Stephan55

*Perhaps if an anti-hero, and an anti-ant-hero met, they would have all their matter converted into energy, in a huge filmic explosion...* And then we'd have this DeMille epic Reap The Wild Wind... LOL Very funny analogy, you like science too! Matter vs Anti Matter, Dark Matter vs Dark Energy! Inner Space vs Outer Space, Expanding vs Contracting universe, or a combination of both, or neither! I also like Carl Sagan Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 5, 2011 10:16 PM

*To me, an anti-hero is a bad guy who does good.* Likewise, and I also consider the term apropo for a good guy who does bad. However in the end, Wayne kinda-sorta does fit your "anti-hero" definition, as he was more of a bad guy going down. But has a change of heart and does good, in the end. It is a pretty subjective, evolving term with no clear concrete definition. Sort of "grey" (neither white, nor black, but a blend of both). But I do agree with you. Wayne played a "regular" guy, neither really good, nor really bad, but an emotionally frail and complex person, capable of making mistakes with severe consequences. This was a "coming of age" film for me, as I was beginning to grasp these concepts and possibilities. It was also the first film that I saw where John Wayne died. "Bad" guys died, "Good" guys lived, that was the "code" of Hollywood. And John Wayne had always (up until that time) clearly been a "good" guy, to me. What a shock for an impressionable, young, fatherless, latchkey boy. My father figures were my movie heros. I wanted to grow up and be like them. And in those days a lot of the older movies I saw followed the "morals clause." But for me, for the first time, Wayne was playing this complex, very "human" character. When I say railroaded, I meant that the first sinking was not Waynes fault, none-the-less he was blamed for it. He had people both for and against him, but because of the perceived conflicted triangle between himself, Paulette Goddard & Ray Milland, it was easy for him to believe that Milland was going to further railroad him. This was of course in his mind, and we (the audience) could see that he was mistaken, but the end result was his pursuasion to join the dark side and reap the foul reward of becoming what he thought he'd already been judged guilty of being. Pretty complex plot for a kid to grasp. And when I watch it again this month (lord willing) I may be taken back to that innocence of youth when good was good, and bad was bad, and Wayne was neither, ...and both.... Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 5, 2011 9:52 PM

*my favorite Wayne film, but he's no anti-hero, he's a normal guy turned villain, because he didn't trust his friends.* Well, I first saw Reap the Wild Wind when I was a kid, and I was (and still am) a big John Wayne fan. As a kid I found the role John Wayne played in this film as complex and not the clear good guy vs bad guy as were most of his earlier roles. Wayne starts out as a "good guy," But is railroaded, When he thinks he is being further railroaded he believes Massey and joins the dark side. I hated that because as the viewer I could see what was happening and kept yelling no, don't believe him, stay with the "force" (or words to that effect). But Wayne goes along and wrecks the Southern Cross. Good guy turned bad = anti-hero. For a moment we can see the turmoil going through his head, let Ray Milland drown with the evidence, and I'm home free... But at the last minute he has a change of heart which costs him his life. Hero Again! yeah, but I hated seeing that water fill his helmet. Deja vu in Wake of The Red Witch. Wikipedia: In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis. Some consider the word's meaning to be sufficiently broad as to additionally encompass the antagonist who (in contrast to the archetypal villain) elicits considerable sympathy or admiration.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero BTW, of all the John Wayne films that I really like, if I were to choose only one as his best, IMO it would be The Searchers. Again he plays another kinda-sorta anti-hero type. These were the films that helped me grow and understand that people aren't white & black, all good, or all bad, but many shades of grey, Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 5, 2011 8:56 PM

*Well, this website upgrade at least puts the lie to what the Alaskan woman claims.....* For a split second I thought you were going to mention that other Alaskan woman...

*"The Thing with Two Heads" (1973)...whoa!* White biggot's head (Ray Milland) is transplanted on the body of 'Rosey' Grier. ...Interesting concept, entertaining to watch.

