flickerknickers
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Posts posted by flickerknickers
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Addicts devoted to "The Terminator" have called it everything in the book--from a parable, to an action-adventure thriller, to a good-old sci-fi yarn. I don't care what it is. It's one of my all-time faves. I watch it about once every few months. And tonight, I'll be in line at my neighborhood theater to see TM3--and our good friend Arnie is supposed to be there in person. So, until next time--I'll. Be. Buckkkk.
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Yes, Yes, I second that idea, Maskedmala. We've had years and years of Chaplin, Keaton, until I'm sick of them. Let's have a cycle of rarely seen movies from other great comedians--like Mabel Normand, Ben Turpin, Fatty Arbuckle, and going way back, let's see some of John Bunny's work! At one time, I've read that this guy was the most popular man in the world, because of his comedies. Let's see what made him tick and if he still has it.
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Thanks, Clore1030, for introducing this topic. I was just going to start a discussion myself after reading in today's NY Daily News that 20th Century Fox TV was deleting all Charlie Chan flicks from its schedule. And these were so beautifully restored! I hope these thin-skinned pressure groups are satisfied now. Asian viwers have NO oriental movies to watch! I always loved Chan's suave, smart, witty, dapper personae. There was nothing demeaning in his character. I wish I knew what exactly it is these nutsy groups want portrayed as representative of their race? But then, we must remember that AMC has the rights to all the Lil' Rascal and Our Gang comedies--and more than 47 of them are locked up and will never be seen again. Why? Because one of them shows Buckwheat shining the shoes of a black man and another one shows him tripping and falling--thus, presenting an image of the "clumsy" black. I'm sending an e-note to 20th Century Fox and demand they stop showing movies that show caucasians being presented as sex pots (marilyn monroe), idiots (charlie chaplin), killers (all our western cowboy stars) and psychotic (bette davis, margaret hamilton), etc.
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Francis X. was one gorgeous, sexy **** boy, the mature matinee idol that the public loved back in the l900s. His movies are impossible to find these days. Other than Ben Hur, where he looks fantastic, I've only seen photos of him. Wooo, that profile of his! I do know that he was yet another victim of MGM's Louis Mayer. Somehow, Bushman was suppose to meet Mayer for a party or a meeting but the message never got to Bushman. Mayer was infuriated and black-balled him in Hollywood. How Bushman got to make Ben Hur at Mayer's studio is a mystery. Bushman made a whole string of movies with his wife, Beverly Bayne. They were the J-Lo and Ben Affleck of the l900s. Wouldn't it be fantastic if someone unearthed all these flicks and we could see for ourselves this early male heart-throb?
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"Harum Scarum", the Elvis Presley nightmare that TCM showed over the weekend, definitely needs to be on our destruction list. One could say that it was so bad, it was good. Not in this case. It was so depressing to see this phenomenally talented performer being showcased in another Colonel Tom Parker's concoctions of cheapness. Elvis and cast wore hideous, off-the-rack clothes, terrible photography and a terrific cast of unknowns. You think that Elvis was offered the starring movie leads in "Sweet Bird of Youth," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "A Star is Born," and dear ole Colonel Parker nixed them all. HIs "boy" had to make mucho money and he could make both him and the Colonel tons of it by making these musical quickies that raked in the dinero. Except for the dazzling "Viva Las Vegas"--and thanks mainly to the sassy Ann-Margaret--Presley's amazing talent was wasted. Let's all say it together now; Destroy. This. Movie!
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One of my all-time favorite delights is to curl up in bed on a rainy afternoon and watch a doubleheader that consists of the origianal, "The Thing" (1950) and the John Carpenter l984 remake, "The Thing." Both are equally good in their own way. The old one has great atmosphere while the new one is gloriously gory and scary. The same goes for both versions of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." The Carpenter DVD, by the way, has fantastic extras--a "Making of..." interviews with much of the cast, story-boards, deleted scenes, etc. You can watch it for hours.
