AndyM108

We have no new snow today, but the HIGH temperature is - 10. That matches our predicted low in Washington for 7:00 tomorrow morning, although that includes wind chill. The actual low temperature is supposed to be a balmy +6. This will be one of the few times in my life I've felt mildly envious of Floridians.

Glad to see someone else appreciates the vastly underrated and mostly forgotten Footsteps in the Fog. I've never seen Blanche Fury, but since Stewart Granger is one of my all-time favorite "cads" along with George Sanders*, I'm going to make sure to catch that the next time around. I was hoping that I'd already recorded it, but no luck. *And don't they *LOOK* the part? I wouldn't trust anyone who looked like Granger as far as I could throw him.

Elvis did a LOT to bring the genre to the forefront. But talk to any of the "rock stars" to follow, and you'll find few who credit "Blue Hawaii" and "Viva Las Vegas" as major influences on their career choices. More guys have picked up a guitar and learned to rock due to Berry than anyone else. Sepiatone I had a brief acquaintance with Jack Casady of The Jefferson Airplane when we were in Jr. High School in DC in the late 1950's. He and his band were the stars of the Friday Night Club dances, and he affected an elaborate Elvis 'do. But he and his older friends would spend *every* spare evening driving around every nook and cranny of the Washington area, catching *every* musical act from rock and roll to R&B to blues to country to bluegrass, absorbing them all. This was a common practice among emerging musicians of that era - - - - They didn't restrict themselves to any narrow genre. I also remember a remark he made to me one day, when we were discussing different versions of then-top 40 hits. When it came around to "Fever", he said that only Little Willie John knew how to sing that song, and that he'd cringe every time he heard Peggy Lee's pop version. I couldn't have agreed with him more, even though I later came to like many of Peggy Lee's jazz albums.

I'm being pleasantly surprised as to how well 1955 holds up. Partly it's the influx of good foreign movies, but hey, they all count! 1. Diabolique 2. Kiss Me Deadly 3. Bob Le Flambeur 4. Des Gens Sans Importance 5. House of Bamboo (needs rescuing from Fox) 6. Footsteps in the Fog 7. Life in the Balance 8. The Violent Men 9. Trial 10. Death of a Cyclist Best of the rest: Marty, The Phenix City Story, The Night Holds Terror, The Big Knife, Guys and Dolls, Tight Spot, Killer's Kiss, Dementia (an over-the-top classic in the Reefer Madness vein), Man With the Golden Arm, To Catch a Thief Underrated: House of Bamboo, Trial, Footsteps in the Fog Overrated: East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause (not bad movies, just overrated) Have to see: I Live In Fear Total movies viewed: About 45 - 50

Most women are more attractive when they are younger, but in Crawford's case, even more so. Even allowing for face lifts, how many big time actresses have held onto their basic facial features and figures much beyond their early 40's? Not too many that I can think of. Loretta Young, Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck and Kim Novak are about the only ones who come to mind immediately, though I'm sure there are others. Most of them either just got bloated a la Liz Taylor, or went in the Crawford direction of looking like they were wearing a 10 layer mask of makeup in an attempt to push back the clock. It's an uphill battle that very few women (or men, for that matter) can hope to win.

I do have THE CAINE MUTINY on my list (high up on my list). Yes, it is shown quite a bit, but it's still a powerful film to watch. There is great variety in the acting styles, and each performer seems to make the most of the opportunities presented in the script. The Caine Mutiny is very well acted, especially Bogart, but the whole story has always seemed over the top to me, and in particular that Barney Greenwald sermon at the end just struck me as *way* over the top sanctimonious. But maybe it's just that I've never cared for Jose Ferrer in anything other than Whirlpool, and that may be coloring my opinion and affecting my objectivity.

You may be the only person watching the Bengals-Chargers game (Go, Bolts!) who has ever heard of the second film on your list. And also probably the only person who doesn't like either High Noon or The Caine Mutiny. Not a bad 4 bet parlay. It actually would surprise me if many of those football fans had ever heard of any of those films, other than From Here to Eternity and (maybe) Stalag 17. Most of the films we've been talking about here are known mainly to hard core movie buffs. OTOH Harry Potter and ET and The Lord of the Rings all pretty much run together in my mind, and likewise every Fred and Ginger movie, so I'm not sure how hard core I'd consider myself after all that.

