Arturo

Some good westerns coming to Fox Movie Channel over the weekend: SUNDAY, SEPT. 23: 6:00 am EST, 3 AM PST: SIERRA BARONA gunfighter hired to intimidate a rancher falls for the rancher's sister. *Cast:* Brian Keith, Rita Gam, Rick Jason *Director:* James B. Clark 1958 7:30 am EST, 4:30 AM PST: RIO CONCHOS Wild West adventure of a power struggle between a sadistic Indian-killer (Richard Boone), a Mexican bandit (Tony Franciosa), an Army captain (Stuart Whitman) and a demented Confederate general (Edmund O'Brien) who all fight for a shipment of arms. *Cast:* Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Tony Franciosa, Jim Brown, Wende Wagner, James Brown, Jerry Goldsmith *Director:* Gordon Douglas 1964 MONDAY, SEPT. 24: 6:00 am EST, 3 AM PST: TWO FLAGS WEST The commander of a cavalry fort in the West during the Civil War is forced to accept a unit of Confederate prisoners who have volunteered to fight Indians under Union command as an alternative to rotting in POW camps. *Cast:* Joseph Cotten, Linda Darnell, Jeff Chandler, Cornel Wilde *Director:* Robert Wise 1950 7:35 am EST, 4:35 AM PST: SIEGE AT RED RIVER A Confederate soldier enlists the North's help in order to retrieve a shipment of Gatling guns. *Cast:* Van Johnson, Joanne Dru, Richard Boone, Milburn Stone *Director:* Rudolph Mate 1954 9:05 am EST, 6:05 AM PST: VIVA ZAPATA A biographical account of Emiliano Zapata, the Mexican peasant who became president after rallying his people against a dictator. *Cast:* Marlon Brando, Jean Peters, Anthony Quinn, Joseph Wiseman *Director:* Elia Kazan 1952 11:00 am EST, 8 AM PST: WHITE FEATHER A western about the settlement of Wyoming in 1877 and a government agent (Wagner) who tries to convince a group of Native-Americans to relocate to a reservation. *Cast:* Robert Wagner, Debra Paget, Jeffrey Hunter, John Lund, Eduard Franz *Director:* Robert D. Webb 1955

*The chicken choker ...? What ???* Ok now Val, I get it away from Chinga-Chonga, which sounds vaguely obscene in Spanish, and you bring it to this?!

*Yeah, I've always liked Colbert. But that doesn't stop me from having fun wondering what she would look like if she exchanged eyebrows with Joan Crawford. Or Groucho,* Just one word..."Why?"

*..and for some supporting players who may not have enough films to fill out a whole 24 hours (Ernest Thesiger? Phyllis Povah? Patricia Collinge? Laird Cregar? Mary Boland?)* Only Povah and Collinge would not have enough credits. Not counting their silents, both Thesiger and Boland had over 40 film credits each....no problem there for SUTS OR SOTM. Cregar had 16, barely enough for a whole month, but easily can be a SUTS honoree.

*I turned on THE RISE AND FALL OF SUSAN LENOX in the lobby of my gym today. People were gaping at the screen like Martians had invaded. Nobody seemed to have the slightest idea who Gable or Garbo were.* It probably was a good thing that you weren't at the gym earlier, when they were showing some Garbo movies before she talked LOL. Just out of curiosity, were you able to keep the channel there, and if so, did the people continue to watch? Edited by: Arturo on Sep 18, 2012 6:51 PM

*The Chinga-Chonga??* Close....It's The Chica-Choca I believe.

*The original working title was THE KNIGHT AND THE LADY. She didn't like that, because it mentions his character first.* *Since she prevailed with the title and with the slap, she proved that she was the boss on the set in more ways than one.* I guess we missed each other with our posts. The original title was going to be "Elizabeth the Queen", but he had to have a reference in the title, so "The Knight and the Lady" was the first of the provisional replacements. She would have truly prevailed if it had remained "Elizabeth the Queen". And she didn't really prevail with the slap, as per the quotes from his autobiography, because she (apparently) dared not repeat it.