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Moviejoe, I just watched a terrific Valentino double-feature on DVD that has not only both "The Sheik" and "Son of the Shiek" but some extra goodies. I had just read "Dark Lover," a terrific new bio on our first love male love god. On this DVD, you get a chance to watch the Valentino phenomena right on your TV--and there's a Valentino short called, "The Sheik Takes Off His Clothes," which is merely a nothing come-on since VAlentino strips down to his beach shorts and jersey. I was fortunate to catch Valentino on a big movie screen at one of NYC's old revival houses that are now shuttered. On the big screen, his sensual charisma is amazing. On the small screen, he's just a very handsome guy. You may have heard of this web DVD rental service but I belong to Netflix.com, where you can get an unlimited number of DVD's each month for just $20 a month and they have a nice gallery of silent titles. You can keep the discs as long as you want. When you return one, they send you another one off your "wish list" that you compile. This is where I got the Cecil B. Demille sex comedy, "The Affairs of Anatol" and also the Clara Bow double-feature, "A Parisian Romance" and "Down to the Sea in Ships."
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If I see Demi Moore's grinning face next to her teenage boyfriend on any more magazine covers, I think I'll say something aloud that's very nasty. To me, it's such an obvious PR stunt to help re-introduce Miss Moore again to the public after her string of movie bombs led to her retirement for 4 wonderful years. Moore cannot act, she has no charisma and her whole career was built on hype. We jaded observers of the Hollywood scene wonder how long it'll take for Moore to re-assume her old nickname on movie sets: Gimme Moore. Wow, thanks, TCM, for letting me vent.
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You said it, Slappy. I remember watching "Psycho" when it first came out in the early 60s and the theater was packed. It was such fun when everyone--men and women--all screamed at the shower scene and of Abrogast being attacked on the stairsteps. But nowadays, I've heard no one scream like that--and I see nearly any "horror" flick that comes out. I remember there were some screams at the end of "The Ring"--which really was startling. I would love to have been in the audiences of the 30s and 40s when movie fans began to see the "new" horror masterpieces like "Dracula" and "Mummy" and of course "Freaks." I've read where some people really did faint, become hysterical and ran out of the theater.
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Slappy, you're so on the mark about Ramon Navarro in "Ben Hur"! I much prefer this silent l927 classic to the Charleston Heston version. Ramon projected a totally different personae as Ben Hur, whereas Heston was so damned atheletic and surface. Also, "Metropolis" is fantastic. I'm planning on buying the restored, deluxe version on DVD. When my friends talk about the silents, they usually refer to the comedies of Chaplin and Buster Keaton--which I've seen so many times I'm sick of them. I wish TCM would showcase other silent talents and those great Jazz Age stars--like Billie Dove, Marion Davies, Constance and Norma Talmadge.
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Right on, Slappy! It's always entertaining to see what really lies beneath the glittery facade of some of our entertainers. They seem to forget that the public pays to see them entertain--not to get up on a soap box.
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Some of you may want to check out "The Sexiest" folder which has oodles of great suggestions for the most handsome, sexiest and charismatic of actors. These faves range from B-Actors like Tom Neal, Buster Crabbe to the usual suspects like Sean Connery and Josh Hartnett. By the way, this folder also features the gals, too, like Clara Bow, Kay Francis and everyone's favorite blonde, Marilyn Monroe.
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I would gladly make an exception, Harold, to silent historical films for a chance to glimpse "Cleopatra." Theda was so over the top in "A Fool There Was," that I can just imagine her chewing up the scenery in "Cleo." By the way, you named one of my all time silent faves, "Bare Knees," with the adorable Virginia Lee Corbin. I thought she embodied the innocent, flirty, mischevous Jazz Baby beautifully in "Knees." Especially the way she would put her hand under her chin and wriggle her fingers. I reviewed the film on Amazon.Com or somewhere and her brother or nephew sent me a charming note. I believe she died tragically young. But what a charmer!
