wouldbestar

Last year on another thread we were discussing Paula Raymond, veteran of many Western films, TV episodes and advocate for Native Americans, when a poster led us to the Western Clippings site which had interviews with the lady and many others who roamed the trails. I could not access it on my own until I e-mailed him and he responded with the magic key. Not only did I re-discover the interviews but info on many TV Westerns and a delightful monthly column by Will "Sugerfoot" Hutchins which updates us on not only his comings and goings but many of the WB Western players we all fondly remember. It's nice to know they sometimes had as much fun making these shows as we did watching. For a great time go to www.Westernclippings.com

Sad news. She was still fairly young. F-Troop’s Melody Patterson Dies at 66 She started on the 1960s ABC series at just 15 and later married 'Hawaii Five-0' star James MacArthur. Melody Patterson, who played the sharpshooting Wrangler Jane on the screwball ABC comedy F Troop, has died, her co-star Larry Storch said on Facebook. She was 66. “It’s with a heavy heart that we can let you know our beloved Wrangler Jane, Melody Patterson passed away. Our hearts are sad today. RIP Sweet Melody. We love you,” Storch, 92, who played Corporal Randolph Agarn on the show, wrote. Patterson died of multiple organ failure at Point Lookout Nursing & Rehab in Hollister, Mo., according to a local report. A friend said on Facebook that the actress had been in poor health after breaking her back a few years ago. Patterson was married to Hawaii Five-O star James MacArthur, the adopted son of famed actress Helen Hayes, from 1970-75. She portrayed a Hollywood starlet opposite him in the 1968 film The Angry Breed, and she guest-starred in three episodes of his CBS show. F Troop, set in an Army fort on the western frontier in the years after the Civil War, ran on ABC for just two seasons, from September 1965 to April 1967, but was a big hit in syndication for decades after that.

"Reverend Bobs" Watson who made crying on screen an art form. I hope his sermons in his later profession packed the same wallop.

Down Goes Frazier wrote: I find the inner workings of the garment industry about as fascinating as the inner workings of the produce hauling industry (THIEVES' HIGHWAY). And my grandmother was a card-carrying member of ILGWU. "Look for the Union Label..." I'm sorry but I remember the song from the ILGWU commercials that ran in the 70's or 80's and couldn't resist. I was also a redhead in earlier days and according to Susan we all have some B**** in us. She always was a favorite of mine. The Judy Garland clip is sad to watch as well as hear her once vibrant voice breaking down. She obviously was in no shape to make the film. In a way I think this was good. Patty Duke's Neely O'Hara character was supposedly based on Judy; Patty even alluded to that in a interview although the writer simply reported "she named a famous singer". Other writers would not be as kind to Judy. For a while I faulted Susan for taking the role from her but now see why somebody had to. I've always hated I'll Make it Grow but never suspected so many others did as well. It came across as a rather insipid tune to build a hit Broadway show around. That dress did neither Judy nor Susan any favors either. But there's always that three-way catfight; Patty, Susan and the hairpiece in the powder room. Dynasty never toped that one.

Oh, my stars! YOU read those too? They had Jane Withers in one of them as well; I didn't know there was more than one of the Bonita books. It was my Mom who told me they were child movie stars which is why she didn't want her star-struck child reading them and getting big ideas. The funny thing is I found them in my Catholic school library along with more scholarly fare I also found interesting. They were fifteen years old by then but not bad. Nancy Drew and The Dana Girls were on the shelves too which is how I started my collection; the books were only a dollar or so back then and I did have a grandmother. Oh, the memories. Regarding Barbara O'Neill and Gone with the Wind: So many of the characters in the book never made it into the movie or were just "cameos" which is unfortunate. If you can get by the racism and glamourizing of the period the book is worth at least one read for these folks and what is accurately portrayed about the life and times in it-Margaret Mitchell did a lot of research for the book. Ellen is the victim of a tragic romance ended by the morals of the period and accepts "Mr. O'Hara" on the rebound. She is not cold but constrained by her times. The scene when Scarlett learns how her mother died but can't understand her last words just jumps off the page.

YOU want to see this movie? I'm already lined up! According to the trailer Kirk Douglas gets his propers for going to bat for Trumbo so perhaps Otto Perminger will as well. Back when talk shows really were as advertised Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas-no not Kirk's son-had several veterans of the Blacklist as guests on their shows. Some stated that even child actors were put on the list if somebody had a gripe against a family member. Others had had only nodding acquaintances with listed performers or been briefly associated with Communist movements many years before. This story needs to be told, warts and all. The exact opposite could just as easily happen in a reverse political climate; some people believe it already has. It's our history.

