CineMaven

I do love The Rising of the Moon (thanks MissG), partly because I really like anthology movies. The short story format of movies like Dead of Night and Trio, or O. Henry's Full House really captivates me. I also like bookish, literary movies a lot. I like the way the short story movie keeps ones interest by switching things up, and how the stories can interrelate to make a satisfying whole. Hi there JackaaaAaay. So you got out from under that dustmop (hope all is **** 'n Span) to present the Message Board with another fine critique. I like anthology movies myself. It's like getting a bunch of mini-movies for the price of one. But here again lies the difference between us, l'il sis. You're eclectic...naming lofty movies, and my first response reveals my bargain basement tastes: "Awww yeah man, 'Dr. Terror's House of Horrors.' Whooppeeee!" It was a very undignified jump for joy on my part. When will I ever learn! I've never seen the movie you described, but I just wanted to tell you it was a very lovely critique; supported by some stunning screen caps. You made me think of that great review you wrote for von Sternberg's "Shanghai Express." If we get any more progressive or self sufficient, we'll all be living in little holes, by ourselves, with only the warmth of the computer to see and remember. Well that will give new meaning to "No man is an island."

HEY JACKAAAAAY!! I like your list. < ( Sigh! ) > We can get into a lot of trouble with him... :x

WHOA! That came trippingly off your fingers!!! Ha... CLARK GABLE. Really, has there ever been a more manly man. He's not a swashbuckler or a Robin Hood. No dashing pirate, he was solid (Mr. Christian!!!!!) He's so rooted, so grounded. He's a general, pilot, reporter, a submarine captain, a huckster, big game hunter, race car driver, cowboy, gambler, newspaperman. He could be gentle, mothered, a little boy(ish), a ladies' man, a man's man. Rakish, devilish, stubborn, roguish. Funny, he never played a detective. I wonder why. Oh well. I think he's all Men wrapped up into one handsome rugged hunk. He'll break your heart, he'll rough you up (...and you'll love it), he'll love you up (...and you'll love it), he'll protect you and disappoint you, he'll cry on your shoulder (though not often). He can be a bad boy, Girls, I just love him. HA! You think those ladies were...acting? (Ask Crawford). No, I'm afraid no Gable today. He just slowly wafted through my mind as I thought about him this sad day. I had to go to IMDB to make sure I didn't miss a drop of Gable. Here'd be my list...and other than the top two...I'll take Gable in any order; any way I can get him: 1. Gone With the Wind 2. The Hucksters A Free Soul Night Nurse Red Dust No Man of Her Own Susan Lenox, Her Fall and Rise Manhattan Melodrama It Happened One Night China Seas Mutiny on the Bounty Wife vs Secretary San Francisco Test Pilot Boom Town Command Decision Any Number Can Play Mogambo The Misfits Edited by: CineMaven on Nov 16, 2011 10:32 AM - He's a big ol' oak tree. Or maybe a Sequoia. Yeah, that's the ticket. A Sequoia.

ALL HAIL...THE KING February 1, 1901 - November 16, 1960 NO OTHER LIKE HIM

*( February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960 )*

A boyfriend. And one who you can share classic films with? Yeah. Sounds like a heaven, girl. You're so cute. :-)

Thank you so much for watching. We appreciate it that. We truly do! (Pssst! Tell your friends. Leave a comment!!!) We're going through crazy weather here in the Northeast, cold, cool, warm. And lots of social upheaval in our Wall Street area. But I'm hanging in there, documenting things, being aware of things, and I here's hoping you and your neighbors are doing well yourselves. Screenwriter, huh? Why thank you. I sometimes sign my checks, Mrs. Preston Sturges. Now, if I haven't tortured Frank Grimes enough with my long post and questions below, here's something to really get him crying 'Uncle': She's lovely in this shot.

