MissGoddess
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Posts posted by MissGoddess
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*The Reckless Moment* (Ophuls, 1949)
*Letter From an Unknown Woman* (Ophuls, 1948)
*The Shepherd of the Hills* (Hathaway, 1941)
*Trail of the Lonesome Pine* (Hathaway, 1936)
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Thank you for the good wishes, Rey.
*Murder My Sweet* is a great favorite of mine in fact you make me want to pop it in the DVD player now. I can never get enough of that crackling, Chandler dialogue. In fact, when it comes to dialogue this movie and *Out of the Past* are my two favorite films noir just to listen to.
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That's an incredible list, Rey. Many movies I admire are on it. The 1940s really are a different tone and style from 30s and 50s as any one of those films on your list demonstrate. They had a gleam and polish you don't see again, and it was the last decade black-and-white photography would dominate. Thank you for taking so much time and care with your list.
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I enjoyed watching 'Tippi' Hedren's screen test for *The Birds* (on the Universal DVD) and it can be seen here, at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npa2XHbl4O8
The test seems only loosely scripted, if at all and mostly consists of her showing how she looks and moves in different clothes and flirting with Martin Balsam (Oh, his life was tough). What's remarkable is how much poise she shows for a rather inexperienced actress. It was astonishing to me. She's more natural and at ease than in the actual film, which is a very directed performance (which I'm sure is what Hitch wanted).
Ok, looking at the "Making of the Birds" documentary, I see that 'Tippi's' test consisted of scenes from *Rebecca*, *Notorious* and *To Catch a Thief*. The last one is the only I recognized!
Edited by: MissGoddess on Nov 27, 2011 2:54 AM
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It turns out *The Evil Mind* is one I have seen, and on TCM but under the title *The Clairvoyant*. I liked it, a strong performance by Claude Raines in one of his leading roles.
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I haven't seen "Sybilla" was that Sybill's unreported personality?
I tried to find the discussions on *Giant*, there was my aborted on in "Rambles" and, I think, the other more recent one was in "The Frank Grimes Torture" thread but they only let me search so far back and then up comes nothing but blank pages. I'm afraid when they "upgraded" here at TCM, some of the longer threads got cut off at the knees.
I also did a search and nothing came up.If you want to post in "Rambles" about *Giant* or the *Torture* thread, please do. I look forward to it.
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Hi Lady BG! I saw "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" last night, too! Wow, Joan almost made me grateful I don't really have a family.
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That story of how you came to read broke me up! Ah, the old fashioned ways.
*The Evil Mind* is the only one of those I believe I've never seen. I'll have to check that one out, too!
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> {quote:title=CineMaven wrote:}{quote}Gee, I haven't read a film book in AGES. (Man, I haven't read a BOOK in ages). Attention span somewhat diminished though I do have the quiet time now that I'm retired. Hope you enjoy the Walsh biography.
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Me, too!! And I used to be a major book worm, so I sometimes marvel over my lack of enthusiasm to read these days, with a few exceptions. I always had my nose in a book as a child and teenager.
The last time I read a novel was my dog-eared Rebecca, which I typically take on long trips.
We'll see if I can get through this bio. A lot depends on the style of the writer. I doubt it will be as fun as Walsh's own style.
> A coupla months ago you told us about a Karloff movie called *"NIGHT KEY"* where I had to hurdle over my own bias of seeing my dear sweetie pie Sammykins be such a mean guy. Well, I'd like to suggest something for you (and everyone) to check out if time and/or inclination permits.
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> It's Karloff again. And before he worked with Anna Lee in *"BEDLAM" (1946)* he worked with her ten years earlier in a film I've been enjoying called *"THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND."* This film was made in England (this is the British title) and called in America: "THE MAN WHO LIVED AGAIN."
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> Karloff is a scientist who starts off with good intentions, but when the medical community scoffs at his claims to be able to...
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> Well, you know. Also stars John Loder. (Frankly, I think Karloff's experiments should have been on Johnny boy). Lots of great shots in this film thanx to the director.
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> *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIQAuYAs6Po&feature=related*
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Brilliant! I look forward to seeing this, thanks...and I imagine I'll feel the same about the Lode-r.
