JackFavell

Ioved your comparison of The Virginian and High Noon! I would never have thought they were so alike. I had to get hubby to come and watch "High Tech Noon"- he's an engineer and a Star Wars buff.

A Star Is Born and Becky Sharp Absolutely! These are quite historical and should be restored or available immediately.If only someone would listen to us about these things....

I kind of like those stagebound early musicals, there is something appealing to me about stage shows brought to the screen in tact. But I used to be in theatre, so that may influence my opinion.... I haven't seen the 20's Showboat yet, but I am working my way through a lot of precodes right now so it can't be too far down the list....

The Technicolor is good, but I remain convinced that the movie could use a serious restoration, and possibly also being rescued from PD hell. I think the print that TCM shows is good, but it could look so much better with a good restoration I totally agree with you about the restoration. This is a movie that badly needs it- because even over the relatively few years since i first saw it, it has deteriorated. Drum Boogie, Yeah! Message was edited by: JackFavell

Isn't he though? And he's the spitting image of an ex of mine. I mean, they could be twins. Lucky....

P.S. Have you ever seen The Gene Krupa Story? No, but Gene Krupa is HOT.

I just loved the clip of them- the drummer was playing what I think was a suitcase(!) with two hand brooms... They were awesome and cute- they were all dressed in late twenties style clothes, kinda preppy, and the drummer did a really slinky tap dance during one of the songs that made me get all excited. Can you tell I like drummers?

Richard Basehart is a babe.....

I recorded Rio Rita too, but only saw a bit of it while getting my daughter ready for school when it was on. I had no idea about the missing footage, but I can tell you, I'd like to sock the person who stole it on the nose! I can't wait to watch it all the way through, even at 105 minutes....

Hey, I found a really nice webpage devoted to The Mound City Blue Blowers- you can play their songs if you have Realplayer... http://www.redhotjazz.com/mound.html

I LOOVE Judy Garland, but the truth of the matter is, I don't really like the 1950's Star is Born. Oh, I like the Born in a Trunk number and Swanee, but for some reason, the movie just creeps me out. I guess Judy is too much victim in it for me. The 1937 one to me is infinitely better- Janet Gaynor is just a whole lotta fun, doing impersonations of famous stars, and she is extremely likeable. She is a movie star that you can identify with, just a normal woman thrown into the craziness of Hollywood. And Fredric March is awesome! A very sympathetic character, as opposed to James Mason, who is kind of ....yecchhhy. MArch is super at combining the snotty parts of the character with the sweet... The supporting cast is outstanding, including Lionel Stander, Andy Devine, Adolphe Menjou, and best of all, May Robson as Esther's crotchety but loving granny. But to me, the real star of the movie is the outstanding Technicolor- it is just so saturated and beautiful. I love watching this movie unfold, but be sure to bring an entire box of kleenex with you so you don't cry into your popcorn...

Oop! I found it on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0170335/ They were called The Mound City Blue Blowers. They were the cat's pajamas!

Thnaks for the info, Goddess. I don't know if it was me or not (now I know my memory is shot), but I taped every single movie that was on yesterday including "What Price Hollywood" so if all goes well, I will watch it soon. I think it may be the best movie shown in this groupof RKO precodes. I watched Seven Keys to Baldpate while it was on, and although cute, I deleted it afterwards. Richard Dix is OK but not really my cuppa. I think Rio Rita et al... might be more to my liking. What Price I may have seen before, but can't remember, and the 1937 Star is Born is one of my favorite weepers. In fact, I think I will have to watch a double feature of these two.... Did anyone see a short subject today between A Night at the Opera and the Dick Cavett -Groucho interview? It was a Vitaphone Varieties entry called "The Opry House" and the musicians in it were fabulous- doing late twenties versions of My Gal Sal and Let Me Call You Sweetheart, among others. They rocked!I can't find any info on TCM about who the band was.

Stunning..