*An idea whose time has come* *?There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come!?* The United States, which represents about 5% of the worlds population, presently consumes 25% of the worlds petroleum output. We cannot, and MUST NOT, continue this irresponsible and unsustainable rate of consumption. We MUST develop an economy based upon sustainable and environmentally sound sources of energy ( NOT nuclear fission). We MUST implement existing, and develop ever more, clean energy technologies ( Wind, Solar, Geothermal, Tidal, Non-food competing Biofuels, FUSION, Fuel Cells & H2 transportable fuel, etc., etc.) and WE MUST DO SO NOW! Tomorrow may be too late. Most of the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are not friendly to the United States. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez stated, at the 2006 Caracas OPEC meeting, that they openly expect to see the continued decline of the US dollar and the fall of the US economy within this century. They see our destiny as an "open tomb" and look forward to the day when we will be buried within it. They may be right, if we don't change our ways, and do so soon!

Everytime I hear the TCM (channel) commentor say, "If you want to know more about this program vist the TCM website...check the schedule..." yada, yada, yada... It makes me want to puke! There appears to be absolutely no real connection between those TCM personnel promoting this now defunct site, and those that actually use it!

*PLAYING ON TCM: TUESDAY 19 April, 2011 at 8:00 PM & 10:00 PM (EASTERN TIME)* NOTE: Be sure monitor the "schedule" for errors or program changes. *TWO of my FAVORITE Ray Milland period pieces: Kitty & Reap The Wild Wind* Note: I think this may be the second time that Kitty has been shown on TCM in perhaps 3-4 or more years. I can't remember ever seeing Reap The Wild Wind on TCM (might be a premier for them?) *8:00 PM EASTERN TIME* *Kitty (1945)* Nominated for an oscar for Best Art Direction. Full screen B&W 103 mins. Produced by: Mitchell Leisen Directed by: Mitchell Leisen Screenplay By: Karl Tunberg, Darrell Ware Based on the novel By: Rosamond Marshall Music by: Victor Young MAIN CAST: Paulette Goddard, Ray Milland, Patric Knowles, XLNT cast of Great Supporting character actors including: Constance Collier, Cecil Kellaway, Reginald Owen, Dennis Hoey, Sara Allgood, and many more. One of many and one of the best adaptive interpretations of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Paulette Goddard is an 18th century London Rags to Riches ( Eliza Doolittle ) guttersnipe, molded into the image of a "great" Lady by rascally rogue Ray Milland ( Mr. Higgins ). Wikipedia Tidbit: To acquire a Cockney accent as Kitty, Paulette Goddard shared a room with the mother of actress Ida Lupino, who had quite a thick one for a time, and learned diction from Constance Collier. Upon seeing this film, the director Jean Renoir decided to cast Goddard in his film The Diary of a Chambermaid. *10:00 PM EASTERN TIME* *Reap the Wild Wind (1942)* Nominated for 3 oscars (Art Direction, Cinematography) winning Best Special Effects Full screen Color 123 mins. Produced by: Cecil B. DeMille Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille Screenplay By: Alan LeMay, Jesse Lasky Jr., Charles Bennett, Jeanie Macpherson Based on the novel By: Thelma Strabel Music by: Victor Young MAIN CAST: Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey, Robert Preston, Susan Hayward, Lynne Overman, Charles Bickford, With a host of great supporting character actors including: Louise Beavers, Hedda Hopper, Victor Kilian, Oscar Polk, James Flavin, Milburn Stone (Doc from "Gunsmoke"), Great action film as only DeMille could do it. 1840's America is stretching it's commerce muscles and wooden ships powered by sail & early steam are manned by iron men and threatened by pirate wreckers. Ray Milland and John Wayne (in one of his first anti-hero roles) vie for the same gorgeous lady: Paulette Goddard. Some of my favorite action scenes: Milland, Wayne & Goddard team up to beat the gang hired to shanghai them and end up selling them to the whaling captain instead. Wayne and Milland battle a giant squid. The Southern Cross striking the reef, and later goes to the bottom, during the squall. Tidbit: Ray Milland reportedly blamed the hair curling process used when making this film as responsible for his "premature" male pattern baldness. Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 5, 2011 7:46 PM