Yes, I think THE BLUE GARDENIA is worth mentioning. One of Fritz Lang's best from this period of his career. And considering the many masterpieces he directed both in Germany and in Hollywood, that's saying quite a bit. And any film with both Richard Conte and Raymond Burr has got to be worth watching. Now that the NFL is over for the evening, here's my list for *1954,* which probably had more great films than any year since 1950. 1. On The Waterfront 2. A Star Is Born 3. Rififi 4. L'Air de Paris 5. The Seven Samurai 6. Executive Suite 7. Dial M For Murder 8. Pushover 9. The Good Die Young 10. La Strada Touchez Pas au Grisbi is listed in 1953, otherwise it would be # 3. Best of the rest: Them!, Witness to Murder, Twist of Fate, Rear Window, Crime Wave, The Fast and the Furious, Shield For Murder, Bad For Each Other, The Glenn Miller Story Underrated: The Good Die Young, Pushover Overrated: The Caine Mutiny Have to see: Carnival Story, House of Pleasure, Betrayed Best actor: Marlon Brando (On The Waterfront) Best actress: Judy Garland (A Star Is Born) Best supporting actor: Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden and Rod Steiger (On The Waterfront); Fredric March and Louis Calhern (Executive Suite) Best supporting actress: Giulietta Masina (La Strada) Number of films viewed: About 35 - 40 *EDIT to 1952 list: The Sheep Has Five Legs (Fernandel) should be #1. Tied with Bombshell for the greatest comedy ever. Everything else drops down a slot.* Edited by: AndyM108 on Jan 5, 2014 9:45 PM

In the South of the mid 20th century, whether Pinky had any white blood,.or even mostly white.blood, dod not matter, precisely because of the One Drop rule. Mixed blood individuals were not recognized as a category. The late Senator Theodore G. Bilbo (D-Miss.) took that treatise all the way down to those who were 1/512th black. He once gave a Senate speech in which he railed against *"Mulattos, Quadroons, Quintroons, Sextaroons, Septaroons, Octoroons, Mustees, Fustees, and Dustees."* His magnum opus was a book that was published just a few weeks before he died in 1947. It was entitled Take Your Choice: Segregation or Mongrelization

I am in the 18-54 demographic. And I love it when Robert Osborne, in his 80s, sits down and interviews Luise Rainer, in her 100s. That's the great thing about this Channel! It is for all of us! I am in the 1-110 demographic, and I approve this message.

Bengals and Chargers are in halftime, so here's my 1953 list: 1. Tokyo Story 2. Touchez Pas au Grisbi 3. The Big Heat 4. The Naked Spur 5. The Glass Wall 6. From Here to Eternity 7. Stalag 17 8. Vicki (a great remake of I Wake Up Screaming) 9. 99 River Street 10. The Blue Gardenia Best of the Rest: The Juggler, A Blueprint for Murder, The Hitch-Hiker, Dangerous Crossing, Split Second, House of Wax (it grows on you), Underrated: The Glass Wall, The Juggler Overrated: Shane Worst movie: The Girl Who Had Everything Have to see: Voyage in Italy, Wages of Fear, Beat the Devil, lots of others Best actor: Jean Gabin (Touchez Pas au Grisbi); Robert Ryan (The Naked Spur); Richard Boone (Vicki) Best actress: Gloria Grahame (The Glass Wall) Best supporting actor: Lee Marvin (The Big Heat) Best supporting actress: Gloria Grahame (The Big Heat) Number of movies viewed: About 40 - 45

This discussion about "passing" made me think of the movie that was based on a real life example of it, only in the other direction. In 1959, a white writer, John Howard Griffin, underwent a series of chemical treatments to his skin and hair, and eventually was able to successfully pass himself off as black. He recounted his adventures along the color line in Dixie in a six part serial that was published in Sepia Magazine (you should appreciate that ), and then as a book. In 1964 James Whitmore played the lead role in a movie that was made about it. I have both the magazines and the book, and I also happened to attend the movie's premiere at Duke University when it was shown there in a preview setting in the Spring of 1964. I haven't seen the movie again since then, but I vaguely recall thinking at the time that Whitmore bore more than a passing resemblance to a slightly darker version of Chester A. Riley. I half expected him to react to a racial slight by saying "What a revoltin' development this is!" Let's just say that I found the illustrated magazine version to be by far the most compelling of the three, with the book a close second and the movie a distant third. All that said, it would be a real act of inspiration on TCM's part to show that movie alongside Pinky the next time around.

