Swithin

*Who Killed Teddy Bear* is one of the greats. Saw it at the Film Forum in NYC a few years ago. It has some of the best b&w pre-sanitized scenes of Times Square. Best line, spoken by Elaine Stritch: "I dig...fur."

Ah, so it was the role that went to Darvi. I actually like Bella Darvi's performance in *The Egyptian* very much. She has some great lines. In fact, *The Egyptian* is my favorite epic of all time -- I was taken to see it when I was very young and had dreams about Peter Ustinov taking a ruby out of his eye socket (behind a patch). Great score, great performances, great story, and great sets. Why is it not on TCM or DVD? And yes, Fiennes and Binoche would be great in *Out of Africa*. Of course Meryl was perfect, as were Michael Kitchen and the others. But Redford was miscast.

Gertrude Stein used to worry that she would have read everything, and that there wouldn't be anything left to read. I used to worry that about movies -- but it's not bloody likely that it's going to happen! I've seen only a couple of films on the 1930 list and want to see them all!

Marilyn Monroe was considered for *The Egyptian*? I assume you mean the role that went to Bella Darvi, not the Jean Simmons role. Or do you mean she could have played the Peter Ustinov part? In terms of other casting, I think one of the worst examples of casting ever was Robert Redford for *Out of Africa*. Ralph Fiennes would have been great -- but it was before his time!

It is very unusual for me to dislike any Hitchcock movie. There is always SOMETHING to appreciate, because of the meticulous nature of his direction -- everything -- every object, every line -- has some meaning, and I find if I don't like one of his films, it's generally due to a lack of understanding on my part, which changes when I see the light. But there are a few films of his that I really don't like: the aforementioned *North by Northwest*; *To Catch a Thief*; and (as I recall, since I haven't seen it for a long time), *Jamaica Inn*. I like Cary Grant -- it's not that. Perhaps it's just that I prefer him to be holding Mae West's hand in a carriage, or appearing in screwball comedies. But I think the fact that he's in two of my least fave Hitchcock's is just a coincidence.

First of all, as much as I love Hitchcock, I can't stand *North by Northwest*. Maybe it's overexposure. OK, got that out of the way. I love the villains who seem like pillars of society -- Otto Kruger and Alma Kruger in *Saboteur*, and Herbert Marshall in *Foreign Correspondent*. Many others like them, strewn throughout Hitchcock's films. But I think my favorite of all is the villain with a heart of gold: Brenda da Banzie in *The Man Who Knew Too Much* (1956).

*Secret of the Blue Room* used to be programmed on the old Shock Theater on Channel 7 in NYC. Also *The Mystery of Edwin Drood* (1935). Thanks to someone on this board, I've been pointed to *Drood* on YouTube -- the whole film is there. I hook my laptop up to my TV and, although I have to watch it in six parts, it's better than waiting for some TV channel to screen it. What a cast, great leading actors and terrific character parts for Zeffie Tilbury, Ethel Griffies, and E.E. Clive. Beautifully done, creepy, lesser-known Dickens. Bravo Stuart Walker, whose *Werewolf of London* is, for me, superior to the later *Wolf Man* with Chaney, Jr.

I've only seen two -- *The Invisible Man* and *The Secret of the Blue Room*. I remember something funny about the latter -- Paul Lukas and one of the other actors share a room (separate beds, of course). They shake hands before they go to sleep! It's quite an amusing touch, in this atmospheric old "melodrama". I want to see all those other 1933 releases!

There is a tribute to Ealing Studios tonight, but the movies shown represent the usual suspects -- well known Alec Guinness films. There is a film on in the wee hours, with which I am not familiar --- *The Bells Go Down*. Ealing made hundreds of films, which are never shown. It might have been interesting to get some of those, rather than *The Lavender Hill Mob*, etc. yet again.

Well, my only objection to the New Year's Eve movies can be summed up in five words which I've said on this Forum too often: "Not *North by Northwest* again!"

February 2011 marks Ronald Reagan's centennial. Perhaps he should be star of the month; and in his honor, TCM should show films related to trade unions, in honor of Reagan's REAL public service -- serving several terms as SAG President.

What a list. I'm actually a fan of the 1934 *Great Expectations*. OK, I know that David Lean's talky, literary later version is the favorite; but the '34 version has its merits. Though I must say, although I always like Rafaela Ottiano, she is rather miscast as Mrs. Joe Gargery!

