clore

It's gone off on my Time Warner cable in NYC.

The 57-minute long Warner programmer THE MYSTERIOUS DOCTOR would have filled in the hour and be nicely relevant to the theme of the night. It's a decent "B" with John Loder, Lester Matthews and Eleanor Parker. Dore Schary bores me, maybe I will fall asleep. Trouble is now that the cats are awake. I recently adopted two four-month-old kittens, one is solid black and the other orange - just perfect for Halloween.

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF at 1030am on a Saturday? Lots of usual suspects, such as CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF FROM HERE TO ETERNITY MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON Nice to see THE CROWD get a prime time slot though.

Even worse, it's "The Case Against The 20% Federal Admissions Tax On Motion Picture Theatres."

>>How about using the extra hour for a good night sleep? I suffer from insomnia, it gives me an extra hour in which not to sleep.

Fritz Lang wasn't pleased with this film which lifted a whole sequence from YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE without his being credited or compensated.

Knowing TCM, another airing of "The Lion Roars Again."

>>Wow, even 3 Godfathers ! Thanks for the link, clore! You're welcome. There are probably more that just haven't been provided yet by contributors.

James Cameron's second feature film, THE TERMINATOR was miles ahead of PIRANHA II: THE SPAWNING.

>>As for Rush, what you cite is standard operating lack of foresight, and every studio head and those under him/her are guilty of it time and again. Don't get me wrong, I was in TV programming for years, no one is correct 100% of the time. The problem was less that of Rush than of his Coca-Cola bosses. They didn't let him forget that he let the big fish get away and it caused a lack of confidence in his management. Such a thing is a reflection of their own doubts, but this was a company that was used to projecting beverage sales in Duluth with uncanny accuracy and the dominant market share. The entertainment business does not work that way, putting a film in the can is not like filling a bottle with colored water. Columbia's acquiring Embassy Television around 1985 didn't help Rush either, now there were two divisions looking for a piece of the market and there was the expected internal rivalry between the two divisions and that atmosphere only multiplied the usual corporate friction. There are only so many desirable and available time periods in the TV station universe and the company had a combined wealth of riches so the internal crisis atmosphere led to a rivalry that diluted the potential. I've got the book "Fast Fade" over here on my shelf, I haven't looked at it in years. It's a depressing read as it brings back memories of why I preferred being on the road while I was there than to be in the office and hear all of the gossip mongering. I doubted Puttnam's longevity before he set foot on these shores, but certainly didn't wish him ill tidings. It's a closed company town and the resentment was already in place, he didn't help himself by alienating just about every possible ally. I used the Hoffman/Murray comment as an example of just how ill-conceived Puttnam's posturing could be. At that point, the public wasn't apt to know of sparks flying between execs in the talent side of things. But they gulp celebrity gossip like a soft drink. It was an embarrassment for Coca-Cola to have the press trumpeting this stuff, they were a company that wasn't used to press scrutiny and criticism. I do recommend the book to anyone. It's almost like watching a movie such as PSYCHO - one wants to yell out "don't go into the shower" as it relates to Puttnam's series of gaffes It's a page turner of the highest order.

>>I know Lord Puttnam a bit, like him and respect his taste. I've met Herman Rush and think he's a good guy, though I can't say I've ever had any business dealings with him. As long as Ray Stark had his connection to the Allen Company (the money boys), Puttnam didn't stand a chance. He only made it all worse by saying things in public that should have remained in the conference room - if said at all. He criticized Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray for such outrageous salaries and then not giving any away to charity. He didn't know Hoffman very well, Dustin didn't make his charitable endeavors public.He gave a lot of time and money to some children's hospice set up by Kenny Rogers. Rush was a decent guy, but he made a mistake that cost the company many millions. He passed on the chance to syndicate "Oprah Winfrey." One exec in the company was Bob King who left King World and after the meeting, he called his brothers and Oprah signed with them. Bob still had his shares of King World and he knew a good thing when he saw it.

>>You worked for Screen Gems during the Coca-Cola years by then it was renamed CPT (Columbia Pictures television); of course, it was the '80's. Screen Gems was reactivated in August of 1986 as a sub division to CPT. Both answered to Herman Rush, as did another venture called "The Program Source" which was handling the syndicated version of THE PRICE IS RIGHT and the barter ad sales and the "promotional considerations by..." sales. They spent 20 million in acquiring the rights to and production of PRICE which ended up grossing 21 million. That didn't please a parent company that was basically selling syrup and water and getting way more than a 5% return. At this point, Screen Gems was handling the really vintage stuff such as WYATT EARP and a bunch of short lived sitcoms such as TABITHA, MR. MERLIN and JENNIFER SLEPT HERE - plus a couple of other fantasy-based ones, all packaged with the umbrella title "The Magic Show." I really concentrated on putting together packages of vintage movies and had a western group, one called "Legendary Ladies" that highlighted top names in some lesser or early titles. I also put together a "Swords and Swordsmen" group that had titles with Cornell Wilde, Louis Hayward, Larry Parks, Willard Parker and John Derek all in costume adventures. Herman Rush entered into a venture with Color Systems Technology to add hues to some oldies, but then Columbia head David Puttnam mandated that no in-house titles could be colorized. So, CST went out and purchased a library from an independent supplier - I think it was Con Hartsock - and we ended up with a bunch of non-Columbia films which we were to syndicate. A lot of them were Edward Small productions, but it fell to me to select the titles. I opted for things like LAST OF THE MOHICANS, DANIEL BOONE and RETURN OF MONTE CRISTO, deliberately avoiding the noir titles or things which in my judgment should stay in monochrome. I chose outdoor films and colorful subjects. It was a package of twelve titles to be scheduled on a one per month basis on a barter arrangement with stations. At this point in time it was thought that between the rapid growth of independent stations and the emerging cable ones, that anything with sprocket holes would sell as they needed product. A few months later a trend started when some stations owned by Grant Communications declared bankruptcy. Until then, owning a TV station was a license to print money. We were scuttled when Coke decided to sell the company and they were slashing everywhere to make the balance sheets look better. Between the Puttnam fiasco, plus ISHTAR and LEONARD, PART 6, the soda folks realized that the movie business was too volatile. I was at CPT for the last days of my two-year contract. Like everyone else at that point, I spent most of my time lining up my next job.

