JackFavell

So while I was typing, you moved away...... *I don't understand why playing Nora should be so "sad" to play in the way I think you mean. Her bearing and demeanor on a minute-by-minute basis anyway do not suggest the downtrodden and repressed, not to me, anyway...although she apparently harbors illusions that supposed to suggest that she is. But I think I like Nora better than you do, I like her spunk (I wouldn't want to play her though )* Only sad to me, because I always dreamed of playing dashing (can a woman be dashing?) or headstrong and defiant characters - the complete opposite of my own nature. When you are young, all you want is to play Martha in Virginia Woolf or Elizabeth the Queen - roles that are totally unsuited to a young woman, heh heh! You are always striving to play the grandiose and overbearing. Or whatever is not YOU. It's all very romantic and selfish - because you have no real knowledge of acting. You simply want to be noticed. As you age you realize that it can be fun to play the shy, the weak or the normal too. At this point, I can see how much more there is to the character of Nora than I ever thought when I was in school - tons of indecision, desperation and finally honesty. And Nora may be the most reactive character that Ibsen ever wrote - and acting is all about reaction, isn't it? not about showing off or grandstanding..... I see this now.... but if you had asked me at 20, I would have said Nora is boring..... And that, Monsieur, is the story of my acting career...... PS. Molo if you found the thread -- I LOVE The Six Wives of Henry VIII! I have never seen a portrayal of any of the wives or especially Henry that I thought was better. So sorry, Charles Laughton.......And yes, Annette Crosbie is the wife that I remember the best from the production, too. She was super!

moved to BBC http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=139976&tstart=0 Message was edited by: JackFavell

Lili- what a great, well written description of what makes a film lover. I completely agree with you, we need a little more romance and honor in our everyday lives. And the part about connecting with departed loved ones really got me. I feel that way too.

*I bet you have a really nice collection.* I used to, but over time, I have either lost most in moving, or given them away, so most of my collection is no more. I have a few favorites left - my Talkies book, and a couple others.....

Oh, I'm sorry, FF. I missed your post. I have been married 10 years.

So she really WAS Mrs. Barkley, huh? How cool that must have been, to have been on the land before it all got developed. I think that is where I learned of her horseback riding prowess, from photos of Robert Taylor and Stanwyck, Lynn. I had a book with candids of the different stars - it may have been one called "Hollywood and the Great Fan Magazines", I'm not sure...... Anyway, I always thought they looked perfect together, out on the ranch..... Of course, there seems to be a lot more information on stars' private lives nowadays. Back when I used to read movie books, all you could find out was that they liked horseback riding.... I promise I will watch The Big Red One soon.... I was watching Cat Ballou the other day, and although I loved it when I was young (it was the movie that first made me love Lee Marvin, in fact), I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they gave the academy award to him for THAT one.... he is so much better in almost anything else.....

You and your wife are both sweethearts! I can only hope tht my husband and I are as happy and caring as you two are when we reach the 25 year point...... and congratulations on 25 wonderful years.....

Hey, there, western woman! It's nice to see you! I agree, especially about "going with the tide" instead of against it. The more older movie stars I see, and the older I get, the more I appreciate Stanwyck's graceful way of aging. No monkey business, no trying to look like a 20 year old (creepy platinum blondes with big boobs who are actually 60+ really freak me out!). I hope I can age the way Stanwyck did - you really see her character and integrity as she aged. She is absolutely a role model for me!

Thanks, Chris. I just read on IMDB that Stanwyck did her own stuntwork in the film - the scene in which she falls from her horse and is dragged by one foot is actually her! She was fifty at the time, and asked to do the stunt herself. Fuller said OK, though the picture was only half made at this point, so if she had been hurt, he would have been in big trouble. It took four times, but she completed the stunt, never complaining once.

I will add this one to my neverending list of movies to watch..... I am running behind on my westerns..... Was it in black and white?

This was the only one I could find.....

