MyFavoriteFilms
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It works both ways...an actor with top billing when clearly they have a more supporting role. Or an actor with lower billng who has just as much screen time (if not more) than the top-billed star.
Chalk it up to studio politics.
*Category 1 (top billing but supporting part)*
Example A) Jean Harlow in LIBELED LADY
She has much less screen time than Myrna Loy, yet she has lead billing. Jean's role is a supporting one, it's the way the script is written. When MGM remade LIBELED LADY as EASY TO WED, they recognized this and gave Esther Williams (in the Loy role) top billing and Lucille Ball (inheritor of Harlow's role) second-tier billing.
Example
Gary Cooper in THE WESTERNEREven Coop himself complained about this role to Sam Goldwyn. He did not like playing a supporting character, when Walter Brennan had the main story as Judge Roy Bean. Yet, because Coop was the established Hollywood heavyweight, he gets lead billing.
Example C) Fabian in TEN LITTLE INDIANS
Fabian is third-billed, along with Hugh O'Brien and Shirley Eaton in this Agatha Christie adaptation. But his is the first character to be killed off, 27 minutes into the 90 minute film. There is an extended opening credit sequence, and when the characters all arrive at the mansion, they are all speaking at the dinner table. So the focus is not really on Fabian much at all in the scenes where he is present. He has a memorable bit playing the title song at the piano, then his death scene occurs a few moments later. He should've been tenth-billed, not third-billed. He probably completed his participation in this film in two or three days, then was on to the next project.
Example D) Janet Leigh in PSYCHO
As most people know, Leigh's character, like Fabian's in the preceding example, is killed off a third of the way into her film. Vera Miles, who plays the sister, has more screen time. At least Hitchcock tried to bill it correctly: he gives Leigh a special 'and starring' credit at the end of the cast in the opening shots. Still, if it had been a lesser known actress, there would've been no special billing and she would've probably been listed fourth or fifth, after Martin Balsam who plays the detective.
Example E) Edward G. Robinson in CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY
EGR does not appear until 45 minutes into this film, and it's a 104 minute film. I don't think I've seen another film where the top-billed actor missed the entire first half of the picture. Of course, he was a big name star at the time of the film's production and having him on board probably helped the studio finance and market it.
*Category 2 (lower billing but clearly a lead role)*
Example A) Shirley Jones in OKLAHOMA
Can you believe that she is fifth-billed?! Unbelievable. She should be second-billed, right after Gordon MacRae. But Hollywood vets Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson and Charlotte Greenwood get billed above her. I understand it was her first motion picture and in the opening credits, she receives a special 'introducing' qualifier. But when the end credits roll, she's listed as a second-tier star. Even Greg Peck realized that Audrey Hepburn (in her debut in ROMAN HOLIDAY) deserved above the title status. I think Shirley should've gotten it, too.
Example
S.Z. Sakall in OH YOU BEAUTIFUL DOLLS.Z. is billed after the title, almost like a supporting player (which is what he was in most of his pictures). But in this film, he plays the lead character, a tin pan alley musician who wrote many successful tunes including the title song. Fox gives Mark Stevens and June Haver above-the-title status, since they are the young romantic leads of the picture. But I think all three should've been above the title. Sakall was cheated.
Example C) John Carradine in HITLER'S MADMAN
Carradine plays the title character in this film, and most of the action centers on him. He dies fifteen minutes before the end of the film, but still the top-billed actor (a young romantic lead) has less to do in this picture than he does. Carradine should've been billed first. This is a case of the studio (MGM) being afraid to let a character actor carry the picture, although the script clearly puts him in the lead.
Example D) Doris Day in ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS
It seems unfathomable, but Doris is fourth-billed in this musical comedy. It was her first major screen role, and like Shirley Jones, she has the lead female character. She should be billed second, after Jack Carson. As it is, she's listed after Carson, Janis Paige (second-billed) and Don DeFore (third-billed). DeFore has less than half Doris' screen time. Warners would not give Doris top billing until her fifth film, TEA FOR TWO. She clearly paid her dues.
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Yes, definitely: Julie in SOUND OF MUSIC. She won the Oscar for Miss Poppins, but her governess Maria is the defining role of her career.
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One thing you did not account for in your post is docudrama. Sometimes scenes are not invented out of thin air but based on a true real-life event. Then there are times when fictional scenes are blended with reality, and it's hard to tell where the line is. I think we can suspend disbelief if we think it to be a truth or based on something that might occur in our own lives. That is where it's easiest to forge the 'pact.'
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Watch all three of Jimmy Stewart's movies with June Allyson.
THE STRATTON STORY
THE GLENN MILLER STORY
STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND
They have such a great chemistry together...and all three films were huge hits with movie-going audiences upon release.
