CelluloidKid

*THIS WAS ALSO DISCUSSED IN "HOT TOPICS"* *Thread: ?TCM is like an oasis?...TCM celebrates its 15th anniversary!!!* http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?messageID=8189017

*WOW! What a sad statement! I mean after all he was Commissioner James Gordon in the first four "Batman" films!!!!!* *& then there was in his role in _Norma Rae_ !! He was a damn good actor!* *To say "HE'S GONE DOES ANY CARE?" is a tacky and tasteless statement! When I heard "Pat Hingle died" I was like the Batman guy! Very sad news!* *Pat Hingle dies at 84; veteran actor was perhaps best known for 'Batman' role* By Jon Thurber www.latimes.com January 5, 2009 *Pat Hingle, the veteran actor with more than half a century of impressive work in theater, film and television who was perhaps best known to a generation of movie fans as Commissioner James Gordon in the first four "Batman" films, has died. He was 84.* Hingle died Saturday night of myelodysplasia, a type of blood cancer, at his home in Carolina Beach, N.C., according to Lynn Heritage, a cousin who was acting as a spokesperson for the family. He wasn't a household name, but his solid, broad, hang-dog screen face became a household image. On film, he worked with stars ranging from Clint Eastwood to the Muppets. He was Sally Field's father in "Norma Rae" and Warren Beatty's in "Splendor in the Grass." He played the bartender who needles Marlon Brando about his former prize-fight style in "On the Waterfront," and he was the sadistic crime boss who terrorizes Anjelica Huston with a bag of oranges in "The Grifters." Hingle had an illustrious Broadway career and was in the original casts of some of the great plays in American theater, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" and "J.B." James Morrison, the actor who is best known now for his role as Bill Buchanan in the television series "24," was a friend of Hingle's and worked with him in a 1983 production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at L.A.'s Mark Taper Forum. "Only a chosen few had the body of work that he had," Morrison told The Times on Sunday. "The reason he stands out is that he had the humility and ease that made acting look easy." Hingle was born Martin Patterson Hingle in Miami on July 19, 1924. He'd had one semester at the University of Texas when World War II broke out. He entered the Navy and served as an enlisted man on a destroyer in the Pacific. After the war, he returned to college but switched majors after observing that every pretty girl he saw was headed toward the university's theater department. Over the next three years, he did 35 plays and found himself more comfortable in the theater than anywhere else. He said two actors were responsible for his deciding to become a professional actor. "There were the Gary Coopers and the Clark Gables, but they didn't really appeal to me," he told the Washington Post some years ago. "But in three weeks' time, I saw Walter Huston (Anjelica Huston's grandfather) and Hume Cronyn in about 10 movies and I saw that it was possible to play a wide variety of roles where there was no connections between one or the other; they weren't put in a slot . . . I saw what was possible." After graduating in 1949, Hingle moved to New York and studied acting with Uta Hagen at Herbert Berghof Studios. He later was accepted into the prestigious Actors Studio. His break came in 1955 when Elia Kazan, one of the co-founders of the Actors Studio, cast him as the scheming son Gooper in the original Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Two years later, Kazan cast him in William Inge's "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs," which became a major Broadway hit and earned Hingle a Tony Award nomination. A year later, Kazan once again helped him land a role as the title character in "J.B.," the Archibald MacLeish play about the life of Job that won both a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize in 1958. Hingle was also in Arthur Miller's "The Price" in 1968. He earned rave reviews in "J.B." and was offered the title role in the film "Elmer Gantry," but then tragedy struck. Several weeks into the play's run, Hingle became caught in a stalled elevator in his apartment building. He lost his balance while trying to crawl out and fell 54 feet down the shaft. He sustained massive injuries, including a fractured skull, wrist, hip and leg, and several broken ribs. He also lost his little finger on his left hand. Hingle spent much of the next year relearning how to walk, and the Gantry role went to Burt Lancaster. "I know that if I had done Elmer Gantry, I would have been more of a movie name. But I'm sure I would not have done as many plays as I've done," he later told the New York Times. "I've had exactly the kind of career I hoped for." Over the next 50 years, Hingle fashioned a career as a top supporting actor in film, television and theater. His TV credits include "Twilight Zone," "The Untouchables," "Route 66," "Gunsmoke," "The Fugitive," "Mission Impossible" and "Hallmark Hall of Fame." On television he's played J. Edgar Hoover, former House Speaker Sam Rayburn, Col. Tom Parker (Elvis Presley's manager) and, in the miniseries "War and Remembrance," Adm. William F. "Bull" Halsey. On the big screen, his films include "Hang 'Em High," "Sudden Impact" and "The Gauntlet" with Eastwood, as well as "Muppets From Space." He and Michael Gough, who played Alfred Pennyworth, were the only two actors to appear in the first four "Batman" films. To the end, Hingle preferred being in the theater. "The stage is an actors' medium," he told The Times some years ago. "When the curtain goes up, there are those crazy actors. The story comes through them. The director can pull his hair in the back of the house and the producer and the playwright can cry on each other's shoulders. But there go those galloping actors." Hingle's friend Morrison recalled him Sunday as a "great listener." "The great actors have this and he taught me this. . . . You were the most important thing when you worked opposite him. He was present, right there, in his life and in his work. He was the most authentic man I've ever met." Hingle is survived by Julia, his wife of 29 years; five children; 11 grandchildren; and two sisters. jon.thurber@latimes.com

