MissGoddess

"Christy" sounds so familiar....I think I remember my mother saying how much she liked that show. I've never seen it.

Wouldbestar, I'm so disappointed I don't get any of those channels you all talk about like Retro, Me TV or any of those "sub-channels" they now have that sometimes run classics. I don't know why New York is so limited as to cable channels. It's unbelievably barren. So, I rent the DVDs, if available. I saw "F-Troop" on reruns as a kid. I didn't know "Laredo" was a comedy. Sans-fin, is it the western style saddle that looks off to you? Because actors like Ben Johnson, Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea rode before they could walk and are wonderfully relaxed on their horses. I'd recommend their westerns if the riding style is that much of a distraction. They're a thing of grace and beauty and were often given long shots just to show off their riding ability, especially Johnson.

I just want to jump in and ask if any watched *Chase a Crooked Shadow* tonight? That is one of the most beautiful villas and settings (Spain) i have ever seen in a movie, and that is saying a lot. I could only wish it had been filmed in color, though the black-and-white suited the tone of the film better. A very stylish thriller. I'll honor Mr. Fairbanks' request to not mention the ending. Bronxie, I thought of you since I know you like Richard Todd...and the Mediterranean (or was it the Atlantic? They said Norther Spain so I'm not sure). Anyway, they were both great to look at.

Thanks, Cowboy Chris! > {quote:title=movieman1957 wrote:}{quote} > According to a comment on the Starz website it looks like "Cheyenne," "Maverick" and "The Virginian" may be gone. Early "Gunsmoke" episodes may show up. (One complaint about too much "Gunsmoke.") And, of course, those you mentioned. > I can never get enough "Matt" and "Miss Kitty". I wonder if the half hour episodes will replace the hour long ones, or be in addition? I'm sorry to see "Cheyenne" and "Maverick" go. I think I've seen just about all "The Virginian" episodes at least twice. I don't like the later seasons nearly as much as the first one. > I've seen the first two discs of "Rawhide" and thought it was pretty good. > I've only seen a handful of them. They seemed very well done. And that theme song has to be one of the most famous! "Laredo" is new to me.

Hi wouldbestar...three Emmys...that's not bad. I thought Barbara was great in "The Thorn Birds". Check out "The Barbara Stanwyck Show" if you ever get a chance. It's pretty good. On another note, it looks like Encore Westerns will be adding "Laredo" and "Rawhide" to their lineup in January. They may also be introducing the very first season of "Gunsmoke", when it was only a half hour format, judging by the clip they show in a promo. I look forward to those, though I hope they don't bump "Have Gun, Will Travel" or "Wagon Train".

> {quote:title=CineMaven wrote:}{quote}*D'oh! I'll never get the cupcakes made now!* > > What's to do? Just throw 'em in the oven and let 'em bake themselves. > > I'll throw another shrimp on the barbee for you, and everyone: > > *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XYyIvEpabY&feature=related* > > Aaaaah! My job is done as CineTemptress!!! Oh my goodness!! *The Tattered Dress* on YouTube? How marvelous...I have wanted to see this movie for SO very long. Thank you for this temptation!

