MissGoddess

> {quote:title=butterscotchgreer wrote:}{quote}its not working for me. oh no! what am i doing wrong? Are you sure you don't have a space in front of the exclamation point? If you accidentally "indent" a paragraph with a space, sometimes it won't show up. If that isn't the problem, you might want to post a message about this down in Tech Issues. The new moderator is pretty quick about replying.

No, I still can't see it. Looks like it could be a message board issue.

ButterT, just put an exclamation point at the beginning and end of the picture URL. That's all you need to do to post pictures here.

No! I can't see the picture. Frank must be blocking it.

> {quote:title=butterscotchgreer wrote:}{quote} > okay so I haven't upset frankie in a while and i feel like i'm losing my touch. > Yes please help! I've been forced to deal with him on my own lately!

> That's right. I thought Montana (Aldo Ray) was the heart of the film, but he was also quite selfish. It's a fascinating mix for a character. Benson (Robert Ryan) was hellbent on completing his goal. At what price? Interestingly, what they did cost lives but also saved some. > Ray seemed very realistic. Well, he was a soldier in real life before he came to movies, a Marine I think, but I'm not sure. I wonder if he was annoyed at having to go through it all again for a camera. At least he got paid better. Robert Ryan is so wonderfully myopic. > *I'm more than usually out of my depth with war movies! Maybe movieman can suggest something!* > > I think it's more than a war movie thing. > Thanks! > She's wearing a veil! > That's one crazy looking outfit. I much prefer the superb simplicity of her wardrobe in *Morocco* or the sensual clothes she wore in *Shanghai Express*. > *He was also in Doctor X.* > > I do remember him from that. He's very good in that film. > He's the star of one of Bronxie's favorites, *Murders in the Zoo*. > > *Give me his number, quick! Oh, right. No phone line to the grave.* > > That depends upon what you believe! > So you think. > I was floored by how big a role he got and how terrific he did with it. I just loved how the film splits into two parts (the lost and the searchers). And both get about equal time. It thought it was really well done. > That's what I take away most from *Island in the Sky*, how we got to look into the lives of the men. They weren't just names or functionaries, we got to know them personally. That was a nice difference in an adventure story.

> He did. But his level of respect never matches "son." Montana liked being called "son" by the Colonel. > I was so touched by that, especially coming from Aldo Ray. He can be so abrasive yet he's good at showing a soft human side. Beside him sometimes Ryan's character could seem machine-like. > *I remember having a theory about it but I forgot!* > > What good does that do us now?! > I'm more than usually out of my depth with war movies! Maybe movieman can suggest something! > Yes! It takes place during a Spanish carnival, so there's a lot of von Sternberg decadence. > Oh, I bet. I don't like her hair in those caps. > Oh! Yeah, I remember him. I'd probably think he was funnier after seeing him in *The Devil Is a Woman*. > He was also in *Doctor X.* > Yeah, I'd probably love it. *The Devil Is a Woman* features the **** you hate. Don Pasqual (Lionel Atwill) pretty much gives away everything to be with Concha (Marlene). So he's your kind of guy in that he just tosses money around like nobody's business. It's just Concha doesn't care about him. > Give me his number, quick! Oh, right. No phone line to the grave. > *So you liked another John Wayne movie?* > > Yes! I really liked it! > There must be something wrong with the universe. > *I wonder if rohanaka has seen Island in the Sky.* > > I'm not sure. I think she'd like it. The supporting cast is tremendous. Andy Devine is wonderful. > Oh, yes, I do remember how good he was here. He seldom got a chance to play a character like that which had some depth. I'll try to re-watch it tomorrow evening.

> Yes, I believe so. The Colonel called Montana "son." Benson never treated him with such respect. He didn't value him. > But you just said he did respect him. > There seems to be something behind the silence of the Colonel, but I can't put my finger on it. I remember having a theory about it but I forgot! > No, not really. It's just Marlene's "Concha" is acting very childish. She stamps her feet a lot. But there's absolutely nothing funny about how "Pasqualito" (Lionel Atwill) is reacting and feeling. > They're playing Spaniards?! > I'm ashamed to say, I can't remember him. Who did he play? > The really hammy actor always declaiming whenever he had the floor. He was even hammier than Jack. > Maybe I'll watch it coming up. I only have the English version. Why can't you watch it? > The German one is said to be much better. Exercises in **** don't interest me, and this is the mother of all of them. > > I've only seen her in "straight" roles until this one. I couldn't believe how different she was. > It's a mark of how good an actress she really is. She can be quiet or sparkle. How many actresses can do that so flawlessly? So you liked another John Wayne movie? I wonder if rohanaka has seen *Island in the Sky*.

