Stephan55

*TerryEllsworth said: "I think I just did Bob Hope in The Road to Utopia and spit out my coffee"* Slightly off topic, but IMHO the best scene in "The Road To Morocco," is early in the film when the boys are stranded in the backlot "desert" and the camel luggies (spits) on Bob, and Bing laughs and says "good girl." All camelidae including llamas & alpacas, etc. "spit" when upset or threatened, so it's likely that the boys & crew were warned that it could happen... yet nothing can actually prepare you for the event when it occurs, and it appeared totally unexpected, and unplanned,... Bob trying to dodge the gob & Bing's smirking impromptu response,... so Bing!... and they left it in... Luv it! But I've never heard Robert or Ben make any comment about this hilarious event whenever this road tour farce is frequently shown....? I'll usually watch just enough of TRTM to catch that one scene so I can get a laugh before doing something else. Regarding "Lion In The Desert," guess I'm one of those few odd balls who liked it. But then I like to watch most historical epics. Yeah, I was a little wary about any hidden agenda's from a major producer/financer, such as Gaddafi (?spell?), but then every writer/director/producer has some sort of subjective agenda that they are promoting, so one can't let that be so great an issue to prevent one from watching (or reading) & being either entertained or maybe learning something new. I also enjoyed the movie "Scipio Africanus (Scipio the African): The Defeat of Hannibal" (1937) which was heavily funded by Mussolini at the time. But it was a historical epic depicting a time in history and historical characters that I am fascinated with, so I watched it and learned something. I also think that the late "Leni" Riefenstahl was a very talented film maker and photographer, et al, and her film "Triumph of the Will" (1934) (regardless of the Nazi propaganda) was cinematically striking for its time. One doesn't have to agree with the personal politics of the artist to appreciate or enjoy the art. It's too easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and I find that even with politically popular and unpopular (incorrect) films/books I'm able to strain something of value from most of them if I try. But, I'm sort of an oddball that way. Oh, and i also liked "Heaven's Gate" (the movie) a western epic based on the 1892 Johnson County War in Wyoming, and when I'm involved with a film that I'm enjoying, time is of no consequence. But then I'm one of those whose attracted to Michael Cimino films, whether they were lauded by the "critics" or made money at the box office or not. Like i said, I'm kindofan oddball.

Thank you Izzy, for the RO update & the links. My current connection is as slow as molasses, but I was finally able to read through them. It's been said that "absence makes the heart grow fonder." I find it very true for me, esp. in this case. The last couple of years I've noticed his voice quavering a bit, and like others, I've been concerned about his state of overall health. I hope that Mr. Osbornes sx was truly minor and that he has a full and speedy recovery and a very refreshing extended vacation... Most everything else on TCM is replaceable, this petty technical BS, etc. can come and go and is relatively minor annoying stuff to b**** about when we haven't got anything better to do or say. But the TCM personalities, those shown in the classic movies that are no longer with us... Robert, Ben, Alec, & guest hosts, and the people that write on these boards, are irreplaceable human beings that have become like extended family for many of us. As others have said, I will now be able to enjoy the flavor of the different guest hosts, so long as I know that Robert is coming back to us! Mr. Osborne occupies a special place in my heart and for as long as he is willing and able he will always be welcome in my home... wherever that home may be.

Good Grief, I return to the states after a sojourn in europe, find myself in western alaska and discover that there isn't even a time zone in the schedule acknowleging the 49th (or 50th) state/s.... Robert Osbourne is on "vacation" (i hope) and Robert Wagner is standing in as a "temporary guest" host (i hope)... Fortunately this Alaskan community provides TCM access, but (as previous members have already mentioned) I find that i now can't access either my own or any other members previous posts by simply clicking on their, or my own, name It appears that these member boards and the schedule are still as buggy and degraded as when i left them 3 mos ago, and this "wonderful," "upgrade" is now several months old. The overall membership still appear as disappointed and ignored as before, and problems introduced by this overwhelmingly unpopular makeover continue to persist. Ahhhh... it's so nice to come home and find that everything is just as you left it.... so comforting... Except that now i can look out my window and see... russia??? oh, pardon my mistake, that's only visible from further east in wassilla...