No worries ButterScotch. You're not interrupting anything. The thread's been lying dormant for a week now. I don't know the Sennett book, but it sounds like a great find. Good for you. If you see something you want, just get it! Continue to train your young man. He'll come around. ;-)

*CHARLES BOYER* *He is a consummate actor. There is something very universal about his sardonic ease. Perhaps because you always sense the sensitive discomfort underneath. He's good at projecting two very different states at once. Like many men, his characters only seem very confident.* Boyer is rising in my estimation...in my heart's eye. He really is kind of a tragic romantic lead even with his Continental charm. Oh he had that speed bump in *"GASLIGHT"* for me, that I must still hurdle. (I know, that's my problem). But seeing him a couple of weeks ago in *"THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE..."* really changed my mind about him. I kept expecting the movie to go one way; for Boyer’s General to go all gaslight on Madame de... But he didn’t. It was quite sad all around, but sad to watch him helplessly watch his wife slip away from him. Doggone it, he couldn't even escape those earrings! When his wife is in the throes of true lovesickness for another man, it’s rough to hear Boyer tell her: *"Up until now though I didn't play a large part in your life, I was the only one. There was camaraderie even gaiety between us. You know Louise, I’ve never particularly liked the role you gave me to play. But I played along to avoid displeasing you. It’s not what I would have chosen."* Charles Boyer. He's becoming more and more... *THE LAST SUNSET* *You've got to see some of Dorothy Malone's latter characters. She really didn't hit her stride until she was mature, unusual for a "sexy" actress to say the least. Usually that kind of star is so tied to youth but she always seemed muted in her younger days. Then she just explodes as the woman with a past, big haunted eyes, sexy but wary and kind of sad. Love her.* WOW!! What a fantastic description of Dorothy Malone!!! I'm a big fan. *It is really good. More people should check it out. I think CineMaven would like it, if she hasn't seen it already.* I have, indeed, seen *"THE LAST SUNSET"* and enjoy it. Kirk Douglas, Rock Hudson and Dorothy Malone star. Kirk is stuck in the past, not accepting how his old lost love has changed. He finds her again...not accepting how she is today. And when he tries to recreate his past, with the young girl... Good stories interweave this western. Oh boy Tyrone Power. Stiff...boring...unplayful in *"THE RAINS CAME"* Sad but true, I guess. Ty...my dreamy Ty was relegated to playing "the noble savage." He was Indian, Myrna was WASP-y, and never the twain (or turban & martini glass) shall meet...in Hollywood of the 30’s and 40’s. Loved George Brent in this. BUTTERSCOTCH GREER writes: *First of all, There is no such thing as Myrna Loy going south in ANY movie she has ever been in. She is simply a genius in all of her movies and is always interesting, including in The Rains Came, silly.* Hi Baby T. :-) MISS GODDESS replies: *I'm with Butterscotch, I like seeing her dig a little deeper at this time. I can't think of another really serious role for her at this point in her career except 'Ann', in "Test Pilot." But that one had a lot of comedy, too, whereas the humor in "The Rains Came" is more bitter than really comedic. I just can't dislike Myrna in anything at this point in her career. She's wonderful.* Aaaah, Myrna Loy. Singularly unique in motion pictures. No leading lady is really quite like her. She "occupies" her own little niche practically alone. In *"The Rains Came"* Loy sits on a divan out on a porch. Brent stands before her as a lightning storm rages outside of the compound they're visiting. He lights a cigarette and gives it to her. Lightning flashes and she looks up at Brent. The way she takes the cigarette is like nothing I ever saw Nora Charles do. I think Loy smolders.

Like NYC's ignoble mayor, I waited till early morning to post.

