JackFavell

That lifesize Colleen is gorgeous! Did you color it? It's perfect right down to the blush on her cheeks. Fabulous! I am memerized by Lars.... and Lillian of course! The contrast is wonderful. She makes him look positively caveman.... I adore the Rin Tin Tin one, did anyone happen to read this week's movie morlocks page here? I highly recommend it: http://moviemorlocks.com/2011/10/17/rin-tin-tin-%e2%80%9che-could-leap-12-feet-and-he-could-leap-through-time%e2%80%9d/ I love the colors in your Vilma shot, they suit her so well.

This reminds me of William Powell and that I still have not tried to make these wonderful recipes, Sansfin! Thanks for posting them here....I need the reminder. At this rate, I won't get to them before Powell is SOTM...

I am so glad you liked *Roughshod* and *Spitfire*. And for that matter, *Stars in My Crown*. All three are small pictures, dealing with insular communities, even though Roughshod travels more. This is a theme I really like a lot - the outsider in a moralistic or self-involved community or world. I think that the very smallness of these films is what drew me to them in the first place. I just love discovering a hidden gem, and I feel like all of these I discovered on my own, somewhat. I like concise, well delineated stories that _say_ something, but not too bombastically. All three had a moral, a rather liberal, tolerant one at that. But I like my morals hidden in a decent script with a lot of other things in it. I like simple tales, that sometimes meander, go their own way, not the way you think they will. I also like movies that don't shy away from dark subjects - prejudice for instance. Each movie has something almost evil that comes from within the community. This is my main pleasure in films like this. I always like the struggle against intolerance. This to me is the most important lesson in life, and so when a movie is about this, but not laid on thick, I will gravitate toward it. All of them have something surprising that happens. Something unexpected. It could be the demise of major characters, or it could be the idea of lynching thrown into a sweet movie about a boy's reminiscences. Or it could be a pregnancy. I also generally like stories with several major characters - Roughshod for me was very satisfying because each of the girls was a sort of stereotype, but none of them was really what they appeared to be. Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 18, 2011 11:00 AM

Ha! Yes! I was waiting for John Emery to add a little spice with that tie fixing scene, but he played it straight. Literally. Too bad! But I liked him anyway. You know what's funny? I like ALL those Britts and Maj's and Elkes and Sentas and Vivecas and Virnas. I think they all were good actresses, not just blonde bombshells or icy snow queens. I was wondering what happened to Genevieve Page, she was really really good in this movie. And she carried a huge portion of it. That dress was so good, I wished I weighed only 99 pounds..... so I could make a copy of it and wear it - I don't know where, maybe vacuuming? I vaguely remember Please Don't Eat the Daisies, but I was so young all I remember was the dog. There was a dog in that show, wasn't there? Like I remember Daktari for Clarence the cross-eyed lion. If you asked me who was on the show, I'm done for. I do remember Pat Crowley though, she has a very quirky face and a distinctive voice. Don Porter was good, but as soon as I see him I go bleahh. He was always someone's old fogey father or business associate on TV when I was growing up. Like John Dehner. It took me years to appreciate him. Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 18, 2011 10:12 AM

I just loved the Wilbert Harrison song, Jake! I've heard it for years, but never knew who it was. It inspired me to listen to the 3 or 4 other songs he did that are on youtube. I liked this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyyH-bTNLI4&feature=related The Hombres remind me of Roger Miller, who I love.

Wow! I am going to have to try tomato-less chili, Smileys! My husband is a chili nut. He likes all different versions, and is constantly bringing home recipes for me to make. My usual recipe is loaded with cupboard spices to make up for the lack of different chilis - Chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, hot paprika, cayenne, and jalapenos. I'll have to order the different chilis... Here in SE Connecticut they are too staid and pent up to carry these kinds of peppery, smoky flavored, exciting items in the grocery store. Someone opened up a real Mexican (not Tex Mex) restaurant here a year or so ago, it was wonderful..but alas it closed... no business. Their seviche was to die for. Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 18, 2011 9:42 AM

Oooh, the Pola Negri is outstanding. I also love the Lupe Velez photo. She was so beautiful and photogenic. I also was going to mention how much I love the Anita Page one, she is so sweet, she looks so lovely beside the Christmas tree.