PETA would have a field day with these vintage Tarzan movies if they were being filmed today. Big African elephant ears glued or taped to the heads of Indian elephants. Raw footage of a lioness actually being shot, because some stupid broad didn't have sense enough to leave baby lion cubs alone. and those were scenes they didn't edit out! The proverbial water wrestling and stabbing of an oversized rubber croc by Tarzan... always makes me smile, today But when I was a kid I ate these films up. And they did get me to read Burroughs. Heck, I wanted to BE Tarzan, or Bowen Tyler, or John Carter, or any of a host of his eugenically superior male characters...

*FredCDobbs* *YAY! "Expand All" works for me too!!* *JackFavell* *Remember back in the old days,...* This reminds me of basic training, when you are stripped naked and then given back your underwear. Some of the guys felt so greatful. They thought something really special had happened...

Well, Ben Mankiewicz is always promoting the IPhone TCM applications... Maybe all this is to make the site more compatible with IPhones? I don't have one, so I wouldn't be able to confirm that on my own, but maybe he knows? Anybody have his number?

Nope, you were not alone. They were down for most of the afternoon and evening, just came back up alittle while ago. *I kept hoping that when I got back on, everything would be back the way it used to be. Wishful thinking* Likewise Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 10, 2011 12:18 AM

I suppose one of the earliest "subversive" films was D.W. Griffith's *The Birth Of A Nation (1915).* Even President Woodrow Wilson, former President of Princeton University and Governor of New Jersey (albeit a Southerner by birth), proclaimed from his office the veracity of the epic film. This movie was instrumental in setting a tone of "white" public acceptance (in both South and North) that allowed a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan influence, with repercusions that survived well into the 1960's.

In the "old" American south, it was the cotton gin (a northern invention) that changed the economic base of the south. Still cotton was/is a very labor intensive crop, without machines to plant, tend and pick the crop, the plantation owners required vast amounts of cheap energy in the form of human labor... Slaves, to make cotton as profitable as it was. The lions share of the southern export economy was based on "King" cotton. A culture of cotton and slavery became intertwined and flourished. It was the economic heart of the prosperous south. Although most southerners did not own vast plantations or slaves, it was something that they aspired to. Most people today will never become millionaire CEO's, in fact, are preyed upon by certain rich corporations. But we Americans still harbor the illusion that by supporting otherwise predatory corporate policies with our dollars and our vote that we are supporting our opportunity to one day become a shark ourselves, instead of a minnow. Such it was in the old south, as it has always been. The poor seek to emulate the rich. I suppose that it could be said, that were it not for Eli Whitney and cotton, that slavery may have run its course and died out in the south as it had in the north. There may have been no need for a Civil War and history would have taken an entirely different path. But because the southern economy was based upon a single, labor intensive crop at that time, the south chose to retain its slave based culture, which ultimately led to division and a devastating civil (civilian) war.

*C.Bogle* *I was being entertained by the studio era movies before I ever heard of* *Uncle Bob.* Likewise. But when we rent or buy a DVD today, it often comes with some bonus material. Extras that add alittle insight into the making of the movie &/or the history behind it. What those brief 1-3 minute intros and end comments by Robert and Ben do (at their best) is provide a few tidbits of, what may be for the viewer, otherwise unknown information. Sometimes this information can add to the enjoyment of the movie, and sometimes just make one smile. At its most influential it may stimulate the vewer to check things out more indepth on their own, through a variety of sources. When this happens the viewer has an opportunity to become more well rounded &/or discriminating in their taste and appreciation of specific movies and their genres. The viewer grows. Of course, some people, perhaps most, never watch the bonus material on a DVD, or stay to watch a movies credits and/or listen to the exit music while still in their seat. They came to be entertained; to see the movie, and nothing else, and that's okay. But there are some of us that do sit and stay. we watch the previews and look to see who's in the picture, who produced and directed it, wrote the screenplay and score and what book it's based on (if any). We crave to know the background and history. For us those tiny trivia tid bits are like appetisers or after dinner mints, that round out a fuller movie experience. For that reason I have grown to enjoy and appreciate Mr. Osborne and Mr. Mankiewicz.