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> What I was curious about when posting this thread was, are there ever times when your "visit to this other world" doesn't work, your putting aside expectations of credulity for the film is broken, and if so, why? Broken by what? I feel that if it is a good film, your suspension of disbelief which, yes, should normally be quite basic, will carry you through the entire film. But sometimes the viewer's "pact", so to speak, with the filmmaker ( or actors on stage ) is disrupted. The reasons for this are probably as numourous as the reasons people watch movies.
Rationalism drives most of our entertainment. In the case of screwball comedy and the supernatural, a lot of what happens cannot be explained. That may be frustrating for a more rationally-minded viewer. If the meaning is constantly in a state of flux, then the rational-minded viewer may give up if they are unable to keep pace. Screwball comedies tend to be about transient pleasures, while the horror genre may be dealing with labyrinthine phenomena.
Sometimes you just have to accept what the storyteller gives you and suspend disbelief in order to get the message (if there is one, and there usually is one).
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That's wonderful, Mark. Glad you got the chance to see it. Some of the Thelma shorts to be aired in January are repeats from August, but there are a few different ones. The one I missed today would've been a new one for me.
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I am probably going to wind up buying Outer Limits. All 49 episodes have been put on DVD by MGM. The writing and performances are so great. And the cinematography is heavily influenced by German expressionism and film noir.
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I'm sorry I forgot to set the DVR for it. I noticed there are some more scheduled in January...can't wait! Thelma's tribute was probably one of my favorite days back in August for SUTS...
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Yes, TVLand seems mismanaged to me. They're taken a good idea and thrown it away.
Fortunately, there will always be new start-up channels like THIS TV that will come along and fill the void. I recorded an episode of Outer Limits this morning from THIS. MacDonald Carey played the lead, and his wife was played by Marion Ross of Happy Days fame. This is classic television. The story, about a boy who is tutored by an alien, was just so great! This is the kind of stuff that delights viewers. Kids today would get a kick out of these sci-fi anthology shows.
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Yes, Hayworth was a last-minute substitute when Viv backed out. Hayworth was married to Lancaster's producing partner at the time, so she basically saved the production.
The Hayworth and Lancaster roles were designed for Viv and Larry. And the stage version was actually two separate one-act plays. The lead actor and lead actress played different guests after the intermission. But the setting and the supporting characters were the same in both 'episodes' of life at the inn.
For the film, the two stories are woven together and four actors are needed for the leads (Lancaster, Hayworth, Kerr and Niven). Wendy Hiller rounds out the cast in a superb performance as the innkeeper.
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I think it was inevitable there was a backlash and that the code had to come into being. The length of the code is what's interesting and the post-code era.
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Well, I will be writing quite a bit about diegesis in the future...so let your uncle know.
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We have Aryan Nations groups in the United States, particularly in the northwest. We also have descendants of slaves in the United States. How can you say this film does not have an effect on viewers 90-some years later? It could've been made in the 1800s and have relevance now.
It is interesting how people overestimate AND underestimate this film for their own purposes.
I am concerned about impact. Positive and negative impact. I see a lot of sustained negativity resulting from this film.
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I don't think it was technically brilliant...that seems to be overstating it considerably.
The 'success' of BIRTH OF A NATION seems to substantiate continued racism.
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- HITLER'S MADMAN (Who could've been more deranged than the Fuhrer?)
- JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
- HANGMEN ALSO DIE! (I was beginning to think the Grim Reaper didn't come for them.)
- THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
- SINCE YOU WENT AWAY
- THIRD FINGER LEFT HAND (I like to think the word left can be past tense of 'leave'...)
- OH DAD, POOR DAD, MAMA'S HUNG YOU IN THE CLOSET AND I'M FEELIN' SO SAD
- THE GORGEOUS HUSSY (We must be talking about Joan Crawford...)
- HE STAYED FOR BREAKFAST (He was probably gone by lunch.)
- WHAT! NO BEER? (They should've made a sequel called I'LL TAKE CHAMPAGNE.)
- CAGED
- LADY IN A CAGE (Olivia de Havilland is stuck in a stalled elevator.)
- WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY?
- SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A WAR AND NOBODY CAME (Probably my favorite title.)
- HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE
- THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY
- SHE LEARNED ABOUT SAILORS (I'm sure she learned a lot!)
- WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (And what about sister Blanche?)
- HELL BELOW
- HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (Alternate title: HOW NOT TO MARRY A POOR BOY)
- IF I HAD A MILLION
- THE PLUNDERERS (Seems to suggest this movie will not be all dialogue...)
- SMASH UP, THE STORY OF A WOMAN
- I'LL CRY TOMORROW
- I WANT TO LIVE! (Susan Hayward gets the best titles.)
