misswonderly3

It would be nice to have some kind of time-frame in terms of how long one might have to wait to see one's request.

Today TCM is airing a tribute documentary about the great jazz musician, Dave Brubeck. Here are two lovely tracks from his album, "Jazz Impressions of New York". This recording is not as well-known as some others of his, and some critics say there's a reason for that. But I disagree, I think the entire album is very fine, Here's "Autumn in New York". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYmoNVvyI40 I was also going to post another track from that same album, "Upstage Rhumba", it's great ! However, youtube doesn't seem to have it, so here's something more well-known by him, "Unsquare Dance" : Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 6, 2010 5:42 PM

Henry Fonda and Tyrone Power? Apples and Oranges. I think of them as very dis-similar. For one thing, Ty was "sexy", Henry was " principled". Ty was rarely principled. Henry was never sexy. ("IMHO" )

"Do the Strand" was, I think , the first Roxy music song I ever heard. so, shall we add that one to the list for the TCM Dance-a-thon? I'm stuck on Carla Thomas. Here she is with Otis Redding. Otis, despite his success, apparently still wears overalls, ergo, he's a "Tramp" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db-MiSXwoDQ

I was unaware of that personal relationship between Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. That at least in part explains the genuinely romantic , almost erotic, atmosphere between them in their films. (Margaret Sullivan was lovely, and not just in the way she looked.) Sprocket Man, I know Stewart and Fonda are often compared, and for good reason - they were both about the same age, they were contemporaries, they both worked for the same director on many occasions, and they were personal friends. They also both, in very different ways, projected an "image" of " the average decent American man"; I cannot think off-hand of any films in which either actor played a committed hard-core criminal. (Except, late in his career, Fonda in *Once Upon a Time in the West.* ) Still, I do feel that Stewart displayed more range than Fonda; and I always suspect, when watching Henry Fonda, that he was not endowed with an overly generous sense of humour. Now this may be because he so often was given the role of "straight guy" in comedies such as *The Lady Eve* , which he does very well. But Fonda always looks kind of "mad" to me, his righteous American indignation over injustice often seems to descend into mere ill-temper to me sometimes. Of course he's perfect in films such as *The Wrong Man*, *The Oxbow Incident*, and *Twelve Angry Men* (in which he appears as the least angry of the twelve ! ) Still, I can imagine James Stewart playing all those roles to equal effect. But I'm not sure I can see Fonda playing the Scottie role in *Vertigo* . (for instance ) I like Henry Fonda well enough, I am not "bashing" him -I'm just saying I don't agree with your opinion that Fonda was as good, if not better, an actor than Jimmy Stewart. (Hope I got all my grammar, spelling, and vocabulary correct in that post. I've noticed, Sprocket Man, that you are quick to point out such errors .) Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 6, 2010 10:18 AM

It goes without saying that films such as *Casablanca* and *The Maltese Falcon* are well-beloved by TCM fans. But I do have to wonder why people see fit to request such readily available films. Not only are they aired all the time -and not only on TCM - but they are easily available for purchase, you don't even have to go on a website to order them, you can just walk into your local mall and find a retail outlet that sells them, probably in quantities. So it does seem odd that people feel the need to request something so easy to access.. Also, if you're even a casual movie fan, (as opposed to us fanatics here) surely you've seen those titles many times. I could probably recite whole sections of dialogue from them in my sleep. I see it as tantamount to someone calling up a radio station and requesting "Stairway to Heaven."

mrroberts, thanks for the tip. Next time I'm in your fine country (or at least in Pennsylvania) I'll have to make a point of checking out that museum. Kinokima, yeah, *The Philadelphia Story* has it all - Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Double whammy.

MFF, I personally never get the sense that Stewart is overacting. but then, I'm kind of weird that way -if I like an actor, I tend not to notice their acting one way or the other. That is, I'm paying attention to their presence on the screen, for sure, but I'm not thinking "He (or she) wasn't very convincing there" or "Wow, they should have dialed it down in that scene " etc. I like them, and I totally accept their performance of whatever character they're playing. I think it's connected with that "suspension of disbelief" thing for me: just as I don't really notice or care about rear screen projection, careless continluity, etc,, it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of the film if I am engaged in the story and the characters, the same can be said for my feelings about acting, or overacting. If they do it, what can I say, I'm completely involved in the film and I don't notice it. Anyway, I often kind of like it when an actor is "over the top", Sometimes it really works, and it's fun to watch them tearing up the scenery. I love it when James Stewart becomes really intense -for someone who has quite a reputation as playing a nice and decent guy, nobody can do "mad" like James Stewart. As for "he's not Gable" : oh yeah, I know. I like Clark well enough, he's pretty good, but I've never found him sexy or attractive. Handsome, yes, but he's always struck me as " what you see is what you get". Jimmy Stewart, now, can convey a multitude of emotions with one facial expression. He seems "many faceted " to me, and that makes him mysterious and far more interesting than a straightforward guy like Gable. And that makes him (Stewart) sexy, in my opinion. Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 5, 2010 6:59 PM

