MovieProfessor

> {quote:title=Sprocket_Man mentions: > }{quote}(Newman) . . . As Head of Music, he offered steady employment to Bernard Herrmann, Franz Waxman, Cyril Mockridge, Hugo Friedhofer and David Raksin, and was happiest when he could hand out an assignment and indulge in his first love: conducting. Also Sol Kaplan, whose nice career at the studio during the early 1950's was somewhat cut short, due to accusations of Communist Party affilation that were never really proven.

> {quote:title=pturman wrote:}{quote}And MovieProfessor, I'm sure I don't have to remind you of the great Jet Rink theme--especially when he's pacing off his newly acquired land. I'm of the opinion that that's one of the strongest marriages of music & image Hollywood has ever rendered. OH MY GOD! Without question, one of the most beautiful, magnificent moments of the film!! The Jet Rink theme is one of the finest ever written for any film role. Even the love theme, "There's Never Been Anyone Else But You" has its own special high-tone moment, when Lesile and Jordan walk over to the horse-enclosure, before he's supposed to leave for Texas, they both look at each other, realizing they are in love and Dimi's music reaches a high-pitch strain, signifying this wanton passion. Another composer might have not given the scene such attention, but Dimi was a romantic Russian at heart and loved those types of musical interludes. :x

> {quote:title=pturman wrote: > }{quote}The sturdy Warner Bros. logo appears, the orchestra accents the first beat & quickly decrescendoes to a stead pulse...you just feel the power being restrained--as if you're sitting atop a powerful thouroughbred reined in to a trot but that is just itching to be off & running. And then . . .HOLD ON!!! BRAVO! Right on the money Ptuman! B-) And, the beautiful scene of the green Maryland hills, along with Dimi's music that follows the opening credits is wonderfully scored!

> {quote:title=Sprocket_Man you say: > }{quote}Someone dares to suggest that Tiomkin was an overrated, self-promoted semi-fraud who cobbled together strings of largely incoherent notes, and it sends bumblebees flying up the nearest... > > Well, be that as it may; as the old saying goes, it takes all kinds to make a world, but your "analysis" of Rozsa's career is so ludicrously off-target that it makes replying to it rather pointless . . . AH-HA! But you have replied! Oh well: "Once a grandstander, always a grandstander." Sooner or later, sitting in the bleachers brings on an uproar that can't be helped. B-)

What? . . . "El Cid?" Oh please! As far as I'm concern, it's no contest, with music themes throughout "El Cid" that puts one to sleep! Miklos did a better job on "King of Kings" that pretty much ended up relying on the success of "Ben Hur" and all the hoopla that went along with that previous effort for MGM. After all, Sam was one to prey upon the success of other films! The 1952 score for "Ivanhoe" and the 1954 "Knights of The Round Table," while mainstream, have a lot more life to them than "El Cid." And then, in 1962, one year aftert "El Cid" was released, tell about "Sodom and Gomorrah?" Or, might be referred to as: Miklos returns to the ancient desert! Ha! . . . One of the lousiest, most laughable scores for what was supposed to be another elaborate, big Biblical epic. I've heard scores for those crazy low budget "Sword and Sandal" films that were far and away better! After that endevor, Miklos would never again hit an epic high-note with his career. Of course, towards the end there was a reuniting with Billy and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." But then, I can't forget Duke Wayne, giving Miklos a chance to rekindle or at least keep the harmonious strains of his music going. I guess you'd say that his score for "The Green Berets" is as good as "Navarone?" If so, then I'll tend to think you might be tone death! What's with this harshness for Dimi? What's wrong? He never answered any letters? Did Dimi once refuse to give you an interview? Did you bump into him on the street and he wasn't nice? Well, as far as Miklos goes, he was a nice guy, just about as nice as Dimi was and I can't help but feel somewhat satisfied that Miklos sort of symbolically returned to his musical past glories with "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." Now that was a wonderful score, worthy of his once proud abilities and a fabulous way to go out . . . Just as did Al Newman in 1970! But then, over my long years, I tend to feel that Al was in so many ways superior to most other film music composers of that remarkable Hollywood era of film music.

