Arturo
-
Posts
13,696 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
9
Posts posted by Arturo
-
-
*Moontide *(1942) More a routine love story with Noir-ish lighting than anything else, OK performances by Gabon, Lupino, and Raines, *looks all set bound but the sets are not very interesting,* nothing I'd recommend to hard core Noir lovers. 6.5/10
The director wanted to film at the San Pedro harbor breakwater, but the bombing of Pearl Harbor had just happened, and the coast was under blackout orders.
Edited by: Arturo on Sep 6, 2011 3:16 PM -
This well regarded 20th Century Fox film from 1939, starring Spencer Tracy, Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene, and Charles Coburn, will be on HBO Signature tomorrow in the early morning hours. Being a Fox movie, don't know if it has ever been shown on TCM.
-
Another chance to see Linda in A LETTER TO THREE WIVES this Wednesday, as part of Kirk Douglas' SOTM.
-
*A pairing that seems unusual occurs in AGAINST ALL FLAGS. First, Maureen O'Hara is put with Errol Flynn, and that works very well.*
I don't see anything unusual about this teaming, as she was known as "Queen of the Swashbucklers", and he was the uncrowned King of same.
*But third-billed is Anthony Quinn, and he forms the other corner of the triangle. One would not expect O'Hara and Quinn to have such chemistry, but they do.*
They were teamed effectively in THE MAGNIFICENT MATADOR, and prior to that, were both in BUFFALO BILL. In O'Hara's autobiography, she tells an anecdote that during the making of the latter, costar Linda Darnell told her that she thought Quinn was gay, since he hadn't tried to bed her during the filming of BLOOD AND SAND (when she was 17 years old). For years O'Hara believed this to be true, and later found out otherwise, apparently, during the filming of the former.
-
I'd nominate Claudette Colbert and John Wayne in *Without Reservations.*
I commented on this recently in another thread on the stars and this movie. It has to do with our latter day perception of the Duke's image. Back in the 40s, he did all types of movies, not just Westerns (admittedly most were action films), including the occasional comedy. He wasn't a William Powell, say, but sometimes he could be effective, as in this film IMO.
-
*I was watching WHAT A WAY TO GO, starring Shirley MacLaine. She has several leading men in this film, and they all seem believable except for maybe Dick Van Dyke. It was odd to see these two in romantic scenes together.*
Probably has to do with believability; not every rich husband will look like Paul Newman. Personally, I always found Dick Van Dyke paired with Mary Tyler Moore as very unusual.
*Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth are definitely a strange duo in COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA. But somehow it works, because they are supposed to be unusual...that's the root of the drama, their very different way of life.*
Shirley Booth is perfect IMHO in recreating her stage success. Burt gives it a go in what was a character part for him, and I think he does quite well. Nothing unusual, just great drama.
*Robert Newton and Irene Ryan (Granny of Hillbillies fame) share considerable screen time in BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE. This is not meant for laughs, but somehow the bizarre pairing seems funny.*
The unusual thing here is that director Raoul Walsh let Newton be so over the top hammy in his portrayal (of course Newton had done the same two years earlier in TREASURE ISLAND). Irene Ryan was being her usual comedic sidekick character self. Nothing unusual there.
*Donald O'Connor and FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE are certainly an oddball team. Also, in this category, we must add future President Ronald Reagan and BONZO.*
Then any actor teamed with an animal is oddball, apparently, but these worked quite well. And something about the respective intelligences of the second example may seem oddly in sync.
*Then there's Wallace Beery who had a number of unusual screen partners...from Marie Dressler to Margaret Hamilton to Marjorie Main. But he was often cast with these women because the weird chemistry involved in these mismatches often generated some rather outrageous comedy.*
A middle aged heavy unattractive character actor as a TOP boxoffice star is the unusual item here. You could say that these women were his match, physically speaking (unattractive), especially Dressler who was THE top boxoffice star in the early 30s; the others were MGM trying to re-create the (boxoffice) magic of the Dressler/Beery teaming. Nothing unusual there.
-
*Ace in the Hole*, was also known as *The Big Carnival*. Were others aware of this? If not, theoretically you could go through life longing to see some Kirk Douglas vehicle entitled *The Big Carnival*, not realizing you'd already seen it as *Ace in the Hole*. Think of all that longing and sighing over a movie you'd actually already seen.
It probably reverted back to the original title for obvious reasons, plus to avoid confusion with the two other 'Big" movies Kirk made the following year: THE BIG SKY and THE BIG TREES.
-
"But back to Kirk Douglas...of all Stanwyck's other films, I think he would've worked very well with her in John Lund's role in NO MAN OF HER OWN."
TopBilled, that's a great recasting idea. John Lund was okay, but at the mention of Douglas' name I can easily see how that would work much better. Douglas was pretty versatile as an actor, but as someone mentioned earlier in this thread (finance?), he rarely played 'weak' characters.
