Bronxgirl48

Oooh, so David is the slimy one in TORCH SINGER? Might be a nice change of pace ha! (and, if I recall correctly, Manners is not exactly what he seems to be in THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, either) And Ricardo as a sweetie underneath? Yes, please! I think I understand your aversion to LORD LOVE A DUCK in terms of Roddy and Tuesday together (he's her overly-quirky Svengali of sorts, and she's a squealing opportunist; you can't really love them, lol) but I would definitely recommend trying this movie again. The script hits all the intended targets and does it with unnerving foresight, although the last half gets somewhat out of control with misguided slapstick, black-humored as it is. This is not my favorite Ruth Gordon performance.

The first time I saw JET PILOT years ago, I thought the ostensible Cold War plot was meant to be taken as a satire on machismo in general, and that Janet Leigh was directed to project a heightened, absurdist, sexuality. I also remember thinking the movie played a bit Sirkian, too.

> Bronxie - I made it through the first two parts on youtube... no David Manners yet. Ricardo just showed up. Not really sure about the film yet. It looks like it was tailor made for Barbara Stanwyck so far, or perhaps Jean Harlow. We'll see.... > > > > What do you like about Lord Love a Duck? Help me to see something in it!>>>> So did David finally pop up? So soothingly handsome and bland, gentlemanly-British, just the guy a girl needs to hold her hand when cads like Ricardo use and abuse her.. About LORD LOVE A DUCK -- I haven't seen it in ages and need to refresh my memory in order to give you specifics, but, in general, I think Axelrod and screenplay anticipates the dumbing down of our society; the banality of celebrity; the family unit as a consumerist-Freudian mess, lol, and other prescient observations. I'm running into some gems -- DAMIEN: OMEN II. The most frightening thing is seeing Bill Holden deteriorating into a dessicated mummy, and no, I'm talking about just what he normally looked like in those unfortunate years. The son of Satan himself resembles Joseph Bologna, so you can imagine the fear engendered in everyone who meets him. Lee Grant says things like "Who wants a corned beef sandwich?" but it just doesn't have the panache and dramatic intensity of her "I'm gonna heat up the lasagna!" from VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. However, when doctors keep trying to examine Damien, Lee rises to the occasion: "WHY DO YOU HAFTA TEST HIM AGAIN?" Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 12, 2013 6:13 PM

>Unfortunately, I have seen THE SWEET RIDE, yes, lol.> Oh, geez, no, I'm so sorry!

I'm looking for the complete TORCH SINGER on YouTube. It's also got David Manners, so I hope Ricardo understands I'll have to divide my attentions, lol. I like LORD LOVE A DUCK -- ahead of its time in many respects, although it's kind of uneven (falls apart in the second half). So I saw THE SWEET RIDE this morning (don't get me started, lol) and just hope and pray that Miss Goddess will never have to cast her eyes upon it, because Tony Franciosa, as an aging Malibu tennis bum, is front and center throughout, strutting around in shorts (which agitates a conservative neighbor no end: "You Commie! Go to Peking and get undressed!"), exhorting his younger male acolytes to act like immature jerks, and running through a bunch of disposable beach bunnys. Tony's character is painfully aware of his limitations (as Jacqueline Bisset lays it on the line: "You can't even SPELL responsibility!") but that doesn't make him any less obnoxious. Having said all this, I have to say that Tony is easy on the eyes (in a sleazy sort of way), much more palatable looks-wise than the googly, bug-eyed Michael Sarrazin. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 10, 2013 7:34 PM

Did someone mention Ricardo Cortez? My ears perked up, lol. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 10, 2013 2:15 AM

"Salad days and cheesecake weeks" LOL!! SueSue, that would make the perfect title for a memoir, ha! And, I hear you...(sigh) I've never been to Baltimore but that Poe memorabilia is calling my name! I wish I had his lap desk...love your photos, thanks.

Sans, nothing could be better than having Poe read by Price, Rathbone, and Christopher Lee! LOVE THEM!!! Thank you so much! The music is cool too!