> {quote:title=wouldbestar wrote: > }{quote}I read the other posts about Tiomkin, pro and con, and stand by my choice. The things that others found distracting are what I liked most. His music was unpredictable. I can always recognize his work. You are indeed, a star of the the highest, most shining magnitude! I also feel that "The Guns of Navarone" is one of the finest scores ever written for an action/adventure film. In this category, Dimi was supreme, way above his contemporaries. While it isn't really fair to compare, I remember 1955 and Warner Brothers having released two ancient epic films, back to back. The films were "Land of the Pharaohs" and "Helen of Troy." I'm a fan of both films and their lively music scores. Max Steiner handled "Helen of Troy," and Dimi "Land of The Pharaohs." What I find so striking is that while Max has his usual romantic overtones and a sense of melodrama to his score, Dimi's score really transforms the atmosphere to an enviroment we can believe, because of the strange and foreboding style his music projects. It leads to an astonishing sense of reality or what we might believe is part of that ancient era. The score Max wrote for his movie is fine, but lacks a solid sense of reciprocity to the time in which the story unfolds from. One of the most beautiful musical passages in Dimi's movie is actually quite simple, if not, unnoticeable. This happens during the scene the Pharaoh, as played by Jack Hawkins arrives to see what the stone-builder has created for the pyramid tomb. The stone-builder, as played by beloved Scottish actor James Robertson Justice, will then prove to Pharaoh his young son can lower a large stone, already built into a working prototype of what will eventually seal the pyramid. The exhilarating sound of Dimi's music as the stone is lowered has a strong and connected affect to what is happening on screen. In case point, Dimi has given the stone or the pyramid itself to come, its very own haunting theme! There are simply wonderful, individual themes associated to the characters, as well as the events that formulate the movie! Unfortunately, for Max, he basically, (as he had done in other films) stuck to one heavily laden theme throughout "Helen of Troy." In my book, what made Dimi so wonderful was the way he objectively placed his themes that were at times somewhat resounding, but at the same time so easy to accept and had an unmistakable style that was so different and yet could also be felt as being fresh and alive! B-)

> {quote:title=Sprocket_Man wrote:}{quote}{font:Arial}>...{font}{font:Arial} > > > > Well, I don't see how something can be both "maybe" and "definitely." You've got to choose one or the other, but not both. "After all, "maybe"'s already an equivocation, so you're equivocating on your equivocation. > > > > > > > > > > {font} Ok, regardless of the proper grammar, it was nothing more than my way of playing around with a morphology of uncertainty by combining two opposites. But, I think you're right on track about the possible real person the film (Bad and The Beautiful) is based upon. In this case, it had to be Selznick, one way or another. While the B.P. Schulberg theory does have some credence, the script to "The Bad and The Beautiful" leans too closely to Selznick, along the lines of the early half of the film and then when the Shields character alienates so many individuals he works with, due in large part to his excessive perfectionism, as was the original case with Selznick. One clearly interesting point you brought up was "ruthlessness." Selznick was not so ruthlessness, in that he simply bought whatever he wanted without any arm twisting, until he finally ran out of money and his studio faded out of Hollywood along with him.

{font:Arial}One basic known truth about Selznick was during the last eight years of his life, he was desperately trying to get something to happen. There was everything from a big Broadway musical version of “Gone with the Wind” to several popular novels he hoped could be made into film versions. Nobody of any real importance seemed interested in taking Selznick up on any possible idea or a decent offer. Most of the time, people in the business who would give him a little time to listen, just letting him talk up to a good amount of nothing; he never really gave up, at least until his heart eventually gave-in and he died. What chances there might have been for him, ended up shelved and his phone wasn’t ringing the next day to come to a meeting. He was those last years of his life, just an elder statesman of the motion picture past. He and Jennifer Jones did manage to live somewhat well or that Selznick wasn’t exactly broke. He just wasn’t viable along the lines of how the movie business had changed. There was simply no place for him to go, other than just live out a retirement that placed him in a position to be nothing more than at best, a classic motion picture novelty. I tend to feel he ended up in spirit like the character of Norma Desmond” from Billy Wilder’s classic film about {font}{font:Arial}Hollywood{font}{font:Arial}, “Sunset Boulevard.” Or, maybe, just maybe he was definitely the character of “Jonathan Shields” from the 1952 MGM drama about {font}{font:Arial}Hollywood{font}{font:Arial}, “The Bad and The Beautiful.” I guess we can take our pick? {font}

> {quote:title=Sprocket_Man wrote:}{quote} > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > PS: Bernard Herrmann's friends called him "Bennie," not "Bernie." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I STAND CORRECTED . . . Great point about the MGM (so called by the studio) Symphony Orchestra. It was in no way, ever in the same league as was the one at 20th Century-Fox and at Warner Brothers. Paramount was rather so-so and poor RKO never really got it together in time enough to be a contender. The Goldwyn Studios had a pretty good one, especially by the time the wonderful Hugo Friedhofer composed one of the finest scores for "The Best Years of Our Lives." In fact, there was a music faction in Hollywood that felt the old Goldwyn Recording Studio was the finest acoustically assembled, ever! I'm sure you know that it was with Al Newman, when he worked at the Goldwyn company, this legendary recording studio began to show its important and respected value. There's no doubt that Al Newman did a terrific job on "HTWWW." I even think his last score in 1970, "Airport" pretty much signified just how great he really was and I like to think he went out in a blaze of music scoring glory . . . He died not long after having finished working on the film. No matter what might be opinionated otherwise, he will always be for me the symbol of 20th Century-Fox's music department. But, I do really beleive that Al's other greatest of all accomplishments was aiding and guiding other new composers, who later went on to become greats in their own right. The list of names is most impressive! There simply wasn't any other film composer around Hollywood, who helped establish the careers of so many talented composers.