Why would anyone think the films of the 50's have been underrated? Possibly because the default position around here seems to be that movies reached a peak in the late 1930's, and that 1939 was the best year of them all. I totally disagree with that premise, but I think that's where the "underrated" thought is coming from.

Well I'm torn. My favorite movies are 30s comedies and post WWII noirs. I really couldn't pick one over the other, which is why when asked questions like favorite decade, I stutter. The only reason I like the late 40's noirs as a group over the 30's comedies is that there were a lot more good ones. But if I had to choose between The Killers and Bombshell, or between Out of the Past and Libeled Lady, I'd retreat into a corner and suck my thumb. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Continuing onto 1952, the slide continues, although there are still plenty of good films: 1. The Bad and the Beautiful 2. Sudden Fear (one of TCM's most painful gaps) 3. Forbidden Games 4. The Light Touch (combining my two favorite cads, Stewart Granger and George Sanders) 5. Umberto D 6. The Life of Oharu 7. Don't Bother to Knock 8. Trent's Last Case 9. Singin' in the Rain (amazing - a musical with a good plot) 10. The Narrow Margin Best of the Rest: Ruby Gentry, The Long Memory, Clash By Night, Jeopardy, Paula, My Son John (so bad it's positively thrilling), Kansas City Confidential, The Star Underrated: The Light Touch; Trent's Last Case Overrated: High Noon; The Steel Trap Best actor: Kirk Douglas (The Bad and the Beautiful) Best Actress: Joan Crawford (Sudden Fear) Best Supporting Actor: George Sanders (The Light Touch) Best Supporting Actress: Marie Windsor (The Narrow Margin); Gloria Grahame (Sudden Fear); Jean Hagen (Singin' In The Rain) Number of films viewed: About 40 - 45

To me the story would of been stronger if she was 'mixed' in that it could of shown, sadly, how people were treated based on the 'one drop' rule (similar to Imitation of Life made later on) . Having her NOT be 'mixed' and just light skinned just doesn't work for me since the hate wasn't based on looks but that one drop rule. That is stressed when the biggest bigot in the movie makes a comment that, based on looks, she couldn't really tell. The point is that although the basis for the bigotry was the "one drop" rule, there were only three ways a person attempting to pass could be outed: A visitor from the past; an artifact from the past that emerged by chance (a class photo taken in an all-black school before the passing attempt was begun); or a growing sense of suspicion due to skin color that led to investigation and eventual exposure. The "one drop" rule, however strongly it was felt by whites, was irrelevant in the absence of any of those three factors. This is why many "one drop" black people were able to pass for white in real life: They looked "white" and nobody could prove otherwise. And that's why I can't see any problem with Jeanne Crain being cast in that role. Regardless of her lack of "one drop" of black blood (which in truth we don't even know), someone with her looks would have had a much easier time in real life passing for white than a Lena Horne or (even more) a Dorothy Dandridge. The book itself is irrelevant to the movie, since it wasn't illustrated. The only relevant point to the movie is how credible "Pinky" was in passing herself as white, and aside from her acting ability, the most relevant factor in her casting is that Jeanne Crain LOOKED WHITE.

The movies of (1939) were not of a country in transition but of a country hanging on to illusions of an era that was passing into history faster than most realized. History was changing too fast on the world stage for the movies to keep up with and the films of 1939 remind us of that. It was a safe year when the world had yet to blow apart and America's role on the world stage changed forever.... But by 1945, the studios were no longer in the same place they were in 1939 nor were we as a society. The Atomic Age was born above the white sands of New Mexico and on the ground in Japan. A Cold War with Russia quickly followed when they tore away our confidence by detonating an atomic bomb. Americans wanted something different from their movies than propaganda and good times. They wanted the movies to reflect their lives. They wanted movies that reflected adult themes. It was the beginning of the death knell for the Production Code. Film Noir was on the rise. I think with those paragraphs you very well express the split between those of us who tend to like the postwar movies much better than the ones that came immediately before the war. It's the conflict between realism and what can loosely be called "entertainment". To put it in concrete terms, Bicycle Thieves vs. Gone With The Wind, or The Search vs. The Wizard of Oz. I don't necessarily see that the two can't be combined, and they often are, but if I have to choose one or the other, it'll be realism every time. I realize that this may be a minority opinion, and of course it's a purely subjective one.

