Bronxgirl48
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Posts posted by Bronxgirl48
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Hey, lafitte! Yes, I did see TOO LATE FOR TEARS. It just occurs to me, thinking about it, that every movie Duryea is in, even when Dan isn't playing seedy characters but relatively "dapper" ones like a Nazi spy (MINISTRY OF FEAR) or a Southern ne'er-do-well (THE LITTLE FOXES), I always get a kind of "downward" vibe from him. He never truly looks happy, but, again, those kinds of parts aren't exactly cheerful, lol.
I recorded CLASH BY NIGHT, which I've seen in bits and pieces over the years. There's a line I half-remember from Robert Ryan, when he's talking dismissively to Stanwyck. It's something like, "Begone, dust!" I'd like to believe this comes directly from the brow of bitter, pathologically conflicted Clifford Odets, lol.
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Masha, thank heavens for YouTube so I can "experience" the Russian Riviera in Odessa. I project myself into those videos, eating copious amounts of caviar, borscht, and drinking a lot of ice-cold vodka, lol.
Miss Goddess, truth be told, I'm with you -- my mortal enemy is not the gator but the c-o-c-k-r-o-a-c-h. Ugh, can barely type that name! Here in Florida they even fly. ("palmetto bugs")
Molo, I managed to find the 1977 Dead of Night in segments on YouTube, and will probably watch it this evening.
Last Thursday marked the beginning of our summer vacation; we return the first week of September.
It was a decidedly non-auspicous start for me, as I sat vacantly on my lovely St. Tropez-ish seafoam-colored lounge chair in the living room scarfing down Cocoa Puffs from the box and watching ERASERHEAD (I tried describing this film to my mother, but she stopped me in five seconds), all the while dreaming of al fresco dining on a Cote D'Azur patio in the South of France.
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Really looking forward to it, molo!
I was disturbed by Dan Duryea's appearance -- I absolutely love him, one of my favorite character actors -- he looked positively ragged, even ill. Not sure if something was going on in his personal life at the time, or he was just being "Method-y" with the seedy character.
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Miss G., I have to say I "prefer" King Kong to the Big Lizard, but that's only by default, because Godzilla absolutely terrifies me -- I even have nightmares about him, especially when I'm under stress. At least Kong is fuzzy, lol. No less frightening in his own simian way, but the thought of an atomic monster rising from the depths is just too scary to even think about, let alone see. However, at least I've managed to work up a smidgeon of sympathy for Cody Jarrett, lol.
I'm trying to sort out thoughts about TOO LATE FOR TEARS. Was Lizabeth Scott's pasty, waxy, almost ghoul-like make-up (I kept thinking of bloodless Lya Lys in THE RETURN OF DR. X) a cleverly stylistic attempt to emphasize her character's predatory, vampirish soullessness, sucking the life out of every man she comes in contact with?
D.O.A. is an old favorite of mine -- it used to run all the time on television back in the day. Jackie, so glad you uploaded that photo of O'Brien at the newstand after he's been given devastating news. I'm thinking this must be the most brilliantly directed five second scene in movie history -- the evocative, quicksilver, whirlwind series of simple life "vignettes" passing before Frank's eyes, symbolic of everything he would never again have the chance to experience. On a "lighter" note, the bedside manner of these doctors seems almost comically hard-boiled. One of them comes out of the laboratory with that glowing vial of poison and barks: "Yeah, you got it, Bigelow" (Frank is always called by his last name)
Ro, I loved reading your comments on RED LIGHT. A certain Someone was also on duty 24/7 at the conclusion of THE BAD SEED, lol. Virginia Mayo had a thankless role, playing some sort of strange "Girl Friday" to Georgie. I found her performance sorely lacking, but maybe that was because of the ham-fisted dialogue she was required to spout.
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Hello, masha! That's Odessa, right? The Russian Riviera! I really like those sleek white modern-looking hotels, if that's what they are, near the Black Sea.
ro, after 15 years of living in South Florida, you'd think I'd be used to all these critters, lol. But, well, no, ha! I try to rationalize that most if not all of them have been here for thousands or millions of years before us (especially the gators) but it just doesn't do much for my peace of mind.
Miss G., I used to love bees before seeing that Outer Limits episode -- they were always so cute and chubby; adorable for an insect, lol. Then also, on the news we'd keep hearing reports of "foreign" bees who were "invading" America and how we had to never let our guard down because of this so-called threat. Just more anti-bee propaganda, lol.
I think of you often as well whenever I see anything about Hawaii. I'm so happy you're living where there are geckos, ha! Much more compatible than anything you'd find back in Manrattan. I know the boys love them, too, lol. Sounds like you all are thriving! I'm an Agnes Varda fan, especially after seeing CLEO FROM 5 to 7, and I love her almost subversive "take" of the French Riviera.
molo, I would hate for your Mom to essentially give up her beloved gardening, but the thought of the two of you in a "We've fallen and can't get up" scenario is not a pleasant one to say the least. Not sure what the best answer is for her or you with that bad back.
