Dargo

And re the camera angles that they're doing with Ben recently... Nope, have to say I've never thought this whole fairly recent thing that's seems all the rage in recent years and when the person you're watching on TV (and whoever it might be) is shown in profile and not into the camera while they're talking, is "cool" at all. (...nope, how this ever became "a thing" is beyond me)

Hey slayton. This reminds me. Have you ever seen Snoopy Rock here in Sedona?...

And I've just noticed that MY cable guide is showing Groundhog Day for the next three days on every channel! (...sure is a good thing I like Bill Murray, huh)

Nicely stated. And clearly too there, unwatchable. Now first I must say, certainly my "kidding" usually has an "edge" about it, however what I could not understand was your defensive reply to my question posed to you about why you said or implied at least that you'd stop watching TCM if their studio was moved to Los Angeles. Clearly this was meant in a negative manner about such a possibily. And so, here's the thing: That question, albeit more an observation in search of a clarifying answer which I posed was offered up to you in a genuine manner and not in any fashion a comdemnation or as an attempt to "put you down". Yes, I legitimately wanted to know why you felt that way. My signature little parenthetical addendum in which I then paraphrased the closing line of Chinatown was certainly superfluous but was meant as a little humorous take on the film itself. And so, how or why you would then reply with that whole "go hump someone else's leg for a while" reply was, well, pretty darn uncalled for. And regarding your surprise to learn of so few regular members at this website. You must have forgotten that these sorts of message board forum sites are a dying breed in the world of the Internet, and so the idea of more than even a couple of newbies signing into this site per day and then becoming involved with the goings-on around here would not be likely. Pretty much everyones now going to the social media sites that Eddie Muller mentions during his outros. And sure, by now I've gotten the sense that you are both extremely intelligent and are able to use the English language expertly and which are two things I admire in people, but also have now gotten the sense that you tend to lean to the negative/cynical side of things and which does indeed seem to be your unabashed style. (...and so because I tend to try to keep my distance from people who tend more toward the negative/cynical side of things or at least more so than to my personal tastes, I think I am going to keep that aforementioned promise I made...I must say it's been nice..err..let says "interesting" conversing with you, sir...I wish you well)

I'm going to break from my earlier promise here and just say that this story from where you hail and your ties to the Owen Valley I found most interesting. And especially considering that much of the water that I drank and bathed in in the L.A. Basin during all those years I lived there would of course come via Mr. Mulholland's pipeline...or of course "Mr. Mulwray's" in the fictionalized version of it. (...well anyway, it's now up to you...should I keep my earlier promise up there or not?)

Have no idea what you meant here. I've felt no "sting" coming from you since you've recently arrived onto these boards. And am also wondering why you've become so defensive here. Might it have been what I said to you about "paranoic thoughts" in another thread? I have to say that by this strange reaction of yours here I think I'm now beginning to understand why Swithin seemed to be so wary of you within your introductory posting, (...and so bottom line here, whatever ya want...from now on I'll refrain from directly interacting with you...you can count on it)

Hmmmm...now why do I find it a bit ironic here that you've made this negative comment about Los Angeles, and yet your avatar is a still from one of the greatest films ever made about that very city? (...or should I now just say, "Forget it, unwatchable...it's L.A." ?)

Nope, can't say that I did. But on the other hand, I DID think of and at first wondered why Richard Basehart's name wasn't on this poster that started this thread... And 'cause that sure looks like Richard Basehart there, don't ya think? (...and even though he's not in the film)

Well ya know Tom, I've always said that if only he were Irish instead of French, Marcel Marceau would've been perfectly cast in John Ford's The Quiet Man. (...okay okay, so I've never said this until now...but now I'll bet you wish I hadn't, huh)

WHAT?! Now Sans, HOW in the world could you forget I'll Take Paris by the Springtime?! YOU know, that comedy by director Hans Von Friedhoffer that showcased those wacky exploits of the Wehrmacht's 8th Cavalry Division. (...especially can't believe you've forgotten the scene with the talking horse that does that great impression of Hermann Goering...uh-huh, kind'a a like a Teutonic Mr. Ed...now that horse was GREAT!)

Ya know unwatchable, I did wonder if I might have been adding one too many 'g's in the word "fogie" up there. Thanks for the correction. First, I didn't mean to imply at all by my use of the word that everyone past their prime years is or was an "old fogey". Nope, not at all. However, haven't you ever noticed that many of those out there who resist any sort of "change" DO generally tend to be of a more advanced age? Secondly and in regard to your second sentence in the above paragraph, of course this is true, but with this experience should not the idea of the person attaining more wisdom also follow and with more wisdom being attained by a person. I've noticed that those who have gained some of this quality as they age usually are far less likely to succumb to paranoic thoughts such as "they'll be comin for you in the blink of an eye", AND which now has led me to the THIRD sentence in your above paragraph here, dude! Eeh, I'll pass on this, as my dance card has been full for many years now. (...and besides, you don't strike me as my type either...well, except for maybe our both being mutually, and as I said in that now deleted introductory post of yours of the other day, "insightful and articulate")