Hello Miss G. Hello Mr. G. *FRANK GRIMES' LIST:* *1. Colorado Territory* *2. Sherlock Holmes Faces Death* *3. Three Loves Has Nancy* *4. Let's Make Love* *5. I See a Dark Stranger* *6. The Spider Woman* *7. Strange Impersonation* *8. The Hitch-Hiker* *9. The Rising of the Moon* *10. The Rains Came* *11. The Constant Nymph* *12. Friendly Persuasion* *MISS GODDESS' LIST**:* *1. The Rains Came* *2. The Spider Woman* *3. Strange Impersonation* *4. Let's Make Love* *5. Sherlock Holmes Faces Death* *6. The Hitch-Hiker* *7. I See A Dark Stranger* *8. The Rising of the Moon* *9. Friendly Persuasion* *10. The Constant Nymph* *11. Three Loves Has Nancy* *12. Colorado Territory* Wow guys. I spotted a film on both your lists that so resonated with me on a great emotional level, but ranked so low with you two, that I felt compelled to reply to your conversation with my own thoughts and take on that film. I do get it that this is just your opinion in conjunction with this grouping of films juxtaposed with each other. Of course this caveat applies: To Each His Own. (Starring Joanie’s big sister). *THE CONSTANT NYMPH* (Love, loving, to be in love) Miss Goddess (in surmising what Mr. G. thinks of the movie): *Too much of the sisters romping and the childishness. I imgagine any scene with Boyer alone with one of the girls, talking that way that he has, are the best scenes.* Mr. Grimes: *I liked Joan Fontaine and Joyce Reynolds, so it wasn't the sisters romping that bothered me. It's the kind of film it is that just doesn't sit well with me. It's a "little girl" film. I will say that it did help me like Letter from an Unknown Woman more.* I thought Joan and Joyce were darling together. I must see "LETTER FROM AN UKNOWN WOMAN." Sooner than later. Huh...whoa, 'little girl' film? --- MISS G.: *Tell me, did you buy the love between them?* GRIMESY: *I completely believed Tessa (Joan Fontaine) having her schoolgirl crush on Lewis (Charles Boyer). I didn't buy Lewis really loving Tessa. I think he cared about her and loved her on that level, but not in the passionate sense. I think he loved that she understood his art, which he takes as understanding him.* I don't think Lewis loved Tessa at 14. A fond affection, sure, but not love. I bought lock, stock and barrel their affection for each other. He was a family friend that the girls could have a crush on. The first man outside their father where they could work out those feelings SAFELY, without him taking advantage of them. I believe Lewis finally came to love Tessa when she was old enough to receive his love. Her love, her bringing out his music, her becoming a more socially acceptable age would give him the go-ahead to go full steam ahead. I agree that he loved that she understood his art. We all want to be understood. --- MISS G.: *So you think her "love" was just girlish idolization?* GRIMESY: *That's always hard to know. She certainly had him on a pedestal way above herself but she wasn't afraid to tell him his music was all wrong. I'd say how it was presented was very schoolgirl crush since she was supposed to be a girl in school and he was a figure who was bigger than life to her. All of this was played very well by Joan.* Miss G. I think her love was girlish idolization. It probably feels like love to a fourteen year old, but everything is so intense at that age at the beginning of puberty. I agree with you Grimesy that Fontaine played it all well. I've never been a terribly big fan of hers, but I was totally charmed by her coltishness and her loose-y goose-y demeanor. I bought it, and that meant a lot b’cuz I'm a tad pre-disposed to not liking Fontaine. She came as a total surprise to me when I saw this at the TCM Film Fest, and I went with my emotions. --- I have a question for you Grimesy before I continue. You mention that "The Constant Nymph" "It's a ‘little girl’ film," Are you using that term b'cuz the film was from the p.o.v. of the young girl or in the same sense when folks talk about "women's films" and "men's films"? I read a previous post of yours in response to Jackaaaaay, (Hey Jaxxxon!) re: *"ALL ABOUT EVE."* You found it catty. Catty's usually associated with "women’s film." Would you say "All About Eve" is a woman's film? Just wanted a little clarity on your point of view. "Catty" sees a film through a particular prism and not a particularly flattering one. I found "All About Eve" to be very similar to "Sweet Smell of Success" in terms of banter that was smart, biting, clever; New York cocktail party or drawing room talk, which you may not prefer but is it 'catty'? The only difference is one film is about a woman, and the other film is about a man. (In fact, both films seem to be about symbiotic relationships). Would you characterize "Sweet Smell of Success" as catty? (Have you seen "SSoS"?) Stay away from "The Women"...ugh! You’ll probably hate it. It's catty (oops!) and really shows women can't be friends. I love it though. (Off the tip top of my pointy skull I can only think of "JULIA" starring Jane Fonda & Vanessa Redgrave showing a true friendship). But I digress. Let me get back to the nymph. MISS G.: *So you think his real love could only be inspired by someone like Helen Walker, who stirred him physically? I don't know what to believe. I see it both ways. I guess I like to believe that a man could sublimate his desires with a love that is more spiritually satisfying. Especially if most of his passions get put into his art anyway.