I've had the Bob Thomas bio of Cohn for almost 40 years and read it once a decade. I even worked for Screen Gems for a couple of years, most of it while Coca-Cola owned it and discovered that film isn't like selling soda. Cohn was a rough dude, but by the 50s the company had really hit the big time and was prospering while many of its competitors were floundering since being hit with having to sell off theaters and the threat of television.

I've been wanting to see NORTH TO THE KLONDIKE for over 40 years. Broderick Crawford and Lon Chaney in a "B" version of THE SPOILERS. A chance to see them doing on screen what they were doing to each other at night - beating each other up that is. All I've seen were the pics that accompanied Richard Bojarski's Chaney bio in "Castle of Frankenstein" years ago. Richard was a friend, and a 16mm collector, but that was one that he didn't have.

>>Does anyone know why he didn't make it up there with Bogey and Robinson? My guess it that it was a case of "right place, wrong time." MGM also had Robert Montgomery and Clark Gable and in a couple of years William Powell. Chet had his day though, getting to appear opposite Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, Sylvia Sidney and Norma Shearer. Plus he worked up until the end and looked good doing it. He's easy to recognize in THE GREAT WHITE HOPE, even if one had not seen him in 40 years.

I watched WITHIN THE LAW and found it a fun programmer. I was especially interested as both Paul Kelly and Tom Neal were in the cast and I've long thought that there was a facial resemblance between the two. They had something else in common - Paul Kelly had already served time for manslaughter and Tom Neal would do the same in the future. Also noteworthy is that this was directed by Gustav Machat? who directed Hedy Lamarr in ECSTASY. He didn't fare too well in the States, getting little more than some uncredited second unit or retake work, "B" movies and a "Crime Does Not Pay" short.

They made a few () films in that location: http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Alabama%20Hills,%20Lone%20Pine,%20California,%20USA&&heading=18;withlocationsincluding;Alabama%20Hills,%20Lone%20Pine,%20California,%20USA There's another page of them linked at the bottom of the above.

I'm in one of those Louis Jourdan threads - it may have been on the OCTOPUSSY board. I posed a question about a film that he should have been able to answer, but he never responded. Not exactly a trick question, but one about a TV movie titled FEAR NO EVIL that hasn't been seen in years. I have my doubts though that was actually the actor posting. There is a man on the FAREWELL MY LOVELY board who claims to be Jack O'Halloran, the actor who played Moose Malloy. I believe he is genuine and he's trying to drum up support for a DVD release and he would provide anecdotal commentary. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072973/board/thread/111657207

>>I have to concur with everything Miss Goddess said about your nifty website, Sarah. >> >>Here I am (as bgh48 on the imdb board) talking about Chester back in 2007: Was that you? Small world. I was reading that thread earlier when i went over there to see if the Chester Morris link was put there by the OP. It was, but I "activated" it to make it easier for anyone interested. Someone claiming to be Morris' grandson had a couple of posts in that forum, but never followed up much with more info: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0606431/board/thread/3021143?d=15622145&p=1#15622145

The book "The Celluloid Muse: Hollywood Directors Speak" has a good interview with Vidor, as well as numerous other directors from the golden age.

>>I also got the Emergency Broadcasting message with a 45-60 second dropout pretty much every week on some film I was recording (only with Comcast as well). Murphy's Law declares that the interruption will not happen unless you are recording. While it's supposed to be weekly, I've had occasions where it has happened three days apart. I did note that the last time I saw one, it was indicated as being a monthly test, so there may be some relief. Not only do I get the banner on the bottom of the screen, I get a high pitched screech followed by a voiceover which duplicates the info on the banner. It ruined my recording of WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD, but that was the last time that I've seen it and I'm usually up until the wee hours.

>>Nolan was outstanding and gave a much more layered portrayal than did Bogart in the picture. I recall an interview with Lloyd Nolan from the time that he was doing the JULIA series on NBC. The interviewer asked Nolan if he had any regrets that while he was playing a private eye before Bogart, including a renamed Philip Marlowe in TIME TO KILL. Nolan responded that he had a long career and no regrets, and that in fact many people had come to him to say they thought he was great in the movie THE CAINE MUTINY. He said that when he would remind them that he had the role on TV, that Bogart was in the film, some of them argued that it was he (Nolan) who was in the film.

They could have kept cutting as far as I'm concerned. Specifically anything to do with the May Wynn and Robert Francis relationship. I find that it just bogs the film down with unnecessary baggage.

Besides, Melvyn Douglas can't even stand on his head! That scene really amazed me, I didn't realize that William was so agile.

Although I knew beforehand, I would have rather seen Warren William as Lupin. He was really more of a Barrymore type anyway. I din't get to finish the second film, but I love the bit where William and Douglas are trying to upstage each other with the magic tricks and the ripping of the phone book.