There was no justification for Davis to have slapped Flynn in such an unprofessional manner. Bette WAS upset that WB cast Errol in this film, for a number of reasons. First of all, she had implored the studio to hire Olivier for the role; the studio would hear none of it, especially since they had Flynn perfectly suited for their costume epics. Secondly, Flynn's contract called for his character's name to be in the title, so Bette was less than happy that it was changed from"Elizabeth the Queen" to TPLOE&E. Further, she thought that his was a lesser talent, had not been happy with him in the previous year's THE SISTERS, and she felt that all he brought to his role was his looks and his looking dashing in the costumes of the day. None of this justifies the slap; she was wrong and should have admitted it and apologized. That the studio didn't castigate her for it does show her power as the top feminine star at the studio, but Flynn was up there with her as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. So I don't think her power was any greater than his at this time with the studio bosses; she was most certainly not "the boss". I've posted here before that many years later, Davis wrote (or was quoted) as having again seen TPLOE&E, and realized that Flynn had been perfect for the part, and at that time stated that she had been wrong about him all along.

I think Marie Windsor is with Cecil of "Cecil and Beanie-Boy" fame....a kid's show when I was a kid.

*I am not attracted to pretty men. I should be the one in the relationship who is drop-dead gorgeous. When a man is pretty and charming and sweet I must wonder if he has a boyfriend.* I guess this is what my mom meant years ago when she'd say that a man should be "Feo, Fuerte y Formal"...."Ugly, strong and formal' ... the formal part in this case means "proper".

*I mean, yes, Lucille Ball WAS gorgeous,* *but this doesn't work for me at all.* It works for me. She looks beautiful, sexy, pensive...nothing wrong with that. Must've been while she was at MGM, early on, when they were trying to make her a top star. The clown came to the fore later....

Ok, now I'm confused about the thrust of this thread. Recent pictures posted here are of stars that were being featured together; besides Monroe,Grable and Bacall, there are: Marilyn with Groucho-she had a bit in his LOVE HAPPY; Gable and Tierney, who costarred in NEVER LET ME GO; Jayne Mansfield and Joan Collins, both featured in THE WAYWARD BUS; Colbert and Cooper, together more than once. So all of these are stars that WERE together on the screen, so seems to me that they shouldn't be highlighted here.

Crain's character was young and distraught, and fearing the worst (for her), she had decided that should there be confirmation of pregnancy, she'd take her life. For those times, it was one of many drastic (as we may now see it) solutions so as to not suffer the humiliation and ostracism of an out of wedlock pregnancy. Additionally, the suicide attempt is a plot device to get Grant sympathetic enough to her plight to marry her.

I like the suggestion someone made to show her films for 24 hours on Wednesdays. She certainly has more than enough to fill these days. What a great Christmas present for many of us TCM viewers.

Another one who gave up her career to become a nun (if only temporarily) was June Haver. After she finished THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, she entered the convent in 1953, walking away from her movie career. Not long afterward, she left the convent and soon after married Fred MacMurray (they had starred together in 1945's WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE). Her erstwhile friend and rival, Betty Grable, stated cattily to the effect that she left the convent and decided she didn't want to be a nun "when she found out it was spelled N-O-N-E". Edited by: Arturo on Sep 9, 2012 6:27 PM

Not sure either of the intent of the thread. But here goes a couple: Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer: LOVE AFFAIR WHEN TOMORROW COMES TOGETHER AGAIN While I like all of these, only the first is considered a classic. Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda: THE MAD MISS MANTON THE LADY EVE YOU BELONG TO ME Again, I enjoy them all (even TMMM!), but only THE LADY EVE is a classic.

That pic of MM with the firecracker reminds me of a couple of others I have in a book on her: one for Christmas, where she is posed in front of a fireplace, but stuffing a stocking, or at least in large sheer blac stockinglike garment; quite sexy. The other has her in a short fitted dress made of burlap (with an Idaho potato stamp on it); I believe the photo was taken due to a columnist's comment that she would look good even in a sack of potatoes).

Well those look like Aline's eyes and mouth to me.

LOL, is that ever true, especially regarding Elizabeth Taylor playing Fred Flinstones mother in law. Like to time travel back during the shooting of "Cleopatra" asd ask Liz would she like to have a role in a movie bringing the Flintstones to life. Probually get a good slap instead of a resounding NO!! hr: Maybe she would've agreed if she had been offered a lead like Wilma or even Betty, but Wilma's mom?!

That woman up front does not seem to be Carole Lombard; for my money, she looks like Aline MacMahon.

