ThelmaTodd
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Posts posted by ThelmaTodd
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An iconic shot.
What the Warner's musicals would have looked like, in color!
A potentially dangerous shoot!
*MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID (1952)*
*MGM w/ Esther Williams, Victor Mature*
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*Aqua sequence*
*7 minute clip*
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*Our* *New Year's Busby Berkeley celebration,* *which started 10 days ago, wraps up with this entry. Twenty years into the film business, Berkeley and his imagination were heriocally soldiering on, deployed wherever any producer was willing to allow and bankroll it. The man had "spectacular" in his blood!*
*Biopic of Australian swimming champ and entertainer Annette Kellerman. After overcoming polio, Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece bathing suit is considered indecent.*
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Hi lzcutter,
What isn't working is what they are now doing, which is largely nothing. This is not a small mom and pop operation- they are a major player with a lot of connections. I still say then let them sell the stuff to whoever wants to make a go with it. The whole issue begs another question, as to why so many films of that early vintage, even obscure ones owned by others have managed to be released over the years, while so many of their titles have not. They have not released many of these films even on VHS, when that was a hot market. They have held this stuff for many decades, allowing it to detriorate.
I'm never going to stop being critical of Universal. They should've "gotten out of the kitchen" with this stuff 20 years ago, when the originals were in better shape.
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The woman was extravagance and silliness personified.
Benny Goodman
*THE GANG'S ALL HERE (1943)*
*Twentieth Century Fox w/ Carmen Miranda, Alice Faye, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra*
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX0aWU4ANFQ
*Full movie*
*Ending finale*
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMEvx3rLVS4
*8 minute clip.*
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*The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN-krLQsKGQ
*7 minute clip*
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*By the late 30's,* *Busby Berkeley* *had to cool his jets and could not continue with the flashy* *extravaganzas that made him famous years before. Probably due to changing tastes, but also because of the Production Code. In this film, he musters his old penchant for suggestiveness and visual specatacle one more time.*
*Musical highlights include* *Carmen Miranda* *performing an insinuating, witty version of "You Discover You're in New York" that lampoons fads, fashions, and wartime shortages of the time. The film is also memorable for Miranda's "The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat", which because of its sexual innuendo (dozens of scantily clad women handling very large bananas), prevented the film from being shown in Miranda's native Portugal in its initial release. Even in the US the censors dictated that the chorus girls must hold the bananas at the waist and not at the hip.*
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*Playboy Andy Mason, on leave from the army, romances showgirl Eadie Allen overnight to such effect that she's starry-eyed when he leaves next morning for active duty in the Pacific. Only trouble is, he gave her the assumed name of Casey. Andy's eventual return with a medal is celebrated by his rich father with a benefit show featuring Eadie's show troupe, at which she's sure to learn his true identity...and meet Vivian, his 'family-arrangement' fiancée. Mostly song and dance.*
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Digitising is not necessarily the same thing as restoration, and costs no where near as much. Of course it's ideal to do a full restoration. (It's possible that some titles can be released without a full restoration)Letting the original sit in the can is neither of those. Even the release of an unrestored version is better than no release at all! Letting the origianls decompose just makes any postponed restoration all the more expensive down the line.
Universal needs to explore it's options. They can give or donate some of these properties to a not for profit archive. (Tax write off) A non-profit can raise donation money towards restoration. I still think they should also consider selling the collection piecmeal to interested and qualified parties. Other possibilities are release through the internet on a a pay for view basis, like through Netflix or some other arrangement. Universal is no babe in the woods, it's a media conglomerate!
Edited by: ThelmaTodd on Jan 10, 2012 2:18 PM
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Hello musicalnovelty!
That's awesome! The fact that you have had contact with film people and have published on the subject gives your knowledge and posts a unique depth! The collegiality of knowledge and experience that various posters can bring to these exploitation film threads is invaluable and much appreciated!
Did you have a chance to talk to Leopold or others what it was like working with the Stooges? Was working for Harry Cohn (head of Columbia) as beastly as his Hollywood legend would have it?
In the course of research for the *filmography* thread, I am taking a look at *Flying Down TO Rio (1933),* with it's famous scenes of bound and strapped chorus girls dancing on airplane wings. On:
http://truelala.net/2011/08/04/flying-down-to-rio/ :
I came across this interesting post:
*I looked up this movie because im a nurse and one of my patients is one of the dancing girls on the plane, she said they glued their shoes onto the wing for this seen lol, i printed out this picture and she got a kick out of it thanks!*
**Wow! She would have to be in her 90's!
Do you have any suggestions for films that we can add to the *filmography* thread?
