markfp2
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Posts posted by markfp2
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Welcome to the boards. Without knowing exact titles, it's hard to say specifically. However, keep in mind that many films shown on TCM are 70-80 years old and older films tend to have more noise than modern recordings. With state of the art recording techniques we've become accustom to with modern movies, we often tend to forget about the relatively primitive recording devices of early films.
I watch or record at least some films from TCM every day and I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary.
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> {quote:title=faceinthecrowd wrote:}{quote}
> I wonder if the Alastair Sim CHRISTMAS CAROL (aka SCROOGE) qualifies. When the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Future show him scenes, there is a whirlpool effect, and hourglasses tumbling. Scrooge isn't "there" -- he's only an observer -- but it's something like time travel.
I don't see it as a time travel movie. Scrooge really isn't traveling through time, he's only being shown his past and what his future could be if he doesn't change his ways. As you say, he's only an observer. He hasn't left his present time and can't participate in the other times he's shown. Depending on how one interprets the story, some might even conclude that it was all just a dream.
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> {quote:title=HarryLong wrote:}{quote}
> >>there doesn't seem to anything but abysmal public domain copies out there
> There was one version released on the Allied Artists label (that's the studio that produced it) - it was a bit pricey so I never bought it; can't say what the quality is.
Actually, AA was only the U.S. distributor, it was produced by a British company, Security Pictures, but that doesn't matter. I"ve seen maybe a dozen different DVDs of it and while I can't remember specifics, I'm pretty sure that I saw the AA version.
and for some reason I didn't care for it. So with hopes that the restored version will soon be released I will just wait with crossed fingers. As Holly mentioned, maybe we'll see it in time for Halloween.
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I just saw a promo for TCM's film festival and I was only half paying attention when Robert O said "and the world premiere of the restored science fiction classic THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS". I was so surprised that I backed it up and listened to it again just to make sure I heard it correctly.
I haven't read about a restoration, but I'm delighted since there doesn't seem to anything but abysmal public domain copies out there. I'd given up hope for ever getting a great copy. Hopefully this will lead to DVD release _very_ soon and maybe even a tie-in screening on TCM.
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THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD was been shown several times on TCM, but if you'd like to own it, it's part of a double feature DVD along with another fun '50's horror film IT! TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE. You can get it throught TCM's shopping link or other online retailers.
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I think if you record it and listen to it backwards you'll find a secret message.
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> {quote:title=TikiSoo wrote:}{quote} And go home with a "Dragonwyck" lobby card of Vincent Price in a graveyard for $5!
Wow! How did I miss that one? looks like you got the bargain of the show.
You summed up Cinefest very well. If folks are looking for CASABLANCA or SINGIN' IN THE RAIN it's not for them, but for those like you and me who want to see rare and obscure films that aren't shown anywhere else, it's the place to be.
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> {quote:title=MissGoddess wrote:}{quote} Why would the Message Board administrators or TCM seek to appease "everyone" when that clearly indicates giving equal consideration to trolls and legitimate members alike
I have to agree with you. Those of us who post in a civil manner, even when disagreeing, should certainly be considered over the trolls and troublemakers. The people who come here only to "stir up the pot" don't deserve the same.
Problems like these aren't limited to this site and others have taken some drastic steps. One non-movie site I regularly go to got so bad, that they required everyone to re-register and only allowed real names on the boards. I can tell you that without their "cloak of invisibility" the trolls left very quickly.
Not that I'm suggesting that such a step be taken here, I'm just pointing out that it's a very widespread problem and forum administrators are going crazy trying set things straight.
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Cinefest 30 in Syracuse, NY was another smashing success. Long-time Cinefest attendee Leonard Maltin has written a very interesting review complete with photos. If you've never attended a film convention here's a good chance to see what it's all about. Hope the bug will bite you and we'll see you at Cinefest 31.
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> {quote:title=infinite1 wrote:}{quote} And how can we get TCM to avoid this kind of error in the future?
The problems fall in two categories. The first is when a distributor sends TCM the wrong version. No doubt they complain and are usually successful in getting the correct version which is rescheduled, but they really are at the mercy of the studios and distributors as to what is sent to them.
As for human error on the part of TCM, after the embarrassment of twice having the wrong versions of films pulled off the shelf run in a week, not to mention a commercial meant for one of Turner's other channels run on TCM by mistake, I have a feeling that that there has been a major review of operating procedures in the Turner broadcast center. Hopefully that will help avoid future errors.
As viewers, I think the best we can do is show our displeasure when things like that happen.
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You need to understand that when TCM or any network makes a deal with a studio, it doesn't necessarily mean that a big truck is going to pull up and dump tapes of all their films on its doorstep. More often than not the film contracts are over several years and may be restricted to a specific number of titles per year.
Why? Sometime it's for economic reasons such as spreading the cost over a number of years (especially important if it's a very expensive deal), or maybe all the titles aren't available yet. It could be some are still under contract to another network and TCM can't get them until that contract expires or as we've seen with some of the Columbia films, they have yet to be transferred to a digital format. There can be many reasons.