Metsie, I took a chance with that Connie pic, but it spoke to me, so figured it maybe was one of your faves, too! Ooooh, Ricardo!! You know, I had forgotten he was in MOCKERY. Love those photos, grazie! Blast it, I missed THE CASE OF THE BLACK CAT. Thank you, my friend, Mom is doing well (although she recently misplaced her cane, this time at the opthamologist, and they couldn't find it, so she had to get another. This makes about the fifth one that's vanished) I'm bumbling along as usual... Ciao! Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 10, 2013 1:53 AM

Buona sera, Franco! Wow, you've been tearing through a LOT of movies! I've got to keep up, lol! You think I'm literate? Ha! Thanks for that, but I'm just the Poe and Lovecraft girl. No tornado for us; just a day of moderately severe thunderstorms, mild wind, and then, thankfully, the sunshine once more. I'm sure Jim Cantore was disappointed... I'm not a fan of "serious" Bing -- THE COUNTRY GIRL, GOING MY WAY, etc. etc. He just tends to get me extremely depressed. But when his fellow Road-ster Bob gets embroiled in dramatic situations, I'm less uncomfortable. Teen angst in general doesn't bother me (I highly recommend UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE, one of my all-time favorites, and a real nostalgia trip down New Yawk memory lane...) but I've never gotten the whole James Dean thing. He does nothing for me; I get a kind of poseur feeling with him, whereas I'm genuinely moved by Sal Mineo in REBEL. Speaking of David Lean, I highly recommend BLITHE SPIRIT. Veddy British, very Noel Coward, and Margaret Rutherford is (as usual) wonderful. I don't know why I can't really remember VACATION FROM MARRIAGE, but my favorite Donat is KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR. I've never seen Marlene so vulnerable; he really brings this quality out in her. Max Showalter, lol. This is Casey Adams, right? He spoofs his maniacal chucklehead image in LORD LOVE A DUCK. (the shopping scenes with Tuesday Weld) I'm glad to hear that BULLETS OR BALLOTS is serious! Although I do like my Runyonesque types, too. It's probably the "Ruritania" factor that keeps me away from THE PRISONER OF ZENDA. Mythical kingdoms just don't cut it for me, lol. I prefer my Britophila in a more "modern" vein -- Sherlock Holmes, '40's and '50's David Lean, the Ealing comedies, Powell/Pressburger, and any number of murder mysteries. I love Ronald Colman, but not in the costume dramas. My favorite of his is THE LATE GEORGE APLEY. I'm terrified of clowns! Lon Chaney Sr. once said that there was nothing more horrifying than a "clown at midnight", and I think that speaks for itself! I agree with him! I don't know why Anthony Perkins was cast in GOODBYE AGAIN. I keep getting him confused in that part with the one in FIVE MILES TO MIDNIGHT, lol. I haven't seen CHANDU THE MAGICIAN in ages -- Bela as the evil Roxor is lovesick for Irene Ware as Princess Nadji; he's also trying to take over the world with a death ray, but is thwarted in both these efforts by (zzzzz) Edmund Lowe as Chandu. Too bad, lol. I like AND GOD CREATED WOMAN for the retro Cote D'Azur scenery and also iconic Brigitte. THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES is very well done, with Lee and Charles Bickford giving the best performances. Jack is sympathetic, but I feel tries just a little too hard. When Lemmon gets "serious", I tend to keep my emotional distance.

