JamesJazGuitar

Next weeks Noir Alley is Los Tallos Amargos. I recommend one doesn't let subtitles cause them to miss this film.

With regards to casting Anthony Perkins as a young college basketball player; I assume he was cast mainly because of his height (6.2) and his acting ability. Such young star athletes are often sex symbols regardless of their looks; i.e. their "status" at the school is the primary factor. I tried to think of other actors that could have played the part: Tony Donahue came to mind, and he would have been a better fit; He was the right age, Perkins was 28, Donahue would have been 22, and Donahue was one inch taller at 6.3. Donahue didn't have the acting ability of Perkins but the role didn't really require much in that area. Of course Donahue had just signed a contract with Warner and Perkins was under contract with MGM. Fonda and Donahue would have made a cute couple.

For me Peter Gunn also had the best musical score of any T.V. show as well as the best guest musicians. The only issue I have is that I wish Craig Stevens had a more compelling screen persona.

As for the point that making another adaptation of a film, song play is not "entirely" etc... I didn't use the term "entirely" and never implied that. Instead I just offered what I believe to be a primary reason for making another adaptation from the POV of the creators of said arts. You list many other reasons and I agree with those so I don't see where we disagree. As for Night of the Hunter, which is one of my favorite films, Laughton indeed nailed it, but I don't see how that relates to what I posted. Instead I see it as making my point; I.e. there are other directors in this world that would like to take the fine source material and see if they can make a version that expresses their view of said source material. "My POV here isn't on this one film but instead your comment of: A movie that should never be remade (the 1991 TV rendition was pointless) because perfection cannot be improved upon" I guess I read this comment by you too narrowly; as in: a movie should never be remade unless it can be improved upon. As for those other reasons: There is a lot of discussion at this forum as for the best reasons to make a new adaptation of a film: I really Like your first bullet point and in that vein, for me the best reasons would be solid source material but prior versions didn't do the source material justice; the two prior The Maltese Falcon are a great example of these reasons. Huston "nailed it" by writing a screenplay that was very faithful to be book.

Making another adaptation of a work of art (film, song, play), isn't about improving upon prior-versions but instead about those involved expressing their artistic ability. Such efforts are not pointless from the POV of the artist.

Mona Maris was in A Date with the Falcon; The second in the series with George Sanders.

This is also my favorite Falcon film.

Yes, Night Moves features Gene Hackman in one of his best roles (and that is saying a lot since he has done a lot of really fine work).

The music \ score for Friends of Eddie Coyle, was by Dave Grusin. A fine jazz pianist, as well as composer, record producer and arranger. The film is a first rate neo-noir and one I saw on the big screen in L.A. CA, in the 90s since, at that time, in La La Land, the film was a neo-noir cult classic.

Wow, too many zeros here. I know I have seen Chicago Deadline fairly recently, but I guess not on TCM. Many films here I haven't seen that are on my bucket list of Ladd or noir films, like Calcutta, where Ladd is reteamed with Gail Russell as a femme fatale. Saigon is the final Ladd \ Lake film. Worst one in the bunch from what I have read, but still a film I would like to see so I can decide that on my own.

Interesting list of films; I have seen Salty O'Rourke a few times; Good film with Alan Ladd playing a gambler but one with a heart. Interesting seeing him paired with Gail Russell. The supporting cast of William Demarest and Stanley Clements are in fine form. Never seen Among the Living, but it is an early Susan Hayward, in this mix of a social drama, horror film, and suspense thriller. Frances Farmer is the other gal in the film. Also, haven't seen A Medal for Benny; I'm a fan of Dorothy Lamour so even if the plot sounds somewhat uninteresting (one note), I would tune in. There are so many of 30s and 40s Paramount films that I wish TCM would show, but I understand these films can be difficult to obtain.

The photo looks like Laguna Beach more so than San Clemente Beach. Spend the 4th of July at San Clemente Beach and pier since they have a fireworks show and my wife's cousin is the executive chef at the restaurant at the pier. They take over the entire pier for the 4th so we went with the chef's mom (wife's godmother), and had a great time.

