FrankGrimes

*Chris was right,* *The Violent Men is Robinson, not Jimmy.* Oh, okay. *He's not manic in Tribute to a Bad Man, just really tough.* I prefer Cagney that way. *I believe Spencer Tracy was the first choice for the part but something happened and Cagney got the role.* Really? I can't see Spence being really tough. *How about the other movies you watched? I can't even find the list anymore.* **

Had you ever seen *The Woman on the Beach* before, Woman on the Beach?

*Yes, but he did some other great stuff. I like him in* *Tribute to a Bad Man and* *The Violent Men, both westerns.* Now those would be interesting to see. Cagney is showing me he can play it "low," which I really like. *She's after a husband, not after Stanley.* But she turns the lights out in the house when no one is around but Stanley and Stella. *It's a sort of "Peter Lorre character". :)Laughton is interesting in that he can play either very intelligent and crafty or very dull witted.* You're right! It is! And you're also right about Laughton. He can play bigger than life or less than dirt. He's sensational, really.

*Hee! Those jodphurs, too funny.* Jodwhats? *He was one man trying to use tactics you need a mob behind you to succeed.* When you're going up against a mob! *I'd hate for you to see them and think that's the best Cagney can do. He did so many much better films.* But I've been watching his gangster flicks. That seems to be what he's most remembered for, right? *It's not worthy of comment!* That's everything I say! *She's worried about her appearance because she's running out of time...and she knows men run out of interest simultaneously.* But there are no men in the home but Stanley! It's an issue with Blanche. *That's right. I really like Hodiak, he has an odd, outsiderish quality to many of his roles. He rarely "gels" with the group, and it makes him stand out without being loud about things. Perhaps because he was of an immigrant background.* That's really good. You're right, Hodiak does feel like an "outsider." He has a very interesting look. *Good description! It is very enjoyable and I like revisiting it from time to time. It reminds me in tone of the Mitchum films, the less heavy ones, set in some exotic locale. Or movies like The Dark Corner or* *Lady Without a Passport (Hodiak again!).* Yes, *Macao* and *His Kind of Woman* are also films that are similar to *The Bribe*. *Price is great as is Laughton, scurrying around, trying to make a dime any way he can.* It took me a while to get used to Laughton playing such a character. It was very remniscent of *Moontide* and Claude Rains.

*In his early days he chanced a few stuffed shirt characters, believe it or not. After* *Parnell bombed he said no more of that.* I don't think I'll ever see him looking sharper than as the limo driver. *I mean you ought to love the real gangsters if the character is what you like. They are all reaching.* I liked that Harry was ambitious and stupid enough to try and start his own company. He was actually pretty successful, too. He didn't threaten anyone, either. Well, actually, he did threaten Kristo, for he was competition. And he had his father on his side. *Not till the last 30 seconds! It took him longer to die than Custer!* He's a good runner! *Goodness, that's not a very good selection. I only like The Bride Came C.O.D. and* *Torrid Zone (which you won't like). Don't get it, I'd advise.* Those are the only two titles that really interest me. But the box set is cheap, at least. *I literally haven't seen it since I was a teenager, so I can't say how good it really is. To my young eyes it was terrific. I saw the Hepburn version later, and was not as fond of it. Who knows, I might feel the reverse now. All I know is the story is very, very touching.* You saw it 50 years ago?! I'm big on "touching." No comments. *Good grief, you and I see her completely differently. You have some idea she's "Scarlett" and she's not. She's not strong, she's rather weak. She's very smart is all, she has learned unfortunate "tricks" to survive and to keep her illusions alive in a very self-destructive way. I don't believe it's about vanity.* She's hiding in the dark! The light shows the truth about her. It's metaphorical, of course, but I also believe Blanche is worried about her appearance, too. She's very much a delicate creature, and I love that about her. I just don't know if she'd ever get past some things about herself. It seems like it will be a constant battle. But Mitch was willing to protect Blanche. She liked that about him. *Is that laziness or inadequacy?* I don't think it's inadequacy. Lots of lazy people can do things adequately or better. That's not the issue. It's the "want to" that's at issue. *That's good of you to say. :)She is rather sweet. It's funny, they start off showing her in a knock-off of her* *Killers gown, and it seems to suggest she's going to be another Kitty-Kat.* I believe we're led to think she's going to be some nasty girl. The same with her drunk husband (John Hodiak). *How did you like the movie over all? I thought it was very entertaining and has a great cast.* My feelings are the same as yours. It's a fun little film along the lines of *To Have and Have Not*. Loved the cast. It's a very rich cast of characters being played by some of the best. Charles Laughton and Vincent Price are on top of their games. Robert Taylor does a very good job as the rock-solid lead. Ava is a hidden sweetheart. And you come to feel sorry for John Hodiak. Toss in a small little part for Samuel Hinds, and you've got a pretty entertaining film. It's the kind of escapist fare I generally go for.

*What did you think about our dear Ava?* She was quite lovely. She's playing more of a sweet girl who is caught in a trap. I like Ava in all ways.

*No, I don't believe any of that.* But don't you like *Gone with the Wind*, John Ford, Gary Cooper, and John Wayne? Don't you have an endless supply of skillets? That's what Butterscotch told me. Am I not right? Don't you believe me? *Hardly! All I know is if I like it you won't!* That's because you have horrible taste and I don't! *Ha! Believe it or not he did play one in Polly of the Circus. You can cross that one off your list.* I wonder whose bright idea that was. *So you should love gangsters.* *Night and the City* does play like a gangster film, but it's done in a film noir style. *That's the first time I've heard stealing and hitting a woman was doing her a favor!* I meant that he dies! *Felix would have a nervous breakdown. So would I. * That's because you've turned him into a sissy! *What are they?* http://www.amazon.com/James-Cagney-Signature-Collection-Captains/dp/B000MTEFV4/ref=sr_1_4?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1332375301&sr=1-4 *The one I remember liking best has Jane Wyman, Kirk Douglas and Arthur Kennedy. I didn't care for the Katharine Hepburn, TV one. She dominated too much.* Jane with Kirk? Talk about two different personalities. *Women get tired of that, believe it or not. You've no idea the compulsion that is the driving force behind getting a husband for a woman like that. Once it's satisfied, a big change happens, ask any husband! * Baloney! Blanche doesn't know how to relax! But maybe the right kind of guy can push all her buttons. I can't see Mitch doing that. He seems like a lap dog for her. She's looking for a guy to do all her bidding without much give in return. *He was quite industrious about his plan, I think all that deception and play acting took more effort than doing nothing.* I agree. That's Harry Fabian. The lazy part is with doing things on the up and up.