I must say, I was disappointed in the overall quality of the Three Ages. right from the moment it started. This was my first viewing of the film, one I've wanted to see for years but it eluded me. I wish I had seen the Robert Israel version now that I know one exists. Maybe there was some trouble in getting it. TCM is usually good about that kind of thing.

spit take!

Oh, and I forgot my favorite part - when Frieda (Mrs. Winter) leaves Youngblood for the last time - after being caught by his mother while..... um.... you know.... well, she had hung her jacket on that hanger, remember? so they could be more comfortable in bed? And when she grabbed her jacket the hanger just swung there endlessly ...as he was standing in the empty room after she left.... like a ghost. Such a great director's touch.... one designed to make you really feel the empty space.

Maven, I LOVED *Youngblood Hawke*. This one is right up there or maybe even surpassing *Peyton Place* as my favorite potboiler (I had to explain the word potboiler to hubby, who is very literal, growing up with German parents). The cinematography was superb. it was the most beautiful potboiler I've ever seen, and that included Sirk's colorful extravaganzas. Class. This movie had class, even while it was digging around in the dirt. Too bad we had to spend so much time inside. which wasn't bad either. OK. First off, I want Frieda Winter's(what an exceptionally good name for this character) home - the frenchy one with acres of space and dripping with expensive artwork? The sets were to die for - even the 60 dollar a month hole was stylish, and looked like my sister's 1000 dollar apartment when she moved to NYC years and years ago. I really liked Page, she was a surprise. She totally captured my interest, and I felt sorry for her, even though it was obvious she was no good for Youngblood (His real name is Arthur????). She also had the BEST dress in the whole movie. I wish I could post a picture of it. It was black, had a straight across-boatneck-Givenchy-Audrey Hepburn neckline with no sleeves, a plunging back, triangulated to the tightly fitted waist with a straight pencil line in the front to fall just above the ankles, and with these three ....billows in the back of the skirt that opened it to make it possible for her to walk. It was drop dead design GORGEOUS. As were all the costumes. James Franciscus was also a surprise - he was GOOD! I never felt he was overreaching or out of character, and I liked him, plus he was as gorgeous as Richard Chamberlain but with blonde hair and that cute accent. Adorable, but a good actor. Suzanne was no surprise, she was just herself, wonderful, but I did wish she had more of a role. She was dynamic and beautiful, and has that smoky voice that almost purrs. I love her, and I thought her best moment was when Youngblood asked her down to his pool house in Florida or Palm Springs (?) and she arrived, only to find that Genevieve Page had shown up already, and outmaneuvered her by playing house with him. Her bombshell, telling YH that her steady boss had proposed, had such a profound affect on YH that he couldn't take his eyes off her for the rest of the meal that she indelicately stayed to eat! I just loved it! That boss of hers was a gem - I don;t' know too many sixties actors, but I really liked this guy! I also enjoyed seeing Mary Astor, who had far too little to do - though her last scene when the play folded was done so graciously I wanted the movie to go on and follow her instead of YH. My favorite after Mary was definitely Edward Andrews, who made a career out of playing uncomfortably slimy individuals and businessmen... this time playing that lowest of the low, a critic. I found his performance really full - he was so evil minded in that first scene, but later, I actually felt he had some principles. In the scene where he lambasted YH's new play... he was somehow cutting and dignified at the same time, and you got the impression that in this most devastating of all the scenes, he was doing YH a favor by telling him the truth, which no one else would do. John Dehner gave a really awful performance, I thought, but in keeping with the potboiler nature of the story. I don't think I've ever seen him do this before, but then his character was supposed to be so over the top and ridiculous, he only did what was called for. Mildred Dunnock was exceptional, as was John Emery, who I would have run off with at the drop of a hat. He was very John Barrymore, if you ask me. What an old charmer. I watched straight through and had a blast. Movies like this are food for a girl's soul - all those gowns and chic apartments and lovers.... And it was kind of weird watching this publishing world, and then watching the one in *Sex and the Single Girl* later on in the afternoon! Here's hoping TCM runs *Youngblood Hawke* often! LOVED IT!

