bagladymimi

Thank you so much for the info. I have never seen this film, but will watch it the next time it comes around. It seems to me there was an earlier film in which Basil Rathbone played Robespierre. I don't know the title or who played the other characters, maybe I have got this confused with another film. I just checked and I do have it wrong. Basil Rathbone played Evremonde in a 1935's A Tale of Two Cities. I guess Robespierre and Evremonde are both such despicable characters, I got them confused. Basil Rathbone was outstanding at playing bad guys, but so was Richard Basehart. I am looking forward to seeing The Black Book. Edited by: bagladymimi on May 1, 2013 11:40 AM Edited by: bagladymimi on May 1, 2013 11:48 AM

Yes, James, I did misunderstand. And I do agree with you that many were done on the cheap. The only exception I have to that is the costumes. The women's dresses were really fancy. I don't know if the affluent back then dressed like that or not. But, the movies sure made it look that way. Some of the outfits were exquisite. Almost all of those what I like to call "little" movies Norma Shearer made had her wearing designer clothes for every time of the day. And of course, a lot were designed to show off as much body as possible because of the lack of codes in the early 30's. But, otherwise, they were mostly pictures made with their own stock of actors. I guess it was cheaper to dress them up than to hire stars that weren't under contract.

Whatever the reason, if you didn't watch films made in the 30's, you wouldn't see much of those three stars. A lot of the films were matinee comedies, but I still liked them. I love Robert Montgomery and Franchot Tone, and Melvyn Douglas. That is just my taste. And yes, they were flawed, but so were many movies made late on. I guess you would say, "To each his own."

I saw several brief reports on TCM with Ben M. between featured movies today including an interview with Fred MacMurray's daughter.

I love those 30's films. I truly enjoy them. That is one of the reasons I watch TCM - so that I can see the classic movies from over the years. I watched them all day yesterday. There are some stars that you didn't see much of after the thirties and early 40's, including Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, and Norma Shearer. They were terrific and are a big part of classic film history.

Thanks SansFin, I really enjoyed that. And you win first prize! Mimi

I think we have become spoiled with VCR's and DVR's where we can pause or rewind a movie or TV show. I know that many times I rewind because I haven't been paying attention or simply didn't hear the dialogue. And that is a good thing. However, I think that has made it too easy to have your attention diverted by one thing or another and many times continuity is lost. I have found myself watching one movie over several days when I should have watched it all in one setting. You really have to watch a silent film in one setting - you have to pay attention. I am trying to do this more because I really want to enjoy the whole experience. It is not easy for me because I think I have become lazy, but I am trying.

I, too have seen Thieves Fall Out and totally agree. It is one of those movies that comes along once in awhile that is really fun. I was not expecting anything when I watched it and was pleasantly surprised - very entertaining.

I consider to be pretty knowledgable about classic movies, but I have to admit that I do not know much about the classic westerns. I really did not know who George O'Brien was. I don't remember him from She Wore A Yellow Ribbon because I haven't seen it very often. The only reason that I have watched most well known westerns is because I have been told by either the people on this blog (The Searchers, etc.) or because in the past, I have heard that the film was really good ( Red River, Stagecoach, etc.) So, to all of you western lovers out there, thank you for the education. And to Mongo (Joe), thank you for the time and effort you put into these photos. They are a constant source of education and enjoyment to all of the people who tune in daily for your gift to us.

I have seen Louis Jean Heydt is so many movies over the years and never knew his name. Thanks, Joe!

Sorry, but I never gave a second thought to what happened to Ben and Elaine after the movie ended. To me, it was just a movie. It was the 60's - did it have to have a message? Maybe this movie was made just for entertainment.

I was in college at the University of Kentucky when this came out and the general consensus amongst us girls was that Dustin Hoffman was not all that great of an actor. Of course, obviously he grew as an actor as time went on. But as I look at this film again, Hoffman didn't do such a bad job. In fact, the movie was pretty good then and still is. And, as relevance goes, it has always been relevant to me - you see I ended up selling plastics by the bag (hence my name) and by the pound for almost 25 years. But to further push the point, this film was seen by everyone I knew. And we all loved it. At the time it came out, we had never heard of any of the stars. So whether we liked Hoffman or not really didn't make a difference. It was the film that made a difference. And also, it has one of the most memorable soundtracks in history. Hello darkness, my old friend... **I also agree with Mr. Froy, the ending didn't go with the rest of the movie. It was right out of It Happened One Night with Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable. Something always bothered me about this film. And I didn't know what it was until I read your e-mail. That was it - the ending didn't fit! Edited by: bagladymimi on Apr 9, 2013 12:30 AM Edited by: bagladymimi on Apr 9, 2013 12:38 AM