Tom, The shot of Flynn promoting CAPTAIN BLOOD does not look undignified, but seems to have been designed to promote the handsome young unknown selected to star in their big budget swashbuckler. Seems that women at least would have been intrigued by his appealing contenance. Now, oth, Cary looks silly with th mock turtle, but with his latter day image as a comedian, doesn't seem all that incongruous for him. Poor Olivia DeHavilland, as a young starlet, she had to endure many publicity photos of just this type, whether in conjunctionn with the promotion of a film, as here, or of herself (as the susequent postings of Monroe, Crawford and Greer attest). Seems women had to endure endless photo sessions doing cheesecake or otherwise silly poses; many times they were tied to holidays (Monroe/4th of July, Crawford/Halloween); calendars for the year were often produced thus. The studios saw it as a way of occupying starlets (and stars) during the 40 weeks of the year they were paid, since obviously evethe most in-demand star could not be filming the whole period. Th studios sent the stills out by the millions to every media outlet available; hopefully a newspaper or magazine would use some and thus provide the starlet (and studio)some free publicity. Th silly posed shots spposeedly recreating scenes from a movie were something different, and everyone,no matter how big, had to submit to them as a matter of course.

ST: This sounds like Madame Elinor Glyn's definition of "It", which helped Clara Bow become a superstar in the late 20s.

*,,,your post about what I had stated earlier in the thread. It seems like a wet-noodle lashing that reduces everyone's level of professionalism around here, and what for? Besides, I continue to stand by what I wrote earlier in the thread anyway, so it accomplishes little if nothing at all.* The problem I have, and to which I feel a need to respond, is that half a century after the collapse of the studio system, many people do not understand much about the system. So when someone here states something that seems to confuse or misrepresent an aspect of that system, I will try to clarify it, as I understand it to have been. A term like "routine programmer" will convey something very specific to me, but seemed at odds with what was being discussed. Not because you feel that DARK PASSAGE is a routine movie; obviously, many others here have expressed similar sentiments, and you are entitled to it. My issue is with "programmer", since this is a term that is now not in common usage, and over which there is some uncertainty. A programmer IS an A-film, if on the lower end of the budget range for A films. A programmer CAN have top stars. What makes a programmer thus is its lack of prestigiousness, both in conception and execution, "routine" if you will. My contention is that in 1946-47, as DARK PASSAGE was being prepared, filmed and released, WB saw it as an important vehicle for two of its top stars, who had clicked as a team, personally, professionally AND with the public. Its budget WAS above that for a programmer, allowing it to use the then newly popular location shooting (that in itself lifted it out of being a programmer); its promotional budget likewise was not that of a programmers'. *I do not consider DARK PASSAGE an A-film. I consider it a medium-budgeted picture with A-caliber stars.* DARK PASSAGE, no matter if it turned out a classic or routine, IS most definitely an A film; maybe not with the biggest budget of the year, but an A film nonetheless. Even programmers, by definition, are A films. So this is why I comment, NOT because you feel it turned out routine, but because you feel that that does no make it a A film, but a programmer (which are also A films). This is a misuse or re-definition of the terms A-film and programmers from how they were known back during the studio era. Edited by: Arturo on Sep 9, 2012 1:35 PM

Tilden72 wrote: I have just watched "The Day the Earth Stood Still" for so many times that I can not count. But I though I saw our Aunt Bee from "The Andy Griffith Show?" Can you tell me was that her, did anyone from that cast do any films worth watching? Tilden, If you meant the cast of TDTESS as having done any worthwhile movies, then someone has answered you. But if you mean the cast of "The Andy Griffith Show", then the only ones I'm familiar with are the stars, Andy Griffith, who made a whole slew of movies in the late 50s; Don Knotts, who had several cornball comedy vehicles in the 60s, and later was in some Disney movies in the 70s (I loved his movies as a kid), and Ron(nie) Howard, who starred in a number of movies in the 70s, before finding his true niche as a director.

Topilled wrote: My guess is that a routine programmer like this probably would've been mediocre if given to Zachary Scott and Alexis Smith, two other Warners contract players at this time that could easily have done it. But with Bogart and Bacall, you get something extra special. Add Agnes Moorhead to the mix and it can't lose. TB: This movie was never "a routine programmer", even if it may have turned out routine in your opinion. It was conceived by Warner Brothers as a star vehicle. They saw it as a perfect vehicle for their top male star, Humphrey Bogart, and his wife, Lauren Bacall, who had scored big and reached stardom in her two previous teamings with Bogie. So the studio did not go into this project to do a "routine programmer". Besides the two top stars, the fact that it had some location shooting tells you it is NOT a programmer, since location work was expensive and far from routine in the 40s. Now, two other contract players could have done this, such as those you mention, but the studio would most likely have not invested a budget big enough to accomodate filming in the San Francisco bay area. THIS would have possibly emerged a "routine programmer"; and it would not preclude having Agnes Moorehead, since character actors and supporting players were thrust into As, Bs and inbetweens. Btw, routine and mediocre seem to mean much the same to me.