In defense of Sprocket Man, he didn't say "ill fated" . . . *I DID*.:0 In answer to your question, the production was riddled with a disorganized sense of direction. So much so, that director King Vidor walked out during production, having had enough of producer Selznick's meddling. The producer then decided on taking over the production himself; until he felt compelled to hire others to handle the remaining aspects to directing the film. Selznick is even credited with having written the screenplay. Some Hollywood insiders believe, the problems were due to actress Jennifer Jones, whom Selznick was having an affair with and there was reason to feel a scandal might explode. The press kept the situation under some raps, as Selznick carefully and skilfully manipulated the affair, by lots of distracted publicity on behalf of the production. Yet, there was lots of tension and so many disagreements between most of the major personnel involed with the film. It was as if Selznick had lost his once held iron hand or ability to satisfy those important to the production. The problems that the film had to forego were probably more related to Selznick having gone way over his head with the budget and keeping on top of whatever tabs or bills were owed. The end resutls, at least from a critical standpoint, were mostly negative reviews. Naturally, there was a feeling that Selznick was giving it the old "Gone With The Wind" try, this time with a different sort of classic American tale that appeared too spangled, shadowed by a superficial irascibility. When the movie was first released, it ran even longer than "Gone With The Wind," eventually being cut down for general release. The hostile reaction the film received, meant that Selznick now needed to rely on the rather suggestive nature of the love story, clouded by a lewd sense of opinions on whether or not the whole ordeal had been worth the effort. In a technical point, "Duel in The Sun" is hampered or not taken so seriously by the mainstream chroniclers of motion picture history, once the disclosure of its once hidden chaos came out into the open to be scrutinized. Over the years there's been so many theories on why Selznick decided to undertake this venture that began the decline of his once proud little independent production company. His independent studio was probably the best . . . I'd say even better than Sam Goldwyn's. But then, this is another issue, opened to all sorts of debate.

> {quote:title=Sprocket_Man wrote:}{quote}>...It's difficult for me to imagine that, had Selznick "cast" his composer using the usual method that Tiomkin would have been engaged to write the music, especially since it was well known around Hollywood that his score for William Wyler's 1940 THE WESTERNER was largely replaced by one written by Alfred Newman (though still credited to Tiomkin). > Now you've hit on something very, very interesting in that Al Newman ended up replacing Dimi in 1961 for "How The West Was Won." Anyway, what I think you don't seem to understand about Dimi or seem to have forgotten is that he, more than any other film composer, actually promoted this motion picture field in such a form as to give it a vigorous attraction to the general movie going public. By the late 1950's, Dimi was as famous to a motion picture as was any of its stars, writers, producers and of course the director. Musically speaking, I wouldn't exactly rank Dimi as the greatest of them all. My all time favorite composer, in terms of overall creativity must go to Bernie Herrmann. As for Dimi, he is for the most fascinating film composer of old Hollywood and definitely an important figure to the field, especially as to how he gave motion picture scoring lots of due respect and didn't sink into a sort of sophisticated disposition in order to make people think it was so "high and mighty" (to pun another title from another movie!) or too above the beacon call of the average person to accept! He took himself and this music field out into the open, making sure, as much of it was given top notice from a decidely strong personality.

> {quote:title=mrroberts wrote: > }{quote}One of my favorite film music scores is from *Gunfight At The O K Corral* , also one of my favorite movies. You are indeed sir, an officer and a gentleman! Anyway, Dimi loved westerns best, throughout his illustrious career in Hollywood. He was also extremely patriotic and came to appreciate the opportunities he received when first coming to America. Yet, when he embarked on what was his first attempt at a big western score was composed under an intense atmosphere. This was all brought on by producer David O. Selznick, during the making of his now ill fated western epic of 1947, "Duel In The Sun." Selznick clashed with Dimi over of all things, the "love theme" music. The celebrated producer felt the love theme wasn't precise in terms of conveying something of realistic romantic passion. This situation turned out to be a legendary confrontation between Selznick and Dimi, as Selznick listened to the score, later to insist, when he made love that wouldn't be the type of music spiraling inside his head! As far as Selznick was concern, it was all too much of a confused form of melodic strains. A lot of "four letter words" passed between Selznick and Dimi that day, most of which reflected upon how one best makes love! Well, in the end, the film was an artistic failure for Selznick, his first really big critical flop and Dimi took on some of the blame, if not, whatever else responsiblity for the motion picture having been considered an overzealous form of expression to what the historic western lifestyle was nothing like. It was rather strange to see Selznick the following year, after so much chaos, once again hire Dimi, this time for a more subdued score, mostly based around the classical works by Claude Debussy for "Portrait of Jennie." As nice a score Dimi turned out for this romantic endeavor, it was also filled with various amounts of tragic overtones. While considered a success, Dimi had that same year, what had to be one of his finest scores, this time another western, "Red River!" As with "Portrait of Jennie," Dimi once again relied on or borrowed from known music materials, while adding his own brand of exhilarating music. Many fans seem to always hold in high regard the music in the film. It's with "Red River" that Dimi's music scoring reputation began to take hold or at least become somewhat respected. From that time on, he was on his way to composing some of the most lively film scores of Hollywood history; especially his westerns! As for my personal favorite score of his, well I have to choose the 1958, "The Old Man and The Sea." My reasons for this are personal, only because I was around at the time of its making and watched some of the production unfold, both for the motion picture, as well as the music. Dimi was very, very proud of the Academy Award he received for the film. I've always believed, at this point in his career, he reached the heights of his abilities, making him the equal of others in the music field for motion pictures. Some of these other film composers had even invented various formulas for music scoring. In time, Dimi was right up there with Steiner, Newman, Korngold, Waxman, Rozsa, Herrmann and Young. He would become a member of the highest rank in this special fraternity of music makers that gave the movies so much excitiment. He would in later years, be something of a colorful figure, especially when out in public, speaking about his profession. It was a vocation that he came to understand so well and love with a passion above all things else!

