VP19
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Posts posted by VP19
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I am certain TimeWarner (owners of TCM) negotiated the DVD rights with owners of the footage the series used. This is not like what happened with "Hollywood" or certain TV series; for example, because of problems securing music rights for DVD, episodes of "WKRP in Cincinnati" that have been released often have significantly different music than when they first aired, differences that drastically alter the episodes. (Think of the classic "dropping of the turkeys" episode, for instance.)
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Based upon what I've seen so far, as a Carole Lombard fan, I have this horrid feeling she will be ignored in chapter 4, and that screwball comedy will solely be illustrated by Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in "Bringing Up Baby."
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The silent films were there for a reason: to illustrate the developments and changes in the industry.
It's true that silents have a different "language" than talking films, and for many of us the differences are difficult to understand, or accept. But once you realize their particular artistry, and the talent of people like Pickford, Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Davies, the Talmadges, the Gishes, etc., you can fully appreciate the medium. It's a far cry from the "flickers" we were told silents were in our youth.
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Nice pic of Stewart and Stanwyck, two of the most versatile actors of classic Hollywood; I don't believe they ever made a film together, which is our loss.
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A good episode, with one huge mistake. Louise Brooks did NOT popularize the page-boy hairstyle of the 1920s; that honor belonged to Colleen Moore, who 1) wore it several years before Brooks; 2) was a far bigger star than Brooks, especially in America; and 3) wasn't even mentioned during the episode (her fame during the 1920s was about the same as Clara Bow's). What gives, TCM?
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> {quote:title=finance wrote:}{quote}
> A lot of his attention was also focused on "getting" as many Hollywood women as possible.
And he probably got more than any other man in Hollywood history. Not many people are aware of this, but according to biographer Larry Swindell, Carole Lombard lost her virginity to Hughes in the late 1920s.
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I loved the 1894 film of cats "boxing" (probably some vaudeville act that visited the Black Maria). Think of it -- funny cat videos were around nearly 110 years before YouTube.
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I'm still trying to figure out why Paul Lukas, of all people, was cast as Philo Vance. While a capable actor, his accent renders him impossible to take seriously.
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Getting back to Eleanor Parker, I thought she was okay in the role, and certainly had good chemistry with MacMurray. But as was usually the case with post-1941 screwball, the writing was spotty and the female character more often than not were made to look silly, not strong. I agree Parker was no Lombard (who would have been nearing 43 when this was released in September 1951) or Jean Arthur, but she doesn't embarrass herself, either. The conditions simply weren't right to produce first-rate screwball.
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Some good stuff so far, but some inexplicable omissions. Why was nothing said about the first movie star known by name, Florence Lawrence? (And I concur with the fear that Constance and Norma Talmadge will be ignored in part 3, and that we will likely see more screen time devoted to Louise Brooks, who was at most a star with the late twenties equivalent of the art-house crowd, than Colleen Moore.)
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The Los Angeles Times reported that TCM, in conjunction with this series, recently surveyed 1,000 people to see how current films measure up against those of the classic era http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/10/hollywood-tcm-classic-angelina-jolie-marilyn-monroe-bogart.html. Does anyone know where can I find the complete results of this survey?
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A couple choices from the pre-World War II era:
Carole Lombard
Myrna Loy
Constance Bennett
Marion Davies
And from more recent times:
Julie Newmar
Goldie Hawn
Michelle Pfeiffer
Catherine Zeta-Jones
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I have a friend who once had a white cat named Jean Harlow. Also, once I saw a letter in a magazine from someone who was a fan of the Thin Man films and had two wire terriers named Powell and Loy.
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If time travel is invented, someone from TCM needs to go back, retrieve as many "lost" films as possible, then bring them back to be introduced by Robert Osborne. (And, while they're at it, bring a few stars back with them as guest programmers!)
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I work evenings -- but I'm ever so thankful I have Mondays off.
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When I moved in April, I switched from cable to DirecTV because the cable system in my new area didn't carry the sports network (MASN) that had my favorite baseball team (Nationals). Thankfully, DirecTV also carries TCM (and I now also watch Fox Movie Channel every now and then, something I didn't have earlier). I believe TCM is part of every DirecTV viewing level.
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Nice screen grab on the top one, MissGoddess. It may not be an optimal print, but it certainly looks better than the other one.
