markbeckuaf
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Posts posted by markbeckuaf
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Miss Wonderly, awesome post, and I agree! I absolutely dig on Val Lewton and the RKO horror films of the 40's! They are incredible, creepy, mysterious, atmospheric and intense!!!
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> {quote:title=hlywdkjk wrote:}{quote}
> *"Love this. Love the art, love the graphics, love the era."* - DougieB
>
> *"I couldn't agree more, Dougie! Constance is a dream."* - JackFavell
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> Thanks you two. It was no easy decision to abandon "Hammer Night" in favor of Constance Bennett today, so I am pleased you approve.
>
> Kyle In Hollywood
I want to add my approval too!!! Constance trumps all IMHO!!! Thanks, Kyle!
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Wow, what a weekend ahead, all starting on Friday, Oct 29th!!!! Karloff--Lugosi--Lewton--Fay Wray--Lorre--pre-codes!
This is what I'm digging hard on:
29 Friday
6:00 AM Doctor X (1932) *Awesome flick!*
A reporter investigates a series of cannibalistic murders at a medical college. Cast: Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray. Dir: Michael Curtiz. C-76 mins, TV-PG
7:30 AM Mystery Of The Wax Museum, The (1933) *Fay Wray and Glenda Farrell! Hotcha!!*
A disfigured sculptor turns murder victims into wax statues. Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell. Dir: Michael Curtiz. C-77 mins, TV-PG, CC
9:00 AM Vampire Bat, The (1933) *Loving my Fay and Lionel! These two are rocking the house!*
Villagers suspect the town simpleton of being a vampire. Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, Dir: Frank R. Strayer. BW-61 mins, TV-PG
10:15 AM Ape, The (1940)
A mad doctor dresses as an ape to kill victims for their spinal fluid. Cast: Boris Karloff, Maris Wrixon, Gertrude Hoffman. Dir: William Nigh. BW-63 mins, TV-PG
11:30 AM Isle Of The Dead (1945) *One of Lewton's all time great flicks!*
The inhabitants of a Balkans island under quarantine fear that one of their number is a vampire. Cast: Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Helene Thimig. Dir: Mark Robson. BW-72 mins, TV-PG, CC
1:00 PM Corpse Vanishes, The (1942)
A mad scientist kills brides and uses their glands to keep his wife alive. Cast: Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters, Elizabeth Russell. Dir: Wallace Fox. BW-63 mins, TV-PG
2:15 PM Devil Bat, The (1940) *Bela at his cheesy best!*
A mad scientist trains killer bats to respond to a special scent. Cast: Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, Dave O'Brien. Dir: Jean Yarbrough. BW-68 mins, TV-PG
3:30 PM White Zombie (1932) *My opinion? This is one of the greatest horror films of all time, and I would argue BEST low-budget horror of all time! Bela, zombies, pre-code naughtiness all rolled into one!*
A zombie master menaces newlyweds on a Haitian plantation. Cast: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, John Harron. Dir: Victor Halperin. BW-67 mins, TV-PG
4:45 PM I Walked With A Zombie (1943) *This flick trips me out and it has the smooth talking Tom Conway to boot!*
A nurse in the Caribbean resorts to voodoo to cure her patient, even though she's in love with the woman's husband. Cast: Frances Dee, Tom Conway, James Ellison. Dir: Jacques Tourneur. BW-69 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
30 Saturday
6:15 AM Devil Commands, The (1941)
A scientist kills innocent victims in his efforts to communicate with his late wife. Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Fiske, Anne Revere. Dir: Edward Dmytryk. BW-64 mins, TV-14
7:30 AM Ghoul, The (1933) *I've never seen this and can't wait to! A 1933 Karloff film, WOW!*
An ancient Egyptian returns to punish those who violated his tomb. Cast: Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger. Dir: T. Hayes Hunter. BW-81 mins, TV-G, CC
9:15 AM Walking Dead, The (1936) *Gangsters meet horror, WB style! This is a GREAT film! Don't forget Ricard Cortez and Barton MacLane as some heavy gangster dudes in this one!*
A framed man comes back from the dead to seek revenge. Cast: Boris Karloff, Edmund Gwenn, Marguerite Churchill. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-65 mins, TV-PG, CC
10:30 AM Bowery Boys Meet The Monsters, The (1954) *I've never seen this horror spoof and can't wait to! Lovin' the Boys!*
The Bowery Boys battle a family of mad scientists. Cast: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Ellen Corby. Dir: Edward Bernds. BW-65 mins, TV-G
12:45 AM Mad Love (1935) *Lorre, what a creepy dude in this one! Awesome flick!*
A mad doctor grafts the hands of a murderer on to a concert pianist's wrists. Cast: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive. Dir: Karl Freund. BW-68 mins, TV-PG, CC