All three? No wonder O'Brien won as there's no way you could have picked one of them over the other. Add to this the Brando and Saint wins and the great music and screenplay and you know why I consider this the best movie of all time, damn the politics. That said, I think O'Brien was worthy of the win as I've seen The Barefoot Contessa several times and he's great in the role. Tom Tully, who at the time was a TV cop with Warner Anderson and Marshall Reed on The Lineup, would have been a good choice as well for The Caine Mutiny. This is the kind of race that makes the Oscars; assurance that a true talent wins; pain that four others don't. Yes, perennial movie bad guy Marshall Reed played "Inspector Fred Asher" on this show in the 50's. We'd see him as the good guy Friday night then the next morning be the outlaw in whatever B- Western was playing. We knew he was going to buy it courtesy of the hero at the end but they were fun to watch. Actually he was more animated in the films than the series; I guess he was supposed to be a 'Stiff upper lip" type of cop on the show. I'm certain that we all send our sympathies to Jane Powell on losing husband Dickie Moore. They really seemed to be a happy couple after much adversity in both their lives.

I stand corrected. That makes his relationship with Emma even stranger. If he was "respectable" did her pride keep her from choosing someone socially beneath her, did he care but not want to be with someone above his station, or did he just not feel the same way about her that she did him? She ended up a bitter woman for whom money and power could not buy happiness. Our original topic is on Wednesday night as part of an all-Western evening. I wonder if this will be addressed.

That LAPD Chief Beck said that he, along with many other people, chose to become police officers because of Adam 12 proves again the power of film to inspire and educate as well as entertain. That the stories were fact-based was a plus. I had no idea that Milner, like Mia Farrow and Alan Alda, beat Polio in his youth to become the success he did. We've forgotten how frightening that disease was since it's now nearly gone. What I remember most are 13 Ghosts - so out of character for his usual good-guy image and Sands of Iwo Jima where he's a teen-age soldier who loves to read. When he's killed in action his buddies find a copy of Our Hearts Were Young and Gay in his pocket. This irony speaks about the cost of war more than any speech ever could. That he was in reality what he usually was on-screen is icing on the cake. RIP, Mr. Milner, for a life well lived.

Dothery: I'm in your corner. Mr. Kruger was great in everything he did and was a lot handsomer with grey hair than he was with it dark. I've been kidded a bit on the threads because I've said the same thing about other actors from the classic age and today's Richard Gere but if older is better what's the fuss about?

The thing about these romantic comedies is that so often the supporting characters are more interesting and fun to watch than the leads. One such is Betsy's Wedding in which Ally Sheedy, who plays the bride's sister/maid of honor/police officer, falls for Anthony La Plagia who's a hood-in-training working for a "connected" family member. It soon becomes apparent he's not mob material but how this all plays out, especially the end, cracks you up. LaPlagia should have been nominated for a BSA Oscar. Molly Ringwald is the bride and I can't remember who the groom is which makes my point.

One of the characters said that Emma was ashamed of the fact that she wanted the Dancing Kid. One critic called it a Rorschach Test of a movie; and for my money, Mercedes McCambridge walked away with it. Emma was a cattle baron's daughter and the richest woman in town. This made her the leader of the town's "moral element". The Kid was an outlaw. She desperately wanted-might even have had-him but her position wouldn't allow her to take it out in the open. He obviously wanted Vienna who was far beneath Emma socially and her lust fueled her jealousy and hatred of Vienna who didn't want a war with her. This whole movie. including the war between the women, is way over the top but I see a catfight over a man as the catalyst rather than anything L-word. Emma buys it taking The Kid down with her while Vienna gets Johnny who's the man she really wants. The Kid thinks of Turkey as a kid-brother which is why he takes his lynching so hard. And I would think that Ford/Farr session of "afternoon delight" kinds of settles that issue of his orientation. While there are scenes from films-the Olivier/Curtis bathhouse one from Spartacus for one-that can legitimately be said to imply a same-sex relationship what does trying to write in one where it probably does not exist do to advance acceptance? That's like me trying to say the men in Brokeback Mountain were really straight when, from what I've seen of the clips, there is no doubt that they were gay. Both types are part of movies and TV now; let the stories and characters speak for themselves.

Today's Parade magazine had a piece on how several current celebrities-Lady Gaga, Kelly Osborne, Raven Symone-are into the new lavender-grey hair color craze. I immediately thought of Kim who was famous for using a lavender rinse on her ash-blonde hair. I liked her best in the red-blonde shade she had in Picnic but being a once-upon-a-time redhead I'm probably prejudiced. Old is again new.

Isn't that Ethel/Mitzi/Lucy photo from Ethel's wedding to Ernest Borgnine which lasted only a month and neither would write or talk about afterwards? The papers reported she wore yellow and she's wearing a veiled headpiece. While Mitzi and Lucy are smiling she looks a bit perturbed; trouble already?

DEAN JONES (1931 - 2015) R.I.P. A fine actor and wonderful Christian gentleman who turned his life around and made it count for not just himself but others. I also remember his wife, Lori Patrick, from her TV work in the 60's. He is somebody the industry can be proud of. I still remember Marge Champion from the 2011 Festival. She has more energy that I have and she has 26 years on me. What's this about "only the good die young"-glad it's not true.

