JackFavell

40 "Yes, you're right. Frosty Bubblegum Pink nail polish will be perfect."

What a great dream! Is there anything better than Gary AND that cute little horsie?

Thanks, Molo, for your kind words. My thoughts were really just fleeting impressions from someone so ignorant of film noir that I don't even know when the movies are on! I really should go and watch the whole movie now so I can actually give a decent opinion... Frank- so what is this theme you so cryptically talked about? Stand by your man? You have caught my interest here. Or is it a ploy to get us all comparing High Noon and IALP while you go skipping happily away? I am interested in this comparison because I imagine (in the case of High Noon) it is quite hard to live with someone who is so absorbed by their job that they have no room left over for you. Dix is not in this exact situation, but he WILL do what he should not, leaving Laurel somewhat out in the cold. Yucky Amy and Laurel are both in the midst of incredible doubt over their men, and maybe more importantly, over their own actions. Does this show that marriage is an eye opening experience? Both Amy and Laurel's husband/fiance seem to have completely changed personalities once the ring is on the finger.

What I like about your videos, is that if you know the movies they are from, the video actually tells a story. You start with A Farewell to Arms - the most wrenching scene, in which lovers are torn apart. Gary's alone. But then you go on and he is looking up, angels are watching him and then the end with Peter Ibbetson (well, not the very end, but, you know) with lovers reunited. It was very moving. There is a lot of imagination put into your videos, a lot of thought.....

There is nothing I can add here, except that I got a nice copy of Wagon Master the other day and I am psyched! I too was swept up by the music - a sort of Greek Chorus in disguise. I have never seen a non-musical movie in which music (or a real Greek Chorus, for that matter) was used so effectively. The movie just had a lot of energy and youthful vigor to it. And hope. And of course, I love a good journey. And memorable meetings -

> {quote:title=rohanaka wrote:}{quote} > I give you a really weird painted mirror, and you give me advice on how to hook up the VCR! > > Ha...I think I am getting the far better end of that trade!! :-) Good luck w/ the library...It is NOT the best of the Ford's...but I think it is a good story. Hope you get a chance to see it soon. :-) I hope so, too. It sounds at the very least, interesting. And I consider myself somewhat of a Ford afficionado, so I would like to see it at least once. Anyway, I am always a day late around here and a dollar short! I would love to get in on these discussions when they are actually happening.....

I will keep an eye open for it, but won't let my hopes get too high....

Not sweet at all, just truthful. You have such a good feel for the timing of scenes and rhythm. It is pure joy to watch your videos. You really should make a profession of it....

Oh my gosh, I swear you should immediately go to Hollywood and get a job working for the Academy. I honestly don't think any of the film compilations they produce for the Awards are any better than the ones you do. I went ahead and watched Begging You for Mercy after I got done with Leading Man...... Now I really want to see some full length Gary movies.....you got me in the mood.

OK, we can arrange a trade- I give you a really weird painted mirror, and you give me advice on how to hook up the VCR! Andrew says we still have the VCR (surprise) and I will call the library and see if they have Two Rode Together. I am actually getting excited to see it, even with all the lukewarm recommendations!

OH my gosh! That is the funniest thing I have seen in a long while!

I LOVE One of Our Aircraft is Missing..... and I have never seen Oh, Rosalinda.......

Ahhh. Thanks for the clarification. I have to admit that though I am not particularly fond of Harold, I am glad to see them running his films. I liked Dr. Jack the best so far. It was a great story, and I found Harold to be irresistible in this one. i just loved his character for some reason. I can't quite figure out why I liked him better as a doctor than as a young gad-about. And for some reason, I have always just loved The Sin of Harold Diddlebock. But I think I am the only one who loves it. So are there other hundredth anniversaries out there? I have a million ideas for silent film special events.....but I do think you are right - Lon Chaney is pretty much the star who most deserves a special day. I would second that by saying it would be nice to see a Pickford event. And the popularity of the Gilbert thread is indicative of something.....

redriver- you make me want to go back and watch it again! It certainly isn't like any other movie ever made. In fact, I can't even think of a movie to compare to it.....

I'm certainly glad he got to practice so much - he was definitely a great screen kisser!

I am just curious, being somewhat new to the boards and TCM in general, how was Harold Lloyd snubbed last year? Was it an anniversary of some kind? It seems to me that TCM is making up for it in Silent Sunday showings. Every time I look at the schedule, there is another Lloyd film scheduled. In fact, I think there have been more Harold Lloyd movies on this year than any other silent star.....

