JarrodMcDonald
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Posts posted by JarrodMcDonald
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Orion, the studio that made LAMBS, was in a lot of financial trouble, so that is probably what contributed to its weird release date. THELMA AND LOUISE was also delayed because Orion needed help, and it went on to become a classic when it finally did hit theatres. BLUE SKY was another one that waited a long time before its eventual release (three years), but Jessica Lange earned an Oscar for it.
As for STAR TREK, pushing it off till summer is not like dumping it in February. They probably figured that more kids (the target audience...you know, the youth demographic) would see it in the summer. And maybe it gave them a chance to fine-tune some of the special effects.
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This is a great thread. It really makes a person think.
You have to define the 'violence,' however. The slapstick gags in the THREE STOOGES films do seem violent, but we know it's pretend/fake. Yet, while reading up on Moe Howard, apparently the guys did sustain many injuries because they really were hurting each other during some of those takes.
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June Allyson gets involved with the married Humphrey Bogart in BATTLE CIRCUS. That is definitely against type for her to be the 'other woman.'
Good observation about the casting of JEKYLL & HYDE with Turner and Bergman. Actually, I read that the roles had been reversed, but Bergman wanted to stretch herself as an actress and asked that their assignments be switched.
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SILENCE OF THE LAMBS had a February release in 1991. And it played for a long time. In fact, it's one of the rare instances of a film that did not have an end-of-the-year release that went on to win the Oscar for best picture. People still remembered it a year later when they were doing their Oscar voting.
But traditionally, the rule is that if a production is in trouble, they dump it on consumers in the off-season (January and February).
I have heard that critics are sharply divided over SHUTTER ISLAND. Even if it dies a quick death in theatres, it will be on DVD shortly and make most of its money there.
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Yes. I agree.
I was reading up on SHUTTER ISLAND. Apparently, it had been slated for an October 09 release, but the studio waited till February of this year because of the economy. I guess they didn't feel it would make much money, so they waited till now when the competition is less fierce. Sometimes when an A-budget film like that is pulled/delayed, it gives the impression that it did not do well with preview audiences and they need more time to reshoot, edit and fix it.
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The film you are referring to with Bonita Granville is HITLER'S CHILDREN. I liked her in those cute ANDY HARDY films she made, too.
Her husband was Jack Wrather, an oil millionaire. After Bonita's film career wanted, he helped her become a television producer and they did the LONE RANGER series and LASSIE. According to wikipedia, Wrather "later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties."
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What about when producers are forced to re-cast in the middle of a picture? Like when Natalie Wood died and they had to get a double to finish BRAINSTORM.
And when Heath Ledger died, he had only completed a third of his portrayal in THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS. The role was recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying transformations of Ledger's character.
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Your mention of SHUTTER ISLAND takes us into a new realm with this thread. It has just been released into theatres. I wonder how many people see a film more than once BEFORE it is out on DVD or Blu-Ray. With the economy and the price of movie tickets, I don't think we have as many repeat customers going to see films in theatres.
A recent exception may've been THE DARK KNIGHT, because everyone wanted to see Heath Ledger on screen and they kept going back to watch it again.
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Hmmm, I dunno. They did loan Marjorie Main out to Universal. I read that Main did not get an increase in her MGM salary when the Kettle films took off. Both studios cashed in at her expense. They really used her and took advantage of her. MGM did throw a bone her way and cast her in THE LAW AND THE LADY, with Greer Garson and Fernando Lamas. That was a rare opportunity for her to play against type as a society matron (and she's very good in that role!).
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I like the pairings you have suggested. The women in war theme is one I have looked at in the past...you could build a whole series of films around that.
I sometimes will watch THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES with TILL THE END OF TIME, released the same year (starring Dorothy McGuire and Bob Mitchum)...it covers lot of the same territory.
GYPSY and MAME definitely go together. And I would sandwich AUNTIE MAME in between, to draw a comparison between Roz Russell and Lucille Ball.
Bette D gives a bi polar performance in the John Huston film IN THIS OUR LIFE. She is tempered by a very subdued Olivia D.
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Thanks guys, I am really impressed. Speculation is not as good as actual factual data.
Even if you looked back to 1994, you could just spot-check the ones we've been speculating about.
I think it's safe to say that no film will have been aired more than 12 times a year (once a month). But I bet there are some like A PLACE IN THE SUN and SOME LIKE IT HOT that have hit the 9 or 10 mark.
