flickerknickers
-
Posts
664 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Never
Posts posted by flickerknickers
-
-
It's a real shame that the Betty Grable musicals are rarely seen today. AMC showed many of them during AMC's glory days. 20th Century Fox used its brightest, most brash colors to make these ice cream sundae concoctions so delectable. My favorite: "Moon Over Miami" and "That Night in Havana"--the over-saturated Technicolor was mesmerizing and Carmen Miranda always knocked me outta my chair. Travis Banton designed all those fantastic gowns and headpieces for his gals. Also, I love watched the furniture and the decor in the camp 40s classics. Everything was so art deco and over=the-top. A real goodie is "The Dolly Sisters" that starred both Grable and June Haver in a terribly cleaned version of the real-life Dolly Sisters who in real life lived wild, hedonistic lives with many lovers and many fortunes. Grable couldn't stand Haver in real life but Haver was a mogul favorite and with almost no buildup was suddenly thrust into A-plus productions as a so-called threat to Grable. IT never worked. Haver's voice was dubbed and she could barely dance. The blonde who inherited Grable's gold crown was none other than the magical Marilyn Monroe.
-
I loved the blaxploitation movies when they first hitting the screen in the 70s. I worked as entertainment editor for a newspaper in Montggomery, Alabama and was lucky enough to interview nearly all the starsa and see nearly all these flicks. They were great fun--both the movies and the stars. They were funky, cool, funny and oh, boy, those styles. My favorites were Pam Grier and Fred Williamson. Both were gorgeous looking people. Pam wore her hair in a huge afro, sexy halters, long earrings. Fred was sex incarnate. Handsome, impish, virile and very charming. HIs "Godfather of Harlem" is a must-see. "The Mack" is still a fascinating pick. "Shaft" is still very watchable. I've got most of these on DVD. Fred was also dynamite as "Hammer" where he plays a boxer. He was definitely the bronze Adonis of the 70s and stil looks great today.
-
I second Alix's nomination of Fatty Arbuckle. He must have had something going for him to be named as the Number one Box Office King for several years before la scandal. Also, how about Mable Norman's comedies? She was also a top favorite for many years. And instead of the steady showing of Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd, why not pop in a John Bunny short from the l900s and Harry Langdon? At one time, John Bunny was named the most famous man on earth--even more recognizable than the king of england and the US president. Give us a chance to see what made these long-gone legends so incredibly popular.
-
Deanna Durbin was always radiantly adorable and likable. Yet, she never cloyed. Eve Arden was also a gal that I think everyone would have loved to have had as a big sister or favorite aunt. Judy Canova, Republic's so-called "hillbilly" charmer, was another down-to-earth sweetheart who always played natural, rustic gals who showed up those big city gals with airs. And there's always the fabulous Joan Davis. She's the blonde comic in "Hold That Ghost" that stole everything from Abbott and Costello that wasn't nailed down. Her classic "Waltz Dance" witha bucket tied around her **** is still hysterical. Let's not forget "the Andrew Sisters." They weren't really actors but a staple of Universals's great B movies of the 40s. Today, they're solid gold.
-
Nick, you hit the nail on the head about that sweaty, ****-up fat guy in "Baby Face." And how that guy could leer! Babs STanwyck one-word reply is a classic. "Plenty!" I would love to have seen them prepare this scene and how they were coached into spitting out those classic one-liners. And oh, boy, I'm dying to tape the Tallulah Bankhead gem. I interviewed her for a gay magazine way back when and this woman was something else! She drank straight vodka and smoked through two packs of cigarettes in four hours. Most of the stuff I wasn't able to print--even in a gay mag. It was all juicy dish on people she had known--especially the divine Bette Davis.
Miriam Hopkins came off even worse.
-
From everything I've read about the making of "Guys and Dolls", it was one hell of an ego trip for the male stars. Frank Sinatra loathed passionately Marlon Brando and called him "Mumbles." He aped his mannerisms and when Brando demanded retakes, Sinatra blew up and walked off the set several times a day. Sinatra became famous for never ever doing a second take for anything. Talk about giant egos, old blue eyes had one. Brando called Sinatra the "Human Noodle" or "Noodles" because he was so skinny. When Sinatra had to film a scene, brando got behind the camera and belched and made faces. He was also into his "mooning" phase and mooned everyone sooner or later. The women and the gay guys didn't mind this at all since Brando was at his peak of beauty. Brando also flirted heavily with Jean Simmons who managed to keep peace between the two hams. Brando initially began the movie in high spirits. He wanted to prove he could do anything. He later said "old blue eyes Noodle Man" killed his interest in ever becoming a musical star.