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I've said this a number of times around here, but I feel that Universal needs to divest itself of those early classic films that it is doing nothing with. Either through sale or donation (for the tax write off). Convey to parties that will be bound to restore and release. I don't care if they sell *Paramount On Parade (1930)* for $5!! That would be $5 more than what they are getting by keeping it in a vault gathering dust and decomposition! Actually, they are in a minus position with these unreleased properties, as they incur storage and insurance costs over time; they are liabilities to their balance sheet.
I have no confidence in Universal as an owning organisation as it pertains to these properties. We can't have such a large block of our early historic and film legacy held hostage to their indifference.
I urge any reading here who are in the film business, in the video business, to contact them and make an offer for any specific properties of interest. Let's put Universal out of it's misery with these old films. Let's do it soon! These films are physically deteriorating with the passage of time!
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Hi Musicalnovelty!
A good picture!
With the "boys"!
Thank you for that very interesting catch! *Ethelreda Leopold* did indeed appear in some Stooge shorts. She was also in the *Wizard Of Oz* (uncredited), as manicurist, and also uncredited in *Great Dictator (1940)* as receptionist to "Adenoid Hynckel"!
It seems like Hollywood had so many starlets like her, sufficiently good looking to get into films, but never having caught on to big stardom.
It's great that you got to meet her and talk about her film roles! Have you met any other film people?
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Pop culture surrealism.
*GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937 (1936)*
*Warner First National- w/ Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell*
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*All Is Fair In Love and War*
**http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHMOj_O7lA
*12 minute clip*
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*Stage-producer J.J. Horbart, is going to put on a new show, but he doesn't know that his two partners lost the money at the stock market. Insurance salesman Rosmer Peck falls in love with ex chorus-girl Joan Blondell, who's friend Genevieve tries to land on one of J.J Horbat's partners. They come up with the idea to insure J.J. for $1 Million, to get the money back when he dies. Rosmer sells him the policy. After the insurance Company finds out that he's only a hypochondriac, an attempt to kill him accidently fails, and Genevieve falls in love with J.J. But when J.J. is informed that he is putting on a show with no money he has a breakdown. The only possibility to restore his health is putting on the show, in spite of the lack of money*
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Hi again gagman-
I think I get it: CGI- "Computer Generated Imaging"? I would agree, it's the only way Hollywood today would generate the kind of deliberate "unreality" that is evoked by the 1930's musicals. In the old days they preferred indoor shooting on staged sets (with exceptions). It allowed a director to create a cinematic world and atmosphere of his own.
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Hi gagman,
I know, I have those sets too. Not all of Berkeley's work is part of those boxed sets, and by going through his filmography, I have uncovered a few more titles for presentation. BTW, what's CGI?
What I do is exploratory, as I am exploring the subject in depth and learning as I go along. It is also educational, in the sense of "leading the horse to water". Not everyone is so familiar with Berkeley, and these links and pictures could stimulate an interest that wasn't there before.
The filmography thread covers a very wide range of film and subjects besides Berkeley. I consider it a treasure trove!
PS: the last few posts of mine are quite a motion gallery! I have to make an extra effort to find them, as not all of them turn up on google search- I have to enter numerous websites to round some of them up!
Edited by: ThelmaTodd on Jan 8, 2012 6:47 PM
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Here's another addition to this *Busby Berkeley* motion gallery:
From *Gold Diggers Of 1935*, which has been posted to the *filmography* thread at:
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It's what it was all about!
Dick Powell hoofing.
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*GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935*
*Warner First National Pictures Dir by Busby Berkeley, w/ Dick Powell, Gloria Stuart, Adoplhe Menjou*
*Lullaby Of Broadway*
*13 minute segment in twp parts*
*The Words Are In My Heart*
*This film was entirely directed by Busby Berkeley, as opposed to just a choreographed musical portion. Being one of the most surreal films ever to be made in mainstream Hollywood, it betrays his unique imagination at work. For many decades, a sort of hard realism has pervaded Hollywood filmaking, (except when computer generated special effects are called for.); stage sets are seldom used. I marvel at how comfortable 1930's filmaking was with a popular surrealism, not the kind that would have appealed to snobs, but which had appeal to the masses and which represented a surreal, fabricated visual world.*
*In a luxury hotel stage director Nicoleff stages a show to get the money to pay his bills. Mrs. Prentiss, who is backing the show wants her daughter Ann to marry the millionaire T. Mosely Thorpe, but Ann falls in love with Dick Curtis, while Dick's girl friend marries Ann's brother Humbolt. But the hotel secretary Betty knows a way to avoid dificulties with old Mrs. Prentiss.*
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Besides commercials, one other thing that has changed is the overall vintage of their movies. Before the "new AMC" years ago, they used to show a lot of early talkies and other 30's films, but not any more. They always did have an obsession with John Wayne films though, something that continued after their format change.
