sineast
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Posts posted by sineast
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Just to be brief: Arbuckle was tried in the tabloids and the public and was considered
guilty of rape. I believe he had two or three trials and was finally acquitted, but by that
time the damage to his reputation had been done. Today, Arbuckle is considered a prime
example of someone who was innocent and was railroaded, which is somewhat the
opposite of Polanski's situation. There's probably a good summary of the details of
the case at Wiki and other sources. Gotta run.
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It was okay. The thing I looked forward to was finding out what the scam was this time
around. Got a bit kinky there. Hitchcock's whole visual style seems so much smoother
than De Palma's. And then there's that emphatic Bernard Hermann score to remind one
that this isn't Hitch. Maybe hiring Hermann was not such a good idea after all.
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No doubt the true story will come out, the 13 year-old was packing a 9 mm. and forced
Polanski to have sex with her. Maybe they can go back to square one and try him
on the original six charges. I know that won't happen, but it would be nice to see. And
that way, there would be no complaints about judicial misconduct. I still think Roman
will walk. The bottom line, Polanski is no Fatty Arbuckle.
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.Some bachelor pad laid-back medium fi franglais from Stereolab, Pack Yr Romantic Mind.
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Fin. It was bad enough that would-be artsy hipster Chris Cross killed old Lazy Legs,
but to go and mess up that nice down comforter, well, there's just no excuse for
such behavior. And poor ole Johnny gonna take the rap. He was such a sympathetic
character too. Cross didn't get the ultimate punishment for his crime, but he does
have to suffer as a down and outer in New York, with the lovey dovey words of Kitty
and Johnny ringing forever in his ears. A fate worse than death? Maybe, maybe not.
I noticed, in a general way, that plain looking oldsters like Robinson seem to make
a point of their age difference with their younger loves. Chris is quick to tell Kitty
that he's old enough to be her father. But handsome leading men types like Grant
or Stewart usually don't mention it, at least in such an obvious way, when they are
paired with much younger females. Sorry about that, Eddie. That's entertainment.
And for clean freak types, Ava Gardner plays a much neater Kitty in The Killers.
I'm looking forward to Obsession tonight, even if just for the fact I don't believe
I've seen it before. The scheduling is right, the running time is right, so why not?
Of course it won't be as good as Vertigo, but it can't be all bad. Even if it's
graded on a curve, there's only one way to find out.
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It was a warm Tuesday in Los Angeles, I was recovering from an injury I'd received
while arresting a little old lady who was jaywalking, my partner is Bill Gannon. We
were working out of the newly formed Film Directors/Child Molesters/Vice/ Not
Wearing Seat Belts Division when the Captain gave us our new assignment.
Yeah that Polanski bird was at it again. I'd seen some of his films. Nothing special.
I like to stick with Godard and the Don Knotts oeuvre myself, but to each his own.
Polanski was a foreigner and hung out with some hippy-dippy types. Yeah, I can smell
the weed already. Bennies, reds, blueboys, hipshakers, the whole pill bottle.
Polanski with underage girls? Big deal. Willie Sutton robs banks. But the law is the law.
First stop, The Wee Day Care Center in West LA, see if this guy is down to the single
digits. I'd love to slap the cuffs on Polanski, but the perv would probably enjoy that. Time to roll.
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The last time I saw it was two or three years ago, and it's still funny, even though one
remembers where some of the jokes are going. I almost forgot it is a love story too,
but that seems so secondary to all the gags, though I suppose it really isn't. That
solemn narration and the interviews with people from Virgil's past are still hilarious.
I haven't seen Bananas, Sleeper or the other early comedies lately, but +Take
the Money and Run+ would still be my favorite.
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Nothing personal, but the description of Ben sounds a lot like the original
Fred C. Dobbs after a few months prospecting for gold you know where.
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Another Sunday night at AMC, another superb episode of Mad Men. As sometimes
happens in the series, last week's episode has been somewhat forgotten. No mention
of the now one-footed Brit and what happened to him. Wish him the best.