2:00 AM Cat People (1942)
A newlywed fears that an ancient curse will turn her into a bloodthirsty beast. Cast: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway. Dir: Jacques Tourneur. BW-73 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
3:30 AM Martin Scorsese Presents, Val Lewton: The Man In The Shadows (2007) *This is an awesome doc!*
This TCM original documentary looks at the imaginative producer who fashioned a lasting body of beautiful and unsettling films on meager budgets. Cast: Martin Scorsese Narrates. BW-77 mins, TV-PG, CC
5:00 AM Leopard Man, The (1943) *Wow, talk about freaky! Lewton rocks man!*
When a leopard escapes during a publicity stunt, it triggers a series of murders. Cast: Dennis O'Keefe, Margo, Jean Brooks. Dir: Jacques Tourneur. BW-66 mins, TV-PG, CC
31 Sunday
6:15 AM Freaks (1932) *Bizarro pre-code zaniness!*
A lady trapeze artist violates the code of the side show when she plots to murder her midget husband. Cast: Wallace Ford, Olga Baclanova, Harry Earles. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-62 mins, TV-PG, CC
7:45 AM Mark Of The Vampire (1935) *The cast is unmatched, and wow, gotta dig it!*
Vampires seem to be connected to an unsolved murder. Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-61 mins, TV-PG, CC
9:00 AM Devil Doll, The (1936)
A Devil's Island escapee shrinks murderous slaves and sells them to his victims as dolls. Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Frank Lawton. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-78 mins, TV-PG, CC
There are some other flicks I'm looking forward to, like THE TINGLER and BESERK, but most of all the films listed above! Thank you, TCM, for doing it up right on Halloween!!! (only way to do better is to score the Universal's of the 30's and 40's! Maybe next year???)
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Awesome day! Thank you, TCM!!! Just loved watching Constance in all of these films! I have seen all of them previously, but always great to re-visit!
And Love, yes, I agree, I really get into pre-code flix even when crime or gangsters play no role, because there is always a bit of grit and edginess to them, most of the time, not to mention the racy dialogue as you mentioned!
And wow, yeah, FIVE STAR FINAL is one of the greatest films of all time IMHO! I absolutely dig that film!
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Char I agree with you wholeheartedly about the Boys helping to cheer me up when I'm not having a great day! I've been thoroughly enjoying their showings on Saturday mornings! I've only had TCM again since mid-July, so I haven't had a chance to see all of the earlier films, so I'm hoping that we get a marathon sometime after the run, and perhaps a box set too???
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I'm excited too! I would love to see more pre-codes, but it's cool to see more of these films showing up on the schedule gradually!
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TVLand pretty much sucks these days. Actually I am digging to this digital channel, RETRO TV!! They show stuff that TV Land either used to, or even never did! I realize not everyone would get that though, but they rock when it comes to classic TV shows, they are airing LEAVE IT TO BEAVER twice every weekday!
Though I dug seeing most of the LITB cast in their later years, the novelty wore off for me after a few episodes on that 80's show. It lacked the charm of the earlier show (no fault of theirs, it's tough to go back), and without Ward, who for me was the heart of the original, it didn't do it for me. But I agree it would be worth checking out for sure if you haven't seen it.
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MissWonderly, it's cool, no worries! Thanks for trying! Actually...so sad about Marsha Hunt!
Anyway, this film was just a very nice and easy way to wake up on a Sunday! TCM is my dream come true!
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Watching this flick this evening and totally digging on it! Love all these tough hombres in one place. Agree about Borgnine, a real great actor, IMO!
But this film belongs to Broderick---I'm totally digging him!
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Did anyone else see this sweet film this morning? First time for me, what a nice way to start a Sunday morning! From 1945, just a very sweet film, light humor, and Hume Cronyn is great in it! And I totally dig Marsha Hunt!
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Or late, if you are a night owl! 4AM EST!!!
Great crime film, starring Broderick Crawford as his usual gruff, tough as nails character, with a motley assortment of rough characters including Ernest Borgnine, Neville Brand and even Charles Bronson! Great stuff!!!
