VP19
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Posts posted by VP19
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I love her. In my opinion, she's the inventor of the screwball heroine. One of filmdom's best female clowns. She made it possible for Carole Lombard and Lucille Ball to do what they did.
I have no idea whether Ball ever met Davies (I would think it was likely), but Lombard and Davies were good friends, and Carole had long admired Marion for both her comedic skills and her generosity to those who were less fortunate.
However, it should be noted that other comedic actresses of the silent era influenced Lombard and her peers in the '30s. Clara Bow is probably the most remembered of the bunch, though like Jean Harlow, she tends to be known more for her sex appeal than for her comic skills (both were considerable). Colleen Moore and Constance Talmadge were big stars in the '20s; each had a number of hit comedies. Unfortunately, more than a few of the comedies made by Bow, Moore and Talmadge are now lost, giving us only an incomplete view of their accomplishments.
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It is indeed her birthday (the 115th anniversary of her birth), and watching these films, static as some of these early '30s vehicles may be, Davies' vivacity rings true, even in these talkies (which, for the most part, aren't as good as her later silents). For more on Marion, visit http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/474159.html.
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VP19,
Two additional in this case Silent MGM films with-held due to copyright are SALLY, IRENE, and MARY (1925), and MAN, WOMAN & SIN (1927). Possibly THE GARDEN OF ALLAH (1927) as well.
Being that it is the year of the Paramount Centennial, maybe they will finally be able to get a hold of some rare stuff like STAGE STRUCK (1925), OLD IRONSIDES (1926), CHILDREN OF DIVORCE (1927), and Von Stroheim's THE WEDDING MARCH (1928). Not to mention the new restoration of WINGS out on Blu-ray and DVD later this month. Almost forgot, the 1923 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS has yet to pop up on TCM either. MANTRAP (1926) is out on DVD part of the new Treasures From The American Film Archive 5 set. So that could potentially be shown as well.
Hope that happens -- I saw "The Wedding March" in the late '80s, and it's an exquisite film, with a splendid performance from the young Fay Wray. And who wouldn't mind seeing Constance Bennett and Joan Crawford in a film together (with Sally O'Neil) in "Sally, Irene And Mary"? (And just to clarify things, Sally does not play Sally -- that's Connie. Joan is "Irene" and O'Neill is "Mary.")
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May I suggest a resource for anyone wishing to do another snapshot of film history? It's called the Media History Digital Library, and it has a variety of classic movie-related publications (including color covers, photography and art work), and it continues to grow. At last check, their inventory now includes:
*Fan magazines*
Motion Picture Story Magazine -- part of 1913
Picture Stories Magazine -- parts of 1913 and 1914
Photoplay -- all of 1929, 1930 and 1935, and parts of 1917, 1920, 1925-1928, 1936-1938 and 1940
Motion Picture Classic -- all of 1920
Cine-Mundial (Spanish) -- all of 1920
*Trade publications*
Moving Picture World -- all of 1913 and 1914, and parts of 1912 and 1915-1918
Film Daily -- all of 1919, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1926-1932, and parts of 1918, 1921, 1924, 1925 and 1933-1936
Exhibitors Trade Review -- parts of 1921 and 1922
Exhibitors Herald -- parts of 1923 and 1924
Motion Picture News -- parts of 1928-1930
Motion Picture Daily -- parts of 1931, 1933 and 1934
Hollywood Reporter -- parts of 1933 and 1934
To see the entire holdings, go to http://mediahistoryproject.org/collections/
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At one time, *Storm Center *had rights issues surrounding it. I don't know if those issues have been worked out but it is worth noting that just because a film is in a studio film library does not always mean that it can be shown.
*The Story of Temple Drake*, *The Constant Nymph *and *NIght Flight *are recent examples of films that were kept in the vaults for decades due to rights issues and only recently were those issues resolved (a big thanks to TCM for the major assist they provided in helping those films come back to us).
Other films in the MGM/RKO/Warners film library still unable to TCM because of rights issues include *Letty Lynton*.
I believe that may also apply to "They Knew What They Wanted," an RKO property TCM has never aired, even during programming honoring co-stars Carole Lombard or Charles Laughton. (I remember a UHF station in Philadelphia carrying it in the late 1980s.) Apparently there are now rights problems with the estate of Sidney Howard, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning play was adapted (and bowdlerized) for the film.
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One of the classic stars who appeared on "The Twilight Zone" had already been gone for 20 years...
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This has been a superlative effort. Thank you.
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We've arrived in the new year here in the Eastern time zone, and I wish a great 2012 to everyone at the message boards. You folks are wonderful!
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Love the idea! Pre-Code is the type of theme that could spread itself over two nights a week throughout a month (a la TCM's "blonde tribute" in November). It could further be broken down into specific concepts -- one night, focus on the "complicated women" of pre-Code, the other on the "dangerous men" (both nights with Mick LaSalle, who wrote excellent pre-Code books of those titles, joining Bob for intros and outros); other nights, examine several pre-Codes from various studios: Warners, RKO/Pathe, MGM, Columbia, Paramount, Universal and Fox (the last three would have to be coordinated with Universal, which owns many pre-Code Paramount titles, and Fox, which has worked with TCM in presenting Will Rogers and other early talking stuff). Wait -- those would total up to nine nights, so make sure one of those days of the week occurs five times during the month (as was the case with the blondes).
There's a lot of pre-Code product out there that TCM hasn't gotten to yet, so something like this would be plenty of fun.
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You're obviously a huge fan, if the size of that pic is indicative. Personally, I prefer the more natural Monroe, when she wasn't consciously trying to be a "sex symbol."