{font:Times New Roman}Ok Sprocket Man, it’s now time for me to “take the gloves off!” But, before I get into it with you, I have to agree on one point . . . In reference to who was Jerry’s mentor, you are absolutely correct, it was in fact Alex and not Milkos. Upon becoming a successful film composer, it was Alex that Jerry sometimes consulted with over numerous music issues, after his association with Miklos. The situation was that Miklos showed Jerry “the ropes” to film scoring, while all along he was in awe of Alex.{font} {font:Times New Roman}Anyway, where you and I get into big trouble is saying: Dimitri was overrated!! Well, first off, Dimitri was a friend of mine! While you certainly have the right towards distaste to his style or music, he was a true and inspiring “giant” (to pun a word, if you remember the movie) to the whole aura of film scoring. I will admit that his harmonics can at times be melodramatic and high-toned, but it’s a form of music scoring that definitely has a recognizable sound and flare to its identity. The one thing I so admired about Dimitri was his ability to exult a film score towards showmanship and the whole idea that music gives a motion picture a background to compassion and lots of passion! {font}

> {quote:title=ValentineXavier . . . }{quote} Na . . . That's not it! {font:Times New Roman}Back in the days when things were rather rough throughout the “Great Depression” (and now maybe even these days!) people use to go to the grocery meat counter and buy at a cut-rate price, the nubs at the end of ham, bologna, and salami. While the phrase is generally known as “making ends meet,” in reference to financial matters, I placed it in a different context to signify another means relating to hard times and struggling to survive. {font}

{font:Arial}If there is one flaw LOA might have, it’s David Lean’s attempt to deal with the disturbed psychological aspects of T.E. Lawrence as opposed to the vast scope of creating what was essentially an epic production. This was a complicated story to tell, in the sense that the man was controversial from an emotional perspective. It was difficult for Lean and screenwriter Robert Bolt to decide just how far they would go in revealing the various unsettling personality traits that had nothing to do with the war story. If you’re an individual who knows little of these arguable mannerisms of T.E. Lawrence, watching the film leaves one having to deal with accepting the notion of grandeur to telling the story, as opposed to understanding what this man was really all about or what demons he carried with him until his untimely death. Some have speculated that he was even murdered out of fear of distaining or disgracing the British government, if it became publicly known of his personal life as it was all associated to his leadership exploits in the desert. While others will go on to say there was a conspiracy to murder {font}{font:Arial}Lawrence{font}{font:Arial}, because the British wanted to utilize him once again in the {font}{font:Arial}Middle East{font}{font:Arial} region, due to possible unrest brought on by both Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.{font} {font:Arial}So, it’s understandable why many people will find it mentally laborious to accept the film on the standing that it’s a rather shakily biography about a famous man, whose imagery was turned into a modern myth of sorts. What saves the motion picture from total oblivion is its spectacle and this is what is best remembered or perhaps what Lean and Bolt felt had to be dealt with and not so much what was surmised about the real person.{font} {font:Arial}Years ago, when the film was reissued in a full-length 70mm restored version in theaters, I was sitting next to a friend at intermission, when I decided to asked: “Do you think, when {font}{font:Arial}Lawrence{font}{font:Arial} was with the two boys in the desert, trying to get back to {font}{font:Arial}Cairo{font}{font:Arial}, he was. . .” My friend then shifty and cunningly interrupted me to answer: “You mean was he **** the two kids? . . . Of course he was . . .” At that moment, several people situated around us, having heard what was said, became very perturbed. A woman responded to my friend by saying, “How could you be so obscene?” My friend replied, “It’s just a part of history that isn’t discussed or revealed about T. E. Lawrence.” Truth is I really wasn’t going in that direction, but because he obviously knew of the personal controversies surrounding {font}{font:Arial}Lawrence{font}{font:Arial} this was what had been in his frame of mind in relation to the legend created; most of which was shaped by newspaper reporter and later newsreel commentator Lowell Thomas. I was as stunned as anyone else that heard what was said, having always preferred the beauty and epic majesty of the movie. It was a little incident that turned out to be a reminder of what isn’t generally discussed about the life and times of T.E. Lawrence. Certainly, Lean and Bolt weren’t about to go to any full extreme in a disclosure to this hidden issue concerning {font}{font:Arial}Lawrence{font}{font:Arial} and they kept it all at a minimum of symbolic revelation. {font}