> I don't think so. I don't believe Montana ever wanted to do what Benson wanted him to do. He was all about the Colonel (Robert Keith). Now I do believe Benson definitely respected Montana. > Were the Colonel and Benson all that different? > That's right. I'm very curious as to why the Colonel was to remain voiceless. I thought that was a brilliant decision. The Colonel didn't agree with Montana, but he did view him as a son. It was all so fascinating to me. > I'd have to watch it again, but I thought the Colonel's silence very affecting. Why Anthony Mann chose to show him so, I don't know. > I agree. It's a terrific looking film. I also loved how Mann showed the North Koreans dying with photos of their loved ones. Boy, did that ever hit home. > Yes, that I remember now you mention it. Very sad. > But Marlene is quite charming. She throws little tantrums during the film that are pretty funny. She's not shown in a hateful light. > Is it a comedy? > Lionel Atwill is superb in the film. He's mostly a "stone face." He's almost exactly like Erich von Stroheim. > I like Lionel Atwill more and more. He was terrific in *To Be or Not to Be*. > I've yet to see that one. It could very well be the same. > I can't believe you haven't seen *The Blue Angel*...that's amazing. I thought I'd read how you loved it. It's your kind of movie. I can't watch it. > I don't believe I've ever seen her in a comedy until now. It was great to see such range from her. She keeps rising up my list. She's good. I'm drawn to her. > Jean did a couple of them, but I didn't care for them like this one. She was mostly "straight" in the others, here she is a classic screwball and she does it so deftly I would swear she had always played such characters. I maintain comedy is almost impossible if you don't have the right personality, and she always seems rather serious in her other roles. She seemed to lose all her inhibitions with "Mrs. Dorrance". "Eeew." Quite amusing to see her *Angel Face* co-star drive off with her. > *I even like the silly routine with her shoes and the glass.* > > > I liked that, as well. When she showed up, the entire film "woke up," to me. I started to like Cary when she was with him. > She brightens everything up. A real mad cap. > All of it seemed too strange to me. But I thought Cary's logic was correct. He needed her to make the call, not him. I liked how he said he didn't want to be married to a "housekeeper" for the rest of his life. > Yes, the dialogue was very clever. The British are so good at being reasonable when everything is crashing apart. I particularly liked his point about how this man (Mitchum) would never think of stealing his silver but calmly endeavors to steal his wife.

Thank you, MM. I guess Jean Arthur is your favorite Blonde?

t-mave, thank you but my post is nothing compared to your original one, and it helped me with my own selections. I'm sorry about the formatting being all wonky, but I had to go ahead and post it as-is because I have been working on it off and on since you began. I just fixed the messed up Veronica picture. Re: Isabel Jewell...she's always attracted my attention in her comic bit parts but then I began to notice her dramatic turns...and boy, were they dramatic, I could hardly believe it was the same girl. I had to include her since she really lit up quite a few first rate films in her brief screen time. And she's one of the funniest of the "dumb blondes" if I can use that expression. it was fun, though, because I did want to at least try to find pictures that represent what I respond to from all these lovely blondessimes, to quote L'Oreal. Edited by: MissGoddess on Nov 3, 2011 1:02 PM

I was surprised to see Joan Fontaine and Ginger Rogers on your list. Favorite Blonde Actresses (along with favorite role) 1. *Carole Lombard* ("Irene Bullock" in My Man Godfrey) 2. *Marilyn Monroe* ("Roslyn Taber" in The Misfits) 3. *Angie Dickinson* ("Feathers" in Rio Bravo, 'Pepper' in "Police Woman") 4. *Lana Turner* ("Liz" in Johnny Eager) 5. *Marlene Dietrich* ("Amy Jolly" in Morocco) 6. *Kim Novak* ("Gillian" in Bell, Book and Candle) 7. *Grace Kelly* ("Francie" in To Catch a Thief) 8. *Lee Remick* ("Eula" in The Long, Hot Summer, "Karen", in The Detective) 9. *Veronica Lake* ("Ellen" in This Gun For Hire) 10. *Brigitte Bardot* ("Ursula" in The Night Heaven Fell) 11. *Doris Day* ("Erica" in Teacher's Pet, "Carol Templeton" in Lover, Come Back!) 12. *Julie Christie* ("Diana Scott" in Darling) 12. *Inger Stevens* (The World, The Flesh and The Devil; "The Twilight Zone") 13. *Dorothy Malone* ("Marylee Hadley" in Written on the Wind) 14. *Carroll Baker* (Sylvia) 15. *Jean Harlow* ("Vantine" in Red Dust) 16. *Ingrid Bergman* ("Ann Kalman" in Indiscreet) 17. *Tippi Hedren* (The Birds) 18. *Gloria Grahame* (The Big Heat) 19. *Catherine Deneuve* (Mississippi Mermaid) 20. *Elizabeth Montgomery* (Johnny Cool, "Bewitched") 21. *Sandra Dee* (If A Man Answers) 22. *Hope Lang* (Wild in the Country) 23. *Claire Trevor* (Stagecoach) 24. *Ann Southern* (Maisie Was a Lady, Sylvia) 25. *Yvette Mimieux* (A Light in the Piazza) 26. *Vera Miles* (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) 27. *Jean Seberg* (Bonjour, Tristesse) 28. *Joan Blondell* (Blond Crazy) 29. *Isabel Jewel* (Tale of Two Cities and Counsellor at Law) 30. *Constance Bennett* (Bed of Roses, Merrily We Live) Edited by: MissGoddess on Nov 3, 2011 12:34 PM

