[It Happened in Flatbush]

Carole Landis was born in my hometown back in Wisconsin. In fact, one of my school buddies who still lives there sent me a picture of the farm where Carole was born...it's still standing.

 

So anytime I get to see her in a film on TCM, I'm ecstatic.

 

Your description of FLATBUSH makes it seems all the more interesting...can't wait for it to air!

[Rarely seen Marilyn film]

There are a few films early in Marilyn Monroe's career that only die-hard enthusiasts will care to know about. For instance, she has a bit part in DANGEROUS YEARS (1948)...the lead in Phil Karlson's LADIES OF THE CHORUS, a low-budget film for Columbia from 1949...and she has a tiny role in the Marx Brothers' LOVE HAPPY (1950). Of these, LADIES OF THE CHORUS screened on TCM not too long ago.

 

But then we get to the Fox contract years, beginning later in 1950. Marilyn does not have her first starring role until 1952's DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK. So for two years, she is put in a series of Fox programmers, playing supporting parts. These second-tier jobs are interesting to study, because you can trace her ascendancy at Zanuck's studio.

 

Her films for Fox from 1950 to 1952 are the ones I find most interesting, because she has to serve out her apprenticeship under actresses like Claudette Colbert and Ginger Rogers and yet she still makes an indelible impression. The Marilyn persona is very much evident.

 

It must be said that Fox did not recognize they had a goldmine on their hands in the beginning. They loaned her out a few times. One loan out was to RKO for CLASH BY NIGHT, where she is again understudying a major star (Barbara Stanwyck).

 

Fox has since issued the early Marilyn titles on DVD as part of a special collection. Keep in mind that sometimes she only has two or three scenes in those films, while other times she is more integrated into the story.

 

But there is one film from this period that has not been put on DVD. And it has not aired recently on Fox Movie Channel. It's THE FIREBALL (1950). The cast is headed by Mickey Rooney and Pat O'Brien. Marilyn is eighth-billed. The studio did release it on VHS. I wonder why this film has become forgotten. After all, it's Marilyn...

 

[Not often in Technicolor]

Thanks for mentioning THE STORY OF MANKIND. Hedy does have a part in that...so she made three Technicolor films.

 

Again, I urge people to check out COPPER CANYON if they have not yet done so.

[Not often in Technicolor]

We should have a separate thread for Mac Carey!

 

But when you look at how diverse his roles were and just how good he was in films of the 40s and 50s, you can see that the writers of Days did not utilize his talent well at all. They gave him such a one-note character to play on the soap. He was wonderful as Dr. Tom Horton...but I think they could've shown some of the more complex aspects of the character and Mac would've been more than up to the task.

 

He appeared on the hit soap from 1965 to 1994. And before his death he wrote an autobiography of his time on the show as well as his early experiences in Hollywood: 'The Days of My Life.'

[Roz! 10.19, 10.20 & 10.28]

I watched THE VELVET TOUCH, too.

 

It has quite a few things going for it:

 

- Great supporting cast (Leon Ames, Claire Trevor, the wonderful Sidney Greenstreet)

- Elaborate theatre set (the film cost $1.4 million to make in the late 40s)

- Witty repartee between Roz and Claire that anticipates ALL ABOUT EVE

- A truly suspenseful ending

- And solid direction

 

This ranks up there along with the other film noir from RKO.

[Roz! 10.19, 10.20 & 10.28]

SISTER KENNY is a good one. They haven't shown it in a long time.

 

I recorded A WOMAN OF DISTINCTION today...and I am eager to watch it later.

[Not often in Technicolor]

I think Luise Rainer appeared in THE GAMBLER in 1997 which counts as a color film.

 

John Garfield really didn't do any features in color so that is a good example.

[My Favorite Films Daily]

*WE'RE NOT MARRIED (1952)*

Viewed: Netflix

 

Ginger Rogers is the star of this picture. She has the most screen time and gets top billing. There are some great supporting actors in the picture. Eve Arden is one. There's also Mitzi Gaynor. And Marilyn. I think the film is a special one for Monroe enthusiasts because it's the only time she plays a mother on screen. How sad that she did not have the chance to become one in real life.

 

But WE'RE NOT MARRIED is more than Ginger and Marilyn and the rest of the gang. It's a clever little story that really challenges the production code. You might even say that it gets away with defying it.

 

Due to a technical error, a judge (Victor Moore) that has married six couples has not legally married them at all. The film is an anthology that follows each couple as they receive the news. And of course it affects them all differently.