Funny . . . I didn't even notice the title of the movie had been overlooked!:^0

{font:Times New Roman}Accordingly, Winni Shaw’s death at the end of “Lullaby of Broadway” had nothing to really do with the final finished script. The idea of her death was concocted by Busby Berkeley (his first time up as director), along with a few suggestions by songwriters Harry Warren and Al Dubin. The character was created solely for the dance number that is today considered a classic by way of an exulting atmosphere that becomes a little “film within a film!” Busby and for that matter, Harry and Al knew all too well about the fast paced, wild and crazy lifestyles of so many young girls coming to the big city, looking to climb their way up (at any cost) the ladder to high society. There was a sort of speculation that Busby based the character on a real girl. In this case, she was believed to be a girl first known to writer Damon Runyon and then John O’Hara. Both writers would in later years divulge their own stories about this “Broadway Baby” theme that incorporated the basic idea she was really a simple minded trollop.{font} {font:Times New Roman}As for the circumstance of the death, she simply over exerts herself to the point of standing at the edge of the (rooftop) nightclub balcony-window and just slips to her death. Naturally, there can be numerous ways to interpret the death. Many fans and some film historians believe that Busby was signifying the rather pointless and wild lifestyle a “Broadway Baby” undergoes at the top of the social order, only to tragically discover it isn’t really so rewarding and definitely not so stable! So, in a moment’s glory of toasting a world she thinks loves and admires her, the girl ends up leaning too far off her beaten track and she falls down (“into the dumps” as Cole Porter would say) from where she came: "the hustle and bustle of old Braodway!" The character symbolically dies from the over indulgence of a glamorous life; meanwhile, the rest of the world struggles and tries to “make ends meat” into the next day as “The Great Depression” wears on. {font}

{font:Verdana}I’m headed to a private screening of this British film next week. If the buzz about this movie is right, it may very well turn out to be something of a successful dramatic block-buster. Certainly, the idea that it’s based on a book about Marilyn’s time in England, while filming “The Prince and The Showgirl” should stimulate a lot of curiosity by the fans to see the movie. I’m not so sure just how historically accurate is the story the film is based on. There have been a few doubtful rumblings about whether or not several of the private occurrences between filmmaker Colin Clark and Marilyn were said to have happened. There's something of a credibility gap, amid others who say {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} had spread his tale out and over too many issues that appear to have an exaggerated climate. {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana}’s whole story, even before anyone sees the movie is just too predicable for most to say “we’ve seen this all before” or “here’s another lovesick devoted guy hooked by Marilyn.” It’s likely that {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} could have had a short liaison with the blonde icon. All of this happened, while she was alone in {font}{font:Verdana}London{font}{font:Verdana}, while her husband writer Arthur Miller was gone from the scene. {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} was then a young assistant director during the making of “The Prince and The Showgirl” and was said to have been called upon to keep Marilyn entertained and out of trouble. This is an obvious situation that made it very easy for {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} to widen his memories without any other witnesses and feed upon Marilyn’s well known instability. {font} {font:Verdana}Now, ever since Marilyn died, there have been scores of people coming out of the woodwork or the distant shadows with tales about their having known her or had some brief encounter that changed the course of their lives. The trouble with these events, turned into books to later be a cable movie of the week or now a major film ends up not so readily able to be researched and its all just a one-sided affair from the perspective of the storyteller. There is no doubt that anything concerning Marilyn can be of hot interest to countless fans that to this day still don’t get enough of her. What all of this does is just add more fuel to the fire of Marilyn’s legend and the myth that has shrouded her real existence for over 50 years! We have to take into account that the makers of “My Week with Marilyn” will have taken their own liberties with things that can never be proven, let alone, just give the most famous blonde of the 20th Century more sensationalism. At this stage in the game, my only question is when we will finally see a film version of Marilyn’s affair with JFK? A lot of people have been waiting a very long time for somebody to tackle that side of the {font}{font:Verdana}Monroe{font}{font:Verdana} doctrine. This is especially the case with today’s explicit way of doing things! Well, for now, the British have beaten us Yankees to the punch with the latest, modern version of a Marilyn tale.B-) {font}

*FOR ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED:* *http://www.myweekwithmarilynmovie.com/B-)*