I have three favorite Shirley Temple movies: in order, they are HEIDI, THE LITTLE PRINCESS, and CAPTAIN JANUARY. Haven't seen LITTLE MISS MARKER. There's another one I want to catch because over the years I've only managed to watch bits and pieces which I've enjoyed, but can't remember the title. It takes place in 19th-century New York and I believe Frank Morgan is also in the cast. If I recall correctly, Shirley does some street busking and of course is thoroughly and impossibly adorable.
Even when Karen Black is in schlock, she gives a good performance, lol. Is that 1977 t.v. movie DEAD OF NIGHT a remake of the 1945 British classic trilogy?
Talking about Richard Carlson -- he's so sweet in HOLD THAT GHOST, so protective of lovely Evelyn Ankers. And I adore Ray Milland in THE UNINVITED. After boldly confronting you-know-who on the staircase in that film, a haunted softball would be a piece of cake for him, lol.
I'm trying to come up with some good things to say about Florida. Probably the months of December, January and February, when it really does seem like a tropical paradise even to us, but more especially to everyone up North freezing their tushies off.
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Goddess, oui, I've seen DU COTE DE LA COTE, and love it!
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Hi, guys! I'll be back later this evening.
Miss G., merci! Mom is tres bien.
Look what I found: a Joanna Frank Outer Limits Bee Girl doll, lol:
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"Corpus Earthling":
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Sure thing, James.
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So sorry about your mom, lafitte.
Happy Bastille Day.
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This evening at our school I was walking down a corridor heading for one of the computer rooms where several of our adult ESL students were going to be tested. It was early; nobody had arrived yet. I was alone. The air inside was fetid and a bit rank. I thought I heard skittering noises all around me, but these were replaced by a stranger, more inexplicable sound.
A gentle but persistant bounce.
My eyes darted here and there, but I couldn't initially see anything.
Suddenly, an object came ROLLING TOWARDS ME...
It was a softball, colored a disgusting mucus-green, like it had crawled up from the depths of a hideous, primeval swamp..
The thing then landed at my feet as though it had reached some final and fated destination.
I ran the other way down the hall.
When I glanced back, IT WAS GONE.
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Palmetto bugs and an army of voracious ants have invaded our school.
We look twice before going into the bathroom.
How would you like to be in the middle of doing your business and then see a giant cockroach heading your way?
Or lean against a wall and have your blouse covered by tiny specks of "pepper"?
Then there are the screeching mating frogs.
Not to mention the threat of restless alligators crawling out of a canal which is just across the street.
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Hi, lafitte! Mom and I thank you!
I'm one of the most low-tech people you'll ever hope to know. Luckily Mom gets TCM at her assisted living residence. That channel is almost always on, except when she wants to get a quick dose of news; then it's CNN. The funny thing is, whenever she's in a hospital Mom can never find the remote. It's somehow always "hidden" and then the nurses are bombarded by calls from her along the lines of "My daughter told me there's a good movie on TCM but I need your help!" One time I called her and she said "I can't find TCM. I'm watching a bunch of cars going round and round. They don't stop". I asked her what exactly this was, but she kept saying, "I don't know where the movies are, but these cars are making me crazy". I never did figure out what station she had on.
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Molo, dear friend, the one line I always remember from BURNT OFFERINGS is Eileen Heckhart describing her brother Burgess Meredith: "He's full of beans today". I don't know why that sticks with me, lol.
Mom gives you a huge kiss. Thanks for keeping her in your mind and heart. She's a big Shirley Temple fan and is loving the TCM tribute. Mom is back from rehab so is enjoying her own television set again.
Your mother, like mine, doesn't realize she's not as spry as when younger. (at first I thought a vinca was some kind of rodent and was frightened for her, lol)
Ah, watermelon on the porch...
I've got a patio out back overlooking a pond wherein I'm sure gators are lurking, so I never feel completely at ease.
Karen Black is cross-eyed but a good actress. She's wonderful in FIVE EASY PIECES as Jack Nicholson's long-suffering girlfriend.
Tell your sister I can get my passport ready in 24 hours.
Stay tuned for another ghost story.
Our school is apparently haunted.
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Thanks for your concern, Swithin.
Holy Nostalgia! Love, love, love that article! The Bronx is never far from my heart, as I know it isn't from yours. This borough still needs more recognition! Everything is always Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Brooklyn, lol. I'm an Anthony Bourdain fan, but his Bronx excursion left so much to be desired.
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Ro, thanks for your best wishes. Mom returned to her assisted living home from rehab this morning, and so far is feeling o.k. As a huge Shirley Temple fan, she's loving TCM's tribute!
Humid as Hades around here -- sometimes the a/c runs at work, most of the time, hardly ever.
Ants and cockroaches are taking over our school.
More on these infestations later...
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Ro, I was thinking about you when the Weather Channel was talking about tornadoes near your neck of the woods, and praying your family wasn't blowing about in the wind and seeing Margaret Hamilton furiously pedaling her bicycle. So glad to hear everyone is o.k.
