TomJH

*mrroberts wrote: I don't believe Kim was referring to missing out on any roles that Lee Remick played, only that she (Kim) admired Lee Remick's efforts to only take on roles that were particularly interesting or challenging.* I've afraid that your memory of Novak's statement is not quite accurate. To be precise, this was Kim Novak's statement about Remick and her roles: I loved Lee Remick. She was a wonderful actress and she got some wonderful scripts that I would have loved to have done. And I don't know if they brought her wonderful scripts, or how it worked, but I wish that I would have done some of those. But they didn't happen for me. And often times I would watch them and I'd cry and think, "Gee, that would have been a good Kim Novak movie." Since, I think we all would agree, The Days of Wine and Roses was one of Remick's best roles, and since it also co-starred her with a former Novak co-star, Jack Lemmon, I strongly suspect that this may have been a Remick role that Novak had in mind when she made that statement. I also think, as I stated earlier, that Novak's vulnerability could have made her very effective in the role, as well. To see a class act like Novak in a role in which she is brought down and dirty would have been very shocking, and effective, I believe. This, of course, is to take nothing away from Lee Remick, who is wonderful in the part.

Dargo, with Kim Novak's reluctance to stand up and express herself (at least, in the past, because she seemed to be doing it to a degree in the Osborne interview) that, in turn, may be a reflection of other emotional issues that she has, in addition to the bi-polar condition. I have a friend who has a slew of mental health issues, including bi-polar, and she has great difficulty telling people off at times (other times, she's the exact opposite, and over compensates by really blasting into someone). It's apparent that Novak thinks she owes much of her career to Cohn's often bullying decision making, and that Columbia went downhill after he was no longer there to call the shots on her career. It sounds, though (at least, with her backward glance today) that she got along with a man often dubbed an insensitive monster, and that's interesting to hear. Carole Lombard got along with Cohn, as well, but only after she got his respect by blasting back at him after he told her she looked like a prostitute. We weren't there to see how Cohn talked to Novak but I rather suspect that he knew he was dealing with a more fragile lady than Lombard and, I assume, may have been gentler in his approach. Whatever. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. However, Novak's appreciation of what he did for her career is to be noted. There's not much doubt that Cohn was a bully and a boor but he knew what he was doing in running a studio that won more best picture Oscars during the '50s than any other studio, did it not? And that was Novak's era. The lady wanted us to know that Harry Cohn, to her, at least, was not nearly as black as most people like to paint him to be. That added to the interest of her Osborne interview tremendously, as far as I was concerned.

Now it's my turn, all good points, lavender. After all, fans of Miss Novak came to that interview wanting to see how she was and hear her express her feelings. If part of those feelings are a regret that she didn't do all that she might have to push to extend herself as an actress (as would have been the case with some of those stronger Lee Remick roles) then she has a legitimate right to express those concerns. After all, as she did that interview with Mr. Osborne, it may have been on her mind, for all we know, that this will be the only time that she may emerge from her retirement to discuss those feelings. I'm glad that Robert Osborne probably helped her to relax enough to vent as she did.

*lavenderblue wrote: I was so impressed with Kim's only saying positive and glowing things about the people she worked with.* Yes, I noticed that too. Not unlike Doris Day, in that respect. We don't know, of course, how much was edited out of the original interview. Only passing reference was made, for example, to her participation in The Eddy Duchin Story, with Tyrone Power. There was no comment from the lady about Power but one of the very few times that that actor ever made a derogatory comment about a co-star was when he worked with her on this film. "Confusion between temperment and bad manners is unfortunate," is the only comment Power made about Novak, without further explanation. You know, I gathered from the interview that Miss Novak was bi-polar (possibly without even knowing it) during her Hollywood years. It's possible that Power may have seen a meltdown on the set from the lady without knowing a possible mental illness source behind it. This is just speculation on my part, of course. But, again, it was unusual for Ty Power to take a swipe through the media at a co-star so something happened on the Eddy Duchin set regarding Miss Novak that the lady may not wish to discuss. Which, of course, is her right. I'm just saying that her openness today about her mental health issues may (just may) have had something to do with a temper tantrum (or tantrums) that was a result of it.

lavenderblue, it's been too many years since I saw her Eagels film to recall the performance. It seems to me, though, that the critics weren't too kind to her. But I strongly suspect they never were that kind to her during her career anyway. I know that Novak commented that she really liked working with Jeff Chandler in Eagels. He's an actor that is pretty much forgotten today, along with so many others.