Glad you mentioned Ameche here, speedy. You see, for years and years I never thought he was very interesting in any of the films I had seen him in, but this all changed after I first caught him in THIS film and in the 1939 rom-com Midnight. Kind of became of fan of his afterwards, in fact. (...although btw, I STILL say that it was NOT supposed to be him in that "Hollywood Steps Out" cartoon...nope, STILL say that that was supposed to George Brent!!!) LOL

Yep, I knew my "old foggies" line would elicit a reponse from someone, alright. But before I answer your question here Brian, I must preface it by saying that it's primarily and almost solely based upon what I watched the first night, September 1st, of this "new look", and so one could say my opinion of it is only based anecdoltally. You see, I've been watching a lot of Baseball (GO DODGERS!) and other various programs since that first night. First, I liked the new set. Secondly, I liked that Ben's wraparounds now include a cut to visuals of the subject or person he's talking about at the time, and a la Mr. Muller's series. Thirdly, I liked the newly filmed "filler" segments they showed, and primarily because I've probably seen all the older ones they've shown for the past 25 years a zillion times already. It gave me the feeling that the corporate types who make the ultimate decisions and who finance TCM, at least care about adding to TCM's interests. (...and so in closing, perhaps I've not watched enough of TCM's "new look" in order to develop a truly critical/cynical eye about it, but it's seemed to me that even BEFORE the rollout for this new look, there were a hell of lot of "old foggies" just chomping at the bit to chime in on these boards to give us their dire prognotications of a bleaker future for this channel, and which I believe have now turned out to be proven false or at the very least shown to be a similar case to how Mark Twain once famously replied to the reports of his death)

Ya know folks, I'm REALLY startin' to feel that TCM should film a little filler segment and run it intermittently between the moves they show, and in which Ben Mankiewicz sings the following lyrics right into the camera... ♪♪ We played them all the old films We thought that's why they came No one saw the movies We didn't look the same We said hello to Mildred Pierce She belongs to us But when we played 'em what they thought was a punk jingle It just caused a fuss But it's all right now We've learned our lesson well You see, you can't please everyone So you got to please yourself ♪♪ (...and of course followed by an apology to Ricky Nelson for stealin' most of his lyrics)

Jillian, there is another rom-com with this very same title made in 1943 and which you might also want to seek out. It was directed by one of the greats, Ernst Lubitsch. I've loved this film since I first ran across it years ago. And while its narrative also deals with the thought of an imagined afterlife, it unfolds in a completely different manner than do the Here Comes Mr. Jordan/Heaven Can Wait (1978) films, and yet I think you'll find it just as funny, entertaining and heartwarming as they are.

Yeah, maybe, but considerin' how much they've ALREADY spent on the rollout of this whole new look of theirs, I wonder how much they truly have left in their coffers in order to venture into a new business territory such as this. (...btw, NOT that I'm one of those "CHANGE?! Why Did We Need To Change TCM's Look?" old foggies around here...nope, and 'cause I kind'a LIKE this new look o' theirs, to be honest with ya here)

Don't worry. speedy. This very thing is probably comin' down the ol' TCM pipeline very very soon, too! For ME though, I'll be watin' for 'em to offer a deep dark ale that's sportin' THIS guy on its label... "Porter Hall"!

In other words, STILL some young thing who probably starts every damn sentence with the word "so" TOO, huh?! AND, would probably be SO ignorant of classic films that they'd think "Stella Dallas" was some kind'a beer imported from Belgium, RIGHT?! LOL

AND not to mention, James Craig is actually GOOD in this one!

"Reminds me of all the times I'VE been criticized when I was introduced to someone!"

The following was originally envisioned as a three hour animated epic, but after the many many cuts made to it by (surprisingly uncredited) editor Marv Newland just prior to its formal release, the end result would be...

Well, that's good for them TOO ya know, Brian. It'll help keep 'em humble. There's nothin' worse than a cocky TCM host, ya know. (...and no, that wasn't a comment about Ben...well no, not intended to be, anyway)

WAIT a sec here, LoyFan! SURELY you're not suggesting TCM hire some young dweeb like THIS here, now are YOU???... Look here, LoyFan. I've had it up to HERE with these young squirts who start EVERY freakin' sentence that comes out of their mouths with the word "So"! Aren't YOU?! Or is all this "so" jazz okay with you TOO?!!! (...hell, I'd even take nasally Ben's "AACK-tor" pronunciation over some young dweeb sayin' "so" EVERY damn time they start a sentence, ANY ol' day o' of week!!!)

I've heard the figure is $1.25Million. (...which was reportedly taken from TCM's 20th Century Fox/Paramount Pictures movie procurement fund)

So, this baseball player said "very" simple and "very very" hard, and NOT "berry" simple and/or "berry berry" hard, right Thompson?! Well then I assume it wasn't THIS guy you saw then, RIGHT?!... (...nor retired Red Sox great David Ortiz, for that matter)