AMC's programming commitments are decided by those who obviously don't value classic film, and I in turn as a classic film lover, do not take them seriously. I've long stopped checking to see what's playing over there; I couldn't care less. Being profit maximising realists of the low road, they understand the mass market all too well. The general population is too uncultured and ahistorical to develop any familiarity and liking for films beyond a certain age of vintage. For most, a "very old film" is one that was made ten years ago. If the whole purpose of the channel is to "sell soap", you have to come down to the level of the audience.
Old movies are still around on TV, although cut up with commercial breaks or "fundraising" appeals if on PBS. THIS channel shows some good ones, and a local ABC affiliate was showing *Flying Down To Rio (1933)* the other night at 3AM!
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Some images of a *Busby Berkeley film, Dames (1934)* which I have added to the *filmography* thread. I have provided there three video clips that have highlights to the film.
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The man had a tunnel fetish
Just medicine, that happens to be a little stronger than Bacardi 151!
*DAMES (1934)*
*Warner-Vitaphone w/ Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell*
*Musical sequence*
*9 minute clip*
*"I Only Have Eyes For You"*
*6 minute clip*
*Laundry Dames*
*6 minute clip*
*Although I couldn't provide the entire film, the clips above have all the good highlights! This movie is not often shown or seen, which is unfortunate because it does have a lot of imaginative razzle-dazzle. The film replicates and glorifies the image of Ruby Keeler to a degree that smacks of someone's personal fetish and obsession.*
*Multi-millionaire Ezra Ounce wants to start a campaign against 'filthy' forms of entertainment, like Broadway-Shows. He comes to his relatives families and makes them members of his morale-boosting campaign. But Jimmy, another relative is producing a show, starring Ezra's niece Barbara. But he had bad luck with his backer, this person has given him an invalid check. Another of his victims, the show-girl Mabel has the idea of blackmailing Horace, Barbara's father, whom she has met before in a slightly compromising situation to get the money.*
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Kay Francis, taking a good photo!
*WONDER BAR (1934)*
*First National Pictures w/ Dolores Del Rio, Kay Francis, Dick Powell, Al Jolson*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3aCJzMh22c
*10 minute clip*
*Harry and Inez are a dance team at the Wonder Bar. Inez loves Harry, but he is in love with Liane, the wife of a wealthy business man. Al Wonder and the conductor/singer Tommy are in love with Inez. When Inez finds out, that Harry wants to leave Paris and is going to the USA with Liane she kills him.*
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Here are some more tumblr images from *Busby Berkeley's* films!
*42nd Street (1933)*
*Footlight Parade (1933)*
*Wonder Bar (1934)*
*Gold Diggers of 1935*
You gotta love this stuff! Pictures with motion add real pizzazz!
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One mother wrote to the studio complaining that she didn't want her daughter to grow up to be a human harp!
Bette Davis
*FASHIONS OF 1934*
*First National Pictures w/ Willaim Powell, Bette Davis*
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea1UpndCSKs
*8 minute clip*
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*Warners decided that Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Joan Blondell had received their exposure in Berkeley's films, and substituted William for "Dick" and added Bette Davis. This film is well remembered among classic film fans, despite the fact that it is not often seen or shown.*
*Sherwood Nash is a swindler who bootlegs Paris fashions for sale at cut-rate prices. His assistant Lynn poses as An American interested in a dress and Snap conceals a camera in his cane. When they try to steal the latest Baroque designs hidden cameras capture them. Threat and counterthreat lead to the suggestion of putting on a legitimate show.*
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Lucille Ball
Ruth Etting, publicity still
*ROMAN SCANDALS (1933)*
*Samuel Goldwyn Production w/ Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart*
*Keep Young and Beautiful*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofVpcQdiLBE
*10 minute clip*
*One of the most notable Berkeley films, although not often shown. Has all the great polish of a Goldwyn film, with very nice set design. The featured song: "Keep Young and Beautiful (If you want to be loved)", is a poignant and cruel reminder to women.*
*A kind-hearted young man is thrown out of his corrupt home town of West Rome, Oklahoma. He falls asleep and dreams that he is back in the days of olden Rome, where he gets mixed up with court intrigue and a murder plot against the Emperor.*
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From Fooltlight Parade (1933)
From Gold Diggers Of 1933
I just love tumblr images!