Miles - feel free to take the next one, I actually didn't know it was Gretchen Mol! I was really just fishing about Roxie Hart, hoping that I would be able to guess after that - the board is actually yours!

That one sounds very interesting, Chris. Although I know very little about Fuller, I have heard good things about him, and I have been sitting here with The Big Red One on dvd for a month or so, trying to find time to watch it..... I love Barbara Stanwyck westerns. She really has such a strong presence, and I think it was great how she remade her image over time. She just wasn't the kind to try to recapture her glamour days by putting on too much makeup (Thank goodness). The result is, she aged better, and was still a force to be reckoned with throughout her entire life. I believe she was an avid horsewoman in real life, which just makes the western genre a natural for her......

That was the longest ten days, Scotchie! Don't ever go away again.... It was brutal here without you, with only FrankGrimes to keep us company..... Still, I suppose it could have been worse. We could have had this poor slob instead..... We were so sad and lonely here..... Seriously, it's good to have you back!

Was the role I played Roxie Hart?

I know it's terribly remiss of me, but I completely missed The Singing Detective.... for the longest time it wasn't out on video. I kept asking and asking for it at my video store.....then I just forgot about it. Is it out on dvd?

House of Cards was AWESOME! Witty, frightening, epic, suspenseful, timely, and tremendously fun! I am a big fan of first person narrative, and more to the point, characters talking to the camera. Sir Ian Richardson..... well, there is nothing to say that hasn't already been said of his great performance..... I really liked The Lost Prince as well, though it seemed to be lost in the shuffle of Masterpiece Theatre remakes. It was a fascinating story told quietly and well. As for the few other recent BBC dramas I have seen, none seems to compare to the earlier stuff.....

> Hi Jackie, thanks! And since you are a co-winner I will oblige with a post something other than football (and most willingly, too), although I may hear you groaning Not at all! I am so happy to hear from you - I thought I was the only one with a BBC fixation - and you keep coming up with play versions I have not seen, which is a plus. I keep adding them to my list..... > Anthony is really great in Ibsen's A Doll House, although he makes his character maybe more sympathetic than he is supposed to. After all, the character is stodgy, arrogrant, and a bit shallow when it comes to certain matters and yet I feel almost more sorry for him that his wife at the end of the play. Claire Bloom understates her final scene and to great effect. She is wonderful here. I found my eyes on her whether she was talking or not. I say this not with reference to her beauty, but to her acting. I would love to see a version of "A Doll's House" in which Torvald is NOT portrayed as a bit of a monster.... Nora is not one of my favorite characters, maybe because she is closer to my own personality (I always wanted to play Hedda instead, she is far more exciting), but I think it's time I took another look at her, from a more mature place in my life. I remember seeing a BBC version of Hedda Gabler with (?) Janet Suzman? I think, and it was such a great part - then when I was in college I kept getting cast as Thea in scene studies.... very disillusioning......Sadly, I would probably make a pretty good Nora..... There was a version of A Doll's House with Juliet Stephenson that I would love to see - I really like Stephenson, she plays repressed, trod on characters so well...... > I had seen an earlier bbc production of another Ibsen play, "Little Eyolf," that is so bad IMO that not even AnthonyH nor Diana Rigg could save it. Charles Dance is in this one and has a dreary part that goes no where. It's hard to image Charles boring but it's not his fault. He is very young in this one. I was not a big fan of Charles Dance until I saw "Bleak House". I think my dislike had nothing to do with his acting ability, and everything to do with the way he was marketed throughout his early career - he was presented as a sort of sex symbol for a while there. I could never quite see him that way, and always felt a cold aspect to his characters instead. I think he would be marvelous as Maxim, and I found him to be smoothly scary and sadistic as Tulkinghorn in BH. > Speaking of Diana and Charles, I wonder if you've seen the Rebecca that was done about 10 years ago on PBS. I really liked it. Yes, this is a tired old story, we all know it by heart, still it can be a very interesting watch if for no other reason than to check out the acting. Charles Dance as Maxim has that towering presence that he seems to have developed especially as he aged and as we saw so readily in Bleak House (2005). When Diana Rigg made her entrance as Mrs Danvers, my first thought was, oh no, she's going to over do it. But no, she has two terrific scenes where we see the true Mrs Danvers, she is so polished, she goes for broke with these scenes and pulls it off. I can't think of the girl who plays the new bride but I had reservations about her as well, such a mousy thing but with a strong character not usually associated with this role. She won me over. Oh, and the guy who plays, uh, Jack Favell, is quite good as well. I certainly recommend this one. I remember that one, but missed it. I do love Diana Rigg, so I am glad to hear that she didn't chew the scenery. It would be very tempting to go nuts, so to speak........ > Well, maybe one day soon, I'll get back to some of our TCM classics, it's about time. I have Dragonwyck coming from NetF. I have not seen it. It was not available on DVD for a long time but it is now here and NetF has it. Have you seen that one? Oh, Lordy, I haven't seen Dragonwyck since I was about 12 year old..... Please give us a ramble when you do watch it.... I will have to add it to my list at NetF as well..... > Laffite, who's had enough football for awhile... Well, A Doll's House is about as far from football as you can get..... Thanks for the prompt post and don't be a stranger!

