MissGoddess

ro, not to beat a dead "horse" (ha) but *the iron horse* is rather on the "dry" side for me, too. It's main draw is the details of a period in history that the books usually only assign a footnote to (namely the immigrants' hard work and contributions) and the way Ford pulls many different threads together by the end. i think critics have made it seem more important because of its place in the director's career: it put him on the map as a serious filmaker, and not just a good studio workman. that's not really enough to satisfy me or i imagine most moviegoers...though I did see this movie in the theater at Lincoln Center and i did enjoy it more that way. *3 bad men* is much more enjoyable and richly rewarding in an emotional and entertainment sense, but critics seldom rate it as highly.

*I was disappointed in The Male Animal because I didn't find the humor to be that funny. I liked the message of the film, of course. I'd say Jack Carson is the star of the show. He was terrific.* That is my overall feeling about it, I just thought YOU would react differently. It's not really my kind of comedy, but I do find it interesting and there are some funny lines. Jack is very good. I absolutely loved this film! It actually made my top 100 of all-time (#84). I was blown away by the emotional turns. Why did I love it? Charles Laughton's "Charlie." I just love the entire set-up. He's a 39-year-old man who has found his "star." But it turns out, she's not his star. The ending is very powerful. I was in tears. When was the last time a movie hit your top 100? My goodness. Gee, I better watch it again, soon. I remember the ending being very sad but I'm fuzzy on the details. *For the most part, yes. I'm not that big on prison films, as a rule.* You didn't like/appreciate anything about it? I thought it was really harrowing and I thought Eleanor did a smashing job, considering she's such a delicate beauty and usually played such ladylike characters. Yes, I felt like Fred. Alice Adams feels like a "Jane Austen" flick. The best thing about the film for me was Fred Stone, who played Alice's father. He was sensational. And Alice's mom was you! I agree about Stone, I do not agree about her Mom though I do sympathize with some of her complaints. Dolores was playing you! I was mostly disappointed in Silver Lode because I had high expectations with it. But since I like this kind of story and I love seeing Dan Duryea putting on a show, I ended up still liking it. I like the twist at the end. I thought everyone in it was great, it's just the way it was directed left me disappointed. Tony Randall is very good in Lover Come Back. I just didn't find much of the film to be funny. I really didn't like the ending. I've seen parts of Send Me No Flowers and I thought that was hilarious. I'm gonna have to watch that one. The funniest part of the film for me was the taxi (?) ride. I always say, people really are individualistic when it comes to what makes them laugh. It's pretty doggone interesting. It's rather similar to Fort Apache. Yes, I thought so, too.

Oh and just to side step back to Hitch...what does your "litmus" say about the fact that I'm really a huge fan of both *The Wrong Man* and I, Confess? In fact, I think I, Confess is my favorite Clift performance after *Suddenly, Last Summer*. *The Wrong Man* fills me with fascination and horror at how easily someone innocent can fall into the machinery of the system and get ground up. It's a story that's been done a lot since, but this version holds a grim power over me.

> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}I'm very impressed, Miss Gun For Hire! You did great! > > 1. Sidewalks of London (8) > 2. Murder by Contract (1) > 3. This Land is Mine (4) > 4. Silver Lode (5) > 5. The Road to Glory (9) > 6. Broken Arrow (3) > 7. The Iron Horse (11) > 8. The Male Animal (2) > 9. Lover Come Back (7) > 10. Alice Adams (6) > 11. Caged (10)Great?! > I got most of them totally backwards! I can't BELIEVE you liked The Iron Horse AT ALL let alone more than *The Male Animal* (a comedy I really thought you'd like...Henry Fonda's character even talks like you). And I'm staggered you like Vivvy's little "busker" the best...and pleased! But is it for her or because of Laughton's complicated desperation and pathos? I supposed *Alice* and *Caged* were just too "female" for you to take. I can understand. *Alice Adams* is the ultimate coming-of-age-in-a-small-town story for girls. Any girl who's wanted to fit in with the "in" crowd and who has ever felt ashamed of her own home/family can totally identify. With guys...well, I think you probably reacted like Fred MacMurray does. I've got *Murder by Contract* in my "queue" at Netflix, so I have no idea whether I'll like it. Reading the synopsis is what made me think it was one you'd like. I look forward to you and Jackie talking about *This Land is Mine*. She must be beaming that you rate it so highly. I'm afraid I was baffled and disappointed by *Silver Lode*. I wanted to like it SO much. Maybe my expectations were too high. I loved everyone involved, I just felt let down. Except that girl from Howard Hawks' movie *To Have and Have Not*...Dolores Moran I think is her name? I liked her character a lot. She had the best lines. Dolores to Dan Duryea: "We did that {bolted the trap door} to keep the rats out. Guess it didn't work." And poo on you for not liking my favorite of the Day/Hudson comedies. Tony Randall makes me scream he's so funny! I don't know why I don't list him among my favorite comedic actors all the time...I forget about him yet he's given me more huge laughs than most. So you liked *The Road to Glory* a little better than I thought you would, I'm glad. A fellow member of the SSO pointed out that it's a remake of a French film that he felt was much superior. Hawks kind of molded the story to suit his usual interests (group dynamics, professionalism, etc) but what bowls me over is the tragedy of it. It's so un-Hawksie. Or I should say, he would generally cushion tragedy in his later films with lots of other things. Edited by: MissGoddess on Aug 1, 2011 9:08 PM

6. Alice Adams 3. Broken Arrow 10. Caged 11. The Iron Horse 7. Lover Come Back 2. The Male Animal 1. Murder by Contract 9. The Road to Glory 8. Sidewalks of London 5. Silver Lode 4. This Land is Mine

Ro! I just saw your post...I hope you got to watch SJ. Fox Movie Channel used to air it alot and I think I have it on tape somewhere, but I'm not sure if I have it on DVD-R. Jackie---I haven't watched SSS in a while...I think Lancaster is amazing as the Winchellesque weirdo. I think Martin Milner is cute. As for Sydney, could it be because it's such a great performance? I think it's just about got to be Tony Curtis' zenith as an actor.

Re: *North by Northwest*, I feel it's definitely a "movie movie", and very nearly perfect in that regard. It's been broadcast a lot on TCM so I don't seek it out much right now. I think it would be fun to see at a theater with friends, though. One thing I can never tire of: I think it contains just about the most exciting music score of any movie.

I find it hard to choose between them...or their movies. Though *Vertigo* is to me the best of the best, I guess I prefer Cary Grant overall as a Hitchcock lead. He possesses an ambivalence that I think is perfectly "in tune, shall we say" with the master. I will add that Grant "got" Hitch's humor and knew how to put it across perfectly as no other.

Thanks, Lynn. Sad end for a great picture pioneer.

Wouldbestar....I think I did notice Feathers' "unmentionables" peeking out. Maybe Hawks thought it lent a touch of messy realism? I'm watching Allan Dwan's *Silver Lode* (1958) right now. Oh my. I believe lzcutter is the expert on Dwan around here and I've forgotten what I read about him during in these years....I'm guessing this one of his last films. What happened??

Golly, Jackie, the things you notice make me think I hardly paid attention to the movie! Beau and Jeff Bridges??? How on earth did you spot them?? Are they Kathleen Freeman's kids? And like T-Mave, I'm going to have to look up civet. Somehow, I can visualize exactly what you mean, the word sounds like what it means. Excellent post. I'm thrilled you seemed to like it fairly well. This is the movie that really made me admire Jane Greer all the more. I loved especially how you covered Jane's torrent of emotions and desires in the "coat" scene. I thought it was going another way, too...she had more willpower than I would have credited. I don't even remember the rest of the wardrobe...I'll have to pay more attention next time. Wasn't there a somewhat similar "coat" scene in the Ginger Rogers movie, I'll Be Seeing You? Yet another parolee movie. Wow, what was up with that in the 1940s and all these women on parole??? I recommend this movie, too, by the way, if you ladies haven't seen it. Joseph Cotten is excellent and it's one of my favorite Ginger Rogers dramas. It's on YouTube, but I warn you, the print is dreadful.