Bergman Estate? What about the Edgar Ulmer Estate? Ulmer got there first: Karloff to Lugosi, from *The Black Cat*: "Vitus, do you dare to play chess with me, for her?"

I'm still waiting for one of Mae West's most fun films -- *Every Day's a Holiday*, also starring Charles Winninger, Charles Butterworth, Edmund Lowe, Lloyd Nolan, and Louis Armstrong. It's a perfect New Year's Eve film, as it opens on New Year's Eve 1899/1900. Where is it?

Uta Hagen was one of the great actresses and teachers. On the stage, she originated the role of Martha in *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf*; and the role of Georgie in *The Country Girl* (won Tonys for both). Also on the stage, she played Desdemona to Paul Robeson's Othello. Her remarkable theater credits were matched by her teaching. Many of the great actors were her students (David Hyde Pierce, Jack Lemmon, etc.) -- check out the website of the HB Studio where she taught, alongside her husband, Herbert Berghof. She had previously been married to Jose Ferrer. She was also a famous cook. Look her up -- she was one of the greats but didn't make many movies -- a small, memorable part in *Boys from Brazil*, etc.

Wish we could see them side by side. I like Sim but prefer his Miss Fritton to his Scrooge. I think he's a great comic. With Owen in '38, you get the sense of a man who really doesn't understand, until he is made to understand, and then he is like a child, learning to become a fully formed human being; with Sim (as I recall), you just get dour-ness; the transition doesn't make as much sense. It may be a tad too literary. But I'd really like to see the '51 version again. And by the way, where is The Green Man, one of Sim's greatest?

Of course there's nothing wrong with being Scottish. I was responding to the post that lauded the 1951 cast, implying that being from the UK made the acting better in the 1951. I was pointing out that Reginald Owen's English training with Beerbohm Tree gave the imprimatur to the 1938 Hollywood version.

I saw Bette on TV a few years before she died. When asked what contemporary actresses she particularly admired, she said Deborah Winger.

The 1938 film is excellent. Different from the 1951 but every bit as good. And, if you are concerned about British casts, please note that Reginald Owen, who played Scrooge in the 1938 film, was English -- as Scrooge himself was. The great Alastair Sim was merely Scottish! Owen had a formal English dramatic training -- with Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree! It's nice that Owen, who played supporting roles in so many films, had this opportunity to play a lead, thanks partly to the fact that Lionel Barrymore was unable to do the film, and recommended Owen for the part.

JG -- thank you, I found it! Look forward to watching it later. I'm not wild about Mark of the Vampire -- I remember being disappointed that it turns out to be a joke. Sorry you don't like Dracula's Daughter -- first horror film I ever saw, as a child, on the old Shock Theater on Channel 7 in NYC. Scared the hell out of me. Still think it's great -- and a landmark because I believe it introduces, subtly, the lesbian element that was to become a feature of later female vampire films. Great acting, creepy settings. I have the Legacy Dracula DVDs, which include many of the films. Perhaps you prefer the Spanish Dracula because in some ways the English version is rather theatrical -- Tod Browning was kind of stodgy and uncinematic in his direction. He's better in Freaks. Thanks again for pointing me to Drood! P.S. FYI -- Orin O'Brien, a double bass player with the New York Philharmonic for decades, is the daughter of Marguerite Churchill, who was in Dracula's Daughter, and George O'Brien, who starred in Sunrise.

Don't forget *Dracula's Daughter*, it's one of the greats! JonnyGeetar, where can I find *The Mystery of Edwin Drood* online? Despite what seems like a link to the 1935 film, I see only high school productions and YouTube videos related to the later musical. The film is great -- I've been waiting to see it again for years! (I particularly love Zeffie Tilbury as the Opium Woman).

Clifton Webb was a major theater actor as well. He appeared as the lead in the original Broadway productions of two Noel Coward plays -- *Present Laughter* and *Blithe Spirit*.

Let's not forget that Connie Gilchrist played Norah Muldoon in *Auntie Mame* (WB).

Much as I love Albert Finney -- he should have won the Oscar for *Tom Jones* -- I didn't like his drunk in *Under the Volcano*. It was over the top, I guess that's just how that particular role is. Donal Donnelly in *The Dead* is a fine drunk, as is the great Hattie Jacques in a brief scene in *Carry on Teacher*.

The earlier version of *Age of Innocence* was on within the last couple of years. It's not a strong film but an enjoyable one. I love Helen Westley (as always), although my friend Miriam Margolyes was great in that same role in the later version.