If it is that way, MissW, is almost makes me eager to getting going there. Ahem, I said almost. Just in case our speculations prove to be wrong, I don't want to rush things too much either.

lavender, while Wine and Roses may have been a greater stretch for Novak's acting ability, it may have been even more jolting for audiences to see her in the Remick role from Anatomy of a Murder considering that the character there is not exactly a shrinking violet. Novak always brought a certain fragility to her parts. Remick plays it like a brash manipulator. But, as you say, she loved working with Jimmy Stewart. So it, too, would have been interesting casting for the lady. By the way, I liked her comment that she hoped that Jimmy Stewart will be the first person that she sees when she eventually makes it "up there," to speak. If she really believes what she's saying that must be comforting. Who knows? Maybe, if we're good, it's still not too late for a lot of us to still meet Jimmy Stewart one day.

MissW, I agree with you about the effectiveness of the honesty of the ending of Days of Wine and Roses. That image of Remick, still addicted, disappearing somewhere into the streets, with a sober Jack Lemmon peering out the window at those streets, stays with you. I rather suspect that Billy Wilder probably grimaced at the tagged on happy ending on The Lost Weekend that was probably forced upon him for that otherwise memerable study of alchoholism. I also agree with your assessment that Novak's built-in air of "class" in her screen persona would, like Remick, have made those scenes in which addiction makes her character hit a low all the more effective by her casting in Wines and Roses. It would have been disturbing for audiences to see Novak (the one they remembered as the hometown beauty queen in Picnic or the ethereal Madelienne in Vertigo) wallowing in the gutter the way Remick does. Even a bit jolting, as it also must have been for them to see Lemmon that way, as well.

Blake Edwards' Days of Wine and Roses is having another broadcast on TCM as I type this. This is the first time, however, that I have envisioned Kim Novak as Kirsten Arnesen Clay, the role that brought Lee Remick an Academy Award nomination 40 long years ago. That's because, based upon last week's interview by Robert Osborne with Miss Novak, she said that she wished she had fought for some roles, more like Lee Remick did. She didn't name the actual Remick parts that she would have liked to have had but I rather suspect that this would have been one of them. Remick, of course, is wonderful in the part. I don't think that Kim Novak ever had the opportunity to strut her stuff as an actress in a role as strong as this one. But Novak's vulnerability would have worked well in the role, I think, and it would have been a great opportunity for her. Even if her performance might have been judged a failure, I suspect that one of Miss Novak's regrets today regarding her career is that she didn't take more chances as an actress. And this role would have been a huge challenge for her. Well, even if she does have regrets about her career, at least it was gratifying to see that this very fragile lady is happily immersed in her late years retirement, with a loving husband and all those animals that can also give her love. And looking at those shots of her Oregon (I believe) home, made me a little envious myself. And I also thank Miss Novak, not only for the courage that it obviously took her to have this interview (for which, as others have stated in the Novak thread, the non-threatening, gentle interviewing style of Mr. Osborne also deserves credit), but for Miss Novak also trying to show another side to a legendary "monster" like Harry Cohen, as well as the manipulative Mr. Hitchcock. But, to return to my original conjecture, Kim Novak, reunited with Jack Lemmon in The Days of Wine and Roses. I can easily see how this might well have worked. Oh well. Remick didn't get Vertigo. I hope Miss Novak realizes that that Hitchcock film has given her a certain film immortality, perhaps even surpassing, in that respect, the very considerable acting achievment of Miss Remick in this film.

You're welcome, Mongo. I modestly like to believe that I can accurately identify most actresses when I see them. And that last picture of your's: great shot of Rochelle Hudson!

Mongo, I think that shot of Rochelle Hudson is actually a picture of English actress Linden Travers (Lady Vanishes, No Orchids for Miss Blandish). I guess there is a certain similarity in appearance between the two. NOW, if you had posted a photo, instead, of Mamie Van Doren as Rochelle Hudson, that would be interesting. (And a little weird).

I recall that a few years ago TCM announced that they were going to show the silent classic What Price Glory? They got permission from Fox to show it but then, incredibly, Fox couldn't find their own copy of it. So TCM cancelled the scheduled broadcast. Later, however, if memory serves me correctly, TCM found a private owner who had a print of the film. They had to go back to Fox to, once again, get their permission to show the film (which they did). And that just goes to show the insanity of rights issues. Here's Fox giving their permission to show a film to which they had the rights even though they were so sloppy in storing the film that they couldn't even find their own copy. Nevertheless, the Fox lawyers would have been ready to pounce on TCM if they had shown that private owner's copy without the corporation's approval. My memory of the incident is a little vague but that's about it as best I can recall.