Hello, Festival Maven! > Ha. I can't explain it myself. Just call me *"Tall T 'n T.* (Topsy Turvy). Not only is the topsy turvyness between you and me, but it is also within myself. I tell ya, I was a wreck when I walked out of that movie theatre when all I wanted to do when I went into the theatre was get this movie under my belt. That's great, though. Sometimes it can be a bonus to have lower expectations. It's worse to be all excited about seeing a movie only for it to be a big let-down. I also think there's some wonderful, mysterious alchemy about watching a movies, especially a classic, in a theater with an audience. Maybe it is more immersive, you really lose yourself in the experience and feed off of the energy of the people around you feeling the same thing. Who knows? Maybe if I saw *The Constant Nymph* in a theater, all that music might suddenly have seemed perfection. And I do mean that. These films were never intended for TV viewing. > Maybe I'll change when I see it again, from stem to stern. I only saw the last half-hour of TCM's recent airing. But I now have a DVD of it and can give my heart another spin around the block and see if I still feel the same. > I'm sure you'll still like it, and I'm curious as to how you will compare it to *Letter from an Uknown Woman*, which you're probably sick to death of hearing about already, ha!! And that one probably won't measure up to TCN (or even Earrings...) but I hope it will be an interesting experience, especially now you've seen TCN which is so similar. > ...You may never come to like this film more. And that'll be okay. Your willingness to take other opinions into account, and revisit the film...that's a good thing. > THat's the addictive pleasure of these discussions, I get so much more out of ALL the movies we watch and talk over, whether they are personal favorites of mine, or of someone else. It's not all about me, me, me. I want to know why others like what they do so much. > Ophuls' style is starting to interest me after seeing *"The Earrings of Madame de..."* and listening to your boy give that commentary (I've forgotten his name) on HOW to look at Ophuls. Ophuls farely blew my mind with his presentation. I...felt...Madame de's Love, thanx to Max's dizzying presentation. > "Dizzying" is a great word for it! All that whirling around like a waltz. > I hear ya. And I agree with you in what you surmise Movies do (or at least did) back then, which was not to really present what was the common everyday experience but to present the Experience of Possibility; the Romance of things. Movies' vision used to be sort of a 'our reach should exceed our grasp' kind of blanket over everything. Your entire paragraph on your position was wonderfully expressed 'G.' I cannot possibly hope to match how you wrote it, other than to say I understand what you mean...and agree with what you say. I did start off my post saying that I totally bought Tessa's & Lewis' affection for each other. > Thanks, very much. I don't think I was very clear, but thank you. > The, it could happen, that this 14 year old girl (an old soul) felt love; felt Love as deeply as a Woman would, even at her tender age...felt Love in the way a grown up might define being in Love. > I liked what you said, "old soul". That's the part I identified with Tessa (and with Lisa, in Letter....). > Aaaah yes, the "V" word...the hornet's nest I rustled. Or was that a land mine I just stepped on? ("HEY!! Where's the rest of me?!!") > No! You simply prompted a neat segue onto admittedly oh wow, dare I say it? Virgin territory? > Allow me to backtrack, just a bit, to your exchange with one, Frank Grimes, Frozen Rope Recipient and Grey Man Extraordinaire, to be sure I understood the context you both were speaking in, and you'll understand what I meant by what I said. Forgive me for paraphrasing horribly...but hopefully accurately: > > *MS. G.: Is Lewis' real love only inspired by Alexis Smith who stirred him physically?* > > * MR. G.: Could a grown man even be in love with a 14-year old girl?* > > You two were speaking in context of the movie, and I might've mixed in my thoughts on Real Life Reality. My response was based on the reaal world, not the Romantic world of the Possibility, of the Exception (in this case of Tessa & Lewis) that you guys were talking about. My reply was (based on the real-world) a 14-year old is not psychologically equipped to handle a grown man's love even if he might (but shouldn't) be in love with her. I was not speaking of the world of the Fantastic, The Romantic when I went on to say, as a bit of an aside and an unfortunate swipe, that I was not crazy about cultures who would value Virginity as a way of not having their "performance" judged or compared to. If a person chooses to uphold the "V" word...fine. It is their choice. (I want it to be their choice). I just meant that to create a whole system of values lauding it, smacked a bit to me to me like protecting the male ego. I was not looking to castigate a woman (or man's) choice in that regard. And you aptly pointed out to me that a whole system of values lauding Virginity does not necessarily have to do with *any* of what I said. > And I do understand that even better now and can completely see why and where you're coming from with that. Because it often is (or was) unfairly one-sided. > May I really confess, Miss G., that I laughed when you wrote: *"Do it soon! Do it often! Do it online!"* I just thought of the marketing possibilities and I chuckled. Sorry. > Ha haaa! I'm glad you did laugh because I wasn't sure if my pathetic attempt at humor fell flat or not. > Now if you think that's tough...who will speak up for that much more severely maligned group: > > The Celibate Adult??? In the immortal words of whosits: You said it.

