Arturo

The same.could be said about Michael Wilding's then current marriage to Liz Taylor. At least.they remained.friends.of.sorts after.it.ended.

Another underrated gem of Don Ameche (since most of his films.were at Fox, most.must be, as they get limited exposure on FMC, even less on TCM) is GIRL TROUBLE (1942), another late screwball.comedy. This one is screwier than THE MAGNIFICENT DOPE, costars Joan Bennett, and features Billie Burke and Helene Reynolds. Bennett plays a socialite suddenly impoverished, and lets her apartment to South American magnate/playboy Ameche. She passes herself off as the maid. It has some topical wartime situations (ration cards, substitute rubber products), and is quite funny in a silly way.

Lol.....sounds like a possible entry in the Let's Mingle thread.

As Cooper aged, his sallow contenance made him fit into his mature roles. Of course the drawback was often a youthful costar. But in a film like 10 NORTH FREDRICK, there is an innate sadness to him that fits in perfectly, as the underappreciated and henpecked father and husband, finding love in Suzy Parker, as his daughter's college roommate.

SOME LIKE IT HAUTE Wherein two male musicians, having witnessed a gangland slaying in Chicago during the Roaring 20s, flee to Florida disguised as women. **** hook up with a female ragtime band, and hide out during a long term.gig at a swanky resort hotel. Unfortunately for them, two real transvestites realize they are men, and being fashion-forward, take offense to the musicians' rather tacky and ill-fitting women's attire. They decide to rat them out to the mob, endangering their.lives in the process.

Thanks Tom for your kind words, and.........let's hope these tributes come to pass.

This reminds me of.my stepfather, who is in his 80s. Recently he entered an assisted living facility, and is apparently liking it. He came over on Thanskgiving, and told.me they allow.him to watch tv in the rec room late into the night. He mentioned that the night before, he had.seen a.movie with "el rey del cine mundial" (the king of world cinema). I guessed Clark Gable, knowing IDIOT'S DELIGHT had been on TCM the night before. I was right. He went on to say he likes watching TCM late at night by himself, but also during the day with others, when he doesn't have dialysis or is dealing with its.effects. The station is popular with most of the other residents. Thank you TCM.

Every time I watch SECOND CHANCE (1953) starring Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell and Jack Palance, there is a really annoying extra in one scene. He is so obviously looking into the camera, and reacting overtly to the dialogue, that it's distracting. The scene is during an outdoor boxing match with Mitchum. Darnell has just arrived, and meets with Felipe, who is busy making bets. The guy is in the center background, mostly looking directly at the camera. Has anyone else noticed a distracting or annoying extra, or one obviously wanting to be noticed?

FOREVER AMBER will be shown again on FMC, around the 19th or 20 th of this month. There are at least two showings. I will post the times later.

If it hasn't been mentioned, how about the tussle between.Joan Crawford.and.Mercedes.McCambridge in JOHNNY GUITAR? Joan.seems to have involved in quite.a few of these in her long.career.

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but a "Don't Like" button can be very useful, even a necessity. Also, the notification re. PMs received seems to not always be accurate.

SWM, searching for governess for precocious French-speaking female child. Must not mind mood swings of epic proportions, nor blood-curdling screams emanating from the tower.in the North Wing. Companionship and marriage a possibility.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, 12/9 @ 12:10 pm.est, FMC will show THE MAGNIFICENT DOPE (1942), a film that I consider.an underrated gem in the filmographies of both Don Ameche and Henry Fonda. This late screwball comedy has Ameche and Edward.Everett Horton running a business training school, along with Ameche's fiancee Lynn Bari. The scheme up a contest to drum up enrollments, to identify the Laziest Man in America. The winner is supposed to take their course, and become a successful individual. Hick.Fonda wins, but he ends up changing them, as well.as prominent businessmen like George Barbier. A funny comedy.

NIGHTMARE ALLEY will be on FMC this Thursday and Friday mornings, and WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS on Friday and Saturday.

