ThelmaTodd

*L'INFERNO - DANTE'S INFERNO (1911)* *Milano Film- Italy* ** http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9114285191814844350#|http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9114285191814844350 *Full movie Silent with score by Tangerine Dream* ** *The element of exploitation was inherent in the first part of* *Dante's Divine Comedy trilogy, The Inferno.* *People over the centuries have shown far less interest in* *Purgatorio or Paradiso,* *preferring to dwell on the lurid and graphic descriptions of torture and misery for the damned in hell. I went through a gothic phase when I was very young, and admit to having been enthralled by his work. There was truly a morbid fascination to his conception.* *Given that the source material itself was exploitational, any film depicting it in a literal and graphic fashion would itself have to follow suit. To show masses of naked men and women being tortured and in torment can never serve as purely an artistic exercise, but a prurient one as well. It's the latter reason that people for the most part paid their admission money.* *Supposedly this was the first full length feature film to be shown in the US. Domestic production favored shorts, as it was felt that they would be more profitable and that people wouldn't have the patience to sit through hour long films. (Wrong on both counts!) It was also the first full length Italian feature film.* *For those not familiar with this 700 year old work of literature, Dante the poet, is yearning for his lost soulmate Beatrice. He is confused, wandering in a wood and enters the gates of hell. He is guided through it all by the spirit of the ancient pagan poet Virgil, who the church conceded might have been one of the few pagans virtuous enough to have made it into heaven! The hell that Dante goes through is shaped like an inverted cone, with each level punishing a certain kind of sin. The lower the level, the worse the sin being punished and consequently, the greater the torture applied. Dante is eventually escorted out of hell and into Purgatory and Paradise, where he is reunited with God and Beatrice.* *Dante is a great source of national pride to the Italians. When he wrote this in the early 1300's, it was customary to write in Latin. He chose instead to write his verses in Italian, making it one of the earliest works of Italian literature. It has inspired a great many people ever since, including the 19th century engraver and artist Gustav Dore, whose work inspired this film.* *Dante put many then famous people and celebrities into hell, including a few Popes, which helped increase the sensational impact of his work.* *A stunning and ambitious effort for a film of it's vintage.*

Hi Dan! I took a look at the film. It's strange blue tint fuzziness reminded me of how B & W movies looked on the early color televisions. (The upload appears to have been taken from TV) Watching it felt like looking at one of the old pre-remote control televisions with dials in a bar, many years ago! I could imagine this over the sound of a juke box! Loved the 60's music soundtrack. This movie does relate some issues that come up in paranormal research. One of them is that usually the youngest member(s) of the household are the ones to be first affected by the experiences. The parents remain skeptical until they start seeing things themselves. Sometimes it's not "seeing" something, but objects moving, "pushing" by invisible hands or force, sounds, chills and "cold spots", lights flickering, objects disappearing and reappearing and yes, like in this movie, even pianos can play! Houses where there have been deaths, especially suicides and murder seem particularly susceptible to hauntings. Sometimes activity from the past can replay as unconscious "residual energy", or earth bound spirits who need to relive their earth based dramas. Paranormal research societies work on a "client" basis, often called out to a location by distraught owners who are disturbed by the phenomena, have no idea what to do about it and are concerned for the effect they have on their families. I looked at the Willaim Castle filmography, here is a partial list: New Orleans Uncensored (1955) The Americano (1955) Uranium Boom (1956) The Houston Story (1956) Macabre (1958) The Tingler (1959) House on Haunted Hill (1959) 13 Ghosts (1960) Mr. Sardonicus (1961) Homicidal (1961) Zotz! (1962) The Old Dark House (1963) 13 Frightened Girls (1963) The Night Walker (1964, producer/director) Strait-Jacket (1964) I Saw What You Did (1965) Let's Kill Uncle (1966) The Spirit Is Willing (1967) The Busy Body (1967) Rosemary's Baby (1968, producer only) Project X (1968) Riot (1969, producer only) Some of these look like they could be candidates for posting to the filmography thread. I'll have to check the internet for availability. Castle was a real marketing huckster and liked promotional twists like giving out cardboard axes to the audience members. By posting this film, you have given me a whole new set of potential leads, and I appreciate that! I know you are a Mansfield fan and I loved the pictures you posted! I'll try to find more of her flicks. If you have any suggestions for further film posts let me know, or feel free to post them on the other thread!

