bagladymimi

All of this discussion has made me want to read more about T E Lawrence - thanks for that! The reason that I find this movie so enthralling is because of the way it was filmed. In my opinion, it was a grand adventure - I had never seen anything like it. And this tale was all new to me - I knew so little about any of this part of history. I think Peter O'Toole did a wonderful job - I actually think he conveyed a good deal of madness in the character. There were some fantastic shots of true exploits, but there were many times when O'Toole's portrayal showed a man on the brink of an emotion that we could not truly understand. But, as you have said, there was not time to go into Lawrence too deeply because he was so much more complex than what could have even been put on the screen. However, I do think that O'Toole and Lean did a great job of showing how the millitary used Lawrence and how the different peoples of the Middle East used Lawrence as well. O'Toole's performance was stunning and Lawrence was a remarkable man no matter which way you look at it. And as a somewhat naive girl in the 60's, it never occured to me that Lawrence and the boys might be doing anything more than what was presented on film. Except, there were several shots in the movie that had O'Toole staring at the boys in what I thought was a very odd intense way. I dismissed the thought because there was so much more of the movie to see and think about. But as I look back on it, and I can vividly remember those scenes with O'Toole's penetrating blue eyes staring at the boys, I wonder whether Lean meant for that to show some of Lawrence's oddness. It makes sense to me now - who knows? We all look at movies in a different way and we also come away with different ideas from the same scene. Edited by: bagladymimi on Nov 6, 2011 1:40 AM Edited by: bagladymimi on Nov 6, 2011 6:47 PM

Your interest in this picture has sparked curiosity of my own bias against Monroe. After reading what DougieB wrote about Finishing The Picture, I went to Amazon.com, found their Arthur Miller section, and came across the book "The Misfits". I am not sure this is what you are looking for and it did not mention Finishing The Picture, but it did mention the photos that you wrote about - ones with Eve Arnold, etc. It also said that there was discussion from Miller and his wife at the time who worked on the film with them. (I didn't realize that Monroe and Miller were divorced at that time). But then it mentioned that there was further discussion about Miller and Monroe's troubled relationship that had never been mentioned before. So you might be able to get a lot of what you are looking for from this book. I am going to order it because, I want to understand what they were all going through when they were making The Misfits. I many times feel that what is going on in the background of the film making process is what makes the film what it eventually becomes. And I almost always go to TCM when there is a movie playing to see what the background story is - it enriches my viewing of the film. Perhaps I will also discover some things about Monroe that I can like, not just have sympathy for, but truly respect what she went through in her life. There is obviously a whole lot more out there for me to discover. I thank you all for this thread and your creative juices!

I love Robert Preston as The Music Man - you know he had never sung or danced before he auditioned for the stage role? After seeing him in this role, I cannot imagine any other actor doing it. I saw the TV version with Matthew Broderick - I love Broderick and he did as good a job probably as anyone else but Preston could do. But he lacked that dynamic almost mania that Preston brought to the role. Preston was such an unusual presence - I really don't think anyone could ever do the TROUBLE scene like he did. Broderick was good in the Marion The Librarian sequence. His dancing was terrific - but once again, I say that there was just something about Preston that could not be replaced. And as far as Daisy Clover goes, I liked and hated Christopher Plummer like everyone else did, but as far as I was concerned, there really was no one else in that movie but Robert Redford. That was the first time I ever saw him. I was about 14. I waited for the credits to role so I could see his name. I thought and still do that he was the most beautiful man I ever saw. And I talked about him, but nobody knew who I was talking about. And then finally, there he was in Butch Cassidy. And while Redford was never considered a great actor, he has had his share of memorable roles. And look at what he has done for the profession.

In reply to "wouldbestar", it was made in '64. That is why she looks so much older - she is 18 years older than she was in "A Stolen Life". And I was amazed at how they made the "twins" look so different by the way they dressed them. I think that also maybe her posture was more dowdy when portraying Edie. Also, one thing that I have read many times is that Bette did not take care of herself like Crawford and Stanwyck did. It really showed as she got older.

Am excited to see Dead Ringer on at 7:00 CST on Friday night. I love this movie and you don't see or hear about it very often. This was one of the first movies I can remember seeing when I was a teenager on afternoon TV. If you haven't seen it, watch, good suspense & there are some good supporting actors in it!

Ray Milland was in Dial M For Murder with Bob Cummings.

Ray Milland was in Dial M For Murder with Bob Cummings.

The Titanic made in '53 would probably be considered a little melodramatic today although I did enjoy it. And I agree that A Night To Remember is the best version. But I think that about most British movies - they are always excellently done and the acting as usual is superb., Edited by: bagladymimi on Oct 17, 2011 12:47 AM

Mongo, thankyou so much for these photos. The Opposite Sex was one of the films that my aunt(who was babysitting me) took me to when I was 8 yrs. old (1956). I thought that Joan Collins was Elizabeth Taylor! Didn't even remember the film particularly until I was a teenager and one night "The Women" came on late at night, and I realized that I was watching the same story. And of course, the only other people I remember from watching The Opposite Sex were June Allyson and Leslie Nielsen. When I saw this photo just now, I remember all those other women. What a treat - thank you for this treasure!

I could stare at Cary Grant 24 hours a day and still see things that I have never seen before. I think he was by far the most handsome, charasmatic actor to ever be seen on film. Obviously, I am very prejudiced about him, but I also think he was a fantastic actor.

I do agree with you about the 1953 Titanic and the 1957 's A Night To Remember. My comments about the JC version were more about the spectacular aspect of the film. I liked the exploration of how the immigrants were treated. However, I knew nothing about how JC mistreated the extras during the filming on Baja. Also, I don't think the acting will do down in history as the outstanding. I, too, will always remember Stanwyck and Clifton Webb from the original, but maybe because I like them so much anyway.