 

In every sequence, it can be inferred that the couples have had sexual relations without benefit of marriage. That violates the production code, since they are all 'living in sin.' Also, Mitzi Gaynor's character is pregnant (now out of wedlock). And Marilyn Monroe and David Wayne have a child (now illegitimate).

 

Of course, they all do their best to make things legal again. Except in the case of one couple (Zsa Zsa Gabor and Louis Calhern), non-marriage remains the order of the day. I still think Gabor and Calhern's characters should've remarried, like the other five couples-- only this time, he should've had his greedy bride sign a pre-nuptial agreement.

 

[Thanks for the Victor Moore showcase...]

I meant to add that I love Victor Moore in WE'RE NOT MARRIED. He's just great. And if you haven't had the chance to see it, Fox has released it on DVD.

[Thanks for the Victor Moore showcase...]

Sorry you feel that way, but I think I made a decent contribution on this thread. Some people may not have made the connection between these recent films and MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW. He has a substantial filmography and it's worth noting. Hopefully, TCM will continue to schedule more Victor Moore titles. Take care, Ollie.

[Not often in Technicolor]

More than half the reviews I read about COPPER CANYON gush with praise about Macdonald Carey. In the Universal western CAVE OF OUTLAWS, he plays another bad guy. Also, he is Claudette Colbert's calculating ex-husband in the comedy LET'S MAKE IT LEGAL for Fox. He was a diverse performer.

 

COPPER CANYON is must-see on many levels. Hedy is fabulous as a saloon madame (what else). And the story has a lot of action and great cinematography. I believe it's considered a noir-western.

 

[Casting Biopix]

You may want to research Nicole Kidman's casting in THE HOURS. In that case, she used the aid of a prosthetic nose to more physically resemble Virginia Woolf. It seemed to be accepted by audiences and critics. Personally, I thought it was a bit hokey and I couldn't stop looking at her nose!

 

Also, TCM recently aired THE BABE RUTH STORY. Comparing photographs of Ruth in his prime with actor William Bendix in the finished film, you can see that they don't exactly look very similar...there is enough likeness to pull it off, but I think the producers expected Bendix to win movie-goers over with his hammy mannerisms and larger-than-life acting style (which he does to some extent). Yet, critics blasted it and it is not considered a very good film for several reasons.

 

With any biopic and any sort of actor portraying a famous figure, there has to be some suspension of disbelief. Or else, the story just won't work.

 

Some other ones to look at: Ingrid Bergman won an Emmy for her final screen performance in A WOMAN CALLED GOLDA about Golda Meir.

 

And there are occasions when the performer portrays himself or herself in a story based on actual events from their own life. Ann Jillian played herself in a TV movie about her battle with breast cancer. It had a much more personal feel to it and was a success.

 

Finally, look at Geraldine Chaplin in CHAPLIN. The director and producers decided to cast Chaplin's real-life daughter (a solid actress in her own right) to play the comedian's mother (so she is playing her grandmother in the film). In that case, there is a genetic authenticity that helps the casting and the picture overall.

[Thanks for the Victor Moore showcase...]

Good post, Ollie. Victor Moore is also in MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, which aired not long ago on TCM (in primetime).

 

According to wiki, he appeared in over 50 films and 21 Broadway shows. His motion picture career ran from 1915 to 1955...his last on-screen appearance in films was in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH.

[Jack Carson 10.27]

I would. Yes, indeed. But I don't think Albert Brooks' father is high on the list of scheduling priorities among the programmers.

 

And Parkyakarkus would probably never get a primetime tribute. Just like Joe Penner, he's one of those more forgotten stars of the 30s and 40s.

[Jack Carson 10.27]

I guess I am going to have to re-watch MILDRED PIERCE.

 

My bias is that I think the studio should've given him a chance to do the Zachary Scott role. They would let him do the lead in a B-film or programmer like MAKE YOUR OWN BED. But when it came to an A-type film of this caliber, he tends to be a second-tier performer.

 

I am sure that the casting office put him in the picture after they had settled on Joan and Zach. To add in the comic relief, they pick Jack and Eve Arden. But in the case of Jack Carson and Eve Arden-- performers who could actually do drama as well as comedy...you get a two-for-one bargain.

[Not often in Technicolor]

After reading reviews, I decided to rent COPPER CANYON thru Netflix. I am glad I did. It's an above-average western directed by John Farrow for Paramount. It has a very interesting and very good cast: Ray Milland, Hedy Lamarr and Macdonald Carey (playing a great villain).

 

It occurred to me that this is Hedy's only western and the only other film she did in Technicolor, aside from SAMSON AND DELILAH. All of her MGM vehicles were in black and white. She's gorgeous in COPPER CANYON.

