Arturo
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Posts posted by Arturo
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Maureen probably wouldn`t agree with our dislike of MCCLINTOCK! She loved working with John Wayne and also the director Andrew McLaglen.Maureen worked with Andrew`s father Victor on THE QUIET MAN 1952.In my opinion the film is anti feminist. Maureen was black and blue for weeks after her spanking from The Duke, and the mud fight which ended up in a mudslide was stupid.Maureen insisted on performing the dangerous stunt of falling backward from a ladder into a trough.Every actor and actress has a few lemons mixed in with the roses on their film resume. I consider MCCLINTOCK! a definite LEMON!
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.
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Mascot Pictures was another Poverty Row studio. I'm particularly fond of one of their films -- Harmony Lane, one of several film biographies of Stephen Foster. Douglass Montgomery gives a fine performance as the composer. William Frawlay plays Ed Christy, founder of the Christy Minstrels. You get to see Frawley in blackface in this film. Evelyn Venable gives a particularly lovely performance.
Harmony Lane, which I believe is in the public domain, has many great scenes. Here's the whole film:
[...]
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.
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if i could think of any one term that seems to really cover the life of Linda Darnell- and I mean this in no disrespect- it would be:
TRIAL BY FIRE
We've all read the downright eerie coincidences about Linda being terrified of fire in real life, about her playing at least two characters whose bodies were burned (in ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM and HANGOVER SQUARE) and about the fire-related near-misses she had in her life (on the way to the studio one day, her car broke down and burst into flames, and I think there were some others)...to her tragic and untimely death.
But the irony of all this is that Linda came through the metaphorical fire of one of the greatest challenges of her life unsinged (at least outwardly)- and that would be her first several years at Fox.
Can you imagine being a young, unworldly girl- manipulated and pushed by others into something you weren't too keen on doing- on being exposed to the world at an age where so few are equipped to handle the complications of life, let alone massiive fame- to have to run this obstacle course of roles when you yourself are so new to the acting game- having to play sophisticates and s l a tterns, contemporary women and 19th century heroines, American, Hispanic and many other nationalities, to suffer the slings and arrows of critics, fans and studios and constantly STEP UP YOUR GAME ALL ALONG THE WAY?
I'd crack in about a week of it.
And- of course- Linda was left with demons from this which haunted her inwardly, but HER WORK (that which lives long after her) doesn't falter- she started strong and matured, running a gamut of roles that would've tested any actress, new or old at the game- from THE MARK OF ZORRO to FALLEN ANGEL to HANGOVER SQUARE to ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM to NO WAY OUT and A LETTER TO THREE WIVES and does superlative work in each one them.
Of the many figures of classic HOLLYWOOD- there are few who I found more personally admirable than Miss Darnell, who was able to do such honest work, where the seams and the stitching, the pressures she faced, the personal demons that dogged her- are not evident.
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.
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Of course I don't mind.missw. Thank you for the support.Thought I'd bump this original post about Linda Darnell. (Hope you don't mind, Arturo.)
The next time the lovely Linda will be appearing on TCM is January 10th (2016, obviously), when they will be airing Anna and the King of Siam.
After that, we get to see her again on January 19th, in Blackbeard, the Pirate.
As far as I know ( I could be wrong, it's been known to happen), this thread was started almost exactly three years ago, and Linda still hasn't been made TCM Star of the Month. I know there are maybe "issues" around rights to Fox films, etc., but shirley after three years our favourite station could try and find a way to overcome those issues.
We want Linda !
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.
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I'm not a huge fan of Winters (I don't dislike her, I just don't go out of my way to see her films), though I did think she was hilarious in Roseanne. However, I bet she has some great Hollywood stories. Shelley and Marilyn seem like an odd couple for sure, I'd be interested in reading Shelley's recollections about living with Monroe.
Winters wasn't in enough good movies, in my opinion. As often stated, she played similar charactors in her best known films shown on TCM, and her acting range isn't represented well.
I don't see them as an "odd" couple....instead I see two star struck beautiful gals wanting to be better actresses, make connections and work hard to gain respect & better jobs. Maybe Shelly was more gregarious and Marilyn quite a bit shyer, but that's a great combination for two young pretty gals.
I'm sure Marilyn benefitted from her long friendship with Shelly.
What I find amazing was upon MM's death, all her clothing was left to the Actor's Studio (or maybe Lee Strasburg) who promptly dumped it all at the Salvation Army. A few people swooped up MM's brassieres and most notably, Debbie Harry from Blondie snagged a dress from THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH.
I have always thought Harry was MM's illegitimate daughter, put up for adoption.
Affer
I'm not a huge fan of Winters (I don't dislike her, I just don't go out of my way to see her films), though I did think she was hilarious in Roseanne. However, I bet she has some great Hollywood stories. Shelley and Marilyn seem like an odd couple for sure, I'd be interested in reading Shelley's recollections about living with Monroe.
Winters wasn't in enough good movies, in my opinion. As often stated, she played similar charactors in her best known films shown on TCM, and her acting range isn't represented well.
I don't see them as an "odd" couple....instead I see two star struck beautiful gals wanting to be better actresses, make connections and work hard to gain respect & better jobs. Maybe Shelly was more gregarious and Marilyn quite a bit shyer, but that's a great combination for two young pretty gals.
I'm sure Marilyn benefitted from her long friendship with Shelly.
What I find amazing was upon MM's death, all her clothing was left to the Actor's Studio (or maybe Lee Strasburg) who promptly dumped it all at the Salvation Army. A few people swooped up MM's brassieres and most notably, Debbie Harry from Blondie snagged a dress from THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH.