I am not all that crazy about Baby Jane, maybe it is all the make-up. And, as much as I hate to say it, maybe it is because as she aged she seemed to do horror roles. I didn't think they were very flattering to her career. And yet I know that as all actresses age, they tend to be put in those roles.

I too thought Grant did a great job in None But The Lonely Heart. Just as in Mr. Lucky, it was interesting to watch Grant's portrayal of the shady character who decides to do the right thing. He was a great dramatic actor - my favorite being Notorious. By the same token I loved his light side - Bringing Up Baby and The Awful Truth.

Between 1929 to 1946, Kay Francis appeared in more than 60 films. In 1936 she was the # 1 actress on the Warner Brothers lot. She made $200,000 a year during the Depression. So, you can see she was very popular with the public - also with the cast & crew of her films. She played all kinds of roles - I loved watching her - one of my favorites. Warner Brothers had quite a few really great stars - Kay Francis, Bette Davis, Olivia De Haviland, Errol Flynn, Bogart, to name a few. And getting into actors' feelings about villain roles - one of the biggest was Cary Grant. At the end of Suspicion, he is supposed to let Joan Fontaine go over the cliff with the car. He wouldn't do it because he didn't want his image to suffer. That is one thing that Davis and Stanwyck never cared about. They did whatever was required for the role - so did Francis and Crawford. That is why I think they were such great stars. Maybe that is why they were "stars" for so long as well. And that is not to say that I didn't love Cary Grant in any role - he was my absolute favorite. Some of his best roles (Oscar nominated) were for "None But The Lonely Heart" and "Penny Serenade". They were not necessarily lovable characters. But, he still didn't end up being the villain at the end of either of those movies.

Complicated? It was a love story during a war - I am sorry, but what is complicated about that? And "letters of transit" - they are tickets out of the country. If students are in a class to learn about movies, what do they want - the 3 Stooges?

Fred Astaire was in Towering Inferno with Jennifer Jones.

Yes, I definitely think it will go down as a classic. James Cameron did a wonderful job, not only with the splendor of the ship and its passengers, but also with the immigrants' second class treatment and their struggle to survive. I thought the whole picture was very well done. Edited by: bagladymimi on Oct 12, 2011 9:07 PM

I have to say that without a doubt, my favorite is "All About Eve", probably because I think she was actually playing herself in the role of Margo Channing. But I loved them all. If you are interested in a book that will give you the "nuts and bolts" of Bette's career, there is a book probably only available as used ( but cheap). It is titled "All About Bette" Her Life from A to Z, by Randall Riese. I bought it when it came out 1993 and have used it and continue to use it all the time. It is an alphabetical accounting of Bette's career and you get some choice tidbits as well as actual facts about her career and life. There are many, many good biographies about her, but this in my opinion serves as a refence book. And with all the work she did, a reference book really helps when learning about her.

I also have to add that Jaws ( both the book and the movie ) which came out in 1975, really did scare the hell out of me! I guess fear is in the eye (and brain) of the beholder!

You have to realize that at the time, this was something completely different. This was a whole new venture into the horror genre. I am Catholic, grew up in the Catholic school system in the 50's & 60's. But, demonic possession was never really discussed. I always thought that it was an excuse that was used for people who may have been mentally "off". I was an adult by the time the novel came out and was interested in seeing how they pulled off some of these things on screen. They did an okay job as far as what they had to work with - to me, the most convincing things were the sounds that came out of the girl. There still were really not any special effects (as compared with the last 20 yrs). But the public ate it up. I think it was the sexual inuendo, the pea soup, the head turning, etc. I guess because I didn't believe in demonic possession, it didn't scare me. But, there were many people who did believe. It literally "scared the hell" out of some people. I know of one instance where the person slept with a chair up against his bedroom door for a long time after that movie. As I look back on it now, I can see why some people think it was hoakey. But, once again, you have to look at what films were like at the time. The Exorcist pushed the edge of the envelope as far as it had probably ever been pushed for decency. And the Catholic League of Decency condemned it for its content.

I love this. Some people didn't think she was pretty. She really was.

Nigel Bruce was in Rebecca with George Sanders (Jack Favell).

I loved these Alfred Hitchcock stories. The acting was outstanding. And it is so much fun to see all the future stars and supporting actors in diffeent parts. I have probably seen most of these in reruns at different times, but I do not remember the one with Dick Van Dyke either. I would like to see it. Isn't is amazing how many actors known for comedy were truly great dramatic actors as well? It is a shame that we cannot have quality programing like this now. There was an episode of Harry's Law (with Kathy Bates) on last Weds. night - it was the first thing on TV (other than PBS) that I consider truly outstanding. I don't remember the last time I felt that way about a TV episode. It actually was worthy of Hitchcock! TV over the last 20 years has not progressed, it has plummeted as far as I am concerned. This series of Hitchcock episodes is a piece of TV history at its best.

I think Bette made herself a stage presence. She really worked at being a movie star - she really worked period! As an example, look at her walk. I don't know exactly when she started that, but you can see it even in "A Pocketful of Miracles" in the walk through the hotel. You can see it in "The Man Who Came To Dinner" also. Those were two of her roles that were more comedic than dramatic - yet she still makes her presence known. She simply was Bette Davis. And I in my 60's as well, still love to watch her. Whether you loved her or hated her, she was an amazing actress and she was the epitome of a movie star.

Rhonda Fleming was in Spellbound with Leo G Carroll.