*Valli's performance is what keeps me coming back to THE PARADINE CASE. Gregory Peck is hopeless, lol. His character's obsession with her reminds me more of REBECCA than VERTIGO.* *Peck is "The Girl" (Joan Fontaine) fascinated with the glamorous, mysterious first wife.* That is really interesting, Bronxie...I never would have made that connection to *Rebecca*...I actually want to watch *The Pardine Case* again for this reason, and I never thought I'd want to see it again...it's one of the few Hitch movies I've never been able to get into.

Noooo, no, no, that is praise overmuch, Tall T. I know well enough I'm just doing well to keep up with the rest of you, I can't get nearer than that. But thank you, praise from a real writer is praise indeed. I'm working on an idea for another list, soon. Much lighter than the "heavies".

she looks like a cross between Carroll Baker and a blonde Jane Russell. I think it's the second "Bad Girls of Noir" that contains two or three of Cleo's movies. The disc that had *One Girl's Confession* also had a Janis Carter noir.

"Like a kid in a grown-up body" - That was perfect. I agree the western setting hilights the good vs evil in man. As you all said, it's a setting that's "elemental" to begin with. Morality tales, tragedies...these find a natural home out there. Nature has a way of cutting to the chase, while urban environments muck everything up. Just compare the first part of *On Dangerous Ground* with the second. Jim Wilson's all mixed up in town, when he comes out to the country, all his demons are confronted and exorcised.

*Of COURSE he is the "smoothest".. ha. It's JAMES MASON, after all.* *His voice is SO smooth.. he is the only bad guy I can think of in a movie who could tell the hero or heroine that he's about to cause them great bodily harm in the world's worst way... and then try to MURDER them.. ha.. and meanwhile.. little kittens everywhere (in the homes of people watching the movie) would probably all start to purr. ha.* That was terrific, Ro, hilarious! And true. His delivery is so smooth he could insult you to your face and still make you feel complimented.

mAva, have you seen this on *Cleo Moore*? It has a short biography which was really interesting...I had no idea she died so tragically young.

*MissG, I didn't know you had a sweet spot for the rough ones.* why do I hear laughter from the peanut gallery? yes, ummm, i guess i do. just call me cleo. Edited by: MissGoddess on Jul 27, 2011 10:48 PM

roy "mad dog" earl! he's my sweetheart. :x :x :x

Oh Chris y ou have several that I did think of putting on my list---like "Cody Jarrett", he was one of the first I thought of. "Tommy Udo" is a great selection, I can't believe I forgot him, too. I did want to include Richard Boone's villains as well, especially "Frank Usher". I would also like to mention Humphrey Bogart in *The Petrified Forest*.

THank you, Chris...might we have some favorite baddies from you, sir?

ok.

*And those two characters are complete opposites. One is very "loud" while the other is "quiet." Then you have an intellectual villain such as "Harry Lime."* I never thought about it before, but they are different. *Darth Vader!* SPOILER But he turns out to have been a man.

*You like the swashy villain, eh? Very classic.* You could argue they make those movies worth watching, since the whole plot leads to the hero's showdown with his nemesis. George Sanders is another good one in any number of movies, including *Death of a Scoundrel*. *"Hank Quinlan" is quite a force.* Orson's always fun to watch. He's terrific in *The Stranger*, too. *Monsters make for interesting "villains." Many times they are merely misunderstood or outside the "rule" of Society for one reason or another.* Sometimes, yes. My list would have been too long with them included. I just can't see them as the same category. Godzilla vs Liberty Valance?

Why so shocked about Max? I've always been proper scared of him. That's a nice list, lots of "lethal ladies" on it, which I'm sure CinemAva will appreciate, and many others I should have thought of, like Hank Quinlan. I should have even included Orson Welles from *The Third Man* and Basil Rathbone in *Captain Blood* and *The Adventures of Robin Hood*. He made a dashing foe for Errol Flynn. Now I deliberately refrained from putting any monsters on my list, like the "mummy" or else I would have put *Dracula* (Bela) and *The Wolf Man* (Lon, jr.).