MissGoddess
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Posts posted by MissGoddess
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> I didn't even know he produced it! I can't see this one being your kind of Coop film. You don't like when he's playing incompetent for laughs.
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No, it's not the way I like him but I did like this movie more than I figured I would. It's cute and different, quirky. He sure does give Loretta one heck of a kiss!
> Yes you do, Silly Goose! It's the one with the doggie and the tub. It's also known as "*The Hidden Room*."
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That's how tired I am. The title didn't sound familiar, I kept thinking of the Italian movie. Yes, that was a nice surprise, I really liked it a lot. What did you like about it?
> Why not? Because of Van? I can't see him being your kind of guy. I'd think the story would be to your liking. It's religious.
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No, Van is alright. It's just the unremitting seriousness, I think. There's not a moment of lightness that I remember, though again, I have never watched it all the way.
> I found the relationship between Bunny (Kate) and Sumner (Spence) to be wonderful. She thinks the worst of him at most every turn and he's so taken by her.
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Yes, it is nice. I like Joan and her "Mexican Avenue bus". I think she also had the best line about how a woman knows she's seen her day when she's walking along and a man in a car circling the block is only looking for a parking place.
> I have no idea. She was very alluring to me in *China Seas*. I liked that she called Gaskell (Clark Gable) "toots."
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That's interesting. To me she's the same Jean she is in so many other movies and I can't see anything different from the others. I like her in all of them but you only liked her here.
As Jackie does, I really find her terribly funny in *Dinner at Eight* but I think you might loathe that movie, even more than *Wife vs. Secretary*.
> I greatly enjoyed Groucho and Margaret. But I really liked Groucho and Flo (Esther Muir). Groucho's zingers are so good. Such great writing.
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Yes, they were a unique bunch, I'm glad you liked them and the humor. You will be in for a treat when you see *Duck Soup*, *Horsefeathers*, etc. They're totally out of control in those and it's such a fun ride. They upset every snob, politician, businessman, doyenne that crosses their path. Their anarchic humor strikes at the root of people taking themselves pompously and over-seriously. They aren't tough guys so they don't hit back with guns or fists, but with outrageous humor.
> *I prefer After the Thin Man but this one has its moments.*
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> You don't like the domesticity, right?
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I think the worst possibly catastrophe for Nick and Nora was having a kid. Yuck!! However, I still enjoy all of the series and I just pretend "little Nick" doesn't exist.
> Roz looked like "Myrna" in *China Seas* and I suppose she was acting like Mary Astor. She was good.
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Again I agree with Jackie, she wasn't as interesting to me when she played "proper" types in those early days.
> He's so darn boring in this one, which is hard to do with Gable.
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Yes! They straight-jacketed him, it's awful. They made a "heel-lot" out of him, as Walter Brennan would say. Give me Candy Johnson any day.
> Poor Jimmy. Once again, he's stuck playing the hapless sap.
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He plays the same exact character in *Small Town Girl* and *Ziegfeld Girl*.
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> *9. Along Came Jones*
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> A lot better than I ever expected it to be. I thought it would only be cute and nothing more to it, but Dan Duryea's presence changed that thinking. I liked the serious nature of the crooks.
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Butterscotch will be delighted. Did you know this is the only movie Gary produced?
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> *10. Obsession*
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> It's rather fascinating. The sickness of the story captivated me. It's almost like *Dial M for Murder* in how the spurned husband seeks revenge. And it makes us change sides because of his behavior.
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I don't know this movie. Who's in it? When was it made?
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> *11. The End of the Affair*
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> A very interesting film. Deborah Kerr is so darn good. I thought the film captured the feelings of an affair and then presented the morality of dealing with it in a strong way.
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I've never been able to watch it all the way through.
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> *12. Desk Set*
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> Very enjoyable! I liked it. It's my favorite of the Spence/Kate films that I've watched thus far. I love how quiet Spence is in the film and how paranoid all the girls are. Joan Blondell is wonderful.
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That's a surprise. I think it's pretty good, very smart script.
