speedracer5

Thank you lavender. I've been wanting to see this film. It's on the Netflix Instant Queue. I should try and watch it before it disappears. I like Welles in his non acting/producing/and directing films. My favorite of his "regular" films would be his pairing with Claudette Colbert in "Tomorrow is Forever."

Ooh I'm excited about "Torrid Zone." I've read a lot about it on a couple of the Ann Sheridan threads that have been floating around and I'd like to see it. Can't say I'm too excited about "Miss Sadie Thompson" with Rita Hayworth. As much as I like Hayworth, I wasn't a fan of this film. I don't know what it was about it, I just didn't care for it. Maybe I missed something when I watched it the first time. Hayworth was also lacking some of the glamour she had in 1946's "Gilda" and that was somewhat disappointing. Maybe she was wearing bad makeup? I'm not sure.

Imo, Ann Sheridan turned in good performances in the material she was given. While I like her appearances in film, I don't think Warners ever provided her with her break out role. Sure, she had lead roles here and there, but I don't think any of them ever elevated her to the level of say Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman or even Olivia de Havilland. Ann Sheridan was in the middle of the pack. Prior to her appearance in Angels With Dirty Faces, she was in tons of B-Movies. After 'Angels' she was nicknamed "The Oomph Girl." Typically, actresses who are known as "The [something] girl" aren't usually seen as serious actresses, they're seen as eye candy for a film. This is more of a fault of Warner Brothers and its publicity department than it is Ann's. I've read that she loathed the nickname. While 'Angels' led to roles in higher caliber pictures, she was still typically cast as the female lead in a picture with the bigger male Warner star. Her collaborations with Bogart, Cagney and Flynn are excellent. I don't think Sheridan's legacy is being disparaged by discussing her co-starring roles in these films, they're just as much Sheridan's film as they are Bogart's, Cagney's or Flynn's. I don't think it's wrong (or undermining Sheridan's career) to discuss her appearances in her male peers' films. She has to co-star with someone. I think Alexis Smith falls into the same category as Sheridan. While Smith turned in many excellent performances, most of them were in films with Warner's larger male stars. Her co-starring turns with Flynn in the films TomJH mentioned were excellent. Her upper class persona provides a good foil for Flynn in Gentleman Jim. I think she was decent in her apperances with Bogart in their two noirs together and I also liked her in The Constant Nymph with Joan Fontaine. I'd have to agree that Smith's height was a disadvantage. At 5'9, she was definitely taller than many of the major male stars employed at her studio: Bogart, Cagney, Edward G. Robinson. Flynn, at 6'2, was one of the few male actors tall enough for her to be paired with. I imagine that many pairs of lifts were handed out when actors were paired with Smith. She seemed to do well when loaned out (or maybe the actors were "loaned in") for films featuring taller co-stars: Cary Grant and William Holden come to mind. Both Sheridan and Smith's personas were that of a sassy, opinionated woman. Sheridan's persona was a little more blue collar, whereas Smith's seemed more upper crust. Their respective personas were good foils for the gruff Cagney, the gruff but secretly a softy Bogart, and the cocky, arrogant but insanely charming Flynn. Sheridan and Smith's careers both took off after appearing in a film headlining a major male star. I think we should be able to discuss Sheridan and Smith and mention their films featuring their bigger male co-stars. Like I said, these films are just as much part of these ladies' film legacies as they are part of the men's. It doesn't make sense to discuss Sheridan and Smith's careers and leave out probably some of the biggest films they appeared in. I admitedly haven't seen much of Sheridan and Smith's work that doesn't feature the major male Warner Brothers actors, only because they initially weren't my draw to the film. Now that I've seen Sheridan and Smith's work in their respective films with Bogart, Cagney and Flynn, that'll provide me with more of a desire to see Sheridan and Smith carrying films on their own, or at least having a part more integral to the plot.