I totally agree with you. Same goes for the special effects. Today they can digitally do anything. The special effects with the actual birds and fake birds in this movie is a good example of what Hitchcock could do to create what he wanted. Another example is in Foreign Correspondent with the airplane crash. Today it would be all digitally done and as a result, at least in my mind, totally unbelievable. Back then directors and actors had to use whatever props they had to make the viewer believe what they wanted to achieve. It was amazing. I also saw on TCM, the making of North By Northwest with the airplane sequence being explained. Cary Grant actually did some running and the falling at one point. Can you imagine a star doing that today? I wonder? And look what they did with Gone With The Wind - what a great achievement. Edited by: bagladymimi on Apr 8, 2013 9:20 PM

I loved Annette Funicello. I was 6 years old when we got our first television set in 1954. Some of my first and fondest memories are of the Mickey Mouse Club. She starred in what was probably a 15 minute serial on the show. It was titled Annette and she sang the title song. I could not get enough of this. I loved them all ( Spin and Marty, etc.), but I this was my favorite. She seems to have been a wonderful person. Disney picked a winner when he chose her. And we have lost a genuine "Baby Boomer" icon as far as I am concerned.

Peter Lorre was a great actor, but the thought of being married to him gives me the creeps!

I have really fallen in love with Melvyn Douglas over the years. He was handsome and debonaire when he was young. He also liked to have a good time on the set when he was making a film. One thing he said about Garbo (made 2 movies with her) that I found interesting. She never laughed in real life, so when she finally laughed in Ninotchka, she really was acting.

Thanks Fred, I can't wait to listen. I am sure listening to Orson Wells will be a pleasure!

Thanks, Fred, for the link. I saw here and listened. Thought it was terrific. Hopefully, I will be able to listen to all of the other stories on this site. I recognized all the names of the stars. It is amazing what you can do with your imagination while you are listening rather than watching it. I like to listen to books on tape. This is the same thing, just shorter. And this take on The Birds was great, especially with Herbert Marshall narrating.

James, You and Joe are absolutely right - I was wrong. I really thought she had been nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I didn't check my references until I read your e-mail. I apologize to both of you. And of course, I will be frank with you, there was something about her that I did not like. She was one of those actresses that made you want to watch her and yet not like her at the same time. I guess that is the mark of a good actress. I also saw her on several talk shows over the years (mainly Tonight Show/Johnny Carson) and she could be pretty obnoxious in person. I am sure I was influenced by that. It has gotten to the point that I cannot watch a lot of movies anymore because I am so influenced by the actor's politics. Compared to some of the obnoxious actors of today, Winters was mild. I am thankful for that, because I can still watch her movies and enjoy them.

Joe, she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress. I am not saying she wasn't a good actress.She won two Oscars for Supporting Actress: in 1959 for Diary of Anne Frank and in 1965 A Patch Of Blue.She received a final nomination for Supporting Actress in '72 for The Poseidon Adventure. My point is that when I think of A Place In The Sun, I think of Taylor and Clift, just as I think of Millie Perkins and Richard Beymer in Diary of Anne Frank and Sidney Poitier and Elizabeth Hartman for Patch Of Blue. (In my opinion) Shelley Winters may have given the best performance in A Place In The Sun, but she wasn't the main actress. Edited by: bagladymimi on Apr 2, 2013 1:51 PM Edited by: bagladymimi on Apr 2, 2013 1:51 PM

I read two of Shelley Winters' autobiographies. She always thought of herself as the main star of this movie. I have always thought of A Place In The Sun as an Elizabeth Taylor and Monty Clift movie with Winters as a supporting actor. Her books were always fun to read because she would gossip about everyone else on her films. And Winters didn't pull any punches when it came to how she felt about her costars. From what I remember she liked Taylor and Clift but felt she never got the credit she deserved. My memory is a little shakey on this - it's been over 30 years since I read those books.

Hey James, You are totally entitled to your opinion and I enjoy reading your entries. This site would be boring if we all agreed upon everything - for that matter, so would life!

Sorry, I'm sure that is just one of many mistakes I have made! Mimi Edited by: bagladymimi on Mar 30, 2013 11:58 PM

Reagan made a series of films (4) in which he starred as Brass Bankcroft where he worked for the Secret Service and Eddie Foy, Jr. was his sidekick. I think his character was a kind of cocky guy who would walk by a girl and make that "clicking" sound. You might try these movies. One of them was titled "Secret Service of the Air." It has been a number of years since I saw any of these movies and I am not sure this is what you are looking for, but it may lead you to other RR films where you can find the scene you are looking for. Good luck!

Yes, guys, he looks like he is about 80 in that picture and he was only 68 years old. Walter Brennan was kind of like that - he always looked old, even when he was a young man. Another was Charles Kane ( I think the spelling is correct.) He was a character actor who lived to be much older than the other two, but he never looked like a young man.