{font:Verdana}I tend to agree with you "darkblue" . . . When a motion picture becomes as successful as was “Titanic,” this alone sets into motion a sense of remembrance to the point of the sensationalism that evolved. Everything about the movie becomes a topic of discussion. It doesn’t matter what faults the movie might have in general, due to an overwhelming response by both the critics and the movie going public. “Titanic” certainly isn’t a perfect sort of film as the likes of say “Gone with the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “{font}{font:Verdana}Casablanca{font}{font:Verdana},” or “Citizen Kane.” What it does have is this atmosphere to strive beyond the basic simplicity there is to most filmmaking. What also gives the film an added push is the fact that it is representing an actual tragic event. This creates an imaginative extension for the audience to contemplate and therefore the technicalities of the movie become center point to its success and not so much the script or even the performances. This is a movie that gets lost in the overall scope and mood of its presentation and this turns out to be the real star of the motion picture. It’s a classic by way of its production values that are in so many respects rather accurate and convincing enough to make most audiences find the film so fascinating. The issue here is whether not somebody spending several hours in a movie theater will later on walk out of the theater and take to heart a memory of what they have experienced. If there are enough people to talk about what they have seen and give it a vast amount of attention (Good or even Bad!) that’s all that’s needed to say: It’s a classic!{font}