I would NEVER have known that was Myrna Loy. To see a former film goddess looking quite so old and frail is a sad reminder of how mortal we all are.

Obviously the Oscar show was a real highlight for Adele, not only performing but winning the gold statue for her song from Skyfall. Far more of a highlight on the show for me, though, was seeing Shirley Bassey, dressed in gold, doing her recreation of the Goldfinger song. And she really hung on to that last note, too! I have nothing against Adele, but did anyone else notice how incredibly limp her Oscar-winning song is compared to the incredibly sexy and iconic sounds of the one from Goldfinger? Am I just basking (or should I make that shirley basseying) in the past, or doesn't the Goldfinger song simply blast the music from Skyfall right out of the auditorium? The Bond films have had some lovely music over the years. From Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice, Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" from the Spy Who Loved Me. But that sexy number from Goldfinger remains, for me, the song of those Bond extravaganzas. 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! Shirley Bassey - the lady's still got it

I know I can't not think of Lori when someone mentions Garfield. But I also know that she would have been pleased that dennisnoir felt passionate enough about the actor to create the same kind of thread that she would have done. dennisnoir can correct me about this but, if I remember correctly, he and Lori exchanged viewpoints on these boards about their mutual love for the actor. Lori had only discovered Garfield relatively recently, however, while I believe dennisnoir's admiration goes back years.

*Sepiatone wrote: I often wondered about a little trick done in Dinner at Eight in which John, doing somewhat of a self parody, and while going about the business of commiting suicide, settles down in that chair to let the gas overtake him, only to sit up and readjust the lamp for the best lighting effect. Was that in the script? Or a Barrymore idea...* Somewhere (can't recall the source, unfortunately) I read that the original plans for Larry Renault's suicide was to let him die in a squalid heap, emphasizing the ugliness of his death. It was, I believe, Barrymore's own idea to let him go out the way he does, posing in a chair with a light shining on his left profile, emphasizing the actor's best known feature. It's an effective touch as, through the magic of lighting, his sagging, aged features appear to disappear and he looks, ironically in death, as though as has regained his youthful beauty once again.

The next entry in the series will feature an over-the-hill John McClane who was been put out to pasture. He has become a classic couch potato, with a daily feast of oreo cookies, pecan pies and boston creme pies. The result, as the film begins, McClane tips the scales at 400 lbs. When terrorists, however, threaten to blow up all oreo cookie manufacturing plants across the world, McClane has a Rocky-like workout, slimming down to 350 lbs. In the film's big climax he has the ten meanist terrorists cornered in a room. With his guns now empty of ammunition, he drops upon them from the ceiling, crushing them all in an **** of gore. The title: *Die Lard!*

"Orson, I know they say you're a Boy Genius. But is it really necessary for you to applaud yourself every time you make a suggestion?"

I consider both Barrymore and Flynn to be tragic figures. Both were talented (though Barrymore's reputation as an actor was always much greater), charismatic leading men. One was billed for a while by Warners as the world's greatest actor, while the other was regarded as the king of film swashbucklers. Both were also also cursed with insecurities and dual natures, burning themselves out with drink (Flynn adding to it with narcotics), ruining their looks, health, and careers in the process. Barrymore was still getting employment at the end, largely lampooning himself in grotesque self-parodies. There is more than a little self-contempt in his final performances. Flynn had a brief comeback playing alcoholics at the end of his career, including, as you mentioned, a touching portrait of old friend Barrymore in Too Much Too Soon (primarily touching becuase there is so much of the real Flynn in that portrait). After that brief splurge of work, however, he was essentially unemployable in Hollywood and in his final weeks was seeking to sell his yacht, the Zaca, because he needed the money. Flynn's gradual suicide took ten years less than Barrymore's. I suspect he worked at it harder. When you look at Barrymore's brilliance in Svengali or Grand Hotel, then see how quickly he had deteriorated by the time of Romeo and Juliet less than five years later, it's tragic. Likewise, a comparison of Flynn as he was in his youthful swashbuckling prime, in Robin Hood or The Sea Hawk, one of the most athletically graceful and magnetic of all screen presences, the incarnation of romance and adventure, as opposed to those final years of self loathing dissipation, again, you are filled with a sense of a man who had once had so much and then worked so hard to throw it all away. Films have left us the images of these two men, both in their glory years as well as those final years of physical and emotion decline, as grim testimony to the internal demons that plague all addicts. Since these two men had so much more talent and beauty than many others, however, their decline seems to me to be just that much more tragic.

