flickerknickers
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Posts posted by flickerknickers
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Oh, Moviejoe, you're so sweet! You might add we're also the two cutest movie buffs on these old boards, too! (wink!)
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I've always wondered if Ray Milland didn't murder his agent for signing the Oscar winner on to appear in the immortal, "Thing With Two Heads." Milland, who was named Best Actor in l945 for "Lost Weekend" co-starred with that world-famous thespian, Rosie Grier as a man whose head is grafted onto to the beefy Grier. Milland was seemingly so inspired by this effort that he went onto star in "Frogs" and a string of Italian schlock shockers like "Dr. Blood's Tomb of Sadistic Torture" and "Bloody Screams in the Black Castle." At least Milland had good company: another Oscar winner, Joseph Cotton, was also in Italy starring in such film classics as "Baron Blood" and "Hatchet for a Honeymoon."
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I think the clip you're referring to regarding the elusive and legendary Letty is one where Joanie's wearing that famous white, ruffled sleeves frock. She's dishing with designer Adrian off the set. I wrote in another long ago folder that I saw this gown and one other from Letty when the Metropolitan Musem had their tribute to Adrian. Joan was such a tiny dynamo--but then all them gals back then were little--except for Garbo.
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can anyone ever forget that Oscar winning moment in the b-movie about killer bees called "The Swarm"--where regal, patrician Olivia de Havilland lays sprawled on the ground and a killer bee crawls up her nose? She must've been thinking, "I've won two Oscars--maybe I'll get a third for this one!"
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Speaking of tantalizing fragments of old movies, does anybody have a theory as to why the l930 Marion Davies musical--"The Five O'Clock Girl"--was locked up and never shown by MGM? We discussed this a long time ago on another thread and several fascinating theories popped up. For the background of those not familiar with this: Marion Davies starred in this lavish musical for MGM in l930. Co-starring was Charles King, still riding the coat tails of his hit musical, "Broadway Melody." At the peak of her beauty and powers, Marion was reported by those who worked on the film to be fabulous. Her wardrobe by David Cox was a knockout. (He had also done the unforgettable gowns in "Broadway Melody). However, her sugar daddy, W.R. Hearst was bankrolling this movie and he insisted in inserting enormous production numbers. When the movie was complete, it had already exceeded $1 million--and these are l930 dollars. MGM Mogul Louis Mayer demanded cuts. Hearst refused. The movie was never shown to anyone outside the MGM lot. Or so the story goes. I've read that there IS a copy of this never seen extravaganza buried somewhere in MGM's vaults. Anybody have any theories on this?
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I, too, love my Universal Horror DVDs and watch them over and over again. My only complaint about the double-featured scary treats released a year or two ago from Universal is that none contained anything extra--except for a trailer and bios written in text. The first batch--"The Mummy," "The Wolfman" etc.-- spoiled me in expecting all the Universal thrillers to have such lavish extras.
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Ha, Movie Joe, I had the identical experience with Miss Powell several years ago! I was helping out with New York's Annual Charity Drive on Public Television's Channel l3. Several of the old-time movie stars were there, to drum up donations from the viewers. Ann Miller was fabulous, along with Alice Faye, Ann-Margaret, Martha Raye. Jane Powell was there but gave every sign that she considered herself slumming. I approached her to tell her how much I've always loved her in "Royal Wedding." She stared at me, narrowed her eyes and said: "Thanks." Then she turned around and suantered off. I've interviewed many old and new "stars" for various publications and I've seen them all. In terms of bad behavior, I'd give Powell a C rating. The very worst would go to Lucille Ball. She earns her "F" in every sense of the word.
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Kay Francis addicts rejoice! Mark January 13 on your calendar for TCM will have a mini-festival of rarely seen Kay Francis delights! The l931 "Transgression" begins the schedule, one that sounds juicy and very pre-code daring. l932's "Street of Dreams" will follow and then there's "Man Wanted" (1932), along with "Mary Stevens" (1933) and "Storm at Daybreak" (1933)and "Goose and the Gander" (1935) and "I Found Stella Parish" (1935. Other rarely seen Francis vehicles follow. For some of you not familiar with the charming, delightful Francis, she was as big in her day as Julia Roberts and Warner Brother's highest paid star. Sadly, studio mogul, Jack Warner, kicked her off the lot after her movies began to lose money. He shoved her into bit roles and walk-ons towards the end--a sad come down for a ravishing art deco gal who died an unknown and an alcoholic back in the 60s.