Thanks. I watched Pat and Mike. I'm a fan of Katharine Hepburn, not as much a fan of Spencer Tracy, but I like their films together. Hepburn and Tracy are such a great and unique pair, I've found all their films enjoyable. While I liked this film, which allowed Hepburn to show off her athletic abilities, I don't know if it's my favorite of the Hepburn/Tracy films. I'd like to acquire this film, just so that I can continue to work on completing my Hepburn/Tracy collection, I think Desk Set is still my favorite of their films.

Wow. Thanks everyone. This is my 4th time entering. I didn't expect to win. Thank you everyone for voting for me and thank you SansFin for hosting such a great challenge. Well crap. I guess it's my turn now. I have never hosted one of these before. I'll have to review previous challenges and make sure I don't duplicate any challenges. What date works best for everyone to start on #29?

I think TCM typically uses "Suspense" for the Mystery films. I think The Thin Man is considered a "Suspense" film.

http://timelines.latimes.com/academy-awards/ This is a really interesting compilation of the Academy Awards from its inception in 1928 through today. There are a lot of interesting facts and pictures. Did anyone know that during the Oscar ceremonies in the 1930s, they used to collect the votes and tabulate them right there during the ceremony?

I am trying to catch up on my DVR before I move into my new house and subsequently fill my new DVR up with films. Anyway, I watched quite a few movies recently: The Man With the Golden Arm. I really liked this film. I'm finding myself enjoying more and more of Otto Preminger's work. I like that he just made the films he wanted to make, despite the Production Code. Both this film, and a previous work, The Moon is Blue, were both initially denied seals of approval from the Production Code. The Moon is Blue I believe was released without the seal, and The Man With the Golden Arm eventually got a seal after the Production Code approved of films dealing with the subject matter of drug addiction. Anyway... I thought this film was great. Sinatra was excellent as was Eleanor Parker. While I like Kim Novak, often times, I find her to be a little stiff at first and then she ends up growing on me throughout the film. In The Man With the Golden Arm, she doesn't have the stiff delivery like she does in the opening scenes of Picnic. I thought Kim Novak was great as well. I loved Elmer Bernstein's score that he created for this film. Excellent movie. Preminger hasn't let me down yet. The Blue Gardenia. I really liked this Fritz Lang noir. Anne Baxter was excellent as was Ann Sothern. I wasn't familiar with Richard Conte prior to this film, but he was good as well. I thought the idea of a woman committing a crime while drunk and then not being able to remember it was very interesting. Great twist at the end. I really enjoyed this film and wouldn't mind having my own copy. However, the only copy that seems to be available right now is a somewhat cheesy looking version. I wish that it would either get a proper DVD release, or that at least Warner Archives or Universal Vault would have access to this film to be able to produce it. Escape Me Never. I got this film (along with Bogart's Conflict) for Valentine's Day from my husband. The only reason I wanted it, of course, was for Errol Flynn. It doesn't seem like this film airs very often on TCM and I wanted to see it. I had read some mixed reviews about it on imdb. I liked this movie. It was an unusual movie, but not in a bad way. I liked the pairings of Flynn and Ida Lupino and Flynn and Eleanor Parker. Gig Young was there too (as the original partner of Parker), but he was whatever. I enjoyed the scenes involving Flynn much more. Flynn was quite the player in this movie (switching back and forth between Lupino and Parker) but he was as excellent as usual. I know that Flynn and Lupino were close friends in real life, and I think this friendship shined through in all their scenes together. Flynn looked a little older and more filled out (if that's the right word, he definitely wasn't fat by any means, perhaps just not as lithe as he is in The Adventures of Robin Hood) but was still definitely as hunky as always. Gig Young needed to lose the mustache. It just didn't look right to me. Anyway, I liked this film and am glad to have it as part of my collection. The Sweet Smell of Success. I recorded this movie along with Trapeze. I really liked this movie as well. Burt Lancaster did a great job as the antagonist in this film. I thought Tony Curtis was excellent as well. I've seen more of Curtis' work recently and in