molo14
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Posts posted by molo14
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Hi Laffite,
*As you see below, Rambler King Molo XIV is preparing a reply. We ain't seen nothin' yet!*
Oh the pressure of it all!
*Laffite, awaiting a message from the King*
Sound the trumpets!!
let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of Kings (or in this case, Queens)
Shakespeare's Richard II
I have just watched episodes 1 & 2 so I could get a fresh perspective. It had been so long since I had seen them. I was struck first off by the fact that I had remembered a bit more than was actually in the series. I must have gotten some scenes from another film or documentary mixed in with them in my mind. Specifically, I thought more of Anne's courtship with Henry was shown and that there were some brief scenes of Catherine in Anne's episode. I was wrong about that. No matter, the series was still very interesting and great fun to see again.
*Mary, Henry and Catherine, a happy family?*
*Molo wrote: There is that wonderful scene where Henry tells Catherine very gently, that they should separate. He does it gently because he knows her well enough to suspect her reaction and he doesn't want to deal with it.*
*Laffite wrote: I had a different impression here. I thought it not so gentle. There was a scene just prior to this when the King is talking to aids and urging gentleness but for me it did not seem so. He walks in the room, quotes a bible verse, tells her that their marriage is not valid, that they are living in sin and consequently have not been given a son, that they must not live together any more, that she must leave, and by the way, ?where would you like to go.?*
I thought Henry was being fairly sensitive here. At least for Henry. The main thing I noticed was that he didn't want to do it in the first place. He wanted it to happen. He just didn't want to have to tell her. Henry always wanted others to do his dirty work, but this was one incidence where he had to confront a conflict head on. He makes a little small talk with Catherine and Mary and then he asks Mary to leave. He comments some more about Mary to Catherine and then mentions he's been reading in Leviticus. The look on Catherine's face, when he mentions that particular book, shows that she already knew what was going on.
*Leviticus!*
*Laffite wrote: No wonder she breaks out in primal scream. (BTW, that didn?t entirely work for me. I found it grating in a way different than intended. It seemed vaguely inappropriate. Yes, a shock, but I would have preferred a different reaction, dramatically speaking. Crosbie?s execution is fine though, and her the feelings that dawn on her as Henry says all this are beautifully realized by Crosbie.)*
You didn't like the scream?
It may have been a bit over the top. I felt it was in keeping with Catherine's manner. The shock, the realization of what Henry was actually proposing was something that struck to her core. She was never one to whimper. When she felt angry, frustrated or hurt enough to let her emotions spring forth, she usually erupted in a guttural roar. It was something akin to a boiling pot whose lid is popped loose just long enough to release enough steam to keep it from boiling over. I think in this case Catherine let herself boil over. It also had the necessary effect of ending the conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was argue over the details of the situation with Henry. It would have given them more validity and it would have made it more difficult for her to go on insisting that Henry would eventually come to his senses and give up his folly. Henry never liked to engage Catherine in confrontation. Never once do we see him treat her disrespectfully. He always deals with the ugly details regarding her from a far.
In the court scene when she pleads her case to him directly, he is silent, even shaken up. He is not pleased, but it is his minsters who will face his direct wrath, and any retribution for Catherine will come through them. This points to the deeper core of their relationship. Henry had known Catherine since he was ten years old. Their relationship was the longest either would have in their lives. She was six years older and no doubt served as a mentor to him early on. They were truly in love for a long time. Catherine wanted to marry Henry because that was what she was sent to England to do. She was brought up with the notion that being Queen of England was her destiny and her purpose. It didn't work out with Arthur, so she would make it work with Henry. She would grow to love him deeply but her main goal was to be Queen.
*A plea to Henry*
Henry, on the other hand, chose Catherine, in part, because she was familiar to him. He didn't have to make the marriage. The political advantages, while still there, had lost a lot of their potency since the deal had initially been sealed by their parents some ten years earlier. He would grow to love her deeply as well. This was a bond that was difficult for Henry to break. While I don't think he ever really grew to hate her, he certainly was driven to fits of rage at how she threw every possible obstacle she could in his path to marry Anne. He wanted her out of the way, and most likely he eventually wanted her dead, but he could never gather up the courage to face her directly and demand that she do as he wished. That would have been like slapping his own mother and it shows his sense of guilt over the consequences of his actions. It is really one of the strangest spectacles in history and gives a small glimpse of an underlying humanity that would eventually desert him altogether as he grew older.