1951 saw a big dropoff in the number of truly exceptional films. In hindsight, 1950 was truly the best year ever for non-escapist fare. 1. The Racket - one of Robert Ryan's most convincing roles, and that's saying a lot 2. The Steel Helmet - the military brass didn't like it, but I did 3. A Streetcar Named Desire - didn't care much for it myself, but there's no denying its greatness 4. I Can Get It For You Wholesale - my favorite Susan Hayward film 5. The Lavender Hill Mob - Guinness at his most sublime 6. Cry Danger - Dick Powell at his best 7. His Kind of Woman - Vincent Price once again steals the show 8. Payment on Demand - one of Bette Davis's best domestic roles 9. M - the Joseph Losey remake wasn't up to the 1931 original- - - no remake could possibly have matched Peter Lorre's performance- - - but it still packed a punch 10. Another Man's Poison - another great Bette Davis performance Best of the rest: Detective Story, Ace in the Hole, My Forbidden Past, Tomorrow Is Another Day, Night Into Morning, The Prowler, A Place in the Sun, The House on Telegraph Hill Underrated: M; I Can Get It For You Wholesale (Way) Overrated: The African Queen Biggest Disappointment: The Company She Keeps - - - Liz Scott is a great femme fatale in many movies, but a horribly miscast goody two shoes social worker in this one Biggest confirmation of my anti-Bob Hope bias: The Lemon Drop Kid Have to Watch: Diary of a Country Priest Best actor: Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire) Best actress: Susan Hayward (I Can Get It For You Wholesale) Best supporting actor: George Sanders (I Can Get It For You Wholesale) Best supporting actress: Lee Grant (Detective Story) Total films viewed: About 60

I agree with your idea that the "50's" as we think of them didn't really start until about 1954 or 1955. In terms of movies, I think it was the combination of the influx of teenagers and the advent of the technicolor wide screens that switched the focus towards spectacle and away from content. Not that there weren't plenty of exceptions to that overgenerality, but in hindsight I think that the period roughly stretching from 1945 to 1952 can be seen as a bit of an anomaly, in that there during that period there were far more movies dealing with the grittier undersides of life, and relatively fewer movies that were purely escapist. In that respect, many of the movies of the late 50's had more in common with the movies of the late 30's than they did with the movies of the 1945-52 period. Again, this is all one big generalization with many exceptions, but I do think that the broad point is valid.

I asked about the racial make-up of the Pinky character before and didn't get many replies. I assumed she was mixed raced; i.e. one or more of her grandparents was white, meaning that she wasn't 100% black. Anyhow, I was told that I shouldn't assume Pinky had any white blood since the movie doesn't mention anything about that. Instead one should assume she was a light skinned 'black'. But I based my assumption on the fact Cain was casted as Pinky. If all of Pinky grandparents were black, the casting of Cain has no creditability. NONE. Since most of the movie is set in the South at least Horne or Dandridge would have been creditable in the role of 'black' by the locals in that area (even if they wouldn't of been creditable in the northern situations). But since only the lightest skinned blacks could ever have credibly passed for white, putting Crain in that role fits into the plot rather neatly. Ideally you would have found an African American actress who could have played the part, but while Horne or Dandridge would have been more credible from a DNA standpoint, there's no way on Earth that a southern man ever would have proposed marriage to either of them back in the 1940's unless he planned on their living in Greenwich Village or Hyde Park- - - -which wasn't what was depicted in the movie. There may well have been light skinned black actresses back then who might have fit both requirements, but given the social mores of the time, they probably would have been passing for white in real life! I guess the point is that there's more chance, however slim, that Jeanne Crain had some "black" blood in her, than there is that Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge ever could have entered into southern white society back then as anything other than maids or entertainers. I know that Lena Horne's features and skin were "whiter" than many European Americans, but that still wouldn't have fooled those race obsessed gatekeepers of racial purity.

