FrankGrimes

*You mean you've never seen the early Star Wars movies or those are the only recent ones you've seen? I stopped after the Ewoks one, which I wasn't crazy about. I like* *Star Wars and* *Empire Strikes Back best.* Of course I saw them, Silly Goose! I used to watch *Star Wars* all the time as a kid. I think most every guy my age grew up that way. *And Ro I'm with you, I can do without all the backstory on Vader, I thought he was so cool when he was more of a "mystery".* So a guy is to never tell you a thing! *Very much so, they even married the same man.* They did? Really? Ted Turner? *He's incredibly funny. BITP is all about his own early married years.* He was married to you?! You never told me that! Actually, I know better. You'd never choose such a shack. *Marlene is very like "Frenchy" in The Spoilers,* Yeah, there's a bit of a similarity. "Frenchy" is rougher, though. I will say that Marlene's "hair" drove me nuts in *The Spoilers*. *Harry gives things gravitas* Quiet Gal is gonna love him the most. *Margaret makes a token role come to life.* I still can't believe it was her. *Sounds like Harry Fabian to me!* So you like Harry? You find him attractive? Where's your purse?! *I will have to watch it again as I don't remember too much about the beginning.* The opening scene is a kick in the gut. My sympathy leaves, right then and there.

*I can take them in small doses.. but those one liners and jabs wear on me after a while* I can see how that could happen. But Bob Hope and Groucho make me smile a lot. *(I do however, like to listen to Bing when he is "crooning". He's got one of the "smoothest" voices ever. Can't say I am a HUGE fan.. but I do think he had a gift)* This is where I can get worn down. Too much singing and dancing gets to me. *Well now I have to watch it for SURE.. if only to see what is UP w/ the feather boa.. ha. (Oh my beloved Duke.. what in the WORLD is that all about, buddy???) ha.* The boa is a whole lot better than what he was doing right before that. *Now I never pictured you as a "Natalie and Tootie" kinda guy. ha. The things you LEARN on this here message board.* And I had a thing for Blair and Jo. But I even watched the show when it was Molly (Molly Ringwald), Cindy, and Sue Ann. *But I am likely the last one to be talking about "little girl" movies or shows, at least from your "era" ha. I did watch some of those shows now and then, but likely the one I MIGHT have seen the most that would be a "girl" show from your day and age, was Little House on the Prairie. (oh how I do still love that one)* Little House on the Prairie is a great example of a "little girl" show from my time. I definitely didn't watch that one that often. That's definitely "*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn*." *But really, when it came to regualar tv/movie watching, as a kid, I am just that much older than you that I spent most of my "kid hood' watching shows like Carol Burnett, and Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke and The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, etc. etc, And of course Bonanza, The Big Valley, and all those late 60's and 70's cop shows.. (oh golly.. I am old, ugh)* I remember watching The Carol Burnett Show when I was very young. My family watched that. I thought it was funny because of Harvey Korman and Tim Conway. I also watched some Bewitched in syndication as a kid. That show is rather feminine and I did like it as a kid. I saw a little of The Beverly Hillbillies as a kid, but I didn't like it. I still don't. *I think basically, it boils down to the fact that we more or less watched what my dad watched...and he was not too "up" on "girl" tv, ha)* It sure seems it! *No wonder I do so love my cop and cowboy movies. I probably watched as much "boy" tv as you did, ha.* And that really does explain a lot with you. You're definitely influenced by your father. *(and yet pro-sports.. blah.. that is the one area I did NOT give a flying fig about.ha. Heaven knows they were on at our house PLENTY as I was growing up.. and yet.. what happened? I guess when the sports stuff was on, that was when I went to read a book or bake cookies or something. ha)* I didn't know your dad watched sports. Woohoo! That's something I always value with guys. *That is a great comparison. (at least when it comes to defining a movie that spoke to you as a kid) And it was a "trend setter" for FX stuff too. I still love the whole "good V evil" battle.. and Darth Vader is an AWESOME bad guy.. he would be on my list too.. (if I made one) not too far from the WW of the West, as a matter of fact, I think. He was absolutely perfect.. dark, menacing.. powerful.. and OH the DV music.. it fit him SO perfectly.. that John Williams is a genious, ha. (da, da, da, da, duh da, da duh, daaaah.) (oh great.. now I am going to be humming the Darth Vader song in my head all night.. ha) * And I was always on the "good side" as a kid. I like "Luke" and feared Vader. My brother favored the bad more. Now I tend to enjoy the bad more. They're usually more entertaining. *His story in the later films (which really is his EARLY story) is so not worthy of him (as far as who he is in Episode 4) I almost wish they had never gone "back" to tell the early stories (with episodes 1-3) I am almost a Star Wars purist that way.. and yet.. I gotta admit.. there are aspects of all SIX movies that I really like a lot.* I've only seen *The Phantom Menace* and *Revenge of the Sith*. I didn't like either of them. The first is worse than the last, though. Lots of bad, lazy, horrible stuff in the films. *And, oddly enough, I found Billie Burke to be annoying* *Ha, she IS an acquired taste, I do confess. * And I'm a Billie fan! But I just couldn't take her as "Glinda." *Very true.. that's what makes the world go around. (ha.. of course for SOME people.. there is NO accounting for taste.. because.. Really?? Bob, Bing.. AND Tootie?? I am going to have to totally rethink my entire picture of you, Harry Fabien.) * You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...

