ElCid

Your opinion. Considering 17-18 MILLION (highest number ever) people in US purchase new cars each year, manufacturers must be doing something right. Manufacturers build cars based on what people purchase and/or ask for. Maybe instead of looking at what is on your street, go down to several new car lots from different corporations and look at the variety of automobile styles available. You will be surprised. While SUV's, CUV's and pick-ups are the major body styles, there are also lots of other types out there.

The Ford Probe has been gone a long time and it was the Plymouth Voyager (also long gone). Both were extremely popular cars, sold in the millions and made a lot of money for their companies.

Thanks. Agree with this message. Ironically, I purchased the Route 66 DVD set several years ago and there was an episode that was not broadcast. It did get broadcast once the series went into syndication though. Episode was "I'm Here to Kill a King," scheduled for broadcast on Nov. 29, 1963 . Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963. The episode has a Tod Stiles look-a-like who plans to assassinate a foreign king visiting the US.

Since identified as an Aston Martin. Regardless, I don't particularly care for it. To me looks too cobbled together from other makes' designs. Too many square corners. There are a lot of very nice looking cars being made today - lots and lots and lots. And they are much better than anything made in the 70's by anybody.

Back in the early 60's we had a slot car raceway in town. I took the body of my actual slot car and mounted a model of the above car on it. Got attention but was really slow.

Follow Me Quietly is not a bad movie, but I too question if it really Noir. Spoilers. Incidentally, the title comes from close to the end where Lundigan handcuffs The Judge on top of the refinery and then tells him, "Follow me quietly." Doesn't really make sense to me. How else would he want him to follow him? The fight scene there is not really very plausible. Lundigan is hanging on by a thread so to speak while The Judge is firmly on the catwalk. Yet it is The Judge's handcuff that comes off and he flips over the catwalk. And why didn't Lundigan fasten The Judge's handcuffs tighter than his own? As Muller noted, Lundigan is not a Noir actor and certainly wasn't in this one. Neither was Dorothy Patrick. Sort of reminded me of a "more mature" Nancy Drew movie. Jeff Corey was good in his limited role. He should have been the lead. Lundigan's taking off his shirt and changing into pajamas and getting into bed were obviously to encourage Nancy Drew to get out. And why would she dress somewhat sexily and then not really do anything to encourage Lundigan to help her? Definitely not Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Greer or a multitude of others. I didn't buy Edwin Max as The Judge. He just did not appear to be the type that could have planned out everything so well and eluded the police for months(?) and gotten away with seven murders. Also found it a stretch that Nancy Drew, err, Ann Gorman came up the ultimate solution to the crime. Someone noted the dinky apartment and the bed in the closet. This is the second feature recently where a police lieutenant is living in a very cheap apartment. The regular patrol officers with families must live in cardboard boxes. The ending was even more "cute" than the one in the movie a week or so ago - and less plausible. Overall, it seemed to be a light, mystery movie. Entertaining, but not a Noir. No more than a Saint or a Falcon would be considered a Noir. Oh, did think the dummy was an interesting touch. I had seen the movie before, but watched it again.

OK. Spoiler (why I didn't mention it) If memory serves, it was the use of the dummy to try and determine what the culprit looked like.

Technically it was illegal, but not to say it was not done. You also had a grace period when you got home where you could order stuff from the PACEX (Pacific Exchange) catalog. A Christmas Wish Book for grown-ups with electronics, cameras, furniture, clothing, jewelry and lots of good stuff. I also believe part of the Pentagon's theory was that if you used your money (no credit permitted) on expensive toys, you wouldn't spend it on drugs. So let's make it super cheap good deals. Not sure how that worked out. Alcohol was extremely cheap in Vietnam and I'm talking the really good American stuff.

Spoiler. If you watch the movie, watch for the armadillos playing roles as giant rats.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoy this movie and watch it often. Very well written, directed and acted. As for the ending, you never see it coming if you have not seen the movie before.

When I was getting ready to depart Vietnam in 1971 I came very close to ordering an XKE, but rationality settled in. It would be a four hour round-trip every time it needed servicing. The military often has programs where you can order cars from overseas at reduced prices.

The E Type Jag is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. If you don't want to drive it. Horrible reliability and expensive to fix if you can find someone to do it. I knew a guy who had a '68 in 1975. He had to wait three months for a brake part to come in from England. Fortunately his daily driver was a '70 Mustang.