There was one night at the end of January 2010 when they did the Jennifer Jones tribute...I kid you not...they aired INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WOMAN t-w-i-c-e in the same evening. I don't know why they did that. They showed it at the beginning of her tribute, then again at the end of the tribute. And they show it frequently from month to month because of its short length and its stars.
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I have a feeling some of those films were already in development when Marie Dressler was still alive. Or they had purchased those properties with her in mind. In the case of the second Tugboat Annie film, supposedly the script for that one was finished and ready to be filmed, but she was too ill. It sat on a shelf for five or six years and was finally made in 1940 with Marjorie Rambeau.
When I see the films with Beery and Main, I can't help but think of Dressler and how they would've been with her. Or what about Ma Kettle played by Marie Dressler! But Marjorie was a great actress, too.
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I enjoy Powell & Keeler in FLIRTATION WALK. Fun film!
I like Arbuckle and Chaplin together in THE ROUNDERS.
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You're welcome. If Dressler had not died of cancer (at the height of her career), I think it's safe to say she and Beery would've reteamed for the sequels MGM did for 'Tugboat.'
Later, he was frequently paired with Marjorie Main, who sort of became MGM's next lead-character actress, filling the spot vacated by Marie Dressler.
Wallace Beery & Marjorie Main made six films together:
JACKASS MAIL
BIG JACK
THE BUGLE SOUNDS
BARNACLE BAD
RATIONING
BAD BASCOMB
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I think Beery and Dressler made three: MIN & BILL (a true classic) and TUGBOAT ANNIE (also very entertaining)...plus DINNER AT EIGHT (but they didn't have as much screen time together in this film since he was paired with Harlow).
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It's been awhile since I've seen PETRIFIED FOREST, and Robert Sherwood is definitely a great playwright. I will have to watch this film again.
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I agree...the supporting players in NOW VOYAGER are all top-notch...from Paul Henried to Claude Rains, to Gladys Cooper and Mary Wickes as the nurse.
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Yes, BENJI opened up a lot of musical doors for people. LOL
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Yeah, Loy & Powell probably are the champs. They were immensely popular. Immensely.
Marie Dressler and Polly Moran appeared in many films for MGM from 1927-33. They were a very popular comedy team...sort of the Lucy & Ethel or Laverne & Shirley of their time.
- THE CALLAHANS AND THE MURPHYS
- THE HOLLYWOOD REVUE OF 1929
- CHASING RAINBOWS
- THE GIRL SAID NO
- POLITICS
- REDUCING
- PROSPIERTY
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Of the ones you mentioned, probably Hepburn & Tracy costarred most often. Or perhaps Loy & Powell, since they made other features together besides the Thin Man movies.
I think Joan Crawford and Clark Gable also made about six or seven films together.
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Thanks Jonny.
As for checking the database: if you read some of the previously written reviews you can see the dates when those were posted. Most of the time people are writing reviews when it has aired again. So chances are, if there are several pages of reviews with different dates (not all written on the same day), then that should give an idea of when and how often it has aired. That's just for a basic estimate.
Obviously some films "cycle through" then they go out of rotation for awhile, before they cycle through again.
I think both versions of 'LITTLE WOMEN' (the '33 & '49 versions) probably receive high yearly totals every year. It's a classic story, and it seems perfect for heavy rotation in December around the holidays.
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It sounds like you have really thought it out. You are looking at the evolution of film and cultural movements during the same time. I like how you think.
Some of the patriotic fare of the mid-40s could be juxtaposed with films made during the Vietnam era, and then Oliver Stone's films of the 80s about Nam.
And somehow I can't stop thinking about 'Wall Street,' a quintessential 80s film about corporate greed. I am sure it could be contrasted with a film much more spiritual and less materialistic in nature (though I can't think of one right now).
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True. I don't think it's a lost film. But there is probably limited commercial interest in it, so it does not get restored and released to modern consumers. I'm curious to see a print of it. I also want to see a print of WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER, which starred Marion Davies and was based on material by the same author.
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Wow...those are great. Thanks for sharing those suggestions!
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Yes, Dressler was only in her early 60s when she passed away. I am sure she would've gone on another ten years as a big movie star. The public loved her and so did MGM because she was a big money-maker for them.
My favorite Marie Dressler picture is POLITICS. I just love her and Polly Moran together in that movie. And then, I think MIN & BILL is my second favorite...followed by EMMA. The way Marie can swing from humor to pathos, sometimes while uttering the same line, is unparalleled.
Wouldn't it have been a hoot if she had done another film with Charlie Chaplin? I could see her playing one of the wives in MONSIEUR VERDOUX...like the role that Martha Raye does. That would've been phenomenal!