*I am just sitting here, completely flummoxed at the thought that there are people in the world who never saw The Wizard of Oz as a kid. It was SUCH a big deal when I was a kid, I mean a real event. Not like now, when events are created left and right ("The new season of Survivor, a television event"). We couldn't wait for it to be on. It wasn't a manufactured thing, we really waited all year to see it again.* The only things I can think of that were like that for me were the holiday specials of Peanuts and Rankin & Bass.

*My thing with "Oz" is that maybe I didn't get to enjoy it as a child. I was a young man when I first saw it and maybe the thrust seemed so geared at children that I missed the fun of it. For me, most of it is over done. I get the three amigos being that way as they're fantasy characters but Garland comes off as pouty (and a bit whiny) a lot of the time.* *Flogging will commence at dawn.* ** That was funny! I actually liked Dorothy. I could definitely stand her.

Howdy, Ma Stone -- *Now that surprises me. I don't know why.. ha. but it does. I am not so huge on Bob or Bing. I do enjoy them as entertainers.. but I can't say I am all that wild about any of their films (individual or together) I can usually take them or leave them.. and I REALLY have to be in the mood for them together.. so usually I end up leaving them.* I can see that with you. Bob usually kills me (in a good way). I usually like Bing's style of singing and how he and Bob get in and out of jams. I also like Dorothy. I didn't like the story with *Road to Singapore* but I loved Bob's character. Definitely my kind of guy. *Wowsa.. that is way up high on the list. (but I don't know what that means because I understand it is a list of movies you just watched.. not necessarily a list of all time faves. Still.. from what you have said about it.. I think I should pull out my copy and make a point of sitting down to watch soon. (And wish me luck on that because lately I have a mind like a steel trap.. stuff goes in there.. and gets TRAPPED and never makes it back out again.. HA. I will post a sticky note on my forehead to remind me to watch. HA!) * I found *The Spoilers* to be a very entertaining film. I think you'll enjoy it. *Well what do you know.. I finally guessed one right. (wonders never cease. ha) But really.. I had a pretty good chance of getting this one.. I just could not see you getting too excited about listening to muchkins representing the Lullabye League and the Lollipop Guilde dancing around singing "Tra la la la la" * I'll say. There's a lot of "Tra la la" in the film. Too much for me to take. *Wow.. I never dreamed you had not seen it.. because I figured that nearly everyone in the free world over the age of 5 has seen this movie, ha. But I bet you are not alone. Given the age you are and the time you grew up.. you were in the "middle" between people like me.. who grew up watching it once a year because it was always aired as a "special" movie" and the kids who came along in the 90's, etc.. who had full access to it day and night all day long/all night long, any time their little hearts desired on vhs or dvd. (Gee.. you poor deprived kid. * After seeing it, I feel blessed being in the middle! *And honestly.. that may be a part of why you felt the way you did about it... seeing it for the first time now. If you had grown up with it, I imagine you'd at least have more feelings toward it like Miss G.. or Movieman.