markfp2
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Posts posted by markfp2
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So true, until the Erie Canal opened around 1825, most of New York State was nothing more than a vast wilderness with an occasional small village surrounded by farms.Today one can drive from the Hudson River at Albany to the Great Lakes in about five hours, back then it took several days on a canal boat and that was considered amazingly swift.
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The decision to show THE GREAT ESCAPE, or any film for that matter, in two-parts would be that of the network or local station that ran it. Any shorts used to fill out the time slot would have been their choice too.
Unless the shorts had to do with the making of that film and were provided by the studio, or somebody recognizes the title, it might be difficult to track them down just based on the fact that they happened to run after a specific film.
Most of the times "fillers" were chosen at the last minute, after the station's film editor knew how much time was left when all the commercials were added in, so it's not likely they'd show up in any TV listings.
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Thanks for posting that Fred. I've lived my whole life in upstate New York and have gone through the Mohawk Valley hundreds of times. The New York State Thruway (I-90), west from Albany, goes right through it. Lots of history in this part of the state. Too bad they didn't actually film the movie here instead of in Utah.
Two other Henry Fonda films, CHAD HANNA, and THE FARMER TAKES A WIFE also take place in the same general vicinity. All three were based on novels written by Walter D. Edmonds who wrote extensively about pioneer life in the Mohawk Valley.
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I think most of us have "secret pleasure" films that we love to watch even though others frown upon them. I know I do, but those will remain a secret.
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OOPS!
Sorry duplicate post/
Edited by: markfp2 on Jan 21, 2014 12:41 PM
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It's pretty much always been that most of the various TV networks and local stations tossed in the towel and didn't even try to do any serious counter-programming against The Super Bowl.
Sometimes they'd try going with female-oriented programs or movies, but times have changed and a lot of the ladies watch the game too. Even folks who normally wouldn't watch a regular game will tune in to The Super Bowl because it's an event that everybody will be talking about the next day.
TCM knows whatever it schedules will attract a smaller than usual audience and they probably just try to vary the theme each year. I don't really think it matters what they show.
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I recently read that the average price of a movie ticket in 2013 was a record high $8.13 and got curious about what it's like in different places.
In my little corner of the world (upstate NY) all the first-run theaters are multiplexes, ranging from 10 to19 screens, and owned by the same major circuit. The normal adult price is $10.50 with a $3.50 surcharge for 3-D and $17.50 for IMAX. Matinees and senior tickets are two bucks cheaper.
The best deal around is at the last remaining second-run house which only charges $1.75 for normal films and $3.50 for 3-D.
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You're right, a lot of them where only 18 or 19 an often the pilots in their very early 20's. I figure my dad was 22 or 23 so he was probably considered the "old man" of his crew.
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For anyone who loves THE QUIET MAN, I recommend the book "The Complete Guide To The Quiet Man" by Des MacHale published in 2000 by Appletree Press. It's loaded with great behind the scenes stories and information plus color photos. Well worth reading and adding one's book collection.
While it's out-of-print and Amazon is selling new copies at heart-stopping prices, used and paperback versions are available at much more affordable prices.
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>mrroberts said: "Men who flew on the bombing missions suffered some of the highest casualty rates of WW2. I believe only submarine duty was more hazardous."
From everything I've read that's true, so it wouldn't have taken long for the odds to turn decisively against the crews. The more they flew the worst the odds got. I expect that a lot of them resigned themselves to the fact the sooner or later they'd get it.
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Thanks for recommending the book. I just placed an order for with our local library and am looking forward to reading it.
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>roverrocks said:: " My father also was a bomber co-pilot over Europe in WW2.
My Dad was a ball-turret gunner on a B-24 during WWII based in England. As I've gotten older and learned more about it, it must have been a terrible experience for, not only him, but everybody in those bomber crews. While he loved to tell stories about England and the people he knew, like so many others, he would never talk about his combat experiences.
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>smitty1931 said: "Is it true that the major female actress had written into their contract that they did not have to work when they had their period?"
And just why would that be anybody's business?
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>finances said: "When you reserved a seat, could you ask for seat 15 on row 7? Suppose they didn't sell out the reserved seats?"
Reserved seats were exactly that, specific seats assigned and reserved for the buyer. Nobody else could sit in them. Usually, tickets were sold on "a best available seat" basis, but if somebody wanted certain seats, say in a specific row, they could get them as long as they were still available.
If the showing wasn't sold out in advance, tickets would be sold at the box office right up until showtime. Those tickets were also reserved and were for specific seats. Nobody could just walk in an take any seat.
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>SanFin said: "It is my understanding that the movie was far longer and was cut by order of studio executives.
As the story goes, the head of the studio did want John ford to cut ten minutes out of it so theaters could squeeze in another show each day, but Ford refused, Finally after much argument, Ford took the last reel, cut off the final ten minutes and spliced on "The End" which, of course, ended it right in the middle of the big fight.