The Shelby Cobra (AKA AC Cobra) had a Ford V8. Shelby later converted Ford Mustang's into "Cobras." He did eventually migrate to Chrysler where he revived the Cobra nameplate for some Dodge cars.

May have mentioned this before, but FX Movie channel is pretty good, but very repetitious. Biggest advantage is that they show "classic" movies from 3:00 AM till 3:00 PM commercial free. Some of the over the air broadcast channels also show old movies, but beat them to death with commercials and promos.

TCM used to have a paper guide that was mailed to subscribers about three weeks before the relevant month. It listed all the movies, shorts, etc. to be shown with brief descriptions, lists of major cast and crew, etc. There were also articles about movies and so forth. For only $12 per year. Then they quit and let people sign up for the emailed version, which as noted above is not nearly as user friendly. It really helped to make sure you did not miss a movie or to learn that there were movies coming up that you had never seen, but sounded interesting. I also used mine to make notes about other TV offerings from other networks that I wanted to see. With Spectrum, I can access their guide to see a listing of upcoming program on each channel with brief descriptions. So I use that and occasionally the Schedule feature on this site for TCM.

Welcome to an addiction. My wife and I watch an episode at least once per week. We received Seas. 1, Vol 1 as a gift and then purchased each set as it came out. While there are many really good shows, there are no bad ones. Right now we are also in Seas. 1, Vol 2 as we re-watch the series from begging to end. Don't be surprised, but there was one color episode later on as an "experiemnt." Nobody liked the result, so they went back to B&W. It is amazing to watch Burr in PM and then watch him as really bad guys in so many movies. And he is believable in both! Supposedly Earle Stanley Gardner set in on the tryouts and Burr was going for some other role. Gardner looked at him and said that's Perry Mason. I recall reading that for many of his court appearances he was actually reading what he was saying rather than looking at the person on the stand. The supporting actors are all very good in their roles. My favorite is William Hopper, who retired to Palm Springs after the series ended. He was a blonde when he joined the WW II Navy underwater demolition group (precursor to SEALS), but finished the war with gray hair. But as you watch the episodes, take note of the guest actors. Entertaining to look some of them up on Wikipedia. The Gardner books have been re-released, but they are very different from the old movies or the TV series. Perry and Paul were pretty unscrupulous and close to mean at times. Read one and decided the TV series is much better. Anyway, enjoy the series.

Looked up Follow Me Quietly on Wikipedia and remembered I had seen it a while back. There is one element described on Wiki which sets it apart from other Noir movies. May watch it again primarily to listen to Eddie Muller, but do not recall it as being that good. Probably a two star, but as I recall not really any better than The Hunted. However, it was more Noirish as I recall. Lots of dark scenes, mostly in a city and so forth.

Assume you guys are talking about Follow Me Quietly, Noir Alley for 10/27/10/28?

I saw the ending coming as well, especially since she had broken in to his apartment once already. I too wondered why a police lieutenant was living in a no bedroom "apartment." What is the Cherry Orchard? Must have missed that.

Good comments Miss Wonderly on The Hunted, which I enjoyed - far more than The Gangster. There were times when they took too long to get through a scene. Perhaps we are too used to fast paced Noirs or ones with lots of activity? I think Belita was fairly good in this and right up until the end I could have accepted her innocence or guilt. My wife asked what skating had to do with the movie and my response was that it took the place of the obligatory song in many other movies of the period. Also that Belita was an Olympic skater. Belita seemed to have more vitality than Preston Foster, but then he never does have much. Of course the role didn't call for much vitality. Appreciated the brief scenes near the end with Charles McGraw. As for the happy ending, is there a rule that Noirs have to have depressing endings? After all, Ann Miller goes off with Jim at the end of Out of the Past, which would lead to a much happier life than going off with Jeff Bailey. Yes, I know the "stars" died in the end, but still.... I think Eddie's intros and outros are well done in this series. While the movies are entertaining, his comments make them much more meaningful.

Thank You! I have often wondered the same thing. Maybe because we are a more "select" group than Twitter or Facebook?

I read somewhere that Gloria Graham really disliked her lips and underwent several surgeries which made it even worse.

Pulled her up on Wikipedia. Had quite an extensive filmography. She was in a 1960 Perry Mason TV show and since I have the set, I'll have to watch it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Drew#Partial_filmography

What's the "profound message?"

Yeah, I noticed when I looked at the DVD box it was 78 and not 73. But too lazy to come change post.