JarrodMcDonald

I forgot to add SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON to this thread when I originally posted it. It airs today, March 21, on TCM.

I like Lancaster...I don't blame him for ELMER GANTRY. I blame the writing. The fact that he could win an Oscar with a role that lacked dimension proves how great an actor he is.

Yes, ITA. I mentioned the length of those films, because I find it curious that Hollywood would cut so much from Kurosawa's original SAMURAI. And how they find an extra nine minutes to tack on to RASHOMON. Maybe Newman and EGR deliver their lines more slowly. LOL

Can I admit this? Should I admit this? Dare I admit this? I have likely watched about 10,000 films in my lifetime (possibly more). But I have never watched CASABLANCA. I own a copy of it and it remains wrapped in plastic. I think my expectations for it will be so great that it won't live up to all the hype. Maybe I will finally watch it on my 100th birthday. Who knows....

This thread seems kinda vague to me. It almost has to be broken down by genre. And I find that some of my favorites change with time and perspective. Also, what I would select as the All Time BEST Film would be different than my All Time FAVORITE. Does that make sense?

I could easily see him in the Claude Akins role as the fire-and-brimstone preacher.

Well, I hope someone plays it for you on your deathbed!

I agree. He is nearly typecast as a man of the cloth in films like WATERFRONT and POLLYANNA that you almost expect him to show up in INHERIT THE WIND. LOL My favorite film of his: BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ. I think he and Burt really nail the hot-and-cold relationship of the warden and prisoner. It's fascinating to watch.

I think it's interesting that Buddy DeSylva put Ann Sothern in APRIL SHOWERS, and not his favorite Betty Hutton. Maybe there were scheduling conflicts...or maybe Ann was better at this sort of material.

That's a great photo! I'm stealing it for my desktop!

These are some great titles...one thing you have to say about a film with Karl Malden in it...there is always something to chew over...he picked interesting projects...or rather, interesting directors picked him to play key roles in their films.

I tend to look at the running times. LOL SEVEN SAMURAI is 207 minutes...and MAGNIFICENT SEVEN is 128 minutes. RASHOMAN is 88 minutes...and THE OUTRAGE is 97 minutes.

I think Burt is (more than) a little too hammy in ELMER GANTRY. The better performances in that film come from the ladies, Jean Simmons and Shirley Jones. I think Simmons has the most difficult job, because her character could be legit or she could be a big-time manipulator. Burt's role is much more one-dimensional.

Tonight, TCM is broadcasting 1960's THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. John Sturges' western is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's earlier effort, SEVEN SAMURAI. In the story, a small Mexican village is raided by a bandit (played by Eli Wallach) who promises to return. Desperate village leaders go to a border town and buy new guns to defend themselves. Along the way, they meet a veteran gunslinger (Yul Brynner) who offers to protect their village for a price. He recruits other mercenaries to help with the job-- men that include Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Charles Bronson. The film was a huge hit for United Artists. It spawned three sequels: RETURN OF THE SEVEN, GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN; and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE. There was a television series in the late 1990s. And the franchise was even adapted as a 1980 sci-fi film where one of the seven mercenaries was hired to save a farming planet from alien marauders.

Filed Under: *THE SPRING SEASON* Today's Picks: *ANDY HARDY GETS SPRING FEVER (1939)* & *APRIL SHOWERS (1948)* Most of the plots in the Andy Hardy series revolve around the teenager's romantic misadventures. The seventh installment is no exception. This time Andy develops a case of spring fever when he writes a play in which he and Polly have the lead parts. But complications occur when he falls in love with Carvel's drama teacher. Jack Carson and Ann Sothern are paired in the classic treat April Showers. The film is about a turn-of-the-century San Francisco family known as the Tymes. Joe and June are vaudeville performers known as 'The Two Tymes.' They are joined on stage by their son, 'Small Tyme.' However, the act is torn apart by the father''s drinking problem. Robert Alda and character actor S.Z. Sakall are also on hand.

I'll expect you to post again at midnight to tell me how it was.

I think Lancaster gives a more stirring portrayal in BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ. Newman gives many high-caliber performances. I am partial to his work in HUD, because I think he takes a lot of risks playing a demon. He is not allowed to take risks in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF because of the production code.

Conservatives are the only bigots in a liberal Hollywood film. If John Wayne had remade this story, it would've been 11 not guilty and 1 guilty. And Wayne would be saying 'guilty' and the rest of the movie would've been about him getting the others to change their mind and vote guilty with him. The dialogue would have him praising the police officers and detectives who assembled the evidence. And about the infallibility of the witnesses' statements. There would have been no question, no doubt. They would've convicted him beyond a reasonable doubt. And Wayne would give a speech at the end saying that the conviction was right and just.

There were some misleading statements in that article. Gene Kelly is definitely known for some of his routines with females...there's some very romantic dancing with him and Debbie Reynolds in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. I do not think Astaire radiated much sex appeal from BLUE SKIES on. In that film, the love story is given to Bing Crosby and Joan Caulfield...Astaire gets none of the romantic action. He is definitely not hunk material by the time EASTER PARADE comes around...the audience wants Judy Garland with Peter Lawford, not Astaire, who's too old for her and not as handsome. In the 50s, Astaire's looks have diminished even more. It is more believable when his female costar is a sister instead of a love interest (as with Jane Powell in ROYAL WEDDING).

Oh, I think it most definitely was about the death penalty...that was purpose of the story. It was very anti-capital punishment. And I do think the story insults its audience. They are trying to reach people who think like Lee Cobb's character, by showing that conservatives are bigots and need to change their point of view. I think it would've been more realistic if Cobb's character did not give in and they did end up with a hung jury. To make the conservative suddenly a bleeding heart by getting him caught up in reasonable doubt, when he had no reason to doubt, is as subversive (and unrealistic) as it gets.

Yeah...I think there's a lot of Ruby in BALL OF FIRE. Especially since she used to work in nightclubs like that when she was starting out in the late 20s.

The problem I have with the story is that the jurors are cross-examining the 'evidence.' They're all acting like lawyers. I just don't find it realistic. Also, what's the point? Is it to convince American audiences of the 1950s that they have a major responsibility on their hands when they go off to deliberate? It seems like it insults the intelligence of viewers . It's a very soft look at justice and it automatically assumes that those who advocate for the death penalty are ignorant murderers.

Yes, I think DOUBLE INDEMINITY is a great film. But I don't think it is Stanwyck's best. I judge her work the way I think she would want it judged...by looking at what's real in it and being aware of what's been concocted for the audience. For example, I think she displays wide range in REMEMBER THE NIGHT. Preston Sturges' script gives her the opportunity to play equal comedy and equal tragedy. She is not only accessing her real self but the made-up part. I think there's a lot of Ruby Stevens in REMEMBER THE NIGHT. I think there's a lot of Ruby Stevens in CRIME OF PASSION. And I think MY REPUTATION, Stanwyck's personal favorite, has a lot of the manufactured ex-Ruby Stevens in it.

Yes, the film's story is more relevant than ever. One thing about Lean is that when you worked your butt off for a year or longer for him, it paid handsome dividends. Meanwhile, those that found themselves on board some of Stanley Kubrick's runaway trains (like EYES WIDE SHUT) for long periods of time, probably wished they hadn't taken the trip and that they could shut their eyes while viewing the results.