*NO MAN OF HER OWN was a Paramount release. Stanwyck was freelancing and doing multi-picture deals at various studios. Kirk, meanwhile, was under contract at Paramount which is where he made films for many years.*
As mentioned here by others, he was no longer playing weak characters by 1950, the year after he hit stardom in CHAMPION.
Actually, in 1950, Kirk was under contract to Warner Brothers, not Paramount, so that was another reason he most likely would not have done, or would have been unable to do, NO MAN OF HER OWN with Stanwyck.
Edited by: Arturo on Sep 6, 2011 2:00 PM
-
The post on TO CATCH A THIEF reminded me of Ava Gardner at the casino in Monte Carlo in THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA. A spectacular gown on a spectacular woman IMHO.
-
Thought I recorded THE FLAME AND THE ARROW at 3 am Pacific time this morning (as per Directv's Guide), but when i awoke at 5:30, that movie was playing . . . I recorded JIM THORPE ALL AMERICAN at 3 AM instead, which I recorded a week or so ago (hey is it just me or does today's schedule seem like deja vu-from Burt's recent SUTS)
-
*A LETTER TO THREE WIVES should be re-viewed in a feminist studies sort of way...*
It's been done. Don't ask my by whom right now, because offhand I couldn't tell you. But I have read essays viewing the three storylines and women from a feminist perspective.
-
*If you tune into Lawrence O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz on MSNBC, and you will see the tectonic bias on the left side of the political fence.*
Of course Ann Coulter ["How to Talk to a Liberal (If you Must)"] and all the others featured on or hosting on the "fair and balanced" network are just that, right?
-
*In my opinion it is a stretch to tell a modern viewer to substitute an element of the plot with something that could replace it today. That is not what the filmmakers intended, and I don't think that is how today's audiences should watch classic films. Otherwise, just watch new Hollywood releases that reflect the times now.*
It's all about the MESSAGE, not the medium. The message is still current, and should strongly resonate with modern audiences. It has nothing to do with telling modern audiences how they "should watch classic films", but my position is that 60 odd years later, mass consumerism is still about selling product, and advertising revenue is what drives mass media, THEN and NOW, and the programs this advertising is sold to be broadcast during commercial breaks panders to the lowest common denominator in most instances, THEN and NOW, and tends to be closer to tripe than literature. Whether it was written for a radio drama or a television program is beside the point; the point being that the MESSAGE remains a valid one.
*A LETTER TO THREE WIVES is most definitely dated . . . the fact is that there are a few creaky elements in the film.*
*One also does not need to sugar-coat anything and try to re-imagine it as something that can be more user-friendly to today's audiences by mentally substituting what is already on screen. The film, like most from the time period, serves as a type of historical (and to some extent cultural) artifact.*
Obviously any movie filmed in 1948 is going to reflect that period and be dated in many respects. In fact all these classic films are dated in the specifics of styles, technologies, etc. I KNOW radio dramas are pretty much a thing of the past (and were near the end when the movie was made), and yes the lack of phones for the duration is not 21st century; and yes the paneled station wagon is so retro, etc. etc. Yes, it has value as a historical, even cultural artifact. And I am the LAST person that would try to "sugar coat anything...re-imagine it as something more user-friendly to today's audiences . . ". THAT is most definitely NOT ME.
However, all this misses the point totally. Again, my point all along about this not having dated has everything to do with the MESSAGE about advertising (and about the low priority society still seems to value education), which in my has NOT DATED one iota, but is still relevant today. As with most good literature, the UNIVERSAL speaks to us, decades-even centuries-later, never mind the specifics of the period. I don't have to tell modern viewers how to watch this, substitute that or re-imagine this. They get the message on their own-and will automatically apply it to what they're familiar with. Get it?
Edited by: Arturo on Aug 30, 2011 8:47 PM
-
George Sanders was probably the supreme example of a cad. Wasn't his autobiography called "Confessions of a Professional Cad"?
Warren William was in one of his cad roles the other night in Linda Darnell's DAYTIME WIFE.
José Ferrer played a cad well in WHIRLPOOL.
Monty was also a cad in A PLACE IN THE SUN.
-
I've always enjoyed Roland Young in many of his films, including one TCM broadcast for the first time a coiple of days ago, STAR DUST, starring Linda Darnell. Roland plays a Hollywood talent scout who discovers Darnell, and who apparently had a fling with her mother many years prior, when he was a matinee idol. A fun movie also featuring one of Charlotte Greenwood's patented high kicking dance routines.