You are very correct, whereas the total number of U.S. dead & wounded was far greater in WW2, The total number of Americans Killed during the Civil War was greater than U.S. dead in both World Wars combined. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war According to the U.S. Constitution, the "male dominated white" South had the right to secede from a government that they believed no longer represented them. I say "male dominated white" because women and children had no vote and blacks were considered chattel property in the south. The Northern states actually violated the Constitution by forcing the Confederate states to remain in the Union. I find it ironically interesting how U.S. foreign policy alternately supports or abhors revolution and secession in other parts of the world depending upon the convenience of circumstance and corporate influence. A wise sage once said if you want to know the cause & effect of most events in human history you need to "follow the money." People have a habit of putting all manner of righteous rationalization to justify their stance and actions but generally where ever their treasure is, that's where you'll also find their heart.

*finance* *Did Robert Osborne ever appear in a film?* Yes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Osborne http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/488%7C0/Robert-Osborne-Biography.html http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0651737/ Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 9, 2011 1:26 PM

I think we (most of us that watch TCM) know that Robert Osborne is reading a script from a screen during his intro and exit commentary. He is not being spontaneous, though he does a pretty good job of acting. It is prerecorded and though he may have seen each of those movies that he presents, he is not watching them along with his audiance. I'm sure the script writers do a pretty good job of keeping the lines within Roberts character, and if there are factual inaccuracies, he may not catch them until after he's read them out loud in front of the monitor. He appears most spontaneously himself during his guest interviews, or with his Alex Baldwin banter during the Essentials, but they may have rehearsed that as well... He presents an affable, congenial manner that I find pleasant. He is a flawed individual, as we all are, but he has become, to a great extent, the evening face of TCM. And I admit that though I enjoy a good TCM movie most anytime of the day, I particularly look forward to those weekend and evening movie trivia tidbits from Ben and Robert.

Great Thread! Wow! So many great composers and scores!.... Just way too many to list.... A host of wonderful scores from any of these Greats come to mind, like a flood. *Andre Rieu, Aaron Copland, Bernard Herrmann, Boston Pops, Bruno Coulais, Carter Burwell, Elmer Bernstein, Ennio Morricone, Erich Kunzel, Ferrante & Teicher, Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, Henry Mancini, Itzhak Perlman, James Horner, James Newton Howard, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry, John Williams, Joshua Bell, Leonard Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, London Pops, Malcolm Arnold, Max Steiner, Michael Kamen, Ned Nash, Nino Rota, Salter & Skinner, Sir Georg Solti, Trevor Jones & Randy Edelman, Vangelis, Wojciech Kilar,* I concur with most everything written so far, but I will specifically contribute this... IMO: I believe that perhaps the single most influential composer/innovator that set the trend for all movie sound tracks to come was *Max Steiner*. And the first movie that made music an actual integrated and essential "character" was *King Kong (1933)* . Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 9, 2011 12:56 PM

Great Director, Great Movies... I am looking forward to a TCM film tribute in the near future?

