MarianStarrett
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Posts posted by MarianStarrett
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You're not in Canada by any chance? Other than that, the only thing it could be would be the odd movie that gets rescheduled....
Oh and welcome to the forums!
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Just curious, since this documentary has its TCM premiere this coming Friday, if anyone has seen it before or knows anything about it. It features a lot of the musicians who were portrayed in the recent *Cadillac Records* and sounds very interesting.
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> {quote:title=TikiSoo wrote:}{quote}
> As an artist myself, I completely identified with the passion all the charactors had for the theater; the ego, the intensity, the disappointments & perseverence. And with the downturn in the economy, my business is hurting and I'm considering closing shop & taking a survival job.
>
Sorry to hear about your business TikiSoo, and hope things will turn around soon - hope things will get better for everyone and we can leave the Great Depression 2.0 behind us.
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> {quote:title=hlywdkjk wrote:}{quote}
> And didn't that cobalt blue coffee mug look good in my buddy Rome's hand?
I liked that Rome was the only one (that I can remember) who actually used his mug on-camera. He made it look cool, man! B-)
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Really lookin' forward to tonight's schedule, with the great films selected for the evening - *Double Indemnity*, *Swing Time* and *She Wore a Yellow Ribbon*. B-)
It just keeps gettin' better and better...
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> {quote:title=lzcutter wrote:}{quote}
> He's not doing it for Leslie. If she were married to anyone else, Joyce wouldn't have bought the letter.
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> It's because of his friendship with Crosbie that he goes down that road.
Well, I definitely agree with that, and I'm also aware that Howard told Mr Crosbie a polite lie to explain the letter (going with Leslie's story about "wanting to buy a gun for her husband"). And it also becomes clear later on (when Mr Crosbie speaks about his future business plans) that nobody mentioned to him that the letter would cost him his life savings.
Still, I kind of wondered as I watched if Howard might have wished that, even after giving Mr Crosbie a sanitized version of what the letter's really all about, Mr Crosbie would just say he wanted to play it by the book - to allow the jury to look at the letter because he was so convinced of Leslie's innocence.
If Mr. Crosbie had told him not to get the letter, it would have definitely made things easier for Howard, since he wouldn't have had to take the chance that he wouldn't get in trouble for doing something improper as a lawyer.
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Sad news for noir fans everywhere...
Maxine Cooper Gomberg dies at 84; actress in the film noir classic 'Kiss Me Deadly'
By Valerie J. Nelson
April 15, 2009
Maxine Cooper Gomberg, an actress best known for playing the secretary in the 1955 film noir classic "Kiss Me Deadly," has died. She was 84.
Gomberg, who also was a social activist, died of natural causes April 4 at her Los Angeles home, her family said.
The crime thriller "Kiss Me Deadly," loosely based on the Mickey Spillane novel, marked the feature film debut of the actress, then known as Maxine Cooper, and Cloris Leachman. Gomberg was Velda, the affectionate and trusty secretary of Ralph Meeker's Mike Hammer, the antisocial private eye at the heart of the film.
"Kiss Me Deadly" is considered a "seminal film noir," said Alan K. Rode, an expert in film noir, the black-and-white shadowy films that examine the underbelly of society.
The movie "was kind of a touchstone for the postwar, Cold War nuclear era, and a signpost for what was to be the end of film noir as film noir morphed into television programs," he said.
For decades, Meeker and Gomberg were at the center of a mystery surrounding the end of "Kiss Me Deadly," the Robert Aldrich film about the paranoia of the Atomic Age.
Since the early 1970s, the movie's original ending, in which "Velda" and "Mike" watch the beach house explode, had disappeared. Instead, prints featured a truncated finale that ended with the explosion and implied that the characters had not survived.
A film editor turned detective helped restore 64 seconds of footage in the late 1990s after tracking down Aldrich's personal print. Why the ending had been mutilated in the first place remains unresolved.
Aldrich cast Gomberg in "Kiss Me Deadly" after seeing her in a Los Angeles theatrical production of "Peer Gynt." She also had small roles in the Aldrich films "Autumn Leaves" (1956) and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962).
After marrying screenwriter and producer Sy Gomberg in 1957, she quit acting in the early 1960s to raise her family and rally Hollywood activists.
With her husband, she helped organize actors, writers and executives to march in the 1960s with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Montgomery, Ala. She also marshaled the entertainment community to participate in protests against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons, among other national and local causes.
She was born May 12, 1924, in Chicago to Richard Cooper, a General Electric distributor, and his wife, Gladys.
While at Bennington College in Vermont, Gomberg became interested in theater and finished her dramatic training at the Pasadena Playhouse.
In 1946, she went to Europe to perform in shows for soldiers. Gomberg stayed for five years, appearing in BBC-TV and theatrical productions.
Upon returning to Los Angeles, Gomberg appeared mainly on TV throughout the 1950s in such shows as "Dragnet," "Perry Mason" and "The Twilight Zone."
Later in life, she developed an interest in photography. When Gomberg's photographs illustrated the Howard Fast book "The Art of Zen Meditation," The Times' 1977 review called the book "beautiful."
Gomberg's husband died in 2001 at age 82. She is survived by a son, Chris; two daughters, Katherine and Marsha; and five grandchildren.
Services were private.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests donating to the Beacon Academy, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02215, or Wise & Healthy Aging, 1527 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401.