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Yes, it's only Sunday but I'm already anxious for this Friday's Constance Bennett tribute, with tons of pre-codes in the lineup! The beautiful Constance will be featured in:
6:00 AM Lady With A Past (1932) *(I really dig this naughty pre-code!)*
A good girl raises her popularity when she pretends to be bad. Cast: Constance Bennett, Ben Lyon, David Manners. Dir: Edward H. Griffith. BW-80 mins, TV-G
7:30 AM Rockabye (1932)
A Broadway star tries to hold onto an adopted child and a younger man. Cast: Constance Bennett, Joel McCrea, Paul Lukas. Dir: George Cukor. BW-68 mins, TV-G
8:45 AM What Price Hollywood? (1932) *(One of my all-time faves, with one of my main men, Lowell Sherman!!)*
A drunken director whose career is fading helps a waitress become a Hollywood star. Cast: Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Neil Hamilton. Dir: George Cukor. BW-88 mins, TV-G
10:15 AM Outcast Lady (1934)
A spoiled rich girl sacrifices her reputation to preserve her dead husband's memory. Cast: Constance Bennett, Herbert Marshall, Hugh Williams. Dir: Robert Z. Leonard. BW-77 mins, TV-G
11:45 AM Topper (1937)
A fun-loving couple returns from the dead to help a henpecked husband. Cast: Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Roland Young. Dir: Norman Z. McLeod. BW-98 mins, TV-G, CC
1:30 PM Topper Takes a Trip (1939) *(I actually think this one is funnier than the original, thanks to Constance!!)*
A glamorous ghost helps a henpecked husband save his wife from gold-digging friends. Cast: Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke. Dir: Norman Z. McLeod. BW-80 mins, TV-G, CC
3:00 PM Merrily We Live (1938) *(Zany screwball comedy, must see!!)*
A society matron's habit of hiring ex-cons and hobos as servants leads to romance for her daughter. Cast: Constance Bennett, Brian Aherne, Billie Burke. Dir: Norman Z. McLeod. BW-95 mins, TV-G
4:45 PM Unsuspected, The (1947) *(ooooh, and even a noir--Constance is still HOT STUFF!)*
The producer of a radio crime series commits the perfect crime, then has to put the case on the air. Cast: Claude Rains, Joan Caulfield, Constance Bennett. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-103 mins, TV-PG, CC
Can't wait! Thank you, TCM!!! You guys ROCK!
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Great idea for a thread!!!
Let's see! For me, it would be the genre of musicals! I never thought I'd like them! But of course films like the Marx Bros and the Road pictures had songs, but they seemed very incidental to the story for me, and sometimes still do. I actually used to not like The Marx Bros just for the very fact that they had musical interludes in them--I was like "What??!! No way!" Well that has certainly changed, and I'm totally in love with those Marxists, as well as my main men, Wheeler and Woolsey! And since discovering pre-code musicals--especially the Busby Berkeley backstage musicals, well, I was hooked!!! 42ND STREET, GOLDDIGGERS OF 1933, especially! So I've opened up a lot in terms of my resistance to musicals, over the years!
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Thanks for sharing all that, Arch! I'm totally digging on Kay Francis, and I love Shearer too!
And like you, I'm loving the pre-code Ladies!
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Thanks, Arch! I've really been grooving to these on Saturdays! The prints are nice too! I am wondering if it means we might see a box set of the complete series sometime soon??? I hope so!
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> {quote:title=LoveFilmNoir wrote:}{quote}
> It's on and there's no wind or rain! Hallelujah. And I just saw that TCM "stamp" before the film...doesn't that usually mean it's a film they can play rather often or at their discretion?
Glad you had a chance to see it, Love! I watched it last night and thought it was pretty funny! It seemed like a black comedy to me, in many ways, but for me the best was Freddie Mac! He was hilarious and I really dug him in this!
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I'll post an alternate list of possibilities of sorts for some of the decades...
1910's
INTOLERANCE
BIRTH OF A NATION
1920's---wow, tough to choose, but some possibilities:
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC
THE GOLD RUSH
THE WIND
THE BIG PARADE
METROPOLIS
1930's---VERY tough to choose!
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
KING KONG
CITY LIGHTS
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
PUBLIC ENEMY
1940's
CASABLANCA
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
WHITE HEAT
Don't know if it meets any criteria, but those are some possibilities!
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Dig all the posters, Kyle! Thanks!
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I'm sorry to hear this!