-
Yep, those daring but oh, so classy frocks for Claudette in "Torch Singer" fitted the main character perfectly. I just wonder if Claudette really sang or was that her real voice? I think it was since she sang in several of those early efforts. Have any of you noticed how differently Travis Banton designed his creations over Orry-Kelly at Warner Brothers? Orry wanted a gaudy, flamboyant look for his gals. You certainly saw that in Barbara STanwycy's "BabyFace" after she's gotten some money. There's one part of the flick where she has huge collars and cuffs and buttons and her hair's all marcelled. Also, in those "Gold Digger of___" movies, he seems to have caught the fleshy, naughty, gaudy flavor in his wild costumes for Ginger, Aline McMahon and all the others.
-
I was always glad when Gladys Cooper, who played Charlotte Vale's vicious old mother in "Now, Voyager" had her fatal heart attack. Bette Davis was much too kind to her. Instead of going into depression,I think I would have celebrated.
-
I don't know why Paramount Studios always dug up the frogs for Marlene Dietrich to romance in her 30s movies. In "Shaghai Express," it was the wooden-faced, stiff Clive Brooks. In "Blonde Venus," it was the wooden-faced, stiff Herbert Marshall. Only in "Morocco" did she have a worthy lover-boy and that the hot, boy-toy Gary Cooper. Poor Garbo had much the same luck. The elderly, wrinkled Lewis Stone played her hubby in "Wild Orchids," and once again, wooden-faced, stiff Herbert Marshall was hubby in "The Painted Veil."
-
I don't know why Paramount Studios always dug up the frogs for Marlene Dietrich to romance in her 30s movies. In "Shaghai Express," it was the wooden-faced, stiff Clive Brooks. In "Blonde Venus," it was the wooden-faced, stiff Herbert Marshall. Only in "Morocco" did she have a worthy lover-boy and that the hot, boy-toy Gary Cooper. Poor Garbo had much the same luck. The elderly, wrinkled Lewis Stone played her hubby in "Wild Orchids," and once again, wooden-faced, stiff Herbert Marshall was hubby in "The Painted Veil."
-
In 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,' there's a whole big sequence about building a house. As noted below, "The Fountainhead," is the ultimate 'construction' movie. Also, I believe that Buster Keaton had a famous scene where he's built a house and one wall falls down on top of him, but he escapes unscathed because it was the empty "window" portion that fell over him.
-
In the flapper movies I've seen, the dresses and gowns worn by the women are beyond fabulous. That beaded, sequined gown worn by Anita Page in the big party scene at the end of "Broadway melody" is an absolute stunner. Remember, she wore that one with a stunning white ermine cape. Also, in another flaper movie, "Bare Knees," Virginia Lee Corby wears unforgettable flapper fashions. Light, chiffon gowns way above the knees, with trains behind them. In "Diary of a Lost Girl," Louise Brooks wore silk frocks and hats that really made the character. In "Our Dancing Daughters", Joan Crawford and Anita Page also wore adorable hats and flapper gowns.
-
From what I've read, in the l900s, heavy men and women were in style. This extra weight meant they were supposedly "wealthy" and had money to buy food. Theda Bara looked fleshy and plump in l915's "A Fool There Was" as were the other femme cast members.The men were big and fleshy. When Mary Pickford became a sensation, there were countless clones, in particular, Mary Miles Minter. So an army of child-like women, with enormous manes of curls, and tiny little features became the vogue. I wonder what these old pioneers would think of today's stick-like women who often resemble robots. Liz Taylor was the last of the full-bosomed, full-bodied screen divas.
-
I've mentioned over and over again that I think Gloria Swanson's memoirs, "Swanson on Swanson," has to be among the best autobiography ever written by a genuine movie legend. This book is big, packed witht thousands of details, from the clothes she wore in a l918 movie to the perfumes she wore. She was fabulous in "Queen Kelly." I checked the Kino video from our library and what was salvaged is a knock-out. Marvelous photography, lighting, ambiance and of course, Gloria at her apex. When I went to her auction here in NYC several years ago, everyone was absolutely floored by the thousands of personal items she preserved. Hobble skirts from the l900s, flapper gowns from the 20s, perfume vials, leopard turbans, capes, shoes, walking sticks. By the way, another Silent Movie must-see is the l920 Louise Glaum extravaganza, "Sex." There's no sex in this Thomas Ince work but marvelous costumes, camera work and the fascinating Louise Glaum--suppossedly Theda Bara's hot competition back in those good old days.
