ElCid

I enjoyed Muller's commentaries and as usual found them informative. One thing that has always stuck with me is every time I see Clifton Young as Baker, I immediately think of all the Joe McDoakes shorts he made. The scene with the Owl Drug Store reminds me that years ago they had a model railroad department and advertised in model railroading magazines. Evidently continued it long after most other businesses had phased out model railroad departments.

Ironically the Dodge Charger was the better car in the movie. Especially in endurance during the filming. Never cared for Tab Hunter or Frankie Avalon or the Beach Party movies.

Could be wrong, but I think that in 1942's The Man Who Came to Dinner Ann Sheridan is not wearing a bra in scene where she is on phone with her secretary. Fairly obvious even on my 25 year old CRTV. How obvious would it have been on the BIG screen at a movie theater?

Frequently I will ask my wife what she wants to watch and suggest some movies and her response is often too long. We often pick a 90 minute or so movie. That is one of the benefits of having recorded a lot of 40's and 50's movies from TCM or purchased DVD's of that period. My comment is in reference to too much to read, not in how it is read. I never read a book in one sitting, but after several nights and still being only half-way through I begin to wonder why the author could not have made it shorter. After several nights I may also forget who this character is since not mentioned since first chapter. The authors also tend to crowd in more extraneous people, more locations, more plot devices, etc. if they have 400-500 pages to work with.

That I know about. However, these are artificial "chapters" created when the DVD is manufactured. They may or may not correspond to what the producer, director and/or screenwriter intended.

See highlighted above.

Not really relevant but I remember back in the early 60's I visited the DJ's "booth" in a radio station. They had some old records that actually played from the center out. They were red if I recall correctly. I don't think they actually used them anymore.

You are probably correct. I just always thought Dark Passage was the last one.

Dark Passage is on Saturday and Sunday. The last Bogie and Bacall movie.

Some of us will post the same comment on two different threads as they pertain to both. Also, we assume some may not read it on one thread, but will on another. For instance, I seldom read the "I Just Watched Thread" so I missed your post there.

Now I know why I never watch that movie and found it boring the first time I did. 2 hours and 52 minutes.

Absolutely. And you can add in Exodus, The Ten Commandments, Patton and others. I have these and other long movies on DVD and don't watch them because they are too long. Fast Forward and stopping and returning later don't help. Just the thought of how long the movie is turns me off. Maybe you can endure it for the first time ever seen, but after that you begin to see long sections of verbosity, filler, overly long visual inputs, etc. As the educational dictum says, the mind cannot absorb what the butt cannot endure. It is a question of the producer, director and screen writers being too enamored with their "product" to see how much better it would be if reduced to about two hours. Incidentally, this also applies to many books. Much over 300 pages and it becomes all about the author's ability to sling words rather than tell a story.

My least favorite TCM event. One "star" all day long.

Don't we all, but those days are gone forever. Unless you want to start paying an additional monthly fee to receive TCM. Or TCM could go the way of American Movie Classics (AMC). However, I do not believe Brrrcold was addressing the commercials, but the number of Noir movies presented and the manner in which presented, such as Noir Alley.

Did you mean Farewell My Lovely? Beware is a Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino movie. Personally I have never cared for Beware My Lovely even though I like Ida Lupino. As for Farewell, one of my favorites.

As best I can remember Noir has been a significant component of TCM presentations since its inception. As for quality, they are some of my favorite movies. There have been many, many DVD's and DVD sets made specifically of Noir movies - and still being made. So somebody must think they are a "quality" product. What do you mean by odd or shocking? Incidentally, please continue to comment, but don't be surprised with some disagree with you. I watched it Monday on TCM On Demand at tcm.com. However it is not available on TCM On Demand on my Spectrum cable system. The programmers do devote a lot of effort to pre-code, screwball comedies, musicals, westerns and most other genres. Never have really been sure of what grindhouse is, but seems to me it is very cheaply made, poorly produced, poorly written and primarily features (or promises to) scantily clad women, sexual situation, extreme violence or mutilation. I think the difference is that they have not had the format of Noir Alley for those in the past. However, there have been times when they had blocks of pre-code, gangster, westerns, musicals, foreign, screwball comedies, etc. Go to this site (or tcm.com) and sign up for Now Playing Guide. It may help you to find the genres you are seeking and the blocks of featured genres. It is emailed once per month and this email needs to be in your contacts list. https://us-mg205.mail.yahoo.com/app/minty/compose?to-field=nowplaying@siteservices.tcm.com

OK, a lot of pictures of women who Hughes may have dated. To me harem means women with whom he had sex on a regular basis. From what I have read, Jane Greer (included above) rebuffed Hughes and her career suffered for it.

I watch Noir Alley specifically for Eddie Muller's commentaries, even movies I have on DVD. I believe I saw Decoy once and found it weird, not my kind of Noir. Have seen Kiss Me Deadly, but just never really got into it. Same with Nightmare Alley. While Mitchum is one of my favorite actors, Night of the Hunter is not my kind of movie and definitely not Noir.

Forgot to record it both times, so ended up signing up for TCM On Demand (which I assume is free). As for the movie, had seen it before but forgot it. The scene at the airport reminded me. I think Joan Dixon did well in her role. She played it the way it was written and directed. I don't think every mystery or noir movie was supposed to have a femme fatale in the Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity) style. Just as many did not have a totally evil primary male character. This movie was of that type. Overall I think it was a pretty good little mystery/noir movie. Kept my attention even though I had seen it before and had to watch on my PC's monitor sitting it a not so comfortable chair. As for Where Danger Lives, I actually recorded that one many years ago and have not watched it since. Faith Domergue just does not impress me. Definitely a femme fatale role, but seems stiff. Maybe I need to watch it again. Eddie mentioned Howard Hughes' Harem again. I did some surfing and came with a few old articles, but does anybody have more details on who was a part of it? Eddie seems to imply that a lot of brunette actresses were part of it. Not a great movie, but worth watching.

Now, let's see those giant ants get out. Of a crook get away from Adam 12.

Always find it interesting when movies have scenes from the LA River. I assume that at some times, there is actually more than a trickle of water in it? Does it ever get fairly full? Asking about the concrete portions used in movies.

Yep, knew that.

It's not always about cars.

Finally got around to watching Party Girl. BORING! Thank goodness I could fast forward through it. Course never have found Robert Taylor or Cyd Charise interesting anyway. My wife said that Taylor played his role the same as he did in Quo Vadis. He plays everything the same - wooden. Agreed with her. As for it being Noir, I just can't see it. If this is Noir, every crime movie and every movie with bad people is Noir. As for next week's Roadblock, I read the wikipedia description and it sounds familiar. Will watch it.

NONE! I hate Star of the Month.