Perhaps the subject matter is just to vast & "meaty" to be discussed in the kind of depth that you desire within these simple forums. The trouble for me, on a subject like this, is that I have way to much to say. I'm a "student" of history, however too often it is written from the author's perspective and within the narrow confines of whatever happens to be the politically correct agenda of the society of that period. That said, I'm not one to "throw the baby out with the bathwater," as there is still much that can be learned so long as one looks/reads with an analytically critical eye. To gain a broader picture, I've learned to search out the more obscure, controversial and less politically correct historical perspectives, whenever possible. Written by the "other side" (the underdog, the loser, as opposed to the victor). When it comes to the American Civil War we are very fortunate to have so much information, from so many sources, from practically all sides. There are too many books, and papers to mention. If I were to recommend a single, definitive, and most objective,video series on the subject, it would probably be PBS's Ken Burns: The Civil War. As far a more personal observation, I see the American Civil War as the sprouting of the seed that Thomas Jefferson, and others, planted in the declaration of independence. However it took almost another 100 years for that seed to bear tangible fruit when America began to seriously reject its own apartheid system as result the 1950's-60's Civil Rights movement. I see the American Civil War as a prime example of what can happen when any culture becomes too dependent upon a single source of revenue based upon a "cheap" and plentiful source of (albeit socially unsustainable) energy. In the case of the American "old" south, it was cotton and slavery that served as the economic catylast for revolution. But perhaps this is oversimplification of a very complex subject with many, many facets. Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 9, 2011 12:23 PM

Ummm, that's a tough one.... IF I had the ability to transport myself through time, and was able to understand ALL languages, I'd love to be able to "Time Travel" to ALL the important historical events that I've read and been told about so that I could witness them first hand. Like the time traveler in H. G. Wells The Time Machine, I'd also like to travel far into the prehistoric past, and into the distant future to see what becomes of us. But to be locked into a specific era for a lifetime... I think that I would want to be one of those hardy French Voyagers in North America during the relatively tranquil period of the early 1700's. I'd love to explore the virgin territory of what would become the border region of the United States and Canada; see the natural flora and fauna of the Great Plains, the headwaters of the Missouri, the Rockies, and beyond. I'd like to intermingle with the various native American tribes, trap and trade and live as pristine and primordial existence as I could. Of course, in order to maximize my appreciation of what once was, I'd have to retain some of my memories of what it would eventually, all to quickly, become.

