Swithin

Such a blanket thread would be like the obituary thread, which I think is disrespectful to the dearly departed.

This so called brouhaha is a tempest in a teapot. There are lots of threads that I don't like, but they're expressions of the unique style of the poster. I think we're not all so simple that we can't tolerate a little fun and mystery in a thread title. I just wish the promiscuous creation of excessive threads in the "Games" section would cease!

I know, Charlie's son (of musical comedy fame) was also called Sydney, but the friend who gave it to me thinks it was to Charlie's brother. I guess I'll never know for sure. Sydney Chaplin also starred in Bells Are Ringing and Subways Are for Sleeping. (He was in three June Styne musicals).

I actually like these threads. They start out as birthday threads but morph into discussions of the actors' work. And the thread title adds a bit of mystery as to the content. (Cathy is Ms. Bisset's character in Bullitt.) Ms. Bisset in The Deep (1977). The director Peter Yates said "That T-shirt made me a rich man!"

The Astonished Heart (1950) Next: John Ford dance scene

I'm not a collector, though I have a few things related to actors whom I worked with. However I do have one item which was given to me by a friend. It's an autographed photo of Buster Keaton in a film called The Invader (1936), which Keaton made in England. I'm not a particular fan of Keaton (I like him but haven't seen many of his films), and the photo, which was given to me framed, has no particular meaning for me. The photo is inscribed to "Sid," which my friend thinks may have been Charlie Chaplin's elder brother Sydney. The friend also gave me an autographed photo of Laurence Olivier.

"Hey You" -- sung by Ann Codee in The Mummy's Curse (1944) Next: Song that includes laughing

More Douglass Montgomery Music in the Air (1934) The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935)

Sarita Wooten Next: Started acting in relative old age

He played a mute in Gigot (1962), and received a good deal of acclaim for his performance.

"Why Hides the Sun" -- sung in the Ambrose Chapel sequence in The Man Who Knew too Much (1956) -- one of Hitchcock's greatest scenes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DgKYS1YcFY Next: Another somber (unjoyful) hymn

Pilgrimage (1933). Directed by John Ford. Starring Henrietta Crosman with Norman Foster, Marian Nixon, Heather Angel, Lucille La Verne, Francis Ford, Charley Grapewin, and Hedda Hopper. Source: MoMA Virtual Cinema. Spoilers ahead: This extraordinary movie may not seem like a John Ford film, but there are certainly hints of themes that became more predominant in his later and more famous films, including the theme of estrangement and reconciliation. The movie opens in rural Arkansas. Hannah (Henrietta Crosman), a middle-aged woman and her son Jim are working on their farm. Things seem amicable and loving, until the son's involvement with Mary, a neighbouring girl, provokes the mother's anger: she doesn't want to lose her son to that “trash." The son, Jim, has a night of passion with Mary. The outraged mother enlists Jim in the army at the start of World War I. As Jim goes off to war, Mary meets him at the train station and tells him she's pregnant. He wants to stay and marry her, but the other soldiers bundle him onto the train. Months pass. Hannah receives a telegram that Jim has been killed at the battle of the Argonne Forest. On a stormy night, Mary's father (Charley Grapewin) pleads with Hannah to help with the birth of her grandson. Reluctantly she does, but after that, will have nothing to do with Mary or the child, Jimmy. Ten years pass. Hannah's farm prospers. Little Jimmy is bullied at school, because his mother was unmarried. The teacher tells the kids that Jimmy's father was the only man in the village to give his life during the war. Hannah remains estranged from Mary and Jimmy. A delegation from the government visits Hannah, informing her that they are arranging a trip to France for Gold Star mothers, to visit the graves of their sons. Hannah refuses to go, but is convinced. The diverse group of ladies, from all over America, converge first in New York, then set sail for France, where they are treated like royalty. In one emotional scene, Hannah breaks down and announces that she's not one of them, that she was estranged from her son and doesn't deserve the honours. She refuses to go on the outing to the cemetery. Instead, she wanders around Paris at night, coming upon Gary, a young, drunk American (from Park Avenue!) who seems intent on jumping into the Seine. She sees him safely home and cooks breakfast for him the next morning. (When Gary asks if she slept, Hannah replies that she's sat up many nights with a sick cow!) Hannah discovers that Gary's haughty mother (Hedda Hopper) won't allow him to marry his girl friend (Heather Angel). Hannah sees herself and her mistakes in the situation and makes amends between Gary and his mother. Hannah then visits her son's grave, alone and in the dark (interestingly, the cemetery, filled with white crosses, also contains a few Stars of David). She begs his forgiveness. In the next scene, she's back in Arkansas and begs Mary's forgiveness, embracing her and her grandson. She asks her grandson to take care of Jim's dog, who seems to be the only character in the film who hasn't aged. The film is beautiful to look at, with many moving scenes, including Hannah’s hand at the train window, when Mary and Jimmy give her some flowers to place on Jim’s grave. The scenes with the other Gold Star mothers are also well done. Lucille La Verne, as a sort of hillbilly Gold Star mother, has some great (and amusing) scenes which are quite different from her scenes as La Vengeance, which she was to play so memorably in A Tale of Two Cities a few years later. A scene at a shooting gallery in Paris is very funny. An amusing scene concerning a taxi fare goes on a little too long. Pilgrimage is unusual in that the main character is an old woman. The film was written by Dudley Nichols, who worked with John Ford on 16 films. It was shot by cinematographer George Schneiderman, who worked with Ford on 21 of his earliest movies. The film was restored by the Museum of Modern Art.

Winstanley (1975) -- film about the "Diggers" Next: Hoe, "ho," or any variation or meaning of that word

Two more Susies, both with Lillian Gish Miss Susie Slagle's (1946) True Heart Susie (1919)

Annie Girardot Next: Smooth

Felix Aylmer was in Henry V (1944) with Griffith Jones.

4. She played Claude Rains' wife on Broadway in The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1932). The 1934 film would be made with Rains but with Joan Bennett in the role of the wife. .

Gone with the Wind (1939) Next: The really best film from 1939, which is not Gone with the Wind.

The real Bonfire of the Vanities would make a great film. Has it ever been depicted in the movies? Savonarola is featured as a character, but a feature film devoted to him, from his childhood up to his execution, would be fascinating. He's one of history's enigmatic characters.

On Svengoolie tomorrow, September 18, 2021:

The Dead (1987) -- "Snow is general all over Ireland." -- that whole speech, delivered by Donal McCann. Next: Slash and burn

Roddy was also an excellent professional photographer. Here's a link to a few of his photos: https://brierhillgallery.com/roddy-mcdowall-1928-1998 I guess (along with How Green Was My Valley) my favorite performance of the youthful Roddy is in Molly and Me.

Actually, her Irish half (mother Volga Hayworth) was half English. Quinn was one quarter Irish.

I think Donat was the best choice in a difficult year. Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff was a strong contender as well.