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> *13. China Seas*
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> This is the film that caused me to fall for Jean Harlow. She's sensational in the film. The story itself is flimsy and darn-near non-existent, but all I wanted to do was watch Jean.
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What's so different about her here vs other movies?
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> *14. A Day at the Races*
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> My very first Marx brothers film and I liked it. It took me a little to get used to their style and rhythm, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I even enjoyed the musical number. My favorite scene is the "dinner for two" scene.
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It's not their funniest (to me) but it has some really classic situations and moments. I guess I always find Groucho and Margaret Dumont hilarious.
> *16. Me and My Gal*
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> Ahhhhhhhhhh, Joan. I can't get enough of Joan. The film was all right. I really like Spence in the 30s.
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I really enjoyed this one, and wish it would air on TCM.
> *19. Lady of Burlesque*
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> Very fun! It's extremely breezy, but I didn't mind that one bit. Barbara Stanwyck just never disappoints, and I loved seeing her like this. It took me a little while to warm up to Michael O'Shea, but I got there.
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I only saw it once a couple of years ago after reading about it for years and years. I think I expected more from it. I thought it was okay.
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> *20. Another Thin Man*
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> Not bad. I liked it more than *After the Thin Man*. It's definitely on the "cute" side, but Myrna is always so cute to me. It's hard to top William Powell. He's really becoming a great favorite of mine. He's brilliant.
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I prefer *After the Thin Man* but this one has its moments.
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> *21. Rendezvous*
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> I don't believe I have ever seen Roz Russell in an earlier role. It seems like the studios were trying to make her out to be like Myrna. It was a little strange for me to see her playing a ditsy lass, but I liked her. I found her to be adorable. Powell is once again sharp. The story isn't the best, though.
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The story is pretty lame but I like Rosalind "breezy" vs. serious.
> *25. The Gay Divorcee*
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> I'm not really going for the Rogers/Astaire stories, but I do like the two of them. My favorite musical number of theirs to date is in this film, but this is my least favorite film of theirs, so far. I've only seen three, though.
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It's not my favorite either, it's a bit overlong.
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> *27. Wife vs. Secretary*
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> Ugh! This was one of the worst "comedies" I have ever seen. It's a dreadful story. The final ten minutes of the film saves it. Again, it's Jean Harlow who saves the day.
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ha! I knew you wouldn't like this one. I used to like it much more, now I'm not too keen on it. I decided I don't like Gable as a "straight arrow" business man. He's better as a slightly shady, con-man type. And yes, Jean's the best thing about it. I don't think the movie is really a comedy, in fact it was always mentioned as Jean's possible turning point into a serious actress, if she hadn't died so young. Then there's Jimmy playing one of many sincere young fellows who get ditched for the flashier guy.
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sigh. Rod.
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Rohanaka, have you seen The Big Country? I can't recollect if you have.
Oh goodness, strike that, I must be more tired than I thought. You started this whole thread with that movie!!
Edited by: MissGoddess on Jan 11, 2012 7:13 PM
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I agree with Frank (ack!) you've written beautifully about this movie. And I too have to take a second look now at "Buck". It reminds me of what you observed about Liberty Valance. You always find the humanity in unlovable characters, I admire that.
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Will Wright's very good, I didn't know that about his background. He was in a lot of TV shows, too. I remember him as the mean shopkeeper, Ben, in "The Andy Griffith Show" and he was in a couple of "I Love Lucy" episodes. he was everywhere. That screencapture looks like it's from *People Will Talk*. He was a real selfish miser in that one, wasn't he? Though a couple of things he said actually made sense.
Harry, Sr., of course, though he was a pioneer western lead. Without him there would have been no John Wayne/John Ford. You can say the same about Francis.
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I'm glad you liked *The Big Country*. It's one of those I grew up watching.
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*I know, it's more about the whole story, the event. I just like Spence and Gene.*
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> The story itself was quite dry. I wanted something to happen.
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they started thanksgiving day!
what's next on your list?
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> There just wasn't anything to it, I felt. Spence is grumpy and he has a thing for Gene, but that's about it.
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I know, it's more about the whole story, the event. I just like Spence and Gene.
