Arturo

It may not surprise you that the two movies I mentioned both have Linda Darnell. I have them on rather poor quality dvds of shady provenance which I bought on-line. It is rather surprising that THE THIRTEENTH LETTER was not a part of the Fox Film Noir series. It also stars Charles Boyer and Michael Rennie, among others, and was directed by Otto Preminger. It is a remake of a classic French film LE CORBEU (1943), and deals with a series of poison pen letters, implicating various of the townsfolk, to tragic results. It is quite atmospheric, taking advantage of its small town Quebec setting. NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP has Gary Merrill waking up from a drunken blackout, feeling he has killed one of the women in his life the previous night. He tries to recall what happened, and his meeting with his wife, his mistress and a movie star who had the hots for him when she was an unknown. Merrill is again a Broadway producer (as in ALL ABOUT EVE), and Darnell.the movie star. It appears to have some great noirish shadows and darkness, but it's hard to tell on my poor copy. Fox had other films that could be a part of the noir series, such as JOHNNY APOLLO, THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF, SLATTERY'S HURRICANE, and BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER. It would be great if the series would be reactivated.

Ida Lupino, along with the likes of Ann Sheridan and Olivia DeHavilland, suffered in the shadows of the Warner Brothers Queen of the Lot Bette Davis in the early-mid 40s. All scripts were given to Davis, who had first refusal rights. In the early 40s, Lupino was considered as a backup insurance for Davis, should the latter become.too difficult and/or falter in popularity. Ida's strong dramatic talents and unconventional beauty made her ideal for some of the roles rejected by Davis (others also considered for these included Geraldine Fitzgerald, and briefly, Merle Oberon, Miriam Hopkins and Mary Astor, and via loan, Barbara Stanwyck, Rosalind Russell, and later, Joan Crawford, Eleanor Parker, and Patricia Neal) and was even anointed "the poor man's Bette Davis". She also competed with Sheridan and others for some parts. She did get some good films at Warners, became a star, and achieved some popularity. She outranked Bogart at the beginning of her tenure at WB, and insisted on and got top billing in HIGH SIERRA. She also pulled rank and had the studio cast John Garfield in 1941's OUT OF THE FOG, instead of the studio choice of Bogart. Perhaps her best role at the studio was THE HARD WAY, and she won critical raves, and the film was a substantial success. Other good Lupino roles not yet mentioned (actually she's always good) are in the aforementioned OUT OF THE FOG (1941), who is first victimized by, then falls in love with Garfield, IN OUR TIME (1944), a wartime soap opera with Paul Henreid, the comedy PILLOW TO POST (1945), the misfire about the Bronte sisters, DEVOTION (1946, although filmed some three years earlier), and as a sexy torch singer in THE MAN I LOVE (1946). Additionally, with all the competition on the lot, she did a few good films.on loanout, including LADIES IN RETIREMENT (1941), at Columbia, where she is intense and kills her employer to protect her two unwell sisters; she was praised in what was her favorite film; also MOONTIDE (1942) at Fox, touchingly playing a suicidal waif in this very good, moody and low-key noirish drama with Jean Gabin.

I believe Roger Ebert wrote BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, not VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.

On FMC (all times eastern): Wednesday, 3/30: 4:45 am: DRESSED TO KILL (1941)...............................6 am: HALF ANGEL (1951)...................................7:20 am: BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956).....................................9 am: FIVE FINGERS (1952).....................................11 am: DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1951)....................................1:10 pm: THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966)................ Thursday, 3/31: 3 am: THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966)..........................................4:50: JUST OFF BROADWAY (1942)....................................6 am: HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941)....................................8 am: ANNE OF THE INDIES (1951).....................................9:30 am: ISLAND IN THE SUN (1957)....................................11:30 am: THE PURPLE HEART (1944).....................................1:15 pm: THE IMMORTAL SERGEANT (1943).................. Friday, 4/1: 3:30 am: THE BLACK ROSE (1950)...................................6 am: ANNE OF THE INDIES (1951)..................................7:30 am: PRINCE VALIANT (1954)........................................9:15 am: THE BLACK ROSE (1950).....................................11:20 am: UNTAMED (1955)................................1:15 am: FIVE WEEOS IN A BALOON (1962).................

I bought all the dvds listed here. I remember being upset that the last three titles were released by Criterion, and weren't part of the Fox Film Noir series. But as I love all three films, I bought them, substantially pricier than the others. Too bad the series was suspended some years back; there are a number of titles they should restore and release as a resumption of the series, starting with THE THIRTEENTH LETTER (1951), and NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP (1952).

