VP19

My thoughts and best wishes go to you all. It's windy here in west central Virginia (Lynchburg), and we may get a little rain, but you can see the heavy gray clouds way off to the south and east.

How about Constance Bennett as star of the month? She was a big star in the pre-Code era, and had continued success throughout the '30s. Connie was also known as one of the great beauties of classic Hollywood.

Just cranked out an entry on how Ted Turner (whose name still adorns TCM, but is no longer associated with the channel) was a leader in film preservation, and in many ways is an underappreciated force behind the pre-Code revival. If you only think of Ted for colorization, shame on you. http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/438472.html

Thank you, Eugenia. Incidentally, I just cranked out a guide to Carole's 'SUTS' day, complete with a schedule, stills from all 15 films to be shown (no TCM premieres, alas!) and even my own ratings of each movie: http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/438216.html (BTW, I hadn't thought of the "Hurricane Irene" analogy, probably because I've always viewed Lombard as a force for good. Then again, one of her nicknames was "the Hoosier tornado"!)

*The Greeks Had a Word For Them (AKA 'Three Broadway Girls', with Lowell Sherman, Ina Claire) 1932 - this one does not appear to be a rights issue, since this movie is currently considered public domain (you can even watch it at archive.org). maybe there is difficulty obtaining a good-condition print of the movie? excellent movie anyway, even worth seeing in rough condition.* One of my favorite movies. Don't forget Madge Evans. What's also fascinating about this film is how casting might have gone had history peoceeded a bit differently. Evans only got the role after a bout of pleurisy forced Carole Lombard to bow out. And according to trade papers at the time, the part Blondell played was initially offered to...Jean Harlow. Imagine "Greeks" with Ina, Carole and Jean...or Ina, Carole and Joan.

Myrna Loy and Gary Cooper (both were from Helena, Mont. and knew each other as youths) Carole Lombard and James Cagney (had they made a film in the early '30s, he might have elicited the same talent from her that John Barrymore finally did in "Twentieth Century") James Stewart and Barbara Stanwyck (arguably the most versatile actors of their genders -- you could imagine them teaming up in a number of genres) Finally, Lombard and Loy (there weren't very many films in the classic era with two female leads, but it would have been fun to see their contrasting personalities and styles mesh, especially in a comedy)

Colleen Moore and both of the star Talmadge sisters (Constance and Norma).

There were many fine movies made during the 1930s, and some excellent ones, but in general I like movies from the 1940s more. Though by now they're both long in the past, the 1930s' pics seem much more old-fashioned and the 1940s much closer to our time. It may not make sense, but that's the way it seems to me. On the whole, I find 1940s movies rather bland and sanctimonious compared to their '30s counterparts, particularly pre-Code fare. (There are exceptions, especially film noir, but most '40 comedies are too broad for my tastes.)

At least in the 1930s you did not have to worry about being bombarded with graphic violence, graphic sexual situations, or snippets of loud inane pop songs (which seem to comprise the "soundtrack" of so many contemporary movies). There was violence, but it was implied. Sexual situations were present, but they left it up to your mind (the greatest sex organ of them all) to fill in the blanks. And the '30s had their share of inane pop songs too, and many of them were featured in films of the time. But there were plenty of great pop songs too, as there are today; it's simply a matter of finding them. In short, '30s film -- particularly from the pre-Code era -- could be provocative, but it did so in a deft, discreet, sophisticated way.

I believe Crosby's film career does eclipsed his musical career in the minds of most people today. How many people today go and buy Crosby's music, say compared to Sinatra? One can say that not many go and buy Crosby's movies either but because of the Road pictures, award winning movies like The Country Girl etc... his movies are more well known than his hit records, excluding White Christmas of course. If that's the case, and you're probably right, more's the pity, because Bing was a revolutionary pop singer, particularly early in his career. He and Louis Armstrong popularized a new, more informal vocal style with considerable jazz influences, something that's more or less forgotten today, so much is Crosby associated with white-bread, golf-playing suburbanization. Bing loved jazz, making some superlative recordings with the Mills Brothers ("Dinah") and the Duke Ellington orchestra ("St. Louis Blues"); he was hugely popular in the black community in the 1930s, inspiring imitators both black (e.g., Harlan Lattimore) and white. (Sinatra was inspired to become a singer after watching Crosby perform on stage in Jersey City in 1932.) And let's not forget that Bing recorded the definitive version of the classic Depression anthem, "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?", singing it with a conviction that resonated with people of the time and still astounds listeners today.

There was also a lot more movie product in the '30s, because the filmgoing audience was so huge and there was relatively little competition for the entertainment dollar (no TV or Internet; radio was growing, but still evolving as a programming source). In those days, studios issued nearly one film each week over the course of a year, and theaters ran them for only a few days before mvoing on to the next arrival. With so many films on hand, there was bound to be some dross, but at the same time, the frequent work enabled actors, writers and directors to hone their craft to an incredible degree. (For example, Joan Blondell appeared in 28 feature movies between 1931 and 1933.) So the best movies of the time, even many average ones, hold up well today -- if you understand the context of the times they were made in. And the society of America before World War II seems alien to many people today, more so than in the '60s and '70s when people who grew up in those times were still a significant part of the population.