I trust most of you who are Lombard fans have visited "Carole & Co.", my site dedicated to classic Hollywood in general and her in particular. If not, what are you waiting for? It's at http://community.livejournal.com/carole_and_co/
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TCM engages in niche programming of a sort, although its niche is wide-ranging, appealing to some at one time and others the next. For example, I'm among those who love movies from the '20s up to the early '40s, whereas others go for post-World War II titles. TCM has to please both of these groups (and many others as well) in its unofficial role as the repertory house of television.
Also, by now TCM knows what -- and when -- to program. Someone earlier mentioned its more male- and youth-oriented weekend programming; also, the channel tends to limit early or lower-tier features to its daytime or late-night schedule, unless it ties into a prime-time theme.
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A black crepe dress Carole Lombard wore in her role as small-town librarian Connie Randall in "No Man Of Her Own" (1932), probably designed by Paramount's famed Travis Banton, is being auctioned next month -- though it will likely cost the winning bidder several thousand dollars...
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Seeing Ebert in his condition was admittedly somewhat jarring...but his intelligence and thoughtfulness haven't waned a whit (as is evident to anyone who reads his website). I'm so happy he was part of the "critic's choice" promotion.
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If anyone is worth this special treatment, it is Ebert. As both a film critic and as a writer, the man is a treasure.
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There are so many silents missing. I would love to uncover a few of Clara Bow's hits that Paramount unfortunately let lapse into disrepair, or find a film or two a teenage Carol (before the "e") Lombard made at Fox before an auto accident in 1926 took her out of movies for a while before Mack Sennett hired her. But this is wonderful news.
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Just watched "Rockabye." Connie was sexy and riveting, one of Hollywood's all-time beauties.
Regarding the comment about the book "Topper Takes A Trip": I'm a bit surprised no one has tried to remake "Topper" using the more bawdy elements of Thorne Smith's book that couldn't be done on screen after the Code was strictly enforced in mid-1934. Done properly (and tastefully), it could be plenty of ribald fun -- though it would admittedly be hard to displace the ghosts, pardon the pun, of Constance, Cary Grant, Roland Young and Billie Burke.
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> {quote:title=TikiSoo wrote:}{quote}
Last night I watched DESIGN FOR LIVING and was blown away. Not only was the story titillating, but she was great in it. I kept thinking, "this could have been so easily cast with Carole Lombard" another actress I don't find appealing. But I thought Miriam just nailed it and Carole would have overdone it.
> > {quote:title=Kinokima wrote:}{quote}
> >
*Tikisoo* I am not sure how Carole Lombard would have done in Miriam's role but I think she is brilliant in To Be Or Not to Be another Lubitsch film and sadly Carole's last role.
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> TO BE OR NOT TO BE is a fave of mine-love Jack Benny! I didn't realize it was a Lubitsch film (I seem to be drawn to his films for some reason)
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> Carole Lombard just comes across too loud, she seems to shout her lines. And Carole doesn't hold nearly the range of expression in her face, (her bug eyes especially) when compared to Hopkins.
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> Hopkins struck me as an "entire whole body" actress, not unlike Bette Davis. Although Hopkins is overly dramatic, she's not crazy "over the top" like Davis.
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> I can't believe how "into" Hopkins I am after seeing that film!
Hopkins is wonderful, and it's possible the pre-"Twentieth Century" Lombard might have been in over her head in "Design For Living." But the later Lombard evolved into a pretty good actress, and could tone down her act when the story warranted it (watch "Hands Across The Table" and "Vigil In The Night" for respective comedic and dramatic proof).
The irony is that for a while, Miriam and Carole were perceived as interchangeable by Paramount (they worked together in Hopkins' first Paramount talkie, "Fast And Loose"). Lombard wanted the role Hopkins got in "The Smiling Lieutenant," and Miriam was to have starred opposite Clark Gable in "No Man Of Her Own" -- but as a condition of loaning out Gable, MGM insisted he have sole top billing, and Hopkins subsequently withdrew from the film. Finally, Hopkins was Lubitsch's first choice to play Maria Tura in "To Be Or Not To Be," but Jack Benny was cool to working with her, so Ernst called his old Paramount friend Lombard (whose career he aided during his short tenure as head of production), and she agreed to the role.
Clara Bow In IT (1927) this morning!
in Silent
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Please, TCM, show some Clara Bow, Colleen Moore and Constance Talmadge films in your "Silent Sunday Nights" package. (Wouldn't mind seeing a Dorothy Gish comedy or two as well.)