*What did you do with butterscotchie?!* I didn't do anything with her! I told you, she was shot trying to escape. Don't you believe me, Marise? She told me all about you, though. She said you were snippy and a stubborn, wrongheaded mule. She also told me you had horrible tastes in film, drank entirely too much tea, and treated sweet and innocent guys terribly. *After your recent posts, I take it back, you won't like it!* You're supposed to be the one who knows my tastes the best! *I admit though I think it ends strong for Gable, I prefer the first half hour or so the best. After that it drags a bit, once Myrna turns "respectable". * Myrna is almost always respectable! Does Gable play a man of the cloth? *I see, it's a question of worlds. You're right that Norman did become what Harry never had a chance to achieve and that is the big difference.* Right. Norman is the nicer of the two guys... by a lot. But I side with Harry because he's the underdog trying to make something of his life. *I bet she was Norman Maine's biggest fan!* She'd side with Harry! But she'd probably like Norman. I can see him spending time with her. *He was doing her a favor! No comparison.* Harry did the same! *You're a classic movie fan yourself, not on a board writing about guns or wrestling!* But *Night and the City* has guns and wrestling! *I do so like plenty of kids...but not usually in packs. * Plenty of kids makes a pack! I think you should have a sleepover with kids at your place. The kittens would love it. *You might find The Bride Came C.O.D. fun, if you're ever willing to try another 30s comedy. It pairs Bette and Jimmy.* I've been considering getting the Cagney box set. I've been holding off because two of the films seem to be war flicks. *Everyone has said so. Quiet, unassuming and a family man.* Amazing. That's definitely my kind of guy. We could have hung out. *Thank you. My last viewing had me focused more on Mitch (Karl Malden). The Glass Menagerie is another film that features a male character that seems like the possible salvation for the girl, but something goes wrong.* Who stars in that? *Good point about how things would have had to change between them if they'd gone forward. Blanche might have been able to feel good about her real self for the first time, been able to rest like she craved...for real...because finally she didn't have to put on an "act" with a man. But such dreams in TW seldom come true. Lies are deadly.* I get the feeling Blanche would always be an actress. She would always be looking to live up to an image in her mind. *He also wanted, at least initially, the girls' inheritance.* Definitely. But then it became all about getting rid of her. *People haven't changed much. One day you're a headline, and perhaps by evening those headlines wrap a piece of fish. "Failure" is considered a communicable disease in Hollywood.* Very much so. More so in that community than any other, really. *Yes, I mean that Jean obviously didn't think there was much to himself, even though he was young, strong and even attractive. No, what Paul had was what counted, what was "real" to him and what he had to have and become. So it's like you murder yourself when you covet and usurp another man's life.* Jean didn't have the personality and confidence of Paul. He thought poorly of himself and was highly insecure. Not to mention, he was lazy.

How do, Queen of the Furies -- *Ha.. yes. I can just imagine how LONG a movie would have to be to document her 18 years stay there.. Day 1.. slept, ate supper, took a nap. Day 68 Slept, ate supper, took a nap.. Day 792 Slept.. took a nap.. THEN ate supper. (ha) Coulda got a bit monotonous, I imagine.* And I'm one who doesn't like prison flicks, as a rule. *Well.. my Shakespeare is not as good as my Dickens, ha (in terms of what I am familiar with) but my two faves would be MacBeth and Hamlet. I have read both of those (along with about 4 others (in highschool and college) and while I enjoyed them all, those two were the ones I REALLY liked a lot. (though I can't comment on a movie for either much.. I have never seen a film version of MB and have only seen the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet.. which I must confess.. I did enjoy, believe it or not, but doubt you'd dip your toes into that water, Mr. "I only watch the classics" ha) Still. if you liked the intrigue of the backbiting(and/or stabbing) the plotting, scheming, and such.. you'd like both those stories, I am thinking.* You're way ahead of me with all of that. There's nothing literary about me. *OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO----OH good gracious.. you are going to watch OOOOOOOKlahoma??????????? (no way!) :DYou will love Gloria.. (though maybe not.. she is a bit "dippy" in this one.. but still I think you'll like her.. she's very much 'your kinda gal" ha.) I think I will start calling you Ali Hackim instead of "Jud" HA! * Now I'll have to watch it to understand what all of that means! THIS LAND IS MINE SPOILER: *I think this is my absolute favorite role for him.. I am sort of a "new" Laughton fan.. only having recently started enjoying his films (in the last couple of years) I have seen several though.. and have found that he really can play just about ANYTHING (good guy, bad guy.. all points in between) but usually most of his characters are at least a little "outspoken" (if not BOISTEROUS) sometimes even lecherous. But wow.. this Albert Lory is a side of him I have not seen before. Certainly as the hunchback.. he was both pathetic and sympathetic. But in this film.. he was something else altogether.* I completely agree with you. I've seen Laughton play some very interesting characters in the past six months. Just in my last group of films, Laughton played a character I've yet to see from him in *The Bribe*. A rather minor character for him, yet he's terrific. *To watch him at the beginning of the film.. so "bumbling" and repressed even. Rather incapable.. and shy, to the point of being handicapped by his own lack od assertiveness. And yet.. so obviously longing to break free from all that and express the emotions he was feeling (especially toward his co-worker and neighbor and the affection he had for her.. but perhaps with regard to the frustration he felt with his students and his mother as well)* He was the epitome of a coward, in all areas of his life. He didn't have the courage to take a chance, to take a stand, to take charge. I know that feeling! *I could not help but feel he had MUCH more hidden away in him.. and BOY when it came forth.. it just about bowled me over. In fact.. as he was giving his speech (during his final moments in court) he fairly shone as he spoke so freely and started naming names even.. and challenging each person there to stand with him.. or lay down and give up and let the Nazi's win. And then when he bends low.. just to talk with Maureen OHara's character.. as if she were the only one in the room.. he nearly took my breath away.* It's a very powerful speech, made especially so by his tone. It's similar to *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*, just on a broader scale. *By the time he goes back to his classroom and pulls out his book (the one we didn't even KNOW he'd been hiding all along) and started reading to those boys.. he had them all in tears.. and I was crying right along with them. (ha.. in fact I was sobbing so hard.. I had to cover my mouth for fear I was going to wake up the whole house... and I am NOT too embarrassed to admit it here.. ha)* Wow! I don't think I've ever heard you say you cried that much over a movie. *There is so much more to say about this story.. and ALL the other characters.. his mom.. Maureen's character.. Paul.. your sweet George.. and OH that Walter Slezak!! (Again w/ the whole Nazi thing..I think I remember you bringing him up in our OUAH chat. Good gravy, he should NOT be that menacing and evil.. and yet so NICE and polite all at the same time)* *But will stop for now and just say again.. OH that Charles Laughton. Wow* Walter Slezak is wonderful in the film. He's so congenial. I also really liked Kent Smith. Loved his character. But the entire cast is great, really.

