LsDoorMat

"Anatomy of a Psycho" (1961) 6/10 The acting and direction are wooden in this magnificently awful movie, and the production values are minimalist. But from time to time I really enjoy these independent films from the 50s through the 70s. Last night on TCM was one of those times. A man is about to be executed for murder. You never get to see or hear from that man. All you know about him is what other people say. The man's brother, Mickey (Ronnie Burns) is angry at everybody who played a part in his brother's execution because his brother told him he was innocent. His sister, Pat (Pamela Lincoln), does not share in his anger because she does not believe in her brother's innocence. Besides, she knew he made his living robbing other people. Mickey points out that the money from those robberies went to them being raised by their criminal brother when he could have let them go to an orphanage. Mickey hangs with a rough crowd of teens in "the shack" - an abandoned former pool hall. When Mickey swears vengeance on everybody who helped send his brother to the gas chamber the gang helps - some. But eventually things go terribly wrong. A complicating factor is that Mickey's sister is engaged to the son of the star prosecution witness against Mickey's brother. The overall plot line is interesting and makes some good points, almost religious ones, such as the importance of forgiveness and how when a person hates it is that person who is wounded most by it. However the actual dialogue and some of the scenes are to die for. Examples - Mickey's straight arrow sister offering to drop out of college so her delinquent brother can go because "girls don't need school". The "tough cop with a heart of gold" threatening to shoot an unarmed Mickey for - climbing up the ladder of a water tower??? Was he afraid he would fly away? When he comes back down the cop says "You know you can trust me"???. Mickey's girlfriend dumps him, but I really didn't pay much attention to her dialogue because her hair has a life of its own! Is there a stylist and some hair gel in the house? If you are looking for an A or even B list film, or if you are looking for a horror film, this will disappoint. But for MST3K style goodness without the rifftrax, this fits the bill. Source: TCM Underground

I'd like to see Robert Montgomery get a day. Maybe they could throw in "Ride the Pink Horse", which is a Universal film that was released by Criterion awhile back. I believe that would be a TCM premiere, although I could be wrong.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MGTOW/ Read the link above. I am tired and currently cannot find the language to do the movement justice. I will say this much.Basically it is American men and men from other western countries who have watched their friends and fathers get divorce rap_ed in family court and have sworn off marriage and chlldren to avoid the same fate. But then why is every post about how awful women are? I mean, if you have decided to go "your own way" why not post about nutrition, sports, investing, etc.?

Jumping ahead a bit because I never know if I'll get to post during the work week, on Tuesday night, May 1, starting at 8 PM TCM is showing the "Blondie" series of movies with Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. I've only seen the first one - "Blondie" - so I don't know if the rest are any good, but I'm recording them because this is likely a one shot deal. Below is Penny Singleton leading "The Varsity Drag" number from 1930's "Good News".

Oh, I know what a flame war is. I just didn't remember any particular flame wars. I don't remember the Jane Fonda posts or the "amusing early movies" thread. The longest thread I remember was "Seeking Hollywood Revue of 1929" that took on a life of its own. It started out about somebody trying to find the movie Hollywood Revue of 1929 and then turned into a museum of early talkie material. The "Off Topic" forum was a streak of genius. It gives people a place to vent all kinds of unusual opinions as long as they don't get profane and keeps it out of the other forums. Thanks for answering anyways.

It is interesting that it took Gunsmoke only 20 years to reach that number of episodes, but took the Simpsons 29 years to reach that number of episodes.

I've been a member since September 2007, so could you please enlighten me. What flame wars? All I can remember is somebody named bio47, who after he told probably a little too much about himself, was cyber bullied by somebody named Magnavoice in a way that would not be tolerated on these boards today. That was in the early part of 2008. I also remember two posters named Snorkey and CelluloidKid who used to get snarky with people in general. They would just take over a thread and if somebody posted a complaint they would reply with an insult. Is that what you are talking about or is it something even earlier than that? I know I miss PrinceSaliano and Marcbeckauf (sp???), but they seemed to be into the really old movies and I think TCM got a little too modern for them. I didn't get the impression that they were older. If these boards were around in 1995, when TCM was still competing with AMC, that must have been a fun bunch of discussions, back when they were not limited to films that had been digitized. I know I have some copies of some old Clara Bow movies from the 1990s when TCM did a tribute to her, which is something that I doubt they would do today.

Worse. Jeff Bezos.

You left out my pick for Best Picture that year - "Treasure of the Sierra Madre".