Oh I love Lady and the Tramp! And that lovely spaghetti dinner for two!

I loved what you wrote about the movie, Ro! You and MissG do a splendid job of bringing the movie to life here. Glad you enjoyed it. WHat you said about Leslie and Bick being the opposite of what you would think really struck home.... You have it just right, and this is what makes for a great deal of the enjoyment of the movie for me.

The movie meal I'd most like to partake of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ql4rIt0jcE

I can't wait! Let's skip the lunch and go right for the dessert.

> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}I do remember reading that MR. LUCKY was Cary's personal favorite. (he also looks tremendously appealing in that pea coat) I agree, I don't think Cary looked any more gorgeous than in those shots I posted - and he looked absolutely gorgeous all through his career. In fact, when I started looking at that simple scene, his face just kept changing and evolving, as his personality does all through the picture. I couldn't post just one to show all the thought processes he was going through. > How would you describe the film's tone? There's a dark, haunting, somber quality in keeping with the "mystery" of Joe as well as the grave state of the world at that time, along with a wary optimism and a warm, relaxed, elegant romanticism. The use of light and shadow is so beautifully effective, I think, in conveying states of emotion. There is definitely a dark tone here, but the director seems to move effortlessly from one tone to another and back again. I don't know how. I think one can't overlook the noir feeling of the film, as if Joe can't possibly escape his past, and his bad luck at picking Joe Bascopoulos for his alias. This is actually what draws me to the film over and over again, not just the romance and the comedy. I thought the lighting was beautiful, a touch noir, hard in contrast, especially in certain of Cary's scenes, but then also changing as the movie progressed to warmly soft and romantic. I alos just love the use of the song "Just Give Me Something to Remember You By" to show Joe's deepening feelings. Here's Joe's world, crisp and taut, straightforward and hard: (Notice the dark stripe across Joe) And here is Dorothy's home, more softly focused: Her world is warm and inviting, with glints of light actually touching her And here is where the two worlds come together - in the dark, and getting darker: Here Dorothy is framed by Joe's stripes Separate Together >At first I thought that society Dot was indeed slumming, 'He's the first man I've ever been afraid of" but the recounting of her rougish family tree tells you that she responds to outsiders and renegades, lol. I think there was an element of excitement and danger that she found attractive, but Laraine Day is so convincing that I eventually buy her guileless love. > I'm more touched by silent Cary on the staircase than his rather petulant Dickensian childhood recollections, which sound a bit whiny, I'm sorry, lol. It's the kind of feel-sorry-for-me speech that John Garfield did so well. Ouch! I think Cary does this scene so well! He states it all so simply, it's just a fact, but there is bitterness behind it. > I respect Cary because I think he really didn't try to hide his Cockney roots. Maybe he just "fell into' being the debonair. leading man, but look at how, at the peak of his success and popularity in Hollywood, he jumped at the chance to do NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART, yet audiences couldn't accept him as an Archie Leach type. They wanted "Cary Grant". He loved playing a Cockney in GUNGA DIN, and seemed to also get a good deal of enjoyment as one in SYLVIA SCARLET.. He was drawn to the carny/vaudeville side of himself even as he tried to leave it all behind. Everything I've read about his personal life says that he tried to escape that early poverty stricken life, and that the person he had been was buried deep inside. To retaliate against that youthful scarring, he became the dapper, well groomed, classy fellow we associate with Grant on the whole. And as I said before, I love all his Cockney characters, and the ones that have a little more bite to them. I really like Sylvia Scarlett, partly because of Cary's rather slimy "bloke". It's a lot of fun watching him do his vaudeville schtick. _BagLadyMimi,_ I am a huge fan of *None But the Lonely Heart.* I think Cary was absolutely first rate in it, and to pair him with Ethel, well, their scenes are beautifully understated. Cary is very dark, but I think it's time this movie got a new review. I think it's a great film. Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 16, 2011 2:31 PM