Ciao, Spunky -- *Hey thanks for plugging This Land is Mine!* It's a very good film. And I thought the themes in the film were very much in line with Quiet Gal. *I never thought about it that way. It goes hand in hand with envy. "The other guy has it so I want it. Well, I'll show him! He doesn't deserve it anyway..... "* Exactly. Sometimes when a person like Paul goes on and on about how wonderful he has it, you can admire what he has and be happy for him or you can be envious of him, or you can just get sick and tired of his constant talking about himself. Those without such wonderful worlds are always put in a spot with this. Jean was a conniving opportunist. Paul was basically telling Jean where his hidden treasure was buried. *But see, then that weight would be off him and he'd know for sure if Marise loved him. But of course, he didn't want to know that. * Precisely! A lot of us don't want to know the truth. We'd rather go on believing what we wish to believe. *Yeah, we are dealing with that problem right now in our family. My mother in law has someone who has been stealing from her. It broke her heart since that person was a friend and helper to her, smiling and all chummy with her to her face.* How could you do that to your mother-in-law, Jeannie?! I hope she is all right. *Liars think the worst thing in the world would be to be caught and have to tell the truth,* Ding, ding, ding, ding! I know a couple of liars who will immediately turn the tables on you, looking to place you on the defensive. It's never them. *but actually the worst thing is to get away with it and have that burden hanging over your head always. You don't know how weighty it is until you have it lifted away.* Only if you have a guilty conscience. The liars I know feel empowered by getting away with the lies. They see themselves as being brilliant for being able to get away with lies while keeping a certain image. *And I'll tell you right now that when I was younger, I did my own share of lying, mostly to my dad who I thought was too strict, so I know what it's like.* It sounds like you have a guilty conscience. I struggle to lie because I kill myself over it. *I also had a college roommate who was a habitual liar. You have to hate yourself really a lot to lie like she did. So I do feel deeply sorry for them, the psyche that caused them to become that way in the first place, and the neurotic predicament they have caused for themselves, but I have no patience for the actual lying. In fact, I hate it.* The liars I know don't hate themselves. In fact, they think highly of themselves. They became liars as a way to avoid confrontation with an authority figure. They feared the punishment. It's a childhood issue that they have never grown out of. In fact, they've grown more into it. They are now comfortable with the lying, for it's who they are. *But I also think that they have created their own punishment already. Their life is one of always doubting and mistrusting others and that is sad sad sad. They put themselves inside a little box and they can't leave it. it's their own brand of hell.* Now that's interesting. I can see this. To actually go around thinking everyone is lying and cheating because they are does create a horrible kind of existence of distrust. I'd hate it. But I can tell you that I don't trust these people to be honest with me with everything. There's almost always a selfish slant with them. *I liked that it was a french countryside noir! - like Random Harvest meets D.O.A. or something. I mean who puts french peasants in a film noir? :DBut the setting was beautiful and perfect with the fog and the waves and the secludedness of it. Even the town was perfect. Rustic and yet somehow hard to deal with because everyone knew everyone else and their business.* It's very much all of that. It really is like the ghostly films of the 40s that you mention. It's a sub-genre of films that many women really love. I also like them. *I could go into the fact that I really love the ghostly, eerie movies from 1944 up to 1948 or 1949, they are so rich and atmospheric, dealing with death and the dead, and the missing. I would even include non ghost stories, like The Search or The Third Man, which still deal with the effects of war and it's aftermath on the people who survived. But mostly, I like the ghost stories.* I think it's the best era for "haunted" films. It started with *Rebecca* and then went on to films such as *Jane Eyre*, *Dragonwyck*, *The Uninvited*, *Portrait of Jennie*, *The Woman on the Beach*, *Secret Beyond the Door*, etc. *I am a real sucker for a mother love/self sacrifice story. It gets me every time, from Stella Dallas to Frisco Jenny, even to Ladies in Retirement, which isn't exactly a mother love movie, but it's kind of the same thing.* Have you watched *Pilgrimage* yet? *There's one with Kay Francis that I just love too, I just thought of it, it's a remake of a German film. Confession. Another whopper of an ending.* I'll have to check it out. *I guess I like it if the hero goes to the chair at the end of the movie! What does that say about me?* You're a loon! But everyone knows that. It tells me you're stubborn. You like the strength and courage of convictions. It's very "Christ-like." *Yeah, but it makes you want to shower after watching it. Hey you must have seen Barton Fink! Do you like that one?* I do like *Barton Fink*. I like that one. Talk about a psychological mess. *You have GOT to see Topper.* Really? I haven't been drawn to it, expecting something light and fluffy. I'll have to watch it, now. *Stage Door is probably the most well cast movie ever. Every girl has a part to play, and they are all perfect. It's hard not to like it, the way they all fit together like pieces of a puzzle. It's a great movie. I feel that way unreservedly.* It really does feature one of the best casts ever. They really do play off each other so very well. *I guess I just like Norman. He reminds me of John Gilbert a little, who grew up with a horrible mother, a small time actress who abandoned him while she traveled from theatre to theatre. He got carted all over, but when he turned 16 he went and got a job in Hollywood. It was his salvation - I mean he was starving to death. Then he becomes a star, and he burns a few people, not really purposefully, just through his own personality, and suddenly, the thing that he loved, that saved him, turns around and bites him. I don't get the idea that Norman ever had it as rough as Gilbert did, certainly. He seems like he just drifted into it. I also find it interesting that he isn't very good at acting (at least in the scene he does from the movie-within-the-movie that they show), as opposed to Gilbert. Norman to me isn't a jerk, he's just lazy, and has relied on charm for too long. He IS a taker, though. I'm just pretty sure he isn't aware of it, until his eyes are opened with Esther. And then he can see it, but he can't change it. I think this is Fredric March's best role. It's probably the only one he ever did where I am sympathetic to him.* You're right, Norman really isn't a jerk, as I deemed him to be. He's just playing the kind of guy I really don't care for. So why is it that I like Maurice Chevalier's characters but not Norman? *Interesting. Have you seen Young in Heart? I really like that one, not just for Janet, but also for Doug Fairbanks Jr. and Paulette Goddard. It also has Roland Young and Billie Burke of Topper in it.* That's another I've yet to see. The title worries me. *That's very astute. And true of anybody. It's probably worse for stars, they go through it all in public. Can you imagine going out, and people are writing about how much you weigh, or that you have a sagging neckline or something? Sheesh, I might have it, but I don't have to pay attention to it every time I pick up a magazine and see myself in all my glory. Especially if you were the cat's meow in the first place and now you are not. I think of some of those stars though who try so hard to stay looking young and it's almost like it backfires.... Gene Tierney to me looked better in age than a Ginger Rogers, who stayed platinum blonde and heavily made up. Yuck. I don't even like talking about this subject, I find what I wrote just now distasteful. Where's the shower??!!* I can't imagine living such a public life where your appearance means more than who you are as a person. We're such a vain society. *he IS sneaky. and youre right, he does frame extremely well. I noticed a shot in Frisco Jenny that was right out of Safe in Hell - Wellman's faces - all these lowlifes, and he pans across from face to face, each more disreputable than the next. But he doesn't really have a visual style, at least not till he gets to the b & w pictures in the late forties and early fifties. But then he switches over to color again, and that look is gone. I just like how he is speedy, clipped, and to the point, and yet, he isn't afraid of silence, or the long look with no words. He's probably the most straightforward of the famous directors.* "Straightforward." That's good. Wellman usually does get right to it. I also think he values faces, just as John Ford does. The moments I always remember with Wellman have to do with faces. I can't believe he directed *A Star Is Born*. That doesn't seem like him. *I don't know. Maybe it IS the preachy part of it for me too. I don't think it's nearly as deep as TRT. There is something about it that seems left unfinished.* I'm not that big on redemptive endings. They can be too much for me. I greatly prefer the ending to *The Roaring Twenties*. *Well, that is quintessential Cagney. So it's all uphill from here for you. His thirties movies are mostly like Angels with Dirty Faces.* I hope not! Oh, you mean his character. *It's impossible not to like him. Personally, my next favorite is G-Men, if you can get over the lame introduction which the studio tacked on about how they didn't want to glorify the gangsters. This one is pure Jimmy, all personality, but this time he's on the right side of the law.* That will be the next gangster film I watch. *Picture Snatcher, he Mayor of Hell and The Crowd Roars are also favorites from that time. And someday, you really HAVE to see Yankee Doodle Dandy, and The Strawberry Blonde. Not to mention Love Me or Leave me.* *Yankee Doodle Dandy* ?! Are you trying to kill me?! I'll definitely come back and haunt you!

