MarianStarrett
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Posts posted by MarianStarrett
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They are: ?The Birth of a Nation? (1915); ?Battleship Potemkin? (1925); ?Metropolis? (1927); ?42nd Street? (1933); ?It Happened One Night? (1934); ?Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? (1937); ?Gone With the Wind? (1939); ?Stagecoach? (1939); ?Citizen Kane? (1941); ?Bicycle Thieves? (1947); ?Rashomon? (1950); ?The Searchers? (1956); ?Breathless: (1959); ?Psycho? (1960); and ?Star Wars? (1977).
It's hard to argue about the selections, obviously.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any of the choices is really all that surprising. And keeping the list down to 15 was obviously a nod to the fact that it's the 15th anniversary, so it's pointless to wonder if maybe the list should have included 20 movies.
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Good point, but wouldn't you say the ending of the movie also inherently rejects the _widespread_ use of violence to settle old scores? (instead of the two old men having a bunch of their men killing each other, they finally agree to going mano a mano in the end).
And doesn't Gregory Peck also reject violence in some way when he refuses to kill Burl Ives' son when he duels him?
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> And Kyle's selection is none other than MEET JOHN DOE starring the best
> actor ever, GARY COOPER.
And Barbara Stanwyck... mustn't forget Miss Stanwyck... B-)
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The one I like best of this bunch is the one for *Those Lips, Those Eyes*, because I find it genuinely charming and because it gives me a much better idea of what to expect from this movie, which I've never seen but I am very much looking forward to, especially with filmlover presenting it!
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Wayne's already been mentioned, for me I enjoy the contrast between Wayne as Ethan Edwards in *The Searchers* and as John T. Chance in *Rio Bravo*.
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After way too long a while, I finally caught up with my recording of "The Magic Box", which I'd been saving since the day it premiered on TCM earlier this year. What a charming movie! I'm sure some who saw it have already written about it at length, all I can say is that Robert Donat was magnificent as the British inventor, William Friese-Greene. Of course equally brilliant were Margaret Johnston and Maria Schell as his two wives.
The movie also has a bunch of great cameos by a lot of the British actors who were around at the time, the best cameos being those of Laurence Olivier as a constable and Margaret Rutherford as a society lady. Even Peter Ustinov can be briefly glimpsed in the last scene of the movie.
Well, that was just a brief aside, I'm sure, given that most people here will be talking about the guest programmers today.
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I like the one for your movie, filmlover!
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*Hopefully, I haven't strayed off-topic by talking about Stevens, the director of Shane.*
I should think not. I found that biographical information very interesting, because it helps to understand where *Shane* fits into Stevens' body of work and how his war experience may have had an effect on this and other movies of his.
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> {quote:title=CineSage_jr wrote:}{quote}
> There's never been any actor to appear in four Best Picture winners, but a number who've been in three:
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> Clark Gable (IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY and GONE WITH THE WIND).
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> Shirley MacLaine: (AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, THE APARTMENT, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT,
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> Dustin Hoffman: (MIDNIGHT COWBOY, KRAMER VS. KRAMER, RAIN MAN)
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> Meryl Streep: (THE DEER HUNTER, KRAMER VS. KRAMER, OUT OF AFRICA)
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> Talia Shire: (THE GODFATHER; THE GODFATHER, Part II; ROCKY)
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> Morgan Freeman: (DRIVING MISS DAISY, UNFORGIVEN, MILLION-DOLLAR BABY)
Also:
Diane Keaton: *The Godfather*, *The Godfather - Part II* and *Annie Hall*
John Gielgud: *Around the World in 80 Days*, *Chariots of Fire* and *Gandhi*
Jack Hawkins: *Bridge on the River Kwai*, *Ben-Hur* and *Lawrence of Arabia*
Donald Crisp: *Mutiny on the Bounty*, *The Life of Emile Zola*, and *How Green Was My Valley*.
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As Marty McFly might have said... that stuff is heavy
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> {quote:title=filmlover wrote:}{quote}
> Hmm, do you know how lucky we are? If every one of those 60 million cable and satellite subscribers were TCM fans, that would mean that each of us was selected on a 1 person out of 4 million ratio.
Um, maybe it could be a good time to buy a lottery ticket?
Seriously, it's good to know you're all feeling so excited. But I'm glad all of the intros were recorded a while back - I can't for the life of me imagine how you'd be feeling right now if you were going to be on _live_ TV.
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"black" projects?
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> {quote:title=Kim1607 wrote:}{quote}
> GP really does dominate that movie even though he probably as a third fewer lines than other characters.
>
In that one movie, it is probably because he is the strong, silent type. He has a naturally commanding presence, in spite of the fact that many of the locals think he's just another Easterner who doesn't have what it takes to make it in the Old West - witness how they react when he refuses to ride the wild horse, at least when they first invited him to.
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*Shane is willing to take on all of them, but Grafton tries to interject. Grafton is an*
*interesting character to me. He's clearly a peaceable man who is pained by the growing violence, but he is weak. He may even be getting some sort of cut from Ryker, who seems to make himself very much at home in the establishment.*
That's a very good point, too. There are some indications (don't remember the exact scene) that Ryker actually has held back on getting violent due to pressure from Grafton.
