MovieFanLaura

Other examples of Newman reusing his themes: the BRIGHAM YOUNG theme appeared in YELLOW SKY and RAWHIDE, and his STREET SCENE was used in several other films including I WAKE UP SCREAMING, CRY OF THE CITY, and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE. The "Ann Rutledge" theme from YOUNG MR. LINCOLN was not only used in another Ford film, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, it also appeared in BELLE STARR (ironically about Southern sympathizers). I've wondered if Newman was so incredibly busy that sometimes it was easier to recycle...besides, they are good pieces of music.

According to the TCM Schedule this short was LONDON CAN TAKE IT! (1940). You're in luck as it is out on DVD. It is an extra on THE FIGHTING 69TH which is part of a 5-film James Cagney boxed set. I happen to have that set here on loan from my father. The narrator is Quentin Reynolds.

This is great news. I recorded a pan & scan copy from Fox Movie Channel and hope to record over it with a widescreen copy this summer. Thanks for the info!

Interesting, I was offered a discount for completing a survey but it was only 10% and it was WACSURVEY (also due to expire 5/31). Ironically since it appears TCM is selling the movies for $17.99, you can get them there 10% off any time at all...although I don't know if there's any difference in shipping rates.

It probably depends on the Costco and what they have in stock...I was at Costco Monday night hoping to get Vol. 1 of MR. MOTO at that price but no MOTO or CHAN in stock... That tends to be how Costco is, though, it's hit or miss. I plan to try again in a few days.

HollywoodG.--Thank you very much for the service you provide in updating the list with the new titles in bold. I have told WB in a survey, and also posted a couple times on my blog (hopefully they are searching for public feedback...), that WB desperately needs to revamp their website, including making it easy to discern recent releases. Hopefully that day will come, but in the meantime what you are doing is a real help. Just want you to know I check this thread regularly and your effort is greatly appreciated.

My blog, Laura's Miscellaneous Musings, is not exclusively old movies, but there is very substantial classic film content. I review a number of classic films each month and also share DVD and other classic film news of interest (books, obituaries, etc.). Searching by "Tonight's Movie" will take you directly to the film reviews, although you won't pick up the other film-related posts. I've been on vacation much of this month but skimming through April will give readers a representative idea of typical content. My blog will be four years old in a few weeks. Am always happy to have new visitors. Thanks for asking! Best wishes, Laura http://laurasmiscmusings.blogspot.com/

I was sad this ran past the time slot; even setting the DVR recording to run a little over, I didn't get all of it.

I ordered CLOSE TO MY HEART, THE CROWDED SKY, and ROOM FOR ONE MORE. I agree, the price is a little steep for "plain vanilla" unrestored movies. I'd like to see them regularly priced in the $10-13 range.

Is this a complete list? I understood they would release 20 titles per month, and this is 15... Thank you for the information! Best wishes --

I filled it out and had no trouble getting the coupon code, which was on a screen at the end of the survey. It looked just like the sample posted below. The print was somewhat small, is it possible you zipped past the screen and missed it?

I also filled out the survey and was encouraged by some of the questions. There were a number of questions about pricing options which made me wonder if they are sensitive to the feedback that $20 for a single, possibly unrestored film is too high. Among other things, they asked for an opinion on the appropriate pricing. (I suggested $9-13.) They also asked if I would be interested in themed or boxed sets. Don't know if that would mean any extras or simply buying some films as a group -- i.e., there was supposed to be an ANDY HARDY DVD release which I suspect now would happen via the Archive -- but it's intriguing.

You might be looking for "Beautiful Brazil" which was made in 1951. TCM lists the shorts online a few days in advance -- I make a habit of scanning the listings a couple times a week as I enjoy recording the Travel Talks. Good luck!