Paterno (2018) 5/10 You get an all time great actor, Al Pacino, to play long time coach Joe Paterno at the time the Jerry Sandusky molestation case at Penn State broke, and what does HBO do? Nothing that measures up to their reputation. Pacino looks and sounds like Paterno, but then everything just stops there. Pacino just goes around looking dazed and confused and gives no insight. There is really no insight given into the Paterno family, nor the victims - not even the victim that is highlighted here, nor the reporters responsible for cracking the case wide open. The whole thing is just so superficial and aimless. There is nothing to take away from this other than universities often act like big corporations - asking "How can we protect ourselves here?" and firing anybody that answers that question, even someone lionized by the school for over 50 years. But in this cynical age that comes as no surprise. HBO, I've come to expect better from you. Source: HBO

We (the prolific imdb reviewers) told the imdb staff to do what you suggest. But no, that which can be monetized is in, good prose is devalued, and they simply do not care. Exhibit A - eliminating the imdb message boards and just telling everybody "to post on facebook". The message boards are not something that can be monetized. Col Needham himself, in his New Year's post said that his prime goal at imdb was to "invent advertising our customers will love". LOL. I delete their distracting advertising from my view every time I go there.

It is most noticeable in newer films where someone on mobile will write: "Gr8T Film! C it Or Die!" or something almost that trite. That takes hardly more energy to write than just to vote for a film. It's an attempt to get more participation from mobile users, and ultimately sell tickets through imdb at the expense of the integrity of their database which Needham, imdb's founder, could really care less about.

That's an interesting list. It's a good thing you capped it by date, because imdb has started letting people write tiny reviews that require little or no effort. Thus "The Last Jedi" has 4987 reviews already. Why bother writing a review for a film that has almost 5000 reviews? Nobody will ever see it.

She did not make that many sound films. Sound feature films[edit] Year Title Role Director Other cast members & Notes 1930 The Blue Angel Lola-Lola Josef von Sternberg Emil Jannings, Kurt Gerron (Separate German and English versions were shot simultaneously.) 1930 Morocco Mademoiselle Amy Jolly Josef von Sternberg Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress 1931 Dishonored Marie Kolverer Josef von Sternberg Victor McLaglen, Warner Oland 1932 Shanghai Express Shanghai Lily Josef von Sternberg Clive Brook, Anna May Wong 1932 Blonde Venus Helen Faraday Josef von Sternberg Cary Grant, Herbert Marshall, Andrea Palma 1933 The Song of Songs Lily Czepanek Rouben Mamoulian Brian Aherne, Lionel Atwill 1934 The Scarlet Empress Princess Sophia Frederica / Catherine II Josef von Sternberg John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Maria Riva 1935 The Devil is a Woman Concha Perez Josef von Sternberg Lionel Atwill, Edward Everett Horton, Cesar Romero 1936 Desire Madeleine de Aupre Frank Borzage Gary Cooper, John Halliday 1936 The Garden of Allah Domini Enfilden Richard Boleslawski Charles Boyer, John Carradine 1937 Knight Without Armour Countess Alexandra Vladinoff Jacques Feyder Robert Donat, Irene Vanbrugh 1937 Angel Maria Berker Ernst Lubitsch Herbert Marshall, Melvyn Douglas, Edward Everett Horton 1939 Destry Rides Again Frenchy George Marshall James Stewart, Una Merkel 1940 Seven Sinners Bijou Blanche Tay Garnett John Wayne, Broderick Crawford 1941 The Flame of New Orleans Countess Claire Ledoux René Clair Bruce Cabot, Roland Young 1941 Manpower Fay Duvall Raoul Walsh Edward G. Robinson, George Raft 1942 The Lady Is Willing Elizabeth Madden Mitchell Leisen Fred MacMurray, Aline MacMahon 1942 The Spoilers Cherry Malotte Ray Enright John Wayne, Randolph Scott 1942 Pittsburgh Josey 'Hunky' Winters Lewis Seiler John Wayne, Randolph Scott 1944 Kismet Jamilla William Dieterle Ronald Colman, James Craig 1944 Follow the Boys Herself A. Edward Sutherland George Raft, Vera Zorina, Orson Welles 1946 Martin Roumagnac Blanche Ferrand Georges Lacombe Jean Gabin, Jean d'Yd 1947 Golden Earrings Lydia Mitchell Leisen Ray Milland, Murvyn Vye 1948 A Foreign Affair Erika von Schlütow Billy Wilder Jean Arthur, John Lund 1950 Stage Fright Charlotte Inwood Alfred Hitchcock Jane Wyman, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd 1951 No Highway in the Sky Monica Teasdale Henry Koster James Stewart, Glynis Johns 1952 Rancho Notorious Altar Keane Fritz Lang Arthur Kennedy, Mel Ferrer 1956 The Monte Carlo Story Maria de Creveçoeur Samuel A. Taylor Vittorio De Sica, Arthur O'Connell 1957 Witness for the Prosecution Christine Vole (Helm) / cockney woman Billy Wilder Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton 1958 Touch of Evil Tanna Orson Welles Charlton Heston, Orson Welles, Janet Leigh, Zsa Zsa Gabor 1961 Judgment at Nuremberg Frau Bertholt Stanley Kramer Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Judy Garland 1979 Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo Baroness von Semering David Hemmings David Bowie, Kim Novak, Sydne Rome 1984 Marlene Herself (voice only) Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell, Annie Albers, Bernard Hall (Film received Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.)