the past, had dismissed him as a lightweight actor. I've begun to see that I was wrong about him and have enjoyed seeing more of his work outside of Some Like it Hot. The More the Merrier. I already wrote about my thoughts on this film in a thread related to the movie, but I thought I'd include it here. I recorded it during the Jean Arthur marathon last month and I'm happy to say that this Arthur film didn't disappoint. I never knew who Jean Arthur was prior to being active on this board and I'm very happy to have made this discovery. Arthur was a great actress and I loved this movie. She and Joel McCrea were a great pairing. Charles Coburn was hilarious. I love how Arthur can combine sex appeal and quirkiness so well. The scene between Arthur and McCrea on the stairs is definitely one of the sexiest on screen. I loved the scene where Arthur gives Coburn the low down on his new morning routine and he feebly tries to stick to it. It's so regimented and leaves no room for error or lateness. It's impossible and hilarious. Mildred Pierce. I'm not typically a fan of Joan Crawford, but I loved this movie. It was a great melodrama noir. I thought Crawford was fantastic and Ann Blythe was excellent as well. When Crawford smacked Blythe, she definitely had it coming. She played the bratty character well. I also thought Jack Carson was excellent. I don't think I've seen him in a more serious role. He always seems to play the comedic sidekick, or the slightly dopey sidekick to the more attractive and charming lead actor. He was great in this film. I loved it. I definitely want to add this film to my collection. It combines two of my favortie types of movies: melodrama and noir. The Great Lie. This was a great movie with my fave Bette Davis and Mary Astor. Every Mary Astor performance I've seen, I've enjoyed. I had never heard of her prior to being active on these boards and I thought she was great. It's great when Davis gets paired with other strong personalities. This was a great melodrama and ridiculous and I loved it. Top Hat. I've been trying to give Astaire/Rogers films a chance. Sometimes Ginger Rogers gets on my nerves. I don't know why. However, since I'm a great lover of musicals, I thought I need to give Astaire/Rogers (perhaps the ultimate musicall performers) films a chance. I loved Top Hat. It was great movie. I also liked seeing Rogers' infamous feather dress is action. I had also recorded Roberta, but for whatever reason, my DVR started recording it in the middle and I didn't want to watch a movie I hadn't seen, by starting to watch it in the middle. I'll have to wait until it repeats again. Robin and the 7 Hoods. A Rat Pack retelling of the Robin Hood tale. I thought this was a great movie. It was very enjoyable. I thought it was better than 4 For Texas. It was fun seeing Bing Crosby singing with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Sammy Davis Jr was great too. I'm glad that the annoying Peter Lawford was nowhere to be seen in this film. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Okay. Definitely a more low-brow film in comparison with the others that I've seen, but I really liked it. I saw it with my husband as part of a movie and dinner date. Lol. The first 'Spongebob' movie that came out in 2004 was our first date. Lol. Anyway... we both like cartoons, so we tend to go out and see a lot of the cartoon movies (though we will draw the line at stuff that is obviously intended for little little kids). This movie did a great job of maintaining the humor from the cartoon and including all it's crazy movie and TV references. For example, in this movie, the Krabby Patty secret recipe disappears (it's so secret that the Krusty Krab employees who cook the Krabby Patties are forbidden from memorizing the recipe) and the town is thrown into turmoil because they can't get their fix. Cue a "Mad Max" apocalyptic scenario where the small town of Bikini Bottom is burned to the ground. Anyway, despite how cartoons sometimes seem to be disparaged on this board, I liked it. It was a nice date evening with my husband: pizza and cartoons. A great Saturday night. Still to watch: Dr. Strangelove... The Asphalt Jungle Blackboard Jungle The Spirit of St. Louis Lust for Life The Four Musketeers (1975) Mystery Street Crossfire Mrs. Miniver Four Daughters Pat and Mike Random Harvest Sweet Charity Three Days of Condor All the President's Men The Candidate The Unsinkable Molly Brown The Great Gatsby (1974) Out of Africa To Kill a Mockingbird Foreign Correspondant Ministry of Fear Too Much Too Soon I don't know how I'm going to get through all of these. I'm supposed to close on my house on 3/12 Lol.