OK. I have looked up Conchata Ferrell, Michelle Pfeiffer, Holland Taylor, Sally Field, Carol Kane, Kirsten Chenoweth, Renee Zellweger, and numerous other blondes trying to figure this one out! Maybe one more clue?

I watched it. I made up my own mind. I erased it.

I am smiling right now just reading Asta's name.....

We want more rambles Kathy. Ditto! I loved your comments on *Destry*. This movie is always bittersweet to me because of the war coming up right after it was made...... Stewart is not at ALL the typical sherriff/hero. He is creative and different. And yet, he gets the job done in the end. This is one of the things I like so much about the movie. I totally agree with your QT's opinion of the women - no pale, smooth-skinned shrinking violets here. Almost a role reversal - The women take charge, AND end up saving the day, as I recall. I think it's great that Stewart is considered "weak" at the beginning of the film - the whole idea that it takes a strong man to put away his guns is very appealing to me. Stewart is such a good actor, just coming into his own with this movie and The Philadelphia Story. It's hard to realize that audiences had never seen anyone like this.....someone so sure of himself that he isn't afraid to be laughed at or made fun of. Someone who can laugh along, but is always aware of what's going on - he knows the score. Someone who keeps his friends close, but his enemies closer. A thoughtful, responsible MAN, who uses his gun once and only once. And all the time looking like a fresh kid. He really lets those townspeople know what it is to be a man. I can't think of anyone else who could have played this role, and made both sides of Tom Destry believable. I can think of a million who could've played the fresh faced kid, and I can think of a million who could've played the MAN, but both? It seems to me that Stewart is a whole other creature entirely than the standard movie actors of the time. And the movie is just SO entertaining! There is such energy and robust good humor in it. You can't help but enjoy it. Many movies dealing with the subject matter of the time are preachy, dramatic, and solemn. Maybe the fact that it's a western has something to do with the way it gets it's message across. Anyway, Ro, you have worked your magic again and made me want to watch Destry a little more closely! Lynn, I can't even picture a torrid affair between Stewart and Dietrich..... however, Stewart is always full of surprises..... Message was edited by: JackFavell

Great questions, Jeff. I too am a fan of Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks.....

Wow! What a great picture! I need a studio hair and makeup department......

*44* Lizabeth Scott (thinking): "Thirteen..... Fourteen...........How does he get so many wrinkles in his forehead? I'm trying as hard as I can, but see? no wrinkles in mine. In fact, I can't even LIFT my eyebrows....but I CAN flare my nostrils...... " (In homage to ILRM)