I love their final scene together. It is the only time they really confront the issue and that is because Catherine, not Henry, out of frustration finally brings it up. She has requested that Mary be allowed to stay with her. Henry has sent her away in his ongoing effort to get Catherine to leave court. Her calm erupts in anger at Henry's response. She raises her voice to him. He raises his voice to her and she gets up and bellows at him in an even louder voice. She looks him in the eye and matches his anger with her own.
*Bring on your hundred learned men!*
Henry is shown yelling throughout the BBC series. I think he learned it from the master. In that scene he is confounded and frustrated. He can't win a give and take with her, yet he still tells her that he loves her. The next scene reveals that Henry has left and taken the entire court with him. Unable to get her to leave court he gathers up the whole works and moves it. He then sends his ministers in to move Catherine into exile.
I don't think she ever let herself believe that Henry was supportive of the idea, just that he was being manipulated by other men and probably Anne. They were enemies of Henry, much more importantly than any thought they might have given to her personally. This is a difference between her and Anne. Catherine was a royal to the core. She was married not just to Henry, but to England. Matters of marriage and matters of state were one in the same to her.
She was incredibly single minded, one might say narrow minded, in her belief in protocol and there being a certain order to things. She never once backs down from this attitude publicly though she was smart enough to understand privately that her ordered existence was being torn down brick by brick by men who would manipulate the laws of God and man to bring about their desired goals, be it divorce or reformation, or simply their own ascent to power. Her own beloved Henry leading the way.
*Word of a Henry*
This is why she is always questioning the Imperial Ambassador as to why the Pope won't recall her case to Rome. She acts as if she doesn't understand that he is caught between, and influenced by, the struggle of France and the Holy Roman Empire. (Emperor Charles V was also King of Spain during this period) She does know.
This was a woman who spent six years in limbo being used as a political pawn before her marriage to Henry. This was the woman Henry named officially as Queen Regent so she could rule England in his absence. While he was off playing at war in France, she had rallied the English troops to defeat the Scots. She even sent Henry the bloodied coat of the dead Scottish King James IV as a symbol of her success and devotion. Despite the fact that she wrapped herself in the Catholic faith, she never forsook her secular education. She was Queen of England, A royal daughter of Spain. I think perhaps, Catherine was the ultimate insider, unwilling to be pushed out.
*Molo wrote: She stood like a rock against the current of history.*
*Laffite wrote: Yes, she does, but I like this nagging doubt at the end. She is a human being, not a saint, and her steadfastness (not stubbornness) has partly been responsible for wreaking havoc on Church and State as well as for the unhappy fate of individuals. It is moving to me that she asks, ?Was I wrong?? even though we can have reason to believe that she knew in her heart, even at the end, that she was not wrong at all. Nevertheless, it?s fitting that our good opinion of her should take into consideration her sensitivity to the events that had occurred around her and by seeing her ask this we get a glimpse of an inherent humility and that she was more that just a stubborn woman.*
I agree that her questioning at the end was touching. I like the speech that the Imperial Ambassador makes at the end. It is a nice summation. I also don't believe she ever thought she was wrong. On the contrary, she certainly believed with all her heart that what she was doing was right. She won every legal battle, forcing Henry to create his own court. Morally she had the Church on her side, forcing Henry to create his own church. Politically and popularly it was a no brainer. Any nobility, not related to the Norfolk Howards, and their Boleyn cousins, would have been rooting for her. She was far more popular with the common people than Henry. That, in itself was enough to shake the already paranoid King.
*Uprising! Just give the word.*
Her unwillingness to go to war with Henry, even for the sake of her daughter, is interesting. Notice that she only speaks to the issue of it bringing harm to England. She doesn't speak of it in terms of it going against her devotion to Henry. Could she possibly have considered it? I doubt it. In the end she leaves a remarkable example in her legacy. One of staying on a course that is true to yourself no matter what obstacles come before you. It's a great story.