I have always thought Harry was MM's illegitimate daughter, put up for adoption.
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.
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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.
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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.One of history's greatest mysteries I suppose. I was reading an "Old HOLLYWOOD" gossip item about it only the other day. The item also stated it was a one night stand, but that Joan then became obsessed with Marilyn and proceeded to STALK her for the next couple of years in the hopes for another night of wanton passion.
Now, if the image of Joan Crawford ca. 1955 crouched in the bushes outside your door don't scare the snot right outcha, i don't know what will.
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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.
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I love that I am constantly discovering new stars that I love. I know that I mentioned that in my original post, but I think it is a point worth repeating. Every month, TCM features movies that I'm interested in and I usually come away with at least one new star worth looking out for in the schedule.
A month or so ago, I discovered Eleanor Powell and have been looking out for her films ever since. I love me some great dancing movies. I am very excited that TCM is releasing a 4 movie collection of Eleanor Powell films next month. She's a star that is probably unknown outside of those who frequent TCM, so I am happy to see that she's getting the "TCM Greatest Classic Legends" treatment.
Some other stars that I've discovered* recently and have been looking out for are:
Ronald Colman
Marlene Dietrich
Greta Garbo
Greer Garson
Joel McCrea
*By "discovered" I don't necessarily mean stars I'd never heard of, but rather stars who I never gave a second thought one way or the other, but have found myself enjoying their films.
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!
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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.
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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.OK, this is a thread about what is great about TCM. This is certainly a thread for personal opinions, but NOT a place to argue or gripe about what you think is wrong with the station....there's plenty of those threads already.
Here's what I love about TCM:
• No Commercials
• No interruptions during movies
• Hosts talking about the movie you're about to see or have just seen
• Special spotlights that teach me more about movies
• They show original vintage trailers
• The "branding" meaning openings, logos, "Remembers", "Word of Mouth"...all the fillers made by TCM
No other station caters to the viewer like TCM, and it has kept this level of excellence since the beginning. I hope it never changes.
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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!
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Arturo-in your post of 2:38 p.m., when you speak of the gold lame dress seen from the back, you mean the one that, depending on sources, Marilyn had to be sewn into at the Photoplay Magazine Award Show, where she was to receive "Most Promising New Star" & Crawford then had a hissy about?
Yes that's the one.
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Arturo-in your post of 2:38 p.m., when you speak of the gold lame dress seen from the back, you mean the one that, depending on sources, Marilyn had to be sewn into at the Photoplay Magazine Award Show, where she was to receive "Most Promising New Star" & Crawford then had a hissy about?
Yes that's the one.
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Last night MrT & I watched GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, which he had never seen before. I love Jane Russell and think it was very ballsy of her to play in scenes w/Marilyn. When MM is on the screen, you CAN'T LOOK AT ANYTHING ELSE. Sure, she acted kind of goofy in the movie, but that's ACTING.
Several times her performance brought me to tears-she's so beautiful and she was just too often undeservedly sad. MrT was surprised both gals did their own singing.
I thought the hairstyles & make up were spectacular, but Travilla's costume designs were rather unflattering, except for the suits the gals wore in "Paris" & MM's "bon voyage" dress.
I couldn't imagine getting the plumb job of dressing MM & Jane Russell and not working with their figures obvious assets. I've seen his costumes in real life and they seem as if they were designed on a mannequin, not considering movement and who will actually be wearing them.
(notice the pink dress in "Diamonds" number-she moves within the dress which stays stiff around her)
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.
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They're back..........
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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.
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Thank you, TikiSoo, for trying to create a thread of positive, complimentary posts towards TCM.
It would be nice if people could let such intention be.
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."
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TCM is "the most reliable source of pure enchantment in the cable universe."
--Tom Shales
I totally agree. Whether it was written 20 years ago or two years ago, this quote applies fully, imho.
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Thank you filmlover! I'll set up "He Who Gets Slapped." I like the title. I don't know if I can handle a true silent film with not even any music!
Agreed about Joan Fontaine. While I like her in some of her films, I think she's somewhat lame in The Women. Perhaps she just seems that way because she's paired up with people like Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford and even the hilarious Marjorie Main. I think Fontaine came into her own in the 1940s. My favorite part of The Women is the catfight between Russell and Paulette Goddard. It cracks me up.
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.
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It is my understanding studios would submit the actors they had under contract, for consideration as it related to the nominations, during the studio-era. (which is one reason independent actors were less likely to be nominated).
Ford may have had enough clout with the studio suits to influence this process. Just a theory.
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.
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When Maureen and Anthony were TCM SOTM, their movie THE MAGNIFICIENT MATADOR 1955 was not shown. Directed by Budd Boetticher, Anthony plays a aging matdador who has a young protégé, and is romanced by Maureen. Has anyone seen this film, and if so is it worth watching?
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.
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Thank you Lorna for.finding and.posting.this.TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO- BENNETT CERF:
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The 1950 movie TRIPOLI is also available free for AMAZON PRIME members. John Payne and Maureen starred in TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI 1942 which is available on YOU TUBE. You Tube is hit or miss. Sometimes a person posts the full movie, and other times a movie has ended before the finale. When Maureen was interviewed by Larry King in October 2000, she talked about John Payne`s accident. In March 1961 John was hit by a car in NYC. His recovery took almost two years. I have seen the clip of John as a guest panelist on What`s My Line in December 1962. The other panelists told him that they were happy to see him looking well.
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.
Two Honors FOR INGRID BERGMAN
in General Discussions
Posted
Thank you for sharing that information. Hopefully, the documentary will play here in L.A.