MissGoddess

Great photo, and interesting discourse! Can I add one idea that came to me? Which is probably already implied in what you have said before, namely that Scott's expectations of the peole, men and women, he comes in contact with are formed mainly out of realistic and practical knowledge of what it takes for a human being to survive in the tough country in which the films are set. That leaves him with little patience for whining, or hand-wringing or even much conversation and reflection---just get it done, whatever you have to do to survive. Don't get in my way of my job, either. No time for the niceties and soft sensitivities of civilization. I don't know if I made myself clear and like I wrote earlier, it's been a while since I've seen the other westerns, and so I base this mainly on what I saw in 7 Men from Now.

I was surprised by it when I first saw it on TCM a couple of years ago. I mean surprised that Burt was so believable as the title character! It's an unusual tale, it seems to making an issue of the conflict between a civilized education and frontier practicality but then the fight between Burt and Walter Matthau appeared to be just the old fashioned kind over a dame. I liked it alot. Burt showed he could wear both "hats" (acting/directing) comfortably. Miss G

> I don't think that was necessarily his main > motivation, tho It may have been: at just the point in his life when he and his family should have been able to sit back a little and relax, Wayne learned he'd been swindled out of virtually all of his fortune. Back to work!

I think TCM aired it a few weeks back, and I have watched it both times, liking it more and more. I want to either see it on dvd or get it recorded next time it airs. I don't know about anyone else, but I find Julie London was a terrific actress, just based upon her work in Cooper's Man of the West and this movie. (She was also good in that Frank Tashlin comedy---sorry, can't remember the title!). The line from The Wonderful Country that has stayed with me (spoken by Julie London): "Life isn't what we feel, but what we do." P.S. Pedro Armendiarez has a wonderful supporting part, as one of the Castro brothers. P.P.S. Which "country" is referred to in the title? The U.S., or Mexico? Miss G

[nobr]Here you go, you earned it! [/nobr] [nobr][/nobr]

Thank you, Filmlover!

Merci for the lovely pictures, Mr. M. I first noticed Langan in Dragonwyck, and wondered what became of such a handsome actor with the beautiful baritone voice. Miss G

[nobr]Tracy's raw talent, exposed in Fritz Lang's Fury:[/nobr] [nobr] [/nobr]

Oh! you wanted to know "why", too....not just because he's so believable, so real, but because I like what I see projected through his characters: an undeniable individuality. He always so positively makes up his own mind and is who is, take it or leave it. I love that quality. Garson Kanin said he had a face that looked like it belonged on Mount Rushmore. I rather agree. I think he was very attractive too, because of his peronality and sense of humor. Other movies I neglected to mention include his co-starrings with pal Clark Gable: Test Pilot, above all, with that looooooooooong death scene in Gable's arms. ("Die, already!" Gable reportedly felt like saying during the scene), Boom Town and San Francisco and the unusual, allegorical Dante's Inferno, co-starring Claire Trevor. Miss G

*sigh*. I may just have to "bite the bullet" and order this, since it never turns up on TCM and it's my favorite noir, along with Laura and On Dangerous Ground. I agree with dvdbeaver that is crying out for a commentary by someone knowledgeable, like Eddie M. I don't understand all these conflicting "Region" releases. Miss G

Funny! But I really like this movie, I thought the acting was good and it kept me on the edge of my seat. But then, what I don't know about airplanes and survival tactics outside the mean streets of a big city would fill an airplane! Miss G

So she's the gal who snagged good-looking Glen Langan! What a lovely pair they made.

Well, I can't quite warm to the '66 version though I have tried. Maybe if I hadn't seen the original masterpiece I could enjoy it more. It's hard for me not to make comparisons in my head when I'm watching remakes. However I have heard several people say they like the '66 version a lot, so you certainly do have company. I'll keep giving it chances. Miss G

> While FMC rarely shows these films, I'm holding my > breath until a Paul Douglas box set is issued! > Okay, how about a Linda Darnell box set? Hey, > I'm turning blue... It would be just elegant if they could do both.

Hi Moira, Nice analysis of the Douglas/Darnell chemistry and why it worked so well. I happen to be a big fan of movies featuring love stories between (superficially) oddly matched couples, and they are one of my favorties in that group. I hope the Fox Movie Channel airs those other two movies or that they turn up one day on dvd because I am dying to see them. Miss G

Your story is lovely and sounds so John Wayne. It's the kind of thing I'd have expected him to do.

Thank you!!

I'm pea green! I'd love to have both! I like the "animated" ones. They should have one with a "ski nose" for Bob Hope, and one that blows kisses for Marilyn.

That's so nice, Jim! I would like to have met him, too. :x

Oh my! That's Philip Carey? See what I mean about how bad I am at putting names to faces. He was sooooooo cute back then and now I remember seeing him in soaps---never would have known it was the same guy. Thank you. Miss G

[nobr]LOL![/nobr] [nobr]You mean like this?[/nobr] [nobr][/nobr] [nobr] Darling Clark! I still love you. *big kiss*[/nobr]

Ha! I love that little "smiley", Mrs. C!

Once again, a great post, Moira. You perfectly captured in words what I noticed first off about Whispering Smith---it's look was so different from many other westerns I had seen. The sets may have been used before and the scenery, too, but to me they looked brand new and their images have stayed with me. I don't think I realized until you pointed out that that was Frank Faylen under those peroxided locks! Good grief, what a turn from the genial taxi driver in Capra's movie. He was downright creepy. Miss G

Well said, and very true, Anne.