* That's possible. I'm not sure I would have latched onto the story since it's really a little girl's story. I'm trying to think of what little girl stories I liked as a kid. I used to watch The Facts of Life. That's one thing that comes to mind. *Ha.. my track record is not so hot with you. (in terms of you liking movies that I list as being favorites. ha) Oh great. So basically what you are saying is that I am responsible for you watching all the movies you love to hate!! (oh the guilt.. I hope at least this did not mean that you went out and BOUGHT this one.. because the guilt from that always gets me down, tight-fisted girl that I am.. ha)* My brother owns the DVD, so I only borrowed this time. I think it's safe to say *The Bridge on the River Kwai* will be a safer purchase. *I am surprised you did not like it at least a little more.. but maybe because I think that this film for me will always be special.. it represents a LOT of fond memories for me as a child.. plus it really is just so well made. I have always been such an FX junkie.. even as a little kid.. and this film was quite the spectacle in its day.. and groundbreaking too, in a lot of ways that STILL cannot be rivaled (in my opinion anyway) despite all the modern technology.* I can understand that, completely. My "The Wizard of Oz" is *Star Wars*. I feel the exact same way about that film. *Plus.. all the main characters were just a lot of fun for me. (but I gotta say I loved the Lion best.. oh, and TOTO too!)* I'm most like the Cowardly Lion, but I found Scarecrow to be the most entertaining. The Tin Man is the absolute death of me. Dreadful. *And oh me.. that Wicked Witch of the West was THE worst, and scariest thing in all the world to my way of thinking as a young child. (still among one of my all time fave movie bad guys/gals)* And I think girls will go for such a villain more so than boys. Mine was Darth Vader, of course. I did find the Wicked Witch of the West to be one of the most entertaining aspects of the film. And, oddly enough, I found Billie Burke to be annoying. *But I do admit it is not everyone's cup of tea, so I am impressed that you gave it a try. I gotta compliment you on your willingness to step outside the box so I won't take it TOO personally that you dissed the Oz.. ha. But don't let the KIDLING hear you say it.. She may go all "mini-peacemaker" on you. ha. * We all like different things for different reasons.

Here's how I have liked the Robert Mitchum films that I've seen: 1. Cape Fear 2. Out of the Past 3. The Night of the Hunter 4. The Friends of Eddie Coyle 5. Angel Face 6. Till the End of Time 7. The Sundowners 8. Macao 9. His Kind of Woman 10. Crossfire 11. Desire Me 12. Holiday Affair 13. Two for the Seesaw 14. The Racket 15. River of No Return 16. The Lusty Men 17. Pursued 18. The Grass Is Greener 19. El Dorado 20. Blood on the Moon 21. Fire Down Below 22. The Locket 23. Not as a Stranger 24. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison 25. Undercurrent 26. My Forbidden Past 27. Home from the Hill

*Shadow of a Doubt* is definitely an allusion to *Dracula*. I believe the same as you do, Konway. Uncle Charlie is sucking the widows dry.