For those who think that Lionel Barrymore steals Grand Hotel, here's an interesting passage from a book about the Barrymores, The House of Barrymore: "As in the court scene in A Free Soul, he (Lionel) often pulled off a triumph of acting on the first take (in Grand Hotel), making his fellow actors look like amateurs. When the scene inevitably had to be reshot, Lionel somehow lacked fire and conviction. Watching the rushes, the director Edmund Goulding had little choice but to opt for the version in which Lionel had distinguished himself." When the Barrymore brothers, along with sister Ethel, were reunited for Rasputin and the Empress, the word went out of friction on the set. Again, from The House of Barrymore: "What poor son of a ***** is going to direct this picture?" asked Lionel; and indeed MGM milked the phenomenon of three tempermental Barrymores together to the last drop. Well, they were difficult: Jack on drink, Lionel on drugs, Ethel on her high horse. She arrived by limousine every day, swept onto the set like the Empress Alexandra. Extras went on toptoe, the crew resigned card playing and profanity for the duration. They had named a new sound camera on the set "Grandma," but Ethel did not know this the day an assistant director called, "Is Grandman ready?" Ethel stopped dead in her tracks, smote the director with a glare that demanded retribution. Explanations were vain; cast and crew tiptoes in wider circles. She subdued Jack. Photographers approached them between scenes where they sat slumped in their chairs. "Show some animation, Mr. Barrymore," ventured a publicist, "Tell Miss Barrymore something." "Tell her something?" said Jack, wagging his eyebrows in horror. "Certainly not. I'll ask her something." "As usual Lionel disapppeared into the character of Rasputin, though he never lost track of what his brother was up to. In one scene when Jack kept laying his hand on Lionel's arm with the obvious intent of upstaging him, Lionel suddenly doubled up, groaning, "I can't do it! I can't go on!" Alarmed, the director, Charles Brabin, told Lionel to go lie down until he recovered. Two hundred souls waited an hour and a half before Brabin telephoned Lionel's dressing room. Lionel was playing the piano and felt fine. "But why in the world did you leave the set?" "But didn't you see? That brother of mine was stealing my scene!" When the Barrymore brothers were reunited for the last time, in Night Flight, the two had a scene together in which John's character berates Lionel's. Lionel had no dialogue in the scene, it's all John's. This is a passage from Damned in Paradise: "The director, Clarence Brown, bet John ten dollars that Lionel could never steal the scene. "Taken," said John, "He will snatch it if he has to hang from the chandelier." As Lionel approached the door, back to the camera, with a few seconds left before the sequence ended, he reached a hand around and scratched a buttock. "Now there, sir, is a brother to be proud of," said John to Clarence Brown, "Pay me the ten dollars."

I've read of some defending Garbo's highly theatrical performance by saying that she was capturing the high and low mood swings of her prima dona ballerina character. Some may choose to buy that explanation (probably the hardcore Garbo lovers), otherwise it's a performance that badly dates. The reason that I say "date" rather than speculate that it has always been a case of bad acting is because at the time of the film's release a lot of the reviewers spoke very favourably about the actress' performance. To be fair to Garbo, I think that Grand Hotel probably has her worst performance. It's not typical of the actress. Wallace Beery was the only one of the film's five stars that had the courage to adopt a German accent, for which he deserves some credit. For me, however, it has always been Joan Crawford and the two Barrymore brothers that have provided me with the greatest pleasure in watching Grand Hotel, though I admit that I do find John B.'s love scenes with Garbo, played in the grand manner, make me cringe a little, at times. I love watching Barrymore as the Baron flirting with stenographer Crawford. They really do play well off one another. Considering Barrymore's alcoholism and the fact that he was about to turn 50 when he made this picture he really does look quite good in it. He gives a wonderful portrait in a sterotypical role as a gentleman thief, and Barrymore, for all of the smoothness of the characterization, was also able to hint at a core of loneliness to the Baron, providing him with a touch of vulnerability. Brother Lionel, of course, has a field day in his role as the dying man, alternating between scenes of gentle comedy, and sensitivity. I love watching the two brothers bounce off one another in this film. They were both very weary of the scene stealing techniques of each other, but there really is a lovely rapport between them in this film. John B. feels compassion for the frustrated little man played by Lionel, according him a touching respect, while Lionel's meek little man clearly admires the style and flair of the suave, handsome Baron, not realizing that that character is not nearly all that he pretends to be. 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! It's a joy to watch these three actors interactwith one another in Grand Hotel. Garbo is another story, seemingly a character from another world.