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> {quote:title=FredCDobbs wrote:}{quote}
> > {quote:title=MarianStarrett wrote:}{quote}
> > Well, it's a good thing that we have footage of that whole thing!
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> Security cameras are everywhere today!
Big Brother is watching!
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> {quote:title=markbeckuaf wrote:}{quote}
> Marian,
> That's an awesome interview, thanks for posting it!!! I love Wild Bill Wellman, and it's great to hear more about him from his son's perspective!
You're welcome, mark, so very glad you enjoyed it
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the video, molo, sounds like a fascinating piece of TCM history.
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Well, it's a good thing that we have footage of that whole thing!
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You're welcome, bladerunner (great name, by the way!)
I've always found Nichols to be one of the most fascinating of contemporary directors, I'm glad he's getting some much-deserved honors.
Here is the photo that came with the story - I forgot to include it earlier.
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> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote}
> Maybe I can get Mr. Williams back on the shelves here too, although my library is rather quirky and might already have some of his books. I am excited to see if I can find his autobiographies. I'll let you know what I come up with....
Mr. Williams definitely sounds enticing, I should check that out as well.
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> {quote:title=Kim1607 wrote:}{quote}
> Thanks for that link. I can't wait to see all of the fan programmers.
You're welcome, Kim. I really think TCM viewers are going to enjoy the week's programming, all the intros by TCM fans like themselves.
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> {quote:title=filmlover wrote:}{quote}
> Harder still to believe that tomorrow night is my night. LOL, I think I have decided to watch it the way I described in my Retrospective watching The Haunting when I was a kid, lights out, six inches from the screen, with the sound low, so if I make a total **** of myself nobody will know I am home. (Just kidding. I hope.)
Just judging from the Fan Retrospective, I think you'll be great, I really do.
And definitely don't forget to record it!
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Here is an interview with William Wellman, Jr. in relation to the DVD set:
A wealth of pre-Code Wellman
Walter Addiego, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, April 12, 2009
With the arrival of the Production Code in the 1930s, a chill descended on Hollywood that lasted for decades. The Code was an attempt to protect audiences from racy topics such as adultery, drug use and prostitution. In the pre-Code days, these subjects were addressed frankly.
Pre-Code movies remain fascinating because they prove that the desire to peer at the less polite sides of life is nothing new. And there's an audience for these provocative pictures, partly because of boosters such as film historian William K. Everson, who traveled the country to show and discuss them. (See box on next page.)
A new DVD set, the third in Warner's "Forbidden Hollywood" series, focuses on the pre-Code movies of the redoubtable William A. Wellman.
Wellman lived a remarkable life. Besides making scores of movies, he was a decorated member of the Lafayette Flying Corps (not the Lafayette Escadrille) in World War I - his exploits earned him the nickname of "Wild Bill" - as well as a professional hockey player and an all-around manly type who got into fistfights with producers and actors.
Wellman's career began in the silent era through 1958. His 1927 "Wings" won the first Oscar for best picture, and he went on to make celebrated works such as "The Public Enemy," "Beau Geste" and "The Ox-Bow Incident."
The director's son, William Wellman Jr., has had a long acting career in movies and TV, and has devoted himself to perpetuating his father's memory. He's written a biography of the director and made a documentary about him. Wellman Jr. is among commentators on the new set, which includes "Midnight Mary" (with Loretta Young as a gangster's moll), "Frisco Jenny" (Ruth Chatterton as a San Francisco madam) and "Heroes For Sale" (Richard Barthelmess as a war veteran with a morphine addiction).
Wellman Jr. spoke by phone from his office in Los Angeles.
*Q: Was your father unhappy about the Code?*
A: He never liked the Code at all. He and the other filmmakers of the 1930s were always trying to get around it. My father wanted things to be realistic. He didn't want to have to have everything veiled, to have somebody else scrutinizing your work and telling you, "You can't do this, and you can do this." He felt the filmmakers should be able to handle their own subject matter.
*Q: That was a heroic age for film directors. These were men who had experience in the world, who were athletes, war heroes and aviators, etc.*
A: Let me tell you one little story. My documentary, "Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick," which is in this collection, had its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. And Robert Redford and I had dinner one night, and he was telling me that the difference between filmmakers of old - and I'm talking about my father and John Ford and Raoul Walsh and Victor Fleming and Howard Hawks - those people had life experiences that they brought to the films. In today's world, the filmmakers learn everything from film school and out of books. And (Redford) said that's what's missing in today's films: life experiences brought to the screen.
*Q: It's amazing how quickly those directors worked. In your commentary on "Wild Boys of the Road," you say that, from 1930 to '34, your father directed 21 films.*
A: He used to say that was his favorite period in Hollywood. My father had this tremendous drive and tremendous energy and enthusiasm, and he liked to keep it going. What he liked was the process of making movies, the work. Not the self-gratification or worrying about whether the film was going to do well or not. He loved the fact that he could do one after another after another, and that's why he stayed in the contract studio system as long as he did. A lot of people misunderstand this. Historians write that my father was always a contract studio director. Actually, he made 38 films in 11 years under three studio contracts, and then he made another 38 films as a freelancer.
