mrroberts

How about a night of *The Letter* films including the 1982 tv movie starring Lee Remick? Somehow I never saw that one and I am a BIG Lee Remick fan.

From IMDb, William Powell was 6 ' , Melvyn Douglas was 6' 1". While William Powell was never heavy you might be thinking of some of his films from the late 30's and early 40's when he was having his time with cancer treatment and recovery. He was quite thin and drawn looking during that time. While I think Douglas was a fine actor he really couldn't carry a picture like William Powell or others. Douglas was kind of like Ralph Bellamy or Jack Carson, a really good supporting player. And as for William Powell, he was the best period (IMO) .

Hallie is married to a rich lawyer/senator. He can buy her a new box, and a new hat too.

One of my favorite film music scores is from *Gunfight At The O K Corral* , also one of my favorite movies.

How about Joe L. Mackray? (better ask misswonderly about this one )

Janet Lee? related to Bruce Lee?

So Bette Midler pronounces her name right, right? How about Sean (Shawn?) Connery or Penn?

Ashley-Pitt, Eric -- David McCallum in *The Great Escape*

Doris Day was in *The Man Who Knew Too Much* with Brenda De Banzie

Claude Rains

*the Bedford Incident*

What I couldn't remember was whether Hallie had anything in the box before they rode out to the Duke's burned out house and got a cactus rose. If she brought the box along all of the way out on the train ride you would think something was in it. She would have taken that out at the undertaker and then used the empty box to get the rose. Small detail, but its funny how some of us pick up on those things. Maybe there was some brief scene cut from the film that would have shown her removing an item from the box at the undertaker.

As many times as I have watched that movie (and it is a great movie) I am not sure how to answer this. It would seem obvious that the box had something (a wreath or flowers) to put on the grave. Now I have to watch the movie again to check that out , I don't have a tape or DVD so must wait until TCM has it on again.

*The Black Scorpion* , the giant scorpion vs tanks in a soccer/football stadium. Where was John Madden for the commentary?

"Candy" -- Jean Peters in *Pickup On South Street*

*A Yank In The R.A.F.*

*The Invisible Man* is a great classic film in its own right. But we can also be very grateful that it opened the door for Claude Rains to go from the stage to movies. If he hadn't been cast to play that role (ironically it was solely because of his voice) he may have stayed on the stage, and think of the many movie acting roles he wouldn't have done. What a loss that would have been!

Thats so the "oddballs" that are up at 4 in the morning can see them too. Bet that TCM gets great 4am ratings then.

Apparently he changed professions after the stock market crash of 1929. I guess he had to eat. He appears in quite a few well known films including the prison warden in *Manhattan Melodrama* , the crooked judge in Jimmy Stewart's *Destry Rides Again* and of course Jimmy's father Peter Bailey in *Its A Wonderful Life* .

To restate my main point, TCM has to have an interest in getting respectable ratings in order to exist. So if tonight at 8pm est and 10pm and midnight (to cover prime time across the country) TCM plays some of those often played films its for a reason. To generate some decent ratings numbers to sell the station. People keep bringing up the issue about films that get played over and over until they get sick of it. Try watching FMC or AMC or HBO or Showtime or whatever. See how often they repeat the same movies over and over. The USA network plays NCIS and the Law and Order series reruns constantly. They must have a reason, it gets them ratings. So the next time we look at the schedule and "North By Northwest" or "Gaslight" or whatever is on for the hundredeth time be glad. Those movies pull in the general public which gives TCM good ratings to exist and then we can watch our obscure little noir or western or precode films at the oddball times. -- P.S. this isn't directed at Fred, its for everybody. Fred, spesaking about Pearl Harbor, tonight at 11 pm est TCM is showing *Here Comes The Navy* . A fun little flic starring James Cagney, Pat O Brien and filmed on the U.S.S. Arizona in 1934. Edited by: mrroberts on Nov 4, 2011 3:06 PM

Clore, I have a question about TCM and the need for ratings. (refer to my previous post). TCM doesn't sell advertising space so they don't need ratings for that revenue stream. But TCM must sell itself to the cable/satellite services so they will carry TCM. And TCM is almost always part of a "premium" channel package. *So if TCM doesn't have a decent ratings performance would anyone bother to carry them on their service?* I have to believe that the need to reach a certain level of viewer ratings pushes TCM programmers to put well known popular films on, especially during the prime time evening hours. So when TCM shows "North By Northwest", "From Here To Eternity", or similar popular classics on a regular basis, I have no problem with that. I can see the necessity in doing it. Thats the lifeblood for TCM and makes it possible for them to also show us the rare or offbeat "classics" that people like us want to see. Edited by: mrroberts on Nov 4, 2011 11:28 AM

Carolyn Jones, I 've been watching her as of late. In her most famous role as Morticia in The Addams Family. She was a very interesting actress, not the classic beauty but she sure could be sexy. She would have been a great femme fatalle in the noir era. She came along just a few years too late for that. Just reading about her on Wiki, she was going to do the role in *From Here To Eternity* that went to Donna Reed. Carolyn got sick and Donna Reed replaced her. Another one of those "what if" moments.

*Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea* was one of those very first tv shows I watched as a kid. Its funny now, remembering some of these actors, like Richard Basehart, Ernie Borgnine , etc , as TV stars first. Then you get to see these guys doing their movie roles, often done years before their tv series. The tv shows were only a small part of their successful careers. After watching Basehart in his movies his tv role seems so insignificant to me now. He could have done Admiral Nelson in his sleep.

For me , *From Here To Eternity* plays too much like a soap opera. And I have never been a soap opera fan. But I really like the movie's cast and they all give a great performance. Burt was just playing bigger then life Burt (And I am a big fan). Monty and Deborah Kerr, both should have gotten their Oscars for this film. Frank was very good, I know its his "comeback", but Ernie Borgnine was just as good. So who should get the Oscar there? And Donna Reed, again a great performance, and going she's playing against type. But Thelma Ritter should have won for *Pickup On South Street* . -- Again we have the topic of too much airplay on TCM. But if you listen to radio, certain "classics" get played "all of the time". Why? Because over time the general public puts these films /songs up on the pedestal. Many people can watch/ listen to them over and over again. So they will pull the ratings. No one seems to consider that fact. If TCM plays some rarely seen or known film some of us will appreciate that and watch it. But the general public will just skip over it. But when TCM plays a known "biggy" like FHTE many people will tune in. TCM has to give ratings some consideration, right? Edited by: mrroberts on Nov 3, 2011 5:41 PM

No wonder the burros kept running away from Dobbs.