I didn't know *All About Eve* was based on a short story, nor did I have any idea that Margo and Eve were modelled (sort of) after real people. I wonder, was there an actual George Sanders type? clearskies wrote: "...the only book I didn't finish was "Moby Dick." Have you seen the Woody Allen film, *Zelig* ? It's a running joke in the movie that one of the Zelig character's ambitions is to read (to the end ! ) Moby Dick . I think he finally does, right at the end of the film, when he's "cured". Zelig's got something on me...I only read the bits I had to to fake it in my first year English class .

Check this out, guys, it's quite funny: http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=152322&tstart=15

I just saw *The Mortal Storm* for the first time this weekend , and realized afresh how much I love watching James Stewart in pretty much anything. This was a fine movie, I'm surprised it isn't more well-known, but even if it had been a dud I would have enjoyed it just for Stewart's presence in it. Young and babbling, old and bitter, altruistic, disillusioned, romantic, cynical - he's been and done it all in his long and great career, and with impeccable style and sincerity. I love the young, optimistic Jimmy Stewart, pleading for some noble cause - you just have to believe this guy, whatever he's talking about. Embittered and world-weary yet willing to take on whatever new challenges confront him ( his HItchcock era). Hard-edged and disgusted with the world, as he appears in so many Westerns later in his career - whatever James Stewart is doing, he's doing it well, in a way that engages our interest and our sympathy. And another thing about him that is rarely said -he's damn sexy. Well, +I+ think he is . The scene near the end of *Shop Around the Corner* is one of the sexiest films from that era. Some may say that he's a poor fit for a romantic lead, but I say otherwise. When he's playing a romantic scene, he plays it like he means it - not with spectacular embraces and kisses, but with his voice and his eyes. I'm sure there must be older threads about this wonderful ( an apt word for him) Hollywood treasure, but I haven't seen anything specific about him since I've been reading these boards, and after watching *The Mortal Storm*, I just had to write about how good he is in a forum where I know I'm not alone in my appreciation.

cujas, have you seen Brenda performing live? Wow ! "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" - classic country word play. Those guys really loved those contradictory song titles ( examples: "Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home", "You're Right, She's Gone, I'm Left" ). Yesterday we had Rufus Thomas and his dog, today we'll keep it in the family with Carla Thomas and her Christmas party. Very timely; I look out my window, and "oh, by the way, it's snowing." Hope it's not too early for "Gee Whiz, It's Christmas" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVigCNi8X2Q Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 5, 2010 12:59 PM Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 5, 2010 1:26 PM

mark, and anyone else who likes the *Thin Man* movies: check out the 20th Century Vole thread in the Hot Topics forum...there's a very funny post on it about the Thin Man.

..prefer it to what? Sinatra? Shirley not.

I have seen the series you're referring to, Kinokima, and I agree, that's one of the "exceptions" I was referring to. It's very well done, Colin Firth makes a perfect Darcy, and Jennifer Ehle an equally charming Elizabeth. (Did you know she played Oscar Wilde's wife in the film *Wilde* that came out in the 90s? Stephen Frey played Oscar himself.) I think a series on a book can do a better job, obviously because it has a lot more time to unfold the story and include many details from a book that a two hour movie has to leave out.