*Portraits of Catherine Young and Old*
*Henry and Anne*
*Laffite wrote: In the Anne episode, Henry and Anne are shown to be quite in love early on. But as in the Catharine episode we get a leap through time to when things are not so merry.*
Yes as I mentioned earlier in this post, that was something that surprised me a little. I thought more of the courtship period should have been covered. Still the circumstances of her downfall were given a lot more detail by leaping ahead.
*A Happy Couple*
*Laffite wrote: Her attempts of recapturing affection are offset by her repeated outbursts regarding his other women. Henry softens when he learns of her pregnancy but she is chilled to the bone when she realizes that his ?love? is contingent on just one thing. ?Once I made the King weep, a tear would be so precious now,? she says when she is alone and afraid but it all to clear that her only chance to have any power or to even to remain alive is to bear a son.*
I cringe at the way Anne speaks to Henry sometimes. It's like she is digging her own grave. Aspects of her character that he found intriguing earlier in their relationship, like her sauciness, he tends to find irritating now. It is a little rich that Anne would complain so much about Henry's mistresses, considering her own path and her total contempt for Catherine. At one point Henry tells her: If it offends you shut your eyes as your betters have done. Ouch! Ironically, Catherine makes a good point, in that while she lives, Anne is safe. While this may not be entirely the case, when Catherine dies Henry is free to make a third marriage in which there would be no question as to the legitimacy of any future children.
*No protector*
*Laffite wrote: I like Dorothy Tutin and I think as in the Catharine episode she rather steals the show just as Crosbie did. Although she is not what she was professed to be (at least while Queen) she elicits a certain sauciness and an insolence that serves well when she speaks sharply to the King.*
I liked Dorothy Tutin's portrayal very much. I agree she steals the show here and, like Crosbie, I just get the sense that this is as close as we are likely to get in seeing these characters realized as they truly might have been. Many have portrayed Anne but Tutin's performance rings true with everything I have read.
*The abject fear she experiences during her pregnancy is well realized.*
I think Anne's pregnancies, a healthy daughter and two miscarried sons, must have seemed like a bad sequel to Henry. It has been speculated that Anne's fear of the King's wrath and the stress it put her under might have contributed to her second miscarriage. I have miscarried of my savior she is supposed to have said.
*Laffite wrote: Her performance is strong during the trial and after. Anne is shown to have great composure and strength of purpose as well as being a ?fighter,? as she herself characterizes herself. She has this excellent way of throwing her head back and laughing contemptuously?at Cromwell at the trial and later in this well-written scene where Anne and Cromwell match wits. Dorothy portrays a strong Anne who, like Catharine, remained constant to her purpose to the very end but also like Catharine, remained loyal to the king.*
I started to feel sorry for Anne as the conspiracy was put together against her. She was a fighter and even during the trial, when she knows she can't win, she begins to accept her fate but she never loses her sharp wit. Her scenes during the trial and while she is in the tower are my favorites. I love the way she taunts Cromwell.
*Laffite wrote: I thought Cromwell?s portrayal was excellent and almost seemed comical at times, which is really saying something considering his treachery. He straddles the fine line between obsequiousness and antagonism in his scenes with the king. These scenes are entertaining. It is surprising to me that Cromwell would think about getting Henry to act against the Queen when he knows very well that the Queen is pregnant and Henry is hopeful for an heir. Quite correctly, Henry dismisses him (he hits him over the head with a book). Of course, later Henry is all too ready to listen.*
Can you imagine having someone like Cromwell against you with the deck stacked? I guess I can see a comical aspect in that he was so nearly a caricature of a plotting conspiratorial bully. I did enjoy the scenes with the King. I think Cromwell saw Anne as such a threat to him in both a political and personal respect that he felt he had to take a chance even during her pregnancy. It was either him or her at this point no matter the pregnancy.
