JamesJazGuitar
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Posts posted by JamesJazGuitar
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Did you mean to say The Rifleman instead of the Wild Wild West?
Two different lead actors in those.
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Leslie Howard is my favorite actor but I haven't seen BERKELEY SQUARE (1933) so I'm looking forward to that one.
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Yes, this is indeed a must see noir for the reasons you note. Chester will go down as one of the biggest creeps in noir history.
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To ensure I'm not misunderstood I think Lancaster was a quick learner and he was a very natural actor even when he played over the top characters (e.g. Rainmaker), later in his career. But in this early effort his lack of experience shows. I also think Scott didn't help. For example, look at Kirk's first movie; Martha Ivers. I'm sure having a female co-star like Stanwyck has to help a novice actor.
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Well when I was visiting all the wonderful chateaus in France I had that feeling until I saw their bathrooms. For example, the bathroom Neapolitan used. Here was the bathroom of the leader of France and it was no better than an out-house!
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Just so people don't get confused while "Jones" is a western it is also camp comedy. I really like this movie and it has a good balance with the silliness in the scenes and dialog between Jones and George and the grit and evilness of Jarrad played to great effect by Dan Duryea.
Than we have Young in the middle of it all and she really rounds out both of these different aspects of this movie.
But anyone looking for a standard Cooper hero western will be very surprised.
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This movie has been discussed a lot on another thread. While I enjoy the film, to me it has a few major flaws that prevent it from being an 'A' picture.
One is the acting of Lancaster and Scott. Lancaster overacts. Yea, he is angry and I get that but to me the acting looks like the type one gets in a acting training school: "Burt, now act really angry and upset"; Just too much like James Dean in my view. Scott is just weak.
I do think Douglas is wonderful in this movie. The only other thing I think is flawed is the ending. The entire plot is built on the fact that Douglas has grown up. He doesn't need violence to be a crook. He is now what we call a corporate gangster. (a fact Lancaster is never able to understand).
But after Douglas is about to be exposed by his accountant he turn back to the type of guy he was many years ago. I just don't see Douglas doing that after he has changed so much. So to me a better noir ending would of been Douglas having a set of clean books where the accountant couldn't pin anything on him and than Lancaster, the guy that only understands violence, killing Douglas, and going to the death house. The happy ending was just too sappy and un-noir like.
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Well it is listed in the film noir book I have. I consider it a noir especially the ending. One of the best Taylor, Turner, and Van Heflin in an MGM movies that has the look and feel one would associated more with a Warner picture.
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Man, you have given me an idea for an duet acoustic guitar song. One guitar plays the chords and the other plays the flute part as solo guitar lines. I have always loved this song but kind of forgot about it.
Now I'll google the chords and work that out.
This is a cool early Greg Lake song.
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I often get his movie mixed up with the Elvis movie Kid Galahad which is a remake of a Davis, Eddie Robinson, Bogie movie.
Are you sure that in book King Creole is based on Danny was a fighter? That really confused me since of couse Kid Galahad is all about boxing.
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With regards to the later Davis as a drag queen, I see a chicken egg type of thing going on. If drag queens didn't make Davis a center of their act would people still have that perception?
But I assume drag queens would tell us that once they saw images of Davis in her later years they just had to milk that.
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Well the movies is doing very well at the box office (in second place based on the stats I saw), and the L.A. TImes gave the movie a very good review.
That surprised me but since the Three Stooges are icons of comedy I guess a lot of younger people didn't mind seeing modern actors taking their place in a movies that really isn't a bio.
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To me the reason why Bourdain was picked is very oblivious: There is a link between fine food, travel, and movie making. I assume that are many like me where the primary stations we watch are TCM, and than the Food Network and Travel station, verses say the standard network programming.
Movies were the way many Americans 'traveled' to foreign lands in prior decades (and based on the latest survey I saw Americans still don't get to Europe or other foreign countries much). Movies link us to the type of places Bourdain goes to and experiencing the food of a foreign culture is a big part of traveling.