*Gatsbygirl* *I was very distracted by Clark Gabel's teeth. Everytime they did a close-up it looked like the bottom two were black. I remember reading somewhere that he had dentures but it is surprising to me that they wouldn't have fixed them before they started filming. Did this bother anyone else?* That sounds like something a dental hygienist would say *Here's some Gable biopic trivia that you may find interesting.* *Clark Gable*, also known as The King, was born: *William Clark Goebel* (later changed to Gable) on February 1,1901, in Cadiz, Ohio, USA, and died November 16,1960, in Los Angeles, California, USA, from a coronary thrombosis after suffering a massive heart attack. *Spouses* *Josephine Dillon* (born 1884, died 1971) An acting coach and theater manager. Married to Gable from December 13, 1924 - April 1, 1930 (divorced) *Maria Franklin* (born 1884, died 1966) A wealthy Texas socialite. Married to Gable from July 19, 1931 - March 4, 1939 (divorced) *Carole Lombard* (born 1908, died 1942) Movie Star. Married to Gable from March 29, 1939 - January 16, 1942 (her death in a plane crash) *Sylvia Ashley* (born 1904, died 1977) An English model, actress and socialite, who was best known for her marriages to British aristocrats and American movie stars. Married to Gable from December 20, 1949 - April 21, 1952 (divorced) *Kay Williams* (born 1917, died 1983) Former wife of Adolph Spreckels Jr., heir to the Spreckels Sugar fortune. Married to Gable from July 11, 1955 - November 16, 1960 (Gable's death) 1 child: *John Clark Gable* Gable's father was an oil-well driller by profession, who traveled around and re-married two more times after Clark's mother died when he was only 10 months old. As a teenager Clark became interested in acting but bounced around the country in many trades before becoming success a successful actor. Gable's success didn't entirely happen by accident. Clark married five times, and all of Gable's wives had attained a measure of success and/or wealth status before marrying him. Women had always played an important role in Gables life. Women liked Clark, and Gable, being an opportunist, knew a good thing when he saw it. It is likely that four of his five marriages were to promote his career or attain a degree of financial security. In Portland, Oregon, an impoverished Clark was selling neckties in a department store and barely supporting himself. Actress friend *Laura Hope Crews* introduced him to *Josephine Dillon*, who was an acting coach and theater manager. Dillon was 17 years older than Clark, but saw promise in the ambitious, albeit malnourished, young man. *Clark's mouth and teeth were in terrible shape so Dillon paid to have them all capped.* She guided him in building up his body and taught him posture and poise. She trained him to lower his high pitched voice and improve his speech. Years of rigorous training began to pay off. Eventually their relationship became "romantic," and on December 13, 1924 they married and Dillon financed their move to where the action was: Hollywood. Josephine became Clark's manager, and shortened his name. Under her tutelage and mentorship, Clark began to pick up extra work in silent films. But when major roles were slow to come, Dillon returned Clark to the stage for further polishing. After many parts, Gable gained experience and garnered good reviews. Clark and Josephine remained married for 5 and half years, but divorced in April, 1930. Some say that Clark "abandoned" Josephine for "greener pastures" when the depression and "talking" pictures caused a cancellation of many plays. In any event, a short time later Gable became the 4th husband of *Maria Langham* (aka *Ria Franklin Prentiss Lucas Langham Gable* ), a wealthy Texas socialite, also 17 years older than him. Ria and Gable played the socialite game, eventually returning to Hollywood where Clark again worked as an extra, but began getting larger supporting, generally "tough guy," roles. *Howard Strickland*, MGM's publicity manager, took notice and developed Gable's studio image, building him up as a man's man. *Minna Wallis* became Clark's agent and in 1931 Gable was offered a small but prominent part in The Painted Desert . Critics took notice and Clark's fan base grew. MGM began pairing Gable with its stable of female stars, many of whom Clark was romantically linked, both on and off the screen, and his career began to skyrocket. Clark's years of voice training with Josephine Dillon paid off, as many silent stars were being "squeezed" out with the intro of sound, Clark was there to help fill a void. *1933-34* was a pivotal time for Clark. His "loveless" marriage to Ria was on the rocks, due primarily to his numerous leading lady affairs. His wages were being garnished to keep his first wife, Josephine quiet, and Ria was "punishing" him by mismanaging what was left. The Hollywood morals clause threatened his contract, and his overbearing father (with whom he stated that he never got along) came to live with him, a destitute dustbowl refugee. Under this pressure, *Gable, who was known to be a heavy smoker and drinker, began to drink and smoke to even greater excess*. In *June, 1933*, a day before he was to begin shooting Dancing Lady , *Clark was hospitalized with severe, life threatening, periodontal abscesses and most of his teeth were extracted*. The movie was shot around him during the couple of weeks it took for his gums to heal so he could be *fitted for dentures*. However, in the days before antibiotics, the infection returned and became systemic and Gable was hospitalized again for a month, also having his gall bladder removed. Production was held up and the film went well over budget. This same year Gable underwent "cosmetic" surgery to have his ears "flattened." *Louis B. Mayer* felt that Clark's illnesses were primarily self-inflicted and docked Gable two weeks pay, which caused bad feelings between the studio and its top star. In order to teach him a lesson, Mayer lent him to Columbia Pictures, then a poverty-row studio, to make a comedy. The movie, *Frank Capra's* masterpiece *It Happened One Night (1934),* swept the Academy Awards the next year and brought Gable his only Oscar. From this point on, Gable's acting career flourished. In 1935 he starred in The Call of the Wild with *Loretta Young*, with whom he had an affair (resulting in the birth of a daughter, *Judy Lewis* ). In order to hide that she and Gable had an illegitimate child, fearing that it would ruin both of their careers, Loretta Young secretly gave birth to her daughter Judy Lewis while pretending she was vacationing in Europe. When she returned to Hollywood, she claimed that Judy was adopted. Gable met Judy only once when she was a teenager. Gable and Ria finally divorced in March 4, 1939. In *March 29, 1939*, 38 year old Clark married perhaps the only "true love" of his life, 31 year old *Carole Lombard* (a woman 7 years his junior). She called him "Pa" and he called her "Ma." They were married less than 3 years, but, according to Clark, they were the happiest of his entire life. Later in that same year Gable starred in Gone with the Wind (1939). Gable's standing only continued to increase. And the rest, as they say, is Movie History. *Given the quality of cosmetic dentistry, and the state of oral hygiene of that (as well as our) day, and considering that Gable was a heavy drinker and smoker; it's no surprise that rumors of his "bad breath" abound. No doubt, some of his leading ladies were repulsed during those intimate scenes.