> {quote:title=clearskies wrote:}{quote} > ... I would like to see more movies made of Shakespeare's plays, more Jane Austen & the Brontes as well as Agatha Christie. I know many versions of these works have alrady been made but there's always room for more, thereby introducing many who might not be familiar with these classics. I love those 19th century women writers, but for some reason I prefer my Victorian literature on paper, not celluloid. With a few exceptions, I've never really taken to the Brontes or Austen translated into film. But I kind of have a problem a lot of the time with books being converted into movies. I always like the stories better in my imagination. I know I'm in a small minority with this. Well, it's been a week, now, and I'm still plugging away with *Confederacy of Dunces*. Embarrassing thought this is to admit, I'm only about half-way through it. I have to remind myself to pick it up and read it. Why do I continue, when there are a million books to read? Well, I feel kind of committed to it now, and I do want to find out what happens to the dysfunctional Ignatious. Maybe I should take a break and check out that George Bush (auto)biography hamradio mentioned. I'm wondering if Bush and Ignatious Reilly had a few things in common...

With all the danceable songs being posted here lately, I think we should suggest that the TCM Classic Film Festival hosts a "hop" for all attendees. Mr.Osborne can MC it, and all the dance tunes that have been posted here can be featured, along with any others people want to suggest. They could have one of those "spotlight" contests for best dancer, and the winner could take home their very own copy of *The Girl Can't Help It*. Or maybe one of those Busby Berkley spectacles, everyone can try and imitate the moves on those. Here's one they could play : Rufus Thomas, reminding us to go "Walking' the Dog" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLSaZEySydc Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 4, 2010 1:25 PM

Thanks, MovieProfessor, that was very nice. Matt Dusk, eh? Well, I am chagrined to admit that I had not heard of him. How can this be? My music-knowledge vanity will never be the same. I looked him up; he must have made it, because he has a wikipedia entry. And yeah, his style may be a bit different, but in many ways I think we could put him in the same general category as Michael Buble. casablancalover, I'm still on the moon. Your musical selection tasteful as always. You commented, by the way, that there seemed to be many more male singers carrying the classic songbook torch than female. I venture to suggest that Diana Krall (a Canadian, by the way ! -Oh, I'm so predictable ) is doing a great job of this. Here's an example of her style: Of course, it's hard to go wrong with a fantastic song like "Cry Me a River".

Everyone seems to have forgotten Harry Connick Jr., who did the same thing as Buble and is still around. I don't mind Michael Buble; I've heard him interviewed, he sounds like an unpretentious and fun guy, serious about the music, but not taking himself too seriously.

This is a nice little pop song, clever lyrics, very catchy arrangements. kind of off-kilter rhythm to it. Vampire Weekend with "Oxford Comma"

Looks like this may have been a bit of a tempest in a teapot. I checked the Canadian schedules this evening, and the ones for both January and February are now posted. (Hey, maybe we humble message board posters have more influence than we thougnt...)

> {quote:title=lzcutter wrote:}{quote} > I don't think anyone is criticizing Ken Burns' research and music choices. Rather, it is the style that I think TikiSoo was talking about. > He has been doing this style now for almost twenty five years without many changes: still images with a moving camera going across or zooming, famous actors reading newspapers, letters, book passages, etc, modern exterior footage that gets more grandiose as he goes on and interview footage shot in rustic home settings that look like they could be living by candle light. > > ... Burns has settled into a style that he keeps repeating documentary after documentary and doesn't seem to show any desire to move beyond it.... Well, I freely admit that I am unfamiliar with these other documentaries Burns has made, and it sounds as though he did significantly lower his standards with them. I still think that the two examples of his work that I have seen, The Civil War and Jazz (quite possibly not their exact titles) are amongst the best documentary-filmmaking that I've ever seen. They were both made many years ago, the one in the 80s and ( I think) the other in the 90s. So I guess I'm letting him rest on his laurels. Anyway, I don't feel strongly enough about it to debate it further; I take yours' and TikiSoo's word for it that his later work was of a lower quality. The idea of wondering what kind of results Ken Burns would have come up with for this topic was more or less something that just occurred to me while I was thinking about my overall impression of "Moguls" just after I saw the most recent segment. In any case, "Moguls and Movie Stars" is undeniably fascinating, whatever criticisms I may have of it, and I'm looking forward to Episode 6. Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 2, 2010 10:36 PM Edited by: misswonderly on Dec 2, 2010 10:45 PM ( lost track of which episode was next : not 5, been there, done that: 6 is up next.)

That's it ! I'd forgotten his name. Thanks, casablancalover (baby). Sometimes I think those Bugs Bunny cartoons were amongst the most intelligent offering on screen in bygone times. Certainly amongst the funniest.

"Crimes against humanity" ? Buble ain't got nothin' on Justin Beiber, another Canadian.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/25/messages/776.html