Arturo

*It's rather disgusting when you think about how a crime story almost becomes 1931's version of soft porn.* The same could be said about most pre-codes, which is why they are defined as such, racy, racy racy.....bring em on.

*Bebe is much better and I have always thought that Mary Astor looked like an 'old maid', she seemed to be 'prematurely' old!* While I like Bebe Daniels, I see Astor as perfectly acceptable, unlike many of you. I think she has that "lady-like" quality that entranced Bogart, something that a more frankly sexual Joan Bennett, Ann Sheridan or Rita Hayworth would have skewed (although all might've done a good job). And Astor was actually able to portray sexy (check out the following year's PALM BEACH STORY). Ida Lupino would have done a fine job, but Lana Turner seems too young (although she sparred credibly with Clark Gable that year). Just trying to catch up on this thead....

The eyewitness, a *Chinaman,* Fred, this is so un-PC...it's like dialogue from a 1930s movie accepted at face value.

*it was just that over the late 1970s and into the 2000s much of the old buildings gave way to modern ones in the name of progress* And don't forget that old bugaboo that affected many American cities beginning post-WW2..."Urban Renewal"....don't get me started on one of my gripes (Here in LA, coffee shops are giving cultural and historic landmark status, but most of the city is familiar with the wrecking ball).

*guess I must have missed that earlier post of Fred's then.* He referred to "the Chinaman" in at least two posts....

FYI - Tomorrow, June 11 in the morning hours, Fox Movie Channel will show two Anne Baxter movies. 6:00 am EST, 3 AM PST: SWAMP WATER Jean Renoir's first American film focuses on an innocent fugitive (Brennan) who lives alone in the marshland... until a hunter (Andrews) finds him and tries to clear his name. *Cast:* Anne Baxter, Walter Huston, Walter Brennan, Dana Andrews, Virginia Gilmore *Director:* Jean Renoir 1941 9:30 am EST, 6:30 AM PST: FOLLOW THE SUN Golf champion Ben Hogan (Ford) fights to walk again after an accident. *Cast:* Anne Baxter, Glenn Ford, Larry Keating, Sam Snead *Director:* Sidney Lanfield 1951

I don't think it was mentioned, but last year TCM had Anne`s THE RAZORS EDGE as one of the Essentials, which piof course features her Oscar winning performance. And I think they've shown TWENTY MULE TEAM, her debut film. If Anne gets honored, it would be great if rhey showed 1941`s CHARLEY S AUNT, which hax been scheduled last year, but they showed the 1930 version. And I don't know of I'm confusing with FMC, but ssems that SWAMP WATER, THE SULLIVANS, SUNDAY DIMNER FOR A SOLDIER and A ROYAL SCANDAL have Bebeen on in the last 2~3 years.u

Anne Baxter is a good choice for SOTM, equally as deserving as any other, as is Eleanor Parker imho. in fact, both ha similar career paths, being important stars for their studios. the reason Parker was more of a no brainer for TCM was because she was under contract to WB and later MGM, whose movies they have access to. Baxter on the other hand spent over a dozen uears at zFox,which while rerecently more forthcoming, still has few of its films on TCM.

Well I don't know what the longest span between remakes is (and please let's not have a new contender with LIBELED LADY, as Osborne and Barrymore suggested in this past week's Essential showing), but among the shortest spans has got to be THREE BLIND MICE (1938), and a Technicolored musical remake MOON OVER MIAMI (1941). That's three years between the two. It may seem that an even shorter span would be TBM and the earlier LADIES IN LOVE (1936), but they're not the same story (which TBM and MOM basically are), just the similarity of girls looking for rich husbands. As for who starred in the most remakes, I would say that June Allyson is a contender; at least in the 50s she showed time and again how much she lacked from one earlier female star after another in playing parts they had done.

Before choosing, I would try to get a few more specifics, i.e. who are her favorite artists from that period, what genres is she partial to, which movies does she have a desire to see, whether for the first time or not.