> Did you just watch it or are you going on memory? I like it because I love the impending doom within the house. I like that kind of tension. And then the twist is pretty good.
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I watched it twice last yearl
> *It reminds me of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians...have you seen that one?*
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> No, I haven't seen any Agatha Christie.
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I think you'd enjoy this version, the best by far:
> I really enjoyed watching all of the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlocks. They are quite enjoyable and rather addictive.
I'm glad you like them. They are such fun and indeed, addictive.
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*I'm just bumping this back up. Frank why don't you put the two lists together?*
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> All righty.
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> 1. Earrings of Madame de...
> 2. The Phenix City Story
> 3. The Scarlet Claw
> 4. Contraband
> 5. The House of Fear
> 6. Invitation to a Gunfighter
> 7. Susan Slept Here
> 8. Great Expectations
> 9. Along Came Jones
> 10. Obsession
> 11. The End of the Affair
> 12. Desk Set
> 13. China Seas
> 14. A Day at the Races
> 15. The Last Sunset
> 16. Me and My Gal
> 17. The Woman in Green
> 18. The Pearl of Death
> 19. Lady of Burlesque
> 20. Another Thin Man
> 21. Rendezvous
> 22. Pursuit to Algiers
> 23. The Tattered Dress
> 24. Safe in Hell
> 25. The Gay Divorcee
> 26. Skyscraper Souls
> 27. Wife vs. Secretary
> 28. Plymouth Adventure
I can't believe you hated *Plymouth Adventure* that much. Why did you like *House of Fear* so much? I like it too. It reminds me of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians...have you seen that one?
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I thought I'd put a link below for anyone interested in Peter Bogdanovich's review of *The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg*. It was very interesting to learn that the hilltop scenes were not directed by Lubitsch, but by John M. Stahl (Leave Her to Heaven) at MGM's insistence.
What I'm saying is that you are left with your memories of the past. That's always a double-edged sword since the feelings can make you feel wonderful but knowing you can't return to them can be very tough to deal with.
I'm not sure he'll ever feel wonderful remembering, only pain.
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CinemAva, thanks for your words on *The Phenix City Story* and for giving it a shot (no pun intended, ha). I just saw John Larch in an episode of "Rawhide". You can guess what kind of character he played. And his mouth was still open.
I hadn't thought to compare TPCS to *Touch of Evil*, it reminded me more of *Captive City* in style and in the fact the towns depicted were not entirely "wide open" like the border town in *Touch of Evil*. I believe they even pointed out the irony that Phenix City had more churches per capita than any other city in the state.
To me, *Touch of Evil* is more of a creative work of the imagination, and TPCS is like a newspaper expose, a documentary style movie. They never get me emotionally as much, either. Nor do procedurals, with some exceptions. I watched *Armored Car Robbery* a few days and it about put me to sleep it was such a bore (in spite of a good cast including Charles McGrowl
).I'm afraid I wanted to see the bad guys torn to shreds by the mob, and then the militia come in to break up the joint, though the non-violent ending was very uplifting and boringly appropriately p.c.. I do realize that fighting violence with violence is never the right way to go. But yet...
I confess that made me laugh! I'm surprised you don't like westerns more, and John Wayne!
(Fourth column, 6th down)
http://www.aeonity.com/ab/soundboards/celebrity/john-wayne.php
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> You're right, Marshall Cotton (Ryan) was the more human of the two law men. But he was also a defeated man. The fight was taken out of him. He was simply a placeholder. However, he remained sharp and wise. I feel he was the smarter of the two law men.
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I'm not sure about smarter, but wiser, yes. Like that great line in *Rio Bravo* or *El Dorado* goes, "I'd hate to live on the difference." You know Cotton wouldn't have let a woman like Sheree get away from him just for the job.
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> *Lancaster may be the more purely right in terms of executing the law to the letter, but he's like a machine.*
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> That's a very good point. And I think that's what the film is remarking on. Can the law be compassionate? Maddox's (Burt Lancaster) approach borders on cold and heartless, even though he really is in the right.