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOVIEMAN!*

> {quote:title=CineMaven wrote:}{quote}I like your list. I see a lot of Integrity in your courtroom dramas. I love that you added Eve Arden's name to your pick of "Anatomy of a Murder." McConaughey, icky? Your Honor, I object on the grounds that... Oh I can't bear him. > Miranda Richardson...is one of my modern favorite actresses. Me too! > There needs to be a good...new...courtroom drama with: > > The Judge..................James Earl Jones > The Prosecutor...................Meryl Streep > The Defense Attorney...Angela Bassett > > ...And that'd be just the start of my casting choices. I want to see that movie!

> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}You know what else is remarkable (and rather odd, but in a fascinating way) about MR. LUCKY? The movie was made in 1943, it's probably one of the most appealing "propaganda" scripts ever (I like Cary's reactions to the Uncle Sam posters) and yet it has an exquisite, languid, POST-war melancholic hopefulness about it that isn't just the emotional journey and redemption of Joe Adams or any flag-waving audience-bolstering. There is a timeless, heartfelt, quiet, genuine sense of humanism and of a new day already dawned. This is hard for me to put into words. That's very interesting, Bronxie, I never thought about it, but there IS a sort of a new world feeling about it, where two people from different walks of life, each with maybe the best traits from each world, come together to make a stronger....country? Upper class and lower class meeting in the middle to come through in the war effort.... This never really occurred to me before. That speech halfway through, when he's mad at her for being what he thinks is condescending, the one that starts out, "I was out on my own at 9 years old...." and he talks about his past... and says she's basically slumming? well it moves me very much, knowing that Grant probably lived something very much like it, though he tried to eradicate the memory of it and all traces were obliterated in his persona. To me that moment is so real and quite shocking. I love the shock of Cary not being an angel, or a good guy. He is not a nice guy at the start, and he lets us hang for a good long time, wondering if he's going to turn it around. I love that when he does turn, he's still tough. This is not Frank Grimes' worst nightmare.... of the tough guy going all soft and gooey at the end of the picture. Plus there's the mystery of Joe's background, we don't even really know if he is Joe Adams, and somehow that mystery never being fully revealed makes it even better. I still wonder about him. Cary really is a mysterious figure, in real life apparently too, so it works perfectly. I think it was Cary's favorite of his own movies. Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 15, 2011 5:29 PM

Ha! What a great idea for a thread! I'm loving your ideas, your thoughts and your recipe! Why is it food always looks so good in the movies? I remember a scene in The Sting, when Robert Shaw is eating... it always makes my mouth water! I have to go, but I wanted to thank you for starting this thread before I took off on my errands. YUM!

> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}JACKIE, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Now everyone can see what I'm talking about with Cary's face on the staircase in MR. LUCKY. This movie has just shot up to number one on my Grant hit parade. > > You're A-1! > > Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Oct 15, 2011 12:26 PM You too!

My all time favorite Cary movie. Enjoy! Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 15, 2011 12:08 PM

I do love courtroom drama if it's done well, but I also have to like the stars. Your list is interesting, you like a lot of steam in your courtroom! Here's mine: *_Classics_* *Judgment at Nuremberg* - I find it riveting and complicated, really deep. Probably the best courtroom drama ever made. *Witness for the Prosecution* - this one is SO much fun. *Inherit the Wind* - How can you not like these two facing off? And then there's that cynical component. *Compulsion* - it's fascinating to see the two boys, so different, so messed up. But for me, it is Welles final summation that MAKES this movie. He's just brilliant, brilliant. *Twelve Angry Men* -I know, it's not a courtroom, but it IS. *The Winslow Boy* - Is Winslow's unemotional nature hiding something, or is he just cold? *Young Mr. Lincoln* - Oh heck, I like Henry Fonda, Ford, and the spin this gives on the trial. The underdog who is on trial more for being an outsider than for any crime. *The Caine Mutiny* - Fine acting all around, and another cynical ending. *To Kill a Mockingbird* - well really. Do I have to explain? *Anatomy of a Murder* - Jimmy and Arthur and Eve. _*Modern:*_ *Breaker Morant* - Deeply deeply disturbing and cynical. *In the Name of the Father* - oh my, the emotion and the acting of Day Lewis and one of my favorites, Pete Postlethwaite. *A Time to Kill* - This one is exciting and kind of old school. I don't even like Matthew McConaughy, ick! But it all works. *The Rainmaker* - I REALLY like this one and the next, they are almost interchangeable. Little guys vs. Big Guys. *A Civil Action* - same as above. *The Music Box* - Heartbreaking, and Armin Mueller Stahl is chilling. One of my favorite actors. *Suspect* - Cher, with Dennis Quaid and Liam Neeson! Sexy and romantic and scary as can be. *Erin Brockovitch* - It works! This one is the same as A Civil Action and The Rainmaker. But with Julia Roberts, and she is good. Also Albert Finney in another great later performance. *Dance with a Stranger* - horrifying, but you can't look away. Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 15, 2011 11:12 AM

