mrroberts
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Posts posted by mrroberts
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Andrew Jackson has to be the most colorful and controversial President the U S has ever had . I am surprised no one has ever made a bio picture of his life and times . Hollywood couldn't have written a better script.
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Once again we have the December 7th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack that plunged America into the Second World War and TCM trots out the usual films as a "tribute". Just once I would like to see a prime time airing of the film *Here Comes The Navy* which features on location footage of the USS Arizona. This James Cagney / Pat O' Brien film was made in peacetime 1934 and is another standard "Cagney tough guy" movie that Warners featured him in at that time. But the added bonus here is that the battleship Arizona and many of her crew are major costars and the movie shows us a view of sailor life aboard the ship. It is an unfortunate irony that this very same ship would suffer a tragic fate in the future. I think airing this film would be a nice tribute to the ship and anyone who served in the Navy in this pre war time period. --- I might also add that *Here Comes The Navy* does not get aired very often and a lot of people out there may not even know the film exists. Featuring it on December 7th would definitely raise its awareness with the general public.
Edited by: mrroberts on Dec 7, 2012 12:01 AM
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I share Mr Dobbs enthusiasm on Baby Peggy night. Great fun watching these films. And Peggy is the same age as my parents would be , sadly they are both gone for quite some time now. I miss them both still.
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Not to sound like a TCM apologist but if money is the issue here and TCM has a budget constraint, what should be done about it? Anyone out there want to cut a check , or maybe TCM should start running commercials. Whoever owns the rights to these films is looking to make money, so they charge what they think is appropriate. If they have a high asking price, they either get it from someone or the movie sits and gathers dust until it may (or may not) become more valuable. So maybe the statement that the films are "not accessable" is not exactly correct, but the high asking price may make them "unaccessable" to TCM at this time. Or put another way, if TCM breaks the budget getting one film, then others would be unaccessible. So take your pick.
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It appears that Powell was somewhat typecast as a villain in the silent films (guess that explains the mustache). I would have loved seeing Powell in *Shadow of a Doubt* but as an older man (than Joseph Cotten) it would have changed the relationship between the two "Charlies". I am glad William Powell never did a "Batman" show, but he could have played a great villain in a spy show like "Man From UNCLE". Here's a thought: William Powell should have been on an episode of "Get Smart". Don Adams based a lot of his character persona ( in his stand up act and tv skit characters) on William Powell.
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This is really a tough one for me, because over time I have decided that William Powell is my favorite actor of all time. So logically I should believe that Mr Powell could have/should have played a number of parts after his last role as "Doc" in *Mister Roberts* . But because I hold him with such esteem I respect his decision to retire when he did, whether it was because of his health or his decision to go out on top. I have to believe that his retirement (totally from acting) may have inspired others like James Cagney and Cary Grant to do the same later on. I do wish that these guys would have been a little willing to make some kind of cameo appearances on the occasional movie or tv show. Just a few nights ago I saw a part of the Robert Wagner "It Takes A Thief" tv show. Fred Astaire appeared on some episodes as Wagner's father. William Powell would have been great in a similar role on a show. Another thought, somehow I see an old , but wise, William Powell as a player in a poker game . Matching wits and wise cracks with the other players; a long list of movie roles to go with there.
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If Drew still has her "Firestarter" powers, you guys better be careful. Seriously, I give her a thumbs up, she seems genuinely enthusiastic about "classic" films and maybe that will carry over to some of the younger audience. And if you have a problem with her intros , use that couple of minutes to go grab another beer and bag of chips.
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About Mark's "main man" , James Gleason. I liked him a lot better when he put on a few pounds and changed his name to Jackie
--- -- About the noirs; *Woman On The Beach* is a winner, with Ryan and Bickford its a can't miss. I have yet to see *The Good Die Young* , with my "main man" , Richard Basehart, it has to be good. -
If I ever send Finance a private message it will be listed "reversed charges"
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Ok fellas, lets just settle down and see if everyone can stay with the original point of this, "Does anyone see a specific movie or tv role that Ronald Reagan might have been suited for if he had stayed in the acting profession". Lets keep it in the spirit of the previous questions about James Cagney, Cary Grant, and Lassie (although I never thought Lassie retired, she just kept adopting new families). The bigger question is "can there be an honest discussion about Ronald Reagan the actor, and only about the actor?".
Edited by: mrroberts on Nov 24, 2012 10:38 PM
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The Private Message function is rather poorly displayed, I can imaging many people don't know its there. One nice thing it does is archive all of your messages, inbox and sent. I guess we will never get back the archive function for all of the enteries that we have posted on these boards. I used to be able to click on my name at the top right and get all of the postings that I made for the past 30 days, or 90 days , or for all time past. I would love to be able to skim through some of that stuff, my memory ain't what it used to be.
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As soon as I saw this topic title I knew it would be headed into a minefield. Perhaps the better title for this would have been "What if Ronald Reagan had continued his career as an actor and not entered a new line of work?" That said, and keeping all of the politics out of this, I would see Reagan playing a number of supporting actor roles, probably mostly on TV. His career was in decline since the early fifties, he was no longer a major draw with the public. Ronnie would have best been suited in authority roles like a police captain , doctor, or lawyer. I have a hard time seeing him in anything comic, but he could have played against type like others did in *Airplane* or some other spoof movie. That may have opened up new doors for him like it did for Lloyd Bridges or Robert Stack. But his chances of hitting on some major role would have been slim. He would have been lucky to get a supporting role on a series that would have made it big. Ronald Reagan never had anything close to the star power of a Cagney or Grant.