Hi jamesjazzguitar!
I'm so glad you like Berkeley's work! I hope you will check out some of the links to his other films that I have provided. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a complete upload to *Footlight Parade (1933).* I will continue the tribute to him with more material. So far, the only film I have omitted to mention in his early filmography is *Girl Crazy (1932),* as I could not find anything, not even a clip from it on the internet.
I totally agree with you that there is something compelling about his work. Once seen, it's never forgotten! Probably many others have taken a deeper interest in "Pre-code" thanks to Berkeley's films!
I hope you don't mind that I responded on this thread. I like to keep the decks clear on the *filmography thread* for films, which now number *over 200*! *It's an alternate movie channel*!
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The NRA Eagle, symbol of the New Deal National Recovery Act
The Warners were big supporters of Roosevelt
*FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933)*
*Warner Brothers w/Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, James Cagney,Joan Blondell*
*By A Waterfall*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I3yAeyDsVQ
*8 minute clip*
*Chester Kent produces Musical Comedies on the stage. With the beginning of the talkies aera he changes to producing short musical proluges for movies. But this is stressing him, because he always needs new units and his rival is always stealing his ideas. So he can get an contract with a producer, if he is able to stage in three days three new proluges. In spite of great problems he does it.*
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Hi gagman,
I missed the first Marion Davies show today, *Florodora Girl (1930);* didn't get up early enough!
Here is the Technicolor portion:
Marion projected a lot of fun and humor!
About there being two threads, I know it's an unprecedented approach, to have seperate threads for discussion and the other for film links. The seperation has served it's pupose well, when you consider that the filmography thread is up to over *200 film links*, and the discussion thread has seen 250 replies! I didn't want the film links to get buried under comments.
For the newbies, the exploitation *filmography thread* is in *Your Favorites*, at:
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hi Musicalmovelty!
Thanks for the correction. I tried so hard to find some stills from that fan sequence, even some of the names you mentioned, but nothing came up. I wanted very badly to show the readers just what a non-typical Stooge film this was! What would MGM have done with these guys if they had stayed? They would have been very small fry in a big, star-studded studio. At Columbia, they were big fish in a small pond.
I encourage you Stooge buffs to take a look at *Nertsery Rhymes*, posted below.
PS: *Albertina Rasch* was cute, probably an ex-ballerina herself.
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Hi Fred!
Happy New Year!
When you look past the stylistic charm that comes from old clothes and hairdos, I think old images (and films!) are representational without representing all the warts and imperfections of real life. By doing this, they glamourise the appeal of whatever (or whoever) is being shown. Artists have understood this for centuries. Artistry of photography and film preserves this mystique.
VINTAGE EXPOITATION FILMS-DISCUSSION
in General Discussions
Posted
Berkeley checking out the talent
I have completed my New Year's *Busby Berkeley* tribute on the *filmography* thread:
http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=161844&start=0&tstart=0
Here are the films that I have posted, either in entirety or clips, with most recently added on top:
*MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID (1952) -clip*
*THE GANG'S ALL HERE (1943) - full movie*
*GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937 (1936)- clip*
*GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935- clips*
*DAMES (1934)- clips*
*WONDER BAR (1934)- clip*
*FASHIONS OF 1934 -clip*
*ROMAN SCANDALS (1933) -clip*
*FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933) -clip*
*GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 -clips*
*42nd STREET (1933)*
*KID FROM SPAIN (1932)-clips*
*BIRD OF PARADISE (1932) -full movie*
*NIGHT WORLD (1932) -clips*
*FLYING HIGH (1931) -clips*
*PALMY DAYS (1931) -full movie*
*KIKI (1931) -full movie*
*WHOOPEE (1930) - full movie*
*BUSBY BERKELEY- GOING THROUGH THE ROOF-documentary*
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Berkeley's genius for creative, erotically suggestive and evocative chorus numbers earns him a place in the hall of fame.
That brings to *205 films* that can be viewed on the *filmography* thread! The majority of those are complete; I made an exception for the berkeley celebration, where I had to sttle for clips to a lot of his films.
Earlier on this thread I have posted some clips and shorts:
*NERTSERY RYHMES (1933)- Three Sttoges*
*LORD BYTON OF BROADWAY (1930)- Woman In The Shoe*
*LORD BYRON OF BROADWAY (1930)-Daughter of Blue Heaven*
*ROAST BEEF AND MOVIES (1932)*
*MEET THE BARON (1933)- shower scene*