Uh, you know me well! I was watching the NBA Finals and only saw that kook, when I switched to TCM during a time-out \ half-time. I'm pulling for the Suns, even if they are in the same division as my Lakers; Never been much of a fan of Chris Paul (felt he was a whiner), but I really like the young players on this team, and Paul is clearly giving his all, so it would be nice to see him get a ring as one of the top point guards in NBA history. You're also correct about the Kid: I should have only said that the last scene was the unrealistic one; I.e. the odds of two of those type of major hands in a two-player poker game has to be over 100 thousand to one.

You do have a point, but I believe most people associated jazz music with film noir. E.g. TCM played the fine French film last night Elevators to the Gallows which features a score by Miles Davis. I do find some non-jazz songs to be highly associated with film noir like Laura, but that is because the name of the film was Laura, the main character was Laura and the song was written for the film by composure David Raksin. Many of the other songs on that Simon album were originally written for Broadway stage plays. Also there is not much "mystery" or dark type themes in them; they are romantic songs. Laura has a haunting, dream like melody and the lyrics, while somewhat romantic, have a theme I can associated with noir. But again, you do have a point; there are no rules and If I implied there were, that was my mistake.

Yes, this has to be one of my least favorite themes of all time. When I first saw that kook talk, I believed it was a parody. But no! I turned to something else. A focus on movies where astrology / fortune tellers / sprit world), might have been interesting: E.g. The Uninvited. Of well, like Lombard says to Powell at the end of My Man Godfrey - it will all be over in a moment. Also, The Cincinnati Kid has some fine acting but the actual poker playing scenes are so unrealistic that those scenes come off as a parody to someone like myself that actually plays the game.

I would only consider one or two of these song film noir type music. Clearly not jazz, but instead pop music of the 30s. E.g. Last Night When We Were Young was a hit by Judy Garland in the late 30s.

Wear long pants? I get that the knees do look odd and not very sexy, but frankly I never noticed them until it was pointed out to me, at this forum, a few years back. As for the film: There are some scenes that I really enjoy but overall the film isn't one of my top 10 or even 20 noir films. I believe the direction could have been tighter and there are few noir visuals. Plus Cecil Kellaway couldn't play guitar!

The book Courage and Art (Jeffrey Meyers), about John Huston covers the making of The Misfits. Yea, Huston had a rough time making the film; Monroe was not reliable, meds impacting her health and ability, Clift and his off screen antics \ lovers got under Huston's skin, and Huston's concerns about pushing Gable to hard (which sadly might have been the case). Still a well made movie that I find interesting and one that takes one's emotions in a lot of different directions. Eli Wallach and Thelma Ritter were also first rate supporting actors and this is some of their best work (which is saying a lot for those two).

Great info! I knew Bass Lake, CA had been used in a movie I had seen but I couldn't recall which one. I've been to the eastern Sierra a lot more than the western Sierra but I've been to Bass Lake, and the other major sites in the area.

I agree that more tie-ins with characters from the series would have made Goes Home more of an Andy Hardy film, but the late 50s was the breakdown of the studio era with so many actors no longer under fixed terms contracts with studios. E.g. Lana Turner and Judy Garland, the most famous of the gals featured in the original series, where both no long under contract with MGM. If they were under a fixed term contract, common during the heyday of the studio-era, Goes Home could have used them, in very brief cameos, without having to pay them anything additional.

Rooney was no longer under a fixed contract with MGM after the film Words and Music in 1948. That, along with the fact Rooney was turning 30, made ending the Andy Hardy series the right move by all. So what is odd is that Goes Home was made at all, 12 years later. As for seeing Andy get married: Wiki has this: Mickey Rooney tried to persuade Ann Rutherford to return as Polly Benedict, Andy's on-and-off sweetheart in most of the original movies, so the two characters could be a married couple, but Rutherford's salary demands were too high, and the character was written out.[8][9] Andy's wife in the film, Jane (played by Patricia Breslin), had no prior connection to the town of Carvel.

Curious why you mention Bass Lake. E.g. was that lake featured in Out of the Past? The only lake I recall was Lake Tahoe where Douglas lived.

I'm planning on going to Bridgeport CA, the very small town in the Eastern Sierras that was featured in Out of the Past (where Jeff (Mitchum), had his gas station). Typically go there every year to camp and fish (at Twin Lakes), and in the Walker river which was also featured in Out of the Past (river where Stephanos was hooked by the kid).

You guys that are letting this thread veer off in an odd, non-noir direction are: