path40a

I 'spose all you Hedy worshipers know that "I Take This Woman" will be on TCM March 18. Based upon your message, however, it doesn't seem worth taping. If anyone has seen it and can offer some more positive information, please "weigh in". Thanks.

I don't know, but it's a good question. I think it might have something to do with the fact that you are automatically looking at something "unreal" ... not in the sense of storyline et al, but perhaps your imagination is automatically engaged because you're looking at something in unnatural color? Also, certainly the world can look "cleaner" (probably not the right adjective) through a B&W lense which is not to say that a rich color film can't look incredibly beautiful! Just some of my (off the top of my head, probably why I haven't got all my hair;- ) musings ...

I see we all forgot to alert others to Kings Row yesterday, but then again, perhaps we've all already seen it;- ) In either case, other than the many great and fairly well known movies on the schedule between now and then, next Sunday are two of my favs: 12:00 PM The Lady Eve (1941) A lady card shark tries to con an eccentric scientist only to fall for him. Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn. D: Preston Sturges. BW 94m. 2:00 PM The Mortal Storm (1940) The Third Reich's rise tears apart a German family. Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Robert Young. D: Frank Borzage. BW 100m. CC The latter is one I've mentioned in the trivia game and in the Favorites folder. If you've yet to see a Preston Sturges film, and you didn't read this alert in time to see The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (which is on TONIGHT!), then don't miss one of his best this coming Sunday.

... I thought I'd remind everyone of some of the great films which weren't nominated for a single Oscar in ANY category which I think are worth seeing ... to name just SIXTY: Beat the Devil (1954) - John Huston directed cult classic starring Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, and Peter Lorre among others The Big Sleep (1946) - the best of the Bogart & Bacall collaborations? Bogart as Phillip Marlowe Bringing Up Baby (1938) Brute Force (1947) - A terrific prison film starring inmates Burt Lancaster and Charles Bickford under the thumb of (a surprisingly vicious) Hume Cronyn! The Crowd (1928) - one of King Vidor's greats, a silent film which stands the test of time The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Destry Rides Again (1939) Dinner at Eight (1933) Dirty Harry (1971) Dracula (1931) Duck Soup (1933) A Face in the Crowd (1957) - you won't believe how great an actor Andy Griffith is in this Fail-Safe (1964) - a film which was unfortunately overshadowed by a spoof, with a similar plot, by Stanley Kubrick, that same year Fort Apache (1948) Frankenstein (1931) The Front Page (1975) Gilda (1946) - this film has more going for it than the fact that it was the B&W film being shown in The Shawshank Redemption ... it has Rita Hayworth! Gunga Din (1939) High Sierra (1941) His Girl Friday (1940) In a Lonely Place (1950) - excellent Nicholas Ray film starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame which offers a glimpse behind the scenes in Hollywood Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) The Invisible Man (1933) Johnny Guitar (1954) - another cult classic, also by Nicholas Ray, with memorable performances by Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge The Killing (1956) - a very early Kubrick, also with Sterling Hayden, hardly an unknown anymore now that it's in imdb's top 200 Kind Hearts and Coronets (1948) - one of the greatest single performances in film, (now Sir) Alec Guiness in EIGHT roles King Kong (1933) The Lady From Shanghai (1948) The Lady Vanishes (1938) - not very well known Hitchcock, fabulous as usual though Lonely are the Brave (1962) - Kirk Douglas plays "the last cowboy" who's not quite up to speed with "modern" ways; pursued by the law (Walter Matthau) The Misfits (1961) - Clark Gable's last film; he said having to deal with Marilyn Monroe antics (her last film too) killed him, Eli Wallach & Thelma Ritter are great in it! Modern Times (1936) My Darling Clementine (1946) The Night of the Hunter (1955) - Robert Mitchum is chilling as evil "preacher"; special treat - see Lillian Gish! Nothing Sacred (1937) - William Wellman's above average screwball comedy starring Carole Lombard Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) - awesome Sergio Leone film, a master at using facial expressions to tell his story; bonus - see Henry Fonda as the bad guy! Out of the Past (1947) - excellent film noir which was later butchered in a remake titled Against All Odds; stars Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum The Palm Beach Story (1942) - one of several great Preston Sturges films The Plainsman (1936) Point Blank (1967) - Lee Marvin/Angie Dickinson film later redone as Payback (1999) by Mel Gibson The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) - I had to double check to see that the Academy did in fact ignore this film noir classic. Hard to believe. Stunning performance by one of the great tough guy actors, John Garfield, and an incredibly sexy performance by Lana Turner Queen Christina (1933) - underrated (if possible;- ) Garbo picture also starring her silent film partner John Gilbert in one of his few "talkie" successes Rio Bravo (1959) The Roaring Twenties (1939) - Director Raoul Walsh tells the story of three WWI army buddies (James Cagney & Humphrey Bogart are two of them) who return to experience the boom and then bust of that famous decade The Searchers (1956) The Shop Around the Corner (1940) State of the Union (1948) - Frank Capra's tale of an industrialist, played by Spencer Tracy, who is convinced to run for President and the conflicts between him, his wife (played by Katharine Hepburn), and the political machine (run in part by Angela Lansbury's character) which threatens his integrity and his marriage Sullivan's Travels (1941) - another fine Preston Sturges film starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake, about disillusionment and Hollywood Sweet Smell of Success (1957) - not exactly obscure, but certainly a must see. Burt Lancaster in a rare bad guy role and Tony Curtis's best acting on film They Drive By Night (1940) - another Raoul Walsh film, this one stars George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Humphrey Bogart and a very sexy Ida Lupino (Bogart's co-star in High Sierra). It's superior to the original, Bordertown (1935) with Paul Muni and Bette Davis, which is also worth seeing The 39 Steps (1939) This Gun for Hire (1942) - Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake (love her!) To Have and Have Not (1944) - the first Bogey and Bacall film Touch Of Evil (1958) - another great John Garfield film Trouble in Paradise (1932) - Ernst Lubitsch film starring many prolific actors from the 30's; featuring Miriam Hopkins & Herbert Marshall, in his best career role Winchester '73 (1950) - of course it's great, it's a Western starring James Stewart that was directed by Anthony Mann The Wind (1928/29) - just saw this Lillian Gish classic on TCM The Women (1939) - a film even a guy can love though there are ZERO male actors in it! Directed by George Cukor (of course!), it features many of the great dames of the 30's: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford (in an especially "catty" role), Crystal Allen, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, and Joan Fontaine I think I saw just about every one of these on TCM too!!!

Thank you so much folks for recommending "The Wind", "Skyscraper Souls", and "Ride the Pink Horse". I have now watched all three, and I enjoyed them all very much. I have now seen a silent with Lillian Gish, a terrific William Warren performance, and a great film noir I would never have known about without this topic! Now, it's my turn to look at the schedule and point out a few things coming up: Friday night at 8 PM ET, you'll want to see "The Spiral Staircase", if you haven't. It's vintage Hitchcock, without being directed by him;- ) Also, if you haven't seen the foreign film "Grande Illusion", it's on at 2 AM ET. If you've seen "The Great Escape", this is the film from which that film stole all it's scenes;- ) Lastly, Sunday seems to be Cary Grant day. I can't say that ever seen a bad Cary Grant film and they're showing one of his best, "Notorious", too!

I'll say again, I've got a movie which fits the vast majority (save one?) of the clues - "Beat the Devil"

Up until Clue #9, I would have said "Irma La Douce"

Indiscreet?

Thanks stella! Yes, I've seen the Good Earth, and it may have been the first movie that I saw Paul Muni and Luise Rainer in too. Coming up a couple of days earlier, this Friday in fact, there are several of my favorites which I'd recommend to anyone who has yet to seem them: 12:00 pm Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951) A fading southern belle tries to build a new life with her sister in New Orleans. Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Karl Malden. Director: Elia Kazan. BW-125m 2:30 pm Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) An unscrupulous movie producer uses everyone around him in his climb to the top. Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Dick Powell. Director: Vincente Minnelli. BW-118m 4:30 pm Marty (1955) A lonely butcher finds love despite the opposition of his friends and family. Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti. Director: Delbert Mann. BW-90m 6:00 pm Picnic (1955) A handsome drifter ignites passions at a small-town Labor Day picnic. William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell. Director: Joshua Logan. C-113m If I had time to watch just one of them, I'd choose to watch The Bad and the Beautiful!

The Magnificient Ambersons?

Sorry for the late notice ... today/tonight's line-up is particularly good IMO. Check it out: 4:00 pm Bishop's Wife, The (1947) An angel helps set an ambitious bishop on the right track. Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven. Director: Henry Koster. BW-109m 6:00 pm Farmer's Daughter, The (1947) When she goes to work for a congressman, a Minnesota farm girl takes Washington by storm. Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore. Director: H.C. Potter. BW-97m 8:00 pm Face In The Crowd, A (1957) A female television executive turns a folk-singing drifter into a powerful media star. Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau. Director: Elia Kazan. BW-126m 10:15 pm Meet John Doe (1941) A reporter's fraudulent story turns a tramp into a national hero and makes him a pawn of big business. Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold. Director: Frank Capra. BW-122m 12:30 am Front Page, The (1931) A crusading newspaper editor tricks his retiring star reporter into covering one last case. Pat O'Brien, Adolphe Menjou, Edward Everett Horton. Director: Lewis Milestone. BW-100m 2:15 am Network (1976) Television programmers turn a deranged news anchor into 'the mad prophet of the airwaves.' William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch. Director: Sidney Lumet. C-122m 4:15 am Bombshell (1933) A glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on. Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan. Director: Victor Fleming. BW-96m Though none of these are particularly obscure, all are worth watching!!!

Ship of Fools?

regman, thanks for your kind words. WRT the uremic poisoning, I watched a "biography" of Ms. Harlow (either on the Biography channel or on TCM?) which said that was how/why she died. I assumed it was true without researching it further ... sorry. Thanks for the book recommendation, I'll see if I can find it.

'Breaker' Morant ?

BTW, I didn't mean this topic to be led by me and me alone;-) ANYONE can contribute to it when you see a movie on the schedule that you think is particularly good and ESPECIALLY if it's somewhat obscure (e.g. not everyone knows about it). I'd like to have others contribute so that I (selfishly) might learn some titles worth taping/watching. Thanks!

White Heat?

Getting back to the original quote - if the film is 40 years old, subtract a star and a half from the average critical review - I thought of something I believe to be true, for me anyway, regarding older films: Some actors/actresses of their day automatically ADD a star to a film's rating, which may make an ordinary film worth watching! I definitely believe this, since it's my own quote;-) But seriously, if Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart (post High Sierra) are in it, they turn what would be a two star movie into a three star film IMO. On the ladies side, I could probably name several (though I've seen fewer of their films) like Claudette Colbert, Katharine Hepburn, and Bette Davis (ADD two stars for her, I don't think she ever made a bad film!). I'd exclude Joan Crawford from my list 'cause she's made some real stinkers. There aren't ANY current actors/actresses who I feel the same about, in fact, it seems everyone these days, even the best actors/actresses make a stinker film about every third (even every other) film. And, there are definitely some films which automatically lose a rating star if they feature certain "celebrities". I realize this is because the studios used to guard and protect their stars in the old days and that today a star relies on their own common sense (non-existent) or that of their agent's to decide what films to do. BTW, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!! SEE YOU AFTER THE HOLIDAYS!

Glad you liked it! Ironically, it was perhaps the first movie I ever saw Greta Garbo in. So, once I learned (and witnessed) her screen persona in earlier films that I subsequently watched, it became even funnier! BTW, for another irony, shortly after I posted my opinion that I loved tomorrow's line-up, I read this: http://turnerclassicmovies.com/ThisMonth/Article/0,,62572,00.html Evidently, Robert Osborne's personal choices are some of my favorites too. Who knew;- )

O.K. great! Assuming everyone's also already seen my favorite (Ninotchka on Monday night at 6 PM ET), then my next two favorites on the schedule are both on Tuesday at 2 (one AM, one PM) ... Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson (I just love her) followed by Libeled Lady, which like Red Dust also features Jean Harlow (and Myrna Loy AND Spencer Tracy). Perhaps everyone has seen these two, but if you haven't it, don't miss 'em. Oh yeah, next Wednesday has a fantastic schedule. I've seen (and highly recommend!) virtually every film being shown. Hopefully, I haven't just rendered this topic useless to everyone else;- )

Well, since y'all are going and I can't hang out very long this afternoon, I'll give it up for someone else to start the next game. After the next hour or so, I probably won't be back till tomorrow AM for any length of time. This game is open to anyone now. Please start a game at will ...

I can't believe it! All I could think of was leprosy as a bad disease, and that meant Ben Hur. I didn't really look at the other clues until after I posted my guess and then realized that they fit too ... LOL! O.K., my turn: Clue #1 - A Love Quadrangle

mongo's not the only one around today, I've just got NO clue;- ) But I'll guess Ben Hur just to get another hint.

After antar alerted us all to Hedy's Come Live With Me the other night (taped but not yet watched;- ), I was thinking that it would be a good idea to start a topic we could use to alert others here to some of our TCM favorites before they air so that others won't miss them. I know I have a hard time each week deciding what to tape. Sometimes it's because I'm not familiar with any of the stars or the director, sometimes it's because the local TVWeek only gives it 2 stars and I don't bother to look it up in Maltin's guide to see if he thought it was better. I'm not suggesting we alert everyone to classic films that everyone has probably already seen (e.g. Casablanca), though I think sometimes we can assume too much about what everyone has seen as well (as I found out when I posted on the tear jerking thread;- ) Or, perhaps we could just look at the schedule a week (or day?) in advance and say "of all the movies on the schedule during this time, if I had to choose, I'd tape/watch this one" or something like that. What do y'all think? As an example, I would point out that Red Dust with Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Mary Astor is on tomorrow night at 10 PM ET. Is this one EVERYONE has seen?

Thank you again TCM for including in your March schedule one of the films which I requested - Dodsworth! http://turnerclassicmovies.com/Schedule/Print/0,,03-2004|0|,00.html Additionally, a quick browse of the schedule yields this: a Jean Harlow/Charlie Chaplin day (where's littletramplover?), a John Garfield day (could be a John Garfield month;- ), a Sherlock Holmes day, another Charlie Chaplin day, a Ronald Reagan day, a George Brent day, another Charlie Chaplin day, a Joan Crawford day, another Charlie Chaplin day, a baseball evening, a Shanghai evening, a Joel McCrea day, and yet another Chalie Chaplin day. I probably missed some other "theme" days too. BTW, a LOT of the films which are my favorites which I've used as clues in the "21 trivia game" here are also being shown ... too many to list! What a great month next March is going to be!

Thanks stella! Sounds like I'll be adding to my reference library soon ... I just got an Amazon gift certificate e-mail for Christmas!