Here's one that might fit here..... There is a 1951 comedy, THE LADY PAYS OFF, which stars Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally and Gigi Perreau. It is directed by Douglas.Sirk. Linda.is a schoolteacher voted "Teacher of the Year", and is thus anointed on the cover of Time Magazine. She is anxious to meet a "real" man, but is wary and suspicious that men view her only as a mother for their children. Anyway, she inadvertently racks up $7,000.00 in debt at McNally's casino in Reno. He "suggests" she pay it off by tutoring his daughter during Linda's summer break. She is forced to do so, resenting the strong-arm tactics of the "cheap gambler". After a couple of weeks of attitude, her mirror image suggests she try a different approach, to the benefit of all. Later, she comments to the mirror image as to the progress made with the new tactic.

I also enjoyed this movie when I saw it. Like you, I had the same issue with the people playing Wayne and Robinson. Same thing happened when I saw THE AVIATOR. While Cate Blanchett was passable as Katherine Hepburn, I could not buy Kate Beckinsdale as Ava Gardner. Sexy and beautiful Beckinsdale may be, but she did not come across as Ava. I guess it's harder for us classic film.fans, than it is for the general moviegoer, to suspend disbelief in these instances, used to as we are to seeing the real thing regularly on TCM and elsewhere.

About two-three years ago, I bought a book about the making of FOREVER AMBER. It states that over the decades, 20th Century Fox has rebuffed all attempts to do a remake, or a miniseries, of FA. Not sure why.

So I recently watched again an Italian film I recently bought online, GLI ULTIMI CINQUE MINUTI. I hadn't noticed a scene before, where the married (for convenience) Linda Darnell is at Rosanno Brazzi, her current lover's apartment. He is pointing a very phallic looking bottle of either sparkling water or sparkling wine. He moves and holds it quite suggestively; Linda seems annoyed wth this. Well, this 1955 film.was.not released in the U.S. Otherwise, there wouldv'e been a cut of this scene here. In Europe and Latin America, where the film.was generally released, there probably was no problem with this.

So I saw THE TEN COMMANDMENTS in one of its recent big screen showings (I first saw it at @ age 5, when my mom took us to one of the rereleases in the early 70s). Anyway, I hadn't seen the movie completely in a long time, despite having recorded onto dvd awhile back. It looked great where it belonged, and is still enjoyable hokum. What surprised me was a scene with Anne Baxter,.where she is wearing a diaphenous green gauzy top, and it's see-through. During a close-up You can fairly clearly see her right ****, and the left one less distinctly. These.are.not just the outlines. I wonder of the recent restoration removed a proetctive.layer, to cover up.something not originally caught. In any event, quite an eye-opener. DId anyone else notice this?

FMC will be showing FOREVER AMBER three times in the next couple of days, tomorrow, 3/27 @ 3:30 am est, and 9:10 est, and also on Monday, 3/28 @ 7:40 am est.

FOREVER AMBER will be on FMC (FXM RETRO) three times this weekend, fyi: Sunday, 3/27 @ 3:30 am eastern, and 9:10 am eastern, and Monday, 3/28 @ 7:40 am eastern.

On FMC (all times eastern): Friday, 3/25: 3 am: THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966).............................................4:50 am: SURF PARTY (1964).............................................6 am: JUST OFF BROADWAY (1942)..............................................7:10 am: THE MUDLARK (1950)..............................................8:50 am: BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956)...........................................10:30 am: ISLAND IN THE SUN (1957).............................................12:30 pm: FROM THE TERRACE (1960).................... Saturday, 3/26: 3:30 am: FROM THE TERRACE (1960)...............................................6 am: CAVALCADE (1933)..................................................7:55 am: THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND (1936)..............................................9:35 am: HOME IN INDIANA (1944)..............................................11:20 am: HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941)..............................................1:20 pm: THE LOST WORLD (1960)................. Sunday, 3/27: 3:30 am: FOREVER AMBER (1947).............................................6 am: SUN VALLEY SERENADE (1941).................................................7:30 am: THE MUDLARK (1950).............................................9:10 am: FOREVER AMBER (1947)...................................................11:30 am: THE LOST WORLD (1960)...............................................1:10 pm: VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (1961)..................... Monday, 3/28: 4 am: VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (1961)..........................................6 am: THE MUDLARK (1950).................................................7:40 am: FOREVER AMBER (1947)......................................10 am: THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM (1944)...........................................12:20 pm: THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958)......................