*Lady Rochford and Cromwell, a fine pair.*
*Laffite wrote: Also a special mention for the woman who played Anne?s sister-in-law, a fine picture of treachery herself.*
Yes, the infamous Lady Rochford. I'm not exactly sure what her beef was. If it had more to do with her husband or with Anne. As portrayed here, she didn't have much love for either of them. I believe we have not heard the last from Lady Rochford. As the series progresses we should see her again.
I also enjoyed her conversations with Archbishop Cranmer, especially toward the end. She was very forthright with him. At times it seemed she was the only one who would dare speak candidly anymore. Maybe that's what got her into trouble in the first place, but she had nothing left to lose at that point.
*Final counsel.*
*Laffite wrote: There are things to be said about Keith Michel and his Henry but later, I hope. (I am getting ready for Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves and If I ever get around to saying anything about them, I hope to say something about the King as well.)*
I would love to hear your comments. I will proceed to watch the rest of the series as well.
*Laffite wrote: Anne did not have the leverage that Catharine had. The latter was the one with the pedigree, the front runner, and a queen of great popularity. She had friends. Anne was always the upstart, the interloper, the ?great ****? as she was known by the people, a term that Henry was only glad to use against her himself when it pleased him to do so.*
Anne was in a difficult position, though she had put her own self there. Her lack of royal standing left her no protection. Even her own family headed by the Duke of Norfolk, would not dare go against the King.
*The Tower*
*False Accusations*
*Guilty!*
*Execution*
*Laffite Wrote: Both were strong women. If Jane was perhaps a bit treacherous at times (she talked of getting rid of those who opposed her and was partly responsible for the demise of Sir Thomas More) she may have been forced to use means that Catharine had no need of. (If she is a ?home-wrecker? she certainly got a fine assist by that King of the Home Wreckers himself, namely, the King of England.)*
I think you mean Anne there instead of Jane. You seem to have Jane on your mind.
In the end it was the lack of a male child that really sealed her doom. I'm not sure what would have happened if she had lived. I could see her and Henry as a dangerous pair but I could also see her having a calming influence on Henry's increasing ruthlessness. I would imagine she would have also worked on changing her image with the people.
I am a Catherine fan so I have to admit a bias against Anne. In the end it is hard not to feel for someone who goes through what she went through. I think, like the Keeper of the Tower, I would have sat down to dinner with her. I grew to admire her wit and her spirit, even if she did not always use it wisely. As for Henry, you are right. He was the chief homewrecker. I find little to admire there. I hope we can discuss him in more detail later. One last thing regarding Anne. What are her true feelings for Henry in the end? What did she really think of him? She did write a final letter and I would have to seek out it's text but I think her wit remained with her to the very last regarding Henry.
*Laffite wrote: Both Catharine and Anne were Queen and would not relinquish. I admire them both. Catharine would have been pleased that Mary became Queen and ruled?but it was Anne who gets the last laugh on all those who persecuted her?Elizabeth!!!*
They were both remarkable women brought together in a time and place where they would help shape history, whether they realized it or not. Catherine would have been pleased to see Mary crowned Queen, but she would have hated how her life unfolded. Mary was so messed up by the whole experience of her childhood. Her brief and sad reign (trying too late to undo history) only marked time until Elizabeth could take the throne. While Mary worshiped her mother, Elizabeth never knew hers, and thought it best never to mention her. Then there is Henry, what did all his effort gain him? What a trick of history that brought England it's greatest Queen and a golden age.
Message was edited by: molo14
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Goodnight April,
Who knows what tomorrow will bring. I really have loved rambling on here with you guys. Hopefully we will continue for a long time.
Sleep well,
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It's a favorite of mine.
My older brothers would take me to the old midnight movies to see it when I was a kid. Over and over!
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Sorry to bust in like this but you might not need Rhoda when all you have to do is look at the bones.
I am thinking of a scene from *Monty Python and the Holy Grail*.
Sometimes all you have to do is look at the bones!
*Look at the bones!*My apologies for all the non-Monty Python fans out there.
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Hi Theresa,
I'm sure you have every picture of her known to exist, but I wanted to post something "just for you" today and this has the added benefit of being very much on topic.