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> {quote:title=rohanaka wrote:}{quote}HELLO there, Miss G.... just wanted to pop in and say a big rousing THANK YOU for recommending The Sundowners. (finally got to see it today.. didn't even know it was coming on until I almost missed it, ha. I am such a dope about checking the schedule) so imagine my happy surprise when I thought to myself, "hey.. I wonder what is on TCM today" and actually had some free time to do something about it.. ha.
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Yay!! And shame on me, I was supposed to do my duty as your secretary and remind you it was on!! No bonus for me.
> Not really a "western" exactly (unless Australia can be considered west) but sort of had a bit of a "western" flavor to it.. and if memory serves you brought it up somewhere in this neck of the woods.. ha.. so I decided to drop a quick line here anyway just to say how much I enjoyed it!!
>
That makes me really glad. I had a hope that you would. And I think the movie I was finding some comparison to was *The Proud Rebel*, only in terms of it being a kind of "family" frontier sort of story. You might add *Friendly Persuasion* to that category of "family westerns".
I confess when I first saw *The Sundowners*, I found it a bit tedious because of its length and the humor. Then, years later, I watched again and wondered how I could have been so wrong. It's such a warm, shambling, journey that really takes you into the day-to-day lives of these itinerate people. Deborah is simply amazingly real as Mitch's wife, Ida; she's vital, earthy, yet so human. My favorite moment, one that's often mentioned in connection with this movie, is when she catches a glimpse of the lady on the train, the pretty one in the fashionable hat. The look on her face speaks to the wistfulness of Ida's own girlish dreams once upon a time. Not that she'd do any different---she loves Paddy too much to ever regret marrying him---but she is human enough to want a home and an easier time, time to do her own hair, have a pretty dress once in a while. Women everywhere can relate, I'm sure. But like I said, what makes Ida grand is she's not one to complain or nag. She is happy so long as her family is together and that means, for now, going from station to station.
> I really liked the relationship between Kerr and Mitchum.. and their son as well (And... Oh that Peter Ustinov.. I absolutely LOVED him!!)
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Peter was great. Sort of like a "Greek chorus". His comments on Paddy and Ida and the boy were that of an objective observer, yet he too seemed to feel a pang at a life he missed, just like when Ida saw the girl on the train. He might have had a family and people who cared as much for him as they obviously do for eachother. And he even had a chance there, MORE than a chance, ha, with little Glynis Johns and her pub. Loved her. She sure was a graceful loser, though.
In fact, what I like about the movie is how it shows the spirit of these people. They made their choices about how they were going to live and they don't quarrel with life or blame or whine or complain. There's a HUGE lesson there for many of us, especially me.
> Thanks again for putting this one on my radar for me, kiddo.
You're most welcome! Thank you for watching it and posting about it.
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Ha haaaa!! I love it. I want Mom's review, too.
My own mother always liked this movie. Of course, James Dean was the one who caught her eye.
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> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}Goddess, I'm all set for GIANT this afternoon!
Yippee! I look forward to your impressions of it, and of Elizabeth, Rock and the whole giant shebang.
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Hi T! I'm glad you saw it. "Breezy" is a good word, it's a real party. I feel like more fun was probably going on behind the camera than in front (that the censors would allow, anyway). The doggie got me. I agree the little drunk fisherman...they shouldn't have dived in after him, ha!
I love this character for Tracy. It's like a lot of his "mugs" from the era, but he seems especially in a good mood in this one. It must be Joan. "Hiya, Red." "It ain't red, I'm a blonde!" "Oh, yeah? Where'd you get it?" ha haaaa!!
Seeing her behind the till reminded me of Linda Darnell's "Stella" from *Fallen Angel*, only played more for laughs.
And I thought Tracy's cracks about the banks were BRILLIANT. So very appropos for today.
Mac's breaking the "fourth wall" like that to address the camera sure came as a surprise. it made the movie feel more like a comedy and all in good fun. The robbery was like a Marx brothers act, right?! Love it. Even the "getaway" from the prison under the car, that seemed like something Walsh dared the actor to do for real. I can just imagine what practical joke was behind it, since Walsh was infamous for playing them on his actors.