*PER WIKIPEDIA: _1939 in film_* Movie historians and film buffs often look back on the year 1939 as "_the greatest year in film history_". Hollywood was at the height of its Golden Age, and this particular year saw the release of an unusually large number of exceptional movies, many of which have been honored as all-time classics, when multitudes of other films of the era have been largely forgotten. *August 15* - The Wizard of Oz premieres in the US. *October 17* - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington premieres in Washington D.C. *December 15* - Gone with the Wind premieres in Atlanta, Georgia, USA with a 3-day festival. *_Academy Awards_* *Best Picture: Gone with the Wind - David O. Selznick, MGM* *Best Director: Victor Fleming - Gone with the Wind* *Best Actor: Robert Donat - Goodbye, Mr. Chips* *Best Actress: Vivien Leigh - Gone with the Wind* *Best Supporting Actor: Thomas Mitchell - Stagecoach* *Best Supporting Actress: Hattie McDaniel - Gone with the Wind*

I found an old VHS copy of _On Borrowed Time_ in a thrift store (Strange it was W./in the week my mother had just passed away too!) for 0.50 cents! & the VHS tape was in near mint condition, minus VHS box shelf wear. Sells on EBay for around $50.00 or higher! Not yet on DVD!? Sad! _On Borrowed Time_ (1939)

WOW! Damn good documentary! Very well put together! When the article states: "I think if anybody watches this film, they are not going to look at 'Casablanca' the same way again," said Thomas."...I 100% agree...When the article stated this about "Cinema?s Exiles", it wasn't lying. When the documentary pointed out all the exiled actors in _Casablanca_ (1942), I was blown away!!! I MUST SEE! A+!

*The film was called: _A King in New York_ (1957) and...* *The film was produced in Europe after Chaplin's exile from the US in 1952. It did not open in the United States until the early 1970s.* *Reception* The film did well in Europe, but its lack of US distribution severely hampered its commercial impact. Even today, fans and critics are sharply divided over the film's merits. Many consider it a bitter throwaway, while just as many consider it Chaplin's masterpiece. Per: Wikipedia!

*Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence, of man, and of man's relationship to existence. ? In the realm of cognition, the special sciences are the trees, but philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible.* *Poltergeist (1982) - Philosophy!* *HERE IS WHAT WE CAME UP WITH:* *But what about..................................................????????????????/!!!!!!!!!!???????????* Where was Carol Anne ? Is her voice everywhere or just coming from the TV set? (I mean in one crucial scene the Freeling's are looking up the stairs while the parapsychologists feel and listen to the TV while Diane is talking to Carol Anne before all hell breaks loose!?) Dr. Lesh then asks Diane "Where was Carol Anne playing?", Diane Reply's "In her bedroom closet".? How would Diane know this? Wasn't the kids in bed asleep when again, all hell broke loose? OK, if Steven's house was built around 1976 (According to the film!) , SO in what year did Steven join the building firm? Wouldn't Steven know about the cemetery land deal? How long was the haunting going "Before" the Freeling's even contact the parapsychologists? How were the Freeling's able to explain the disappearance of Carole Ann to friends, neighbors and even other family members outside of the home? Where did the house go? What would the neighbors think? How big of a scandal would this be? If Dana (The daughter is 18 in the film!) and Diane is 31....Man she had her young! When all hell broke loose (The tree grabs Robbie, the twister hits etc.!) Why didn't someone (The big-sister!) stay with Carole Anne? Or even grab Carole Anne for that matter? If a tree broke your window and grabbed your little brother..wouldn't U have moved your *** right out of bed & ran like hell? OK, after Robbie gets rescued from the tree & the twister leaves, & the sister real stupidly states something like: "Carole Anne I left her upstairs!", then everyone races upstairs, opens the bedroom door & run right to the closet. ...... How did they know to go to the closet? Also, Why didn't anyone state something like "What happened in here?" after entering into the childern's bedroom, I mean after all, the room did look flawless, even with a broken window. Why doesn't someone mention something like "Why are the beds blocking the opening to the closet?" How could the parents "EVEN" think that Carole Anne, on her own, moved her beds to the closet?! If the bedroom was the heart of the house, & it was so "Evil", then how could Steven enter that room, place a board over the broken window, blocking out the sunlight, etc!?