Perhaps it qualifies as more of a swashbuckler in spirit, but *The Gaucho*, a handsome 1927 production featuring Douglas Fairbanks as a Pampas outlaw ranks, in my opinion, as one of the swashbuckling silent king's best films. Fairbanks is up to his usual flamboyant tricks here, in this film having a lot of fun with a new gimmick, seeing the various ways in which his character can light and play with a cigarette. (Ironic since Fairbanks himself was such a health nut). This Fairbanks romp is a little different in some respects from his earlier custom adventures. For one thing, his leading lady, the fiery Lupe Velez, has a dominant role making a noteworthy impression, unlike earlier Fairbanks leading ladies. Apparently Fairbanks and Velez did a lot of rehearsals of their tango scenes, leading to rumours that they may have been having a tango of another kind off the set. (Another irony, Fairbanks wife, Mary Pickford, has an unbilled appearance in this film, as the Virgin Mary). This is also the first Fairbanks film in which his character becomes aware of his own mortality, including a subplot involving a leper. The story takes on darker tones than to be found in other Fairbanks films but, at age 45, the actor was still capable of giving his fans a very good show. His athleticism was still spectacular. And he sure had fun with those cigarettes! The commercial success of this film would also provide material source for one of the first Mickey Mouse cartoons: 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!

One of the great triumphs of production design (courtesy William Cameron Menzies) of the silent era, produced for the then-astronical sum of two million dollars (1924 dollars!), *The Thief of Bagdad* remains a peak in Arabian Nights fantasy escapism of any era. Douglas Fairbanks, as producer, star and writer, was the driving force behind this production, his athletic, at times balletic performance representative of the silent swashbuckling king at the zenith of his career in a film he regarded as his personal favourite. Raoul Walsh was the assigned director in the first noteworthy film of his career, but this was a show that belonged to Fairbanks and Menzies.

clore, thanks very much for providing your review of Crossed Swords. For years it has been the rarest swashbuckler of Errol Flynn's career for anyone to view. And, considering the fact that's it's an older Flynn and not a film with a favourable reputation, I think it's a relief for those Flynn fans that do see it to discover that both the film and Flynn are better than they might have expected. You've already listed a number of the film's virtues. I might emphasis that, even though both the script and direction are sloppy, as well as, you mentioned, the editing, it's great to see Flynn and company romping on real Italian locations with genuine centuries-old castles in the background and on some Roman-constructed winding cobblestone streets. The film's final duel is also quite exciting and, even though Errol is doubled in a few of the shots, he does most of the work himself. He had obviously shed a few pounds from his previous costumers (Against all Flags and Master of Ballantrae) and puts on a genuine athletic demonstration in this contest. Flynn, by the way, was so impressed by Jack Cardiff's cinematography of both this film and Master of Ballantrae that he then hired him to not only photograph but also direct his personal project of William Tell, in 1953. The film was also to be lensed in Cinemascope, this being a decision that producer Flynn made even before the release of The Robe. Flynn's Italian financial backers pulled out of the project after about a half hour of apparently stunningly beautiful Pathe color film was in the can. Flynn had invested $430,000 of his own money in the production, as well, and the death of the Tell project was the death of Flynn's career as a major player. It was also, needless to say, a major blow to him emotionally, as well. Watching a fairly bouyant Flynn in Crossed Swords, filmed just before that disaster, is the closest that we can come to feeling what William Tell might have been like. Appearances can be deceiving, though. Flynn collapsed on the set of Crossed Swords and had a near-fatal bout with hepatitis during the production of that film. I wish this still from the aborted William Tell project was in colour. It makes your mouth water to think of what Cardiff's Pathe color photography of those magnificent Alps in the background must have been like for this film.

Robert Donat became a star in 1934 in the first talkie adaption Alexander Dumas' 1844 novel, The Count of Monte Cristo. This was the film, coupled with Warner Brothers' release of Captain Blood the following year, that really put the swashbuckling genre back on the map again after the death of the silent era. Aside from the numerous adaptions of the novel, the movies have also provided us with a number of spinoffs on it, as well. Among them Son of Monte Cristo (1941) and Return of Monte Cristo (1946), both featuring Louis Hayward. Other variations: Wife of Monte Cristo (1946), Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949) and Sword of Monte Cristo (1951). Donat's version remains the most famous.