This movie sold me on having to get the new biography of the director. I want to read about those good times, even if I can't be a part of them (and heck if I could have kept up!)
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I thought this such a lovely picture of Cyd Charisse, I had to post it here:
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Hey everyone. If you're a fan of:
1930s movies
Spencer Tracy
Joan Bennett
Raoul Walsh (director)
Depression Era settings
Raucous Irish humor
Beer
Dogs
Gangsters
Then check out the Fox film, *Me and My Gal* (1932), one of the most entertaining movies I've seen lately from the early 30s. It's the most "Walshian" movie I've seen by the director after his *What Price Glory?[/b], in fact, it's in many ways a real commentary on the world after the "Great War", good and bad. But don't look for serious social commentary like in a William Wellman or Frank Capra movie, Walsh clearly was having a blast in those days and it shows. Most fun to watch is the incredibly sexy repartee between Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett, which makes me want to sink *Father of the Bride* et, al, into the ocean. To think they started out having so much fun and ended up in separate beds.
I hope TCM will try hard to get the broadcast rights to this wonderful romp (with a slightly serious vein of gangsterism). It's too cute and fun to be so little known (I only heard of it myself for the first time a few weeks ago, and never thought I'd find it anywhere). Enjoy, "IT'S JAKE!":
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Hello, Pilgrim!
Exactly.. they all had to get to the place where they would receive
their blessing.
I guess many of us are trying to get there still.
I love compositions like this one at the carpenter's, very Fordian:
Alison at her business:
I did too.. In fact, I just liked pretty much every scene w/ that sergeant. He was an alright guy. And his voice.. ha. At first I found it
irritating, but it sort of grew on me over time. I liked hearing him talk,
he seemed like an "old guy" in a young man's body.
Again, you have the knack for putting it exactly into the right words. I thought the same about the young man. He was a kind of "old soul".
He was very funny, trying to make out all the English-isms.
I like how he spoke of his walk in the woods with his girl. They way he
tried not to show too much how disappointed he was that he never got
letters from her. So, for a while, I confess I was wondering if he was
going to fall in love with Alison, too!
And then comes Dennis Price ("Peter Gibbs") the kind of cocky young
English soldier. I really liked him a lot. I like that he, too, grew a little
by the time of Canterbury. He wasn't just boast and condescension.
He was an alright fellow.
Ha.. I thought that too, if only for a brief moment. But I do think he
was real. I think maybe he was on a pilgrimage too of sorts.(even if he
didn't know it) If you think about it.. there he was wrapped up in his
traditions and his own way of life holding to mindsets and ideas that
were far beyond their time (at least some of them.. the dunking chair
WAS "sensibly used" after all). Perhaps fate brought HER into his life
to help him out of that sort of thinking and set him on a better path as
well.
I think so. She did, after all, understand his attraction to the old ways
and places. She was into archeology and shared that with her fiance.
As for Mr. Culpepper, he'd cut himself off from the very people he
pledged himself to "save from themselves". He was a bit stuck in the
past. Maybe these people were representative of England in different
ways.
Mr. Culpepper, so lofty and removed from his fellows:
He doesn't even have electricity in his office/municipal building:
And I do think he had fallen in love with her if only because she
was the one who helped him realize that there WAS a better way to
think, despite his love for the past and his traditions. I don't think he
ever saw a woman as someone who could think for herself that way
(even if he did seem to revere women.. the few bits where he is w/ his
mother you get a sense that he does respect women.. maybe that
was his problem.. he had an "ideal' of what women were supposed to
be for and be like.. and she came along and challenged those ideas.
(high time, too, wasn't it?)
You know, you're right. I can identify with him there, too.
But you are right.. his departure WAS pretty "supernatural" in the
way he just sort of disappears once he sees that she is not HIS future
(and he is not hers). All in all, I found him to be very sympathetic and
maybe even a bit to be pitied (by the end of the movie) An interesting
(if somewhat insane and harmlessly chauvinistic, ha) sort of guy.
It's part of the charm and enchantment of this movie. It definitely
suggests in a lovely way that there really is a spiritual side to life.