Hola, Miss Gun for Hire -- *Look out for long black gloves!* They're gone! Don't you believe me, Marise? *Frank, have you seen it? You might like the pairing of Gable and Powell with Myrna in the middle. It's not your kind of movie all the way, but the ending is good.* No, I've yet to watch that one. I'm looking to get the box set it's in, but it hardly ever drops in price, now. *Gee you pick the strangest guys to detest or root for! So why is Norman so bad but Harry Fabian is such a great guy?! You're crazy.* Look who you're talking to! Of course I'm crazy! Norman was a big-shot and Harry is an underdog. They are the exact opposites in where they are in life. Norman's with the guys who would spit on Harry. And when Harry finally does make it, they have to snuff him out. *Norman at least made lots of people forget their cares with his movies, what did Harry ever do?!* The old lady with the flowers liked him! She was one of the real folks. *And Norman hated being a moocher off of his wife's fame, Harry had no problem taking---and slapping her---from Gene!* Norman was just as selfish as Harry, just in different ways. Norman didn't slap his wife, he just rather be dead! Awful! *The movie star side, the diva side, is a feminine world. Escapism, Romance, appearances, et al. are what make that world go and you don't care for any of that.* You hit the nail on the head. And me, too! I completely agree with your assessment. I do find such interests to be much more "feminine." The entire idea of dress-up and make-believe is more "female" to me, and that's the world of entertainment. *I like this movie for Cagney's character and seeing him with Ann. I never thought before but the story is only interesting to me because it forces Cagney's reactions one way or another. I admit the kids I can do without.* You don't like any kids! And I did like Ann Sheridan in this one. She can be hit or miss with me. *Frank, I take back recommending Dead End. That was the one that gave the Bowery Boys their start. You may handle them better there, though, I don't know. There are more leading characters to take the emphasis off of them.* If they are in the background, there's a better chance I'll be able to look past them. They are in my dirty face in *Angels with Dirty Faces*. *I love 30s Cagney. He's so fiery, so full of pep. He's like Bette Davis was. They remind me of each other, just different styles. Both had this mind boggling energy that the screen can't seem to contain, they bounce off the sides of the frame. Neither of them could even cross a room like a normal person, they sort of plowed their way across. I always thought the way John Wayne pushed through the cattle in Red River was just how Cagney would have done it, only he was shorter. * I like your comparison of Jimmy and Bette. I can definitely see the similarities. *Have a look here, they relate to Angels with Dirty Faces.* Those were wonderful! I loved seeing Pat break up over Jimmy. And I didn't know Cagney was an introvert. He sounds like my kind of guy. *Mitch, on the other hand, reacts just as extremely when he hears the truth (about Blanche), but in his case, I see hope that he'd eventually accept it. I see his reactions as being typical, especially of a man who has kind of placed women on a pedestal, women like he thinks Blanche is (a lady). If Stanley hadn't driven the wedge between them, I think Mitch would have come around eventually.* This is frightening. I'm actually agreeing with you too much. I believe you are right on it with Mitch. Your words about his placing Blanche on a pedestal are perfect. It's one thing for a guy to have a thing for a lass, but to then place her high up on a pedestal, that's where the truth is going to matter more. When Mitch finds out Blanche is not the lady she makes herself out to be, it crushes him. To play like you are prim and proper when you are not isn't going to wash well. But, having said that, I feel Mitch is crazy about Blanche and those feelings don't go away that easily. He's been shocked by the truth, but that shock will wear off, and his real feelings will once again come back around. The tough part is Blanche can't play the prim and proper with him. That's not going to fly anymore. *Blanche definitely doesn't wish to hurt anyone. I agree Mitch didn't give her a hearing of her side, and he totally over-reacted. But Stanley made sure that Blanche knew she'd lost him, that there was no chance for them. He fanned the flames of Mitch's prejudices. I think there was a chance, if there had been time for Mitch to cool down and reflect and no one interfering. What Stanley does is devilish and purely for his own ends. He's quite Machiavellian in his own, crude way.* Stanley only wants what Stanley wants. He wanted Blanche out of his house. He didn't care who got hurt, so long as she was out of his house. So he ends up hurting everyone to do it. *You can be totally honest and frank with people like Stanley, and they only use the truth against you. They couldn't begin to understand the courage it takes to face the truth. Can Stanley face the truth that he will ultimately lose everything because of his selfishness and meanness? No way. He thinks he's a king. His hero is Huey Long. People like Stella help him feel that way, too. After all, he's very stimulating in a way, you can feed off of his energy for a while...but you have to pay with blows.* He's the ultimate "bad boy." *Norman is harmless, it's just he made a life out of dreams, play acting, not even really serious about being an actor, just a "star". That's just setting himself up for hurt, and like Blanche, he can't face seeing a fragile world he built come apart. When it falls apart so does he. He also let the world into his private life, and that's the saddest aspect of him, to me. He didn't exist even to himself except as a star.* That's exceptional! How horrid this is! There is no substance with Norman. He really is just a "star." He's really a fictional creation more so than a human being. *I agree! The doggies are just taking food to survive, Jean was coveting another man's life, wife and very identity and that is never right or healthy. It sort of is like saying you don't count or exist, only the other person and what they have counts and so you must take it to live. That's heavy!* What you said, in a round-about way, fascinates me. We all suffer through "Jean." So many of us are wanting to be someone else and live someone else's life. Some of us openly do this by altering who we are physically or by lying to ourselves. Some of us just secretly long to be different than who we are.

I'll be the third person to recommend *The Red House*, Jackie. I think you'll find it to be very intriguing. Like *Desire Me*, it's on the creepy side and it definitely fits into the haunted 40s that you like. Not many films feel like *The Red House*. You could say it's a backwoods *Rebecca*.