I have always enjoyed this movie, for the many reasons listed here. I looked for a thread on this a couple nights ago, didn't find one or want to start one, so I posted on its remake in the thread about material that would make good remakes now. I am copying (and slightly changing) that post here.... ...speaking of remakes , TCM showed THE RAINS CAME last night, and next Wednesday will show its remake, THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR (1955). It stars Lana Turner as Lady Esketh, on loan to 20th Century Fox as her last Assignment under her MGM contract (although DIANE, her last movie at her studio, would be filmed before but released after TROR). Also featuring a young Richard Burton, as the object of Lana`s affections, a too laid back Fred MacMurray as the wastrel Tom Ransom , making you wish for George Brent (imagine Errol Flynn in the role instead of Fred; he would`ve been superb IMO), Michael Rennie as the cuckolded husband of Lady Esketh, and a youthful looking Joan Caulfield in the ingenue role, played by ingenue Brenda Joyce in the original.. Interestingly, in the original, Lana Turner had been considered for this role before Fox went with new contractee Brenda Joyce.

speaking of remakes , TCM showed THE RAINS CAME last night and next WWednesday will show its remake, THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR (1955),starring Lana Turner on loan to 20th Century Fox as her last Assignment unddr her MGM contract (although DIANE her last movie at the studio, wpuld be filmed before but released after TROR). Also featuring a young Richard Burton, as fhe object of Lana`s affections, a too laid back Fred MacMurray as tbewastrel Tom Ransom , making you wish for George Brent(imagine Errol Flynn in the role; he would`ve been superb IMO), Michael Rennoe as the cuckcolded husband of Lady Esketh, and youthful looking Joan Caulfield in the ingenue role played by ingenue Brenda Joyce in the original.. Interestingly, this role, in the original, Lana Turner had been considered before Fox went with new contractee Brenda Joyce.

Topbilled wrote: *I agree that the Fox Cinema Archives should release CENTENNIAL SUMMER. It is long overdue. And one would think it has fairly broad commercial appeal.* TB: With it's broad commercial appeal, I think a full blown restored release would be warranted for CENTENNIAL SUMMER. But if it makes it onto the list of FCA releases, I will be happy and purchase it.

Tomorrow, June 5, Fox Movie Channel will again show a classic western featuring Linda Darnell: 6:00 am eastern, 3 am pacific: MY DARLING CLEMENTINE A western classic about Wyatt Earp (Fonda) and Doc Holliday (Mature) and their clash with the Clanton family at the O.K. Corral. *Cast:* Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Tim Holt, Alan Mowbray, Linda Darnell, Walter Brennan *Director:* John Ford 1946

In general, the idea of remakes of classic films makes me nervous...I don't care for them. THE WOMEN is a prime example of why. Which is why I was appalled at the suggestion by Osborne and Barrymore discussing this week's Essential, about remaking LIBELED LADY. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (not a JB song), say it won't be so....!!!!

*I'm stealing this idea from someone who used to post here, but I think Some Like It Hot could be remade and updated.* Wasn't CONNIE AND CARLA a sort-of remake, with the sexes reversed?

Does NORMAN, IS THAT YOU? count?

*she won the Jesse Lasky "Gateway to Hollywood" contest in 1939. her reward was a studio contract with RKO for whom she made about a dozen features and several shorts from 1939 to 1941.* Interesting this, as Linda Darnell also won this contest in 1938(?). She had already come to Hollywood, but sent packing by 20th Century Fox when they discovered she was 14 years of age. She corresponded with the original talent scout who had brought her, and when she won this contest, was told by Fox to not sign the RKO contract, or wait for the option to lapse, or somesuch. Obviously, she was soon signed to Fox. I enjoy the spotlight TCM gives to lesser known luminaries; makes for a nice break from those in heavy rotation.