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> {quote:title=Rickspade wrote:}{quote}
> Thanks, Marian. When I first got into film noir many years ago, Laura and D.O.A. were fairly high up on my favorites list; in fact, D.O.A. was one of the very first noirs I remember seeing, when I was a very young guy. While I still hold them in admiration, over the years they've dropped somewhat in the "pecking order," although I still remember them fondly because they remind me of how excited I was to discover this whole new genre of films. . .and it's a genre that I keep discovering anew with additional films all the time.
You're probably right, they are usually some of the first noirs that many people will get a chance to watch if they're just getting into film noir. And some of these films might make a very big impression the first time you've seen them, but they don't all retain all their impact through repeat viewings.
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> {quote:title=laffite wrote:}{quote}
> Of course, he is being delicate with Mr Crosbie, who he must convince to get hold of the letter.
There are times when I almost wondered if it ever crossed Howard's mind that he might have preferred it if Mr. Crosbie refused to pay for the letter, since he would not be taking such a huge chance on doing something improper, and since he knows the truth about Leslie, maybe he wouldn't mind too much seeing her convicted of murder - even if, as a lawyer, he must do everything he can to defend her. But you're right, it's a great performance that holds the movie together.
> The little Ong is a memorable character. The acid half-smile and sodden innuendo, the masterful gamer. The Jalopy scene provided some welcome comic relief, though Ong himself is a bit comical (in a noir sort of way).
I enjoyed watching his little sneaky ways, but I have to admit there were a couple of times when I felt they were getting dangerously close to some silly Asian stereotype. However, in the end, I think Wyler kept it from going too far.
> {quote:title=lzcutter wrote:}{quote}
> Lafitte,
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> Thanks so much for bringing this thread back.
I'd like to think it was a bit of a group effort.
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Really? I thought Charlie's _never_ closed.
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> {quote:title=CEBandello wrote:}{quote}
> MarianStarrett,.... I have a new friend?.
You betcha!
I liked the outro just as much, and I *loved* the way you said "Whaddya hear, whadya say?" :x
(Also I agree with you regarding the ending)
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Rome, that was a _great_ intro to *Angels*, you have a great smile and such friendly tone of voice, and I really adored your description of your grandpa, I can just picture him so vividly from how you described him.
actionsgirl, I had forgotten to say earlier how much I admired your father in *West Side Story*, he and all the other Jets made a big impression on me and I watched it for the first time when I was really young, but I was already starting to pay close attention to the credits and the cast names at the end of the movie, and I definitely remember looking for the handsome young man who'd played Action. He was definitely lucky to be part of such a first-rate cast!
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> {quote:title=hamradio wrote:}{quote}
> A 78 rpm is 10 inches in diameter compared to a vinyl LP that is 12 inches. Something that is *extremely* RARE is a Vitaphone disc for the early talkies. They are 16 inches in diameter but plays at 33 rpm.
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> A photo of a Vitaphone disc
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There is a disc you really don't see every day. Thanks so much for sharing that photo, I've heard a lot about Vitaphone discs but never really saw a photo of one.
I do remember the days when record players had settings for 33/45/78rpm, but I never got to use any 78rpm's, even then.
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You're right, I'm wrong, I'm sorry.
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Is this kind of like the one you have? I believe it's a 78rpm.
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> {quote:title=scsu1975 wrote:}{quote}
> I wasn't aware that Marie Osmond was in The Ten Commandments.
She had a really tiny part, apparently.
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> {quote:title=hamradio wrote:}{quote}
> LOL, its older than vinyl (anybody can buy those). I think the material is bakelite and is as fragile as glass. These disc are the *original* 1938 stamps made by The Grammophone Corporation.
Wow, that's really rare. I hope it's in pristine condition!
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Great *GWTW* outro, and nice story about those Lana Turner earrings.
actionsgirl,
I loved your *Singin' in the Rain* intro!! Glad you mentioned Robert Watson, because I don't think I'd know what his name was otherwise! But you're right about the numbers with Gene and Donald. What a great screen pair they made - wish they'd made more movies together. (Debbie Reynolds is the icing on the cake, naturally).
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Watching it on a big-screen sounds like a lovely opportunity, especially if it's somewhere called a "Drafthouse Theater". Sounds to me like a good place to get spiffed.
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> {quote:title=gagman66 wrote:}{quote}
> MarianStarrett ,
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> As far as I know, Paramount would have the video rights to THE SHOPWORN ANGEL. But if any part of the soundtrack survives, this film could have fallen into Universal's Hands like THE FOUR FEATHERS (1929) did?
Good heavens! It could take them decades to figure all that out!
I'll keep my fingers crossed, in any case, for an eventual home video release.
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We're definitely looking to your intro tonight, btw!
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Congrats on the movie soundtrack, it must be a delight to listen to "Heigh-ho!" on good old-fashioned vinyl!
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*Rio Bravo*
Here is an _easy_ one:
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actionsgirl,
Hi and welcome to the forums!
> {quote:title=actionsgirl wrote:}{quote}
> I'm next...ugh! Hope I'm as good!
I take it you are Lisa M.? If so, great choice for your guest appearance, congratulations and I'm looking forward to your intro/outro!
[b]The TCM 15th Anniversary Guest Programmers Thread[/b]
in General Discussions
Posted
Lynn,
I would not worry about any shoes to fill, you're going to be presenting one of Pappy's best, and what's even more important, you are thoroughly knowledgeable on the subject.
I'm looking around for my *She Wore a Yellow Ribbon* DVD so I can watch that ahead of time, if time allows, and I'll be getting some drinks ready for tonight.