-
*Sorry, Arturo...I think you're stretchin' it. If they're talking about radio drama, then that is indicative of the times and makes the film slightly less accessible to modern audiences.*
*I think the story is also a bit dated, but the performances elevate it so I let it get by with more than I should.*
Of course radio drama is no longer a mass entertainment. but it is NOT a stretch to say that what is discussed re: mass media (i.e. TELELVISION) and commercial advertisement, holds up perfectly. Most other posts here agree . . . It's about the message...which is not dated at all. -
IMHO one of the most intriguing projects that didn't come to fruition from Hollywood's Golden Era, would have been 20th Century Fox' filming of Woolrich's WALTZ INTO DARKNESS. It was on their 1949 docket of films to be produced, and was to have featured Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde. Could have given both Linda and Cornel meaty roles in this interesting 19th Century tale (not Noir strictly speaking, but would have definitely had noirish elements I'm sure). Too bad it never happened.
-
Anyone catch TWO FLAGS WEST or BRIGHAM YOUNG this past Saturday?
-
*And what was up with that quasi-afro Sothern was rocking? Was it supposed to show how harried her character was or something?, because it was not cute.*
*'quasi-afro'*? Huh? It looks soft and wavy, not nppy or kinky. Seems like a typically short mid-20-th century women's hairstyle, and as such, is quite becoming IMHO.
*The Douglas/Mankiewicz-soliloquy-on-the-faults-of-radio scenes may or may not not be "dated", but they're definitely pretentious...Which is one of the reasons I'm just not that "in" to most Mankiewicz films.*
Well it IS a schoolteacher (with an axe to grind) doing the talking, and his comments are spot-on; commentators to this day bemoan the lowest common denominator mentality driving commercial TV, which is all about selling spots to advertisers, just like then. I think the comments about school teachers starving in the richest country in the world remain sadly true to this day, as we see wholesale cuts to education and teachers as the economy falters.
Btw-I think Florence Bates' ferocious character is absolutely marvelous, and marvelously played.
-
*I don't think this film holds up as well as it should. The scenes involving the radio program are very dated.*
I disagree. You just have to substitute TV for radio and the comments about the real reason for the "pap' being turned out is pretty much on the money, to this day. This is what makes the dialogue so biting.
-
The credits for THE WOMEN list **** Number 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Well the "N' word will turn up tomorrow on LInda Darnell's SUTS celebration, specifically in NO WAY OUT.
I love NOTHING SACRED and find the racial insensitivity much less than other movies of the era. That said, I don't see the problem with NOT showing that trailer. As I'm in my room with the TV on, it IS unsettling to hear Charles Winninger sing that line. TCM most definitily does not show a trailer for every movie coming up, so I don't see how one that has something offensive (no matter what the acceptance in its day) can just NOT be shown, and something inoffensive being shown. No big deal really.
-
*My only other comment is that A pictures, though they may have bigger budgets, are not necessarily better than B pictures (Casablanca is the the famous example of a B picture that outshines many, or most A pictures).*
Here I go again. While I totally agree that an A picture is not intrinsicallly better than a B pic, many people nowadays don't know which was which. CASABLANCA was most definitely an A picture, from conception to execution. It had top tier talent, and several name stars. These would NOT have been pictured in a B (the salaries for top talent aone would have busted the B's budget). CASABLANCA had an A budget; it may not have been on par with that of an epic, but it was not low-budget.
That said, many A films of a similar provenance as CASABLANCA, but did not get the renown, either then or now, were what was known as Programmers; these were A films, but without the prestige of the "Big" studio productions. Many of Joan Blondell's movies from the early-mid 30s at WB were programmers, technically A films, not Bs.
-
*I want to know why Peter Lawford is so abhorent yet no one says anything about people who were basically supporting players like Ben Johnson, Anne Francis, and frankly Linda Darnell.*
probably my favorite film with Lawford was not shown today on TCM, but coincidentally (is today his B-Day?) it WAS on this morning on FMC-Lubitsch's CLUNY BROWN. Great fun, and an excellent cast IMHO with Jennifer Jones, Charles Boyer, a sexy Helen Walker (when wasn't she), and priceless character roles from Richard Haydn and especially Una O'Connor. TCM should try getting the rights and showing it.
Linda Darnell was most definitely NOT a "*basically supporting player".* She was a leading lady from her first film (HOTEL FOR WOMEN), in her second film had a costarring role to one of Hollywood's top stars of that time (Tyrone Power)- in fact hers was to main role (DAYTIME WIFE); and she was solo billed above the title in her third film (STAR DUST). A few times in her career she was second lead, but she was always given STAR billing.
-
Well, Hemingway really liked Ava Gardner in the three films she did based on his work, whatever he thought of the overall movie. Gardner overall got good reviews for her portrayals of a Hemingway heroine in THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO and THE SUN ALSO RISES (with the caveat that she was too old here, along with the other principals).
Letter to Three Wives: Sorry, I didn't get it
in General Discussions
Posted
For those that didn't get it, see it, or whatever . . . It'll be on again tomorrow night.