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I'm with movieman on this that it's the enforcement of the law that's being examined, and not only how people react to the enforcers, but what that kind of role in society does to the enforcer himself. We know we need the "sword" (or in that and today's world, the gun) but many have no respect for its handler.
> It really is a great character. I thought Maddox was also a great character, and played magnificently by Lancaster. Is he ever off?
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It's great seeing Ryan and Lancaster particularly at this point. Their day is passing. Ryan has accepted it, Lancaster doesn't really reflect on it until perhaps the very end.
I also agree with what movieman said about how once they get Lancaster started he wasn't going to slow down...he gave them every chance to let him just ride away but they kept prodding the rattler. And I also think that he shot poor J.D. to free Sheree. Like Doniphon, he did murder but "he could live with it". He can ride away because he had the letter of the law on his side since the man was technically escaping and shooting in the back or the front wasn't going to bother him.
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It's too "soft" for you I'm sure, and the setting isn't for you. I don't believe however that the movie is saying you can go back in memories, just the opposite. You cannot go back if the heavy hand of the past and tradition remains on your back. The past is dead and can be death-dealing, on many levels.
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Forgive me for jumping around so much, but Jackie did you catch "Bitter Waters", the John Brahm Screen Directors Playhouse that just aired...with our Georgie? It was really good! It was based on a Henry James story, "Louisa Pallant", that I'm sure I must have read back in my HJ phase but have no recollection. What surprised me was seeing George play such a decent, honorable fellow, ha! And Robert Vaughn is a good choice to play his nephew. I always thought Vaughn had a slight hauteur to his manner, which makes him an ideal relation of Sanders.
I wish I had recorded this one. They sneak these DPH episodes in and of course I don't bother to look over the schedule.
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lol! T, I don't know why I resisted watching this movie ever since it was restored and has since appeared a couple of times on TCM (and on DVD). After all, Lubitsch is my second favorite director and this is one of his most famous, if not the most famous of his silent films. It may have been the stars (I've nothing against them, they just aren't favorites) or the setting (yet he's made so many movies in this world) or the plot just didn't sound like anything that thrilling. But I should have trusted the director. I don't normally associate such affecting emotional poignancy with Lubitsch and I'd have missed a very, very special work in his cannon if I'd continued to ignore *The Student Prince*.
I still don't know if you'll really like this kind of story and emotions, but as a true blue CineMaven, it can't hurt to watch a true silent classic made by a master.
I might add Carl Davis' score was really lovely, too...perfectly in tune with the emotions in the scenes.
Seems we all have been stepping afar from our usual trails: Jackie with *Lover Come Back*, you with *Wagon Master* and me with *The Phenix City Story*. Whew, what is this place coming to?
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A SPOILER IN OLD HEIDELBERG
> At first, I was horrified that the town had changed, and that the Saxonians were different, the hill was different...and now he must be deferred to since he was king....I wanted him to have that time in a free environment so badly! But then my mind started to play tricks on me. I started to think that maybe the town was never the way he originally saw it, through that veil of newness, and bright joy at being in the world for the first time, and in love. Maybe the town was never as beautiful as it was to him during those first tentative steps into the real world.
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I never thought of it that way! You could be right! Or maybe it is what Lubistch was going for, a momentary befuddlement of our senses...did it all really exist before? Or was I (Karl, the audience) only dreaming? Sometimes memories are like dreams. In fact, once an experience passes into memory, I guess it is the same as a dream, it is an idea that sparks emotion and longing.
> But I guess I still think that it all changed, that the taint of his power (which he never exerted or even wanted) finally over-rode the comaraderie of his friends. He would never again be comfortable with anyone, they would all be yes men. But I keep clinging to the thought that he still had old Kellerman back at the palace!
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Bless old Kellerman! I was so happy when he turned up, just as you say, some good "angel" always turned up just when Karl H. needed them most.
The way Lubitsch weaves the ironies...here is a boy grown into a man who never really got to be a boy ("Stay young, Karl Heinrich!" urged Dr. Juttner) and when he finally gets to experience some joy and freedom, he is right away snatched backward into the old, staid, dead world of tradition. Then he tries to go back but the past is dead. Irony of ironies that being trapped by a world that is living in the past he tries to escape by going back into the past.