It certainly appears that Dapper Don Draper is sizing up his next conquest. He has his
eye on Sally's teacher, and she is circling around a bit, though she did give Don a few
shots as the typical cheating husband type during the eclipse viewing. On past evidence,
I think Don will score, maybe within the next two episodes. Back at the office, Sterling
and Cooper are trying to nail Don down to a generous three-year contract. He resists,
he resists, but, at the end of the episode, he signs on the dotted line. Good ole boy
Conrad "Connie" Hilton pays a visit Don and even commandeers Don's desk. Connie seems
to run hot and cold. He plays the tough head honcho, but then lightens up. And if I heard
correctly, Connie's looking for a little female company. I'd keep my eye on this guy.
Meanwhile, Don's better half, Betsy, is heading a drive by the Junior League to make
sure a dirty old industrial water tank or something isn't built near the hood.She contacts
a man she met at a party, who happens to be an aide to Gov. Rockefeller, in hopes of
influencing the project. They go to a quaint little bakery/coffee shop and discuss the
situation and exchange some bits of Westchester County wasp talk. This might turn
into something more heated. Time will tell.
It's July of 1963, so more portents are cropping up. A few episodes ago, the date November
22, 1963 came up. Don, still arguing with Betsy about his contractophobia, leaves in a snit
with a drink in his hand. He drives off into the night, and picks up two teens eloping to
Niagara Falls. It's a marriage of convenience, as the boy doesn't want to get shipped to
(shhhh) Vietnam. This kid must really be ahead of his time. The two teens produce some
pills and daring Don takes them. They check into a motel, and the two start to get friendly,
while Don sits on the bed. Ooops, the kiddies are up to no good. They knock Don out
and steal his money, except for a single dollar bill. Back then the kiddies had morals.
So Don awakes, with some bruises and a much thinner wallet. When asked later what
happened, he just says "Fender bender." Oh these ad guys. Worth every penny.
Will Don make the school teacher? Will Betsy grow more friendly with the Rocky aide?
Will Sally get over her funk? Tune in next week, or maybe the week after.
Trivia note: Saw an old episode (well, they're all old) of Bonanza with James Dunn as
the guest star, playing an Irishman, one who drinks, and whose first name is Danny.
Sounds familiar.
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"Frank, go round up The Rhode Island Kid and Old Gummy, and ride out to the draw.
Somebody said the Larsons were out there poking around. See what they're up to.
Don't make the first move, but if they start any trouble, make sure you finish it."
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As Charles Foster Kane might have put it, Rick James is, was, and always will be one thing,
a Super Freak.
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SMFYTPOS strikes once again.
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Watch out little ladies, for a 76 year old he's still pretty fleet on his feet. Just say no to
candy (and champagne).
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Maybe if Dakota Fanning subbed for Bob? Nah, she's too old.
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Too bad Mr. Polanski didn't have that list of countries and their ages of consent. He
could have plied his "trade" in Zimbabwe or some other backwater, though it was
probably easier to obtain champagne and ludes in Cali. Yes, it seems the girl didn't
succumb to his natural charms. If memory serves, wasn't Jean Valjean entrusted
with the care of a little girl. Don't think anyone would do the same with Polanski
I doubt he will serve much or any time at all. Money (and influence) will talk, and
Roman will walk. That's often the way these thing turn out.
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>HollywoodGolightly wrote:
> Did you finish watching it? I'm eager to read the rest of your comments!
I did whittle it down to twenty minutes left last night. I probably should have stayed
up and watched the rest, but I didn't, so I'll try to finish it up tonight. There is a lot of
wink wink in this movie. When they first meet and CC asks Kitty why she is out so
late, and she replies she works late, and he asks what she does. "Guess," replies
Kitty. Got it. Then later on she tells DD that before CC just wanted to go to dinner,
but now he wants to stay for breakfast. Yup. And there is a lot of naughty banter
between DD and Kitty too that brings a smile to one's face. Joan Bennett certainly
has this type of character down pat, and it's so much fun to watch her and
listen to her voice inflections.