But I never really wanted my Mom to be like June Cleaver. I did wish I had a Dad (didn't have one who was around when I was a kid) like Ward though.
Loved her in that show though. RIP.
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I grooved hard to NO HOLDS BARRED today on TCM!!! Thank you so much for bringing us these "Bowery Boys" films! I thought today's film was pretty darn funny!
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> {quote:title=CineMaven wrote:}{quote}
> Aaaah yes Ella Raines
>
Ella---hotcha!!!
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Filmlover, that Friday night Classic Gangsters set is awesome!!! Fridays are rocking and rolling in January on TCM!
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> {quote:title=filmlover wrote:}{quote}
> There are SO MANY delights during the month but I noticed these three at the end I am looking forward to...Who's Minding the Mint, Pandora's Box, and The 3 Penny Opera. I am not sure if I have ever seen a Louise Brooks movie, so PB will be a treat.
Oh my gosh, Filmlover!!!! I missed that too, first run through! TCM is soooo cool! I can't wait to see all of those, but especially the Louise Brooks flick!!! Groove!
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In my enthusiasm over the schedule, I posted this in the other thread too, hope it's ok to post here, as I do agree, this is probably THE thread for the Jan schedule, which is too groovy for words!!
TCM is completely outta control!!! Where do I start, wow!!!
First, others have mentioned the groovy Roach fests going on all month, wow!!!! Laurel and Hardy, Thelma Todd, Charley Chase, and lots of awesome features! WOAH!!!
There are TONS of pre-codes, noirs, 30's flicks! I'm digging hard!
What I'm most looking forward to:
Jan 3: Joseph Von Sternberg tribute---Saturday and in prime time! Including SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932), MOROCCO (1930), THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (1941), MACAO (1952) and more! Wow!
Jan 8: THE GLASS KEY---woohooo!!! ANOTHER THIN MAN also shows up that morning!
Sunday, Jan 9--PRIMETIME pre-code-a-rama!!! THIS IS THE NIGHT (1932) never saw before, Thelma Todd is in it!!! Followed by my main man Warren William in THE MATCH KING (1932), FRIENDS AND LOVERS (1931)!! Awesome groove!
Thursday, Jan 13--Kay Francis day!!! Woohooo!!! LOTS of great films and especially some groovy pre-codes including GUILTY HANDS (1931)--haven't seen that in ages!!!--JEWEL ROBBERY (1932)--awesome!!!--ONE WAY PASSAGE (1932), also awesome!--and the very groovy BRITISH AGENT (1932) and THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER (1935)!! Kay totally rocks!!
Friday, Jan 14--John Payne noir's in prime-time, wow!!!! KC CONFIDENTIAL, 99 RIVER STREET, and THE CROOKED WAY!!! I'm flipping out!!!
Friday, Jan 21 is rocking the house hard! Daytime tribute to J. Carroll Naish includes the pre-code NO OTHER WOMAN, and the B-goofball (but good) BEHIND THE RISING SUN (with Tom Neal in some funky makeup!), and the off-beat THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS (1946)!! And then the evening...again, in PRIME TIME!! Gangster delights, all pre-code!!! CITY STREETS (1931) with Cary Grant in a gangster flick--woah! SCARFACE, which isn't shown that often on TCM, rock out! Followed by LITTLE CAESAR and THE MAYOR OF HELL, can't go wrong with either of them--Eddie G and Cagney!
Late Sunday, Dec 23--TIDE OF EMPIRE, wow!!
Noirs kind of round out my groove:
BACKFIRE (1950) with Edmond O'Brien (Jan 24)
LUCKY JORDAN (1950) with Alan Ladd, and PHANTOM LADY (1944), with Ella Raines---SO happy to see both, especially the latter, as I haven't seen it in ages, and it has one of the most out of control and out of sight drum solo by one fired up Elisha Cook, Jr----woah! Both on Jan 26!!
Well, have to run, but DOA (yeah, it's all over the place, but always love to see it on!! One of my "comfort noir's"! MYSTERY STREET...and oh yeah, wow, MINISTRY OF FEAR--awesome!!!
Oh and one more pre-code late in the month to look forward to: TROUBLE IN PARADISE---rocks!
And of course, "The Bowery Boys" continue on Sat mornings throughout the month!
I'm rocking hard to TCM in Jan!!
Barbara Billingsley Is Dead
in General Discussions
Posted
LOL!
Actually I had a crush on his first teacher, Miss Canfield, played by Diane Brewster!