Hi midnight, Wikpedia says: 73 min. (original)/ 59 min. "A limited national release came in 1933.Originally running seventy-three minutes, the studio later edited fourteen minutes out of the picture following poor reviews and box office receipts" I'm still taken aback at all the suicide creepiness surrounding Entwhistle, both on screen and off. Her body was found before the film release.

Erik Von Zipper for President! "Why me? Why always me?!" "Him I like. When I like somebody they stay liked!" Hi LuckyDan! Thanks very much for your submission to the filmography thread: http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=161844&tstart=0 *The Spirit Is Willing (1967), with Sid Ceasar, Vera Miles.* *"Kiss hungry girl ghosts looking for a live lover in a haunted house of mayhem!"* ** Exploitation films play on sensationalism or sensationalising of a sensational subject. Love hungry girl ghosts certainly fall into that category, and I appreciate it as a submission! This is another of 'exploitation king' *William Castle's* supernatural films, featurig Harvey Lembeck, Mary Wickes, John McGiver, Doodles Weaver, Jesse White etc. Any film with Harvey (Erik Von Zipper) Lembeck is a true schlock classic! The film is a comedy that plays on the *succubus* legend. Researchers into the paranormal consider this anything but a laughing matter, as they often come across such manifestations. They tend to be malevolent, life and vitality draining entities. (Succubus for the guys, incubus for the ladies.) They sometimes appear in dreams, and other times they become manifest outside of the dream state. The danger for the afflicted is that these entities sooner or later want the victim to "join them" on the other side, either through wasting away or through violent death. I have a great interest in the scientific investigation of the paranormal, and am seriously considering joining a local investigating group. The science and instrumentation of capturing and recording these phenomena are evolving and improving all the time. I heartily invite you and others to make film submissions on that thread!

Creepy! *Peg Emtwhislte* receives a horoscope in the film that says: *"Scores of indications show that you will take your life by your own hand...."* ** And then right before committing suicide in the film, she says to another woman: *"No twinkle twinkle star stuff is going to make me kill myself!"* ** This film is a weird example of a film role being a portent and precursor to the star's real life demise. A very dark film however you look at it!

The *Thirteen Women (1932), featuring Peg Entwhisle*, is coming up on TCM this morning, following Cimarron at 9:00AM Eastern, 8 central. Not a well known or commonly screened film, I gave a 7 minute clip of it with description in my post to this thread posted at: Sep 10, 2011 12:17

Hi krieger! It's amazing, as it is those very two films, *Doctor X and Mystery Of The Wax Museum* that went through my mind as notable exceptions when I allowed for "but not always"! Those two films are great favorites of mine. Early two-strip technicolor could look surreal and in these instances helped to reinforce an atmosphere of weirdness and as you say, decay.

Two very good looking people! They make an attractive couple... *BORN TO BE BAD (1934)* *Twentieth Century Pictures w/ cary Grant, Loretta Young* ** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U25dNFw5haI *Full movie* *This film was rejected by the Hays Office twice before it was finally approved. The final product can be nowhere near as interesting as what they were originally attempting to film. The character Letty Strong, an unwed mother who entertains each client and makes as much as she can on the side by pleasing them, had to re-written and re-filmed, so that the character's occupation is only hinted at. Zanuck had to cut as much as possible shots of Letty in her underwear and exposed legs to the hips.* *Letty (Loretta Young) is a young, unwed mother. Pregnant and alone at fifteen she's had to toughen up. Raising her son Mickey (Jackie Kelk) to be street smart so he'll never end up in a similar situation to her. When a milk truck driven by Malcolm Trevor (Cary Grant), the president of the company, hits Mickey, Letty seizes the opportunity to make some money and encourages Mikey to lie about the extent of his injuries. When Letty is caught, the judge takes Mickey from her. Malcolm and his wife Alyce (Marion Burns) feel for the boy and his mother, and adopt him so she can see him more frequently. Letty is not satisfied by this and with the persuasion of her unscrupulous lawyer tries to stage an elaborate plot to seduce Malcolm and blackmail him into giving her Mickey and his money. The plan backfires when Alyce gives her blessing on the affair and Letty realizes her genuine feelings for Malcolm. She must decide to either step aside and put Mickey's happiness in his new home first or follow her own heart and break up Malcolm and Alyce's marriage* **

Giant ice cream sundaes for the kids! Cantor's trademark was the now un-PC blackface act. That's supposedly Lucille Ball in the line-up On the way to fantasyland... Our tour of *"process number 4" three strip technicolor* from the year 1934 concludes with this exhibit. Kid Millions (1934) was mostly shot in black and white, with color reserved for the fantasy finale. *KID MILLIONS (1934)* *Samuel Goldwyn Production w/ Eddie Cantor, Ethel Merman* ** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN7gxGJwZ1A *7 minute color sequence* ** The story features Eddie, a kid from Brooklyn, New York, who suddenly inherits $77 million dollars from his lost father, an archaeologist who had looted Egyptian treasures. In order to claim the inheritance, Eddie begins a boat ride to Egypt. On the boat he meets various characters who also are claiming part of the inheritance, although their stories are doubtful. Later, Eddie learns that Sheik Mulhulla has threatened to kill anyone who tries to claim the treasure. Princess Fanya falls in love with Eddie and wants his hand in marriage. Color sequence at end shows what he does with his fortune- making kids happy!

The stunning enhancement that three strip Technicolor provided over two strip is very evident in these stills. More wonderful cheesiness from the pioneering year of *three strip Technicolor*! *GOOD MORNING EVE! (1934)* *Warner Vitaphone w/ Leon Errol* **http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGT6P8v3VOg *Full short in 2 parts* ** A spoof on Adam and Eve, experiencing a dream progression from the Garden of Eden to modern times! This has aired on TCM. Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden preparing their latest meal, which includes contemplating if they should try eating an apple despite the serpent's warning. After their meal, they take stroll through time. They make a few stops along the way for some musical interludes. These stops include in the Gardens of Emperor Nero of Rome for a concert circa 100 A.D., in King Arthur's court, and at a beach resort in current times.

In continuation of the postings of the very first *three strip technicolor* films from 1934 *SERVICE WITH A SMILE (1934)* *Warner-Vitaphone short, w/ Leon Errol* ** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXJ6vc04IR8 *Full short in three parts.* **This one's a hot number from 1934! Busby Berkely style in technicolor! Features a modernistic Art Moderne style gas station with innumerable girl attendants in various costumes. Cheesy and not inappropriate to the subject of this thread. So wonderfully dated and so stylistically derived from it's time that today, it strikes the viewer as an absolute novelty! Aired from time to time on TCM. Leon brags about his "super-deluxe" gas station, which he claims is run by chorus girls. It is another Vitaphone gem from the early days of sound pictures. The Technicolor is magnificent and, I think, the earliest three strip process film I have ever seen. The songs are catchy and the chorus cute. For the auto buff it is a feast to behold. Not only are the cars gorgeous, but you can see their original colors. I especially enjoyed seeing the late twenties Rolls Royce,yellow and black, touring car as well as other American cars of that era.

A couple of posts ago, in my response to musicalnovelty, there was reference to the earliest *three strip technicolor* films. Here is another one of them, *The House Of Rotschild (1934),* based upon a real life banking dynasty. The historically savvy among you need not be reminded that the name "Rotschild" has been high octane, explosive gasoline, used and misused for generations by anti-semites, nazis and world conspiracy theorists. (The inflammatory comments abound in the unmoderated youtube discussion; I don't wish to see them migrate to this one) Sensationalise the name, and you are tossing grenades! This one almost deserves inclusion on the *filmography* thread, as it's subject has itself been the subject of so much exploitation! The technicolor sequence is but three minutes long, added to the very end for dramatic effect. It starts at 1 hour and 23 minutes into the film. *THE HOUSE OF ROTSCHILD (1934)* *Twentieth Century Fox w/ George Arliss, Loretta Young, Boris Karloff* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjNsbW9jJDI *Full movie* from imdb: The story of the rise of the Rothschild financial empire founded by *Mayer Rothschild* and continued by his five sons. From humble beginnings the business grows and helps to finance the war against Napoleon, but it's not always easy, especially because of the prejudices against Jews.

