misswonderly3

$200 bucks? Forget it ! They would've had to have had Rita Hayworth in a time capsule from 1945 signing autographs to make it worth that kind of dough. I couldn't stand *A Millionaire for Christy*, and turned it off after the disastrous halted wedding scene. Too dumb for words. (further comments on the thread about it in General Discussions.)

wikipedia (agreed, not necessarily the best source) says the following about screwball comedy: *"While there is no authoritative list of the defining characteristics of the screwball comedy genre, films considered to be definitive of the genre usually feature farcical situations, a combination of slapstick with fast-paced repartee, and a plot involving courtship and marriage or remarriage. The film critic Andrew Sarris has defined the screwball comedy as "a sex comedy without the sex."[5]* *Like farce, screwball comedies often involve mistaken identities or other circumstances in which a character or characters try to keep some important fact a secret. Sometimes screwball comedies feature male characters cross-dressing, further contributing to the misunderstandings (Bringing Up Baby, I Was a Male War Bride, Some Like It Hot). They also involve a central romantic story, usually in which the couple seem mismatched and even hostile to each other at first, and "meet cute" in some way. Often this mismatch comes about because the man is much further down the economic scale than the woman (Bringing Up Baby, Holiday). The final marriage is often planned by the woman from the beginning, while the man doesn?t know at all. In Bringing Up Baby we find a rare statement on that, when the leading woman says, once speaking to someone other than her future husband: "He?s the man I?m going to marry, he doesn?t know it, but I am." "* The problem I have with this kind of comedy is that the film asks us to believe too much in the name of furthering the story. I do believe you have to use "suspension of disbelief", not only in screwball comedies but in almost all genres of film, but sometimes the situations the audiences are asked to accept in some of these movies is just too much, too dumb to even be fun. I often find myself thinking "Nobody would do that", or " People just don't behave that way.". The behaviour of the characters, particularly often the female leads, is just too extreme and beyond the pale to be engaging for me. There are exceptions, and the few "screwballs " that I like are usually saved by the fine comedic performances involved; sometimes -but not very often -everything just seems right in these films. *Bringing Up Baby* is a great example of a perfect screwball comedy ( and I normally don't even like Katharine Hepburn, but she's perfect in this). Edited by: misswonderly on Nov 8, 2010 4:48 PM

Maybe I shouldn't have given up on it. But why would anyone deliver an important message from their employer to the client from the bathroom? I know, I know, it's screwball, you have to "go with it", but sometimes these kinds of comedies that require totally unrrealistic and foolish behaviour from their characters don't work for me. (Perhaps I'm just being a humourless po-face.) Next time it's on ( and I can wait) I'll bring along my suspension of disbelief and give it another shot. Who knows, maybe it'll become a "Hallelujah !" film for me.

Well, that song certainly kicks ****. It would be something to see them live. More Smashing Pumpkins. These guys really took their videos seriously. A plaintive tune, suitable to the grey and meditative days of November. (I must say, the powers that be on these boards are very squeemish indeed. You can't even say, "Kicks azz" ? .. just imagine the z's are s's.) Edited by: misswonderly on Nov 8, 2010 2:47 PM

Did you go anyway? It might have been fun, and for sure people who like noir literature almost always know about film noir too. Might have given you a chance to catch up on your Mickey Spillane. I think our friend redriver is a fan of noir lit.

I thought *A Millionaire for Christy* was terrible ! Absolutely wretched ! In fact, I couldn't take it any more after the aborted wedding scene and turned it off. I keep wanting to like Eleanor Parker, but it's difficult work. I usually think of her as "whiney" and "clingy", but that's not fair of me, since my perception is based upon only two films I've seen her in : *Between Two Worlds* and *The Man with the Golden Arm*. Two films is not really enough to make a fair assessment of an actor, and anyway, she can't help it if she's directed to be whiney and clingy.She's just doing a good job, that's her character. But still, she's annoying in those films. So, I decide to give her another try with this Christy movie. But it's so dumb, so full of stupid cliches, and so unfunny, I found it unwatchable. Eleanor Parker can't help the dopey script, that's not her fault, but boy was it dumb. You're sent as a messenger from a respected law firm to deliver some very important information, and you stupidly pretend to faint because you're observing advice from your silly " man hungry" co-worker? And when you "recover", you decide to explain this essential legal message from the bathroom? Come on - I know these kinds of comedies are based on misunderstandings , that's what "screwball" is all about, but this is so contrived and fatuous it just tries my patience. Doesn't matter, I bet I can tell you how it ended. After various zany situations, in each one Parker trying to tell MacMurray about his inheritance, Fred realizes it is Eleanor Parker he loves, not his fiance, who ends up with the original best man who liked her in the first place. Fred and Eleanor get their 23 million pesos and live zanily ever after. Pul-eese !

