Arturo

Thank you for sharing that information. Hopefully, the documentary will play here in L.A.

The O'Hara/Wayne/Ford film I dislike intensely is THE WINGS OF EAGLES. The Duke running around like a fratboy, treating his wife with disrespect, is really too much, even accounting for changing mores.

A big.budget biography of Stephen Foster is the 1939 Technicolor 20th Century Fox film,.SWANEE RIVER. Starring Don Ameche (as Fox' resident portrayor of historical figures), it features Andrea Leeds as his wife, and Al Jolson (in one of the films he did that year at the studio), playing Christy. The blackface.came naturally to him.

Thank you for this LHF. There was.another close.call Linda had with fire,.during the.filming of FOREVER AMBER. During thr London Fire, husband Richard Haydn tries to have her burned to "cleanse her of her sins". The collapsing wall.and ceiling.almost fell on her during filming, and she missed serious injury by seconds, apparently. Ironically, Darnell.starred.in a.live.tv.drama called "Trial.By Fire" in 1957. Her preteen son is accused of deliberately setting tragic.fires. Luckily for her, the tv budget allowed.for.stock footage only, provided by the LA Fire Dept.

Of course I don't mind.missw. Thank you for the support. Coincidentally, last.night I saw.the documentary TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL. Unfortunately, I did not make.it to one of the showings in the L.A. area.with Tab discussing the film (I went on vaca.the same day he was featured at.the Nuart.in West.L.A., amd came back the night he spoke in Palm.Springs). He was scheduled last night in Santa Barbara, but after.two friends bailed.on going with me, I decided.I wouldn't make it on time in rush hour traffic, without the use of the carpool.lane. So I saw it in Orange.County (I live in Southeast LA County, so the drive was about a third of what it would've been to Santa Barbara. Anyway, the documentary was very interesting, with many Hollywood names featured commenting on Tab and his career. Overall, it also provided a portrait of the Hollywood of the 1950s. The reason I bring this up here is that Hunter made his film.debut in ISLAND OF DESIRE/SATURDAY ISLAND (1952), which starred Linda Darnell. He mentions how his screentest consisted of having to kiss her, and how she reassured him before and afterward. Despite being a big hit, the movie did little.for Tab, due to poor personal notices. As for Linda, it was a showcase for her body (this applies to Tab as well), stranded on a tropical island during WW2. Of course, she would have preferred more acting challenges than she was given here, but she is good.

Affer After the first Shelley Winters autobiography, she would often guest on the Tonight Show, where it became a running joke that she,.according to Johnny Carson in his best Dr. Carl Sagan voice, "Slept with billions and billions of stars". One time she was on, she had him squirming when she implied that she slept with him.also back in the day, after.he had a.blackout at a party. The audience loved it.

Did anyone see this week's lineup of Norma Shearer movies, all early 30s films? I've seen most of these in the past, and the only one I saw "live" was STRANGERS MAY KISS.

I will go with the slightly less daunting image of a stalking Joan Crawford circa 1950, just before MM's career took off. Monroe was a superstar by 1955. I can see Marilyn going for an established star to help her out when it was needed, but not later.

LornaHanson.wrote: the studio also apparently deleted all the scenes of Mature's wife and her suicide via sticking her head in the oven- again without Hathaway's consent- and the result is a narrative with some holes in it. Poor.Patricia.Morison. She reputedly gave an Oscar-worthy performance as Mature's wife; there was plenty of buzz, until her scenes (and credit) got deleted from the released film. I don't remember why this happened, but it could have been a breakthrough role for the former Paramount contractee.

One of the best things about TCM.is the showcasing of.many stars from the past, both big and small, legendary or nearly-forgotten. Thank you TCM!

INDY ASTA JONES AND THE MESSAGEBOARD SPAM Everybody's favorite archeological terrier temporarily gives up digging bones to try and resolve an ongoing and recurring onslaught of spam threads in an Asian script on the pages of a.popular classic movie channel messageboard. As the volleys come when there seem.to be tensions and rancor on the boards, theories abound as to the source of the obnoxious posts. Despite his best efforts, Asta did not definitively determine the actual source, adding him to the list of the flummoxed. A sequel is promised for 2017, in which the culprit will be revealed.