I think it's called "Sunset Blvd." per the opening shot in the film: This movie is on the Netflix Instant Queue right now for anyone that has Netflix and wants to watch it. My husband and I are in the process of buying a house and I am definitely going to get this Sunset Boulevard poster for our movie theater room we're going to put in.

Errol Flynn. err... I'd love Cyd Charisse's green dress from Singin' in the Rain. A pair of Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Although, since Judy Garland is a few inches shorter than I, I'm sad at the possibility of the shoes being too small. I'd have to put them on at least once. An arrow from The Adventures of Robin Hood. The knife from Psycho. The bugle mouthpiece from From Here to Eternity. So many more. I'd love to have tons of stuff from my favorite movies.

In The Catered Affair, Borgnine worked as a cab driver. Most of the tension between his character and Bette Davis' is that Borgnine has saved up $4,000 to invest in purchasing a cab medallion so that he could operate his own cab company, and Davis wants to spend that money on a big wedding for daughter Debbie Reynolds.

I did see American Hustle. Overall, I enjoyed the film. I liked Lawrence's performance and I liked Amy Adams. For me though, while I liked 'Hustle,' it isn't one of those films that I feel like I need to own. I don't see myself needing to watch it again. I loved the tacky 1970s vibe and the music. It was a great movie.

I wasn't dissing on her. I thought it was funny and she seemed to have a good sense of humor. At least she didn't try to blame whoever waxed the stairs or the designer of her gown or something. She seems to be pretty down to earth as well. I would have probably tripped and fallen constantly in heels and a long dress. I'm not very graceful. In fact, if I were ever at the Oscars (which probably won't happen unless I secured the coveted "seat filler" job), then I would probably wear a cocktail dress and flats just so I had a chance at not tripping.

Can a film's reason for existing be solely because it entertains in some capacity? I don't specifically mean entertain in the sense that the film was funny, or happy, or what not. I mean it in the sense that someone watched it from beginning to end and liked the story, whether or not it was sad, happy, scary, whatever. With this definition, I think every film has a reason to exist. No matter how horrible and awful you might think a film is, someone, somewhere, likes it. I absolutely loathe Apocalypse Now, but many people like it. In "my world," that movie does not exist. I hate it. However, just because I hate it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't have a reason for being. I'm sure someone out there lists Apocalypse Now their favorite film of all time. During the studio system, with the exception of a few films (I'm thinking mostly Orson Welles', but I'm sure there are more), films were made for the sole intent to make money. If your name is headlining the film and it fails, or if subsequent films your name headlines fail, then you're out and deemed "box office poison." It'll take a lot of effort to be a headliner again. In the financial sense, almost every film has a reason to exist.

I'll admit that I don't really care too much about who wins the Oscar... in fact, I enjoy it when the awards show darling of the circuit fails to end up with the ultimate prize at the end. I don't know why. I rarely have seen many (if any) of the films that were nominated. I think, this year, the only film that is nominated that I saw was Big Hero 6 that was nominated for "Best Animated Feature." The Lego Movie was robbed of a nomination, imo. I do like watching the Oscars because I like to see what people are wearing, the ugly clothes always being the best. I like to see if anyone will embarass themselves, like when Jennifer Lawrence fell on the stairs a couple years ago. I agree that the banter between the presenters is lame. Only rarely is the banter funny. I don't know why they can't just cut to the chase and present the award. I think that's why I like The Golden Globes better, only because they seem to get right to it and present the awards. Maybe if the Academy plied the Oscar nominees with booze, we'd have a more entertaining show. It seems to work for the Golden Globes. The Oscars have gotten too stuffy, but at the same time, are trying too hard to connect with younger audiences. I'd love if instead of ridiculous musical numbers, maybe they could show clips of performances from the past. Despite my grievances about the turn the annual gala has taken, I'll probably still watch it on Sunday.