Among the comments on the Internet Archive site was that this is also a black comedy.
Adele especially could easily drop right into a Laurel and Hardy or W.C. Fields movie
in the role of the nagging wife.
I would love to see a brief cameo by that eminent cultural critic and man about town,
Waldo Lydecker to drop a few bombs on Chris's painting: "Yes, doubtless this man
lacks perspective. He also lacks talent, any sense of composition, and an individual
style or taste. I've seen better paintings on drop cloths. How unfortunate that such
barbarians have a bridge they can cross in order to pester us with their unseemly
amateur doodlings. I wish I really could stay and be revolted some more, but I have a
luncheon date with Laura. Ta ta."
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Frankly, some rock bands are just pure, unadulterated Garbage, When I Grow Up.
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One hour down in the life of Chris Cross, forty minutes to go. I'd forgotten the lazy
legs nickname Johnny had for Kitty. Judging by her housekeeping, he has a valid
point. I'd go with something more sentimental, like my sweet little Kitty Kat. The
painting of the snake in the subway...paging Dr. Freud. One more thing, this guy's
full name is Christopher Cross, another nail in the coffin, for cat's sake. Ah well,
tomorrow is another bad painting day when our film comes to its exciting conclusion.
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Yeah, that darn old Production Code, taking all the perverted fun out of the picture.
I do tend to agree that the old timers did very well with the subtle, and sometimes
not so subtle, methods they had to use to get naughty points across. It did add
something to the film. On the other hand...
I checked out the Internet Archive, so maybe I'll start on Scarlet Street later tonight.
It's been a while and some of the details are pretty sketchy. I guess a movie that
begins with literal streetwalkers must be good. I can't remember how menacing the
Dan Duryea character was, but seeing him in a straw boater, that's more the style
of a slick con artist than a murderer. And I'm interested in seeing what kind of art
old Chris Cross produced. I noticed a picture of big sunflowers in the background,
so that might be a bad sign, but I'll withhold judgment until I've seen the whole movie.
Chris Cross, an artist forgotten in his lifetime, but now recognized as one of the early
proponents of the Bathroom School of Art.
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Oh, I can take him or leave him, maybe leaning a bit to the latter.
The funny part is, I believe he had already pled the sentence down quite a bit,
so if he had taken his medicine then, he'd have been free a long time ago.
Justice delayed...
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According to our good friends at Wiki, it was filmed partly in the U.S. and partly in
Mexico. Hmmm, Mexico and Bob Mitchum, now there's a timely connection. Here's
another interesting and relevant little piece of trivia from Wiki:
Lizabeth Scott was hired first to play the part of Joan. But because of the controversy surrounding Mitchum's recent marijuana drug arrest and small jail stint, Scott pulled out of the project just three weeks before filming started. RKO owner Howard Hughes, who had been admittedly keeping Greer, a former girlfriend, from appearing in any RKO films in an attempt to ruin her film career, finally hired her when no other female lead would take the part.
Thinking of the troubles of our pudgy little artist friend, maybe he should have deep-sixed the
ladies and taken up with Dan Duryea. Dan Duryea's usual movie character was up for most
things, so why not? And maybe a transgressive relationship would have helped with the
old picture painting. Never hurt Caravaggio, et al. Then there's the name, Chris Cross, just
like old friend Bruno's criss cross. It's all about connections. Straight down the (rail) line.
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This is a little surprising. Usually high-profile sleazebags like Polanski are smart enough
to not move around too much and check with their lawyers. He still might wiggle out of it,
but he'll need to do more than hold a knife to somebody's nose. Funny how some people
who have suffered so much in the past are so ready in inflict it on others. Chew him up,
and don't spit him out.