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Hi CineMaven,
There were three things in that magic box.
Not counting the beans of course.
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I will have to seek out *Burke's Law*. That is one show I have never seen but people keep bring it up so I'm curious. As for the title of the episode....hmmm....I'll leave that one for Frank.
*She played a drug addicted opera singer. It may have been the latest appearance I've*
*seen of her to date.*
Okay now who wouldn't pay money to see that?
The Outer Limits episode is the latest appearance I've ever seen of Gloria.
According to imdb she appeared in two episodes of Burke's Law. I might have to start hunting around for her tv stuff.
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Hi mildredpiercefan,
Somewhere back in this thread, CineMaven and I discussed the *Outer Limits* episode. I didn't think it was all that great an episode either but I liked watching Gloria in it.
My brother has that episode of her in *The Fugitive*. I just saw the very beginning and it looked really interesting. I will definitely watch it soon, now that you have confirmed she has a good part in it. Thanks for the heads up!
(((Hey CineMaven, you should have that episode of *The Fugitive* also. Did you ever watch it?)))
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*Frank, you like dancing? How about at the end of a rope?*
Well Frank you have to admire the lady's no nonsense approach. There is something to be said for that.
These gals are a tough lot.
All the best my friend....
(Riding into the sunset.)
I'll see you south of Del Rio!!!
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It's in Technicolor according to IMDB. I really want to see it.
*Maybe TCM could play Blonde Fever during a theme day of movies with "Blonde" in the*
*title.*
Ha! Did you read my response in that other thread? That's kind of what I'm hoping will happen.
Here I'll map it out for you TCM:
"Blondes have more fun" day.
*Blonde Fever*
*My Favorite Blonde*
*Blonde Crazy*
*Incendiary Blonde*
*Blonde Venus*
*Smart Blonde*
*The Cowboy and the Blonde*
*The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend*
*Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*
The possibilities are endless!!!
Now watch them actually do it but leave out *Blonde Fever*.
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Thanks MissGoddess,
I have never seen it but from IMDB they say she spends part of the film disguised as a boy. I don't see her pulling that off.
This was made the same year she did *The Big Heat*. I also noticed they added a knew credit to her listings. Some 3 minute short called *My Heart Tells Me* made in 1944.
*I like Gloria's funny characters. To me, she's hilarious in The Bad and the Beautiful*
*and very playful in It's a Wonderful Life, so I agree with you that it would have*
*been a treat to see her do more comedy.*
I agree with you about both those roles. She also is pretty funny in parts of *A Woman's Secret*. She had a real screwball side to her in some roles. I just wish TCM would show *Blonde Fever*.
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Hey Laffite,
You brought up a lot of good points. I was starting a reply but then I realised I really need to take a look at the dvd again. It's been a long while and I want to take another look at some scenes. I have it so that won't be a problem. I also hope you will continue to comment on the others as you watch. I will do the same as I love this series.
I'll be back soon. Very interesting comments.
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*Rohanaka wrote: Well... the screencaps have been worth the wait... so you BOTH deserve a LITTLE slack for that... I GUESS. But... my memory is only as good as your last ramble... so NO fiddle faddling around, gentlemen.*
Yes MA!
*Frank Grimes wrote: Thank you! I need all the character witnesses I can find. So is it good to have a guy who could be hanged with you as your main character witness?*
That's a good question! (...backing away...slowly...) I've got to get back on my fence now!
*Rohanaka wrote: HA!!! Too late... the rope is in the freezer... with Spring time a comin' I have to keep it there because it will lose it's chill if I don't.*
Nobody here but us fence straddlers!!
*Frank Grimes wrote: At least Quiet Gal does her part. Now if we can get that icy blonde*
*to talk once in a while. Is she a mime? And did Jackie turn into a moth? I knew it!*
You'll probably be hearing from that icy blonde really soon, I'll wager.
As for Jackie, whar did she git to?
Hey! Did you just hear a muffled squeaky sound???