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Any celebrity in the year 2003 surely understands that if they wish to jump into a controversial subject, then they'll definitely receive the jeers or the cheers. If they wish to exercise their "freedom of expression" then it works both ways. They can express it and their critics can avoid them. Susan Sarandon and her demonstrative cohorts certainly grates on the nerves of many of us New Yorkers, both liberal and conservative. I've seen close-up Miss Sarandon arriving at anti-War and anti-police rallies in a chaffeured limousine. I've personally seen the driver wait for Miss Sarandon to appear before the TV cameras, where she shakes her fists, make her usual anti-American statements and then she steps back into her limousine with not a hair out of place. When the tabloids up here denounce her as being a "limousine liberal," they mean this literally. Also, there have always been stars who've chosen to make their points known on controversial subjects. They've never been as identifiable with left-wing causes as Sarandon, Danny Glover, Sean Penn, Ed Ashner, etc., who appear to demonstrate all over the place.
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Theda Bara's "Cleopatra" is one lost film I'd love to have a copy of. Everything I've read about this movie, from the location shooting in the desert to Bara's costumes, makes it a must see. Anyone whose interested in the silents but hasn't yet gotten into them might want to start off with l927's "The Jazz Singer." It has a great musical score and it's filmed as part-talkie and part-silent. Another beginner goodie is 1928's "Our Dancing Daughters." Joan Crawford became a full-fledged star as the jazz-mad flapper chick. I never liked the silent historical dramas. I love to see the Jazz Age as reflected in the movies made at that time. I see most of my silents courtesy of our public library here in NYC. Doesn't cost a penny to watch them. I've brought a few through Grapevine Video but they're closing shop in a month or two. Oh, one more lost movie, I'd love to see is "Beyond the Rocks" with Gloria Swanson and Valentino. Whew, what a beautiful pair of movie gods!
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"Humoresque" is one of my all time faves! The final sequence when the Helen Wright character (Joan Crawford) wanders out to the beach and kills herself is one of the great sequences of all time--at least it is to me. I've wondered if the figure of Helen Wright walking along the shore is really Joan or her double? She was never all that fond of the movie. Maybe Garfield didn't give her a tumble although they did have a positive relationship in making the movie. A bit of trivia: "Humoresque" was so popular in Mexico that it played in one theater there for years. For some reason, it was retitled "Tears of my Soul." Garfield was so ahead of his time. He was doing method acting long before Clift, Brando and Dean came on the scene. Don't all of you think he would have made a terrific Howard Roark in King Vidor's l948 "The Fountainhead"? Vidor wanted him badly but author Ayn Rand nixed it. She wanted a much too old Gary Cooper for the role and he ruined the whole movie.
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Yeaaaa, the Pre-Code era is definitely a must era. These flicks were so much fun and sexy and daring! Women had such fabulous roles back then--I'm thinking especially of Alice Brady in last night's TCM telecast of the l932 "Stage Mother." These movies were aimed at adults who enjoyed great wardrobes and mature actors who really had talent. Warren William was a perfect Pre-Code champ. No wonder his career slid after the Code went into effect in l934. It was sayanora to fun, sexy movies and hello blandness.
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"Stage Mother" and "Skyscraper Souls" just knocked me! Bansai, I'll have to disagree with you a little on "Stage Mother." I thought Alice Brady looked a little mature and I really hated her in some ways but that final scene and her last line, "How'm I doing?" was great. Warren William was simply fabulous in "Skyscraper Souls." He should have been nominated for an Academy Award. He was sooooo sexy and charismatic with those silver streaks! And this guy could act! Oh, for those great days again when women had such fabulous roles, not to mention the guys! What huppened? These people in those old Pre-Coders could act, they had talent and they had personality. Today? Fuggaboutit!