Frank, I didn't know you were such a fan of tormented love, lol, so I do recommend, if you haven't already seen it, GOODBYE AGAIN. Of course, your enjoyment of this movie will no doubt mainly depend on how you feel about Bergman's "Paula" (she, like Jean Seberg in BONJOUR TRISTESSE, comes full circle....) and whether you can accept her relationship with (miscast) Tony Perkins. All three characters in GA are pretty much hot messes -- tremendously needy and therefore delusional. When I mentioned that GA reminded me of BONJOUR TRISTESSE, I had no idea that Francoise Sagan penned "Aimez-vous Brahms?", the story on which GOODBYE AGAIN is adapted! If one missed the opening credits, it would be easy to assume that GA was directed by Preminger as a companion piece of sorts to BT. There are emotionally misguided protagonists residing in glamourous, elegant settings; veneers of sophistication masking vulnerability and yearning; similiar musical themes; plus a world-weary chanteuse in both, singing bittersweet, cynical odes on the nature of love. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 6, 2013 1:11 AM

I'm really screwing up tonight. MITCHELL Leisen. (Our impending tornado is distracting me...)

Ooops -- I always keep thinking Anatole Litvak directed HOLD BACK THE DAWN. It's Michael Leisen.

Mom: I'm bored with this Laurence Olivier evening, there's too much talk and I'm getting a headache. Me: It's Shakespeare! Mom: So what?

Hi, Frank! I love your mini-reviews, they're like candy! You're so succinct and literate, delicious! A little too much torment for me in THE COUNTRY GIRL; I'm always aware of Bing "acting". I can never get through REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, (Ditto THE WILD ONE, lol) although I think the scene in the planetarium is excellent. I'm not a fan of wide-screen David Lean, so things like RYAN'S DAUGHTER (John Mills scares me with that make-up), DR. ZHIVAGO, and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA kind of bore me. Your description of LE NOTTI BIANCHI sounds like a Russian short story I remember reading years ago. Tolstoy, I think. Haven't seen LE PLAISIR. Hardly recall THE BARON OF ARIZONA, but Vincent seemed to be having a field day in that kind of role. I haven't seen DESPERATE JOURNEY -- is this a WWII tale? I get the Hope "My Favorites" mixed up. He did one with Hedy Lamarr, too, if I'm not mistaken. Agree about THE UNSUSPECTED, it's very LAURA-ish -- sophisticated, but rather overly arch. Claude is wonderfully sinister. I've seen bits and pieces of CRACK-UP but it didn't stand out for me much, except I believe O'Brien has a scene where he actually shows some real emotion, ha! REAP THE WILD WIND -- isn't that the one with the famous octopus, lol? It probably is the most believable character in the movie. Never saw AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL but it sounds like some '50's pablum-type stuff, maybe infused with a bit of unexpected cynicism and charm. I get confused with late '30's Warner's rat-a-tat-tat comedy-gangster outings, like BROTHER ORCHID, etc., so I'm wondering if BULLETS OR BALLOTS falls into that same category. I have never been able to sit through any version of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA. I wish someone could tell me why! Never saw LEGEND OF THE LOST, ditto THE FLAME OF NEW ORLEANS, which sounds like the kind of low budget '40's Dietrich vehicle where she's mainly brawling around a saloon floor with various people, when not knocking out bar tunes. (Rene Clair, vraiment?) I like the idea of Errol as a cowboy, but have never seen VIRGINIA CITY. (I'm fond of DODGE CITY, however) In no hurry to see HOLD BACK THE DAWN, but I'm an Anatole Litvak fan. I saw VACATION FROM MARRIAGE years ago -- of course I love Robert Donat, but strangely don't really remember this too well. BLACK WIDOW -- constipated, lol. I'm beginning to appreciate turtle-face Franchot Tone as a very fine actor, and feel he's wasted in THE GIRL FROM MISSOURI. I tend to confuse A&C IN THE FOREIGN LEGION with MEET THE MUMMY, because they have similiar scenes in the desert -- one where Lou is having hallucinations amidst the sand and sees a newsboy hawking papers. Lou asks him what he's doing there, and the kid replies: "Can I help it if they gave me a bad corner?" Haven't seen THE KILLER IS LOOSE. I'm not really familiar with the Boetticher ouvre. I've never seen JOURNEY INTO FEAR all the way through, but would like to. Sounds intriguing. I've just seen one Rohmer, and that's CLAIRE'S KNEE. Only responded to scenic Lake Annecy, and not the script with that hairy '70's protagonist. From the title, MERRILY WE GO TO HELL sounds like one of those be-happy-you're poor mid-Depression era comedy-dramas where everybody is supposed to whoop it up and spend money because that's what life is all about. Perfect description of Simone Signoret -- "worn out". I like her in everything, including TERM OF TRIAL. I hardly remember BOOMERANG, ditto PERFECT STRANGERS. CASH McCALL had annoyingly cutesy banjo-type music to underscore how ironically "amusing" and apparently corrupt James Garner's character was. I always like to see more of Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara so yes, THE PARENT TRAP is not one of my favorites. I don't think I've seen BRIGHAM YOUNG. Re: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH -- clowns have always scared me so circus dramas are not something I gravitate towards. ASSAULT ON A QUEEN sounds like fun in a cheesy ring-a-ding '60's way, lol. THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE is a bit depressing, with lots of foreshadowing, but an interesting spin on the Astaire-Rogers chemistry with this "bio"-pic. Oh, speaking of Anatole Litvak, do you like GOODBYE AGAIN? His direction has a satisfying European feel with the b&w cinematography. (stylistically it reminds me a bit of Preminger's BONJOUR TRISTESSE) Yves Montand is very good. But I just cannot imagine any woman, no matter how much neglected by her smooth French lover, falling into the arms of callow, skinny, obsessive, stalker-ish Anthony Perkins. I may be shallow, but, what is Ingrid so upset about? Okay, so Montand is not exactly faithful. But think of her perks -- she's got an independent career -- as an interior decorator -- a beautiful Paris apartment probably in the 6th or 7th arrondissement, lovely wardrobe with exquisite jewelry, and a loyal maid! All this talk of love and lonliness, who cares? I just want to see the City of Light! (the ending is perfect, however, and really "makes" the movie) Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 5, 2013 6:09 PM