*Don't Forget _Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood_ will air on Wednesday, January 07, 2008 here in Phoenix, Arizona (MT) @ 10:30pm!* *CINEMA?S EXILES: FROM HITLER TO HOLLYWOOD traces the experiences of the Jews who fled Nazi Germany and took refuge in Hollywood, and examines their impact on both the German and the American cinemas.*

*Good opening title card which read: Monsieur Verdoux - "A Comedy Of Murders" - LOL!* *I loved how Monsieur Verdoux opened in a cemetery W./a view a Monsieur Verdoux headstone, then flash backed through his life. Interesting concept! Orson Wells had issues..LOL!* *Charlie Chaplin had great comedic timing...I loved how fast he could count money!* *_Per Movie Database:_* *Trivia for: _Monsieur Verdoux_ (1947) - Movie Database* Filmed in 1947, but not approved for release in the US until 1964, due mainly to the US government's distaste for Charles Chaplin's politics. - Very Sad!! How Very Sad! Chaplin bought the idea for the film off Orson Welles for $5,000. Welles had been contemplating making a dramatized documentary of the real story of French serial killer, Henri Landru. Chaplin regarded the film as "the cleverest and most brilliant film of my career". - *I agree!!*

Like I said I stumbled into the film....I walked into it the plot about 30 minutes "Before" it ended! But I'm so glad I did watch it, then rented it it form Netflix that morning after it was over with. What a strange funny film! A 100% cult film!

*The "Poltergeist" "CURSE" has been going around Hollywood for Years...."Before" DVD and Blu-ray!!* *When the _The Exorcist_ (1973) was being filmed same thing!* *But my point W./this thread was: _The Philosophy of: Poltergeist_ (1982)!* *Remember:* *Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, justice, beauty, validity ...* *_LIKE:_* What is the possibility of a god existing? Where did Carole Anne Go? Was it just a dream to Carole Anne? What were the "Christian beliefs" that Diane had to go against in dealing W./the haunting? *_The Poltergeist Movie Curse_* The first Poltergeist (Poltergiest) film appeared on screen on 1982. It was one of the most successful films of the 80s, making it to 56 on The Top 100 films of the 80s and probably the last great haunted house movies. The sequels were released in 1986 and 1988. To date, four of the actors that appeared in these films have died. Despite the rumours, none seem to involve supernatural causes. 1982: Dominique Dunn who played the older sister in the first Poltergeist movie was murdered by her ex-lover shortly after the film's release (and no it wasn't on set). For the exact details surrounding this, head to IMDB. 1985: Julian Beck who played the 'bad spirit' in Poltergeist II, died of stomach cancer. It was not unexpected as the cancer had been diagnosed in early 1984. 1987: Will Sampson who played the 'good spirit' in Poltergeist II, died after receiving a heart-lung transplant. Will was also known as the tall 'mute' Indian in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest 1988: the young girl in all three movies was played by Heather O'Rourke. She died of a septic infection due to a bowel blockage that cause bacterial toxins to enter her system. Originally it was thought she had the flu, as all the early symptoms were the same. Within 24 hours, she died on the operating table while they tried to remove the blockage. *_Other occurrences that have been attributed to the curse include_:* The house in Simi Valley, California used for exterior shots of the Freeling home was damaged by the Northridge earthquake of 1994.[citation needed] JoBeth Williams, who played mother Diane Freeling, claims she returned home from the set each day to find pictures on her wall askew. She would straighten them, only to find them crooked again the next day. Actor Will Sampson, a Creek Indian and shaman, performed an exorcism on the set of Poltergeist II to rid it of "alien spirits". A year after Poltergeist II was released, he died. During a photography session for Poltergeist III, it was discovered that one shot of co-star Zelda Rubenstein had shining light obstructing the view of her face. Rubenstein claims the photo was taken at the moment the actress's mother died. During the making of Poltergeist III, a movie set of a parking garage was destroyed by fire during shooting of a fire scene, injuring all but one of the crew. Brian Gibson, director of Poltergeist II, died of bone cancer at the age of 59 in 2004. Heather O'Rourke once starred in a Rainbow Brite commercial with Judith Barsi. Judith died at age 10, five months and 24 days after Heather died. She was murdered along with her mother by her father.