On FMC (all times eastern): Tueaday, 12/8: 3:30 am: HOW TO STEAL A MILLION (1966)..........................6 am: HEAVEN WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE (1939).............................7:10 am: SUSANNAH OF THE MOUNTIES (1939)............................8:30 am: CALL OF THE WILD (1935)..........................9:55 am: BRIGHAM YOUNG (1940).......................11:50 am: WHITE FEATHER (1955)..........................1:30 pm: SIERRA BARON (1958)................ Wednesday, 12/9: 3 am: SIERRA BARON (1958)..........................4:30 am: CALL OF THE WILD (1935)............................6 am: WHITE FEATHER (1955)......................7:45 am: 13 FIGHTING MEN (1960).........................9 am: THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME (1961)..............................10:50 am: CLAUDIA AND DAVID (1946)...........................12:10 pm: THE MAGNIFICENT DOPE (1942)..........................1:35 pm: IT HAPPENED IN FPATBUSH (1942).................. Thursday, 12/10: 4 am: THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME (1961)........................6 am: I WAS AN ADVENTURESS (1940)...........................7:30 am: NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947).............................9:30 am: DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1951)............................11:40 am: THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966)..............................1:30 pm: THE TERRORISTS (1975)................ Friday, 12/11: 3 am: SANDCASTLES (1972)..............................4:15 am: THIS IS MY AFFAIR (1937)...............................6 am: NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947)............................7:55 am: WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950)...........................9:35 am: THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966)..................................11:25 am: THE TERRORISTS (1975)...............................12:55 pm: THE KREMLIN LETTER (1970)................

It could've happened. As pointed out here, Dana Andrews costarred later in the decade with Jeanne Crain, another frequent costar since the 40s. Darnell and Andrews did ZERO HOUR, her last movie until she did the aforementioned BLACK SPURS.

I totally agree with your assessment, this is one of Bogart's best. I'm not sure it is underrated however, at least not on these boards. Many people love this film, with its air of ambiguity and cynicism, and its great writing and directing, and not least of all, its cast,.from Gloria Grahame on down. A total gem.

At a Black Friday sale, I bought two biographies on Frank Sinatra, including one called "Sinatra In Hollywood". I can't wait to read it.

TOWN TAMER was one of the A. C. Lyles' produced quickie westerns, at Paramount studios in the mid 1960's. Despite the miniscule budgets, he was able to get quite a few stars from yesteryear in his productions, to provide, as someone said, work therapy. These oaters were popular at second run houses. The last film made by my favorite actress, Linda Darnell was in a Lyles western, also from 1965, BLACK SPURS. Despite being billed second to Rory Calhoun, her role as a madam/dance hall hostess was not that significant-third billed Terry Moore had more screen time-but it provided her with her first movie role in several years. During production, she came on the set caring a spear, joking that her role was so small she might as well be a spear-chucker (or something along those lines). Other names include Scott Brady, Patricia Owens, Lon Chaney, Jr. Unfortunately, Linda died before the film's release. Lyles has stated in the Biography episode on Linda that there were several film offers waiting for her; she might've had a career renaissance. Who knows, maybe one was TOWN TAMER with frequent costar Dana Andrews. We will never know.

I'm missing the regular doses of Susan Hayward on TCM. Encore Westerns has been showing TULSA, for anyone that's interested, or needs a Hayward fix.

In FOREVER.AMBER, Linda Darnell gets into a fight with Margaret Wycherly, who plays a nurse who is supposed to treat Cornel Wilde, Linda's true love, for the bubonic plague. Instead, Wycherly decides to strangle him in order to steal his gold watch. Darnell wakes up in time to pull her off and fight for her man. She ends up killing the nurse, and has her removed as another plague victim. Two other catfights had been.scripted and/or filmed.for FA. Each had her fighting with another woman, who take offense when their respective.men pay more attention to Amber when she arrives at their workplace. One is in the den of thieves, over highwayman John.Russell, the other in the royal theater company, over Captain Glenn Langan. Neither actress in the catfight got a credit, as the parts were eliminated, in the former, or.severely pared back to the role of.extra, in the latter. This was in an attempt to cut the perceived lengthy running time.

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS was on a couple.of times.this week on the Fox Movie Channel,.along with NIGHTMARE ALLEY. Many of the studio's films noir were.released.on dvd a few years ago, in the Fox Film Noir series. They have decent prints, feature commentaries and other extras.

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but in A LETTER TO THREE WIVES, there is a scene at a dinner table, where there is a discussion about the value of radio commercials. Radio executive Florence Bates is stating how much the commercials are being absorbed by housewives as they go about their daily routine. Thelma Ritter, as Sadie the domestic, is used as an example. Bates says Sadie is subconsciously absorbing it all, saying something like, "First comes saturation. After saturation comes penetration!" Kirk Douglas chimes in, "Good thing she didn't hear you say that!"

I think the reason IRMA LA DOUCE was made without the songs, is that by the late 50s, and into the early 60s, film musicals were routinely bombing at the boxoffice, even presold Broadway titles.