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Casablancalover2 and I are of the same thoughts here. I never watched Dallas (or any of the similar soap opera type shows) but they sure were popular in their time. To me Larry Hagman will always be Major Nelson on I Dream Of Jeannie. And aside from the tabloid magazine garbage that I never read, its my understanding that he was a pretty "good guy" in real life. So RIP Major Nelson.
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I believe some actors end up modifying their names because of legal matters or conflict with some other actor, like Michael J Fox adding the "J" to his name because there was another actor "Michael Fox". --- I often wonder about people who adopt a stage name and become known publically by that name and yet they may never legally change their name. So did "Cary Grant" actually legally change his name right away, or maybe years later, if ever? If , after many years of going by "Cary" , Mr Grant/Leach is walking down the street and someone calls out "Hey Archie" , does he react immediately or has he put "Archie" out of his mind? Some people still go by their original names in their personal lives , like "Lauren Bacall" being called "Betty" by friends.
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Way to go TCM, another satisfied customer!! Hope you spend some time at this site, check the schedule regularly and join the message boards on occasion.
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I don't think that even William Powell , Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, and Carole Lombard could salvage this movie (although it would be fascinating seeing these 4 together in the same film.
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Misswonderly, I'll always go along with you on *Pickup On South Street* , although I think Widmark was at his very best in *Night And The City* . So I'll choose either one there. Then I will take *Out Of The Past* next, its has so many noir elements going and Jane Greer is so, so bad, maybe the best femme fatale of all. Then I'll take *DOA* , Edmond O Brien's is terriffic in this and a lot of great street location shots. Finally I guess you have to take the classic *Double Indemnity* . Its got Barbara , MacMurray is really great in this (just forget about his usual character persona, he plays the heel so well, like in Caine Mutiny and The Apartment). And finally *DI* has the immortal Edward G in one of his very best roles of all. Eddie did a lot of "noir" films including some great movies in the thirties that helped create the noir era in the post war (see Little Caesar, Five Star Final, Two Seconds, etc). Of course picking 4 films is a matter of personal taste, there are so many other "honorable mentions" to pick from, right?
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I half agree with this thread. First off, the movie in question is really bad, I have watched parts of it on several occasions, but it is hard to take in a full dose. Major disappointment considering the star power in this one, I really like all of the leads but this film must be a low point in the careers of all involved. Maybe I should record the movie and just freeze frame on Natalie in a few scenes. This is a good film for the 3 am time slot (of course my 3 am is someone elses midnite, their misfortune). As for the second part of this thread, we go through this over and over again. Some films are going to get shown more frequently because of the budget constraint factor. If TCM were to broadcast each film only once over a period of time they might not be able to afford a 24/7 scheduling of movies. So if you get a deal on certain titles that allow you several broadcasts in a time period you take it. Is that really a problem here, does anyone watch every minute of everyday? I have to believe that everyone records some of the movies shown, so when a "turkey" like this one comes up, its a great time to watch that other flick you recorded last month. Or in my case, I'll pull out my DVD of "North By Northwest"
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I 've always assumed that Bogart's wife, Mayo Methot, was just off camera and trying to shoot her husband, but she was a poor shot and kept hitting the wrong target. And that was the inspiration for the Peter Sellers' film "A Shot In The Dark" , his second Clouseau film.
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Jacquie Lyn (about 4 years old) in the Laurel And Hardy classic *Pack Up Your Troubles* . She actually steals her scenes from the boys.
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*Bell Book and Candle* combines Christmas and Halloween. And Kim Novak never looked better in that one.
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TCM showing this film on Tuesday Nov 13th at 430 am est
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How about Cary Grant in Hitchcock's final film, *Family Plot* ? He could have played the William Devane role, a villain no less. I could also see Cary being very funny as Felix in *The Odd Couple* , who would have been a good Oscar to play against him?
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I don't see Cagney as being a good choice for the Vito Corleone part in *The Godfather* , but Edward G Robinson would have been the ultimate actor for that part (except for the fact that Eddie was a little too old by that time). As for Cagney, how about the Walter Matthau part in *The Sunshine Boys* (I'm thinking Cagney as in his Mister Roberts' Captain role) ? Cagney could have been great in the Art Carney part in *Harry And Tonto* . Cagney could have done well as a supporting actor in a number of films, but I am sure he would have avoided any kind of gangster type of roles. But once he "retired" , Mr Cagney obviously enjoyed his new lifestyle and had no interest in returning to movies (just like William Powell and Cary Grant did).
Edited by: mrroberts on Nov 4, 2012 2:37 PM
--- -- About the noirs; *Woman On The Beach* is a winner, with Ryan and Bickford its a can't miss. I have yet to see *The Good Die Young* , with my "main man" , Richard Basehart, it has to be good.
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Certainly some good films are mentioned here. I put *A Shot In The Dark* right up with the best (the very best of the Sellers/Clouseau films for sure). By the way I have often read that "The Party" was Elvis' favorite film. I can never pass up *Arsenic and Old Lace* , Grant may be a little over the top but what a cast! And everyone is at their best , Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre (Johnny, not the Melbourne method !! ) are priceless. And then there is "Teddy" , I could go on. Of course I love Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Bros (early on), The Three Stooges were very good in their early shorts (more then just the eyepokes, etc). I am not always big on Martin and Lewis (or Jerry alone), but they do have some great gags. Same with Bob Hope. The classic Abbott and Costello stand up routines are very funny, but overall the A/C films don't wear well. More current stuff like Monty Python and Mel Brooks are up there on my favorites list (but Mel's last few movies were a big let down). Most currently I think the Coen Bros films are top notch, I love *Raising Arizona* for shear funny. Films like "Mad, Mad World" and "Airplane" are great for the big casts and some terrific gags. And finally somone mentioned Rock Hudson and *Man's Favorite Sport* , just refer to my main man William Powell in *Libeled Lady* .