*Q: Except for one MGM movie, all the pictures in this set were made for Warner Bros. How would you characterize Warner at the time?*
A: My father had just left Paramount, and he was unhappy there with the stories they were giving him. He felt he was getting only the B-picture material. But at Warner, they were making films out of the day's headlines, and he thought that was really exciting. You could get in there and make a very powerful story about all sorts of things. In "Wild Boys," you've got the disillusionment of youth in the Depression era. Most of these films are full of social alienation. You've even got drug addiction in "Heroes for Sale." ... He did five films (at Warner) about what he called "women in trouble," about prostitutes, etc., and he started squawking to the front office that he didn't want to keep making the same kind of film. So as sort of a punishment they loaned him out to MGM for "Midnight Mary," which was another "woman in trouble" picture. They also loaned out Loretta Young, and the two of them made "Midnight Mary," and it's considered the only time MGM made a Warner Bros. picture.
*Q: Ruth Chatterton is a pretty interesting actress. In "Frisco Jenny," she played a determined, independent woman, and she seems to have been that way in real life - she was an airplane pilot and wrote successful novels.*
A: Ruth Chatterton was very independent and very strong, and she caused problems at the studio. A lot of the directors didn't want to work with her. So they put her with my father on "Frisco Jenny," and they got along perfectly. People ask how that happened. First of all, there were no secrets with my father, he would tell you exactly the way it was. ... He would tell you who he was and what he wanted to do. And the fact that Ruth Chatterton was a pilot, that was the thing my father loved the most. He loved pilots far better than actors. ... My father liked the independent woman, the strong woman who could hang out with the guys, the Barbara Stanwycks and Carole Lombards and Ruth Chattertons. And even Loretta Young. You don't think of her that way, at least in the movies of the 1930s, when she was very vulnerable, yet she was a very strong woman.
*Q: I've read that Douglas Fairbanks got your father into the movies.*
A: Yes. My father was kicked out of high school in his senior year, and he was playing professional ice hockey in the Boston Arena. Fairbanks at the time was a stage star, and he was doing a play called "Hawthorne of the U.S.A." And Fairbanks saw my father playing hockey and took a liking to him, and they developed a friendship. My father actually went backstage during the show. And Fairbanks said to my father, "I'm going out to Hollywood to get into the movies, so if you ever need a job, look me up." So, after the war, my father remembered that, and I love the way he reintroduced himself to Fairbanks. My father had been shot down near the end of the war and rehabbed at home. And he read in the paper that Douglas Fairbanks was going to have this huge Hollywood party at a polo field. ... My father got all dressed up with all his decorations, and got into his Spad (airplane) and he flew and landed on the polo field in front of all these startled guests, and the polo ponies skittering around. And he marched up to Fairbanks and said, "Mr. Fairbanks, do you remember me?" And Fairbanks said, "I remember you. You're Wild Bill." And he introduced my father to Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith and Norma Talmadge and everybody who was at the party. That's when Fairbanks said, "Can you ride a horse?" And my father said, "No, but I've ridden everything else, and I can learn." So Fairbanks gave him an acting job, a starring role, in "The Knickerbocker Buckeroo" in 1919. And that started my father in film.
*Q: Did your father actually get into a fistfight with Spencer Tracy?*
A: It was at the Brown Derby in Hollywood. It was a very famous fight, people write about it all the time. This particular one, as far as exactly what started it, my father told me one time it was over Katharine Hepburn. But when I read other people's versions of it, no one ever says that. Just that they were drinking and started fighting. Now I don't know that my father dated Katharine Hepburn, or maybe he made a disparaging remark about her, or maybe he was dating her. This I don't know. And when I get to that part in my book, I'm going to research the heck out of it (laughs) and see what I can find out. But they did have a knock-down, drag-out fight in the Brown Derby. {sbox}
Forbidden Hollywood: Vol. 3: Six films directed by William A. Wellman. Warner Home Video. Four discs. $49.98.
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> {quote:title=Kim1607 wrote:}{quote}
> Peter, what is the Fan Retrospective you talk about in your post and do you know when that will air?
It airs at random times, but you can also watch it online in the TCM Media Room:
Peter:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=236981
And the other ones:
All 4 fans:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=236986
Rome:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=236980
Phillip:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=236985
Theresa:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=236984
Western Movie Rambles
in Westerns
Posted
But Connors did know that the duel guns were one-shots, and so in theory I assume that Peck would have been totally within his right to fire at him, whether or not Connors had cheated.
Perhaps anti-violence would be too broad a term for the philosophy that Peck brings into the West, where every man seemed to be trying to be as macho as they could. Maybe it would be better to refer to his attitude as using the least violence possible, and to try to not make a show of it, when possible.