As for the Universal horror films like Frankenstein and Dracula, I'd be surprised if those are included. In the last ten years or so they've been shown on TCM, AMC, Chiller, Cinemax and other channels. It's obvious that Universal has found it can make tons of money by leasing them for short periods and then putting them up for bid again. Even if the major horror titles aren't available, perhaps some of the lesser, rarely shown ones will be and TCM will show them for Halloween.
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Maybe, not in the "star" category as some named, but one of my very favorites was Maureen Stapleton who grew up in my hometown of Troy, NY. Besides being a terrific actress, she was a delightful person and a big movie fan too. When I was a teenager, I worked as an usher at a local theater and when she wasn't working in a film or on Broadway, she'd come back home and would always go to the movies every time the program changed.
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One of my favorites. It gets shown fairly often on FMC and is on DVD, but I'm glad to see it on TCM.
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I doubt it would even be possible. The show is syndicated to something like 200 stations across the country. I seriously doubt that TCM could (or would want to) pay enough to replace what those 200 stations pay. Unless of course, they started running commercials and we sure don't want to open that door.
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$700 or so was what I paid for a basic, non-stereo model. It was actually more than I payed for the car I was driving then. You're correct though, the early prices were really high. As I remember, I waited a couple of years before I bought one so by then the prices were coming down. I think a lot had to do with the Beta vs. VHS war. I don't remember for sure, but I'm thinking that perhaps those big heavy ones were priced to move because recent models were much smaller and lighter.
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$700 or so was what I paid for a basic, non-stereo model. It was actually more than I payed for the car I was driving then. You're correct though, the early prices were really high. As I remember, I waited a couple of years before I bought one so by then the prices were coming down. I think a lot had to do with the Beta vs. VHS war. I don't remember for sure, but I'm thinking that perhaps those big heavy ones were priced to move because recent models were much smaller and lighter.
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> {quote:title=hamradio wrote:}{quote} I still have the Sears VCR but I don't use it much, mostly for dubbing.
Boy, they sure made those things to last. I forget the exact year, but in the late 1970's I bought my first VCR, a Betamax, from Sears. It was a monster which weighed at least 40 pounds and cost about $700. (big bucks back then) It ran for about 30 years. As I recall, the only thing I had to do to was replace the drive belts after about 16 or 17 years. You won't see that happening with today's electronics.
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> {quote:title=redriver wrote:}{quote} This is why I have TWO bad copies of QUICKSAND. You'd think one would be enough!
Don't feel too bad, for years I've been trying to get a decent copy of Delmar Dave's great thriller THE RED HOUSE. I'll bet between VHS and DVD I've bought at least a dozen copies. Every time I'd see one from a different company I'd spring for it in hopes in would be "the one". Turns out they were originally mastered from the same 16mm print.
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It really is amazing how many made-for-TV movies, both good and not so good, have pretty much just vanished. I can somewhat understand it when a film was made by an independent production company that's long been out business, but a major studio like Universal not even having a record of it is just plain crazy.
FEAR NO EVIL was in a Universal movie package that was syndicated to local TV stations in the 1970's. I know because the station I worked for back then had it until about 1977. Either Universal's records are really screwed up or somebody just didn't look far enough.
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I know I'm aging myself, but way back around 1960 when I was about 14 and just getting interested in classic films, I save up money from my paper route and bought an 8mm print of THE LOST WORLD and that's what started it all.
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It would have been funnier if it had happened on April 1st.
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> {quote:title=Fey95 wrote:}{quote}
> I have a couple of movies that have never been shown on TCM and I have always wondered why.
Welcome to the boards. Much as we would like to see it, TCM doesn't have access to every film ever made.
As for the two you mentioned, MARGIE is a 20th Century-Fox film and, while TCM does show some Fox films, it appears to be one that they keep for their own Fox Movie Channel. Having said that, you never know, maybe one day it will show up on TCM.
SCARLET ANGEL was released by Universal. TCM seems to have struck a deal with that studio and more of its films are making the schedule.
All things considered, I think that the chances of both those films showing up on TCM are better now than say a couple of years ago. Just keep you fingers crossed and keep watching the schedules.
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I guess one should never say never, but I think a lot of us feel that it won't be. Disney just doesn't want to address the controversy. Too bad.
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I saw something about this a couple of days ago in one of the NYC papers. Not that I have any say about it, but I'd much prefer seeing MGM go to a company like Time-Warner with a proven track record in the industry then some financial group put together just for the purpose of buying MGM. We've all seen the disasters when that's happened with other studios sales.
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I'm a big fan of Australian and New Zeland films. All the films mentioned are great, but what I'd love to see are more films from the 1930's through the 1950's. Very few seem to have made it to these shores back then. I'm not even sure many are even available now, but it would be an interesting theme for TCM to explore.