-
Swingsoul, I also mentioned in another folder, "Precodes" that I was struck by the meaty roles the black women played in at least both "Torch Singer" and "Babyface." They didn't just hang around and act as maids. They were treated as close confidantes of Claudette Colbert and Barbara Stanwyck. One memorable scene in "Torch Singer" is when Colbert visits one of her radio listeners, "Kathy", who Colbert hopes is her lost daughter. The little girl turns out to be black and she's treated very warmly and humanely. In fact, she asks: "Is your Kathy a little black girl like me." You can tell this was decades before Political Correctness would have deleted this scene. Colbert acts completely natural and warm as the mother. "Torch Singer" was, indeed, a real eye-opener. There must be hundreds more of these pre-code beauties, gathering dust in the vaults of film archives.
-
i'll never get over the incredible beauty of robert stack as Deanna Durbin's love interest in "Nice Girl?" That dazzling smile, those chiseled good looks, his sweetness. poor deanna must be about the only one left of her generation who appeared before a universal studio camera. anne gwyne, one of Universal's most over-worked B-gals died just a month ago.
-
If you watch any of the l900-1923 movies, women really looked big! In the beginning, they wore soooooo much camaflogue. huge picture hats, bustles, corsets, long dresses. then, when the "flappers" came on the scene, they began to shrink in appearance because their attire was lighter and boyish. they also strapped down their bosom to look "boyish." and again, looking slender and mannish was all the rage, hence the rigid diets. it's rare you saw a heavy flapper. also, i still think movie moguls wanted a certain femme type: slender, feminine, almost skinny.
-
Shelly Winters could also play a first-class b****. As i've mentioned in another folder, it would be hard to top this gal as bleached-blonde B-girl in "A Patch of Blue." When she slapped the blinde Selena, you really felt it. Also, Ida Lupino was a fabulous meanie as Lana Carlson in the l940 "They Drive By Night." Somehow, she made her mean side sympathetic because she just happened to be a psycho **** who had the hots for George Raft (why? this guy was such a cold clod)and she finally goes nuts on the witness stand. She has this one great line, among many, that I've never forgotten. When the attorney asks her about herself, she says in a dazed, numb way: "I brought some clothes--they were pretty. And then he (her murdered husband) used to tell these stupid jokes. And he laughed at them. He was always laughing."
-
I know that this nugget of info has nothing to do with the exact topic of "There'll always be an England..." but at the end of the Deanna Durbin classic, "Nice Girl?", she filmed an alternate ending for her rabid British fans back in l941. This ending showed her singing straight-on into the camera, "There're always be and England..." Universal had just filmed her final scene where she gave a rousing rendition of "Thank You America!" that she sang before a military crowd. You want to stand up and shout, God Bless America. In the video I have, this final scene fades beautifully into her English tribute. I've read where this beautiful touch by Universal and by its fabulous song bird had British audiences cheering and weeping everytime it was shown. In fact, "Nice Girl?" and Durbin's second greatest classic, "His Butler's Sister" have been cited as two of the most requested movies to play on British TV--even today!
-
You asked a good question. I think there was definitely a different type of movie woman up until the seventies. Movie moguls in the 20s and 30s liked petite women, girlish, delicate/refined, and if they were under contract, they were kept to a strict diet. If you think about all the superstar movie queens, bette, joan, mae, bow, etc. all of them were almost midgets. I've seen their movie costumes here in NYC and it looks like these creations were designed for junior high girls! Vivien Leigh's costumes in GWTW were so little that some people asked the curator of the Metropolitan Museum if the gowns had shrunk. He said nope. That was her actual size. Also, women back then had different diets and nutritional habits. They dieted madly for the cameras. Also, super legends like Mary Pickford, Swanson, Bow and Colbert were so little that every studio wanted clones just like them.
-
"Torch Singer" blew me away. I was thrilled with the beautifully restored print and Claudette Colbert was a revelation. And oh, migod, there was that gorgeous David Manners who looked so cute I just wanted to reach into my TV screen and bottle him up. He's never been sexier. Did anyone notice the symphathetic, and surprisingly meaty roles, of the black maids in both "Torch Singer" and "Babyface." They were treated like real, live members of the cast, especially in "Torch Singer." I also caught "Picture Snatcher" and "Smart Money" before these two. All I can say is: nobody could beat Warner Brothers during those early 30 flicks for capturing the sweaty, gritty feel of that time. The women never looked all that glamarous and everyone had beads of sweat glistening on their faces and hair. At the pace Warner movies were made, there was probably no time for make-up retouches!