* (Alexis Smith). HMMmmmm...a rare man indeed Miss G. (Does he have a brother?) A saint in fact. And non-existent (IMHO). Or at the very least, not likely. We are not nymphs. We are all corporeal carnal beings. Men sublimate their desire? Yeah, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than... GRIMESY: *Do you believe a grown man can be in love with a 14-year-old girl? It's an interesting discussion because it really gets to the idea of what is love. Is understanding, alone, love? That's what I think Lewis is most drawn to with Tessa. His wife doesn't understand his art (his feelings), but Tessa does. Is that love? I don't think Lewis ever thought to love Tessa on the level he professes at the end until the music comes out of him thanks to her. She frees him from himself.* MISS G.: *Juliette was 14. Yes, I definitely think you can be in love at that age. Sometimes I wonder if its the only time you can be in love so purely. At least a girl, anyway. And this is what I think I like best about the movie, and Letter From an Unknown Woman, best. It attempts to capture what a very ideal love is or can be. Because melodramatic license aside, people do feel these things, and have done so all through human history.* GRIMESY replies: *I believe Tessa's feelings to be true. I think every 14-year-old girl is in love. The tricky part is dreams versus reality. The idea of love is often much different than the reality. We hold all the cards when it's our idea and dream. It's impossible to be of one mind with two.* Exactly how old was Romeo, Miss G.? (Shearer and Howard notwithstanding). I believe Tessa loved Lewis as much as a fourteen year old girl psychologically can love. At fourteen, I think "love" is fool's gold. I don't mean to be perjorative, and am *NOT* saying a young girl is a fool at that age. Not at all. To a young girl it looks and feels like love to her. And it is a "kind" of love. (No grown-up should be fooled by this and act on this. Maybe he is the fool of 'fool's gold'). But a fourteen year old cannot love in the full bloom and knowledge and maturity of Self. All that goes a long way in experiencing love in a mature way. Love so young is immature, quixotic. (Did Roddy McDowall love Lassie, he did...he did. I felt it when he said "You're my Lassie come home.") That's the way children love. Intense and with all their little tiny hearts. And tomorrow they want a pony. Not having seen "Letter from an Unknown Woman" yet, I can't judge...but I'll say I believe I understand what you mean when you say both movies attempt to show what young love, or first love feels like. I love the "attempt" to show this. Grimesy, I don't think a grown man can be in love with a 14 year old girl. Wait, hold up...maybe he can. But he shouldn't. She is not ready. It would have been unseemly if Lewis acted any other way with Tessa. Some men no doubt, are flattered by a young girl's idolatry. Honestly, who wouldn't be. You are the sun and the moon to the poor kid. The adult is holding all the cards. What's the kid holding? She has nothing to compare the man to; she hasn't built up enough life experience. I am suspect of cultures that laud Virginity as a value. Somehow it speaks to some type of mass insecurity in Man, who would inculcate their entire society...male and female with value in that value; and then to carry it to such a wacky degree to make promises of an after-life full of virgins, gee willikers. I'd hate to think of Tessa meeting some other type of man who takes advantage of this young uninformed version of Love; she might become psychologically stunted as she becomes a young woman, trying to recreate that same feeling of "love" with every young man she meets. I thought the relationship was handled pretty tastefully in "The Constant Nymph." And I know, I know...I am no psychologist. MISS G.: *...I feel her death scene with all that orchestral sturm und drang was overwrought. I fault the direction more than the actress. We were being hit over the head.* MR. GRIMES: *The music was too much for me and I found the ending to be poor. I especially didn't like Florence's (Alexis Smith) complete turnaround. That came out of nowhere and much too easily.* Awwwww. I guess a little bit of Korngold goes a long way for you two. Me? I enjoyed the music, hence it didn’t bother me throughout the film. Big, brassy, bombastic, soaring. (I know I know...you say loud, heavy, overbearing). I watched some of *THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE* during Lana's blonde night, and there is a moment (though I can't remember specifically where in the film) when Lana and Garfield are either in a clinch...or breaking from a clinch and the music comes blaring in and then goes soft. It makes me laugh. It seems so intrusive, discordant with what’s going on that moment between them. It builds up and then quickly subsides. Geez! But I bring this up to say I do have moments of finding 1940's movie music to be somewhat an "...interruptus" to the action. But Korngold works for me in this film. One last point. Is understanding alone, love. No, understanding alone is not love. I think "Understanding" has had a bad rep ever since movies (and real life) espoused: "My wife doesn’t understand me." (If I had a nickel every time I h...). Love encompasses so many things, among them: desire, commonality, trust, world-view, etc. Hey...love is a many splendored thing. --- MOVIEMAN1957 writes: *"The Constant Nymph" was not a big deal for me. It's nice they got it out of its rights problems but it was only okay.* FRANK GRIMES replies: *Yeah, I can't see that one being to your liking. I wasn't moved by it much, either. I wanted to be.* Welllll... whaddya expect; it was a woman's film.