* *None-the-less, Gable remained quite the ladies man, both on and off screen, for the remainder of his life.* *Gable Trivia* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Gable http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000022/bio http://www.historyonfilm.com/actors/clark-gable.htm *Carole Lombard* was the former wife of Gable's friend, *William Powell* (married from 1931-1933, divorced). And William Powell's great love of his life was *Jean Harlow* (born March 3, 1911, died June 7, 1937). Harlow was 26 years old when she died of cerebral edema, a side effect of renal failure. In March 29, 1939, Clark married his third wife, *Carole Lombard*, but tragedy struck in January 16, 1942 when the plane in which Carole and her mother were flying crashed into Table Rock Mountain, Nevada, killing them both. Clark then volunteered to be drafted and served in Europe for several years. After the war he continued with his film career and married *Silvia Ashley*, the widow of *Douglas Fairbanks*, in 1949. Unfortunately this marriage was short-lived and they divorced in 1952. Gable's fourth wife, *Sylvia Ashley*, was born *Edith Louise Sylvia Hawkes* in 1904. She was the widow of *Douglas Fairbanks*. Her first husband was Lord Anthony Ashley (they divorced November 28, 1934), her third was Lord Stanley of Alderney, *her fourth was Clark Gable (married to Gable from December 20, 1949 - 21 April 1952),* and her fifth was Prince Dimitri Djordjadze (whom she married in 1954 and stayed married to until her death). She died June 29, 1977. Her grave stone refers to her as "Princess Sylvia Djordjadze." In 1932-33, Gable also had an affair with *Joan Crawford*, when she was estranged to her husband at the time, *Douglas Fairbanks, Jr*. In 1952 Gable's fifth wife and former sweetheart, *Kay Williams*, divorced her previous husband, *Adolph Spreckels Jr.,* heir to the Spreckels Sugar fortune. In the divorce papers she alleged that he beat her with one of her slippers. In July 1955 Clark married his fifth and last wife, *Kathleen Williams Spreckles* (a.k.a. *Kay Williams* ) and became stepfather to her two children, Joan and Adolph ("Bunker") Spreckels III. On November 16, 1959, Gable became a grandfather when *Judy Lewis*, his daughter with *Loretta Young*, gave birth to a daughter, *Maria*. In *1960*, Gable's wife Kay discovered that she was expecting their first child. In early November 1960, he had just completed filming _The Misfits_ (1961), when he suffered a heart attack, and died later that month. Gable was buried shortly afterwards in the shrine that he had built for *Carole Lombard* and her mother when they died. In March 1961, *Kay Gable* gave birth to a boy whom she named *John Clark Gable* after his father. When Clark was born he was mistakenly listed as a female on his birth certificate. Gable was dyslexic, a fact which didn't emerge until several years after his death. Despite his dyslexia, Gable became an avid reader. He would never allow himself to be photographed reading on film sets, fearing it would undermine his macho screen image. Gable and then future wife *Carole Lombard* first met in late *1924* while working as extras on the set of _Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ_ (1925). They would make three films together as extras, Ben-Hur, _The Johnstown Flood_ (1926) and _The Plastic Age_ (1925) and star together in _No Man of Her Own_ (1932), but not become romantically attached until 1936. In order to expedite divorce from his second wife Ria in order to marry Carole Lombard, Gable paid his ex-wife a $500,000 settlement in 1939, nearly everything he had at the time. Originally the image of Gable as an outdoors man was an invention of *Howard Strickland*, MGM studio?s publicity manager, designed to bolster his masculine screen image during the early 1930s. However, Gable soon discovered that he enjoyed hunting, shooting and fishing, so the image swiftly became the reality. Enlisting after the death of his wife, Carole Lombard, Gable served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II making training films. He also trained as an aerial gunner, and flew 5 combat missions with the 8th Air Force's 351st Bombardment Group (Heavy) while making his films and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. *Adolf Hitler* esteemed the film star above all other actors, and during the war offered a sizable reward to anyone who could capture and return Gable, who had enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was flying combat missions over Germany, unscathed to him. Although discharged from the US air force early in 1944, he refused to make another movie until the war had ended. Gable reportedly had a fear of flying, and made all long journeys across America by train. Gable's last film, _The Misfits_ (1961), was also the final film for his co-star *Marilyn Monroe*. At the time of his death, Gable's gun collection was valued at half a million dollars. He had a special gun room in his house filled with gold-inlaid revolvers, shotguns and rifles. Gable was a conservative Republican, although his third wife *Carole Lombard*, a liberal Democrat, encouraged him to support President *Franklin Delano Roosevelt's* New Deal reforms. In February 1952 Gable addressed a televised rally at Madison Square Gardens in New York in support of the Republican candidate *Dwight D. Eisenhower*, and a few days before his death he voted by post for *Richard Nixon* in the 1960 presidential election. Gable was a staunch anti-communist and a firm believer in military intervention. In the 1950s Gable joined *Walt Disney, John Wayne, James Stewart* and other politically conservative entertainers to "assist" the House Un-American Activities Committee in its efforts to find alleged Communist infiltration in the film industry, during Senator *Joe McCarthy's* "reign of terror" and Hollywood "witch hunt." Gable was seriously considered to play Tarzan in _Tarzan the Ape Man_ (1932), but he was deemed an unathletic unknown and *Johnny Weissmuller* was chosen instead. Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 9, 2011 1:37 AM