Glad you finally saw, and enjoyed, FOREVER AMBER. I agree that Richard Greene was better in the film than Cornel Wilde; he was on the original shortlist to play Wilde's role of Bruce Carlton, at a time.when it seemed that Fox was striving for a British cast. In fact, he was not originally Lord Almsbury; Vincent Price was cast in the scrapped version of FA. When the filming was suspended, Price was one of several actors that had to move on to other assignments Greene's character was more sexually interested in Amber in the book and early drafts of the screenplay; this was toned down substantially in the studio's attempt to sanitize the story and appease the censors; giving Amber less lovers, as well as less husbands, and children born out of wedlock is what Fox did. This was Richard Greene's first film in the U.S. after WW2; he had asked to be let out of his contract with Fox in 1940 to fight the war in Britain; he never recaptured the popularity he was achieving until then as the studio's main rival to Tyrone Power. He came to America partially to help promote the career of his then wife, Particia Medina. Another good, and underrated, film he did, was Otto Preminger's take on Oscar Wilde, THE FAN (1949). It has a surprisingly effective Jeanne Crain, plus George Sanders and Madeleine Carroll.

A couple more I can think of, WE'RE NOT MARRIED (1952), with stories of five couples learning.some five years later their justice of the peace had jumped the gun with his duties. Also, DECAMERON NIGHTS (1952), based on Boccaccio; PARIS MODEL (1953), four different episodes, and THE STORY OF MANKIND (1957). In the mid 60s, THE YELLOW ROLLS ROYCE.

Dorothy McGuire, not Malone

On FMC (all times eastern): Monday, 3/21: 3 am: THE BLUE BIRD (1940)..............................................4:25am: CLAUDIA (1943)..............................................6 am: THE RAINS CAME (1939).......................................7:45 am: THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM (1944)............................................10:05 am: THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958)..........................................12:45 pm: SATAN NEVER SLEEPS (1962)................ Tuesday, 3/22: 3 am: THE RAINS CAME (1939)......................................4:45 am: JUST OFF BROADWAY (1942).................................6 am: KEYS OF GHE KINGDOM (1944)......................................8:20 am: THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958).................................11 am: SATAN NEVER SLEEPS (1962).....................................1:15 pm: DESTINATION GOBI (1953)...................... Wednesday, 3/23: 3 am: BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956).............................................4:40 am: HALF ANGEL (1951).....................................6 am: CRASH DIVE (1943).....................................7:50 am: THE IMMORTAL SERGEANT (1943).........................................9:30 am: DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1951).....................................11:35 am: DESTINATION GOBI (1953)...........................................1:10 pm: THREE CAME HOME (1950)..............

Yes! I left it purposely vague, so that it might also be NIGHTMARE ALLEY. Your turn Lavender.

This noir has recorded discs of psychoanalyst sessions.

In the 1956 western, THREE VIOLENT PEOPLE, brothers Charlton Heston and Tom Tryon fight over Heston's wife Anne Baxter, among many other things.

It was once pointed out to me, that in THE WOMEN, there are the totally wrong.credits for D arkie No.1, D arkie No.2, etc. totaling 4.actresses. It must.ve been politically incorrect.even in 1939, but apparently not. Edit. I guess the autocensor is pc.

NO WAY OUT (1950). Stephen McNally and Linda Darnell.

On FMC (all.times eastern): Thursday, 3/17: 4:45 am: DRESSED TO KILL (1941).....................................6 am: HALF ANGEL (1951).......................................7:20 am: IT HAPPENED IN FLATBUSH (1942).........................................8:45: THE PRIDE OF ST. LOUIS (1952)......................................10:20 am: MY LUCKY STAR (1938)...................................11:45 am: TAKE CARE OF MY LITTLE GIRL (1951).............................................1:20 pm: BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956)............................ Friday, 3/18: 3:30 am: SNIPER'S RIDGE (1961)..........................................4:35 am: MY LUCKY STAR (1938)............................................6 am: THE MUDLARK (1950)...........................................7:45 am: SEVEN THIEVES (1960)..........................................9:30 am: FIVE FINGERS (1952)......................................11:20 am: BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956)............................................1 pm: ISLAND IN THE SUN (1957)...................... Saturday, 3/19: 3:30 am: KEYS OF THE KINGDOM (1944).........................................6 am: HEAVEN WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE (1939)....................................................7:05 am: THE CALL OF THE WILD (1935)...........................................8:30 am: THE RETURN OF THE CISCO KID (1939)..........................................9:45 am: NOB HILL (1945).............................................11:30 am: WHITE FEATHER (1955)........................................1:15 pm: THESE THOUSAND HILLS (1959)........................... Sunday, 3/20: 3:30 am: CALL OF THE WILD (1935)...........................................4:55 am: HEAVEN WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE (1939).................................................6 am: NOB HILL (1945)..............................................7:45 am: WHITE FEATHER (1955)..........................................9:30 am: THESE THOUSAND HILLS (1959).........................................11:10 am: FOREVER AMBER (1947).............................................1:30 pm: THE BLUE BIRD (1940)....................

Not sure what "helmet" blonde means, but Lana looks quite delectable throughtout the 40s, usually wIth blonde hair. H ONKY TONK, JOHNNY EAGER, SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, HOMECOMING, etc.

I think I have the Lombard set. One question: is this a bluray release?