I am a Capricorn. My zodiacal make-up is not to be nice. It is to be truthful. I liked the way you laid it all out in your post.

Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts. Okay. I will not gush. I will not gush. I will not gush. I like how you compare and contrast. I like how you distill situations to its essence. I --love-- like your syntax. (No gushing, T.B.) I like how you went back to the movie and the revisit made you change your opinion; it shows your openness. Three statements struck me to the core: * "I think mistakes and judgment are what this film is about. All kinds of mistakes, and all kinds of judgment, including God's." * "Knudsen uses his religion as a weapon and a shield..." * "Those men who have chosen power and money over skill or service to their community are in the driver's seat. They call the shots and provide the jobs for stronger men like Steve." (You've just explained the Wall Street / Main Street dichotomy if you ask me!) Just the facts, ma'am: your post was thrilling. Reprint and share this at the oasis. Now, remind me...who are Kael and Sarris?

I think the Moody Blues said it (sang it) best... NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN That's right. And if you don't know who THAT is, ask your father. Or your grandfather. I think she was the IT girl of the 1930's and you've got a couple of chances to see why, when TCM airs her films. If she's not quite your cup of tea, no worries. The month's not over and TCM's not finished with us (or blondes) yet. Who knows if blondes have more fun. But it's sure fun to watch this one. My favorite of today's bunch would be "BOMBSHELL." She's not afraid to make fun of her self or her image. While she's mostly the 'straight man' while all around her is manic, her comic timing is impeccable. She doesn't play the joke, she plays the situation. Sorry girls, no Gable tonite...but I've recently read the virtues of Franchot Tone extolled here on the Board. TCM's giving us The Blonde and it'll be a good fifteen years before the next blonde comes along and blows everyone's mind. Hmmm, I wonder what Jean would have made of Norma Jean..... 6:00 PM DINNER AT EIGHT (1933) A high-society dinner party masks a hotbed of scandal and intrigue. Dir: George Cukor Cast: Marie Dressler, John Barrymore , Wallace Beery. BW-111 mins, TV-PG, CC. 12:00 AM BOMBSHELL (1933) A glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on. Dir: Victor Fleming Cast: Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan. BW-96 mins, TV-G, CC. 1:45 AM PLATINUM BLONDE (1931) A heartless heiress seduces a hard-working reporter into a disastrous marriage. Dir: Frank R. Capra Cast: Loretta Young, Robert Williams. BW-89 mins, TV-G. 3:30 AM HARLOW: THE BLONDE BOMBSHELL (1993) Sharon Stone hosts this look at Jean Harlow's rise to stardom and her tragic end. Dir: Tom McQuade Cast: Sharon Stone, C-47 mins, TV-G, CC. 4:30 AM GIRL FROM MISSOURI, THE (1934) A gold-digging chorus girl tries to keep her virtue while searching for a rich husband. Dir: Jack Conway Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Franchot Tone. BW-72 mins, TV-PG, CC. Edited by: CineMaven on Nov 9, 2011 5:19 PM - I'd like to think Harlow would laugh, slap Marilyn on the back and say: "Go get 'em honey! Just like I did!!" She'd be proud.