So glad you enjoyed the pilgrimage, my dear.
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> Ha.. desperate times call for desperate measures. I think he was so wrapped up in his cause it blinded him from seeing that what he was doing was wrong. So maybe that was a bit insane in a way.
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I think I still haven't quite grasped the whole idea behind the movie. I loved the way it starts and how surprised I was when it totally switched from one period to another. I tried to find the thread that would link us back to that opening scene, and it really wasn't until we got to Canterbury, just like those people, that I realized this story was kind of a "pilgrimage". Very nice.
> I agree, little missy. The whole town and all the characters were very heartwarming and told a whole other tale (along w/ the glueman) And I got a kick out the little boy on the hay too, ha. I had not realized how high up he was until they pulled away.
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I get a kick out of little things like that. And the bits of humor about the American boy and his getting used to English customs. I loved his chat with the carpenter about wood and trees.
> I liked how the small town was sort of on the "fringe" of the war.. but not in the midst of it (at least not yet) and the people were able to hang on to the lifestyle and daily rituals and duties (even if most of the men had been called off and a lot of the women were filling their boots) In a way, the shop girl leaving her work and taking on a job assignment out on the farm was much like "Rosie the Riveter" situation (only country style. ha)
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Yes, exactly! It was charming because it seemed to really capture a communal spirit of everyone working together.
> I wish I could remember more of the Ford piece you are referring to (ha.. only just recently did I even recall I had seen it at all! duh.. but I don't remember enough about it specifically) But I do imagine that you are right as Ford was so good at creating those sorts of impressions and moods by using the townspeople and the seemingly day to day activities to create a "mood" or feeling within a story.
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It's the "Majesty of the Law" with the old gentleman who was very insistent on the need to not lose the old, unwritten ways and traditions. He was willing to fight and go to jail, in short, kick up a ruckus and look foolish (to others), for that point. He was rather like the "Glue Man" in that regard.
> I think the entire movie was beautifully filmed. I loved the little village nd the inn and all the scenes w/ the "scenery" (ha) But I liked the Canterbury portion of the story too. Even the harsh reality of war that had taken its toll on the streets of Canterbury seemed somewhat beautiful if only in its poignancy. There was all that evidence of devastation around and yet the signs showing how the city was NOT giving up and giving in.. they were going to continue on (even if they had to rebuild around the craters) And right in the middle of it all was the great cathedral, calling everyone in and offering them something awe inspiring to think and dwell on, (and even rely on) and to consider (rather than all the destruction around them instead)
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It did transition nicely into the Canterbury setting. They would either all go their own ways, learning little, or they would take with them something precious, perhaps that would change their lives.
> Canterbury Spoilage...
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> I also liked the way everything sort of came together (as if fate finally wrapped it all up in a bow for everyone) and everything was set right. (ha.. I loved the part where the one guy said "When I get a halo" and right then (in beknownst to him) there is a bright light (I think it was the sun) that streams in the window and lights the back of his head. (and he DID end up saving the day.. just by not doing what he set out to do.. way cool)
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I did too. It was very cleverly done, too. I really at no point was able to predict what was going to happen.
> What did you think about the glueman (and how he felt about the girl.. .when they were at the garage and he was standing there when she got the news about her fiance.. he just disappears.... do you think by then he'd fallen in love with her and realized he was too late???
Yes! My first impression was, wow, he's fallen for her and I did NOT expect her situation with her fiance to turn out like it did. I thought that the way he reacted and his disappearance suggested that he had started to love her. Then I thought...was he even real??? Did the movie suggest that he was some sort of spirit or figment of their imaginations? Or a miracle? I'm still not sure. The way he disappears seemed almost supernatural.
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*And a contract to mass produce them!*
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> They would sell like hotcakes! You alone need a million dunkings!
Since this is a new era, there's a barrel of glue waiting for you.
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> Have you ever seen that show The Shark Tank? (where inventors pitch their ideas to these millionaire investors to see if they will help them sell their product?) We can put the Grey Dude on that show.. only we will use REAL sharks...
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I've never seen the show but I do love that idea...how tantalizing!