> I LOVED that reaction, first the boys', and then Karl Heinrich's! He was so cute waving to them and excited! You'd think they would want him to inspire the boys, to connect with them, but the old men don't see that. They only see the rules.
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That's right, they see his "function" not him. When his train arrives in the beginning, I was expecting a young man...again, what a great intro. Lubitsch shows all this pomp and circumstance and what steps out...a tiny, delicate looking little innocent child. What a contrast!! It's really monstrous to think this receptive little creature is to be molded into an automaton, a functionary of noblesse oblige.
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I've seen *Belle Starr* before...Gene was definitely miscast and still in what she called her "Minnie Mouse" stage with the squeaky voice. She's awfully cute but a believable Belle Starr, nooooo... Dana is incredibly handsome.
And yes, the music is "Fordian" alright, the piece they use is Alfred Newman's Ann Rutledge theme recycled from 1939's *Young Mr. Lincoln*.
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STUDENT PRINCE SPOILERS
Wasn't it heartbreaking when the prince returned to Heidelberg, thinking he was going to be able to recapture for just one day all the old times, and even the Saxonians had changed toward him (now that he was King)? All the life was drained, literally, out of the inn and the memories. Only Kathi's love still survived.
I also love that Lubitsch did NOT show us Karl's bride in the carriage. That was great...a lesser director would have.
It's hard to think of a moment that isn't heartbreaking.
I loved Dr. Juttner, by the way. I was SO glad when he turned up after the nurse was sent away. That poor wee lad, that was my first time the floodgates burst.
Oh! And in that marvelous parade in the opening scenes that you described where all the hats are being waved...and you see the ONLY people who greet Karl Heinrich with any individuality and real joy that doesn't have to do with his status are the young children. And it's the first time Karl smiles and looks happy. Little does he know he won't be allowed to play with them.
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Jackie that was the most exquisite review of *The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg*...you caught so many wonderful details and found their meaning that I would have to watch a couple more times to notice. I did notice the hats but I didn't pull it all together with all their collective meaning...excellent! And the hand-on-heart gestures...wow! I missed so many details yet it still struck me so forcibly. I still can't get over how poignant this movie was...and as you brilliantly say, it's done with such a lightness of touch. This somehow makes the overbearing environment that has Karl Heinrich imprisoned all the more imposing. Lubitsch shows humanity and youth coping and struggling to stay in the sunlight in that ponderous world, straight-jacketed by tradition and "duty". This is truly an "old world" story. I kept thinking it's no wonder the United States was able to climb up on its hind legs and take over so quickly...it was completely unburdened by history and tradition like Europe. Lubitsch knows people, knows history, so well. In a way, his manner of showing the sacrifice and cost of tradition is the old world version of how Ford would show it costing, eventually, those in America, particularly military leaders.
That final, devasting shot, the public only sees the legend: "how great it must be to be King" but Lubitsch imprints the human facts on our hearts.
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*Kind of Gary Cooperish.*
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> Now that's a compliment! Or is it?
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Of course it is!!
> He's a big, lumpy guy but he seems so pleasant. But like Edward Andrews, his pleasantness can come off slimy. I don't know if you know the actor M. Emmet Walsh, but his style reminds me a little of him.
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He can seem really nice. He doesn't unsettle me as much as Andrews can.
Yes, I do know Walsh from TV appearances mostly, I think. He could easily have played one of those characters in *Phenix City Story*.
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> Oh, yeah! I really like James Edwards. He really does have a sincere presence. That's the perfect description of him.
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Kind of Gary Cooperish.
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> I definitely remember that episode. It's one that plays on you, because there's a nice twist to it. And I just saw Emhardt in a film last night. I always think of Alfred Hitchcock Presents with him.
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Hitch seemed to like him, too, he's in six of his shows. He really shines in them. He had a very distinctive voice, too. And yes, "Crackpot" totally had me fooled. It's one of the best.
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> He's one of those guys who can smile at you and you feel uneasy.