{font:Verdana}This can be an interesting question, if it’s posed towards an established, big movie star. For instance, Fred Astaire rightfully retired from dancing around 1970. He clearly stated he was too old to physically feel fit enough to offer something new and fresh to his repertory. He would have wanted to continue in some form of musical subject matter or at least give his fans a bit of his legendary zeal, but his era of musical genre had in some ways come to its end and Fred bowed out of generally dancing or what everybody knew he was so famous for. In his remaining years, it was rather strange to see him still acting, in non-musical roles! Of course, the same could be said of Gene Kelly.{font} {font:Verdana}There has been to some extent, a bit of speculation on just how much time the mighty Clark Gable had to his career, had he not died in 1960, at the age of 60, right after he filmed “The Misfits” with Marilyn. {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} had already been making interesting plans about several roles he thought he would consider. Still a top star at the time of his death, there were never any doubts or reason to contemplate, {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} taking on any sort of secondary or supporting role, let alone second billing. The real heated mysterious point to {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} is whether or not he would finally make a TELEVISION appearance in whatever venue might have suited him. Certainly, he never had any second thoughts about quitting or finally settling down on his huge ranch just outside of Los Angles.{font} {font:Verdana}One of biggest of all absurdities that should have led to a retirement was that of Errol Flynn. He was by the late 1950s, pretty much a senseless joke. He was irrational to the point that he wasted himself away with too much booze and womanizing, looking two times his age, burnt out, without any real solid prospects to keeping his career so viable. Errol still had his legion of fans, world wide, but the movie industry or the one that really counted, both in the U.S. and parts of Europe wasn’t about to invest in Errol. So, as crazy and drunk as he had become, he settled on producing his own films. Who can ever forget his masterpiece of junk, “Cuban Rebel Girls,” starring his 17 year old mistress? Poor Errol . . . What a hell of a way to end one’s career, if not, even his life! He died shortly afterwards with his teenage girl friend in a hotel room. I imagine the strain of who he once was must have finally caught up the reality of who he now had become! If anything might be said about Errol’s death is that unlike the false rumor about how John Garfield died, in Errol’s case, he did die “In the Saddle!” My guess is that Errol wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! {font} {font:Verdana}It’s sometimes a bit harder for a woman or actress to stay on top of the show biz game. I remember Bette Davis at age 50, taking out an ad in a show business trade paper, asking for a job! Well, somehow Bette managed to stay within or under the spotlight with a few good and even lucky career choices at around the early 1960s. Bette’s great rival Joan Crawford, didn’t fare as well, ending up in crazy, low-budget films. The big difference had to be luck and the choices of materials available. Some fans might believe that for Joan acquiring a rough and tough reputation, it must have come back to haunt her or spoil her chances. But, the same could be said of Bette. I think that Joan simply couldn’t reinvent herself as well as Bette was able to do. The saddest thing for Joan were those last years of her life, living pretty much alone in her New York apartment, waiting for her phone to ring with some new deal or possible project to consider. There would only be an occasional TV appearance that really didn’t amount to much for Joan. Sadly, nobody of any important substance was interested in taking up with the legendary star of {font}{font:Verdana}Hollywood{font}{font:Verdana}. Joan had to face the issue of what some in the business termed as a “forced retirement!” The only thing that stopped Bette was her health or had slowed her down, until she simply couldn’t get up in the morning and go about her business.{font} {font:Verdana}Cary Grant has always been of interest to his million of fans on the subject of his retirement in 1967. There’s never been in doubt that {font}{font:Verdana}Cary{font}{font:Verdana} was in the same league as {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana} and could have put his named on any marquee at anytime had he wanted. In fact, {font}{font:Verdana}Cary{font}{font:Verdana}’s phone was always ringing with offers. Like {font}{font:Verdana}Clark{font}{font:Verdana}, he never turned to TELEVISION! This I think says a lot about both their status and how they may have wanted to bow out, looking at TV as no real strong alternative of keeping them viable. I think when you get as big as Cary and Clark it doesn’t really matter. In their league they could name the game they wanted to play or even stack it in their favor! Anyway, for the rest of his life, the subject of {font}{font:Verdana}Cary{font}{font:Verdana} making a return, right up to the time of his death was always fluently strong. It was once rumored of having {font}{font:Verdana}Cary{font}{font:Verdana} reunite with Kate Hepburn for some sort of project. Unfortunately, this idea never came to any solid planning and {font}{font:Verdana}Cary{font}{font:Verdana} would stay away and keep the flames of fan devotion and their hopes burning bright.{font} {font:Verdana}Perhaps a situation that has many fans pondering is the question of why some film stars simply call it quits, while still somewhat on top of the heap. A good example is singer Deanna Durbin. At the time she walked out on her career, she was the highest paid female star in {font}{font:Verdana}Hollywood{font}{font:Verdana}. This question of her sudden, unexpected retirement from motion pictures has led to so many theories as to why she fled. Deanna herself has stated in a few rare interviews that the mounting pressures of her career and studio demands simply pushed her over the edge. Those who knew her well say that she had made enough of a success to her career that at the height of her fame, it seem easily enough for Deanna to say “screw you, I don’t need this anymore.” As beloved as Deanna was and still is there is a hardcore, cold, heartless reality to her attitude towards what she created on screen that’s placed on one side of her emotional fence, as opposed to her movie star imagery that doesn’t in any real shape or form relate to who she really was or is on the surface of things. In other words, she’s a talented, nice and wonderful lady, but wants to feel she is in control of her life and where it’s headed. It doesn’t take a psychic or a therapist to figure out that Deanna didn’t care about the movie star side of things and felt compelled to take herself out from under the spotlight and feel free!{font} {font:Verdana}Tyrone Power is a good subject to wonder just how far he would have gone. When he died in 1958, he wasn’t exactly so old. I’d like to think that Ty wouldn’t have ended up in any supporting player roles and stay a top notch star like Cary and Clark. Still, he didn’t age that well as it became apparent to some that something was wrong with his health. I remember one of his last television interviews with Jack Parr on the original “Tonight Show.” Ty really looked pale and stagnant, so much so, there was word of this in a few of the {font}{font:Verdana}New York{font}{font:Verdana} newspapers the next day. Unlike other big stars of his caliber, Ty did turn to TELEVISION and made a few dramatic appearances. Before he died, Ty was even handed the idea of his own TV show and it could have happened, but somehow it just wasn’t in the cards. He ended up flying over to {font}{font:Verdana}Spain{font}{font:Verdana} to film “Solomon and {font}{font:Verdana}Sheba{font}{font:Verdana},” where he died on the movie set.{font} {font:Verdana}What can I say about Marilyn? Well, I seriously, seriously doubt she could have handled growing old! Marilyn was too caught up in her imagery and what she had created or at least she continued to try to keep alive as long as possible. There is a bitter truth to Marilyn in that no real, gorgeous, glamorous movie star has an easy time with age and a loss of power to what they have created. Mae West realized this all too well and she simply turned to a different venue or one she could at least control to her benefit, being a raunchy nightclub act! Marilyn sort of set the pattern or the future to come for other glamour dolls in this business of exploiting their sexuality for the big screen. When she died in 1962, she was actually the highest paid movie star at the time, surpassing even Liz Taylor with a 2 million dollar deal for two new pictures at 20th Century Fox. As to what could have happened with Marilyn is anybody’s guess, but perhaps she was doomed from the start and her life and times has pretty much signified a sense of no stability.{font} {font:Verdana}The most stupid, silly and insulting of all supposed retirements was that of “Old Blue Eyes!!” This was something of a stale joke or one that nobody in the business could have taken so seriously. Frank wasn’t fooling anyone in town when he called it quits to say he was ready to hang up his voice in favor of having a “nice and easy” life. This was a guy who lived his life to the fullest and couldn’t stay so easily out of the fray of the show business spotlight. Speculation enter this whole melodrama of Frank’s retirement to say things to the affect of his voice was on the outs due to poor health and there were even some crazy rumors of a suspected mob hit out to get him! Frank was simply clever in ways that people didn’t expect or feel he had it in him. In this case, this so called retirement was in many ways an experiment by Frank that ended up more or less like a publicity poly or that’s how most in the press and around show business felt about this ordeal. Let’s face it, when Frank announced he was coming back, it set into motion an even bigger appeal to his fame and glory. And, if there was anything Frank craved and adored was all the glory. {font} {font:Verdana} One star who would have never retired and stay on top and was still a King right up to the time of his death: John "Duke" Wayne." Probably the greatest movie star of them all in terms of his overall imagery and how long he lasted! {font} {font:Verdana}That’s all Folks.{font}

> {quote:title=JonnyGeetar wrote:}{quote}Hey! You forgot Somebody Up There Likes Me! You're right! Though, I did say that Paul became a star, all due in large part to the success of "Somebody Up There Likes Me" I couldn't imagine the original choice for the movie, James Dean being as good as Paul was to the role. Interestingly, director Robert Wise had originally considered a young up-start by the name of Steve McQueen! When Steve didn't get the role, Wise at least gave him a small role as a street-gang member in the film. This was a situation Steve would never forget and spurred on the professional rivalry between Steve and Paul that lasted throughout their careers.

