Bronxgirl48

Check out Jack in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.

Tom, I agree with you 100 per cent on Jack Carson's performance in THE HARD WAY. And I have to say that Dennis Morgan acquitted himself admirably as the cynical half of that show biz partnership.

Oh, just wanted to mention CASH ON DEMAND. I really enjoyed its "Britishness" and thought Andre Morell brilliantly showed us the feral sociopath underneath all that superficial gentleman-thief façade.

Hi, lavender! You make some good points. Sheila probably idealized him in the way an older, more "seasoned" woman maybe wouldn't have, although love is blind at any age, lol.

"I love to dance, I love to sing!" Joan even did a couple of back flips. Well, Ida in my book always makes everything noir-ish. At least Mildred Pierce Beragon had the good sense not to jump.

Dargo, Louis Hayward always creeps me out. It's his super-wide mouth -- that smile scares me no matter what role he's playing. As for Joan Leslie -- remember her character in THE HARD WAY? With manipulative sister Ida Lupino's help, she becomes a major Broadway star who has playwrights and audiences clamoring for her "talents" (weak singing, dancing and acting) Totally unbelievable! And I feel the same way with REPEAT PERFORMANCE. In my opinion they needed someone with a more sophisticated persona for that part. And older!

Makes sense, cigarjoe, but what were they -- the poet and Mrs. Shaw -- doing in there? Was she buying him a teddy bear and he snapped, lol?

REPEAT PERFORMANCE -- Joan Leslie acted with an arched left eyebrow (I couldn't figure out if she was doing this on purpose to show us how innately "theatrical" her stage actress character was), Louis Hayward's performance was just bizarre and could someone explain "a toy store on 5th Avenue" in connection with Richard Basehart's admittance to the insane asylum?

Sans, have you ever seen the Alfred Hitchcock television episode "Consider Her Ways?" I can't get that one out of my mind.

Kathy and Rich, all my blessings back at you. If you get Comet TV, there will be a Godzilla Day of Destruction on January 1st.

@Sans, that's great!! LOL Hallmark in a nutshell!! I apologize once again for not being able to upload gifs as I once was able to do on this board -- I'm baffled and terribly frustrated. So all I can do is wish my dear TCM friends the warmest of Christmas/holiday greetings plus a happy and healthy New Year. Blessings to all of you. Love, Barbara

Now that's a hat I'd wear.

Those poor extras, sweating under the extreme heat of all that winter clothing when almost all the filming is done in summertime. No wonder they're wandering about looking lost, lol. Have you noticed that nobody pays a red cent at the local coffee house? That's because the owner is always a good friend of the heroine and gives hot chocolate hand-outs to the friends, usually accompanied by giant cookies. I wonder just how long Hallmark can keep this (bleep) up. However I'm afraid it's probably until infinity or the zombie apocalypse. Only things left will be cockroaches and those Christmas movies.

Patty part of Hallmark's stock company? LOL "What would you give me for a basket of kisses?" Christmas will never be the same again! I'd like to see her set fire to the giant candy canes that line every one of those Main Street sidewalks.

Dougie -- BULGARIA??? (I sound like Al Pacino's loony mother from Dog Day Afternoon -- "ALGERIA??") I guess it does go that deep....my God! I could hardly believe it was Franco Nero either -- Camelot! Hallmark manages to squeeze all the joy out of romance, don't they? Not to mention any so-called "inspirational" messages. There are none. And of course, "hot chocolate" being one of their tropes, it had to be mentioned and served several times. There is one particular Hallmark actress, can't remember her name -- she has a perpetual smile on her face like Mr. Sardonicus -- who I wouldn't mind seeing dispatched in a Law & Order episode, lol. I don't know who that child actress is from CIR -- just another insufferable precocious kidlet I'd want Rhoda Penmark to push off a pier.

Oh my God Dougie -- I lurv your post!! CHRISTMAS AT THE DAKOTA, lol. "He has his father's eyes, so let's all celebrate with a cup of hot chocolate" CHRISTMAS AT MAR-A-LAGO would be equally frightening! I caught the NORTH BY NORTHWEST reference in CHRISTMAS AT THE PLAZA re: George Kaplan and could hardly believe it! Those poor writers -- frustrated film buffs who must curtail their natural creative tendencies to churn out the rigid Hallmark factory crapola. Would you believe I've never seen FUNNY FACE? For some reason I keep avoiding it. Not sure why, since who doesn't love Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn? CHRISTMAS IN ROME was a disaster. A little girl in an Italian hotel asks the female lead "Can we make gingerbread houses?" Don't all children abroad talk like this? Only in a Hallmark movie. Back to CHRISTMAS AT THE PLAZA -- I didn't even recognize Bruce Davison as the old concierge/bellman guy. Man he looked decrepit. I remember how young Bruce was in THE LATHE OF HEAVEN. Now he's reduced to this vapid stuff?

Thank you so much, Rich! You as well! I've had my eyes opened watching all these Christmas Hallmark Channel movies. I'm telling you, they could compete with Robot Monster or Plan 9 from Outer Space for sheer stupidity. They are really creepy. All the characters act like pod people. I almost expect one of them to say "Uncle Ira isn't Uncle Ira!"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE (I'm having trouble uploading photos) Enjoy the feast I'm a glutton for punishment and am alternating watching QVC and the Hallmark Channel.

Sans, you've been watching the Snapped marathon on the Oxygen Channel, am I right, lol?

Is THE MAD MISS MANTON considered screwball noir? Or is it too "diluted" with late Depression-era social significance?

"Come back, Sidney! I wanna chastise you!" One of my all-time favorite lines of dialogue. I concluded a long time ago that Clifford Odets was a major sick piece of work, lol.

I have to echo Hibi's answer -- it wasn't made clear WHY they hated each other. For myself, I wouldn't make the assumption that Garfield's political views made him sympathetic to "fringe" members of society at that time. Don't like to paint people with that broad a brush. Just my opinion.

Wonder why it was necessary to mention Pearson's and Gomez's gayness. Did that have something to do with why they hated each other? So what if they both wanted their partners on the set.

I must say in all honesty I am also somewhat ambivalent about this new direction. Must everything be politically correct and socially acceptable? Seems very Orwellian to me.

Lafitte, I'm gonna check out Frank in McGraw on YouTube! Never heard of that show. As for his voice, it always seems "normal" to me -- neither high nor low, but I'll get back to you on that. Deep and resonant works best for this girl -- Gregory Peck would head that list. No to Wally Beery under any circumstances, lol. Although I do get all warm and glowy when I hear Ronald Colman, Robert Donat, or Richard Greene. (I must admit I'm a sucker for British accents) Now one could say that the actor with the most beautiful voice in all of filmdom is Edmund Gwenn. Unfortunately there isn't anything else to go with it.... For some reason George Brent is sexy to me with a Southern accent (JEZEBEL) We've got frogs here in South Florida who sound just like Eugene Pallette.