He screened the film for the studio head and said that was the only way he would cut it and made his point. The ten minutes was restored and the film was released just as Ford wanted it.
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>PaulTManuel said ".....but I pay $5.95 per month to have TCM, "
You do realize, I hope, that your cable company is gouging you. It's general knowledge, in the cable business that, depending what can be negotiated, TCM gets paid more in the range of 25-50 cents per subscriber. Anything above that goes right in your cable company's pocket.
Not say, that if TCM wasn't included in my satellite package, I wouldn't gladly pay six bucks a month to get it, but nobody should think that TCM is getting all that money.
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My wife and I don't usually go out New Years Eve so since she's a morning person who goes to sleep a lot earlier than night owl me , I usually do my own personal movie marathon well into the beginning of the New Year.
Usually it's a different genre each year. This time, since I love British comedy, everything from the sophisticated to the silly, I'm leaning towards the latter and plan to watch the "Carry On" films starting with the first and then in order as far as I can make it.
In case you're wondering, my wife and I do "pop the cork" at midnight, but since she's 100% Irish we do it when it's midnight in Dublin, which is 7pm here.
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What turned me off to TV Guide wasn't the change in size, but the fact that they stopped listing the overnight schedules.
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The studios have discovered that they can make tons of money by putting Christmas movies out for bid every year. Networks that otherwise would never show an old black &white film go nuts trying to outbid the others. Some years TCM gets them and some years other networks outbid them.
Be assured that if TCM isn't showing them, both films will turn up someplace although probably edited and loaded with commercials. Of course, it's all those commercials that give those channels such very deep pockets and the ability to outbid TCM.
My suggest is if you want to see them as they were meant to be seen, watch them on DVD.
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>sfpcc2 said "I was looking for the obvious....."
Well, I worked in television for 40 years, so I guess I'm more attuned to looking for the small things than most people. Those where what our boss use to yell the loudest about.
I don't know for certain, but I'd be willing to bet that they recorded one of the dress rehearsals and were rolling it as a backup just in case of some major problem happening like a set falling over or one of the main performers takes a misstep and breaks an ankle.
On stage they can always stop the show for 20-30 minutes while the stagehands put the set back together or they get the understudy ready, but they can't very well sit in black that long on TV.
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>sfpcc2 said: "No glitches."
It took some re-watching on the DVR, but I caught a small one.
It's at the point in the ball sequence when Max Detweiler shows up and is talking to the countess, as he starts to walk up the stairs they cut to a shot of her then when they cut back to him the picture is badly out of focus and then is corrected. Obviously the director took the shot before the camera operator was finished refocusing as Max went up the stairs.
Still, considering how complicated a show of that size is to produce and live no less, If that's the worst technical glitch in the show then I'd say the production crew did a pretty great job.
The one thing that really annoyed me had nothing to do with the actual production. Apparently, as often happens with live shows,it must have run 15 or 20 seconds long and our local NBC station dumped out of it during the closing credits and started the local news. Pretty tacky if you ask me since they were showing rehearsal footage behind the credits.
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It's certainly important to get the word out, but for serious film buffs, I don't think it's much of a surprise. For years, it's been estimated that "up to 80%" of all silent films are lost.
We can't do anything about those that are gone, but we need to do a better job of preserving and restoring the surviving films. While, archives like the Library of Congress, The George Eastman and others do what they can preserve those prints, none of them have the almost unlimited funds needed to restore all them. Almost every day choices have to made as to what will be restored and what won't..
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Could it have been Richard Widmark instead of John Wayne? I'm thinking it was RED SKIES OF MONTANA (1952). It was the story of the "smoke jumpers" who parachute in to fight forest fires. There is a scene where they did dig holes and cover themselves with fire-retardant tarps. Sadly, it was very similar to the tragedy last summer when 19 firefighters were killed fighting a forest fire out west.
I don't recall if TCM has shown it, but it turns up now and then on the Fox Movie Channel.
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Can you say "bootlegger"? That's what any company that sells films that are not in public domain (and many on their list aren't) is. Having said that, if people want to buy from them that's their business.
Before ordering, read their "terms & conditions", I did, and what the buyer is doing is waiving all their legal rights to take any action against the company. Basically, if you send them money and don't get your DVD, you're out of luck. I'm not a lawyer, but it also looks to me that they're selectively quoting parts of the copyright laws to make what they do all sound legal.
The biggest problem I have with outfits like this is providing them with my credit card or checking account number. If you really must order from them, use care. You also might want to consider checking with the BBB in their area. Good luck.
DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK... true story
in General Discussions
Posted
>Swithin said: "I love the beauty of New York State....."
Most people who come here say the same thing and are often surprised at the beauty of the rolling hills,gorgeous lakes, farmlands and mountains. Until they come here, a lot of them expect the whole state to be like New York City and that we all ride the subway to get around.