Ciao, Little Red Buick -- *Hilarious. That movie is hilarious. I would have thought Grimes would love it, the way that crime does pay.* That's the part of the film I liked the very most. I really enjoyed the final ten minutes. *But at least it would be real. I mean, how can you take someone else's love, and hide yourself completely in another man? He must have been heartily sick of Paul, but he couldn't shake his shadow off himself once he used him to get to Marise.* He's a thief. He has to steal everything. And sometimes it's not about how you get something but that you get it. Lie, steal, cheat. *I knew he would have to try to kill him. But the easier thing to do would have been to confess to Marise, and open up. But he couldn't, because he had no faith. No faith in others or in himself.* The easier way out is to eliminate the problem. Being honest is difficult and can create even bigger problems. *Liars always think everyone else is lying to them.* That's very profound and deadly accurate. I have a couple family members who are big-time liars and they immediately think others are lying and cheating. Why? Because they are. I also know someone who is amazingly honest who thinks others are just as he. *I know - he walks a fine line, and only realizes he has let himself show through after he is sharp, and sees her reaction to his bitterness. I thought he was going to give it away every time he opened his mouth!* I know! He can't contain the real him. He's a cruel phony. *That scene where he lost the letter...I was on the edge of my seat! It was funny his going back to pick it up, the one incriminating thing and he has to keep a hold of it. Better to have lost it. Some of the suspense in the movie came from Jean, which is unusual, you find yourself almost rooting for him to get the letter, and yet, you dislike him. It's interesting how they play with your fears and emotions in this movie.* That's terrific! You're right, that really is a suspenseful moment. Are we rooting for him to get it back or are we wondering if he'll get caught? We feel sorry for Jean until the real him emerges. But the entire idea of his worming his way into a lonely woman's life via her "dead" husband's lovely words about her and his home is super creepy. *Or fans of noir films expecting a different setting and leading lady.* No, it seemed more like they were the Greer or "MGM" kind of fans. Film noir fans should find it interesting because it really is messed up. *I thought it was quite good, a mix of woman's picture and noir, leaning heavily toward noir.* I completely agree. I love the feminine side of the film, the question of when to move on from your love. And I love the dark side (film noir) of the film. *Where is Butterscotchie????* She's dead, Jackie. She was shot escaping the camp. I saw it happen. *I agree the middle is just a big leap to the end, all scrapbooking.* "Scrapbooking"! That's an excellent way to describe it. *I never thought of Diary of a Lost Girl! That's great! I just liked that she did what she had to do for her kid, and then it came back around to bite her.* Exactly. It's heart-wrenching. And the almighty kind of words her son uses to tear her down without knowing a damn thing is fantastic. It's a very heavy-handed message, but one that I love. *It is a good ending, I like brave endings - Angels with Dirty Faces is another brave ending. Cagney is Frisco Jenny!* They are very similar endings! They both go out with the idea of protecting others. *That entire last 10 minutes is riveting, where she goes back and forth trying to decide whether to tell him or not.... whew! She's great.* And I'm glad she doesn't. That makes the ending stick with you more. *I love The Player, but talk about cynical!* Tell me about it! It's as cynical as they get. It's a very clever film. Just the idea a writer gets bludgeoned to death by a producer is classic. I also loved how everyone sells out in the end. *Oooh! I have to think about what one you might want to start with. NOT What Price Hollywood, I think! You must have seen Topper, no?* No, I've never seen *Topper*. And I'm a huge Grant fan. *Ha, both of them are writers. Notice how writers are looked at in the movies. YIKES.* They are basically the agents (publicists) of today. *Bombshell is a good one! Stage Door too. Bombshell is more of a flat out comedy, and Stage Door has real innocents up against those cynics.* I agree with that. *Stage Door* plays with you. It starts off as a comedy, but it turns real serious. I like the comedy and romance of *Bombshell*. *I think maybe you felt manipulated watching All About Eve and A Star is Born. Maybe the direction of those two is too... tight... too... concentrated on a particular subject that the director wants to get across? They are both more bombastic than Bombshell or Stage Door. In Stage Door, there are far more sympathetic characters, in All About Eve and A Star is Born, the main characters have artistic flaws that make it hard to sympathize with them.* I think you're on to it. I do not like Norman Maine, the character. He's a self-absorbed jerk. Then he hits the skids and now we're to feel sorry for him. *All About Eve* is also dominated by a character that I'm not crazy about. But, again, I think it's the environments that are the biggest problems for me. I do not like those worlds. *oh yeah. So what is it about the Hollywood or Broadway stories that puts you off? Is it that it seems shallow?* I believe you are right. It's the self-importance and vanity of it all. I could care less about stars. Oh, I have my favorites, but I would never wish to meet them unless they took an interest in me. I'm not going to fawn over them. I'm not into the "behind the scenes" unless it's directorial. That fascinates me. But stars just don't do it for me. That's why biographies don't interest me one bit. But I know I'm in the minority on this board with such thinking. Heck, I'm in the minority in our culture! *I wonder why not in this one? Did you feel she was playacting, or it was not the right part for her" I;m really curious what the difference is. She's still innocent, but more adult in this one.* She seems muted in *A Star Is Born*. She's vibrant and "take charge" in *Three Loves Has Nancy*. I'd say the former is Fredric March's film whereas the latter is more Gaynor's. *He's left floating in some ways, he kind of reminds me of Blanche Dubois, dependent on the kindness of strangers, and unable to get out of the rut he's in. I can see how he might not be sympathetic, "Just get up and go out there, get a job, man!" it doesn't matter if you are leading man or not. But he reads between the lines too much.... he sees that he is not really wanted, and that Menjou is just giving him a break. Instead of taking it gratefully, he only sees the charity, the uncomfortableness of everyone around him. It breaks my heart, as shallow and selfish as he's been, he's stuck seeing the worst of himself and can't get out of it. I still don't think he deserved all the backbiting and the sarcasm from Libby and all the others who now are just waiting to kick him. It makes me cry like a baby when I watch the movie.* Oh, really? I did feel sorry for Norman, but then I didn't, too. But it really is tough for a person to go from the top of the heap to "one of the players." It's not easy. And if you possess a huge ego, it's damn near impossible. Once you taste success, it's hard to accept anything less. And this is one of the greatest issues with aging. The loss of who you are is very tough. Knowing it's "no more" with things is difficult. *What did you think of the film-making techniques? Was there anything that jumped out at you? For instance, I just love the tight way Wellman fashions his scenes, he's very clipped, and I like the way he draws us into the characters - for instance, the scene where Norman and Esther have been out after he grabs her from the kitchen of the Hollywood party? How Wellman comes in on Esther's face as he's saying goodnight to her? the shadow of Norman's face hides half of Esther's face, and we are just to look at her eye, looking at him, and we see she's smitten? It's a lovely shot, it tells everything. They are in love, deeply, he for the first time, she for the first time. They are becoming one. And also, by using only Norman's shadow, we are to focus on Esther, and HER feelings. It's her movie. We follow her. It's a scene I really like, but the movie has all sorts of simple touches, nothing outrageous, nothing to distract from the overall feel of the film, but little things - Esther coming home to find Norman alone, he says he's been busy, but there is a shot of Esther looking down and she sees the pile of golf balls and the cup on the floor and she knows he hasn't done anything all day.* I did like how the scenes of Esther and Norman finally coming together are shot. Those were well done. I really haven't found Wellman to be visually interesting as other directors, but I think it's because he's more subtle. He's kind of sneaky. I believe it's his framing where he's best. *That's very true, I completely agree with that. I am lucky to have a husband who does show me he loves me in different ways. It's just being ignored by people who seem less intelligent than I am that bugs me!* The loving husband trumps all. You're way ahead of the game. I know that doesn't make discussing your life to other women any easier. But the ultimate feeling for you is to feel loved and appreciated by those who really matter the most to you. You can't top that. Of course, this is coming from someone who doesn't give a darn about money, power, and prestige. I'm a family man. *She is, if I do say so myself. And it has nothing to do with me!* I know better. From what you've said about your daughter, there's a lot of "mom" there. *I think it's more important to show it, rather than to say it all the time. After a while, the saying doesn't mean much. And sometimes the saying of it makes one seem needy. It's more about you than about the other person.* No matter if it's shown or said, it has to be felt. If someone makes you feel good, they are doing something very right by you. *Ah! You hated Pat O'Brien! I get it.* I don't hate him. I thought Pat was very good. But the film is sermonizing. That bothers me. *I must say after watching it again, I found him to be the weak link.* I was very fine with Pat, actually. He was playing his role. I didn't like the sermon and the Dead End Kids. It drove me nuts whenever they were on the screen. I was hoping Cagney would whack them! *BTW, I loved the Bowery boys, or Dead End kids.* They were too much for me. *This movie though always came in ranked lower than The Roaring Twenties. It's funny, I never liked this one as much.* Why not? *But Cagney is wonderful. He's a lot darker, more unthinking in this one though, and that part I really like. He's not as sympathetic, he's just plain charisma! I can't blame the kids for being drawn to him.* I actually thought Cagney was more human in this one. And I'm not talking about the end. In the other films I've seen him in, he seemed possessed. It was all about his obsessions. I didn't see him as being this in *Angels with Dirty Faces*. He seemed rather relaxed, smooth, and cool. I liked Cagney in this one. I think he's more fascinating in *The Roaring Twenties* because of where he ends up, but I actually like the kind of guy he's playing in *Angels with Dirty Faces*.

