filmnoirguy

Peter O'Toole did indeed have a nose job. I've seen the before photo! I assume the Rhonda Fleming movie you're speaking of is Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945). One of the most famous is Dean Martin's, although he never made a movie with his old nose. I've read that Jennifer Grey's ruined her career. And Carol Burnett's chin job never looked quite right to me.

Interesting exercise! 1920- N/A 1930-All Quiet on the Western Front 1940-The Grapes of Wrath 1950-Sunset Blvd. 1960-Sons and Lovers 1970-Patton 1980-Ordinary People 1990-Goodfellas 2000-Billy Elliot 2010-The Kids Are All Right

Unless #353 is retouched, Betty Grable really did have a peaches and cream complexion. Beautiful!

Leonard Maltin reviews: "Quinn---not just a pig but a blue-ribbon hog---cheats on wife Booth, who spouts irritating platitudes like Hazel on speed."

Miracle on 34th Street is my all-time favorite Christmas movie. Followed by Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night (I'm fond of Barbara Stanwyck) and 1949's Come to the Stable with Loretta Young and Celeste Holm. For holiday musicals, I like to watch both of Bing's films: Holiday Inn and White Christmas.

I'll bet the French will like it.

My favorite neo-noir is Chinatown. Followed by Body Heat and LA Confidential. And I agree with your definition of film noir. When the French critics came up with that phrase they were referring to black & white crime dramas/detective stories of the 1940s & 50s.

It's too late. But thanks for the tip. I'll add her to my Final Curtain Call 2019 list that I publish at the end of the year.

Yes to 2007, but since TCM has it on its front page today, I thought I'd take a stab at it anyway. And yes, I get it! Give me a good old gritty, dirty black & white any day.

Ironically, I met both Rick Jason and Vic Morrow when I was producing TV commercials in L.A. in the 1970s. I cast Rick Jason as the voice/over talent for a 3M commercial. One of the nicest guys I ever worked with in La La Land. A few years later, I sat next to Morrow at a local watering hole and had a fun conversation about Combat! which was one of my favorite TV shows. And I'm sure we must have talked about Blackboard Jungle---I only wish I had written down the conversation in a notebook! Little did I know both of these guys would meet with tragic deaths.

Since it was filmed in black & white, that's the only way to watch it. In 1955, some of the exteriors of the high school in Rebel Without a Cause were originally filmed in black & white. But when Blackboard Jungle was released, Warner Bros. realized Rebel would look too similar, so they made the change to color. Hence, James Dean's black leather jacket became a bright red jacket. So if you want to watch a teen rebel movie in color, try Rebel Without a Cause. Otherwise, I would stick to the b&w version of Blackboard Jungle.

What cable channel is that, Cleo Noir?

Along with those two movies, my favorite Betty Hutton pictures are 1945's Incendiary Blonde and 1952's Best Pic The Greatest Show on Earth.

I've read that she was Astaire's least favorite, not because of opposing styles, but because she was totally uncooperative. And he's not the only one to complain about her. Her sister, Marion, wrote that Betty was her own worst enemy.

My favorite Kirk Douglas movies are (in order of release): Champion (1949), Young Man with a Horn (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), Detective Story (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Lust for Life (1956) and Paths of Glory (1957).

I know the critics also prefer the 1936 Show Boat, but for my money, MGM's Technicolor valentine in1951 is best. I don't agree that Grayson lacked acting talent (ever seen her in Kiss Me, Kate?). All three principals, Grayson, Keel and especially Gardner gave excellent performances. Not to mention Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead and Marge & Gower Champion's dancing. Sidebar: Show Boat won the Photoplay Gold Medal Award as Most Popular Movie of 1951, voted on by their readers. Both Ava Gardner and Howard Keel were runners-up in Acting categories.

Totally agree, E-23. Wonder why it's never been released on DVD or Blu-ray?

When asked, Doris Day said there was only one actor she did not like working with and that was Kirk Douglas in Young Man with a Horn.

It's unfortunate Kirk wasn't nominated in 1951 for either Detective Story or Ace in the Hole. I understand the latter bombed at the box office (it was released under the title: The Big Carnival because apparently the studio heads thought it would be a bigger draw). However, he may have cancelled himself out of the Oscar race.

Remember his brilliant performance in BUtterfield 8 along with Liz who actually won an Oscar for such drivel? And btw, that's the so-called classic I don't want to see again.

One is a great Christmas movie, and one is sooooooo bad.

Since You Went Away is my favorite Claudette Colbert movie. Sudden Fear is my favorite Joan Crawford film. Christmas in Connecticut is NOT my favorite Stanwyck comedy (The Lady Eve is) but I'll be watching it this holiday season because I love it. The Unsinkable Molly Brown is my favorite Debbie Reynolds musical (and, btw, I held the door for her at her Vegas hotel back in the day, and she even said "Thank you").

So you didn't Cry Tomorrow?

This movie played like a fantasy when it was released in 1976. My how times have changed! Today, Howard Beale could be President! It was my favorite film of 1976, losing the Best Pic Oscar to Rocky. Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight took home Oscars. William Holden was nominated. This is the movie for which Sidney Lumet should have won for Best Director. He never won a competitive Oscar, but did receive an Honorary Award at the 2005 Academy Awards.

Her best films were Violent Saturday with Victor Mature, A Kiss Before Dying with Robert Wagner and Toward the Unknown with William Holden.