JamesJazGuitar

Yes, I made a typo (since corrected). I have this movie on tape (beta no less long story why!) and typically watch it on New Years day since the movie is set on that day. I must of seen it at least 15 times now.

I don't think Groucho ever played with those guys. If he played with Hendrix he could then throw Jimmy's buring guitar into the lake after Jimmy set it on fire!

My goal was just to remind people that haven't seen It's Love I'm After to catch this movie. It is one of my favorite 30s comedies. The bird calling scene is one of the best! I also look forward to Howard as SOTM because I haven't see a few of the films TCM will be showing. Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on Jun 29, 2012 6:13 PM

The film you mention is The Irish In Us released in 1935. Olivia's third picture. The film is indeed a WB programmer and as you noted the main attraction is the cast especially the WB supporting players. Olivia was only 18 and being cast in this film was somewhat of a shock to her especially after making such a non programmer file as A Midsummer Night's Dream. Olivia learned that the studio system meant that actors didn't always get interesting projects and that often the job was, well, just a job. "the main function of a fledgling contract player was to turn up for work, where and when told". (from The Films Of Olivia De Havilland).

Looks like It's Love I'm After was left off the list again. Here is what was posted below: They ARE showing It's Love I'm After. It will air at 9:30 ET on July 10. Why no love for It's Love I'm After? Very funny movie with 3 major stars (Howard, Davis, DeHavilland), and many fine supporting players. Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on Jun 29, 2012 4:10 PM

Well you mention 'modern' films. In 1950, a movie made in the 40 was a modern film. So in 2012, isn't a movie made in the 70's an 'old' film? I hope that TCM sticks mainly to studio era films (i.e. movies made before 1969), but as time marches on it is somewhat silly to say that movies made in the 70 are modern films. i.e. what is modern or what is old is NOT stagnant since time isn't.

Yes, Groucho could play the guitar. Funny you mention that canoe scene. I remember seeing this and saying to myself 'hey what a nice arch-top,,, looks like a Gibson'. I have a few of these and they are great guitars for jazz playing. Well I also remember being somewhat upset that they would destroy the guitar. So I hope they didn't!

This is one of my favorite Lucille Ball movies. There are many fine actors in the cast and the movie has a good balance with the comedy, romance and thrills. Ball and Sanders doesn't sound like it would work but they do a fine job.

I'll Remember April is a very popular jazz standard but that is because the rhythm is somewhat unique, unlike this rather flat version with Foran. The verse section is played with a latin beat and the chorus using a swing beat. I even have music software (Band in the Box) that has a 'I'll Remember April rhythm'. The neat changes in the rhythm really make the song fun to play especially at a fast tempo.

Bette Davis and than Barbara Stanwyck are my top two (yea, very standard choices in many ways), than Olivia. After that I love Carole Lombard and Jean Arthur since 30's comedies are some of my favorite movies.

This threat would make more sense to me if TCMfan just posted 'I wish TCM didn't have the underground series'. I will admit that I rarely enjoy the movies TCM shows in it's underground series but since it is a very limited series (i.e. the percentage of programming denoted to it is next to nothing), it doesn't impact my enjoyment of TCM.

I never really liked Goodfellas. I guess the main reason being there are no good fellas in the movie; i.e. no likeable characters in my view. The other main reason would be that the plot was so basic; nothing surprised me and it was clear how the movie would 'play out' from the start. i.e. the life of a young gangster 101 type of plot. While it is a first rate production it just isn't my cup of tea. I'm a big fan of De Niro but Goodfellas as well as Casino are not movies of his I enjoy much.

While DeHavilland is my 3rd favorite actress The Dark Mirror isn't a quality production. As you noted only Mitchell keeps it interesting. I was hoping for so much more but the movie does fall flat. I don't fault Olivia's acting (of course I'm bias!), but more the slack direction. The movie needed a lot more punch and it just doesn't deliver.