*ILoveGinger* *Who is Leonard Maltin and why should his opinion be allowed to cheapen many WONDERFUL films each day that he, for reasons known only to himself, apparently didn't like? It seems TCM is doing a disservice to their own lineup.* *FredCDobbs* *We now have to click to get the one sentence synopisis, and when we do that, his idiotic review also appears. I am not interested in what he, personally, likes or dislikes.* *Swithin* *Maltin just does not appreciate these films. He writes for a "general" audience. We are not a general audience. Maltin's reviews have a place in a book, or on his own website, but not on the TCM site* *Stephan55 (from another thread)* *When I look on the schedule all I really want to see is the films title, date of release, how long it is, if it's color or B&W, Letterbox, or not, the time (in my time zone) that it's playing, the director, 3-4 main actors/actresses, and a brief, 1-2 sentence, synopsis.* *If that stimulates me I want a simple click on the title to allow more in depth info from the TCM database, such as a full synopsis, and well delineated categories with producers, screenwriters, composers, etc. and a full list of all the actors with their character names.* *And whether this film is playing again in the next 3 mos, and if so, the date and time.* *If there is then an option to read professional critic reviews, or better yet member reviews, great;* *But what I don't want in a TCM classic movie schedule is some unsolicited movie critic telling me that a movie that I may never have seen before is not worthy of my attention, based upon his opinion. That is something I'd rather learn for myself without some tainted preconception.* *fxreyman said: (in another thread)* *But in the back of my mind I am thinking that this (Leonard Maltin) is a precursor to the day that Robert Osborne decides to step down and TCM does not want to go scrambling for another host.* *My response, in another thread* *You've brought something up that I really don't like to dwell upon, but I have thought about.* *I've grown to really love Robert Osborne's congenial presence and rather enlightening if somewhat benign comments on the movies that he presents. He seldom opinionates unless he has a guest host or it's an "essential" movie and he trades personal observations with Alex Baldwin. And when he does offer his personal opinion he delicately stays away from negative inferences treading a balance of respect and optimism. Even if I think the movie is a stinker, and that he must be speaking tongue in cheek, He usually says something that makes me see things from a different perspective, and I really, really like that about him.* *IF Mr. Maltin could keep his less than flattering 2 star opinions to himself, and just enlightened us with trivia and facts, he likely would make an excellent host for TCM.* *However, I've been carefully watching and listening to Ben Mankiwicz ever since he came on board. He's not the same flippantly cocky kid that I sometimes saw when he started.* *Ben is maturing nicely and I find that I'm enjoying his weekend intros and exit commentary just as much as I do Roberts.* *If Mr. Osborn can hang with us for a few more years, or as long as he can, I think that having an already familiar Ben slip into primetime would be a very good fit that most of us would appreciate and accept far more easily than a "stranger," no matter how knowledgable they may be.* *Just my opinion, on something that I hope doesn't happen for a very long, long time.* I personally like those brief, informative intros & end comments from Mr. O & Mr. M when they are filled with tidbits of background information that make the movie more interesting, or allow me an opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of some aspect of it.