I can't think of anything that TCM does that they don't do great. Out of the hundreds of channels I have TCM gets over half of all my viewing time. Thanks TCM.

Overall, I agree with most of the suggestions here, and many will surely become all-time classics. Just a quick note: along with the 1961 SOMETHING WILD, I also like the quirky 1986 film of the same name (not a remake), starting Melanie Griffin and Jeff Daniel, which brings me to THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, which makes me think of other Woody Allen titles, which as someone mentioned, has so many classics and quirky films. Perhaps my favorite film of the last 20 years is L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, possibly because of the classic Hollywood milieu it's set in. Great acting, writing and directing help also. So many great movies in every decade for over a century now........and no signs of it ever ending!

Yes that's the one.

Yes that's the one.

Travilla, often assigned to work with the sex symbols at Fox, had no easy task. He could not be too revealing, as defined by the standards of that time, but obviously had to play up the stars' attributes as much as possible. He had originally designed a MUCH more revealing outfit for MM in the "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" number, but (auto?)censorship had that outfit scrapped. There is also but a glimpse of her in another controversial dress, a form-fitting gold lame gown she is seen dancing a rumba with Charles Coburn, from the back. MM had caused a stir when she wore it to an awards show, with Joan Crawford publicly censuring her for her display of vulgarity. Go figure.

They're back..........

THE HOARSE DOG WHISPERER In which our intrepid pooch Asta is sent to obedience school. However, he refuses to follow the guidance in the pronouncements of the schoolteacher/dog trainer (who, in getting first billing, did not help matters with Asta). Said teacher/trainer is aphonic from screaming so loudly in his frustration that he is not effective in convincing his pupils to his views. The solution seems to be to draw up lists, first one listing Asta's positive qualities, then a second list listing negatives, and a third one for improvements needed. In the course of an hour and a half, one list.inexplicably changes title, and the negative one mysteriously disappears. This high concept film proved a hit with critics and fans alike.

I agree, there is plenty of negativity on these boards. It shouldn't be too much to ask to keep it positive here, instead of swipes at a performer's personal life, or allusions to negative aspects of TMC under the guise of "improvement needed."

I totally agree. Whether it was written 20 years ago or two years ago, this quote applies fully, imho.

Joan Fontaine was not yet a star when she did THE WOMEN; she had floundered at RKO for a couple or so years, mostly in B films. At the time of TW, she was known best as Olivia DeHavilland's younger sister. So audiences had no expectations about Fontaine, she was just a name they might've heard, and maybe seen, if at all, as Fred Astaire's leading lady in DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, her best role under contract, which didn't lead.to better opportunities at RKO. Soon enough, however, she would come into her own, with REBECCA the year following THE WOMEN. Norma Shearer can be mannered, I agree, but I enjoy her, whether in silents, pre-codes or later. One of my favorites not yet mentioned is IDIOT'S DELIGHT, also starring with Clark Gable. She plays an actress finding prewar Europe getting dangerous. Funny comedy with musical numbers.

Ford could probably have just convinced Republic not to submit Maureen's name for consideration, or to mount a campaign on her behalf, especially as she wasn't under contract there.

I have the film.many years ago, on a manufactured VHS I bought online some 15 years ago. A few years ago, I transferred it to DVD. The movie is ok, nothing great. The best thing about it for me are the scenes of mid-century Mexico City, and the surrounding countryside. Yes, the film is from Fox. The studio had also considered borrowing either Lana Turner or Ava Gardner for the role of the predatory female. In the mid 50s,, 20th almost borrowed Maureen for another film, a reunion of the SITTING PRETTY principals, which would have included Clifton Webb and Robert Young. Needless to say, the third Belvedere sequel never happened.

Thank you Lorna for.finding and.posting.this.

There is an episode of What's.My Line with Maureen O'Hara as the Mystery Guest, from.around 1959-60. Maureen looks exceptionally beautiful, and is very charming. About a year or so, it was posted on YouTube. Not sure if it's still on there, but if so, hopefully someone else will have to post the link.