I love Phil Hartman. Aside from his great characters on The Simpsons, he was awesome on SNL. His Frankenstein was hilarious, but I loved his Bill Clinton. One of my favorite sketches is when Clinton is out jogging with the Secret Service and heads to McDonalds (I think there was a joke going around at the time that even though Clinton supposedly worked out, he liked fast food) and does a lecture on "warlords" intercepting food from Somalians. He further drove the point home by pretending to be a warlord and eating all the "Somalians" McDonald's meals. I also liked Hartman's Caveman Lawyer and I believe he also did an impression of Sinatra which was funny.

This is me. I can't even bring myself to watch Old Yeller because, while I'd like to see the film, I know what happens to Old Yeller at the end and I just don't want to put myself through that.

Re: Golden Boy. This definitely is not my favorite William Holden or Barbara Stanwyck film. There are only really two reasons why I found this film interesting and they have nothing to do with the film itself. 1) Holden is so young. I know he was about 21 when he made this film and he looks it. It's amazing to me how much his looks changed in the 10 or so years between Golden Boy and Sunset Boulevard. I hardly recognized him in Golden Boy. His voice was different and he didn't even look the same. He sort of looks like a younger, less beefy Tony Curtis. Tony Curtis would have been a great Golden Boy if they had made the film in the late 40s instead of the late 30s. I think another issue with Golden Boy is Holden's inexperience. This film was his first real role and he was having many issues during the production of this film. It was almost to the point where he was going to be replaced. Which brings me to... 2) The other reason I found this film interesting is the behind the scenes story of how Barbara Stanwyck fought for William Holden to remain in the film after the producers wanted to replace him, which began a lifelong friendship between Stanwyck and Holden. I think the casting of Lee J. Cobb (who was only 7 years older than Holden) was ridiculous. Of all the great older character actors that would have been available at the time, they had to makeup a younger person to pretend to be twice their age. It just didn't work for me. Re: Sunset Boulevard. I think Holden was perfect for this role. I disagree that he was "too old." Sunset Boulevard I believe takes place in a contemporary time, so 1949-1950 or so. Norma Desmond was presumably a star during the late 1910s through the late 1920s. I would also speculate that she was in her 20s during this time, maybe early 30s... so by the time 1949-1950 rolls around, she would be at least 50, and I think she looks it. Holden's character, it makes sense that he'd have to be at least 30 because he's been working as a writer for awhile. I don't believe he's intended to be a teenybopper or anything, it's clear that he's been around a little bit. A 20-year age difference between Norma and Joe is realistic and apparent in this film. Gloria Swanson was 19 years older than Holden. Now, if original choice Montgomery Clift had chosen to take the role, I don't think it would have been as successful. As much as I love Clift, I don't think his "Joe Gillis" would have been anywhere near as good as Holden's. Clift's characters always seem to have a vulnerability about them. Whereas, Holden's have a more cynical tone. Holden's characterization works better for the Gillis character who really isn't taking Norma seriously, he is really just using her to earn some money and to hideout from the men who are chasing him. He just ends up getting consumed in Norma's world.

I agree about I Was a Male War Bride. Ugh. This film is/was on Netflix and I was optimistic because it starred two of my favorites-- Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. Unfortunately, the film was a disappointment. Cary Grant looks so ridiculous as the Male War Bride, that it actually takes away the enjoyment for me. I find it completely unbelievable that this farce would have worked for a second. Perhaps if someone else with more delicate features (if that's the right word) were cast instead of Grant (with his very masculine facial features) the film would have worked better. Perhaps Grant in drag was part of the comedy, but it didn't work for me.