I don't know about comedies, but I definitely feel that horror movies are more effective in black and white. In B & W, a film like *Dracula (1931), or the Mummy (1932)* retain their dreamlike, or rather nightmarish, surreal quality better than if they would have been shot in living color. Films that ask us to suspend our disbelief (at least temporarily) in vampires and living mummies (or even an improbable comic plot), are better served by B & W. Shoot these subjects in color, and the whole story appears more "fakey" and kitsch. Horror movies shot in color often (but not always) get dumped into the "psychotronic shlock" category.

The subject of Technicolor in fim is a very important one. In my last post I referenced a few other early films that pioneered *three strip technicolor.* Here is the color segment to one of those, *Cat and the Fiddle (1934),* shot mostly in black and white, with color segment: *CAT AND THE FIDDLE (1934)* *MGM w/ Ramon Novarro, Jeanette McDonald* ** *5 minute technicolor clip* ** Here's some of the controversy about it in the youtube discussion: "It's obviously the two strip process..there are no green elements in any of this. The process was used untill 1934. It's sad that this wasn't preserved better. If I'm wrong and it is three strip process it is a terrible shame. I love this film! Thanks for posting." (response from the person who uploaded the film:) "No its not two-strip. It was the blue, purple and yellow colours that was more or less impossible to get in two-strip. This clip was the first use of the new three-strip process in a live action sequence. So of course it's not perfect..."

Hi cody 1949, I hold to the view that ANY film as old as that is historically significant, whatever it's technical or artistic merits. Films that are 80 years old I view as precious artefacts; the study of them is an exercise in cultural archeology. TCM and the Eastman House are more than welcome to bring forth more early film!

From the 1934 RKO short Hi musicalnovelty! You're the "ace" like always! The chance to share and learn with some of the members of this community is invaluable to me and to the readers! I'm aware of the earlier *La Cucaracha (1934)* film, which I believe was the first three strip technicolor short. (Disney resorted to the process a little earlier (1932 I think) for a Silly Symphonies cartoon). Three strip meant that the three primary colors could finally be combined. Earlier two strip meant that you could have a combination of any two two primaries, but that would always leave out the third. Two strip produced a surreal, almost cartoonish appearance that I find charming. The 1934 La Cucaracha short omitted to play up the pot angle and to make a gag out of it the way the Santa Barbara short did. Seeing everyone weepy and crestfallen over a "roach" going out, was just too hilarious! Talk about "slipping" something by *Louis B. Mayer*; they slipped this pot gag past him. Had someone hipped him to what was truly going on, I believe he would have had some heads roll! La Cucaracha was an old Mexican folksong, with many variations to it's lyrics. It was adopted by Pancho Villa's army as a marching song in the Revolution of 1911. They were the ones who added the business about "marihuana que fumar", reflecting what they used to bolster their spirits while pursued by both the US and Mexican army! In their memory, their version has been the commonly accepted one ever since. Thanks for weighing in! The number of films posted there is around a 170, spread out over a lot of pages. I'm thinking it might be time to create a quick reference, quick access index with hyperlinked titles in order to allow the readers an easier way to check out what's already there and to make it easier to get to! Here's the 1934 La Cucaracha short, in early three strip Technicolor: *LA CUCARACHA (1934)* *RKO- Pioneer w/ Steffi Duna, Paul Porcasi* ** *Full 20 min technicolor short* ** Señor Martinez, a famous theater owner, visits a local café in Mexico because of its reputation for good food and to audition the famous dancer who performs there. Martinez tells the café owner that if the dancer is as good as he has heard, he will offer the dancer a contract to perform in his theater. The café's female singer hears about this and is determined that he won't leave the café without her. From wikpedia: La Cucaracha is a 1934 short musical film directed by Lloyd Corrigan. It was designed by Pioneer Pictures to display the new full-color Technicolor Process No. 4 ("three-strip" Technicolor), which had been used since 1932 mainly in Walt Disney cartoons. Jock Whitney and his cousin C. V. Whitney, the owners of Pioneer, were also major investors in Technicolor, Inc. La Cucaracha was made like a short feature and cost about $65,000. The usual short cost little more than $15,000. Although La Cucaracha is sometimes called the first live-action use of Process No. 4, it was preceded by a musical number in the feature film *The Cat and the Fiddle,* released by MGM in February 1934, and in some short sequences filmed for other movies made during 1934, including the final sequences of *The House of Rothschild* (20th Century Pictures/United Artists) with George Arliss. Also, Warner Brothers released two Leon Errol shorts, *Service With a Smile (28 July 1934) and Good Morning, Eve! (5 August 1934),* just before La Cucaracha.