*Kinokima,* I like your list and have actually seen (and enjoyed) most of the films in it. *I actually prefer the Disney Version (guilty look)* I saw the Disney animated version before I saw the earlier French one. I really enjoy most of the Disney productions, especially their animated movies (I've never grown out of that) but when I saw Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete (1946) I was impressed by how many of the scenes were staged so much alike. ie the candlesticks, etc. Granted they were both using the same source "Fairy Tale" but it appeared to me as if the Disney animators used La Belle et la Bete as the inspiration for many of their scenes. I was further amazed when I considered that La Belle et la Bete was produced so soon after that horribly devestating war and Cocteau had to be very creative to compensate for what he lacked in money and material, etc. I think he pulled it off beautifully, and for me ( King Kong (1933) aside) La Belle et la Bete is the definitive rendition of Beauty and the Beast.

*For what its worth you get my vote!* Unfortunely I seriously doubt that those with the power are actually watching/using these boards. If they are then they are ignoring us.

End of round one, round two coming up shortly! I'm really enjoying this! Thanks again, Fred, for the heads up!

Man, thanks *cody1949* for bringing this up. I saw the 1949 original The Blue Lagoon decades ago, well before the Brook Shields remake. In fact, when I saw that second version I had a sense of deja vu. I surely would like to see the Jean Simmons version again, at least once before I die. I've not been able to locate it anywhere to rent or buy, so if TCM has it, I sure wish they'd show it.

It sounds like these special program events are getting detailed coverage everywhere except on the schedule itself, where I think most of us go to see what's coming up. As far as Now Playing, The Show is concerned, I enjoy it when I get a chance to see it, but if that is one of the few ways that I must now become informed about the significance of upcoming specials then I guess I'll have to make a mental note to record it each month so I hopefully won't miss something that I might want to see or learn about, since I can no longer rely upon a Monthly or Weekly or Daily schedule from TCM for that basic information. I guess I'm going to have to search this entire website and beyond (as Fred does) each month, for any shred of program details that are sorely lacking in the most basic, minimalistic fashion in the schedule that used to provide such information. Am I the only one to see how screwy this is. In the old days they'd call this "placing the cart before the horse." Once again, I thank Mr. Dobbs to bringing this to my attention as these are specials that I most definitely wouldn't want to miss, and likely would have were it not for the "outside" information that he provided in his post. So sad that this is what it has come down to. Oh how the mighty have fallen.... Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 3, 2011 2:00 AM

Is it just happenstance, or is there a "good" reason why close proximity repeat viewings of movies are arranged the way they are? *Suggestion For TCM Movie Programers* When a movie is scheduled to play twice within a 30 day period, for recent example: The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner , and Splendor In The Grass and one of those viewings is on Saturday evenings "Essentials" it seems to me that the Essentials viewing should take precedent over the non-Essentials viewing, rather than have the first viewing precede the Essentials presentation. "The Essentials" with Robert Osborn & Alex Baldwin allows much more time to provide background information about a particular film, and whets the appetite for an additional viewing. It leaves viewers in a better position to recommend the film to others and provides a nearby chance to see it again on the second replay. Can anybody explain why the scheduling is like the way it is regarding the above? Does anybody agree or disagree with this suggestion? If you disagree, please elaborate.

Thank you so much for this heads up, *Fred*! Absolutely zilch on the content of *Fragments* & *Unseen Cinema* (I guess they want to insure that it remains unseen) on either the *Month* print out *Schedule* and the *FULL TCM Schedule*. Boy I sure wish that somebody would take all this to heart and include a brief summary of what these movies and programs are in the schedule. Unless one is familiar with a title It's just like pot-luck without it. Thanks to your post I will be sure to have my recorder fired up and ready tomorrow night! Thank you again.

I think I remember seeing seeing The Old Dark House with Karloff, Laughton & Melvyn Douglas, et al sometime within the last two years, But I definitely concur with your entire list of great, seldom seen classics. If anybody with power is watching, please show all these Again, & maybe Again, say twice a year? as opposed to twice a decade, or longer.

Oh yeahhh! She's the main reason I used to watch The Munsters.