Looks like I missed a good one Mr. Dobbs. I've seen the recent re-make featuring Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves. I enjoyed it; always liked Sandy Dennis in her films.

...JUST A TIDBIT: She's in love with her brother who used to date her mother??? *ROBERT YOUNG, LARAINE DAY, ANN HARDING (1945)* Movie trivia keeps swirling through my mind. It happened again as I watched this film this morning. Laraine Day + Robert Young = siblings in *"Dr. Kildare's Crisis." (1940)* Robert Young + Ann Harding = lovers in *"The Right to Romance"(1933)* I can't help it. ...That's how my brain's wired. Movie trivia's imbedded in its cortex. In *"Those Endearing Young Charms"* (which I momentarily mistook for a Gail Russell movie) Ann Harding is sufficiently maternal, with hair pulled back in a bun and whispery voice. (Still beautiful, to me). Young is easy, breezy; can handle that 40's slang I love so much and throws a punch convincingly at young Bill Williams.I liked his way in this even though he's a playboy. Laraine Day is the surprise for me. Never really ever giving her a real chance, (other than in *"The Locket"* which I've got to check out again). I found her very charming here..engaging, clean; can hold that camera in the close-up that ends this film.

HOW TO HANDLE A BLONDE... Uhmm, don't look at the guy in the sling... "When I say I'm handling it...I'm handling it." - Hume Cronyn in "The Postman Always Rings Twice." Wouldbestar, I liked Veronica Lake in "So Proudly We Hail." She was soo bitter...

An ice cold blonde, with a heart of gold. Noooooo, not her...

] Heh heh heh! ]

Yes. Excellent film.

No ma'am. Waitin' for Godot...Favell. ;-)

I wonder what ever happened to her? On a different note, I now want to check out "Rum Diary" but also there's a documentary about actress Charlotte Rampling that I want to see. No, she's not a blonde...but she was a very strong actress that always seemed under the radar. (""The Night Porter").

I could've had a V8!!!! Jack Favell writes - "Leslie Parrish is a blonde actress I always notice, I like her very much. She's got looks and a sweet gentle way about her." Wouldbestar writes - "Never more than in The Manchurian Candidate which was just on. She did a lot of Perry Mason episodes as well. I always thought she was a very good actress as well as a beautiful one. Did she ever do any roles in color? My memories of her are all b&w." Hi there guys. I'm compiling my Blondes - Part Deux thread (before the end of the month) for so many actresses I forgot. When I saw a little of "THREE ON A COUCH" the other nite/morning, I realized... Leslie Parrish. Yes, I've seen Leslie in color in "...Couch" and I wanna say "L'il Abner." And Jaxxxxon, I totally agree about her gentle way. Never saw her as a heat-seeking bombshell. Thanxx for the reminder. :-)

Miss G., if what I posted from the Looney Bin, offered you one scintilla of inspiration, I'm flattered. If I had to take a Rorschach test based on the photos you chose for your favorite blondes, in one word the adjectives that come to mind would be: clean, pensive, sultry, smokin', cute, sweet, daring, statuesque, mischievous, flirty, friendly, come hither and I dare you. Your subtext showed thought. Really nice job!