The Cleopatra list left out Serpent of the Nile-the Loves of Cleopatra which was made by Columbia in the early 50's. Rhonda Fleming is Cleo and but the treat is Raymond Burr's Antony which to me is the best portrayal of him ever. He is not a dashing hero but tragic and self-indulgent failure who sells out his country for a woman who uses rather than loves him. It's more believable than the 1963 "epic" that cost a lot more but delivered a lot less. Try it out.

Casablanca: Have you been able to sit through that new version of Poldark that PBS is running now? I gave up after two. I kept seeing Robin, Ralph, Jill and the rest of that wonderful '75 cast and just couldn't relate to these new people. There are differences in the plot and this new one might be more like the original source material-or not-but the old gang outdid themselves. Thanks for the photo for us to go "aagh" over. I've been watching one of the cable provided music stations that plays only oldies from the 50's and 60's. Some of these things I've not heard in 40 years or more but can recognize nearly every one. Some are true classics while were hits but really cringe-worthy; you laugh because if you don't you'll die from embarrassment that you ever liked it at all. I now know where to go when I find there's "57 channels and nothing on".

I have two, one from the 70’s and one from the 80’s, that were made into inferior TV movies but deserved superior big-screen versions. One was Til Death Us Do Part by the just deceased Vincent Bugliosi about two “Double Indemnity” style murders in 1966 LA that had more twists than any mystery novel. It would have been an instant star-making role for the right actor playing the charismatic killer and shows how the justice system really works. When I finally put the book down I felt like I’d spent a year in law school. I know Bugliosi was a teacher and this book shows how good he must have been at that. We have one like him here and I learned a lot just by being called for jury duty for a case he was on and listening to him explain the law to us as it was not as we thought it was. I still have his reply to the letter I wrote him afterwards thanking him doing so thanking me for writing. The other one was The Other Woman by Shirley Fielding. A mistress gets her lover to leave his family for her then finds after four years of marriage that one of his coworkers is after him and her position is now reversed. A media personality, she finds a friend is doing articles about such situations and wonders if she is a winner or loser. A subplot also deals with spousal abuse that was then just being recognized as a contributor and valid defense to domestic crime. The sad thing about the TV film was that Fielding played a large part in its making but couldn’t transfer her writing skills to filmmaking. It could have been so much better and made some real social commentary.

Message for Cave Girl: if you haven't seen a TV movie, These Old Broads, do so as you will partly get your wish. Not only are Liz and Joan in it but Debbie Reynolds which really blows the minds of those of us who remember the scandal of 1958. I admit that when I started watching the movies the first thing I did was check to see if Joan was wearing any of that purple eye shadow she always had a pound of on each eye on Dynasty. She was down to a half pound but it was still there. Of course I'd never have done that. (Let's hope nobody has blackmail photos of my eyes covered in smoky green.)

Robert Fuller still has it. Robert Horton never did. Thanks for the photos to prove it. Richard Egan too! And I thought it was just another ordinary day in Paradise.

From The Greatest Show on Earth: The train has just wrecked and the womens' sleeping car is a mess with most of them on the floor. One comments: 'I've never been thrown out of bed like that before" or something similar. I've read that this line really ticked off the head of The Legion of Decency as well as the fact that many of the female characters appeared to openly sleep around rather than be prim and proper one-man types. (He also thought their costumes too skimpy). It did seem to be pretty open about such things for a 50's film.

As the photo shows Don Juan is also a chance for those who still fondly remember Search for Tomorrow to see their beloved Mary "Joanne" Stuart in her younger days and in glorious color. I'd had no idea she'd done films until I first saw this. Their loss was TV's gain as she became not just a soap star but a real pioneer in the medium. TomJH, thanks for that shot. REDHEADS RULE!

A few years ago we discussed Dragoon Wells Massacre from 1957 which nobody seemed to know where to find. I mentioned that this is where I discovered Jack Elam who, like the little girl in the story, I did not find ugly at all. To my shock I found it on my You Tube list of recommended movies a week ago. Unlike some old films I recall this was even better than I remembered and I recognized a lot of character actors I have come to know and love. There are some other movies on the list that are new to me so I'll be checking them out as well. Everything comes to he who waits even if it's 60 years.

JOY IN MUDVILLE! Welcome back, Joe; you don't know how you were missed. The Boards are not the same without you. Bring on the photos and info. Eugenia: Thank you for the Silver Screen thread.

Two bits of news from today's reports. One that he had Alzheimer's Disease in which case the heart attack was a blessing. The second was that he was not the first choice for "Ali" but got the role after David Lean decided that the original actor did not "have the right color eyes" for the part. What a strange business that success or failure can rest on something like that.