> > Babe wanted to be the best at her job and she went hard after stories. She was also gonna get a months paid vacation for getting the goods on Deeds even though she made him look foolish and insane. Ann is the breadwinner of her family and has four people to take care of. She comes up with the John Doe idea and then continues to go along with it to help her family and herself >while Babe is only looking out for number one. You are right. I didn't really think it out like that. > I do think though that Babe was probably the better overall person. When Norton tells Ann he wants to start a third party and be their presidential candidate, she goes along with it and writes the speech where John will announce this to everyone at the convention. It was only when John confronted the bad guys at Nortons house did she finally see how wrong it was and change her mind. She was more blinded by the material goods than Babe was but again, she was poorer than Babe and I guess I can see Anns side of it too. This is what I could never understand about Ann - why did she write that speech? Maybe she was so used to trying to get money that it didn't really sink in until later? You can see the wheels turning in her head - she is uncomfortable, and maybe a little afraid of Norton.... I guess we all do things once in a while that we are not proud of..... > > I would have loved for Jean and Gary to have done more films together but at least they did a couple. She and Barbara Stanwyck are my fave of his leading ladies. I would put Clara Bow in there but they only really acted together in one film *Children of Divorce* and Ive never seen it. He was in *Wings* and *It* too but they are never on camera at the same time so I dont really count those. I do have a clip of them in *Children of Divorce* and when I first saw it I got chills when Clara reached out to hold his hand. It may be silly but I couldnt help it . Here were two of my fave people actually in the shot at the same time interacting with each other. It was really cool and that film is like my holy grail of movies. I really hope TCM is able to show it one of these years. I wish Clara had been able to do *City Streets* too, then we could have seen them together in a talkie and I would be in movie heaven :x. I like Stanwyck and Arthur the best too. And I certainly hope that you get your wish, and TCM shows COD someday - that we all might benefit! I always like to see stars who are in love behind the screen as well as on screen- it is electric when they do touch, or talk to one another. It adds another dimension to what is already a good movie.

A Cast of Killers is a great book! I read it in one sitting. I recommend that you read the book and skip what I have to say below - it will be much more entertaining and more accurate than anything I have written. Plus the various twists and turns in the book are mind-boggling! Vidor was such an interesting man, and the tale is told well. But for those of you who would rather find out about the labyrinthine machinations of Hollywood's dark side through a quick paragraph or two, here you go: *SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* I believe that according to Vidor's notes and the book: Childish Mary Miles Minter thought she was in love with William Desmond Taylor, and he was trying to let her down gently. He also provided a much needed escape from her mother, who ran her career, her life, and kept her playing the little girl long after she should have been grown up. He tried kindly to convince her mother to give her more freedom, and to let her take charge of her career. The truth was that Taylor was a homosexual, which the studio was desperately trying to keep hush hush. So an affair with Minter was truly not in his mind at all. Taylor had been addicted to drugs early on, but had completely kicked the habit, and was also trying to help Mabel Normand overcome her own addiction, and fight the drug dealers that were preying on her. By all accounts, Taylor was a lovely man who simply wanted to help those who were having problems. I believe that in the book, there are many possibilities given for who the murderer might have been. Was it a drug dealer, angry that Taylor was taking away Normand, his golden ticket? Could it have been one of Taylor's ex-lovers, unhinged by jealousy or mad that he was losing out on a rich, Hollywood lifestyle? Toward the end of the book, it becomes clear that Minter had an obsession with Taylor, because he had been so kind to her. She thought that Taylor was having an affair with Mabel Normand, and was heartbroken. She fled to his house in a desperate attempt to win him back(?) But then, in a stunning revelation, it is proven that Minter's stifling, controlling mother thought that Mary, even though she was of age, had been seduced by Taylor, and she followed Mary to the house, and shot him. It was a silly and senseless end to a really kind man's honorable life. When the studio execs found out about Taylor's murder, they immediately rushed over before the police arrived and "cleansed" his home of any offensive and/or incriminating stuff, mainly to protect themselves; also to avoid any hint of scandal in the director's complicated life- but by doing so, they thereby prevented anyone from ever finding out who the real murderer was. It took Vidor years to piece together the strands of evidence he picked up in his informal investigation, and he kept the information locked in a metal safe in his garage until all parties involved had died - so he wouldn't harm those still alive (mainly Minter, whose precarious mental state had utterly collapsed after the event). This would make an excellent movie -and especially because it is a true account of what happened, I think it would be much more satisfying than the "what if's of *Cat's Meow" (A movie I like a lot). Message was edited by: JackFavell

Lon Chaney would make a great SOTM. MissGulch- I see that you mentioned the centenary of Mary Pickford's film career. Do you expect that Little Mary will have some time devoted to her amazing life in the movies? It certainly would be a shame if they overlooked this milestone. Also, maybe I missed it, but is there a Mary Pickford thread anywhere here in the Silents forum? I think it might be nice to start a centenary thread.......

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately, I think we got rid of the VCR- I'll have to call Andrew and see if he has it hooked up somewhere up in his "office" (which is really just a corner of our bedroom filled with an ever growing pile of electronics). If I know him, he didn't get rid of the VCR, even though we need the space. He is such a pack rat! I still keep finding more and more toys that I thought I got rid of - he pretends to take them to the Salvation Army, but then I find them in the basement or garage.... he can't bear to get rid of anything..... Even if he kept the VCR, it probably isn't hooked up........