I'm glad to see that Ann Sheridan is getting attention. She's a great actress. I think it's a shame that she wasn't able to achieve her potential, since I imagine, being employed at the same studio as Bette Davis, she probably didn't have the pick of the roles. She also was not as big a star as Olivia de Havilland, who I imagine probably got her pick of the roles as well. Sheridan isn't a household name among those unfamiliar with the "Golden Era" of Hollywood. Probably the most layman movie fan has most likely heard of the bigger films on Warner Brother's roster: Bogart, Cagney, Flynn, Davis and maybe even de Havilland, if solely for her appearance in Gone With the Wind. Ann, while working steadily, never had her breakout role-- at least a role that would provide her the clout (sole name above the title, being offered better roles in A-list productions, co-star approval, etc.) that many of her peers had. In the films on her filmography that I've seen, most are her appearances co-star bigger name stars. Like Tom said, even if the film stars Cagney or Flynn or whatever, the film is just as much an "Ann Sheridan film" as much as it is a "James Cagney" film. In many of her appearances with bigger name co-stars, her name is above the title alongside theirs. Frankly, a film billed as "Starring Ann Sheridan" probably would not have brought in the audiences like a film "starring James Cagney and Ann Sheridan") would have. On the flipside, in one of her appearances in the Errol Flynn film, Dodge City, she is third billed behind Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, Warner Brothers' power duo at the time. However, Sheridan is wasted in such a small nothing role. She is mostly in the background singing at the saloon and I think she has a few lines. She could have been easily replaced with a lesser name singer and it wouldn't have hurt the film at all. In 1939, Sheridan must have had enough star power that Warners thought that her name below the title next to de Havilland's would bring in the audiences. In my opinion, based on size of role, Alan Hale deserved third billing. Sheridan had a great singing voice, fully on display in Thank Your Lucky Stars. Perhaps she could have been a great musical star at another studio. Warner Brothers wasn't exactly known for their musicals. However, Sheridan's sassy persona would have been out of place at somewhere like MGM who regularly had a stable of America's Sweethearts at the ready. I really like Sheridan and look forward to catching more of her films when they air on TCM or if I can procure them through other sources.

I always figured that Monroe's natural voice was closer to something like in Bus Stop minus the Southern accent. I've read that in her last (ultimately unfinished) film, Something's Gotta Give, Marilyn opted to use her real voice in lieu of her breathy, highly articulated schtick, in a continuing effort to change her image. It's such a shame that she ended up dying during this stage of her career. I'd be really interested to know what the Marilyn Monroe of the 1960s & 1970s would have done movie wise.

Would compelling be more accurate? I figured that if you watched it from beginning to end, there must have been a hook somewhere to keep you watching. I didn't mean enjoyable in the "feel good" sense.

I recorded this film during the Jean Arthur marathon last month. I recorded it mainly for Arthur, who, thanks to this board, I've discovered and found that I really enjoy her work. She's similar to Harlow, Lombard, Loy, Dunne, and Colbert but she's definitely unique. I like that she's more subdued (not shrill like Harlow and Lombard could be at times) but can be delightlfully wacky as well. I know that some on this board don't like her voice, but I don't have any issues with it. I find it charming. The great thing about TCM and also participating on this board is that I'm exposed to so many great films I've never seen (many of which I had never even heard of) on a regular basis. I've also discovered actors that I really like who aren't among the usual "who's who" of Classic Hollywood (Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Mary Astor, just to name a few). Anyway... onto The More the Merrier. I loved this movie. Charles Coburn was hilarious. I loved when he kept subletting his half of the apartment over and over and pretty soon the whole apartment is packed. I also loved the beginning when Arthur's character gave Coburn's character the rundown on his highly regimented morning schedule. Joel McCrea is excellent. I've loved his performances in all the films of his I've seen (Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The More the Merrier), he does comedy well. I haven't seen any of his Westerns. He has great chemisty with Arthur. I agree with MissWonderly when she stated that the scene on the stairs was sexy. That scene was one of my favorite parts of the film. I also found Arthur's black lace nightgown toward the end of the film to be pretty provacative for 1943. I also loved her cropped top and slim pencil skirt outfit that she sported earlier in the film. It took me a few minutes to decide if she were wearing a wide belt or whether that was a band of flesh. Great movie. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout to add this film to my collection. 4/4 Stars.

I just recorded this movie today to watch later. I recorded it for the cast (Sinatra, Eleanor Parker and Kim Novak) and also because I've found that I really enjoy Preminger's films. I was hoping that it was a good film and I'm glad to read that it was enjoyable. I look forward to seeing it.

I love The Three Cabelleros. What a fun film and great music! I haven't seen the other selections in the Vault. I look forward to seeing them. The Story of Animated Drawing sounds very interesting.