> {quote:title=Robert_Israel wrote:}{quote}I have just finished the orchestra's first set of rehearsal sessions for the Tuesday evening presentation: it is a tremendously challenging work, but highly rewarding. And, it is a constant reminder to me (after being immersed in a project for lengthy periods of time) of just how much my appreciation for someone's artwork increases with the time invested. > > I understand that the general method of enjoying a film is to view it once and rely upon our own instinctive reaction based upon that single viewing. (There is no doubt that, in my opinion, there are plenty of film experiences not worth a single viewing). But in my case, I am often having to study films and scores which means going over minute details repeatedly. In the finest examples of films and scores there are often brilliant details that may go unnoticed by casual viewers, and this is not either good or bad. I believe it was Claude Debussy who said, "If you do not like a piece of music, then listen to it again. If you still do not like it, listen to it again and again until you do." Simply, it takes time and effort to appreciate art. I just love what you wrote here. In studying films for discussion on this message board, I have found all sorts of fascinating information by looking or listening to a film in depth, many times over. Examining a scene closely, with or without sound, can make it's meaning come through in ways I never imagined. It's been a great experience. There are movies where the score can make or break the film, and there are scenes that without the subtle use of music would mean nothing - I'm thinking of those moments when the music speaks for characters who may be pent up inside themselves. I recently was watching Mr. Lucky, and noticed the lovely use of the song Just Give Me Something to Remember You By....used to denote the subtle changes in Cary Grant's character as he falls in love with Laraine Day. Many films, especially those from the 30's and forties, are almost vocal arrangements, cast for voice quality. I love the sound of classic movies, and I never realized it until I came here. As you say, most films were meant to be seen once and rely on the tone which they project, not the nuances. However, it's those musical nuances that often tip the balance from a good film to a great film, and an enjoyable experience to an emotional one. I think in silent film this is particularly so. > Eduard Künneke's work is worth every moment of the experience in preparing it, and the intelligence and artistry with which he composed his score is something that I continue to appreciate more and more. There are symbols and meanings in the musical language, and music is not just about melody and harmony. Künneke knew what he was doing and was able to derive some of this mysterious language and imbue his score with brilliant details–more on that another time. At any rate, when an individual can "break the code" and begin to understand more subtle meanings in these texts, the experience becomes much more affecting and enriching. > > And let me not fail to sing the praises of the truly great director Ernst Lubitsch: he was one of the giants. The film is not only an artistic expression, but highly entertaining as well. And, the running time is just over an hour and one half. True, the original ran around two hours (there are still some missing sequences), but the film is extremely well paced and beautifully acted. Lubitsch's technique is nonpareil. DAS WEIB DES PHARAO is a majestic and brilliant production and this restoration is no less than astonishing. > > Robert Israel I can't WAIT to see this film, now that I've read your words. Thanks so much for posting here about your experiences, in depth. It makes me feel that much closer to the creative processes that the film-makers went through, and also makes me understand the job you do much better. Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 15, 2011 10:18 AM

Ha! *Giant* is to you what *The Big Country* is to me! Are there any potatoes left? I'll take the burnt edges if that's all there is.