mrroberts
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Posts posted by mrroberts
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This is definitely Charles Laughton's movie, and he is really walking a tightrope here. Telling a really gruesome story with a real evil lead character doing terrible things, but we are watching it mostly from a child's perspective, and we are supposed to identify with the child. Its as if the child is talking us through the story. Mitchum's comic like behavior is more like his clumsiness and ineptitude. And maybe Laughton wanted to take a little edge off of the character. --- That scene of Shelley in the lake, is that one of the most incredible moments in film history or not?
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Fred said, "Because it was the only thing on TV worth watching, and no commercials". Sadly there is a lot of truth to that statement, thank the Lord for TCM. As to settling this dispute Dobbs, "who's going to fall asleep first" ?
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I see Mitchum's character gradually revealing himself to be a coward, almost like the childhood bully who preys on the weak but quickly backs down when challenged by an equal or just anyone who is willing to stand up for themselves. When he tracks down the children at the old woman's home you initially have a feeling of dread, what can this frail elderly woman and a bunch of little kids do to stand up to this hulking menacing man? But at soon as the fiesty old woman shows resistence, he cowers and runs off crying like a child. Casting Mitchum in the part is even more effective, as a big physically imposing man you immediately fear him, but it is his true character that tells the real story.
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See any Marx brothers movie.
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Fred, you found the 1938 movie boring and with bad acting, so why did you watch it 2 more times? I have always thought that Flynn was a better actor then a lot give him credit for, and he plays some of those parts (like Robin Hood) better than anyone else I can imagine. Basil did Dawn Patrol before any of the Holmes movies, and he was a terrific actor in most any part (the ultimate Sherlock Holmes). And David Niven shows a lot more acting emotion in Dawn Patrol then in most of his other films. Some of the acting in this film may be a little hammy (like in another recent thread topic) like the actors were "stage" acting instead of making a film. --- They were flying airplanes in France because its too foggy in England
Edited by: mrroberts on Oct 9, 2011 9:59 PM
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I'll bet Fred remembers the names of the burros, they were carrying his goods.
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On a cruise ship with Barbara Stanwyck (The Lady Eve).
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Leslie Howard was frequently heard to say "Soitenly" .
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Can you imagine what the result would have been with Marlon Brando (instead of Henry Fonda) in the role of Mr Roberts? I know one thing, I wouldn't be using this handle.
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This was the first time I have watched the "original " 1930 Dawn Patrol story and it compares very favorably to the later Errol Flynn film. Both are excellent movies in my opinion. It was particularly interesting watching Neil Hamilton play his part, as a boomer I am always thinking of him as "Commissioner Gordon", I thought Hamilton was very good. I still have to give the slight edge to the newer Flynn film, the improved filming values and a really outstanding cast (Basil Rathbone and David Niven, and Donald Crisp). Its interesting reading the Wiki account as to why the remake was made in 1938, so soon after the first version.
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I don't know how I overlooked this thread with all of the conversation about my favorite movie *Mister Roberts* . With all that I 've read about John Ford and how he was when working with his people it would seem that Henry Fonda was nothing like John Wayne. When Ford belittled the Duke in front of people Wayne just took it. Right from the start of their working relationship Fonda came right back at Ford, so arguments between the two were constant. When Ford and Fonda started working on the Mister Roberts movie Fonda had a very strong sense as to how the characters should be played, after all Fonda had all of that stage time for reference. But Ford wanted to do things his way, different from the play. So they argued intensely. Ford must have been in a particularly bad mood at the time because he also had disputes with James Cagney, and Cagney wasn't taking any bullying from Ford either. So at some point during the film Ford and Fonda had words and the old man took a poke at his star actor. From that point on something had to give, and Ford was "relieved" by Mervyn Le Roy. Much to his credit LeRoy tried to keep the peace as much as possible and finish the film in line with what Ford had already done. --- I believe Fonda's acting was in keeping with the film's character, he plays sort of the straight man to the other characters' crazy antics. And I certainly think Henry Fonda was too much the professional to ever "phone in any performance".
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I agree with you about having more trouble when first seeing the face and then coming up with the name. I do that a lot in real life, and I often feel very foolish. I inherited that from my father, he would see people on the street he knew, could talk to them about all kinds of things he knew about them or the common interests they both had . After a long conversation of ten minutes or so the guy would walk away and my dad would turn to me and say , " I know all of this and that about the guy, but for the life of me I can't think of his name". Watching the old movies I take a lot of pride in knowing the names of the character actors, and as time goes on I am getting better at it. I am not looking forward to that time in my life when I'll start going the other way
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*It Came From Beneath The Sea*
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There is a persistant rumor that Greta Garbo made an uncredited cameo appearance in North By Northwest. That is why TCM has been showing the movie repeatedly, to see if any of us can "spot Greta" . (I believe she was flying the crop duster.)
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Edward G Robinson definitely.
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Hands down, my two favorites are *My Man Godfrey* and *The Strawberry Blonde*
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*Command Decision* , *Bridges At Toko Ri* , *Mister Roberts* , *The Train* , *The Great Escape* , just 5 that first come to mind, there are many others.
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William Powell (Doc) in *Mister Roberts* -- "take two asprin, report for duty".
Edited by: mrroberts on Oct 7, 2011 12:12 AM
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Many of us have been having some fun on this thread (actually a lot of fun) but to get serious again for just a moment, I believe we all like Joel McCrea a lot and he had a fine film career. He definitely is worthy of SOTM status, hopefully the people at TCM recognize the enthusiasm here and are working at getting a group of films together to honor him with a month long tribute. Hopefully it can happen in the not too distant future, I fear some people may be close to needing some therapy.
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lzcutter, thats William Holden not William Powell (GAD! ) . --- I would like to be the butler in the Bullock house in *My Man Godfrey* , lots of laughs and Carole Lombard throwing herself at me.
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Its no problem revealing that you live in Bismarck, N Dakota. Even if someone is after you, would they travel all of the way up there just to get you?
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Frank---Ohio, are you related to George Carlin? Or maybe Steven Wright? --- Why do we get on a plane, shouldn't we get IN the plane? Why do doctors practice medicine, shouldn't they know what they're doing?
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I'm no psychiatrist but I believe that given freedom to improvise the actor will reveal himself, even if its just a subconcious act. So how much freedom did Bogie have in playing his character in *In A Lonely Place* ? I would rank it amongst his best work. I do believe his Fred C Dobbs, Sierra Madre character was his very best of all. My personal favorite Bogart film , and another top notch Bogart performance, is *High Sierra* .
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Come on, no Jack Benny fans around here?
*A to Z of actresses and actors*:)
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