>I think the only thing wrong with Tell it To the Marines is that Lon is actually very handsome in it, but he's playing this lug who thinks he's ugly. I'd go for him in a heartbeat. He was a tremendously handsome fellow with the sensitivity of the finest artist. It's such a rare combination. I adore him too. THE MOST expressive actor ever.> I agree, Jackie! I cannot fathom why Eleanor Boardman's nurse was attracted to Billy's obnoxious character, but of course this highlighted the unrequited-love angle for Lon that seemed to be at the "heart" of most Chaney movies. I would have flown into O'Hara's burly arms in a New York minute!

Buona sera, SueSue! Oh, I wish I could write like Poe. He started it all for me...Have you read "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket?" I think it's his only book. (you'd know better than moi) A very strange, bizarre story! Starts out as a conventional voyage at sea, then quickly becomes, well, hallucinatory, lol. Tornado warnings are being given for South Florida. We may have a twister by tomorrow. I'm terrified!

Hi, Jeff! Nobody knows the passion I have for the man of a thousand faces! Of course, it's more a matter of tremendous respect and admiration for his genius than the, uh, primitive feelings stirred within when it comes to Rudy, lol. Although, you know what? I could actually find myself falling in love with Lon quite easily...he had a sturdy physique, a strong yet sensitive face, and a humble, unpretentious, compassionate, generous spirit. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 3, 2013 7:37 AM

Simply stated, I worship and adore Chaney Sr. In my opinion, he's the greatest of them all, silent or sound. He didn't even need make-up -- TELL IT TO THE MARINES is one of his best! Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 3, 2013 7:19 AM

How marvelous to hear from you, Jo! Hope you and your family had a lovely holiday. Oh, my, my, my! That is a GORGEOUS photo of young Bela from his early career back in Hungary. He's adorable! Love the dangling cigarette. Off the top of my pointy head, I don't recall seeing this one, or, if I did back in the day, can't remember, lol. Many thanks! We have great taste in men, don't you think? Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 3, 2013 7:15 AM

Rizzeldy-razzeldy---NOW NOW NOW! Tippi never looked better... Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 3, 2013 6:58 AM

The colors!! The colors!! Make them stop!!

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