I really love William Bendix, he's always great. But for me, *The Glass Key* was all Brian Donlevy... he was amazing! For someone who played a rat, or sadistic characters so well, TGK was a revelation. What a doll he was! He made Ladd and Lake disappear for me. I loved his mixture of good and bad... Now I would take Donlevy any time over Bellamy, Grant or Ladd....

Ro- We should all have such a dilemma! I hope you had a great day! Take some time for yourself (if you can) in the next week.... That'll be the day.......

Oh, wait. Go and get cake....have fun! Message was edited by: JackFavell

The Searchers Stage Coach The Undefeated/North to Alaska HONDO!! I fell off my chair! Very nice! Which will you watch first? Which watch?

*Don't* touch that dial..... I'm going to sit here waiting in front of the computer till she gets back.

Start, you say? Well I dunno. He had been directing movies for about 14 years at that time, since 1917's The Land of Long Shadows *YIKES!*

I am stunned that it was Van Dyke! I can't even speak.... I guess everybody has to start somewhere... yikes.

Thanks for those floor pics! I know it's a bit obvious, but she really seems so down to earth in those pics.... I love them.

Why not compare? I don't believe anyone was comparing their acting - simply their way of choosing a role. So, what's wrong with that?

*Far More Than Just a Clothes Horse....* Well, I couldn't have been more wrong about Kay Francis. I have always had a hard time watching her, partly because of her reputation as an empty dress, and her sometimes blank portrayals, like in The White Angel in which she is given nothing to do. Her throaty voice seemed phony to me. After this month, my opinion has radically changed- about a 360 degree turn! First of all, Francis made sometimes as many as nine movies a year in her fairly short career, and I have only seen a few of the many before now. The movies I had been lucky enough to see before this month were either later films in which she was faltering with lackluster direction and scripts, or romantic ones in which she was only the ingenue. I think that the studio just used her up and spit her out, putting her in anything and everything, whether she fit or not. I did not know about her studio problems before this month. This in part explains my lack of feeling for her. This month, the movies I watched were incredible! Kay could be light and easy, as in Jewel Robbery and Trouble in Paradise , or wounded and deeply affecting, as in Confession. The greatest was One Way Passage in which she suffered elegantly and was perfectly matched with William Powell, doing a bit of suffering himself. Yes, occasionally there was a horrible pre-code like Guilty Hands, but I was amazed to find that Francis was not the worst in the cast, and in fact, acquitted herself remarkably well compared to the hideously stagy Lionel Barrymore. Frankly, Guilty Hands should not even be mentioned, since the editing was so poor that anyone in the movie should be absolved of guilt! There were shots in the movie that simply didn't match up to the action, one minute Barrymore would be leaning over a desk, and the next he would just be crossing over to the same desk- it was just awful- however, it WAS interesting, and Francis gave a good performance. But I digress.... I was most impressed with her "women's" pictures. Kay was just super at suffering, and she was also a great role model, earning her own living as a nurse, or even a doctor. But the thing that I bring away with me after this month is Kay's way with an ending line.... She really could be so subtle... I especially enjoyed Kay's reading of the last line of Dr. Monica - "The baby's yours...." She just drops the line so effectively. She did it again in Confession- a really creepy movie with a German expressionistic style. Her scenes are quite incredible. She transcends the rather frightening and heavy style of the movie, forcing her emotions inward, burying them in order to make sure that everyone else lives happily ever after. Her character is like the walking dead at the end of the movie and it is a striking contrast to the clothes horse that I thought she was. Message was edited by: JackFavell

My daughter is fine thanks, Greer! For some reason, I am the one who lost all the sleep! She seems bright eyed and bushy tailed.... Did you ever sing, "Napoleon Avait Cinq Cent Soldats"? It's like B_I_N_G_O. You sing it through once, then start dropping syllables at the end of each verse. So the second time through it goes: Napoleon avait cing cent sol_ _ _, Napoleon avait cinq cent sol_ _ _, Napoleon avait cinq cent sol_ _ _, Marchant du meme pas. I especially like when there is only Napo____ left......