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He looks exactly like some gentlemen from my old home town. I think it's the glasses. Those horn-rimmed glasses he sometimes wore, on men always looked creepy to me even as a child. They weren't too cute on women, either, but on men, ick.
> *And later he was in The Manchurian Candidate, wasn't he?*
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> Was he one of the brainwashed?
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Yes, he was the Corporal who kept having nightmares. He also was the Sergeant in *Men in War*. He always had such a sincere presence.
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> *"Don't Interrupt" (1958)*
> *"Crackpot" (1957)*
> *"The Hidden Thing" (1956)*
> *"The Gentleman From America" (1956)*
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> Boy, it's been a while since I've watched the show. I only know of "Crackpot" by title.
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You remember that one, it featured another actor who could play creepy along the lines of Edward Andrews...Bob Emhardt. Biff and his new bride have a flat tire and Emhardt stops to "help" them. Then he turns up at their hotel, in the next room.
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> Yes I have! I forgot he was in that. I was quite surprised to see him playing such an evil man.
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I first saw him in the kind of "creepy" roles, so it was the other way around for me. Something about him always kind of gave me an unsettled feeling.
> Oh, yeah! I forgot about *The Set-Up*.
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And later he was in *The Manchurian Candidate*, wasn't he?
> *Biff McGuire (Ellie's boyfriend) is in a few "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".*
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> What episode?
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"Don't Interrupt" (1958)
"Crackpot" (1957)
"The Hidden Thing" (1956)
"The Gentleman From America" (1956)
).
The Annual FrankGrimes Torture Thread
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Posted
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> And then wipes the venom off!
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> I like that it's rather demented. It takes a cruel person to do what Dr. Riordan (Robert Newton) does. The entire cat and mouse is tortorous. It's like showing someone Gary Cooper movies.
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THat's two shots! You're really setting out the bait for butterscotch. Look out, I'm sure she's polishing her long, black gloves!
Truthfully, that was one of the best kisses in all movies, to me. I wasn't expecting it in a movie like that. Hot!
Robert Newton is a devil. I was tremendously impressed with his performance. I'd never seen him so controlled, it was quite mesmerizing. He was like a cobra and that poor Yank like a hypnotized rabbit at times.
Did you like Sally?
> You're definitely right about the seriousness of the film. It's a film where an event causes one to examine their life. It's interesting.
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I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't like it better if the movie were told from Deborah's point of view. It's hard for me to really get into her character.
> And I can't disagree with you about that. But for some reason, I found Jean to be alluring in *China Seas*, even though it's basically a take-off of *Red Dust*.
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Jean's a real sport, she's so feminine (sexy) but she really rolls with the boys. She's a man's woman, that's for sure, and I really like her and Gable together. He had a lot of fun with her and it shows.
> Loathe? That sounds like a great challenge! I'll watch it next.
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Because it's so quintessentially 1930s. I adore Barrymore but it's a painful character to watch. He's playing a washed out "ham", one of so many that caricatured the man. It's almost an exercise in ****. I'm very fond of Madge Evans but she's doesn't have much to do here; Billie Burke and Marie Dressler are perfect and Lionel, though he has no scenes with his brother, is wonderful as always but the real fun is the "Bickersons" rough-housing between Jean and Beery. She's about as brass as you can get without cursing. She makes it seem like she's turning the air blue with curses! Really cute kid. I roll whenever she refers to Beery's flat-chested "ex". hahaha!
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> And all of that really appeals to me. I usually don't like those who take social presentation so seriously. I'm hoping to get the other box set this year. I need to get it at the right price, though.
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I hope you get it. *A Night at the Opera* does have a classic scene in the ship's cabin. I felt that way when they were repairing my tiny bathroom a month ago.
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You need a "Candy Johnson"!
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Every girl needs a Candy at least once in her life.
> I liked how much Dave (Jimmy) loved Whitey (Jean Harlow). But it's hard to match Van's (Clark Gable) personality and position.
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Sure is a shame he and Clark didn't have one scene together. Well, they'd have been more interesting together when Jimmy was older anyway.