Arturo
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Posts posted by Arturo
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Not to throw a flame here, but I've always read that the most widely seen movie of all time, by ticket sales, was BIRTH OF A NATION. This movie was (unfortunately) highly influential in its day, so by both reckonings here, maybe it deserves to be the "Greatest" movie of all time, odious as it may be.
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*I'd also like to see Constance Bennett get the honor sometime in 2013; like Young, she was arguably at her peak in the pre-Code era, although Connie also had success in the late '30s where she played sexy ghost Marion Kerby*
Constance Bennett was absolutely at her peak in the early 30s, where her publicity mentioned that she was the highest-paid star ($25,000 a week! at the height of the Depression!). But like many glamourous female stars of the early 30s, her popularity declined as the decade progressed. She did resurrect her career in 1937 with screwball comedy, but this lift didn't last into the 40s, as her career sagged into lower budget and supporting roles.
Loretta Young, on the other hand, became a bigger star in the second half of the 30s. Brought along from WB by Darryl Zanuck, she was signed first to his 20th Century Pictures, where she was given many roles in prestigious pictures. After the merger with Fox, Loretta was the top female star, per Zanuck's estimation. She chafed, however, feeling she was getting too many decorative and roles in support of the male stars that the studio was building. However, she was very popular (the 1937 poll where Myrna Loy was named Queen of Hollywood had Loretta coming in second place). She remained a top star in the 40s, even without the security of a long-term studio contract, which came about when she refused to re-sign with Fox in 1939.
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*When I wrote anti-white supremacy I meant anti-white, anything that is anti-white in a revisionist sense is not the answer, either.*
Well they are two very different things. There are many whites who are anti-white-suprmacy.
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*I did not know she had resigned with Fox and was going to complete the movie. I've seen what she had made at the time of the firing and based on that and she it would have been great. I've no quarrel with the finished Day/Garner version but a Monroe/Garner one-which he says was the original plan-would have been a delight.*
Yes, just days before her death she re-signed to complete SOMETHING;S GOT TO GIVE. Of course, it would not have been Garner, but the original star, Dean Martin, who bowed out after Marilyn's firing, stating that his contract called for him to costar with MM. And it would have been Cyd Charisse instead of Polly Bergen.
Still, I feel that she would have been acclaimed (again) for her comedy technique, as well as her ethereal beauty.
Beyond that, It's a hard call. I think she may or may not have done some of the projects that were being lined up for her, i.e. GOODBYE CHARLIE and THE STRIPPER. At any rate, she would have remained a star for awhile at the least. Even though her image would have fallen out of favor as th 60s wore on, she had some qualities that were forerunners to the ethos of the flower children. Don't know if she was equiped to handle aging, and she may have eventually committed suicide down the line; it seems like it was inevitable.
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*if's she trying to look classier in GPB the dusty would have worked better. Of course the hot pink stood out more in Technicolor so--*
I've notice in several early 50s musicals from 20th Century Fox that the art director (I'm guessing) would have the costumes clash big-time with the decor in some of the production numbers. The "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" number in GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES is a perfect example....hot pink on red. I actually think it works, garish and jarring though it may be. That pink sheath is acually a last minute substitute. The number had already been filmed, but MMs outfit, some see-through number studded with rhinestones, was judged too racy. So a complete rethink was done, not just the outfit, but the actual setting and decor.
I didn't see NIAGARA yesterday, but from what I remember, her dress there was more towards red than pink.
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*I do like "Bus Stop" but was put off by Marilyn's white powder face makeup in this movie. What gives?*
JP, the white makeup Marilyn used was supposed to convey several things. First of all, her pallidness from her lifestyle, singing and performing at night and sleeping all day; this contrasts sharply with Bo, a cowboy who spends his hours outdoors. Secondly, this is why Bo chooses her, because she resembles his "Angel" that he is looking for, even the virgin that he thinks she must be.
Addison,
I too think this is a very good adaptation, with Logan opening it up enough so it doesn't feel stagebound. It IS a drama, with plenty of angst, mostly in Marilyn's magnificent performance. The comedy is there too, but the drama is front and center. Marilyn nails it, whether drama or comedy.
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*Yes, something about the starkness at times, and the tones of grey.. to silver. It's funny; we call black & white, yet the stories best told in this form are about the shades of gray in our experiences..*
This reminds me of when I took some nephews and nieces to see the KING KONG that came out some 7 or 8 years ago. One nephew, age 5, loved dinosaurs, dragons and Godzilla. His parents had bought him the complete set of Japanese moster movies of this ilk. I asked him about them, and if he had ever seen the original KING KONG, "the one in black and white?" To which he answered, "it's not in black and white, it's in grey!". -
OK...my latest limerick to the hidden talents of George Brent have me wanting to try WW:
Warren William for Star of the Month
A cad in his films to be blunt
Girls and women fair game
He might not get their name
Watch out when he's out on the hunt
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This is old news....thought everybody knew.
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Actually it made it all the way to GREYSTOKE by way of Bo Derek's costar.....
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LOL...or in the jungles of Sunset Blvd. with Gloria and Erich Von!
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*TopBilled wrote: It would be interesting if you did a sister thread to this, about actors you used to love but now aren't crazy about...!*
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*Yeah TB, that might be interesting, alright...but tell me, haven't there ALREADY been enough threads started around here about the love-loss between Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine?!*
*(...oh...wait...maybe I misunderstood ya here...never mind)
*
LMFREO! ¡No te hagas!