> The world was moving away from that and on to greater self sufficiency, I guess. > If we get any more progressive or self sufficient, we'll all be living in little holes, by ourselves, with only the warmth of the computer to see and remember. And we'll have only one finger to tap and a thumb to swipe! Playing with the virtual doggies and virutal kittens.

I can't believe I left *The Hucksters* and *Call of the Wild* off my list!!! How delightlessly idiotic! butterscotchgreer has inspired me to watch *Adventure* again, though it was not a hit with me. Except Joan Blondell, I loved her and Gable's scenes with Thomas Mitchell. I love watching men on boats! I always dreamed of marrying a man with a boat. Of course, I'm thinking of a 50ft ketch and I'd end up with a tuna barge.

Exactly. that's the texture of living that nothing can recapture. I'm reminded of those "reality" shows that were on not too long ago, where a group of people (or families) had to live in a specific old time period and recreate all the details of life back in that time and place. Well, it not only pointed up the obvious, but I wonder if anyone thinks about how there's just no way you can recreate the place inside people that originated every daily task and custom and word. It doesn't come from the same place as with people in another time, before or after. Even people looking back and remembering, color their recollections. They can never bring it back, in its full reality. Dan O'Flaherty (Noel Purcell) stands out from his townfolk not just because of the position he takes and his stubborn old fashionedness, but because he bemoans not just the ways that are gone, but the commonly held feelings that people had which created those ways. It's not enough to have a community, but why you need and value it can make all the difference. He came from a time when everyone really depended on each other for all their laws, customs, favors, conflicts, entertainment...life. The world was moving away from that and on to greater self sufficiency, I guess. Ha, that made me think of one of the most "un-Fordian" of Ford's films, which has one of the best and most appropriate of all his movie titles: The World Moves On. Edited by: MissGoddess on Nov 16, 2011 11:06 PM

I think you hit on it when you said that there was something being lost in the "new" Ireland. The abandonment of ways that were shared verbally, or taught from one person to another, as opposed to studied out of a book. I liken it to the difference between all the fabulous "chefs" now that went to fancy schools and have shelves full of recipe books vs. the millions of "cooks" who never wrote down a recipe, but merely showed their children and they handed it on to their children, and on, etc. What do you want to bet some of the best meals you can imagine are lost not because they "weren't written down", but because of the love and the old ways that originated them are gone. It was about more than ingredients. Just as poteen making, whispering outlandish stories on a blustery night, honoring the man who just slugged you ( ) are things that are more important than can be expressed. They're all about the people who do them and their relations to each other. Your point about all the irony makes the title, "The Majesty of the Law", make more sense to me.

Lol! Oh, that brings back memories of playing with my cousins. If one of them was Tarzan, he always had to say "Ungawa", ha! I wish I could think of more, your list captured the best. I'm sure others have some good ones. Maybe rohanaka will mention the unhappy job of being John Wayne's dog.

> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote}MissG - Well, I would never have even heard of the movie without you, nor would I have a copy! Nor would I look as closely without your inspiration to guide me. I really just wanted to see what connected the three movies together. I hope to watch it again over the long break next week, especially *1921*. I love what you said about the switch in tone, that's fascinating. How many movies do that? Often if there's a switch it is the other way, from light to dark and possibly a light ending tacked on. Between this and what you wrote about *Ride the High Country*, I need to pay attention more, clearly!

Ha!!!!! That was hilarious, Jackie!! Oh my goodness, I'll have to save this one. I want to try and think of some...oh, I know! Another job I wouldn't want in the movies: *A native bearer*...if you're carrying the star's worldly goods, you'll either fall off a sky high cliff or be eaten by a giant ape.

Jackie that is some kind of writer you are. You should be sitting on a chest of jewels, you're so good at finding riches in movies that I never dreamed of. I'll be watching *The Rising of the Moon* with new eyes, thanks to your words. I'm going to especially keep in mind what you wrote about art, artists, and time and the way those themes tie the three little stories together. Wonderful! And your appreciation for the visuals raises my own. I really can't wait to see it again, now. Thank you.