> {quote:title=lavenderblue19 wrote:}{quote}That's an outstanding list I agree with your choices.The Searchers is my favorite *but I would also include Friendly Persuasion .A beautiful, touching film.* You are absolutely right! That's one film I shouldn't have left off the list for 1956. It was also nominated for "Best Picture." What an amazing year . . .

{font:Verdana}BRAVO JonnyGeetar. . . It turns out that 1956 is one of my all-time favorite years for movies! It was the year that marked a coming of age for the widescreen process in general. This meant CinemaScope becoming the standard widescreen system throughout the world. But, 20th Century-Fox Pictures saw the handwriting on the wall, with Mike Todd’s 65mm system of “Todd-AO” for “Around The World in 80 Days.” Thus, we were led to a wider, more grandiose system of “CinemaScope 55” that actually never had a successful run, only to lose out in favor of the more practical means of just plain CinemaScope. “VistaVision” had two big entries for Paramount Pictures with “War and Peace” and one of the most popular of all Biblical epics, “The Ten Commandments.” In the end, the future was heading in the direction of bigger negatives and the standard to come of Panavision systems that are today in use. {font} {font:Verdana}The year 1956 saw one of the most hotly contested “Best Actor” Academy Award races ever! Excluding Rock Hudson and James Dean, the most impressive contenders were Kirk Douglas for “Lust for Life,” Laurence Olivier for “Richard III,” and perhaps the surprised winner, the mighty Yul Brynner for “The King and I.” The list of films for that year were some of the finest ever produced in and out of Hollywood. The box-office results pretty much spelled out one of the most successful years for the American motion picture industry. My personal favorites of that year are such classics as:{font} {font:Verdana} “An Affair To Remember”{font} {font:Verdana}“Anastasia”{font} {font:Verdana}“Around The World in 80 Days”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Brave One”{font} {font:Verdana}“Bus Stop”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Court Jester”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Eddie Duchin Story”{font} {font:Verdana}"Forbidden Planet”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Girl Can’t Help It”{font} {font:Verdana}“Invasion of The Body Snatchers”{font} {font:Verdana}“The King and I”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Lieutenant Wore Skirts”{font} {font:Verdana}“Meet Me In {font}{font:Verdana}Las Vegas{font}{font:Verdana}”{font} {font:Verdana}“Lust for Life”{font} {font:Verdana}“Love Me Tender”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Rainmaker”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Man in The Grey Flannel Suit”{font} {font:Verdana}“”{font}{font:Verdana}Seven Wonders of The World{font}{font:Verdana}”{font} {font:Verdana}“Tea and Sympathy”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Teahouse of the August Moon”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Ten Commandments”{font} {font:Verdana}“Godzilla”{font} {font:Verdana}“Bigger Than Life”{font} {font:Verdana}“Pardners”{font} {font:Verdana}“A Kiss Before Dying”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Proud and The Profane”{font} {font:Verdana}“That Certain Feeling”{font} {font:Verdana}“Baby Doll”{font} {font:Verdana}“Trapeze”{font} {font:Verdana}“Three Violent People”{font} {font:Verdana}“The Man Who Knew Too Much”{font} {font:Verdana}“War and Peace”{font} {font:Verdana}“Giant”{font} {font:Verdana}“Westward Ho, The Wagons”{font} {font:Verdana}“Carousel”{font} {font:Verdana} And finally, as far as I’m concern, the greatest film of that year and usually a “Top Ten” contender for greatest of all time, John Ford’s immortal masterpiece, “The Searchers”{font} {font:Verdana} Every genre was beautifully covered that magical year of 1956. This was also the year that saw Brigitte Bardot become a huge international sensation. Elvis makes it to the big screen. Marilyn receives critical respect as an actress. Stanley Kubrick making his major directorial debut. Tennessee Williams screenplay for “Baby Doll” is branded as the dirtiest movie ever made in {font}{font:Verdana}America. {font}{font:Verdana}Paul Newman becomes a big dramatic star. Monty Cliff is nearly killed in an auto accident and his beautiful face is forever disfigured as is his emotionality. The scandalous love affair and gaudy marriage of Liz and Mike Todd. But, perhaps the biggest of all news that year was lovely Grace Kelly bowing out of her motion picture career to become Princess of Monaco. What a memorable year was 1956! {font}

"Wind Across the Everglades" is one of my all time favorite films of Nick Ray. The other being "The Savage Innocents." Both these films have first rate performances, on top of a beautifully inspired form of filmmaking.