All of Universal may be a bit much. I'd just be happy with TCM's parent company, WB, purchasing the 1929-1949 Paramount library that Universal holds and with which they do absolutely nothing.

Marlene Dietrich was a star at Paramount for most of the time during the 30s. Thus it may be hard to get hold of many of her films. The same is true of Carole Lombard and Mae West - Paramount stars. Universal holds the rights to their films. Some are restored, some are not.

Which raises a question I've had for some time....WHY did TCM put out the two sequels on DVD, the most recent version being almost campy, and not put out the superior precode original???? At Capitolfest last year I ran across a guy who had a copy of the restored early 30s Back Street. Universal has it in their vaults. They just GAVE him a copy. And yet the studio has done NOTHING with it as far as distributing it!!!

Some people already mentioned my favorites. I'd say, among the yet unmentioned, "Air Mail" (1932) and "Law and Order" (1931). More likely candidates - because they've been restored - might be "Secret of the Blue Room" (1933) and "King of Jazz" (1930). Among restored Universal silents I'd pick "Lonesome" (1928).

Short answer because I am tired - In both films, Miriam Hopkins plays a flighty person who winds up with all of the material wealth one could want, but ultimately she is alone and unhappy because she is so selfish. Bette Davis plays the "better" person in both films. In "Old Acquaintance" Davis' character is quite virtuous and quite forgiving under the circumstance. In "The Old Maid" Davis' character ends up a bitter person looking years older than she is, and this is probably because of the production code which demanded that her life be trashed because of a one night affair with Clem, the love of Hopkins' character's life. Bette Davis is again - in my opinion - the better person in this film. Hopkins is the selfish person who ruined Davis' life and took everything from her in "Old Maid" because of her jealousy when she found out the truth. Also, In "Old Acquaintance" Bette steals the affection of Hopkins' daughter because she is willing to put in the time to establish a relationship. In "Old Maid" Hopkins steals Bette's daughter due to the conventions of the times and her own desire for revenge.

I mentioned in a poll thread elsewhere that I have no way of watching Filmstruck. I have no way of watching apps. I have no cellphone. I have DVDs of every A film in the Turner Library, so I mainly watch TCM for the special events, the B films, and the Paramount/Universal one-shot offerings. So since I am an "old-fashioned" viewer, I definitely have a need for schedules. I doubt that I'm alone in this in every aspect but the lack of a cell phone, and even if I did have one, at age 60, I have no desire to squint at a tiny screen on a phone.

Either satellite live or DVD recorder. I have no idea how to use Rokus, Amazon Firesticks, Alexa, etc. Plus all I have is an old fashioned CRT TV. My husband has all of the fancy stuff hooked to a big digital HDTV he bought a few years back. As a result I haven't watched anything with him in years. He's in the 21st century, I'm still in the 20th as far as entertainment technology goes. I hope he never disappears and I'm asked to give a composite sketch. At this point all I could do is draw the back of his chair, the back of his head, and a pair of earphones. Not likely helpful to police.

The only thing that is a real rarity is a Paramount or a Universal, and the post 1950 ones are becoming more common. The older ones would need to be digitized, and that is too much work for Universal (who owns the pre 1950 Paramounts) to bother with.

I checked on imdb, and I did vote on Anchorman - it has a pretty high overall rating at 7.2 - and I think I wrote a review there too. However, imdb has made it impossible to find your own reviews because Col. Needham (the founder) thinks the purpose of imdb is to "create advertising our site visitors will love". Don't get me started. I had about 1700 reviews I had written there, but their new system so demoralized me I haven't written another review there since December 31. I don't know if I ever will again. And I considered that a favorite hobby of mine.

I already have copies - some recorded, some on DVD - of just about everything on Noir Alley. However I still record Noir Alley because Eddie Muller's comments make it worthwhile. I have the Olive Films DVD of Cry Danger, and it is a great copy, but there are no comments.

Yes, I see what you mean. I wasn't trying to disprove your point. I just wanted to chime in and defend Anchorman - "There were horses, a man on fire, and I killed a man with a Trident" - How can you not love a movie with quotes like that? If you never heard of Gigli consider yourself lucky. I'm pretty sure Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez wish they had never heard of it either.