 

 

Not counting silent film stars, were there sound era stars who never made a film in color?

[Jack Carson 10.27]

I think if he hadn't died in the early 60s, he would've eventually done a television series. People liked Jack Carson a lot, and they would've eagerly welcomed him into their homes each week.

 

Plus, his film career never really slowed down. So he probably would've continued working as a character actor in motion pictures.

 

He was an extremely versatile performer with no chance of ever being unemployed in Hollywood.

[Baseball flicks 10.26]

I forgot about DAMN YANKEES.

 

I just finished watching THE BABE RUTH STORY. It doesn't hold up very well compared to other sports biopics from that era. But it was obviously a passionate project for producer Roy Del Ruth. He should've hired another scriptwriter to polish the dialogue, because the utterances of the characters in many scenes are absolutely inane. Also, I think it focuses too much on the athlete's personal life and it's his professional life that people are interested in seeing.

[Jack Carson 10.27]

The problem I have with the scheduling of films on these birthday tributes is as follows:

 

I think they have a huge amount of RKO films from the 30s. RKO used a lot of comedians and specialty acts that were popular in the day, especially on radio, but these are celebrities that are not known today. For example, Joe Penner is one of these. And also Fibber McGee and Molly. TCM has access to these films, but they are not easy to schedule. Who is going to sit through a day of Joe Penner? I would. But very few others would.

 

So the programmers try to dust these oldies off and put them back into rotation. They use films where much bigger stars and people who are still well-known today played bit parts. So we have a film where Alan Ladd has three minutes of screen time or Jack Carson has five minutes of screen time and it's thrown into the mix for a birthday tribute.

 

The problem with this approach is that it really does not showcase the talents of the star whose birthday it is. It features a Joe Penner, a Fibber and Molly or a Parkyakarkus.

[March in October]

I think you will enjoy both those films. If you haven't seen BEDTIME STORY, I recommend that one and ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN.

[Did Gloria Stuart Even Get A TCM Montage?]

I've thought about this. It's a problem. But in a way, it's a good problem.

 

I think Gloria became a modern movie star after TITANIC and the string of films she did after TITANIC. She became 'new' again. And as a result, she sort of lost some of her classic old Hollywood status.

 

So not honoring her is sort of like if Emma Thompson or Julia Roberts died. TCM would not do a tribute for them either, because they're too 'new.' LOL

[Jack Carson 10.27]

He was truly a versatile talent.

 

I'm not particularly pleased with the films the programmers selected for him today. The first film should be used for an Ann Sothern tribute. LUCKY PARTNERS should be saved for a day devoted to Ginger or Colman. MILDRED PIERCE is more a Joan-o-drama or something used to represent Zachary Scott's film work.

 

Instead, we should've seen films from the Warners library that feature Jack Carson in more integral roles. Even though Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland are top-billed, I think Jack nearly steals THE MALE ANIMAL with Hattie McDaniel. Also, he's great with Doris Day in ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS, where is top billed and he gets to play a romantic lead.

 

And they showed ROUGHLY SPEAKING a few days ago...that one should've been saved and used for today...because he gets top billing with Rosalind Russell and gets to shine in more of a dramatic role.

[March in October]

I'm not too keen on Carole Lombard either. Actually, I prefer her dramas...like VIGIL IN THE NIGHT, MADE FOR EACH OTHER and my favorite of hers, IN NAME ONLY. But I think I like IN NAME ONLY so much because Kay Francis is a real shrew in it and she steals the show.

[Baseball flicks 10.26]

ONLY THE LONELY is a remake of MARTY. I watched it last week when it aired on FMC. I didn't care for it. I found the leads to have absolutely no chemistry. Anthony Quinn as a man desperate for a woman didn't work...no way is Anthony Quinn ever going to have a problem attracting any woman, at any age...he was miscast. And like you said, the dream sequences were a bit much. Maureen O'Hara is the only reason to watch it. But I would rather FMC play THE FOXES OF HARROW which stars O'Hara and Rex Harrison...and comes from a time when the studio knew how to make movies.

[March in October]

THERE GOES MY HEART is a fun screwball comedy, with great leads (Freddie and Virginia Bruce) plus just-as-great second bananas (Patsy Kelly and Alan Mowbray).

 

It's a refreshing change of pace to see Freddie go from gut-wrenching drama like LES MISERABLES and MARY OF SCOTLAND to something a bit more zany and light (though comedy is often considered much harder to do).

 

My favorite screwball comedy of his is BEDTIME STORY with Loretta Young.