Hi, theoldieslover...I enjoyed "The Bob Newhart Show", too. Love Bill Daily. I finished watching the first disc of season 1 of "The Barbara Stanwyck Show" last night. It's an anthology series along the lines of those done by Robert Montgomery, Ronald Colman, etc. I was suprised to see that Barbara herself starred in all of them (so far). Some have interesting behind the camera talent like Jacques Tourneur and Nick Musuraca. It's a very classy show, Barbara looks fantastic and her energy is quite awesome, considering she was also working in movies. She won an Emmy, I believe, for the show.

Yes! More! More! Are they featuring him today on TCM? My favorite Gables (favorite movies---all but the top four are subject to "mood" changes): 1. GWTW (mais bien sur) 2. The Misfits 3. Mogambo 4. Test Pilot 5. Soldier of Fortune 6. Teacher's Pet 7. Manhattan Melodrama 8. Red Dust 9.**** Tonk 10. The Tall Men 11. It Happened One Night 12. No Man of Her Own 13.Strange Cargo 14. It Started in Naples 15. A King and Four Queens 16. Band of Angels 17. A Free Soul 18. Idiot's Delight 19. Mutiny on the Bounty 20.San Francisco 21. China Seas 22. Hold Your Man 23. Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise 24. Cain and Mabel 25. Hell Divers 26. Men in White 27. Run Silent, Run Deep 28. Wife vs. Secretary 29. Too Hot to Handle 30. Homecoming

*bagladymimi*, was the Michael Caine book his autobiography or did you read the one he wrote on acting? He's hilarious. His writing style reminds me of the David Niven books, which I have never forgotten since I first read them. I just saw Niven last night in a DVD of "Golden Age of Television"...I think it was one of his "Four Star Theater" productions. It was called "The Bomb" and John Dehner, from all those westerns, was his co-star.