- DESPERATE SEARCH
- GUN CRAZY
- PHANTOM PRESIDENT
- THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Elvis remake: THE DAY IT ROCKED AND ROLLED)
- THE BRIDE WORE RED (Except the film is in black & white so we can't really tell.)
- HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (Again, the film is in black and white, so it looks gray.)
- ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (You just know they don't scrub behind the ears either.)
- THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID
- THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE (Not so sweet sixteen.)
- OUT OF THE PAST
- THEY GAVE HIM A GUN (Gangster pic? War film? Western? Works across genres.)
- LOVE AFFAIR
- BLACK NARCISSUS
- THE LONG HOT SUMMER
- A LAWLESS STREET (Great western title)
- I MARRIED A WITCH & I MARRIED AN ANGEL (If you can't decide who you married.)
- THE BIG HANGOVER
- STRANGERS MAY KISS (It's nice to know you have permission.)
- IF WINTER COMES (Then spring follows.)
- HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (Note the woman is not at fault in this Norma Shearer pic.)
- WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
- THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR
- ADAM'S RIB (Clever title)
- NICE GIRL? (Don't you just love the question mark at the end of it...)
- THE STRAIGHT STORY
- MAN-PROOF (I still think this could be reused for a story about lesbians.)
- THE LEFT HANDED GUN
- THE PUBLIC ENEMY
- ON AN ISLAND WITH YOU (The ultimate romantic title)
- STORM WARNING & STORM CENTER (Meteorologists love these titles.)
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I didn't notice it. Perhaps they were restoring credit to a blacklisted writer and removing the alias/front.
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Tonight, TCM is airing some of Teresa Wright's films made under contract to producer Sam Goldwyn. Except for the absence of PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, the list seems fairly substantial:
*MRS. MINIVER*...she was loaned to MGM for this one and does not appear in the sequel
*THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES*
*CASANOVA BROWN*...with Gary Cooper
*ENCHANTMENT*...an obscure gem from the late 40s with David Niven, Farley Granger and Evelyn Keyes. Do not miss this one!
and of course
*THE LITTLE FOXES*
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I love Barbara Bel Geddes...but I can see where she would not be enough of a siren to warrant Howard Hughes' attention. LOL
Hughes should've kept her. They needed a prestige actress and some high-caliber prestige films. Fortunately, Zanuck and Hitchcock used her to better effect in some of their projects.
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I agree about the feminist aspects of PAJAMA GAME. I think TCM's programmers would be smart to schedule it right in front of NORMA RAE. It's basically the same story, but told a bit differently in their respective genres.
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I Love Lucy had an episode where she had to tell the absolute truth for 24 hours. Absurd? Yes, when you consider that no individual could be tracked for an entire 24 hour period to authenticate if they actually make good on the bet. Yet, it's funny, and audiences like to watch it.
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Our racist history can end at a certain point in time. It does not need to be excused or perpetuated through film. Remember when I posted those reviews from users on the TCM database? One was from a home-school parent who uses it to teach about racism and to educate her children in a way that is more enlightened than D.W. Griffith ever was.
The fact that the film was popular back in the proverbial day does not mean audiences were necessarily clamoring for tales of racism. A lot of extra-filmic factors went into why patrons watched the movies they did.
It's liberating to identify and label BIRTH OF A NATION as a racist film. It gives today's viewer power over the ignorance of the past.
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Maybe Robert Osborne's gossipy tidbits will become another link. This will be a full-service schedule.
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Any time characters are trying to put on the big show, it's a ludicrous premise. How many people in real life go around trying to put on the big show? LOL It's one of the most overused musical plots in history.
But in this case, the elements combine in such a fun way that it's irresistible.
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Of course the director was a segregationist and a racist...what other kind of person would make a film where the **** are heroes???
Gary Cooper in THE WESTERNER
Leonard Maltin.....why?
in General Discussions
Posted
I don't think he will be a replacement. He's sort of old himself, and they would have to get a replacement before too long for him (unless he lives to 100). I think he's being brought on board to shore up the gap, since Osborne is not as academic as Maltin is. Maltin will give TCM more credence as a respected film critic.
I do see Maltin getting his own series. Maybe he will do something on precodes or on Disney's live action unit since he has written a book on that. He can add something different to the channel that the current hosts do not provide it. But there's no reason for any of them to leave.
I wish they would have a regular female host. I think that is sorely missing on TCM. And I don't mean Molly Haskell or Rose McGowan. It should be someone who is a moderate feminist (not a radical feminist) and someone who has something different to offer.
Next, are you ready for this one: I think John Lithgow should be replaced by a child actor or a former child actor. It would be perfect if someone like Macauley Culkin or Margaret O'Brien did the Essentials Jr. segments. In fact, I would pick O'Brien, because she has a warm delivery and she could bring that female perspective to hosting.