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Isn't it weird that Luise Rainer won her second ACademy Award for Best Actress for her role in "The Good Earth" and one year later she left Hollywood for good--because MGM mogul considered her a flop?
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Great idea, Moviejoe, as usual, about featuring some of those lesser known favorites of yesteryear, or the ones who're now completely forgotten--like Constance and Norma Talmadge, Sally O'Neill, Billie Dove, Corrine Griffith, Thomas Meighan (what a hunk he was!)etc. Wouldn't it be incredible if TCM could dig up the actual screen tests from the silents and 30s and 40s? I've read where Garbo's screen test was horrendous but a second one saved the day. Imagine the tests of Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, etc.
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Also, wouldn't it be fabulous to have Betty Grable's roster of glorious Technicolor musical delights on disc--especially "Moon Over Miami", "The Dolly Sisters," etc. And, as I've mentioned many times, Deanna Durbin's marvelous Universal musicals!
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Oh. My. God! I'm absolutely speechless, Movie Joe, over this incredible news about one of my all-time favorites, "Grand Hotel" FINALLY getting the DVD treatment! Lord, do I hope that it'll have some extras--like either a lot of stuff on that incredible cast, maybe even the TCM documentary on both Garbo and Crawford. I don't think anyone is left alive who was in this legendary film. And all those other classic goodies you mentioned has made my day! Now, if we could only get some hotshot DVD mogul to consider putting David Selznick's classics on DVD with sumptuous extras--and that includes that horrible, bare-bones edition of the greatest movie ever made: GWTW!
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If any of you are ever around Smithfield, N.C.,you absolutely must make a stop at the Ava Gardner Museum. Ava's hometown is like something out of "To Kill a Mockingbird" or a Truman Capote story but the museum is wonderfully put together. You see Ava's costumes from "The Barefoot Contessa," "Snows of Kilimanjaro", etc. You also see her school yearbooks, make-up kits, etc. There's a 20 minute video tribute to her before you see the museum and now and then Ava's relatives drop by. i've talked to several people who worked with Ava on several of her movies and they said she was a true natural beauty who didn't even use make-up in many of her scenes. They all agreed: Ava was way ahead of her time in being a liberated gal who loved drinking, loving and fighting. That's why MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer was scared to death of her.
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Bad news for re-releases of the Universal Horror classics on DVD. Universal is no longer producing them. Why, no one knows. One theory is that the classic goodies that were double-billed two years ago, i.e., "Mummy's Ghost" and "Mummy's Curse" may reappear after the theatarical showing of the big budget horror flick, "Van Helsing" starring Hugh Jackman this spring. A great website to go where we discuss all these mysteries is ScarletStreet.com.
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One rumor that I keep seeing in the trades and New York tabloids--enough to really, really scare me--is that "Gone With the Wind" is seriously being talked up as a starring vehicle for Julia Roberts as Scarlett, Ben Affleck as Rhett Butler, Wynona Rider as Melanie and Ophra Winfrey as Mammy. Rapper Lil' Kim and Mary Blige are both being considered for the Prissy role. Matt Damon might be Ashley Wilkes. Insiders say that Barbra Streisand is behind this idea and she wants to "update" it--therefore making it radically feminist, very hypersenstive racially with the racial angle overtaking everything else. Please, dear God, spare us all!
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Wow, wouldn't it be fabulous to have a whole week--maybe even a month--of pre-code musicals! And at prime time! All these movie suggstions are terrif, especially the never-before-shown pre-code treasures like "Golden Dawn" and "Show Girl"! I'd love to see "Gold Diggers of Broadway", filmed in early Technicolor. I've only got 3 pre-code musicals that I watch endlessly: "Broadway Melody", "Madame Satan" and the adorable "Sunny Side Up." This last one stars Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. But the gal who steals all the scenes is vaudeville great, Marjorie White, who starred in many early talkie shorts and "Just imagine." The highlight of this rarely seen flick is the "Turn on the Heat" extravaganza where countless chorines writhe and stomp their feet and tear off their clothes.