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I would definitely pick the 1913-1920 era. The silent movies I like so much and that are available are always from l914-1915. Great movies like "Regeneration", "The Cheat," and others that are amazing in their concepts, acting and technical advances. But the 1912-1913 is also memorable because of the brilliant Thanhouser Films that concentrated on sentimental themes of children, animals and Victorian holdovers like the plight of old people.
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bansi4, you're so right about the Alice in "Stage Mother" being Alice Brady. I've always loved her in "In Old Chicago" and can hardly wait to see as the conniving, evil Stage Mother. Now, if we could get TCM to put on another block of Pre-Coders soon that would include "Employees Entrance," with the great Warren William, "Common Clay" with Constance Bennett and "They Call It Sin," with the young and beautiful Loretta Young.
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Does anyone know much about the Pre-Code treasures on schedule for tonight, Wednesday, June 11, 2003? At 8 p.m., there's the rarely seen "Stage Mother," with Alice and Maureen O'Sullvian. At 9:30 p.m., there's "Skyscraper Souls," which I believe stars everybody's golden-haired favorite flapper, Anita Page. At 11:30 p.m., we have the erotic and juicy, "Tarzan, the Ape Man." And at 1:30 a.m., Charles Laughton can be seen in l932's "Payment Deferred." For some reason, I always thought Laughton didn't make his Hollywood debut until the mid-30s. Any of you Pre-Code addicts want to jump in?
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Two must-see silents that I watch repeatedly are the l914 "The Cheat," starring the fabulous Fannie Ward and directed by Cecil B. Demille. And the l920 Louise Glaum movie, "Sex." "The Cheat" moves along at break-neck pace as it recounts how a 'social butterfly,' Ward, steals $10,000 from a charity and she goes to sexy Sessue Hayakawa who gives her the money--but he later brands her when she reneges the role of mistress. She shoots him but her husband takes the blame and goes to trial.There's a sensational trial and Fannie is a knockout. "Sex," is terrific fun. Glaum was a Theda Bara clone but she had her own style of glamour. The movie features beautiful costumes, sets, photography and lighting. Glaum has charisma galore. She plays a fast-living dancer and plays around but at the end, she learns humility. Both movies are fun,great to look at a chance to see what the best-dressed film actresses of the silents wore!
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Jack Carson! I was re-watching "Mildred Pierce" last night and thought how sexy, huggable and likable this big teddybear was in all his pics. Are there any other Jack Carson fans out there? He made a slew of musicals with Dennis Morgan but getting back to "Mildred." I always wondered why Joan Crawford didn't marry Carson's 'Wally' character. He would have been a heck of a lot more funt than that oily, snarky Zachary Scott!
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I'm watching the Haines/Chaney goodie this weekend since it's supposed to be another rained out event. I would love to have watched Billy and Lon during breaks of "Tell It To the Marines." I've read where Billy found Lon Chaney extremely handsome and sexy. Lon reportedly had a few personal quirks of his own. I rewatched Billy in "West Point" again last weekend and just loved it. I'm also re-reading "Wisecracker" the bio on Haines. He must have been the Hollywood party boy to end all partyboys!
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Good God, what next? If a viewer turns onto to TCM, they shouldn't expect a censored interview on camera made decades ago by someone who was just being honest. Our shocked viewer might want to try 20th Century Fox Movie Channel. They've just deleted all showings of their beautifully restored Charlie Chan movies. Why? Because an Asian pressure group said the Chan movies portrayed Asians in a bigoted way. You'd think these Asian groups would be thrilled to see one of them portrayed with so much class, charm and wit. Chan certainly didn't come off as a "buck-toothed stereotype"--as one of the protestors charged--to me. The outraged viewer might also enjoy AMC these days. They own all the rights to the Lil' Rascals and Our Gang comedies but 47 of the episodes are locked up and will never be shown? Why? Because pressure groups said Buckwheat was shown as being "clumsy" and turned into a "figure of fun." Strange, but I thought that was the point of these comedy shorts. Everyone was supposed to be figures of fun.