countess, merci for the nice compliment re. 20th century vole. I have fun doing that, and I always get huge laughs from others' contributions on it (Mr. Bogle seems to have endless hilarious ideas for it). Of course, my photo post "I Like to Watch" was just in response to Mr. ValentineXavier's clever contribution just previous, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being There". It is a fun thread, yes. I plan to read and follow this challenge, but will focus on learning from it this time around. The degree of film knowledge that I see in these challenges and the playfulness with which that knowledge is used is almost awe-inspiring, as well as heartening to know there are so many dedicated cinephiles out there. I'm hoping maybe I can learn from this.

"We like to watch..."

mark, I have so many film noir boxed sets, I'm not sure which is the one you have in mind. That sounds like bragging, but some of these sets were picked up super cheap, and they have not been cleaned up nor do they have and extras or commentary. However, I'm assuming you mean this: "FILM NOIR Collection , Volume 3 / "Timeless suspense Thrillers"/ from Warner Brothers with an endorsement from Robert Osborne. If that's the one, it's a 5 disc set that includes the following: *Border Incident* *His Kind of Woman* *Lady in the Lake* *On Dangerous Ground* *The Racket* Plus a disc called "Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light", "an exciting overview with clips, experts, and style" Plus 5 vintage "Crime Doesn't Pay" shorts. They all have been beautifully remastered, and each comes with an optional commentary. I love the commentaries, especially for the films that I know really well, it adds so much.

I could have sworn *Drums Along the Mohawk* was aired very recently on Turner, something to do with a day for Claudette Colbert. I remember this because I planned to watch it or at least record it (never seen it, always wanted to) and for some reason I missed it. lz, you 're up on this stuff -am I wrong?

Oh yeah, that extra hour this Sunday morning was sweet. Last night I watched one of the films on the Noir boxed set I got recently - *Dial 1119*. It wasn't bad, kind of like those 50s television dramas they used to put on. A tense little suspense drama, with the escaped murderer holding several people hostage in a bar. Of course each of those hostages has a back story to tell. I would have liked a little more background on the desperate killer himself, but we don't get much, other than that he's a nutter from a way back. I enjoyed it , but it was a good decision to keep it at 75 minutes or so - anything much longer and it would have dragged.

All I can say is, you people who do this must all be geniuses. I could never figure out something like that, just the time and the patience it must take; as for the vast film knowledge necessary for such an undertaking, I won't even go there. Anyone who does this should be offered a chance to present it on the actual TCM programming. I raise my top hat (fashion contribution) to all of you.

I don't know which I like better, Junior Brown's cowboy hat or his double-duty guitar. I wanted to post something by Pentangle today, in my opinion the best of the British folk/rock groups. But the song I wanted has an idiotic video accompanying it, and I don't want the song to be associated with the video. So I'm settling for Bert Jansch, who was an important member of Pentangle. He has also had a distinguished solo career. Although I'd bet my entire British folk/rock collection that this version is not from one of Burt's solo albums, but from the exquisite Pentangle album "Sweet Child". Back to ancient Irish melodies with "I Once Loved a Lass". (Again, like most of these traditional tunes, there are many versions of it, both musically and lyrically.) (There's something about songs in 3/4 time that get into your brain and stay there.) Edited by: misswonderly on Nov 7, 2010 11:28 AM

Well, the song is called "Another Planet".