Hi CinemAva! Like NYC's ignoble mayor, I waited till early morning to post. I laughed at that even though I don't know what it refers to...can you enlighten me? Wow guys. I spotted a film on both your lists that so resonated with me on a great emotional level, but ranked so low with you two, that I felt compelled to reply to your conversation with my own thoughts and take on that film. I do get it that this is just your opinion in conjunction with this grouping of films juxtaposed with each other. Of course this caveat applies: To Each His Own. (Starring Joanie’s big sister). I continue to marvel at this topsy turvyness! I really am surprised that *The Constant Nymph* resonated so well with you when you had reservations about it, and it didn't really grab me as much even though I was hoping to love it, especially given that *Letter From an Unknown Woman* is such a personal favorite and it has a similar theme. However, like I said to Grimes, that list was a weird one to rank because a lot of those film go up and down with me according to my mood. I don't dislike *The Constant Nymph* and I may come to appreciate it more over time. I do appreciate all the discussion here and at the SSO and how it has made me look at the movie from different angles. I thought Joan and Joyce were darling together. I must see "LETTER FROM AN UKNOWN WOMAN." Sooner than later. You really should, since star and theme are so similar and when you add Ophuls.... Miss G. I think her love was girlish idolization. It probably feels like love to a fourteen year old, but everything is so intense at that age at the beginning of puberty. This is very often true. I guess I was thinking that The Constant Nymph is presenting us with a unique event or happening, not trying to say that this is in any way the common experience. That places the story in the "romance" territory for me, which is where the ideal fits. Does it question whether the ideal is always just a "fantasy" as is the common belief today? Maybe. I think the story and the movie are products of belief in the exceptional. I could be wrong, but most Hollywood movies and novels of that time that were centered on romance, were still really influenced by the traditional "romantic" notions of the unique, the marvelous, the exceptional. The were less concerned with commenting as much on what the common experience was. You know, what we call "escape" today, but it was perhaps more closely held to be a thing to strive for, not a complete impossibility. And that like you say, probably messed with impressionable minds that didn't reason maturely enough on balancing what's a realistic expectation, and what to hope for. It is a delicate balance, and most movies (or people) don't go for balancing acts, delicate or otherwise, ha. (Alexis Smith). HMMmmmm...a rare man indeed Miss G. (Does he have a brother?) A saint in fact. And non-existent (IMHO). Or at the very least, not likely. We are not nymphs. And that's where I kind of wondered if Charles Boyer's character really could have been satisfied with Joan. He's French, after all! We are all corporeal carnal beings. With spiritual needs. Men sublimate their desire? Yeah, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than... Touche. And yet, "man cannot live on bread alone..." Exactly how old was Romeo, Miss G.? (Shearer and Howard notwithstanding). Ha haaa! Am I the only one that actually enjoyed that version of the story? But for Barrymore, I admit. And not as much as Bertolucci's version. I thought Romeo was a teen, too, maybe a little older than Julie. I believe Tessa loved Lewis as much as a fourteen year old girl psychologically can love. At fourteen, I think "love" is fool's gold. I don't mean to be perjorative, and am *NOT* saying a young girl is a fool at that age. Not at all. To a young girl it looks and feels like love to her. And it is a "kind" of love. (No grown-up should be fooled by this and act on this. Maybe he is the fool of 'fool's gold'). But a fourteen year old cannot love in the full bloom and knowledge and maturity of Self. All that goes a long way in experiencing love in a mature way. Love so young is immature, quixotic. (Did Roddy McDowall love Lassie, he did...he did. I felt it when he said "You're my Lassie come home.") That's the way children love. Intense and with all their little tiny hearts. And tomorrow they want a pony. I agree with you in the main, there. I also believe in the exceptions to that, and maybe that is what the story was concerned with, our discussion notwithstanding. And if I can butt in, and hopefully add something of value in response to you comment to Frank about the V-word ( ), I'd just say that not everyone who values virginity does so because of cultural expectations or pressures. It sometimes can be a conscious choice after careful consideration of all sides of the matter. Especially in western cultures, where it's no longer valued or encouraged, but rather has become a pejorative and a source of mockery so choosing virginity for a young person is kind of rare and takes incredible courage. A person can decide that remaining a virgin until marriage after weighing many factors including health (physical and mental), respect for self and others, responsibility and issues of conscience for those who base their values on the Bible. That's just to clarify that the idea of holding onto your virginity isn't always a product of backwards, irrational or unsophisticated non-thinking male chauvinists. I had to say it because it's tough on kids who make that choice willingly and with knowledge, but are harassed and made fun of for it, often by adults as well as peer pressure. I know many of them. They get the most frightening abuse from their peers, "bullying" as they call it. Doubtless they'd find more to identify with in these old movies than in what the media tells them today (Do it soon! Do it often! Do it online!). Off my soap box, I'm sorry if I ran on or sounded out of line, I hope I didn't, I merely wanted to shed light on another side to the issue since you brought it up. And I can't help but think of *Earrings of Madame de...* together with *Letter from an Unknown Woman* and *The Constant Nymph*...maybe because it is another aspect of what people call "love" and how they define it. I'm glad you mentioned it!

> I especially liked Bing and... > Ha! They are funny. Is that the first time you've seen Gene in a movie? > Mmmmmmmmm... so do I. > It's kind of a nothing part, but Marilyn lights it up. It may sound funny, but I even like that she looks a little tired, and frayed. She's still incandescent. > They were mostly good. > I love "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" (Cole Porter!) and I think Marilyn sings it best. I don't care what the "legit" aficianados say. She's the only one that sings it with the kind of innocence that keeps it from coming off too vulgar. She's the opposite of "edgy"; she softens instead of bringing an edge to things. That's a gift. > He's almost always good. He was on the quiet side in this one, though. I noticed that, too. It's not as juicy a role as the movies with Doris and Rock. So what did you think of Sherlock being pitted against a villainess in The Spider Woman? I think she's one of his most colorful nemeses. You know the actress did a spin-off movie (without Sherlock)?

> I think it's a very cute film. Loved the cameos! We can talk about it on your "Norma Jean" thread, if you like. > You loved the cameos? Who am I talking to? Wait till butterscotch reads that. I like "Amanda" and her songs and Tony Randall.