Hey there, MusicMan -- *I'm very glad you liked "Go West." It is more about the Marx Brothers than anything. If you put this one this high and considering where most people place in their catalog I can't wait for you to get to the Paramount films. They are the craziest of the lot.* I'm definitely looking forward to the "great" Marx Brothers films. The only Marx Brothers films I really haven't gone for are *A Night at the Opera* and *At the Circus*. *As far as "My Favorite Wife" goes I was thinking later in the film it slows. By the time they get up to the mountains it settles in and seems slower. At least the comedy isn't as broad for me.* Oh, you mean the very end. Yeah, the comedy starts to trail off again by that point. The entire attic scene and Santa. That wasn't good. *By comparison if you have not seen it you should seek out "Too Many Husbands." It stars Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray and Melvyn Douglas. It is almost the same plot in reverse and came out about the same time. I saw it a few years ago and thought it great fun. The ending is a bit odd but I enjoyed it. I love Jean and this was more discovering Fred and his gift for comedy.* All right! I was trying to find a reason to get the other screwball DVD collection and you just gave me it. Jean is my favorite romantic comedienne.

*I like Jane a lot better in this era, she's very cute.* It seems like they were going for an American "Bardot" with Jane. *There are so many lines flying around in this movie it's hard to catch them all. Mildred and her board, Bob and his coat "I was watching my coat because someone else was watching my coat!"..."I'll take 500 aspirins"...the "black spaghetti"...* Very much so. That's the joy of the film. Simon seemed to love repetitive and recall with his jokes. It works for me. *and I can TOTALLY relate to ALL of the apartment issues.* Yes, scorning your man and bumping him to the couch! *The only think I haven't experienced is snow coming through my skylight (I don't have one).* I'd feel like I was in a greenhouse. *The Spoilers is the one I like better between it and* *Pittsburgh.* It's not even close to me. *Seven Sinners* and *The Spoilers* are the ones that are close. *Marlene's character is very feisty and as you say, it has Harry Carey and a good actress for a change playing the proper girl.* Marlene is lovelorn, which I love. Harry Carey and "Betsy" are very amusing. The Duke is playing fast and loose, which I love. And to see Margaret Lindsay as the "proper girl," as you wisely say, was quite a treat. I didn't even recognize her! *No, I liked the things he said about his background and the phoniness of all those people around him. He was right about some things. And in the end he told the truth. I think he was grasping for something he knew he could never have, not just a rich girl but a nice, decent woman not one that was using him just as he was using her.* I do agree with that. He's the boy who couldn't have the good things, so he went after what he wanted. Then he finds out he can't have what he really wants. *So what went wrong?* Life. *I guess He Walked by Night is the one most seem to like the most from your list, besides* *My Favorite Wife.* It's definitely a top-notch procedural. It's very influential, especially for television. I was stunned by the beginning. Very violent. I didn't have sympathy for Roy (Richard Basehart), after that.

*I'm surprised you liked it because I figured Jane and Bob weren't your kind of performers.* I warmed up to Jane as the film progressed. Redford doesn't thrill me, but I'm okay with him. I loved the running gag of the stairs. Charles Boyer and Mildred Natwick are lovely in the film. I tend to like filmed plays. *I didn't think you'd like Barefoot and The Spoilers so much, or The Arnelo Affair so little.* *The Arnelo Affair* was too soapy for me. I found *Barefoot in the Park* to be charming. I really liked the Duke and Marlene in *The Spoilers*. Plus Harry Carey and Margaret Lindsay were really good. *I think the marriage is the soapy part, but I thought it sort of showed some of the hypocrisies of these, well in a later time they'd be considered yuppies.* It's mostly about a wife who is feeling neglected who finds herself in too deep. It's a very feminine film. Does she dare wander? What about her child? The husband is a real snore. I guess you could say this is the female version of *The Woman in the Window*. *He's a bad man, yes, but I was surprised by how human he was. Even when he was lying he was still more honest than the others.* He was framing her! She almost killed herself because of it! You like the bad boys. *That's true. She said something strange in the beginning to her roommate when they were talking after the show, about being in a dark corner when she was 15 years old. I couldn't figure out if she had some sad experience with first love or if something like rape had been done. She was very bitter about it.* I think she was saying that was the only time in her life she truly loved a man. Basically saying her adult years have been romantically unkind to her. Ironically, *Hollow Triumph* features the exact same thing. *I agree with all that. I probably wouldn't have seen the comparison to MoW if it weren't for Lee. So I'm thankful to him for that at least. * It's a brilliant comparison.