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The usual suspects have already been mentioned and rightfully so. Here are two that
may not be the best, but are fine movies:
Salesman, a documentary by the Maysles brothers and Charlotte Zwerin, following
four door-to-door Bibles salesmen as they try to peddle their holy wares to a sometimes
resisting public. The standout character is Paul Brennan, who is having a rough time
making sales, whether he's up in his home territory of Boston, or in sunny Florida. trying
to navigate around the streets of Opa-locka. He just can't seem to make sales, and ends
up being denied more times than Jesus himself. The Maysles keep a close watch on things
with hand-held cameras and four intriguing characters.
Take The Money And Run Woody Allen's debut as a director has lost a few steps over
forty years, but it still holds up well. A great send-up of all those 'learn your lesson' crime
films, with a dead-on satire of the portentous narration of same. It's the old, funny Woodman,
throwing up as many gags as possible to see which ones will stick, and most do. Woody
learned his lesson, and could print so that gun is never mistaken for gub. This is
before the next phase of his career, as the kosher Bergmanesque chronicler of **** reten-
tive Wasps in their native habitat. NTTAWWT.
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Looks like it's time to abandon Abandon Ship. Holly, for whatever reason your PM
did not show up. I've never seen it, but it sounds interesting. Maybe not a film noir, but
a film vert, using a human-propelled lifeboat instead of a pollution-spewing ship.
If Scarlet Street is on youtube, even in a bad print, I might want to watch it to see if
Joan Bennett abandoned her slip. Electric girdle? Didn't Rita Hayworth wear one in some
of the scenes in Gilda? Might want to review the production notes.
I would like to recommend a film I don't think I've seen discussed too much, The Big Steal
(1949) with Bob Mitchum, Jane Greer, Patrick Knowles, and William Bendix. It is a fast-paced
and light-hearted semi-noir, somewhat reminiscent of Out of the Past, but with a much
sunnier outlook. This time Bob and Jane walk happily into the sunset. Haven't seen it in
many years, but it's a very entertaining flick.
Otis Criblecoblis Presents
in General Discussions
Posted
Oops, I forgot about talented, up and coming copywriter Peggy Olson (no relation to Jimmy
or Nancy). Peggy is quickly losing her rep as a nice Catholic girl, at least as it was defined
in the early 1960s. She was invited over for a "conference" in a hotel room by Duck Phillips.
Darned if she didn't end up spending a night of passion with him. Shame, Peggy O. Duck
disappeared after the last season, when his temper got the best of him. Seems he is with
a new ad agency, Grey, which, from his remarks, doesn't spend a lot of money on their
office furnishings. It's always something.
Hello, this is your correspondent Robert Clete speaking to you from Fenix City, Alabama.
I read about Fenix City in such outstanding national publications as the Police Gazette and
Confidential. Those articles pointed out the dirty corruption at the heart of this town. So I
thought I'd head down to see for myself, maybe get a little R & R, interview a few rubes, and
make with the local girlies. Glad I made the trip. But now to matters of more importance.
Standing with me here, right in front of Fenix City High School is George, a young attorney,
who is visiting relatives here in Fenix City.
-Hello George, I'm Bob Clete. Like to ask you a few questions about Fenix City.
-Well Bob, happy to see you. We're always glad to welcome folks of the right
complexion to our friendly little city.
-Well, that's mighty white of you, George. Now tell me, tell our viewers, are there honest
elections in Fenix City?
-Oh, hell no. Never have been, probably never will be. Everything in this town that isn't
bolted down is for sale.
-Well George, you don't seem very concerned about corruption in Fenix City.
-Oh, I get my cut. But I'm really worried over something else going on down here.
You see Clete, a bunch of outsiders are down here trying to get the negroes to register
to vote. And Clete, we're just not going to let that happen. Corruption is one thing,
that we can handle, but negroes voting, well that is just going beyond the pale. The
day the negro votes is the day I starting using unmarked cards. No way, Bob.
-Well, George, our time is almost up. Think you can put your last remark into a short
pithy phrase?
-Pithy? You ain't making fun of me are you Bob? Well, I'll just say this: Segregation
today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever. It that prissy enough for you, Bob?