> I liked the clothes. > Oh, come on. I thought you were always wanting depth.

> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*The Last Sunset, a western by Robert Aldrich, is actually about that very subject.* > > That sounds really good! > It is really good. More people should check it out. I think CineMaven would like it, if she hasn't seen it already. > That's a Myrna flick that I don't have, and I have been recording Myrna's films. > It's my favorite of her pre-codes. It's pretty crazy. A really exotic, sado-masochistic stew. > What do you think of Myrna? > I'm with Butterscotch, I like seeing her dig a little deeper at this time. I can't think of another really serious role for her at this point in her career except "Ann", in *Test Pilot*. But that one had a lot of comedy, too, whereas the humor in *The Rains Came* is more bitter than really comedic. I just can't dislike Myrna in anything at this point in her career. She's wonderful. So, the last but not least. Gee, I wonder why you'd like THIS musical.

> And there's more to even that. It's the how. I also think love enters different stages. The kind of love one experiences when they are in their teens is going to be different by your 20s, 30s, 40s, etc. Most people don't think of love in the daily or long-term. They may dream of long-term, but the actuality of it is so much different. > *The Last Sunset*, a western by Robert Aldrich, is actually about that very subject. > I saw that you didn't rank the film too highly on your list. So what are your likes and dislikes with the picture? > I like it for the mood and setting. I love exotic romances. You ought to see *The Barbarian*. That one features an anything but tame hero. I enjoyed watching the different class systems, caste systems (Eastern and Western) clash. I liked Grandma rocking on her porch, to the deliberate discomfort of Fern's social climbing mother. As for my ranking, it has to do with mood, mostly. I don't find all that much fault in it except I'd agree Ty is rather stiff.

> And all of what you just beautifully wrote is very Fordian. You have to appreciate the subtlety of this code of life to value "The Majesty of the Law." I think it's wonderful that you do. I think she may eat up the three stories. Lots and lots of Irish charm in each. > > If Jackie hasn't seen the film, I believe she'd really appreciate it. > I know she loves Jack MacGowran. > The music was too much for me and I found the ending to be poor. I especially didn't like Florence's (Alexis Smith) complete turnaround. That came out of nowhere and much too easily. > Yes, Flo's change is jarring. > That was a lovely scene. And I do like Joan throughout the picture. She's my draw. I prefer Boyer as a rascal more so than these kind of roles. Although he's always comfortable feeling to me. He makes it look so easy. > He is a consummate actor. There is something very universal about his sardonic ease. Perhaps because you always sense the sensitive discomfort underneath. He's good at projecting two very different states at once. Like many men, his characters only seem very confident. > I believe Tessa's feelings to be true. I think every 14-year-old girl is in love. The tricky part is dreams versus reality. The idea of love is often much different than the reality. We hold all the cards when it's our idea and dream. It's impossible to be of one mind with two. > So is "reality" only the hum drum and negative things that happen in the daily course of life? > Love is so much easier when you project and fantasize. It's how we wish to be. What's best, the before, the during, or the after? And what is "a very ideal love"? All of that becomes a personal definition. > I think so, too. That's where valuing unselfishness, compromise and giving comes into play. That's when love becomes "real", when you care more about the other than yourself. > You're very right about both of Boyer's characters being frustrated with their existence in some fashion and the belief that the girl really does understand their feelings. There's a femininity about these characters of Boyer in that they are being driven by their feelings. > Yes he's really the opposite of, say, a Brit character. Though I can see Boyer doing "Mr Rochester", an unusually emotional British man. > There's a lot of truth to that. But there are fun exhibitions of goodness, such as Penny (Gail Russell) in *Angel and the Badman*. *Friendly Persuasion* is a very warm presentation of goodness. But Ty and Myrna in *The Rains Came* are so very restrictive. I understand Rama being this way. What he is most serious about is his work, as Tom points out. But it bored me to see Edwina turn into a "nun." And the ending was silly to me. > Ha, I know. The ending was code enforced. The original story does not end that way. Edwina goes back to England, a changed woman, but very sad because she loses just about everything.