While I agree that both Scott and McCrea were good enough actor to have switched roles I think the roles they ended up playing were a better 'fit' to their overall persona, especially McCrea. As you mention McCrea has such "inner decency" that for big fans of him like me, too much of this "inner decency" might of been perceived with him as the 'bad guy', than I wouldn't 'buy' that McCrea could really be a bad guy. Scott had a rougher edge to him in my view and while I knew that he wouldn't let his old buddy down (it was no surprise that this is where the plot was going), Scott persona fit that part better in my view.

I also was very familiar with Robert Young from watching TV as a boy teen prior to getting into classic movies around 10 latter in my late 20s. This was also true for actors like Donna Reed, Fred Macmurray, Hugh Beaumont and a few others. I knew these actors more than Bogie, Gable, Davis etc... at that young age.

My favorites in order of preference are: His Kind of Women Out of the Past Macao Angel Face The Night of the Hunter The Racket

My three favorite Cagney films are Torrid Zone, The Strawberry Blond, and Footlight Parade. Of course I love those WB gangster type movies like G-Men but not as much as Cagney in comedies lighter material.

Related to Thomas Gomez, Ride the Pink Horse, with Robert Montgomery as the star, is a great revenge vengeance movie. Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on May 24, 2012 2:50 PM

Your take on Ladd in this movie is right on. Ladd is a little to 'squeaky clean' and this takes away from the harder edged Ladd I enjoyed so much in his 40's noir films. But this film still has it moments. One of the best scenes is when Webb beats to death his partner with bronze baby shoes. They show a close up of the shoes and than they are used to kills someone. Classic. Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on May 14, 2012 5:59 PM

Yea, like the Lennon song Run For Your Life. Oh, wait!

I agree with you. The line up for this year is just 'OK' and doesn't compare with last year. But still there are some movies on the line up on my 'would like to see' list!

What is interesting here is your comment 'The studios were factories then'. It is a positive statement but if one only read that comment one could view it as a negative comment. WB is my favorite studio and the character actors they had is one of the key reasons (as well as their grit, hardcore style). But I do admit that sometimes I see a WB movie and it is a little too factory driven. For example, The Conspirators, which was on this week. I caught this movie about 15 minutes in. I said to the wife; well this is WB. The movie had it moments but sometimes I felt I was watching Casablanca meets the Maltese Falcon! At least the movie had Hedy Lamar for a fresh female face. Overall the WB factory of the 30s and 40s cranked out quality movies, even many of the 'B' pictures. The character actors are a key reason. i.e. they alway brought a certain level of quality to these WB movies.

This is a very, very good Bogie movie and one that isn't as well known as it should be. I saw this on the big screen during a Bogie film presentation many, many years ago. Of course I also saw Casablanca, etc... but this one was special. The funny thing was when Bogie makes that crack to Liz Scott while they are driving about putting a gal in his pocket the women hooted while the men said 'yea'. This is what is great about seeing a classic movie in a theater full of classic movie fans. (of course the men that said 'yea' where only joking!). While my favorite Bogie movie is The Big Sleep and my favorite Liz Scott movie The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers, Dead Reckoning is a first class production.

Hey another person with a beta library. I have around 300 or so classic movies on beta. I recorded these around 30 years ago. I had flexible job hours back then so I would go home to record (I didn't like commercials on my tapes so I had to be there to pause and start), during the day to record classic movies shown on 'The Early Show' (a classic movie shown during the afternoon). The only bad thing is many of the movies are edited. Then there was 'The Late Show' and the movies show, well really late at night. As one can tell it took a lot of effort to build this library. Now my original Sony Beta unit was wearing out, but my friend's father passed away about 10 years ago. He left a brand new Sony Beta. In the box, never opened. So he gave it to me. This still works great. The funny thing is I don't have a DVD library since most of my favorite films are on Beta. I don't use the Beta unit often since I have TCM but sometimes I watch something if TCM doesn't show something I love.

I also like Fred Clark. He could play a funny guy or a hard guy like he did in Ride The Pink Horse (where he was the heal).