I'll begin by re-posting my 1950 list from the other thread. I see that we have quite a few titles in common, including one I'd accidentally omitted the first time around (No Man of Her Own) that your list reminded me of. - - - - - - - - - - - - - I apologize for going to 1950, but it's long been my thought that this was the greatest movie year ever, and I wanted to test my instinct. And after going over all the movies from 1950, I think my initial instincts were correct - - - at least if you have the same taste in genres that I do. 1. All About Eve (top 10 of all time, at least for Hollywood films) 2. The Asphalt Jungle ("Don't bone me!") 3. Three Came Home 4. The Damned Don't Cry 5. Whirlpool (Jose Ferrer's best performance) 6. The Killer That Stalked New York 7. Panic In the Streets 8. Night in the City 9. The Baron of Arizona 10. No Way Out Best of the rest: The Secret Fury, Between Midnight and Dawn, Woman In Hiding, Born to Be Bad, D.O.A., In a Lonely Place, Tension, Stage Fright, Backfire, Borderline, Scandal, Trio, Caged, Sunset Boulevard, A Life of Her Own, Mr. 880, 711 Ocean Drive, *No Man of Her Own* Underrated: Three Came Home, Whirlpool, The Baron of Arizona Overrated: Stromboli Have to see: Rashomon Best actor: Sterling Hayden (The Asphalt Jungle) Best actress: Bette Davis (All About Eve) (duh) Best supporting actor: George Sanders (All About Eve) Best supporting actress (if you can call it that): Anne Baxter (All About Eve) (and if she's not considered Supporting, then make it Celeste Holm or Thelma Ritter) Number of films viewed: About 85 - 90

I've yet to see Standby For Action, but with a cast like that I'll certainly be on the lookout for it. Thanks for the tip.

I am going to make a new thread for the underrated 50s... You're torturing me, but if you can keep it up, I'll try to follow suit during breaks in the football games. My feeling is that the *quantity* of great movies peaked in 1950 and began to go down from there, but that still leaves a great number of very good titles, even if I'm probably aware of only some of them.

I agree with you that an African American actress might have been better suited for the lead role in Pinky, but light skinned as they were, neither Lena Horne nor Dorothy Dandridge could have credibly passed as white in the sort of social circles that she was going to marry into. I'd recommend seeing The Bribe again, if only to appreciate Laughton and Vincent Price. Taylor was Taylor, with all his limitations, but IMO he played the part the way it was written and didn't get in the way.

I apologize for going to 1950, but it's long been my thought that this was the greatest movie year ever, and I wanted to test my instinct. And after going over all the movies from 1950, I think my initial instincts were correct - - - at least if you have the same taste in genres that I do. 1. All About Eve (top 10 of all time, at least for Hollywood films) 2. The Asphalt Jungle ("Don't bone me!") 3. Three Came Home 4. The Damned Don't Cry 5. Whirlpool (Jose Ferrer's best performance) 6. The Killer That Stalked New York 7. Panic In the Streets 8. Night in the City 9. The Baron of Arizona 10. No Way Out Best of the rest: The Secret Fury, Between Midnight and Dawn, Woman In Hiding, Born to Be Bad, D.O.A., In a Lonely Place, Tension, Stage Fright, Backfire, Borderline, Scandal, Trio, Caged, Sunset Boulevard, A Life of Her Own, Mr. 880, 711 Ocean Drive Underrated: Three Came Home, Whirlpool, The Baron of Arizona Overrated: Stromboli Have to see: Rashomon Best actor: Sterling Hayden (The Asphalt Jungle) Best actress: Bette Davis (All About Eve) (duh) Best supporting actor: George Sanders (All About Eve) Best supporting actress (if you can call it that): Anne Baxter (All About Eve) (and if she's not considered Supporting, then make it Celeste Holm or Thelma Ritter) Number of films viewed: About 85 - 90

1949 has so many great movies that it's almost impossible to list them in any real order, but I'll try. The first three could really be considered in a dead heat. 1. Stray Dog 2. Thieves' Highway (this should be high on TCM's list to get from Fox) 3. White Heat 4. The Bribe 5. Intruder in the Dust 6. All The King's Men 7. Criss Cross (another one TCM needs to get) 8. Act of Violence 9. The Big Steal 10. Flamingo Road Best of the Rest: The Third Man, Champion (PLEASE, TCM!), Pinky, They Live By Night, Red Light, Bitter Rice, Knock on Any Door, Gun Crazy, House of Strangers, Impact, East Side/West Side, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, On the Town, The Set-Up, It Happens Every Spring Underrated: Red Light Not overrated, just pathetic: The Fountainhead Best actor: (tie) Toshiro Mifune (Stray Dog), James Cagney (White Heat), Juano Hernandez (Intruder in the Dust), Broderick Crawford (All the King's Men), Robert Ryan (Act of Violence), Orson Welles (The Third Man) --- I can't knock out any of these Best actress: Jeanne Crain (Pinky) Best supporting actor: Charles Laughton (The Bribe) Best supporting actress: Mercedes McCambridge (All The King's Men) Number of films viewed: About 70