*Then I'm surprised you didn't go for Oz. But I know it's not got anything for you to latch onto. The protagonist is a little girl and everyone else is eccentric.* I liked Dorothy (Judy Garland), but the rest was just too much for me. Eccentric... yes. *Yes, he was marvelous with Mildred, trying insistently yet delicately to coax her out of her stuffy middle-classness.* I can relate! But I'm not that delicate. *He is young at heart, still the same age as Corie inside. I think that's wonderful. If I hadn't seen it, I would never, ever have supposed Boyer could play such a character. Yet I guess he's not so different from Professor Belinski.* Boyer does play such characters every once in a while, but he's really taking on a "Maurice Chevalier" role. *I was really surprised by a couple of your favorites.* Such as... *Why on earth did you dislike The Arnelo Affair so much?! I really like it.* Boy is that ever soapy. Yuck. *I like John Hodiak's character.* That figures! He's a crooked murderer! Horrible! *That's really good! It makes sense to me, and it gives significance to the roommate's suicide, which I was a little puzzled by. I didn't know why it had to happen. It was rather shocking.* Vicki was so hardened against men. She was only looking to use them. She thought her roommate was foolish to love a man so strongly. And Tommy was burned by his ex-wife, a showgirl. *That's the thing that keeps me with this movie. Without that aspect it would probably be something I'd be indifferent to, since gangster stories don't usually interest me.* And that's where the value of the film lies with me, too. I think *Man of the West* combines two storylines perfectly but *Party Girl* does the love angle better than the "family." The endings are very different, too. The ending to *Party Girl* is laughable.

Howdy, Quiet Gal -- *Wowsa, that is quite a diverse list.. you are always full of suprises, Grey Dude..* I try to mix it up. I'm thankful to be influenced by everyone here. It really has helped me to expand my borders. *The Spoilers* *Would you believe I actually have this movie STILL in the wrapper.. I bought it some time ago.. and just have not been able to remember to get it out (in those few moments I have lately to pop in a movie and watch) SILLY me.. now I need to make a point to watch it if only to try (ha.. like I even could) TRY to catch up with you a bit.* I liked it! I think it's a very enjoyable film. I thought John Wayne was great in the film. And the cast is top-notch. Harry Carey is wonderful. *Since I have not seen a lot on your list, I can't really guess how you liked all of them.. but I think you may have enjoyed these two..* *The Macomber Affair* *My Favorite Wife* I love the ponderous nature of *The Macomber Affair*, but the story and characters hold it back for me. *My Favorite Wife* is a solid comedy. It takes a while to get going, but once Cary Grant is jealous, it picks up. *But not sure how MUCH you liked them compared to the others though... surely better than Bob and Bing (ha)* I like Bob and Bing. I think I'm going to really like them when it's all said and done. *The Wizard of Oz* *GOOD GRAVY!!!!! I am suprised to see it on your list of recently watched movies though.. Had you never seen this one before, Grey Dude??? REALLY?????????????????????????????????* No, I had never seen it before. This was my first viewing. I watched it because it was one of your very favorites. *Wowsa... that is like one of my top 5 favorite films of all time (if I were a list maker.. which as you well know I am not)* See! *Oh me.. Hmm.. The Grey Dude watching THe Wizard of Oz.. Why do I bet that having to sit through all those munchkins and singing/dancing critters and such left you feeling like THIS?? * You got it!