I sent a Christmas greeting to Jeffrey Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner, expressing my appreciation for Time Warner's support of TCM, and appreciation for Time Warner staying true to Ted Turner's original vision for TCM, which was classic movies, uncut with commercials. There is much for us classic film fans to be thankful for, and TCM is certainly one of them! The collaboration with the Eastman House is one indication that the commitment to culture and history on this channel continues. I wish to extend my Christmas greetings to the TCM administration and to the many film fans on these message boards!

Twitter for the Eastman House: @EastmanHouse Let them know how much we appreciated their day of collaboration with TCM. Hope there will be more in the future!

Thirteen year old Judy Garland on the left, with her sisters. Harpo Marx Ted Healy in the middle, the "Fourth Stooge" Buster Keaton and the Fanchonettes *LA FIESTA SANTA BARBARA (1935)* *MGM w/ Leo Carillo, Judy Garland* **http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kayTXeFs82M *Full short in two parts* *One can not appreciate the utterly subversive humor of this otherwise tame looking short without knowing what the words to La Cucaracha mean in English:* *La cucaracha, la cucaracha,* *ya no puede caminar* *porque no tiene, porque le falta* *marihuana que fumar.* *The cockroach, the cockroach,* *can't walk anymore* *because it doesn't have, because it's lacking* *marijuana to smoke* ** *Now "roach" means both a bug and the end of a reefer in both Spanish and English slang. This double entendre is driven home by Leo Carillo declaring the roach: "she is dead!", and everybody, including Judy Garland and her two sisters breaking out in sad, disappointed song. (Even Buster Keaton breaks out into tears!) A real party pooper! You know they are not singing about a dead bug! I really don't think Louis B. Mayer "got it", or otherwise someone would have been dismissed or he would have gotten a stroke, whichever would have come first.* *Features an incredible cast: Pete Smith, Eduardo Durant's Rhumba Band, 13 year old Judy Garland and her two "Gumm Sisters", Spanish Troubadors, The Fanchonettes, Dude Ranch Wranglers, Warner Baxter, Harpo Marx, Buster Keaton, Ida Lupino, Chester Conklin, Robert Taylor, Leo Carillo and many others.* *Offers a glimpse into California's affluent Santa Barbara in the 30's and their annual tradition of dressing up in Spanish/Mexican costumes. Making such a blatant joke over "marihuana", no doubt reflects the hedonism of an upper crust that feels it has a right to enjoy and do anything it wants.* *This short has often aired on TCM. I once contacted the curator at the Santa Barbara Historical Society to let him know it was on TCM, and he responded that he and his community are well aware of this little cinema tidbit from 1935! Go Santa Barbara!* **

*DANCING ON THE MOON (1935)* *Fleischer Studios* **http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl6GCUoHi3A *Full Cartoon* ** *Strange little animated fantasy about newlywed animals who take a rocketship to go "dancing on the moon", using all the Fleischer special effects. Doubtless the symbolism renders this full of hidden sexual meaning.*