Alix, some bad news about Clara Bow's "Call Her Savage." Last I heard, Fox Movie Channel has locked up this goodie because the station received complaints from some American Indians that Bow plays a half-breed gal who gets drunk and acts slutty. Therefore, it was found "insensitive," How I hate that word! Let's pester TCM about dusting off some of these rarely--if ever--seen pre-coders!
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Mary Astor did indeed write several paragraphs about making the luscious looking, Technicolor and edgy "Desert Fury," a favorite of mine. She doesn't mention much about her co-stars for this one because she described her bitterness at MGM typecasting her in endless "mother" roles--a la "Meet Me In St. Louis," "Little Women," etc. She did enjoy working with Liz Scott, though. This is a juicy book in the best sense of the word.
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I absolutely love the Hilton residence in the l943 "Since You Went Away." All those crackling fireplaces, comfortable furniture and big windows showing snow or rain. Claudette Colbert fitted in perfectly. Another fascinating place is that big, rambling mansion on that tiny island in "And Then There Were None..." the l945 classic from Rene Claire. Oh, boy, to spend a snowy weekend there in those bedroom suites with the huge plate glass windows--although I wouldn't want to be there with that killer roaming around! One more mansion: the haunted old Ingston Towers in Universal's classic horror flick, "Night Monster." Without that monster, that shadowy, old pile of bricks wasn't too bad!
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I've raved about this book many times but I'll rave one more time: "Swanson on Swanson" by the glorious Gloria Swanson is an absolute must-have for any film addict. Swanson was the most famous woman and movie star in the world during the mid-twenties and this gal did not throw away anything--from her personal clothes to her movie wardrobe. Swanson remembers everything! She recalls in fascinating detail the bottle-green gown and hat she wore to her first interview with Cecil B. DeMille in l919 at 10:30 a.m. in the morning to the brand of make-up she wore in the early days of the flickers during the mid-l900s. I went to her estate auction years ago here in NYC and was knocked out by the thousands of items going on the block. Two more book goodies are Mary Astor's two non-fiction books: "My Life" and the even better "A life on Film." Astor also gives you the nitty-gritty of behind-the-scenes stuff in making such classics as "Red Dust", "The Great Lie" and "The Maltese Falcon." Her evocation of movie making in the twenties is also fascinating. Bad news: these books are now out of print. I found mine in a dusty old bookstore, The Strand, in the Village here in NYC.
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oh, how great to find others wanting more, more of those silent goodies and those early 30s treasures.I've stopped even watching TCM through the week nights. It's all this dreary stuff that drove me away from AMC. Endless westerns,Elvis Presley, etc. I agree with you all that those routine, ordinary silents were great. You saw maybe second tier stars portraying ordinary 20s people and it was always fascinating to study their styles, fashion, hair-dos, etc. Like you, MovieJoe, I would simply love to see much, much more of those glittering early-talkies--and be able to watch them at prime time. And showcase those long forgotten stars--like Jeanne Eagles, Marilyn Miller, Laura LaPlante, Norma and Constance Talmadge, Richard Arlen and Richard Barthlemess. I hope TCM folks are reading these posts!
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Here we are with another brand new year ahead of us. Why not give the TCM program manager some ideas of what we'd love to see--and not see--for the next 365 days.
1. Please try to borrow more from the film libraries of Republic, Columbia and 20th Century Fox Studios. Republic is virtually unseen on any station. During its heyday during the 40s, it turned out wonderful family fare--like hillbilly comedian/singer Judy Canova flicks, those extraordinary Saturday Matinee serials like "Spy Smasher" and "G-Men Vs. the Black Dragon" and many more. I have young film buffs who've never seen any of Betty Grable's sumptuous technicolor musical delights.