Hiya, Movieman -- *It's hard to put them in order for me since they are so varied.* It's definitely a tough group of films to rank. *I really like "He Walked By Night."* So do I. It's definitely a film ahead of its time. *"My Favorite Wife" is one of my favorite comedies though it slows down a little toward the end.* That's funny, I think it's the complete opposite! I thought the first half was terribly boring, but the second half was pretty good. Once Randolph Scott shows up, it starts to become funny. *"Go West" (The Marx Bros. rather than Keaton's) is fair. Nice climax but little else to go on.* I'm finding out I just like the Marx Brothers. The entire train scene is very good. A tip to Keaton. *Like The Divine Miss G "The Wizard of Oz" is a wonderful film but you can ovredose on it. (It is one of The Bride's favorites.)* I've overdosed on one viewing! *"The Spoilers" I like. The three stars do well together.* I thought it was very enjoyable. John Wayne is terrific in this one. Marlene plays a good character. Randy is stuck playing the unintersting guy. I've never seen Margaret Lindsay any sweeter and cuter, either. I'd say, *The Spoilers* is "Wayne," *Pittsburgh* is "Randy," and *Seven Sinners* is "Marlene." *"Vengeance Valley" is okay but I didn't think it was great.* I wasn't too thrilled about this one. Robert Walker is a big reason why. *"Barefoot" is classic Neil Simon. I don't quite put it above "The Odd Couple" but it's a good piece of work.* I definitely like *The Odd Couple* better, but *Barefoot in the Park* is very cute.

A good evening to you, Denver -- You did exceptionally well in guessing me! You were pretty much right on with most every guess. I'm really impressed. *Here's how I would rank them:* *The Wizard of Oz* *He Walked by Night* *London After Midnight* *The Arnelo Affair* *Barefoot in the Park* *Vengeance Valley* *The Macomber Affair* *Jigsaw* *Road to Singapore* *Go West* *My Favorite Wife* *Shadow of the Thin Man* *Return of the Bad Men* Now there is no way I would have guessed most of that! I would have definitely thought you would have liked the comedies much more than you did. Amazing. *For me, the wild card is The`Wiz. I don't know whether you've seen it a bunch or barely remember it.* I had never seen it before. *I put it squarely in the middle, but think maybe you liked it more than hated it, because it has a kind of nightmare quality to it and some great character actors.* It's the other way. I liked the "sepiatone" parts but not the rest.

Hola, Miss Gun for Hire -- *It was never a huge favorite. I'm not really terribly drawn to the overtly fantastical. Movies like Oz, A Midsummer Night's Dream,* *Alice in Wonderland or any of the modern fantasy flicks are not anything that interests me too much. I need more familiar settings, I think. I'm very prosaic!* Like the south of France is prosaic! I like fantasy. I live in my mind. *My life has changed in just a few years. And it's a woman's privilege to change her mind.* Women! You have changed your mind quite a bit. *Well, I can't say I found him romantic here but he did inject his character with a marvelous joie de vivre. And that's remarkable considering I don't think this was a particularly happy time of his life.* This is true. He really was playing a "joy of life" character. But I think he was doing so with a romanticism. *3. The Arnelo Affair* *6. Barefoot in the Park* *? Go West* *4. He Walked by Night* *5. Jigsaw* *? London After Midnight* *1. The Macomber Affair* *? The Man on the Eiffel Tower* *7. My Favorite Wife* *10. Return of the Bad Men* *8. Road to Singapore* *11. Shadow of the Thin Man* *9. The Spoilers* *2. Vengeance Valley* *12. The Wizard of Oz* You did quite well! You hit four right on the nose! And that was a difficult list to guess. As you all said, it's all over the place. Here's how I liked them: 1. He Walked by Night (M1/J3) 2. The Spoilers (M11) 3. Go West (M6/J13) 4. My Favorite Wife (M3/J7) 5. Barefoot in the Park (M13/J6) 6. The Macomber Affair (M4/J1) 7. Jigsaw (M5/J9) 8. Return of the Bad Men (M8/J11) 9. Shadow of the Thin Man (M9/J12) 10. London After Midnight (M2/J2) 11. Vengeance Valley (M7/J8) 12. Road to Singapore (M12/J10) 13. The Wizard of Oz (M14/J5) 14. The Man on the Eiffel Tower 15. The Arnelo Affair (M10/J4) I also went back and took a look at *Party Girl*. Some things stood out to me. I thought the color red meant both power and a loss of power. I believe Vicki (Cyd Charisse) wears red every time she is with Tommy (Robert Taylor). Her roommate killed herself over a man and we see her in a tub full of bloody water (red). I believe Vicki has fallen very hard for Tommy, just as her friend did for her man. This after Vicki said to her friend, "remember, it's just a man." I also thought Tommy speaking about self-destruction to be very thematic with the film. Both Vicki and Tommy were being self-destructive until they fell in love. Once they are together, it becomes a different kind of self-destructive: sacrificial. Each wishes to improve themselves because of the other. Each is willing to die for the other.