> I agree. I definitely loved the battle between Lieutenant Benson (Robert Ryan) and Montana (Aldo Ray). I just loved Ray's performance and his character. Do you think Montana respected Benson? He seemed to hate him at first but didn't he end up changing toward him? I don't remember the end too well. > I found that to be absolutely fascinating. I'm trying to make sense of it all. It seemed like Montana didn't want to fight for cause or country, but he would do so for his "father." > Yes, I imagine that might have been true quite often. The soldiers who had no illusions, were not "professional soldiers" but just guys who wanted out. > That was one of the biggest reasons why I really liked the film. The entire mood of the film was dark. I just ate that up. > I thought Mann made use of varying terrains, all of them potentially hazardous. The woods, the rocky mountains, the tall grasses...and you hardly ever saw the "enemy". > Uh-huh, it's von Sternberg. I don't believe you'd like it. Marlene uses and abuses Lionel Atwill throughout. There's nothing romantic about the film. > Really? I guess that's why we have that title. I didn't even know who the main actor was. It sounds a bit like *The Blue Angel*. > No, I wouldn't say I was bored. I'm usually okay with talky if what is going on interests me. > It was too British. > Jean is what I liked the very most with the film. She's a blast! I thought Cary to be mostly funny, although I wasn't into his character or the setting. > I'm glad you liked Jean. It was a revelation for me when I started watching all her other movies and realized that she wasn't a comedienne. This is the first of her films I remember seeing and knowing who she was. "Pink, please and burn the Angostura". I've always wanted to order that cocktail. I even like the silly routine with her shoes and the glass. > She's you, Champoozy! I thought Deborah was spot on, as usual. It's just her character didn't interest me. > I don't like what she does. Cary is too nice. I also like all the English vs. American swipes. > I really like *Indiscreet*, mainly because of how angry Ingrid gets and how oblivious Cary is. > It's less restrained.

> *Chris will be delighted you put Men in War at number one.* > > You seem to like it, too. What do you like about it? > I was impressed with the way the two actors played off each other. There was a lot of antagonism between Ryan and Ray but it seemed to give way to respect, and not in a corny way. I also loved Ray's devotion to his C.O. The constant wariness of being attacked or ambushed was also really well done because I was worn out by the end. > I believe *The Great Flamarion* was inspired by it. It felt like the reverse of *Morocco*. > I wish I had it to watch. It's Von Sternberg, right? > > It felt like a polite version of *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*. So why do you love it? > Goodness, you come up with the wildest movie comparisons. I assume you were bored by all the talkiness. I like it because I find Cary extremely funny, especially with his Butler, "Sellars", and I think Jean is great as a screwball type. She makes me laugh. I wish she and Cary had paired off. She's much more fun than Deborah. She's also smarter about men. Keep in mind, I love talky comedies. This movie, *Indiscreet*, the Mankiewicz films...

> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}You were pretty close with every title but a couple. You do a nice job in guessing my tastes. > > 1. Men in War (2/4) > 2. Island in the Sky (6/7) > 3. The Black Swan (4/6) > 4. They Gave Him a Gun (3/2) > 5. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (10/9) > 6. The Devil Is a Woman (7) > 7. Sherlock Holmes in Washington (9/8) > 8. The Grass Is Greener (1/1) > 9. The Call of the Wild (5/3) > 10. Count the Hours (8/5) > > I was wrong on all of them for goodness sake. Chris will be delighted you put *Men in War* at number one. > *I haven't seen The Devil is a Woman,* > > > Really? That surprises me. > If I did, it was so long ago I don't remember it. > > I didn't know you liked *The Grass Is Greener* that much. > It's one of my favorite comedies from the period. Though Deborah's character annoys me at times and Mitchum looks often quite bored.