So I think someone like him is a perfect fit for TCM. Really to dump him into the same category as Adam Sandler or Sheen makes no sense to me.
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Related to Young Man With A Horn, in my view the reason Kirk's character went for Amy, the Bacall character was because she didn't like music. i.e. Kirk entire life was all about music and so falling for someone NOT into music was a way to add something different into his life. Of course it was a major mistake but as a musician I can also see the logic there.
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Yes, that scene is the unrealistic plot moment for this film. Ginger wasn't a complete dummy and thus she had to know it wasn't wise to tell her bro-in-law that she was going to spill the beans. All she had to do was say she was leaving town. Instead she tells him she is going to expose him as well as the ****. The topper was that then she says she isn't afraid of him. Even someone with an IQ of 70 would of be afraid for their safety after mouthing off like she did.
The script writer just got lazy and uncreative.
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Yes, the girl in the black hat is clearly Joan Leslie. Wow I never knew she was that young in roles like High Sierra.
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I wonder if TCM still wants to have Spike Lee host after his latest stunt. Maybe they should replace him with Reggie Miller. (for those that don't know Miller he was just accepted into the NBA Hall of Fame and Lee and Miller had one of the greatest all time feuds between player and fan of another team).
Anyhow glad to see my favorite actor, Leslie Howard, getting his due as SOTM. Too bad they are not showing Its Love I'm After. That is one of the best comedies of the 30s IMO.
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Thanks for explaining the legal reasons Joan was able to win her suit and get out of her contract. So while she might of filed the suit because of the poor roles she was given that wasn't the legal reason she won her suit. If actors could sue for that Bogie wouldn't of made High Sierra after making Doctor X!
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I agree with you. Both Grant and Day are at least 20 years too old to be playing characters that would act the way they do. I would always say I love Grant in everything until I saw this dud.
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I really enjoy this movie because of the 4 stars and how different their characters are from each other. Liz Scott never looked better and while she isn't a great actress by any means she pulls her weight in this one. Van Hefin is at his best. He is a classic noir character; very ambiguous. We don't know what he is thinking or planning. Of course what makes the movie interesting is that Walter and Martha think they know exactly what Sam is planning. But of course they are wrong and because of their misguided actions they cause their own demise.
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Can you explain what you mean by 'sued for better roles'? I don't think one can file a lawsuit for that. Olivia DeHavilland filed a sued against WB but that was because WB extended their contract based on the time she was on suspension.
Anyhow, Joan was indeed mostly the good girl (but in High Sierra she appeared 'good' but in some ways wasn't). I always liked Joan and she was a very good 'second gal' in many movies (i.e. second to other WB actresses). Yea, its too bad that Jack was such a bonehead in his handling of stars, especially actresses. He almost messed it up with Bette (but did forgive her when she came back from England after losing her lawsuit and gave her great roles from than on), and he clearly didn't use Olivia as well as he could of since she was the top actress from 46 - 49 after leaving WB.
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TCM did something similar with regards to The Big Sleep. There is the initial release (only shown to US troop overseas initially), and the the general U.S. release. While 90% of the movie is the same in the later version there are some additional Bogie Bacall scenes (since they got married Warner wanted more of them), some scenes cut (to make room for more B&
, and two different actresses playing Mrs. Mars. -
Well when Jane was asked about doing the role she just couldn't say no. Nancy called her and said 'just say no'!.
, and two different actresses playing Mrs. Mars.
Garbo
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Posted
I think a critical thread on Garbo would be interesting. For example do her movies 'hold up' today? Many are period films and like the films Greer Garson made I don't think period film hold up as well as other types of movies.
It would also be interesting to compare Garbo's best work with that of stars like Davis and Stanwyck. Ok, Garbo has Camille but does she really have the type of movies 'creed' that other actresses have or is she more of an icon (where she is more known for factors beyond the actual movies she made).
Many topics we could discuss related to Garbo but we don't need another Garbo thread to do that.
Hey, after seeing Merle Oberon last night in Night Song, I can understand where johnbabe is coming from! Merle is my number one now (well until later!).