*Well, again, not sure how totally objective it was.. but what I was reading was matching up pretty well with the plot. Though the biggest difference was at the end.. according to one thing I read.. Mary was imprisoned for like... I think it was 18 years before being executed. (did not seem to be that long in the film) and there were some other details that were different.. but the basic plot was all pretty much the same as what I found online.* Yeah, she doesn't seem to get to live that long. But I'm sure it would have been boring to see her imprisoned. The film loses its dramatic effect then. *That is a good comparison. It did have a very "Shakepearean" feel to it.* I'm gonna have to actually watch some Shakespeare. Read? Ha! *Aww man.. now I am going to have to go get some toothpicks to hold my eyes open so I can stay up and watch it.* You don't have to watch it now! *Five seconds in and I am already HOOKED. To quote Indiana Jones.. 'Nazis.. I HATE these guys".* *But somehow the films that I have been watching lately seem to have them getting their comeuppance.. though I wonder from what I read of the synopsis on the TCM database if that will be the case here or not. It DOES look like one I need to see. (oh.. not to mention that my sweet Maureen is in it.. not one I ever heard of for her. Will be interested to see how she fits in to the story. Will be watching soon (if not tonight)* Jackie is the one who pushed me to watch it. It's a favorite of hers. It's a really good film. I'm positive it will strike the right chord with you. Maureen is very strong-willed, as usual, but she's not as "loud" in the film. She's lovely, which is a theme I value. *To borrow from my favorite song from Oklahoma.. (ha..) "The daisies in the dell will give off a different smell.. because poor FRANK (not Jud) is buried in the ground." * That film is actually coming up for me. It's time. I need some Gloria.

*Aw come on.. Francis is always fun.. but hey.. where's the love for Edna May? She MAKES that movie for me. ha. I can't say that this is my favorite Fordie EVER.. but I do enjoy it. I was glad to have caught it.* I definitely liked Edna May in the film, too. She's the second best aspect of the film for me. *I DID make it. And you can add me to the list of fans. I found it fascinating.* Wow! That's rather rare, especially for those who like Ford. *So much so in fact that I sat here with my new toy (ha.. we got a very (VERY) good bargain on a laptop with part of our tax refund) and googled around about her history as I was watching. The film seemed to stick (at least for the most part) with what I was finding (in terms of her bio) but really I don't know for sure how objective it was in terms of history. But it seemed close to what I found.. anyway.* Oh, yeah? I had no idea how close to her life the film came to be. *It was all very interesting how they were really just all servants to their station in life (even more than the SERVANTS likely were) After Mary's husband leaves (to protect her throne) and she finds out her brother lied.. I imagined at that moment she wished her last name could be ANYTHING but Stuart. Anyway.. I thought Katherine Hepburn was very compelling. I wouldn't rate it as high among fave Fordies as you do.. but still am very glad to have had the chance to see it.* I loved all the back-stabbing. I loved her speech at the end. It was all rather Shakespearean to me. *I will check into it sometime (since you seem to be better at guessing me, than I am at guessing you.. ha. OH how I hate to admit THAT!) * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quGgsQW0wAY I think you'll go for it. I believe it hits on some themes you really like and value. *Oh bruddah.. sweet and innocent. YEAH sure.. tell me ANOTHER one. Ha. * I'm in the cow pasture!

*Not yet.. but just wait until I get that new high powered nail gun I am thinking of buying to add to my arsenal. * More weapons?! I thought you already had every possible weapon! *It does surprise me you did not like it more.. especially considering her "feistiness". But I do confess.. she was wrong-headed too. (even more than Mary Kate.. ) And her wrong headedness was REALLY wrong because it put her on the wrong side of the war. But I imagine you had more of an issue with the mixed 'storyline" Is it a comedy.. is it a war drama.. is it a suspense film?" It does mix it up a lot.. but I liked it that way (sort of the same deal with that Grant/Rogers movie I liked a few months ago) Not your USUAL way to treat a Nazi spy story.. but somehow it all worked for me.* I think you may be right about the mixing of genres. But I do love Hitch's mixing of the different genres, but maybe it's because I prefer Hitch's style. I also had fairly high expectations for the film and I believe that hurt it with me. I wanted it to be something it wasn't. I do think the film is on the level of some of Hitch's 30s flicks, though.