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Keep in mind TCM ran its share of holiday-themed films on the three previous Tuesdays, as well as on Christmas Eve. I thus have no complaint with the channel showing religious-oriented movies today, especially since this year, Christmas falls on a Sunday.
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If we "romanticize" the golden (not "godlen" -- was that subliminal?) years of cinema, it's strictly for what we saw on screen artistically. It's certainly not to sweep aside, or make excuses for, some of the era's more nefarious happenings and actions -- and this tragic incident certainly qualifies.
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Yes, a merry Christmas to all at TCM, and to all who post on this board!
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If you liked the Nick and Nora films, wait till next Thursday, when you see Powell and Loy in their other collaborations. Wonderful stuff, and they had incredible chemistry.
Nice to see all the Loy love on this thread. Myrna is my second favorite actress of all time, trailing only Carole Lombard (and it's too bad they never starred in a film together, particularly in a comedy; their styles would probably have complemented each other's beautifully).
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The Kino HD DVD of "Nothing Sacred" (also available in Blu-ray) will be available for purchase tomorrow (Dec. 20). Some screengrabs from the new version (with two comparisons to earlier public domain versions) can be seen at http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/470398.html.
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As long as you don't say she stole your heart. (Apologies to Winona, who's probably long past that kleptomaniac stage of her life, but someone was going to make that wisecrack sooner or later.)
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See the Blu-ray release of "Nothing Sacred" when it comes out Tuesday (from a Technicolor print at George Eastman House, and according to reviewers a substantial improvement over all the Cinecolor public domain copies floating out there) and you may change your tune.
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And there were notable stars -- I think of Edward G. Robinson and Myrna Loy as two examples -- who, while popular with the public, not only never won Oscars, but were never even nominated.
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Marion Davies?
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Many actresses had abortions, because of her faith Loretta gave birth and raised her child.
I did an entry for my blog on actresses and pregnancies slightly more than a year ago: http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/340069.html
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VP.. thanks for giving Carole's recipe its moment in the kitchen.. and thanks for the chili recipe too.. I can see it now.. the TCM family CHILI cookoff.. hmmmm.... HOW could we ever do the judging???
I've been given two more Lombard recipes, both for soups, from the 1930 edition of "Fashions And Foods In Beverly Hills." (This may have been supplied to the book's editors in late 1929, as Lombard lists herself as a "Pathe player"; late that year, she was dismissed from the roster, likely for too closely resembling new acquisition Constance Bennett).
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*TWO GOOD SOUPS NOT OFTEN PREPARED*
I am going to offer two good soup recipes, which will be novel to many housewives, I think, and a welcome change from the standard varieties. One is for lettuce soup and the other for spinach soup.
To make lettuce soup cook several good heads of lettuce, from which the outer leaves have been removed, with three cupfuls of milk. A double boiler is best, and the lettuce should be cooked in the milk about 20 minutes. Mix together 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoons flour and a teaspoon chopped onions. Add to the lettuce and milk, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper and cook in double boiler ten minutes.
For spinach soup, mix together 2 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons grated cheese, salt and pepper. Add two cups of milk, 2 cups of water and one cup of cooked spinach. Let simmer for about twenty minutes over a slow fire.
Carol Lombard (Pathe Player).
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At this stage of her life, Lombard was still living with her mother and two older brothers on 138 North Wilton Street (the residence still exists), and she may have made these recipes at home.
I'm not much for lettuce myself, but eat my share of spinach-related products (including salads). This soup might have some possibilities.
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> *{quote:title=VP19 wrote:}{quote}Was Kate Hepburn a talented actress? Definitely. Was she the greatest? Not to my mind. She's simply too patrician for my tastes. Yes, she was a feminist, but there was always something too upper-class about her, as opposed to the likes of Lombard or Loy, whose personalities seemed to mesh better with the mass audience. And Stanwyck excelled in more genres than K. Hepburn did (could you see Kate in a western?).*
I have seen her is a Western, many time. I think it was something about a Rooster, or was it a chicken? Some guy named John Payne I think was a star in it too. Or was it John Mayne? He did a few movies I think, pretended to be a tough guy with a gun mostly.
You are right...oopsie. Maybe I should have used film noir as an example.
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any early-Loretta Young aficionados want to clue me in to which of the five young Young movies are most essential? I thought i'd seen a lot of her early movies, but none of these are ringing a bell. i'll probably end up getting *Loose Ankles *at least, since it is paired with *The Naughty Flirt*. Hard to go wrong with Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
I see that in "Road To Paradise," she plays twin roles -- a girl who falls in with gangsters and a wealthy socialite. Since I've never seen the film, I don't know if there are any scenes featuring both Lorettas.
Just did an entry on these five two-packs: http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/469215.html
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Was Kate Hepburn a talented actress? Definitely. Was she the greatest? Not to my mind. She's simply too patrician for my tastes. Yes, she was a feminist, but there was always something too upper-class about her, as opposed to the likes of Lombard or Loy, whose personalities seemed to mesh better with the mass audience. And Stanwyck excelled in more genres than K. Hepburn did (could you see Kate in a western?).
World's Oldest Profession in movies
in General Discussions
Posted
A few other films that come to mind:
* "Virtue" (1932), where Carole Lombard plays a streetwalker who tries to reform...but her past catches up to her. Probably her best performance before "Twentieth Century," though it's a drama, not a comedy. Made at Columbia with a feel similar to Warners pre-Codes.
* "Bed Of Roses" (1933), starring Constance Bennett and wisecracking pal Pert Kelton as riverboat hookers on the Mississippi.