Heartfelt thanks on your best wishes for my mother. Unfortunately Mom has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and suffered a fluid build-up in her lungs that has her now in the hospital. It's under control thank God but of course I'm always on pins and needles. Mom will probably stay the week there and then be transferred to rehab before returning home to her assisted living apartment. The only thing she doesn't care for is that there is no TCM on the hospital t.v. or at rehab.
By the way, I was watching a bit of THAT FORSYTHE WOMAN last night. I love Errol's change-of-pace role as a stuffy aristocrat. And only at M.G.M. could Robert Young be considered appropriate casting as a "bohemian".
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Wow, Jackie, you've given such a superlatively astute and perceptive analysis of Cody Jarrett -- even I'm starting to feel sorry for him! I've always likened his character to another post WWII, atomic-age monster, Godzilla, lol -- a metaphor for our modern, anxiety-ridden, nuclear times -- out-of-control madness, brute force crawling up from the darkness -- eeek, I'm scaring myself now, ha! But you humanize Jarrett and, thanks to Cagney's multi-layered performance, make me see him, if not in a sympathetic light, then in a definitely more understandable one. I've never seen such an "enabler" as Ma Jarrett. Cody seems uncharacteristically unfazed with leaving one of his steam-scarred bandaged henchman alone in the cabin but as the gang is walking out Ma helpfully reminds him "You know how Zooky talks". Even then, though, Jarrett doesn't do the job himself but asks another gang member to finish the poor guy off: "You're such a good friend, make it easy for him". So maybe Cody is less a bad seed (I'm thinking his "younger" PUBLIC ENEMY Tom Powers might qualify in that department, although his Depression-era reign of terror seems almost quaint by comparison) than I originally thought. Depraved on account of he's deprived, lol.
Ro, I love your WHITE HEAT comments! You know what's strange, though? I didn't want Cody to find out about Hank, lol. From my viewings, I never thought Hank respected Jarrett in the least as some sort of master criminal genius or anything. Hank just wanted to infiltrate, gain trust, achieve his ultimate mission of Cody's F.B.I. capture, then run off to that much-needed vacation.
Who doesn't love Margaret Wycherly as Ma Jarrett? My favorite line from her: "Big Ed knows his life isn't worth a plug nickel when you get out of prison".
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Hey, Ro, thanks for always feeding us -- I added your 4th of July spread to my own mini pig-out. Hope everybody had a wonderful holiday.
So glad you "enjoyed" WHITE HEAT. Cagney's Cody is all literally explosive 'id" and the '50's-style drably efficient lawmen are the "super-ego" equivalent.
Hi, Jackie! How are you doing?
Bonjour, Goddess! I just love Virginia as Verna, lol. She was sort of warming up for it in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, ha! I always get a kick out of Max Steiner's "Verna's Theme", which I call the "Lazy, Duplicitous ****" music..
Oh my goodness, is there anyone scarier than an angry Robert Ryan? I'm looking forward to ON DANGEROUS GROUND.
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Geoff, er, I mean MadHat, Mike and Margaret are in ZOTZ? That would make it more fun, ha! (I was watching her in DUCK SOUP this evening. Hail, Hail
Freedonia!)That Outer Limits episode with Gloria is called "The Guests". A group of people get together in a crumbly old house is all I remember, and there's probably an alien around somewhere too I think.
So sorry your Mom wasn't able to celebrate the 4th with y'all, but it sounds like you had a nice holiday, very charmingly Southern style on the front porch and with lots of chipped ice -- I like your part of the country, especially the food!
My mother was also under the weather as it were, so I didn't see her on Saturday, but spent a quiet day at home eating fried chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, apple pie, ice cream, and drinking iced tea. I nibbled popcorn while watching YANKEE DOODLE DANDY.
We had one of the scariest storms ever this past Friday. As you may or may not know, Florida is the lightning capital of the United States -- one of the many reasons not to move here, lol. I was sitting at the computer when a giant ZAP effectively blew out the power in my apartment. I quickly shut off all electrical sources and "lit" a bunch of flameless candles, quivering on the living room sofa, convinced the place was about to go up in flames. After forty-five minutes or so it was all over.
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Hi, Lynn! Moving is so much fun, isn't it, lol? But you're still in the Valley, that's good!
Hope the two of you were able to celebrate the 4th in between all that unpacking.
Congrats and blessings on your new home! I still dream of returning to California. Santa Barbara is literally calling my name....
BRONXGIRL'S MOTHER, HENRY FONDA'S HIRSUTENESS, ETC.
in Films and Filmmakers
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Anybody else see TWO ON A GUILLOTINE? The rabbit was my favorite character. It must have been Max Steiner's too, lol, because he gives him/her its own theme. (even during Cricket's nightmare, this bunny shows up and so does the cute music) I suppose for plot purposes it was necessary (but hard for film buffs to believe) that stalwart, no-nonsense Connie Gilchrist be driven over the housekeeper's edge by Floppy Ears, culminating in Connie running screaming from Romero's mansion. (okay, a floating skeleton didn't help...) Director William Conrad not only throws in odes to William Castle, but Hitchcock as well -- I refer you to the scene in that nightclub/restaurant hybrid, where Dean Jones and Stevens share a very NORTH BY NORTHWEST kiss.