I couldn't sleep and stumbled into the film! Charlie Chaplin rocked!

I just got Monsieur Verdoux from Netflix! What a great film!

New Car Net, UK *Besides Julia Roberts' kinky boots, one of the more memorable props in the film 'Pretty Woman' was a silver Lotus Esprit.* The same car used for filming is now for sale online, having covered only 23,000 miles in the proceeding twenty years. In the 1990 classic film, heartthrob Richard Gere's character picks up a prostitute in Beverly Hills, whilst kerb crawling in the Esprit. Described as a 'tart with a heart', Roberts' character Vivian then falls for him - and vice versa. Although the Lotus Esprit would make most men think of James Bond, for women it is more commonly associated with Pretty Woman. According to the seller, both Porsche and Ferrari declined to supply a car for the film, as they did not wish to be associated with prostitution. Lotus however, had no such qualms, and the tripling of Esprit sales in 1990-91 may have had some link to this choice product placement. The silver Esprit was a standard 1990 S.E. with a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. It is currently being offered for sale by the Volo Auto Museum in Illinois, at just under $55,000 (about ?37,000.)

tsunami .. _Meteor_ (1979) *NEW WORD: Pasta!*

Cliff Robertson was in: _Autumn Leaves_ W./Joan Crawford! *NEW STAR: Joan Crawford!*

Nepal ... _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ (1981) *NEW WORD: The Azores* (A Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean!)

Jos? Ferrer directed, but did not appear in, _Return to Peyton Place_ which starred: Carol Lynley! *NEW STAR: Carol Lynley!*

*I'm talking the "Philosophy" of: _Poltergeist_ (1982) the film itself..nothing more, nothing less!* *Quite literally, the term "philosophy" means, "love of wisdom." In a broad sense, philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other.* _HERE IS MORE WE CAME UP WITH:_ Was there some hidden meaning with the twister? Was it showing the dark side to Oz? When the construction dug the pool...why didn't "They" find any coffins? What if Diane never came back from the light would Steven spend the rest of his days talking with a TV set? OK, after Robbie gets rescued from the tree & the twister leaves, & the sister real stupidly states something like: "Carole Anne I left her upstairs!", then everyone races upstairs, opens the bedroom door & run right to the closet. ...... How did they know to go to the closet? Also, Why didn't anyone state something like "What happened in here?" after entering into the childern's bedroom, I mean after all, the room did look flawless, even with a broken window. Why doesn't someone mention something like "Why are the beds blocking the opening to the closet?" How could the parents "EVEN" think that Carole Anne, on her own, moved her beds to the closet?! If the bedroom was the heart of the house, & it was so "Evil", then how could Steven enter that room, place a board over the broken window, blocking out the sunlight, etc!?

Hmm scary film...a documentary on Anita Jane Bryant!??!

WOW!! What a great fascinating documentary! I never heard of: _Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film_ (2006) before today (01/06/08) when I stumbled onto it on Encore. I was blown away. Great interviews with a lot of the legendary directors and actors that shaped the "Slasher" genre from the late 70's into the late 80's! This historical and critical look at slasher films, which includes dozens of clips, begins with "Halloween," "Friday the 13th," and "Prom Night." The films' directors, writers, producers, and special effects creators comment on the films' making and success. During the Reagan years, the films get gorier, budgets get smaller, and their appeal wanes. Then, "Nightmare on Elm Street" revives the genre. Jump to the late 90s, when "Scream" brings humor and TV stars into the mix. Although some criticize the genre as misogynistic (Siskel and Ebert), most of the talking heads celebrate the films: as long as there are teenagers, there will be slasher films, says one. I really great documentary about the birth of horror films from Psycho (1960) to Halloween (1978), then into the 80's W./Friday the 13th (1980) & The Prowler (1981) & more!.! Great interviews W./director horror icons such as: Joseph Zito, Wes Craven, Sean S. Cunningham, Betsy Palmer, director Armand Mastroianni, & even the late-great Stan Winston! I'm going to try to see if this available on DVD. Great documentary. Better than: _Terror in the Aisles_ (1984).If U can find it check it out!!!