-
I have two all-time bad boys who never received their due. They are: gorgeous, meanie, impish Tom Neal who always had a smart-assy twinkle in his eye. And the heavenly, handsome, tough-as-nails Don Red Barry. Tommy Neal is better known today for his wild personal life. Fistfights were all in a day's work. He bashed in the face of poor, former matinee idol Franchot Tone so bad the old gent was hospitilized for weeks and his face permanently ruined. the fight was over equally bad-girl Barbara Payton. Don Red Barry was often called the James Cagney of the Cowboys. His tragedy is that he had real talent, outstanding male beauty but he liked to party too much. His days ended up tragically with him appearing on tv and begging "all you little boys and girls" to send Ole Red one dollar bill so he could bankroll a tv western series. it never happened. Tom neal ended up in prison after murdering one of his girlfriends and he died on his job as a landscape worker at a large estate where he had once partied.
-
Here's something else about the fascinating Deanna. When she married Charles Henry David, part of her marriage contract included this very curious attachment: the new husband had to promise to treat his new bride "like a nobody." In other words, I think Deanna intensely detested the public side of stardom and just wanted to be treated like an average person. She certainly succeeded. She still lives in seclusion in the French village of Neaphle-le-Chateau. Even during her Hollywood heyday, the movie mags were full of how reclusive she was. She was almost never seen in public, especially at Hollywood parties. The magical beauty of her movies today are how simple and technically dazzling they all were--even in black and white. Unlike her cohort, Judy Garland, she played the same character in every movie: high-spirited, independent, and never despaired. In l952, Judy Garland was performing over in France. She managed to get the private phone number of Deanna and the two old Hollywood stars chatted for a long time. Deanna reportedly said: "Are you still having to do this?" Judy replied: "Of course. It's my career." Deanna's last words were: "Thank God I'm out of all that."
-
CoffeeDan, I wish I could whip up some enthusiasm for the film version of "The Fountainhead," but I keep thinking how great it would have been if King Vidor had gotten the cast he really wanted--and not let Ayn Rand run roughshod. He begged and pleaded for Greta Garbo to play Dominique Francon and for John Garfield/Orson Welles to play Howard Roark. Studio head Jack Warner actually contemplated that red-haired Adonis of the cowboys, Don Red Barry. Don't laugh. This guy was just incredibly sexy looking and could act up a storm and he had RED hair--just like Howard Roark. But-he was pigeonholed as the "James Cagney of the Cowboys." Gary Cooper wanted the role and after he got it, he demanded countless changes to the script, camera angles, wardrobe to make him look younger. Rand finally realized what a horrible mistake it was to have a middle-aged looking "Coop" in the riding seat. By the way, have you seen the Italian version (1941) of "We the Living"? Fabulous! It was literally filmed beneath the streets of Rome during World War II, away from the prying eyes of Mussolini who would have had the cast executed if he found out what they were doing. Alida Valli makes a marvelous Kira Argonouva.
Your Choices for Essentials
in General Discussions
Posted
There should be a festival of Grade-B horrorthriller flicks. My definite choices would be:
1. Night Monster. (1941) Marvelous ensemble acting by Hollywood's greatest character performers and dig that knock-out photography and lighting.
2. Topper Returns. This is actually an A-Class ghostly fun fest with Rowland West, Billie Burke, Rochester, Patsy Kelly, etc. turning this into a comedy to savor for every decade.
3. Hold That Ghost. l941. Another comedy/horror classic with Joan Davis wiping everyone off the floor with her hysterical "waltz" with the tin bucket stuck to her posterior.
4. Weird Woman. (1942) Evelyn Ankers and Elizabeth Russell battle each other for top acting kudos as they try to drive poor little Anne Gwynne insane. Ankers is terrif as the vicious villain--a big change from her usual "good girl" or "screaming heroine."
5. Sherlock Holmes and The Voice of Terror." Another l941 black adn white beauty from Universal with yet again, the marvelous Evelyn Ankers portraying the street walker, Kitty, who saves England during WWII, along with Basil Rathbone as Sherlock. Hip hip hooray for Universal!