*POPEYE in SEEIN' RED, WHITE AND BLUE (1943)* *Paramount* ** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cv8Z9tNNdA *Full cartoon* *Another WW2 era cartoon that was restricted from general TV distribution later.* *Bluto the blacksmith gets a draft notice. Popeye is in charge of the local draft board. Bluto gives a sob story about his ailments, but makes a miraculous recovery when Popeye's gorgeous "secretary" appears (really a 1000 pound weight in disguise). Bluto, desperate, dives out the skyscraper window; Popeye tries to catch him, but they both plummet through the sidewalk, and the devil chases them back out of hell.* *Bluto tries to get hit by a falling safe instead, but again Popeye rescues him. This angries Bluto so much that he locks Popeye inside of the object and then throws it away. It crashes inside an orphanage, where several Japanese spies are undercover, dressed as babies. While Popeye is being beaten Bluto drops by to inform him that his arms are bandaged and that he finally will be able to escape the draft. When Bluto sees that Popeye is in trouble he tries to help, but both men are knocked out by the Japanese. While they are being ridiculed Popeye grabs his spinach, eats it and gives some to Bluto (can and all). Both men defeat the Japanese and Popeye's fist reaches so far that he knocks out Hirohito. The Emperor is hit so hard that he falls on the backside of his horse, (creating a pun on the word "***"), and says: "It should happen to Hitler." Sure enough, the next scene cuts to Hitler who gives a speech by saying: "B.O!" ("body odor", a reference to a Lifebuoy soap commercial). Hitler too is beaten so hard that he loses his moustache. A title card appears asking: "Is their a doctor in the house?", with the word "doctor" crossed out and "undertaker" written in crayon. While he lays unconscious Hermann Göring runs in and asks his Führer melodramatically "to speak to him." Hitler just says "B.O." again, whereupon Goebbels pulls his face away in disgust.* *The cartoon concludes with Bluto finally signing up for his draft, while the imprisoned Japanese all spell his name: "B-L-U-T-O" in reference to the commercial for Jell-o from that time.*

I heard that Zasu Pitts insisted on Zuh-ZOO, with accent on the latter syllable; that saying it any other way incurred her wrath!

Hi exapno, In an age where most are now getting their information off the internet and more are resorting to kindle, your discovery is a good reminder that most of our documentary evidence of the past is still in print form. Even if you could access these reviews online through Variety's archive, it's not the same experience as looking at them all collected together in a large book. That volume covers an important period in film. I hope that it will serve as a reference and assist you in informing our future discussions around here concerning specific films. I wouldn't hesitate to quote from it if I were you. The articles bear invaluable contemporary witness to a lot of information concerning a production. This find reminds me of a most invaluable thread in *"Your Favorites": 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year- Day By Day as it happens!!, posted by filmlover*. Each day of that year is marked by contemporary articles and exhibits. Such a reference for both the casual reader and serious historian. It's obviously the product of tireless research, and deserves the full support and interest of our community. Some threads are monuments to film history, and offer a boundless reference source on film. Such threads deserve to be bookmarked and consulted repeatedly for years to come. *Good job filmlover!* **College and public library sales are a good opportunity to enrich your book collections! They are also good opportunities for knowledgable "pickers", as the books bought can often be "flipped" for a lot more money than they were sold. Years ago a college library sold off a multi-volume set of books for 25 cents a pop, which I sold later for $6,000!

Ann Dvorak. "Duh vor-RACK", "Duh vor-ROCK", and "Vorshack". The latter was sometimes used by her in personal life, and derived from Czech pronumciation.

*BUGS BUNNY **** THE **** (1944)* *Warner Brothers* ** *Full cartoon * *"****" derives from the name of Japan in Japanese, "Nippon". Contains racial stereotypes which caused the cartoon to have very limited airing after WW2.* *Bugs lands on a Japanese-held island. He tries to outsmart one Japanese soldier by dressing as Emperor Hirohito, but the soldier isn't fooled. He recognizes Bugs from his Warner Brothers films produced by Leon Schlesinger. Bugs has trouble with a tough sumo wrestler but is able to outwit him by dressing as a geisha. Bugs finally rids the island of Japanese by driving up in his ice cream truck (which plays music from The Magic Flute!) and selling each one an ice cream with a secret grenade surprise.*