I did get Wagon Master and The Fugitive copied. I guess I am lucky to have done so. I really have no knowledge of what's available and what isn't - I just try to watch and record what I am interested in, then make the choice to keep or discard my recordings. Thank goodness for TCM! I would never have seen so many movies if not for them, whether on dvd or not.

> {quote:title=Film_Fatale wrote:}{quote} > So did you get a chance to watch *The Big Heat* on Saturday morning? No, Saturday is our busy day - gymnastics, and playdates and all......I wish I had been paying attention, I would have taped it.... I don't know a lot about the 50's films, especially the noir genre, and so it's almost as if I can't see them on the schedule.....

FF- I didn't know that Two Rode Together wasn't out on dvd. Darn! I will have to try and watch when it comes around on TCM.

> Inside I feel like a red hot mama but it just doesnt show on the outside. I totally freeze up around guys I find myself attracted to which doesnt bode well for an active social life. You just need a white hot knight in shining armor to warm you up.....I used to get so flustered when I talked to my hubby before we were married - I could feel the red hot blush coming into my cheeks and would get so embarrassed..... maybe you could practice on someone you are just a little attracted to..... > One exchange between Helen and Amy that stands out to me is when Amy says she understand how Helen feels being a Mexican woman in that town. Helen says something like You do, thats good. I dont understand you. I think she should have said something like How can you, you spoiled little white girl!; then slap her and kick her out of her room . Yucky lamby is soo condescending in that scene, isn't she? > That pick of Grace with her moustache cracks me up every time!! She really shouldve shaved the old soup strainer before that photo shoot. I guess she was too busy fretting over whether she should save her man or not and just didnt have the time . She probably has to shave her back, too. > Babe is a neat character in that she kinda lost her innocence so to speak when she moved to the big city but Longfellow (what an appropriate character name for him!) helped her see there were still good guys out there and that she didnt have to give up on people b/c they werent all bad. We could sure use someone like him around now with all the corruption in government scandals coming out every day it seems. Boy, that is true! I like Babe the best of all Jean Arthur's characters. She really is so spot on, And of all the snappy female newspaper reporters, Jean Arthur's is the most real to me, the most human. Her reasons for doing what she did to Longfellow are clearcut and seem important. I always feel a little disconnect with Barbara Stanwyck's version of the reporter in Meet John Doe, Ann. Her reality doesn't seem quite as desperate as Babe's. There is something a little meaner in her. She and Babe are both reporters on the make. But somehow, Babe seems innately a little nicer than Ann. There is nothing personal about her attacks on Deeds, and once she realizes how sensitive and good he is, she stops. He brings her back to her natural state- like when she was a "babe"... I like Jean Arthur very much in Mr. Smith, too. In fact, the two roles seem like two parts of the same whole. And her scenes with Thomas Mitchell are so great.... (my first husband was a lot like "Diz". Unfortunately in real life, a drinking buddy does not make the best husband. They just make a good drinking buddy).

Hello, folks. Well, I have been meaning to come over here and see what all the hubbub was about.... so here I am. Bronxie- I, too, have only seen a part of *In A Lonely Place* - I have never gotten to the end. I am frightened by Dix as well, but I can definitely see MissG's point of view - I became ever so slightly irritated with Laurel at the point where she begins to doubt Dix. I feel that she should never have become engaged so quickly..... things would have been very much easier if she had not. Many people who presumably have all their marbles say that love and fear are one and the same thing. I don't necessarily believe this, but fear can be a component of attraction. Maybe (and remember that I have not seen the whole movie, so forgive me if I butt in anyway), maybe that fear was always in the back of Laurel's mind from the beginning, and she liked it. But there is a deepening understanding of herself and her fear as she makes her mistake..... once she becomes engaged, and almost immediately starts doubting Dix, she DOES have something to fear from him. She is lying to him by not expressing her doubts directly. The longer she goes without expressing her soul to him, the more she hides, the more fear she has. I think Laurel is more afraid of revealing her faults than she is of Dix's temper. She is really running away from herself and the truth of her own nature. Isn't it interesting that Laurel only begins to doubt Dix AFTER their engagement? Maybe she is scared of commitment, and this is her way out. Maybe Laurel is not the nice girl who just wants a family and kids - maybe she is deep down not the marrying kind. Maybe it's actually a subversive statement to young women of the 50's that love and marriage are not the wonderful thing that had been previously built up by Hollywood and society. Or maybe IALP can be looked at as no more than a warning to young women not to be too quick to act on a sexual impulse produced by fear.... I don't know. Of course, I am kind of turning the plot upside down for my own psychological pleasure, but I wanted to throw in my one cent.