How many of those films have you seen, Jackie? How would you personally rank them?

*I've seen it much, much too often that I'm tired of it. I think it's a brilliant film, though. One of the most imaginative.* I see what you're saying. It's not your kind of film but you think it's a classic. *I laugh so hard at this movie, even though, like Oz, I've seen it so many times I practically have the dialogue memorized and I even auditioned for the lead once in the play. I'm just in less of a mood for young couples starting out. * Your list is from just a few years ago! I should post that list for you again, just so you can see how "fluff" you were! I'd love to see your current top 50. That would be interesting. *It's a wildly funny movie to me, though, and if I were to watch it again now I'd probably push it higher. Mildred Natwick and Boyer make me die, they are so funny. I think it's funnier Neil Simon that The Odd Couple, and that's saying a lot.* ** I'm convinced Charles Boyer can do no wrong when it comes to romance.

Is that how you think I liked the films or how you like them, Little Red Buick?

Wow! *The Wizard of Oz* is at the bottom for you? Now that surprises me. I thought every classic film fan liked that one. And *Barefoot in the Park* is only six?! You had that in your top 50 of all-time! That's why I watched it!

*Frank, I don't know how to rank those new choices at all. They are all over the place.* How many of those films have you seen, Jackie? How do you like them?

How do you you like those films, Fordy Guns?

*She danced for him!* So why was he upset? *boy when you get wrong ideas, you go off the deep end.* I'm always off the deep end. You shove me there! Here's the next collection of films that I have watched. If you (or anyone else) care to guess how I liked them, go for it. And I always wish to know how you (or anyone else) like the films. The Arnelo Affair Barefoot in the Park Go West He Walked by Night Jigsaw London After Midnight The Macomber Affair The Man on the Eiffel Tower My Favorite Wife Return of the Bad Men Road to Singapore Shadow of the Thin Man The Spoilers Vengeance Valley The Wizard of Oz And if you or anyone else has some suggestions for me to watch in the next group, please let me know.

*I think he was celebrating because it was the first time he was happy. He says so in his card to her, and to his manservant.* That's very sweet. And he doesn't match you with manservants. You have an endless supply! *I like how they come together. How he begins by showing up at all her performances. One night, they show him drinking rather heavily but nothing much is made of it. I guess it shows how unhappy he was.* Was she ignoring him? That always makes us guys drink. When we get it bad, we get it bad. *Lee is playing the same guy, yelling at the top of his lungs, surrounded by punks except for the hero. * Lee is always playing the same guy! *Oh, and I almost forgot to mention another Taylor performance I really like, and it's with Ava: Vaquero! A rather interesting little western. Ava doesn't have a whole lot to do, but Taylor's character is interesting, and he's contrasted by another loud mouth, Anthony Quinn.* That's an "Ava" film I've yet to watch. I should make that my next film of hers. It's always good to visit Ava. *There are definitely moments that I like and as a whole, it pleases me. I may even get the DVD one day.* That's because you're a party girl, Vicki!