4. The Black Swan 5. The Call of the Wild 8. Count the Hours 7. The Devil is a Woman 1. The Grass is Greener 6. Island in the Sky 2. Men in War 10. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon 9. Sherlock Holmes in Washington 3. They Gave Him a Gun This was hard, you are hard to predict and I imagine could feel either way about any of these. I'm kind of going by how you feel about the leads. I haven't seen *The Devil is a Woman*, so I'm really guessing there based solely on your liking for the star. Leaving out *The Devil is a Woman*, my ranking would be: 1. The Grass is Greener 2. They Gave Him a Gun 3. The Call of the Wild 4. Men in War 5. Count the Hours 6. The Black Swan 7. Island in the Sky 8. Sherlock Holmes in Washington 9. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

What a collection! Thank you for posting that because I'd have forgotten about some of those stars...a couple of them have me guessing who they are but you must have _every_ blonde actress from the classic era there! Nice work.

Those are pretty lame the way you name them but I seemed to enjoy it nevertheless.

> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*What was silly about it? I don't remember it too well.* > > Sheila (Evelyn Keyes) helps her crooked husband smuggle in jewels but she is (unknowingly) affected with the small pox. So now she's a carrier who ends up leaving a trail of victims behind her. The cops want her for the jewels and the crisis folks want her for the small pox. All of that sounds good, but how it plays out just didn't do much for me. The male chasers are rather boring. They sure ain't Richard Widmark and Paul Douglas. Oh, now I remember. The guy who was her boyfriend was a real creep...I mean he was so nasty to her. Was it Steve Cochran? I don't even remember the chasers.

What was silly about it? I don't remember it too well.

That's a brilliant list of not-so-bashful blondes, CinemAva! I appreciate the mix of stars and character actresses...but no Bette?! I know, I know; she was often a brownette/auburn tressed gal, too. In any case, the hair was never a factor in a Bette Davis performance (though sometimes she could make our hair stand on end!). Actually the real surprise is seeing Grace Kelly on your list...I had no idea you liked her. I too think it's great that you listed favorite films and best performances. It gives insight into why you like them so much.

So why did you not like *The Killer that Stalked New York* very much? I only saw it once, but I liked it.

> Oh, that's right. I forgot about that. He was definitely one who felt uncomfortable with sex and this pushed Maggie (Kim Novak) away. It's interesting how the two women are shown in each film. We see Maggie's willingness to try and be with her husband but he does push her away. This makes her feel rejected and lonely. With Laura, she's mostly feeling stuck in the routine of marriage (life). She's one of the parts of the routine. She shops every Thursday. That's just how it tends to be. > Regarding your latter statement about Laura, I re-watched *The Reckless Moment* last night and that features another portrait of a woman caught up in a routine life that has kind of cut her off from real feelings that are beyond the typical. James Mason even asks Joan Bennett at one point if she's ever alone, away from her family and she answers simply "No" in a way that reverberates with a tinge of frustration. And again, Lucia, like Laura, is in a relatively happy situation, she's not looking for anything more nor does she need anything beyond what can be found with what she already has, it just needs shaking up a bit. Shake off the dust of routine. In movies, the things that shake marriages or families up tend to be really dramatic. *Brief Encounter* is much more real...anyone might meet someone on the train or in the station (only why is it never an attractive professional who offers to help get the cinder out of your eye...it's usually someone without a job or recent acquaintance with a bath...) > I think it's because marriage is seen as unexciting. There's something more exciting about love at first blush and there is something more dangerous about affairs. Television seems to be a place where marriages are accepted more because television is about routine. It's about episode after episode, such as life. Movies are events. > That's something I never considered. Interesting comparison, and I can see it. People were pretty upset when Lucy and Desi divorced in real life, and that was after the show ended! They would have flipped if they'd "divorced" the Ricardos or even showed one of them cheating for real.

Speaking just for myself, I'll say it helps. It helps tremendously because what you just wrote was tremendous. It made the movie come to life for me, to see inside a woman's soul and mind. I will watch Brief Encounter soon with your words in mind. That's brilliant, Jacki, one of the nicest tributes to how a movie can get inside you. Marvelous. I miss you writing like that more. I completely feel the longing and unexpected emotions and the fears to that meet them as I read your words. You feel ALIVE is the point, you can even sense things with your touch and smell that you never noticed before....it's really succumbing to a real life moment. Oh no,now I'm longing for one.... Bravissimo! Edited by: MissGoddess on Oct 30, 2011 10:40 PM because i had to substitute "tough" with "touch"

I think that's terrific, Jackie, really, and Frank I think you two should be discussing this movie since Jackie understands it way, way deeper than I do. I want to understand it better, too, because I really loved it when I first saw it as a teenager, but the last time I watched I was less moved.