*I am glad to have caught it again. It was a lucky break for me tonight to get to see Drums Along the Mohawk earlier too.* Noooooooooooooooooo! Blech! I'm not that big on that film. But it's the film where I love Francis Ford the most. I usually like Francis in everything, but I especially like him in *Drums Along the Mohawk*. *I am such a dope about looking at that schedule. I had no idea it was a '30's Fordies kinda night tonight. I am going to try and stay awake long enough to see Kate in the next one up (that is one I have not seen before)* Did you make it? I'm actually one of the few who really likes *Mary of Scotland*. It's #17 on my Ford list whereas *Drums Along the Mohawk* is #32. *The Whole Town's Talking* is #23, by the way. *Those "Elder-cherries" can pack QUITE a kick, can't they? ha. * That's clever! *I will have to check out the son. I will take a closer look at the list of his films, but none of them are jumping out for me as ones I am familiar with. Will check into the titles you mentioned.* I believe you'd really like *This Land Is Mine*. That's a film you'd really appreciate. *Pleasant dreams, Mr. Grey.. I will make sure you are GOOD and "out" before Teddy yells "CHARGE" and comes to get you. * Such violence! I can't believe how violent you gals can be! Especially with such sweet and innocent guys like myself.

*It's nice to have more friends in the Jean Arthur Fan Club.* She's absolutely wonderful. I don't think anyone played the "sweet girl" any better.

*And...... (drum roll please) my perfect track record is STILL in tact! (break out the Elder-* *Cherries") * I like that! I always think I'm an easy one to peg. *I See a Dark Stranger* is an enjoyable film. It was all right with me. But everyone else seems to really like the film in comparison to me.

*I think Frank definitely needs to see this one. I am almost 100% sure he will like it (eye roll at how I am just asking for trouble here).* You're right, you're in trouble. More like, I'm in trouble! I watched it at the end of last year. I thought it was all right. I thought it was on the light and breezy side and I was hoping it would be something more. It's on the level of *Dark Journey* for me, but I prefer Conrad to Trevor. I do like Deborah but I prefer Vivien in these kind of films. I like Deborah when she's heavier. I'm definitely in the minority on this board with *I See a Dark Stranger*. It seems like most everyone really likes the film.

*Wowsa.. I knew it had been a while since I saw this one.. ha. But I did not recall how long. But I am SURE I watched it before TPOSI (because I do recall when we talked about it.. so I imagine it was long before that when I told you I thought you ought to check this one out. HA.. for once I had you pegged (about liking a movie) and I didn't even KNOW it! * You were right! It's a cute film with a suspenseful ending. *I am enjoying getting to see sweet little Edward G all over again in this one. He gets to be nice as pie and mean as can be all at the same time (literaly, ha) And Jean is always fun, too.* And I'm sure he loved being able to play such different characters at the same time. *All true. Oh me.. How can it be?? First you tell me you LIKE a film that I like too.. and now this. Have I fallen into some sort of whacked out alternate universe where we actually AGREE with one another? ha. Say it ain't SO! * What did you put in my Cherry Coke?! *Well, you'll have to get back to me on that one, because the only Renior that I am familiar with is an artist HA.. I just took the kidling to the Nelson Art Gallery in KC (for a Spring Break excursion) and we actually saw one of his paintings there yesterday. I am sure I have heard of the filmmaker by the same name somewhere along the line.. but can't place any of his work.* That's his father. I really like *The Woman on the Beach* and I also liked Jackie's flick, *This Land Is Mine*. I need to see his "biggies" from the 30s. I actually got two of his films for Christmas and I'm looking to watch them very soon. *Well.. you DO have a point THERE.. ha. But fortunately for me, I don't HAVE a basement. So I'd have to help Teddy find Panama.. maybe in somebody's cornfield or cow pasture.. we DO have a few of those around here in my neck of the woods, don't you know. * I'd probably feel right at home in a cow pasture. I'm off to sleep. What was in that drink? Have a good night, Quiet Gal.

*Well honkity honk! ha. The last I remember talking about this film (though I do admit it was SOME long time ago) you had NOT seen it. You've been holding out on me. ha. And yes.. I DO like it. Glad to hear you had the good sense God gave a goose... to like it too. * I watched it right before *The Prisoner of Shark Island*. I also watched *Impact* right before it. This would be 2010. I probably didn't talk about it on the board. I would watch many movies back then and just talk to a snippy lass about them. Now I actually list all of the classic films I watch. I pretty much like Jean Arthur in everything and I really enjoyed seeing Eddie G. playing such contrasting characters. Ironically, he would come to play the meek man in the 40s. *The Whole Town's Talking* is just a fun a little gangster comedy. Ford's ability to make so many quality films in so many different genres in the 30s is remarkable. I think he's the best director of the 30s, at least of the ones I've seen. Jean Renoir is the one I feel could challenge him, but I haven't seen his films just yet. *(and PS: Eldercherry Coke.. hmmmmmm) * Who would want me buried in their basement?!

*Yo! Grey Dude.. last minute notice, I know. But if you aren't watching or taping already.. The Whole Town's Talking is on as we speak.. just getting started. (a fun Edward G and Jean Arthur Fordie. )* I've seen that one, Silly Goose. I like it! Do you? And if you're going to get me with elderberry, you'll have to tell me it's Cherry Coke.