*He's not my idea of a Scotsman but he's a good foil to her pessimistic character.* Poor Viv. She's such a sweetheart. *Only I never do!* We know better! *Why "oh, no!"?* Three months?! What's that? In today's world that's an accomplishment, though. *Yes, that's Gloria and Cyd.* I don't even recognize her! *Everything became rather typical. It's too bad because I really do like the couple.* They fit each other well. They needed each other. That always makes for an interesting couple. *That's true! I hadn't thought of it but it would actually be a very exciting movie in the theater. I don't think we fully appreciate it on TV.* I'm pretty sure of that. It still doesn't fix the story, but you can be distracted from that. *A crooked lawyer who is crippled, I like that. I never thought before how Farrell's physical state reflected his ethics. Interesting!* It's a good correlation. And your past comparison to *Man of the West* is also a very good one. *I wonder if this movie would get so much praise if the credits read "Directed by George Marshall".* Absolutely not. But Ray does make his imprint on the film with the couple being damaged.

*Yes, it's just a fleeting resemblance, but I've noticed it a few times.* It's when both are older, right? *Yes, all made once he started to be more "seasoned".* That's a good point. I was okay with him in *Waterloo Bridge*, but he didn't have much to do. It's really Viv's film. *My mother grows them, I just like to receive them.* I'm sure you do! *It signals the depth of her involvement with Farrell (Taylor). She receives the roses from him on their three month anniversary, and later that night has dinner in his apartment.* A 3-month anniversary? Oh, no! I do remember the dinner. *I don't know! Gloria looks like she's shoving Cyd off the post or pile or whatever it is. Maybe she had a presentiment that her husband was going to give her a plum part.* That's Gloria?! I didn't even know. *That's it exactly, the characters are where it's at. I don't really understand most of what Rosenbaum said, though he seems to have been very moved by the love story.* I found the love story to be interesting in the first half, but after that, it became rather typical to me. *I do remember the colors, they're very strong and rich but I failed to really see any pattern or symbolism, except as you say, red which seemed linked to Vicky. She wears it when she meets Farrell and again in the final scene.* The reds are shown powerfully in the film. There's no subtlety. They smack you. On the big screen, it would probably make a big impact. From Rosenbaum at DVD Beaver: {font:Arial}3) {font} [{font:Arial} Traquenard{font}|http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews20/party_girl_dvd_review.htm]{font:Arial} (*[Party Girl|http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews20/party_girl_dvd_review.htm]*, *Nicholas Ray 1958). This movie was a cause celèbre at Cahiers du Cinéma in 1960, during that magazine’s golden age. A gorgeous period gangster film with a Chicago setting—-the last stateside studio film that Ray would direct, filmed in CinemaScope, and the only film he ever made for glitzy MGM—it was reviled in most of the French press at the same time that it was being passionately and polemically defended by one of its more extreme critics at the time, who later became a distinguished diplomat, the Iranian-born Fereydoun Hoveyda. Throwing down the gauntlet, he wrote, “**[Party Girl|http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews20/party_girl_dvd_review.htm]* *has an idiotic story. So what? If the substratum of cinematic work was made up simply of plot convolutions unraveling on the screen, then we could just annex the Seventh Art to literature, be content with illustrating novels and short stories (which is precisely what happens to a great many films we do not admire), and hand over Cahiers to literary critics.” But in fact, I regard this movie’s story as far from idiotic. Basically a tragic and touching love story between a showgirl who dances and a crooked lawyer who’s crippled, it costars two of the most wooden actors in 50s Hollywood, Cyd Charisse and Robert Taylor, and Ray manages to get extremely touching and vulnerable performances out of both of them (as well as from costars Lee J. Cobb, John Ireland, and Kent Smith). Unlike the next item on this list, another French PAL release, there are no extras of any kind on this release, so I’m honoring it simply for the sumptuous pleasure afforded by the film’s sounds and images. (A close runner-up—-the Masters of Cinema’s splendid edition of Ray’s [ The Savage Innocents|http://www.dvdbeaver.com/FILM/DVDReviews20/savage_innocents_dvd_review.htm]—-has many wonderful extras.)*{font}