*Frank Grimes wrote: Excellent "Double G" post, by the way. I will make my way over there in due time.*
Thanks. I was sensing Double G was getting a little miffed, what with all this talk of Belle.
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*Ok...ok... I confess... that wasn't fair. You HAVE been rambling your little self silly lately. (Just consider me... a pushy "Ma")*
You know, he really has.
Having just learned about screencaps I can attest to the fact that they really take a lot of time. It's hard to keep up with the discussion.
I've been very impressed with Frank's output these past weeks. Of course I would never expect you to let either of us rest on our laurels.
No sirree bob!!!! With you ladies it's all about what have you done for me lately?? 
Wait!....I was just kidding!!....Don't go for the rope!!!
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TCM plays it but not very often. It is not currently scheduled. You can always try requesting it.
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*As I scroll down and read your words (I saw the movie), it kind of boggles my mind (and eyes) to see Red Skelton and Gloria Grahame in the same film...the same frame...sharing the same air.*
*What's wrong with this picture?*
Thanks CineMaven,
It is strange. I guess we can chalk it up to the wonders of the old studio system.
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By request, I took some screencaps from one of Gloria's more obscure films.
*Merton of the Movies*
I wrote something about the film way back in this thread so I'll borrow a little from that post to talk about it here.
*Gloria and Merton of the Movies 1947*
The film is, first of all, a Red Skelton vehicle and it's notable for a number of things.
One is that Red is fairly restrained in this picture, so if you are not particularly fond of his brand of comedy you may still find him fairly good here. I've actually grown to appreciate his films, mainly because of the people he surrounds himself with. People like Rags Ragland and Virginia O'Brien.
That brings me to point two. While Rags had unfortunately passed on before this film was made, we do get to see Virginia O'Brien. This is the film that really introduced me to O'Brien's talent. She brightened a lot of films during the forties with her comedic ability and especially her trademark deadpan singing style. In this film, she actually plays the female lead opposite Skelton, a first for her, and sadly, it would be the last time as well. For some reason MGM did not renew her contract and *Merton of the Movies* is pretty much her movie swansong. However she doesn't sing in the film. Another first for her. She plays it fairly straight and does a very effective job. This isn't the Virginia O'Brien thread though. (maybe I'll start one) This is the Gloria Grahame thread.
Which brings me to point three. Gloria Grahame. She does here what she always did. She gives a standout performance in a supporting role. This time however, we get to see her doing something a little different. Just a few months before this film was released Gloria had her Oscar nominated, breakout role as Ginny in *Crossfire* That would lead to her becoming one of film noir's legendary femme fatales. In *Merton of the Movies* she gets a rare chance to do light comedy, and she is really quite good. I have always thought her comedic abilities were left largely untapped so it's nice to see her in a role like this on occasion.
Now about the movie.
I wrote in this thread on April 9th 2008:
If you go into this film without major expectations you could be pleasantly surprised. The movie revolves around Red Skelton's Merton Gill who plays a naive midwestern theater usher. By quirky circumstances he is sent to Hollywood to meet his idol, silent screen star Lawrence Rupert, played by Leon Ames. Merton desperately wants to break into movies, and when nothing comes of the meeting with Rupert, he decides to stay in Hollywood and haunt the casting offices. It's here that he meets Phyllis Montague, played by Virginia O'Brien, a stunt woman, somewhat further along than Merton in her pursuit of a film career. Gloria plays screen vamp Beulah Baxter another of Merton's idols.
I could not get any close captioning but the screencaps pretty much speak for themselves. They are not the best quality since this film has never gotten a DVD release. I used my TCM recording.
The film takes place during 1915 and offers an interesting glimpse into movie making at that time.
Now to Gloria. The film opens with a narrator explaining to viewers how it was in Hollywood in this far gone era. Gloria gets a great introduction in which she is shown up on the silent screen looking beautiful and sexy:
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv36/Molo14/Merton%20of%20the%20Movies%20-%20Gloria%20Grahame/mergg1.jpg?t=1236828908>
This is Beulah Baxter. She doesn't talk either....*SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO!*
Merton is excited to watch Beulah Baxter at work on the set.