I understand about spending on DVD-Rs for what Fox Cinema Classics is listing them, especially if the quality is questionable. However, if you have Fox Movie Channel, they occasionally show EVERYBODY DOES IT and SLATTERY'S HURRICANE. Also, TCM showed EDI a couple of years back. As for CENTENNIAL SUMMER or THE 13TH LETTER, I don't know what's up with those. I have CS on VHS, which I recorded off the old AMC back in the day. I have 13TH LETTER, as well as NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP, WALLS OF JERICHO, and THE LADY PAYS OFF from DVD-Rs I bought awhile back through I-Offers, of variable quality, but none very good. I would buy any off these if available from Fox Cinema Classics, as money permits (or in the case of TLPO, a Universal release, and Douglas Sirk movie, hopefully they will release it). ... which is why your statement re: a Spanish copy of TWOJ caught my eye. I know that AMBER and TWO FLAGS WEST were Spanish only releases, but I didn't know about this third one. I may have to buy one of those universal dvd players. As for seeing Linda's movies, the only ones I have not seen, other than snippets from youtube, etc. are Linda's two films she made in Italy for Giuseppe Amato. Also, I have seen roughly half of the TV dramas that Linda did in the last decade of her career. As a completist, I would like to get ahold of them all. I'd have to think about your question on recommending Linda's movies....I'll get back to you on that. Edited by: Arturo on Jun 4, 2013 3:05 PM

Here's another "What If?' re: Linda Darnell's career. What if her Broadway stage debut had been a hit? Linda opened on Broadway in October 1956, in "Harbor Lights". The play had been having difficulties in tryouts, with re-writes constantly being done. When it debuted on the Great White Way, the reviews murdered the drama, and it folded after a handful of performances; with it folded Linda's chances of further Broadway offers. Well, IF it had been successful, even moderately so, it might've made all the difference for Linda careerwise. As it was, she went into the stage because feasible movie offers were becoming scarce. She really enjoyed stage work, and for most of her remaining life, she would fly around the country to do this. If "Harbor Lights" (or another play) had had a decent run, at minimum Linda would have been offered another Broadway play. At some point she could have had a big hit, leading to renewed movie offers from Hollywood. Other actresses that found the going rough in Hollywood at some point in the 50s would have Broadway successes that revitalized their movie careers: among them Shelley Winters, Patricia Neal and Anne Bancroft. And even if Linda didn't get movie offers flooding her way, a successful run of "Harbor Lights" would have led Columbia, who were financing it, to make a movie of it, as per their agreement with Linda. And that might have led to another similar agreement, where that studio would again bankroll Linda in a Broadway venture. Anyway, it obviously didn't work out that way for Linda, but just some food for thought....

*I'd be particularly grateful for the opportunity to see Centennial Summer, Slattery's Hurricane, Everybody Does It and/or The 13th Letter.* Nora, I believe that SLATTERY'S HURRICANE and EVERYBODY DOES IT have been released recently as part of the Fox Cinema Archives series. They do turn up occasionally on Fox Movie Channel, and EDI was even shown on TCM as part of Linda's SUTS tribute in 2011. CENTENNIAL SUMMER and THE 13TH LETTER cry out for DVD release; I have them both on VHS, but would like to upgrade. Hopefully, if TCM were to do Linda as SOTM, they would include all of these movies. Oh, and thanks for the pictures. I was never able to "get" the technique involved (apparently simple cut and paste doesn't work); otherwise I would have used stills to illustrate the various movies as I discussed them.

*It would have been interesting to see her opposite Ty in Castile. Her films with him were all very much ingenue, angel-faced Linda. A more-seasoned (shall we say?) and sensuous Ms. Darnell could have made for some very different dynamics between the two.* Nora, I totally agree. After the War, it was sort of assumed that Ty and Linda would be re-teamed. CFC would have been a great opportunity to see a mature Linda with him. Other opportunities that didn't work out for them, and would've been perfect imho, were LYDIA BAILEY and DIPLOMATIC COURIER. Both of these two films, released in 1952, had been slated for them. Power turned down LB, as he was trying to get away from costume adventures, and Linda was recuperating from the jaundice she contracted while filming ISLAND OF DESIRE in Jamaica, which caused her to miss out on both films. And thanks for the thanks. Hope that the TCM programmers are also paying attention.

