including Jonathan Winters, the prize for uniqueness has to go to Ayllene Gibbons as Mrs. Joyboy, the mother of Rod Steiger's character.
It's interesting to compare the grotesque eating scene in The Loved One, directed by Tony Richardson a few years after he made Tom Jones, with the sensual eating scene featuring Albert Finney and Joyce Redman in Tom Jones.
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*Cleve Duncan*, who died on November 7, was not an actor, director, or film technician. He was the lead singer of the Penguins and as such was the lead tenor of "Earth Angel," the 1954 hit that was featured in many movies. The unmistakeable sound of the song transports us back to the era of early doo-****.
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Millicent Fritton/Clarence Fritton -- Alastair Sim in *The Belles of St. Trinians*
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Colbert or Taylor, during the cocktail hour.
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*Babbitt* ?
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*Auntie Mame* (1958) has several scenes set around Christmas time.
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With respect, SansFin, this board exists, presumably for our enjoyment, but also as a valuable tool for TCM to gauge the opinions of many of its viewers. Organizations encourage blogs not only for the pleasure of the posters; also for a valuable look into viewers' opinions -- positive and negative. Not to express our less than positive opinions, on those rare occasions when they may be called for, is not to live up to our responsibilities as bloggers.
I sincerely hope that you haven't accepted anything in life that you thought you couldn't change, but actually might have changed for the better! You'll never know...
So perhaps one can accept the reality that there should be both positive posts and (albeit many fewer) negative critiques on this board, without end (i.e. sans fin)! But with respect, of course.
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SansFin wrote: "The rotation of movies receiving such treatment shows me that it is a carefully constructed strategy and one which we must accept as they are doing what is in the best interest of the channel."
I agree with your comments that it is important to present criticism in an appropriate manner; however, your comments above would deprive anyone of any criticism of any corporate entity, because you think "we must accept..." etc. By those criteria, all that justified criticism of NBC for their poor coverage of the Olympic opening ceremony would have been silenced.
And so, while I agree with part of your remarks, I strongly disagree with your "carefully constructed strategy... they know best" remarks. Good institutions suffer because such attitudes lead to lack of criticism which leads to complacency on the part of corporations/institutions.
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I'm still waiting for *The Egyptian* (1954).
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I've already commented on the Oscar month schedule. It should have, could have been so much more inventive. But TCM does respond to requests and shows premieres, often. I'd been asking for the 1948 UK Ivan Barnett *The Fall of the House of Usher*, which is my favorite version of that story. I know it's an odd film, and I don't know if my request had anything to do with it, but TCM did screen it the week before Holloween. I was in London and so recorded it, but I'm so looking forward to watching it, after all these years!
I've worked for a non-profit cultural institution in NYC for many decades. The institution does so much good, that people tend not to criticize it. That has led to complacency and lack of imagination, on occasion. So to those who say TCM gives us so much and does so much good (true) that we shouldn't criticize when we feel they're not doing their best, I say, we should express ourselves, both positively and negatively, on those rare occasions when the latter is warranted.
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I was going to ask you what OT means, but I just looked it up: Off-topic. My degree is in Theology/History of Religions, and when I see OT, I automatically think "Old Testament."
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*Navy Blues* (1941), which stars Ms Raye along with Ann Sheridan, Jack Oakie, and Jack Haley, is a very enjoyable film. I'd like to see it again.
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This has relatively little to do with your question, but I knew *Victor Spinetti*, who was in a few of the Beatles films. He died a few months ago, lovely man. I even once had dinner with his mother Lily. Victor loved working with the Beatles and often talked about his experiences with them.
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I hadn't gone into that thread, since I find the "hi I'm new here threads..." to be extremely corny and tedious and not necessary. (I know, I know, some of you probably think they're nice). I did go in when I saw that it had been locked, since I had hopes that the locking meant that the TCM Admin also couldn't bear the saccharine nature of such threads anymore. I was surprised to see what was really going on.
I agree with you, Helenbaby, although I think of us as customers rather than guests, but we do need to respect the rules in any case.
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Her sister, Maire O'Neill, was the original lead in J.M. Synge's play, The Playboy of the Western World, one of the great Irish plays.
Personality vs Performance?
in General Discussions
Posted
I know, whenever I say LY is a lousy actress, someone says, "you must see her in the pre-codes." I've seen her in the pre-codes and still think she's a lousy actress.