Her director is played by Allan Mowbray.
Beulah is hoisted on to a platform high up on the mast of the ship.
Once in place, the Director yells Action and Beulah is surrounded by pirates.
(probably pals of Laffite
) They attempt to accost her.
Then the Director yells cut !
It's then revealed that Beulah doesn't do her own stunts. Since the scene calls for her to jump off the platform into the water, her stunt double, Phyllis Montague (O'Brien) arrives and takes over.
We next see Gloria when Merton get's his first big part in a movie. He thinks he's doing a serious role, but he is so funny trying to be serious that everyone else has decided the picture is going to be a spoof, but they don't want him to know. His first scene is with screen goddess Beulah Baxter.
It's decided by the director and the studio brass that they need a way to keep Merton distracted so he won't find out what's going on until after they premiere the picture. They decide to get Beulah to do the distracting, much to the dismay of Phyllis Montague who is now Merton's gal pal.
Beulah agrees and invites Merton over to her place.
When he arrives Beulah is ready and waiting.
She offers him a drink but Merton is a teetotaler
So she tries other tactics.
Merton decides he needs a drink after all. Nothing strong though. She first offers liquor but settles on champagne. It's like fruit juice she tells him.
Beulah tells Merton she's going to slip into something more comfortable but before she can, Phyllis shows up to save poor Merton. Poor Merton???
That concludes our sordid saga of Merton and Beulah.
From my original post again:
Gloria only gets a few key scenes in this and mainly near the end. Her "off screen" persona was very amusing. She is beautiful in this, not really deceitful or mean-spirited just a tad ditzy and bemused. Kind of like if Violet Bick had left Bedford Falls, gone to Hollywood and maybe gotten a bit silly.
She once again shows that flare for comedy! This in the same year she did *Crossfire* and another noir turn in *Song of the Thin Man*. I like this Gloria and wish her comedic flare could have been exploited more often. Not that I would ever for one minute give up the Gloria of *In A Lonely Place*, *Macao* or *The Big Heat*
This is by no means a major Grahame film. It is a pleasant enough diversion and truly worth a look for her fans.
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Interesting that the last person to post on this thread, way back on Feb. 6th, was the person who started the thread to begin with.
Hi mildredpiercefan!!
I'll be back, with a little something I've been preparing, later on this evening.
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> {quote:title=ChelseaRialtoStudios wrote:}{quote}
>
> On the other hand, maybe if they have 24 hours of Warner Bros. spooky mansion mysteries they'll finally run THE HIDDEN HAND!
I tend to think along those same lines. I don't care to much for some of the themes but I have noticed that some rare movies will be shown occassionally for no apparent reason other than that they were thrown in because they fit with whatever theme they had going.
I think they first showed *Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone* on a day where the theme was trains. They dusted off the rare Crawford pre-code *Dance , Fools, Dance* because it was April 1st. and all the films had the word "fool' in the title.
I can only hope that if they keep it up they will eventually throw in some rare movie that they should have access to, and that I have been dying to see, only because it happened to fit in with whatever theme they were trying to program for.
I'll take 'em anyway I can get 'em.
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I would like to participate. Comparing different directors would be a good learning experience for me. I will think about it some more and see if I can come up with any ideas on the curriculum.
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TCM lost the broadcast rights to the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons and that put an end to Cartoon Alley.
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Vivian Pickles cracks me up as Harold's mother.
and for those keeping score in the BBC thread. She also played Mary Queen of Scots in *Elizabeth R*
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*AND neither is... drum roll please...(Molo and Frank... this will hurt) Neither is BELLE.*
Yikes!!
Well thank goodness she made it into the screenplay. That was a worthy addition!
Message was edited by: molo14 (On second thought maybe "goodness" had nothing to do with it)
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Hey!!!
Maude just stole my car!!!!
Dang hippies!!!!
[B]WHAT???!!!! RICKY RICARDO ISN'T HERE ANYMORE?[/b]
in General Discussions
Posted
Does that mean I can finally be in the show?
No?
What there is no show anymore?
Well this is an outrage!!!
((I have no idea either
))