I watched my copy of PRIVATE LIVES from the WB Archives this week and thought the quality was excellent. There were a couple very minor visual "glitches," and it's possible restoration might have sharpened up the picture a bit, but considering it was a print of a 1931 film I thought it was in great shape. I am very happy to have finally seen it and own it. I was also impressed with the quality of the keep case, which included a plot synopsis on the back. I do wish they had bothered to do a nicer "menu" screen other than the "click here" with the directions on how to fast-forward in 10-minute increments -- does it really cost that much to put in a still and "Play" rather than a blank screen with an arrow to click? -- but that's a minor quibble given that we know the point of their program is to put the movies in our hands. Message was edited by: MovieFanLaura

I'm surprised O'Hara isn't interested in doing PRIVATE SCREENINGS. I have been so impressed with the clarity of her memories from the '30s-'50s on her DVD commentary tracks. She even recalls names of relatively obscure people involved in production, and has great stories to tell.

I started recording this overnight in my DVR about a month ago after a friend tipped me off. (I had missed one of my favorites, Jeanne Crain, as the mystery guest.) Some of the mystery guests seen in just this short time period: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Esther Williams, June Allyson, Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward, Claudette Colbert, Debbie Reynolds, Jack Benny, and Julie London. I loved seeing Paulette Goddard (referred to at one point as "Mrs. Remarque") on the panel too! The show I recorded last night has David Niven as a panelist and the mystery guest is Arlene Dahl. I've also seen Peter Lawford and Cesar Romero as panelists. It really is fun for classic film fans.

Some of the movie was even filmed on the grounds of their hotel. Maureen O'Hara has a nice commentary on the DVD track with fun facts about the people and locations.

It really was a family affair, kind of a big family reunion in Ireland. Besides the connections listed below, with O'Hara's brothers, Ford's brother, and brothers Fitzgerald and Shields appearing in the film... Ford's son-in-law, Ken Curtis, is Dermot Fahy ("no E!"), the singer/accordionist. John Wayne's four children surround O'Hara in the race scene. Wayne's son Patrick and McLaglen's son Andrew both worked on the film as Assistant Directors. Ford's daughter Barbara was Assistant Editor.

One of O'Hara's brothers, James Lilburn (aka James O'Hara), plays young Father Paul, the assistant to Father Lonergan (Ward Bond). The other brother, Charles Fitzsimons, plays Hugh, one of the good-looking young men who hangs around the tavern. I believe his character is a barrister. Side trivia: I recently learned that Maureen's sister, Margot Fitzsimons, plays young Bridie in the great 1945 British film I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!

A postscript...I was hunting for TCM On Demand today and what do you know, TCM is now listed again in the Free Movies on Demand channel of Time Warner in Orange County, with a full menu of a dozen movies. A week and a half ago, there was only one movie on the TCM menu! Whatever happened to cause the number of selections to drop dramatically in recent weeks, followed by the channel completely disappearing, it now seems to have been fixed.

Dennis Morgan is adorable as the Scottish policeman in THREE CHEERS FOR THE IRISH. Highly recommended for fans of Morgan & Priscilla Lane.

Thanks for that helpful information, Kyle. Now that I know TCM On Demand still exists with another "branch" of Time Warner, I will pursue checking to see if T-W either moved TCM On Demand to another channel or if it's been removed from our system here in O.C.

Over the last couple weeks the movies offered by TCM On Demand declined -- last week only one film was offered -- and today the channel was completely gone from the "free" On Demand menu of Time Warner in the Southern California area. Does anyone know if TCM is out of the "On Demand" business, or alternatively if Time Warner dropped the channel or moved it elsewhere? Thanks!

"I think people are forgetting English wasn't Luise's first language" What I found curious is that English wasn't the first language for a fairly significant number of actors in that era -- for instance, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, and Hedy Lamarr -- but Rainer spoke as though she had marbles in her mouth, with the words sort of slurred together. I found it quite difficult understanding her at times. Just my two cents, of course...

I saw DRAMATIC SCHOOL yesterday -- my first Rainer film -- and I have to admit I was baffled by her performance. Flat, monotonous line delivery, poor diction (you can have a foreign accent and still have crisp, understandable diction, as other actresses have proven), and a perpetual eyes-wide-open stare. I wondered at the time if maybe it's partially a matter of taste and her performance might "work" for other viewers...sounds like it did, so I'm glad some of you found enjoyment in her role. As for me, I really enjoyed getting the chance to see Goddard, Rutherford, Grey and Turner.