Edited by: Arturo on Aug 2, 2012 8:44 PM -
*Once AGAIN...Don't you folks think that it's MIGHTY impressive that a16 year old(that would be BasilBruce...WHO I think will go far in life) has watched Pride of the Yankees, All About Eve AND (now what were those Fonda movies again?...oh yeah) The Grapes of Wrath and Mister Roberts?*
Well I knew all this stuff at 16, but of course that was nearly 30 years ago. It is Hella coo (to use today's jargon), or very impressive to you and me, for a kid nowadays.
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The other day I saw MY WIFE'S BEST FRIEND on FMC, which I hadn't seen in several years. Catherine McLeod wore a light jacket (?) with several wide horizontal bands of different colors (I guess-it's a B&W movie). Well a couple or so days later, I saw another 20th Century Fox movie, made 2 or so years earlier where the leading lady wore the same coat (I've already forgotten which, but it might have been PANIC IN THE STREETS, in which case Barbara bel Geddes)
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This is great news. However on their website, it seems that those titles listed as being on sale effective 07/03/12, you are not able to purshase, only those on sale on 06/26/12. Is this correct, or does it just need updating, or...?
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*The Reason William Holden Enjoyed His Time in Hong Kong:*
*Nancy Kwan in THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG*
Just wondering...did he enjoy his time in Hong Kong with Jennifer Jones while filming LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING?
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*at the risk of having rotten tomatoes thrown at me, here goes. Ava Gardner. A friend says I can't appreciate her because I'm female. I don't think that's a qualification, but . .*
You're not alone in that respect. Many women on these boards seem mystified as to Ava's appeal to most men here.
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¡Si Se Puede! Yes it can be done! Even without the 70s compilations, four nights of Eleanor Powell movies can be programmed without breaking into a sweat. My only quibble if the compilations are included, have each one as the last of its scheduled night. Also, for the sake of rough chronological order, I would put THE GREAT MORGAN on week 4, and, taking care to leave the BROADWAY MELODIES together, bump SHIP AHOY to week 2, and BORN TO DANCE to week 1. Just saying....
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I'm confused about the intent of this thread. I remember you initially stated you wanted to shed light on movies that are not available or are never broadcast. Yet just on the first page alone (meaning the most recent), many of the titles of Dennis Morgan's and Gloria Grahame's filmography are regularly shown on TCM, along with some of the relatively smaller number of movies with John Gavin; likewise Michael Rennie and Louise Hovick-many of these titles turn up on FMC. Shouldn't these titles be excluded from your lists, as per your original post?
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or the could of/would of/should of thing...instead of would've, etc.
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finance wrote: Much of the emotional impact is lost every time the name "Hortense" is uttered.
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*Ah HA! So NOW you finally decide to give me one of those examples of "dated-ness" in this film that I asked you give me DAYS ago, EH finance???!!!*
*(...what took ya so long, ol' buddy?!)*
*LOL*
D2,
What's so dated about Hortense. I know a number of Hortensia/Hortencias.
Edited by: Arturo on Aug 2, 2012 2:23 PM -
ValentineXavier wrote:
I'd bet that most of us gringos don't realize that in the Spanish alphabet, r and rr are two different characters. At least in Maracaibo, where I learned Spanish, a single "r" got just one hit, but "rr" was trilled. *The extent of the trill seemed to be based on the emotional content of the word in the context it was used, and perhaps the emotions of the speaker at the time.*
The "single 'r'" is never pronounced as such when it is the first letter of the word; it is rolled just like "rr", but written in the singular. This is why the RR is not its own letter, because of the situational pronunciations. Emotions are not the reason for which to use; it is the etymology of a given word that dictates this, as the different pronunciations convey different meanings, i.e. "pera" (pear), and "perra" (female dog).
The singular R at the beginning of a word, with the "rr" pronunciation, is the reason why the California city Monterey is misspelled per Spanish rules of pronunciation, and the city in Nuevo León is correctly spelled as Monterrey. Although it might have originally been written as Monte Rey.
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*I wonder why that sound is so difficult for some people (so much so that they even have a term for it). From reading, its one of the last sounds a child learns to pronounce. But I wonder what's so hard about it.*
Apparently some people cannot lightly brush the tip of the backward folded tongue along the palate, or whatever the precise position of it is in order to make the sound. Seems to be quite common.
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*And so I SAY, what the heck is the difference HERE than with poor ol' KAY'S problem, HUH???!!!*
For the record I have no problem with Kay's pronunciations; she's one of my favorite 30s stars.
*(...hey, I hope you agree with me here...we L.A. boys have got to stick together ya know, RIGHT "dude"?!)
*Don't know about you dude, but I grew up r-r-r-rolling my Rs, since Spanish was my first tongue.
*
UPCOMING CLASSIC 20TH CENTURY FOX FILMS
in Hot Topics
Posted
HBO SIGNATURE, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8;
3:00 AM:
THE LONG HOT SUMMER (1958): Steamy goings-on in the deep South, with Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Burl Ives. Anthony Franciosa. MOST LIKELY IN PAN AND SCAN.
5:00 AM:
THE TALL MEN (1955): Epic western with Clark Gable and Robert Ryan vying for Jane Russell, also with Cameron Mitchell. MAY BE SHOWN IN PAN & SCAN.