*He was a creep! He just liked to manipulate people. He maipulated Marise, but I think it was out of fear that she would leave him.* You're right, he's a manipulator. He has to deceive to make someone love him, so he thinks. Lots of insecurity. *I wonder what would have happened, had he come to her and told her about himself - I mean really about himself. I bet she would have felt bad for him and he would have had someone he really could be free with. But he was completely untrusting of human nature, even with her.* I believe you're right on it. He didn't have the self-confidence to be himself. Paul was extremely comfortable with who he was, but Jean was an impostor with himself. Could Jean ever be loved by Marise to the level Paul is? Probably not. He would always be the replacement, even if he was honest and true. I like the scenes when the real Jean is coming out. He's short-tempered and cruel. Marise is taken aback by this, for she's been shown a wounded man. She feels Jean is similar to her and that they can comfort each other. *I do too. He wanted her to feel sorry for him, not love him.* Yes, exactly. *I think she put it best at the end, she was in a fog, and it didn't matter anymore without Paul. So she just fell into it. Jean wanted her so she just ambled along with him in a daze. Nothing really mattered. I think she cared for Jean as she would a stray dog.* Thats' good! I do see her being motherly more so than a lover. I think she saw the two of them as survivors who needed to tend to each other's wounds. *I don't know if I could have taken the suspense if we hadn't had that opening monologue of Paul's. Maybe they previewed it and it was too suspenseful? But then, it was set up from the beginning as a memory piece - I did like that the way they went back and forth in different people's memory - first Paul's, then Jean's. That felt right. And then they waited until we had some doubt about Paul coming back before they inserted the shot from the concentration camp with Paul getting shot, but then getting back up after he supposedly died in the water.* Yes, I liked all of that. I liked seeing the liar's version of the truth and then the truth. I read the history of this film is a bad one. Even today's viewers don't seem to like the film. I'm guessing they are Greer fans who are expecting a different kind of film. *I see! Yes, they travel through time without any depth. Now I understand.* We spend a nice amount of time developing the story in the beginning and the end (in court and prison) but the middle, where all the heavy stuff happens to Jenny (Ruth Chatterton), is told in ten minutes. But I will say, the film did remind me some of *Diary of a Lost Girl*. It's just that film spends more time showing Thymian's (Louise Brooks) life travels. The ending to *Frisco Jenny* is similar to that of *Safe in Hell*. *One reason I liked this one so much was Ruth Chatterton's performance. She's quite a different woman from Fran. I think she's pretty great in this one too, in some ways softer than her other pre-codes where she is usually a business woman. I saw something real in her as Jenny, not just the 30's arch bantering and posturing.* I agree. I thought she was very good in *Frisco Jenny*. I greatly prefer her performance here compared to *Dodsworth*, where she's playing the character to be easily disliked. *Interesting. Maybe it was just an off night, or maybe you just don't buy into that Hollywood thing.* You hit on it. You're really on fire today! I'm not big on the Hollywood/stage scene. That bores me and annoys me. I really don't like films such as *All About Eve* and *The Bad and the Beautiful*. And I just watched *The Player* for the first time a week ago and I wasn't into that until the final ten minutes. One "stage" film that I do like is *Stage Door*. *Have you seen What Price Hollywood with Constance Bennett yet?* No, I haven't. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a "Connie" flick. *I find the 1937 A Star is Born really humorous in a lot of ways, snappy and very, very cynical. This one is about as cynical as it gets, except for maybe George Sanders in All About Eve, another movie you didn't care for much.* Lionel Stander (good ol' "Max") is basically "George Sanders" in *A Star Is Born*. I like Lionel, but he gets to be too much. I just thought of another "behind-the-scenes" film that I like: *Bombshell*. *You don't like cynical I think.* Film noir! *I at turns like the cynical lines, and abhor the cynicism in the characters that drives the movie. That's why I find it so appealing I guess.* I tend to be the same way, actually. I laugh at the jerks but I hate who they are. *I do like Janet Gaynor, more and more, but you have to know that in acting, playing innocent is harder to do that than any other kind of performance. It's almost impossible to make it believable.* I just saw Janet in *Three Loves Has Nancy*, and I really liked her a lot. She's basically a "poor woman's Jean Arthur." She's on the cute, regular girl side of the aisle. And I like those girls. But in *A Star Is Born*, she just didn't do anything for me. *Something about the film catches at me, it really pulls my heartstrings. I feel for Norman so much, a man who has ruined his life, wasted it, and now he has something to live for, but it's too late.* Perfectly said. *I have a question - do you think that it was really too late for him, or did he just convince himself it was?* It was too late for him in being the main attraction. Those days were over. He would have to take on supporting roles. No more top credit. Meanwhile, his wife was now the top star in the family. He was "Mr. Lester." Stardom is always fragile, and those who live for it are vulnerable to dying from it. *He was the kind of man who probably got into the movies because he couldn't do anything else... and now he's faced with bowing out of the business, but he has no reserves to fall back on.* I agree with that. Your comparison to *All About Eve* is very apt. It's really about one's time in the spotlight and how aging takes that away more than declining talent. Norman was like a child. Once you grow up, you lose so much. You are forced to deal with some tough realities. He wasn't equipped to do so. *I can understand this. I've never been driven at anything except acting. My jobs were always just to earn money, not something I loved.* You're not the only one! I've never had ambition. Everyone else is out to do something or prove something and here I am floating. *I want to get back to work, but I realize my skills are not partcularly marketable at this point, and I don't really want to go back to just anything.... I am selfish in that way. That's the trap, and I keep going around and around about it, ending with me doing nothing at all.* You're an easy one, actually. I'll explain. *It's sad and I do feel like Norman sometimes, like I'm not worth anything in the world without a job. People act like you are an idiot if you are a housewife, and you begin to believe it.* You wish to be appreciated and valued. All you need is to feel this way and to be told this. Lots of people believe you are to "know this." That's not good enough. You need to be told and reminded. Not just once every year. Many times in different ways. If you were to feel this way, then what others think wouldn't matter nearly as much to you. Personally, I prefer the housewife, especially if you have a child. I'd want my wife to watch over our child. That's a very important job to me. Now if she needed to work for her own sense of self-worth, for money, for social, or for her sanity, I'm all for that, too. But I'm not that keen on the moms who don't really mother. The ones who throw the kids in daycare, clubs and programs, microwave, television, etc. Blah. Now if she's a single mom, all bets are off. That's a whole different world full of different stresses. As for you, you must be pretty darn awesome because your daughter sounds absolutely adorable. I'd say women, more so than men, need to be reminded how wonderful they are. If a man does that enough with his woman, he's going to benefit from it. Unless they're snippy! *I can't believe you hated the end!* I hate sermons!

*You really nailed Richard Hart in this movie- annoying desperation. He was perfectly cast, I hated him, and I felt sorry for him at the same time. He simply couldn't help himself, and you can't blame him for grasping at this life that seemed out of his grasp up until then.* I thought he played the perfect creep. Everything about him was uneasy, yet, like you said, you kind of felt sorry for him. *And yet, he put himself in that spot... I couldn't help thinking if he had been kinder to the priest and the villagers, it might have gone better for him. Some people make themselves miserable, then put the blame on society for being standoffish. He wanted love and unconditional acceptance, but he pushed it away with both hands. He didn't expect the villagers to like him and they didn't which re-affirmed his contempt for them which put them off further.* I think the real Jean was the one who acted like a jerk to the village. He was playing a role with Marise. I guess we all put on an act when we're trying to impress someone, but he was truly putting on an act, in this case. I just loved how creepy the film felt. It's really messed up. I liked how it showed the vulnerability of loneliness. Does Marise really love Jean or does she love Jean because he was around Paul? *Frank, I hope you will join in here, I watched the movie on youtube because it was on your list, and it intrigued me that you liked it.* Awwwww, that's sweet. I was stunned that I liked it. It's definitely a film noir. That shocked me. *I wonder whether the studio added the prologue in which it was given away that Mitchum survived, after the movie was made... it was awfully suspenseful even so.* You could be right about that. We knew Paul was coming back, we just didn't know how and when. *I'd also love to know (I think I would anyway) what it was about Frisco Jenny and A Star is Born that you didn't like.* I mostly liked *Frisco Jenny*. The ending is the best part of the film. What I didn't like was how fast everything happened. All these big events happen in a blink. I prefer stories to develop versus something is just tossed in our lap. But the 30s feature films like this. *A Star Is Born* was too dry for me until the final half hour. Once Norman (Fredric March) goes off the deep end, then the film gets interesting. I didn't like what he ultimately did, though. I really wasn't into the entire vibe of the film or Janet Gaynor. The final line in the film is one of the best I've heard, though. And I also loved May Robson. *I also re-watched Angels with Dirty Faces.* Look at you! I liked James Cagney in this film. I thought he was superb. But I wanted to strangle the Bowery Boys. I loathed them. They ruin the film for me. And I hate the ending. It's dreadful.