That's okay Fred, I know that you are peddling your **** off on that stationary bike keeping the batteries charged so you can watch! BTW how are those solar panels on your roof and backyard wind turbine set-up working out? Are they producing enough surplus H2 to keep your fuel cell back-ups running for nighttime & when the wind isn't blowing

*misswonderly* *I've read The Red Badge of Courage, but fell asleep the one time I tried to watch the film of it. I don't blame the movie, though. I'll give it another shot ( no pun intended.)* I always loved John Huston's rendition of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage (1951). I know that the novel was a very quick read, but felt at 69 minutes that the film was way too short. I think I remember reading somewhere that the original film was much longer but was a casualty of severe re-edited and the missing footage is now lost. Being both the screenwriter & director I bet John Huston was really **** about that. And we'll likely never get to see what we missed. Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 6, 2011 10:20 PM

*cinemafan* *If we had adequate communication with someone in charge, or directions on how to be more productive - that would be immensely helpful.* Check several posts down, or look here http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=159138&tstart=0

*but things change I guess..nan10* Yes and too often these days it's not for the better! *Frank-------Ohio* *But I would not fell so all alone Everybody must get stoned....* Bobby, where are you when we need you? Now I feel like just getting stoned....

*kingrat & finance* I recorded most of the Ray Milland movies played that night, so far I've watched The Crystal Ball (Goddard & Milland always seem to make a great pairing), and re-watched The Major And The Minor, another Billy Wilder hit! Have yet to watch Irene, The Bachelor Father, & A Woman of Distinction, but looking forward to it. A trippy little Ray Milland film that really added to my cold war paronia was Panic in the Year Zero (released July 5, 1962) also directed by Ray Milland. It was low budget but bit me like a bulldog. And then came the Cuban Missle Crisis that October.... Unfortunately that movie is still as relevant today as it was when I first saw it from the backseat at a drive-in. I also liked Milland in some of his offbeat roles like Dr. Xavier in X: The Man with the X Ray Eyes (1963) Directed by Roger Corman. It made me think about possibilities vs consequences....

*For me, the main thing is the schedules. The monthly schedule needs to be as it was, with synopses visible w/o clicking, and printing on fewer pages, as they used to do. Sure, I know there are lots of other issues, but the monthly schedule is the most important.* AGREED! But I would also immediately include restoring the 3 month MONTH schedule. Also the movie database link with the information intelligently categorically arranged as before. So one could easily find producers, screen writers, composers, etc, without having to search through a homogenous blend. Also, the abilty to easily see if a movie is programed to play in the next 3 months. And if so, the ability to be easily reminded by email for any or all showings. Also, also, also, also, also,.........also...... Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 5, 2011 10:22 PM