Just like _The Blair Witch Project_ (1999) great idea, a great marketing campaign, just a really bad movie! I thought both _Baghead_ (2008) and _The Blair Witch Project_ (1999) were just awful!

*I never felt the film was too talkie or too long! I loved it. Brilliant! I could see the Coen brothers remaking this!!* I just found out that Netflix had it, I just moved it to the top of my Que! It's a film way ahead of it's time. It could speak for today with these hard economic times! Thank god its on DVD, like I said I came into the film right towards the last 30 minutes, but still it held my attention! His speech at the end left some honest open questions! _Monsieur Verdoux_ (1947) This 1947 Charlie Chaplin movie, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, stars the classic comedian as a bank teller driven to murder when he can't find a new job after losing his old one *a theme that brought Chaplin under attack for his left-wing politics*. Martha Raye is his foil in this dark comedy that also stars Irving Bacon, Marjorie Bennett, Mady Correll and more.

WOW! WHAT A FILM! I want this film on! I couldn't sleep and turned on the TV at 02:30am & stumbled into theis crazy, bizarre black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin! At 1st, When I stumpled into _Monsieur Verdoux_ I landed in the part where Charles Chaplin tries to murder a woman in a row bow. It was so insane the way it was done. No music, Just the nagging of this woman, & Verdoux (Mr. Chaplin) trying all his might to get a rope around her neck (A hang man noose tied to a rock.) and push it into the lake. At 1st I was like, "Is this a horror film?"... "Or is is this a comedy?".. No matter what he does it doesn't happen. LOL....he spills color foam ona cloth, the boat rocks & tje rag lands on his face! LOL! Then he finally gets the rope around the young woman's neck, and out of the blue a group of Yodelers pops up! OMG! LOL! Mr. Chaplin and W./an idea by Orson Welles, these two had some sick thoughts....Very funny sick twisted thoughts!!...What a very twisted comedy! ..LOL.... Mr. Chaplin's comedic timing was perfect! I never seen this film before, what a treat! The film really gave me that much needed laughter. Thanks Mr . Chaplin! Anyone else seen this film! I couldn't stop laughing! I love "Black Comedy's" I.E. _The War of the Roses_ (1989), _I Love You to Death_ (1990) & _Dr. Strangelove_ or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). But _Monsieur Verdoux_ rocked my film world!! I loved it! *TCM PLAY THIS AT A BETTER HOUR!!* The film is about an unemployed banker, Henri Verdoux, and his sociopathic methods of attaining income. While being both loyal and competent in his work, Verdoux has been laid-off. To make money for his wife and child, he marries wealthy widows and then murders them. His crime spree eventually works against him when two particular widows break his normal routine. I did find out after the film ended that it didn't fare well at the box office as what happens to most "Black Comedies". But intersting enough, despite its poor critical and commercial performance, the film was _nominated_ for the 1948 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

*WOW! The title of your film had me boggled. I mean I thought U were kidding about a film titled: "A White Rose for My Black Sister". Really I did. So anyways...I'm 1/2 asleep, & this bloody title is going around and around & around my head...I really thought it was _Black Narcissus_ (1947), & you had it backwards, I called several friends who work in the film industry in various levels. They said they would call me back. That was over an hour ago!...* *So I googled: _White Roses for My Black Sister_* (In the words of my late Mother!) "_I WILL BE DAMNED_!!" "Hallelujah!!!". _White Roses for My Black Sister_ a short Film Produced and Directed by Colette Jacques. A story of two Medical Students who felt in love but Discrimination sets in to keep them from pursuing their dream. A drama that will sweep you off your feet. I found this film info on some Haitian website..?? Strange! There is nothing about it the film or Producer and Director Colette Jacques on movie database! But info about the film is scattered all over the internet! Not a lot of info out there ...Very mysterious! Need to get Nancy Drew on this.... LOL! I even can't find a year for the film's release date, etc...Some people think the 60's or 70's on several other message boards!??!