A CANTERBURY SPOILER
> That had to be the strangest plan I have EVER heard of.. ha. I am SURE it made sense to him SOMEWHERE along the line.. but can you just imagine him sitting around one day and saying to himself..
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> "Now HOW am I going to get all the soldiers free to come to my lectures instead of going out w/ the girls from my town instead..."
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> (and just then he spies a bottle of Elmer's sitting on the kitchen table.. ha)
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> Crazy.. but still it made for an interesting tale.
Ha! I had to watch the movie twice to understand his whole point and then at the end, I think that he realizes he was off base, or we realize he is, anyway. His intentions weren't all off base, but like you said, his assumption about the girls certainly was. Frankly, that whole thing with the glue was just so bizarre I tended to feel really skeptical about his sanity.
But then I did like some of what he said at his little "screening". Mostly, I liked the things that were unsaid, the visual stories in the faces and humble daily lives (untouched as yet by the war or even time itself) of the villagers. Those were some of the most pleasing and enjoyable moments I've seen in a movie. I loved the boy coming by the American kid's hotel window on top of the hay wagon, I loved the whole inn and the farmer lady and the whole thing about the girl proving she knew a thing or two about being a wheelwright or a blacksmith or whatever her "trade" was. And then the kinship with times past, how it was all of a piece, unbroken, unless people started forgetting. Now I think of it, the movie reminds me a bit of the first story in John Ford's *The Rising of the Moon*. Are people and the little ways that bind them together going to matter and continue to matter, or is war, progress (self interests) going to just mow over all that like the tanks plowing through where horsecarts used to go? Sorry, I ran on and I don't even know if it made sense. But the movie was more like a series of "impressions" of characters and their connection to each other and to time, in my experience watching it, rather than one specific plot or story. What did you like best?
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> Ha.. I bet he even has a "patent pending"
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And a contract to mass produce them!
> It DID.. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for recommending it, youngun. It was good to get a chance to see it w/ my eyes open this time. ha. (I only fell asleep the first time because I was too stupid and tried to watch it when I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. (duh..when will I ever learn?? ha)
Well that is hardly a thing to blame yourself for...I have been so tired myself lately that I can empathize but TOO well! I only watched a movie tonight (on youtube) for the first time in four days.
So did the mystery of the "glue man" surprise you?
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FG: "Hey, what's that?"
Salesman: "Oh, that's our dunking stool. Sensibly used for silencing talkative women."
FG: "SOLD!"
Ha!! Yes, he probably invented the diabolical thing.
Yay! You watched *A Canterbury Tale* at last! I hope it held your interest.
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I always like seeing location shots of San Francisco back in those days. It's one of the most appealing American cities to me.
I can't believe I wrote Brian Keith when I meant his father, Robert Keith, was in the cast of *Woman on the Run*. Well, since I have always had a crush on Brian, I guess that explains it.
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Kyle, I hope you come back, I'll miss you and your posts.
May the road be kind to you.
I also did a search and nothing came up.
RAMBLES Part II
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
TATTERED SPOILERS
it's JACK CARSON's show all the way. Carson plays the town sheriff. And as power does...power corrupts, absolutely. Yes Miss G., he's MacBeth...and also Machiavelli all rolled up in one hail fellow well met. He's jovial and menacing; threatening and sympathetic. When on the witness stand a second time, he talks of how he considers Chandler a friend; even kind of intimates that he knows he's holding onto his glory days as a collegiate grid iron star long past its expiration date. < Sniff! > But he's a back stabbing snake in the grass...and convincing at it too. He's pulling the strings and won't stop at lying, cheating, beating or murder.
Great description of Carson's character. I kept thinking about *Molo* while watching him, since i know he's a favorite of his. This has to be up there with his best performances. He really got a lot of choice work in the fifties, early sixties. Stuff that proved he was much more than a comical second lead (and he was great at that).
I think everyone should try on..."The Tattered Dress."
They could have used you in their publicity department, that's a great tagline!
P.S. Tattered dress notwithstanding, I loved Jeanne Crain's wardrobe in this movie. And I have always loved her look from this point on. She was always lovely, but I find her really ravishing in her thirties and forties. I can't get over how skinny she was and she had SEVEN kids.