2. Please give us less of these more modern movies that we can catch on AMC. The Sergio Leone westerns are great for a one-time showing. But not over and over again. Dig into those vaults and show us--in prime time--some more rarely seen goodies--like the early talkies, more Pre-Codes.
3. Please consider a month of "hunks and hotties" from the Silent Era. They had some sizzling lookers back in the Jazz Age--like Barbara Lamarr, George O'Brien, Gertrude Astor, Buddy Rogers, etc. This generation of real movie stars are virtually unknown today.
4. Finally, let me praise most highly TCM's refusal to bow down to narrow-minded, shrill pressure groups who--I understand--daily demand that TCM censor, lock-up or mangle movie treasures because they "offend". We're all aware of the notorious Fox Movie Channel's cave-in to these narrow-minded bigots who demanded the station cancel its Charlie Chan series because they were "offensive." What few are aware of is that Fox Movie Studios has also locked away hundreds of old classics because these same groups have found them "offensive." One of them is Clara Bow's dazzling comeback talkie classic, "Call Her Savage." You see, she portray's a halfbreed Indian and drinks too much. Oh, no, we can't have that shown these days.
Anybody got anymore ideas and gripes and praise?
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I've already gotten out my holiday favorites for 2003--including even some of the turkeys that are always fun to sit through. Definitely at the top of my videos and DVD's is David Selznick's wonderful masterpiece from l943, "Since You Went Away." I watched it twice Thanksgiving weekend and loved every moment of it. Especially those Christmas scenes in the cozy, Hilton home that always had fireplaces roaring. "Holiday Inn" is another must see, as well as "Meet Me in St. Louis" where Judy Garland sings that old standbye, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." "Home Alone" and "Home Alone II" have also become favorites. Now, some of those movie turkeys that are so bad they're good: "Valley of the Dolls" with Patty Duke screaming, "I'm Neeley O'Hara" in an alleyway with a bottle of booze in hand, "The Singing Fool," Al Jolson's l929 followup to "The Jazz Singer", and the latest movie bomb, "Dreamcatcher," based on Stephen King's novel. Madonna's masterpiece, "Swept Away" and Mariah Carey's "Glitter" are two more unforgettable movie experiences--one that you try to forget but have to howl through. What turkeys and treats are you all planning to watch out there?
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to classicfan, thanks for pointing out the fact that we shouldn't look into "previous folders." i'll try to remember that advice in the future when this one vanishes into our backlog and yet another identical folder pops up. But since i'm here in this one, I'll gleefully jump onto the subject of movies that we've been told to like but that we found boring as all get out. Mystic River is one of them. Here in NYC, all the critics nearly ordered us poor film buffs to like this turgid, boring, self-conscious flick. Even though it starred someone I really loathe: sean penn. He overacted, chewed the scenery and all but screamed: lookat me! I would be this in the same category as "Swept Away," that immortal epic that starred Madonna. Now, so long and farewell.
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Mary Pickford's movies are so tragically overlooked today. When I watch something as wonderful as "Amarilly of Clothes Line Alley", I'm amazed that Pickford was creating gems like this nearly a century ago. Mention her name to our so-called young and up and coming film makers of tomorrow and they give you a blank look and that horrible question: "Whose zat?"
50% are gone?
in General Discussions
Posted
Sometimes I get so angry at the great stars of yesteryear--for their indifference to their film legacy--that I want to scream. You would think that ALL the major stars of the silents and onward would have demanded at least a print of every movie they made. If Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, etc. could do it, then surely all the others--like Colleen Moore, the Talmadge Sisters, etc.--would have done the same. Film was so cheap. When they excavated Marion Davies movies from her estate, many of them had deteriorated and curdled due to indifference. You would think the movig moguls would have demanded the original negatives of everything they filmed. These guys had the bucks to build private libraries. Cecil B. DeMille--thank the Lord--certainly did. Jack Warner did to a lesser degree, although an alarming number of his biggest hits are now missing. When Warners released "Noah's Ark," in l929, this was one of the biggest events that year. Yet, only a butchered print remains today.