By "30 seconds," I mean the time between the action on screen and the dialogue. As someone else stated, the problems lasted for several minutes.

First of all, I hope Joel McCrea gets SOTM honors soon, because he deserves it, but I must admit I an delighted William Powell will get this recognition. As far as Powell's Paramount films are concerned, I agree they should be shown (I'd love to see "Interference," his first talkie, when film audiences realized what a fabulous voice he had), but I'm not sure about their availability. I note the only Paramount film running on Carole Lombard's SUTS day is "Hands Across The Table"; perhaps they are holding her two Paramounts with Powell ("Man Of The World" and "Ladies' Man") for the December SOTM.

TCM just put the film back in sync, though it was interrupted for about two seconds by color scenes of parachutes descending. Weird.

There were technical difficulties at the start of the film, and as a result, the voice track was out of sync with the action on the screen, and the discrepancy expanded to close to a half-minute, making the film unintentionally hilarious. Too bad for Ann Dvorak fans on her day, though to be fair she didn't have much screen time in this programmer.

Adams developed that voice for his nightclub act as an exaggeration of William Powell, though most people don't realize it. Anyway, pleased to hear the news about Powell, my all-time favorite actor, as SOTM.

By the subject header, I mean, had Lucille Ball not gone into television, but her film career followed the normal trajectory of an actress who turned 40 (her age, plus two months, at the time "I Love Lucy" premiered in October 1951), how would she be remembered today? What other tier of stars would she be compared to today (strictly in terms of fame, not skills or beauty)? A few come to mind, one actress a contemporary of Ball's (Virginia Mayo, who had a similar sexy brassiness), one whose prime period came a bit before her (Ann Dvorak, TCM's "SUTS" honoree tomorrow; in this alternate universe, one could imagine Lucy being selected for "SUTS" as a lost treasure or cult favorite, not a TV icon who also had a not-insubstantial film career). Ball had some stardom during the 1940s, but was never on the top tier. This is certainly not meant to be a knock on Lucy, a talented, beautiful, funny and smart actress and businesswoman, just a conjecture as to how history would have remembered her had things gone just a trifle differently.

"Durand Of The Badlands," released Nov. 1, 1925, included a small role for a teenage starlet on the Fox roster named Carole Lombard. Unfortunately, like all the films she made before an automobile accident in early 1926 that sidelined her for more than a year, it is believed lost.

"Durand Of The Badlands," released Nov. 1, 1925, included a small role for a teenage starlet on the Fox roster named Carole Lombard. Unfortunately, like all the films she made before an automobile accident in early 1926 that sidelined her for more than a year, it is believed lost.

I suppose you could compare Bing Crosby to Elvis Presley -- both were the top record-sellers of their day, and both had significant movie success (although Crosby's movie career was far more diverse than Presley's, and aimed significantly higher). Both were heavily influenced by black (and country) music of the time, too. (Heck, Elvis was indirectly influenced by Bing in that Dean Martin, who Presley was a fan of, in many ways patterned his style after Crosby.) I tend to think of Bing and Elvis primarily as singers who found second careers in movies (that applies for Doris Day and Frank Sinatra, too). I'm glad someone mentioned Monroe's singing ability; like Jane Russell, she had a good approach to music and handled a song better than one might expect.

You are quite correct, there have been definite physical changes, with height, for men, and women, being one. An Associated Press story in 1949 predicted that with changes in nutrition and health, by 2000 the average American woman would stand about 6 feet tall and wear size 11 shoes (http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2008/1/3/taller-women-by-year-2000-1949.html). I see a lot of tall women these days, but it's not as if I go through life surrounded by an army of feminine giants.

I'm guessing the swap in Bellamy and Laughton dates had something to do with programming "Essentials Jr.", though this now results in Cary Grant being featured in two consecutive "Essentials Jr." features ("His GIrl Friday" on Aug. 14, "Gunga Din" on Aug. 21).

Many, many August 4ths ago, a friend claimed that he & his partner took a Ouija board to her crypt in Westwood and he swore that it spelled out only one message over and over: "GO AWAY LEAVE ME ALONE ... GO AWAY LEAVE ME ALONE ..." Based upon some of the crap her reputation has gone through these 49 years, I frankly wouldn't blame Monroe for feeling that way. She was a capable actress, especially in comedy, an icon of her time, but she would probably believe much of the posthumous adulation has gone overboard.

I have noticed many times about people from the 30's, 40's especially looked a lot more grown up than today's stars. Acted that way, too. Think of "Platinum Blonde," where Jean Harlow, all of 20, plays the titular heiress (no puns please), and Loretta Young (18 at the time) portrays a big-city newspaper reporter! Carole Lombard's first starring role was the now-lost Fox silent "Marriage In Transit," where her character gets married as a plot point; it was made in early 1925, when Lombard was only a few months past age 16.

That's Fay Wray in The Most Dangerous Game, 1932, after messing up her makeup and hair style while running through the jungle. A far cry from "The Wedding March," that's for sure!