Here's another "what if" (actually a couple or so, interrelated) that is not too out there, and might have made a big difference in the trajectory of Linda Darnell's career. What if Linda Darnell had been first choice for FOREVER AMBER? Or when she WAS assigned, production resumed shortly thereafter, instead of a nearly 6 month wait? Well, had Linda been assigned from the get-go, she would have started filming in early March 1946. Whether the director would have been reassigned is debatable. When Zanuck removed Stahl and asked Preminger to take the reins, he stated that Stahl was doing a terrible job. But it now seems that the main problem had been Peggy Cummins as Amber; she was good in the early scenes, where she played a teenager, but was not able to project the more mature Amber of the later storyline. In the second scenario, if the filming resumed soon after Linda had stepped in as Cummins and Stahl were removed, say, if the movie got assigned to Henry King (who was considered) instead of Otto Preminger, King might have gone with the script as it was, instead of Preminger having it completely rewritten (in the rewriting process, some storylines were pared down or eliminated). So the film could've resumed in May 1946 instead of October of that year. In either of these two scenarios, Linda would've filmed a movie that adhered a little closer to the actual bestseller, and probably been done filming by late Fall 1946 at the latest, instead of Spring 1947. For Linda, she would've been done with it, and able to take the role of Catana in CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE, a part she really wanted to do but had to forfeit due to the overlapping shooting schedules. This would have been an ideal part for her (as Zanuck had envisioned all along), playing a gutsy sexy gypsy, and coming as it did after AMBER, the one-two punch of two sexy roles in two blockbusters might've established her even bigger as a sex symbol in the aftermath. As it was, it was nearly a year after AMBER (10 months to be exact), when her followup to that, THE WALLS OF JERICHO, was released, and while good imho, wouldn't have had the same impact CFC would have for Linda.

*When I made my earlier comment-- which I maintain, without changing my opinion-- it was not based on looking at Gene Tierney in this film from the reference point of her later performances. I was not saying that she was miscast, in hindsight. I was saying that she was miscast because the role requires an actress who can tell this story from a more feminist point of view (someone like Katharine Hepburn). Even if Tierney had only made one film, I would say she's miscast. I do not think she was skilled enough to play the role as written. And I think that's why Fritz Lang was tough on her during filming, because he was trying to bring her along-- but she doesn't quite have what it needs, which is more than just a pretty face.* *Don't get me wrong. I do like Gene Tierney in other films. But not in this one.* Well, during the classic Hollywood studio era, there are any number of ingenues assigned to play roles of this nature; this was seen as a training ground for new talent. Obviously the thespian abilities of a Kate Hepburn were not deemed to be the qualities necessary for this type of leading lady role. Not to stray too far, Nancy Kelly had a similar job in JESSE JAMES, helping out at the printing press. Or in Fritz Lang's next western, WESTERN UNION, the role was played by Virginia Gilmore. Yes these are all Fox films, but all the studios seemed to assigned their pretty new contractees to similar front of the camera chores. It wasn't a question of how well they were able to play the part, but how well they photographed and elicited comments via fan mail from viewers.

Well I guess I didn't really get into the "What If" part if Linda Darnell had never married 3rd husband, Robby Robertson. He was a stabilizing force for Linda at the beginning, at a time she really needed it. However, had they not married, she would not have had her husband take over management of her career, and turn down offers for tv shows and stage productions, maybe even feature films, to concentrate on an ill-advised and ill-fated nightclub act. Linda most likely would have continued doing these tv and stage shows, instead of dropping off the radar as drastically as she did around 1960 to 1962. It seems that the initial security in this relationship might have allowed her the comfort of gaining weight, without worrying about what her husband might think; at least that's the impression given by the sudden weight fluctuation, which seemed to have started late in 1956, around the time she began dating Robby. So if she had watched her weight a little more conscientiously, some producers might have been forthcoming with offers of work, instead of just chalking it up to her reputed alcoholism (as was happening at this time, on a more drastic scale, with Judy Garland). As I've mentioned before, Linda might've been drinking heavily, on and off the set, but it never impeded her from knowing her lines or otherwise hindering her performance. And, if the marriage had not occurred, Linda's finances might not have gotten as bad as they did. Robby borrowed heavily on Linda's name and credit, and soon was overextended. He failed to pay the property taxes on Linda's home, which would eventually lead to its foreclosure. And his obsession with making "big money" with Linda's cabaret act, had the ironic effect of keeping her out of the eye of those very people who could have offered her decent paying jobs.