"Dance Dance Dance !" ? I like it. That's the way to get those host guys into shape. Think how alert they'll be with their intros after that. The Only Ones came out with a fantabulous song in the late 70s, and it still rocks. Apparently there was a cover version of it, but I know nothing about that nor care. Here is the song; I only wish yet again that I could make the volume go up to 11. "Another Girl, Another Planet" :

*STALAGMITE 17* William Holden finds himself in a unique German prisoner of war camp, one where the ingenious Nazis have devised a seemingly inescapable underground maze, composed entirely of natural geological formations. The other prisoners suspect that he hoards food which he skewers on said formations. An escape plan involving a circuitous route over, under, and around the stalagmites seems doomed to failure, but Holden has ideas of his own. "All right, enough with the torture. Those stalactites are sharp, you know.Gimme another plate of weinerschnitzal and I'll tell you everything." The labyrinthine planned escape route through the stalagmites. (And stalactites.) Edited by: misswonderly on Nov 6, 2010 10:15 AM

Speaking of the Beatles, last night I went and saw that new film about John Lennon's early years, *Nowhere Boy*. It thought it was very good. Anyway, it caused me to miss my big chance to see *The Killers* (TCM, 8:00). So I'll have to wait for another time to have my "Hallelujah !" moment with that film. One of the scenes in *Nowhere Boy* showed the first meeting between Lennon and McCartney (Paul McCartney was played by this solemn nerdy-looking little boy !). McCartney impressed Lennon by rendering a note perfect performance of Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock" on his equally impressive guitar. Here it is, Eddie's version, complete with footage from some old movie (if anyone knows what it is, let me know.) ok, I scrolled down the "comments" -apparently it's from *The Girl Can't Help It*, a movie I have never seen but would love to. Edited by: misswonderly on Nov 5, 2010 9:49 AM

Oh yeah, no argument there. Burt was almost ridiculously handsome. For that reason alone you have to wonder why Ava dumped him (I mean the characters in the film, of course. )

Nice disco dancing there, finance. Maybe that's the route we ought to go with Osborne and Baldwin. (Talking about the dancing, not the orientation.)

As I've said on other threads, I've never really enjoyed this film, possibly because it always makes me fall asleep, right around when Ava appears, curled up on a piano or something. Nothing to do with Ava, I'm sure. I missed my big chance to see this tonight and revise my opinion of it (I was hoping to have a "Hallelujah- I've seen the light ! " moment). I was out seeing a first-run movie, actually. Oh well, I think I own it. I'll have to schedule some time to really give this celebrated film noir my attention, everyone says it deserves it (celebration and attention.)

JOEL McCREA ! JOEL McCREA ! Star of the month Just say Okay ! Tomorrow -November 5th - is his birthday.

Well, yeah, that's what I said. Or so I thought.

I notice that *The Innocents* is on the list. For some reason this great film about a suppressed, sensitive young governess and her two charges is overlooked on these boards. I wrote about it on the "What makes a good Horror film?" thread. Directed by Jack Clayton, the film was released in 1961. It stars Deborah Kerr, and is based on the Henry James novella, The Turn of the Screw. Perhaps that explains its literacy and its psychological depth. This is one of the scariest ghost stories I have ever seen on film, and yet very little is "shown". The few scenes that do apparently depict a being from "the other side" are very quiet, and very frightening. Hasn't anyone else seen this exceptional movie?

Well, putting Pavarotti and Guy Lombardo aside, (not to mention Andy Hardy), I think it's time for a Radiohead song. Now, the problem with these guys is , if you're in a certain frame of mind, they could be perceived as just a bit depressing, I prefer to think of it as melancholy. Ok, dammit, their songs often are a little on the downer side, but they make up for that by being so good. This song is one of their very most depressing (you've been warned) but it's so unforgettable -it's simple but haunting melody, in a minor key, it's mournful tone, its intensity. There were many versions of this song to choose from on youtube, it got confusing after a while. So I'm cheating again -first a live version I picked almost at random, second the studio version (but without the accompanying video, which is too depressing even for me.) Still, there's nothing wrong with a little melancholy now and then. Thom Yorke thinks so too, evidently, as he sings "Street Spirit/Fade Out" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt-2rJ7MGw0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp5eCXO96C0 Something to distract you from the mournful mood you may now find yourself in: I've always thought Thom Yorke looks like a cross between John Hurt and that creepy little guy in *Drugstore Cowboy*.

Arturo, *Come Back Little Sheba* is one of those films on my long list of "always wanted to see but still haven't had the chance". I saw just a few minutes of it on tv , long ago when I was a kid. I think it was on the late show and my parents were watching it, and I got up and wandered out into the living room and watched it with them for a few minutes until they noticed me and sent me back to bed. The few minutes I saw were very intriguing. It's based on a play, isn't it?