Great links *Kyle*, so we know some of them have been shown here on TCM in the not so distant past. Sure would like a "Request A Movie" site back on these boards so that I could suggest they replay them again.

*traceyk65* Thanks for sharing those clips. Now I want to watch TTC again right away! All those late, great actors. Anne Baxter was hot too! Wasn't she. When I think of Yul Brynner it is most often in the context of the three characters he played in The King & Eye, The Magnificent Seven, and of course, Ramses in The Ten Commandants. I've seen him in numerous other roles that I liked, but those three are the ones that most often come to mind. I remember when at the end of his life he did that infomercial about the hazards of smoking! I'd just seen West World and he looked as strong as ever. Up until then I had no idea he was suffering from cancer. So sad to loose them so young. BTW, I saw those three on the "big screen" as well, which may be why they stand out so well for me. Edited by: Stephan55 on Apr 2, 2011 11:48 PM

*Fred said:* *I grew up seeing the old 1930s and '40s horror films shown on TV in the 1950s. They were shown often. There were several syndication companies that sold or rented their packages to local TV stations all over the country.* Yeah, I remember watching a lot of them on TV too in the late 50's. They seemed as common as flies back then. Forerunner ghoul hosts that preceded Elvira such as Jeepers Creepers, Ghoulita, and I vaguely remember Vampira used to show them all the time, or at least once weekly. I remember seeing The Fly, The Alligator People, I Was A Teenage WereWolf (with a pre- Bonanza Michael Landon), and The Creature movies (among others) at drive-ins in the late 50's. I was a Sci-Fi/Horror film fanatic as a kid, and my parents would sometimes treat me to a late Friday night at the drive-in. Boy you sure brought up a lot of old memories with that post!

I remember seeing a 24 hr Holloween marathon of all those great Universal films, maybe 10 or so years ago. Maybe I saw them on TCM. I remember they also showed the whole Creature from the Black Lagoon series and both the Spanish & English versions of Dracula (1931). I do remember that they were shown commercial free and I recorded several on VHS tape, at the time, but sadly, I don't know where those tapes are now, A lot happened after 9/11. If it was TCM what happened to cause them to shelve these great originals for all these years? They can evidently resurrect Frankenstein in Aprill 2011, why not more of the rest?

Does TCM not have access to those great horror classics? I'd love to have a whole night (or more) of these 1930's-40's Universal horror classics shown commercial free on our favorite channel. Any chance of that happening?

I can only get as far as June 1 on the FULL TCM Schedule. Still only the current month in the printable MONTH Schedule... No plot summaries, errors with Letterbox vs full screen, inaccurate color vs B&W, No database links, No ability to select a local time zone before printing.... Hopefully we are inching along back in the right direction...... yawn

Man, I can almost, but not quite imagine what a spectacle it must have been to see S & D in a big screen theater. I envy you Fred.

Thanks *johnm_001* for resurrecting this thread from 2007. I enjoyed reading through it. *Cinemascope said:* *Can't even began to imagine what impact it might have made on viewers when it was brand new, and this was part of the long drive to get people out of their living rooms and away from TV's.* I first saw the 1956 version of The Ten Commandments in a local theater in the early 60's. I, and the group I was watching it with, thought that it was just amazing! Of course at that age the special effects especially turned us on, we'd not seen anything like it before. It was a re-release, but we all thought that it was a brand new film at the time. In the early 60's I also went to a Saturday matinee and saw my favorite film of all time, the original 1933 King Kong. It was advertised as a restored, unedited version, and it had maybe 3 minutes of partial scenes that had been removed for TV, restored. But seeing it on the big screen, with a brand new youthful audience squealing with excitement only added to my Kong movie experience like never before or since. In 1969 I was visiting my grandmother. We went to town and watched a re-release of Gone With The Wind at the same theater, and maybe even sat in the same seats, that she and my mother sat in when they first saw it in 1940. It was the first time I'd ever seen GWTW and it was on the big screen with surround sound. It was like being in a time machine. Suddenly it was 1939 and I was watching GWTW! You are right, nothing, not even giant screen TVs can compare to watching a movie in a theater with an audience.