EugeniaH

That's so interesting - all my life I've had a deep fear of drowning, which is why those particular camera shots in "Abandon Ship" were so powerful for me. You felt like you too were in the water bobbing up and down, watching the victims being swept away by the huge expanse of ocean. I think if I were in the movie theater I would have been panicked and breathing in a paper bag to steady myself...! But seriously, it's worth trying to catch this film on TCM because there is so much to watch and think about, like what you would do if you were in Tyrone Power's character's position, or if you were also on the lifeboat, kind of at his mercy...

At least a year ago there was a popular thread in this forum on the movie Abandon Ship with Tyrone Power, and it interested me so much that I put it on my "must watch" list. I was finally able to see it last night. **SPOILERS** It was worth waiting for - what a gem. Almost the entire movie takes place in a small boat in the middle of an ocean, but it has enough tension, drama, and thought-provoking dialogue to keep you from turning your eyes away even for a minute. Power is as great here as he is in Nightmare Alley, with his commanding presence and penetrating dark eyes. He had to make the decision - who to murder in order to save lives. You can see his inner torment and he pulls off this acting feat believably. In fact, all the acting was terrific. Thumbs up, too, on the camera work. The scenes where those who are sacrificed are swept away by the churning tides as they flail their arms in horror are terrifying. Another powerful scene: In response to a dying woman's request for more water Power retorts angrily, "Don't waste the water on her!" Suddenly his face, and the faces of those around him, go black as if the atmosphere was draped in evil. On a humorous note - In the beginning scenes in the boat, most of the people look disheveled and stunned, except for one woman. She looks like she just stepped out of the beauty parlor, with perfect hair blowing in the wind, perfectly-applied lipstick, wearing a cocktail dress with a glittering necklace and earrings. It reminded me of the "unlikely moments in film" thread in this forum sometime back. Eventually this woman does get wet and shows signs of strain, but she's obviously made to look almost unbelievably attractive given the life-threatening situation they're in.

This photo was taken at a sad event - Jean Harlow's funeral...

For me, Herrmann's style is so distinctive that I can pick it out when watching a certain show or movie. I think he scored some of Ray Harryhausen's stuff, too. And I'm pretty sure I've heard some 'Twilight Zone' music in 'The Fugitive'.

Love #4. I have this on DVD.

I rewatched "Fallen Angel" last night. I haven't seen it since 2010, and I had put it on my "favorites" list in this thread, and I'm glad that my memory didn't fail me. Terrific film. Love the contrast between Linda Darnell and Alice Faye - both in looks (light; dark) and personality (sweet; hardened). Otto Preminger did a nice visual transition at one point between their two faces that really pointed out the difference, in a single glance. So many other good things to say about it, too, only I don't have a lot of time right now, lol. And I love, love, love Dana Andrews. I love his voice and I love his demeanor. I thought he was a hot tamale in "Ball of Fire", too. I always felt that he and Barbara Stanwyck had a strong chemistry (a lot more than she and Gary Cooper, even though she and Andrews didn't share a lot of screen time), and they would have been great in noirs, as a couple up to no good, or playing off one another.

If you see this episode as you hear the music, everything really comes to life, and moves you deeply. But back to Hitch - did Herrmann score the shower scene in "Psycho"? That would probably be one of his movie masterpieces in terms of familiarity and "famousness" (I know, not a real word!). As soon as you hear the first few bars of it, your hair stands on end, lol...

Though Bernard Herrmann scored quite a number of films and shows in his career, the one theme that stands out for me, my favorite of all time by him, is the music for the episode "Walking Distance" in The Twilight Zone series. Haunting and achingly poignant: I particularly love the section that starts at around the 10:44 mark...

...Meanwhile, Republican candidate front runner Donald Trump will be hosting, of all things, the "Silent Sundays" segment of TCM. "It's gonna be INCREDIBLE!" says Trump. "You're gonna LOVE IT. I'm going to make this program the BEST IT'S EVER BEEN!" As for those viewers who don't like silent movies, Trump dismisses them with a wave of his hand. "I'm gonna build a satellite WALL, so any complainers won't be able to receive TCM at ALL, from ANY cable provider! It's gonna be INCREDIBLE! Don't worry about it!" adds Trump.

Nice that they salute him. Interesting, too, that they didn't include "True Confession" in the lineup, since it also features bigger-name stars (but I'm not complaining). Kennedy wasn't in this film long, but his bit was funny (he did 'exasperation' well).

Funny cameos by Hitchcock (SPOILER ALERTS): . . . . . . . In "Lifeboat", Hitchcock is shown in an advertisement for a weight loss cure. In "Dial M for Murder", Hitchcock is in a framed class picture.

True, I see what you mean... But I didn't want to look like one of those posters who say that their favorite all-time classic movie is Gone With the Wind, lol...

Favorite Hitchcock films: Psycho The Birds These first two are my top two. I realize how 'cliche' my choices might look, but really, these films are iconic for valid reasons. They are frightening, haunting, brilliant, capture the imagination, and (as in a film like Psycho), give you a lot to chew on psychologically. The best of the rest (no order): Mr. and Mrs. Smith (comedy wasn't Hitch's forte but Carole Lombard made it better than it deserved to be) Suspicion (keeps you engaged, but ugh, that clunker of an ending!) Strangers on a Train (classic...) Dial M for Murder (Ray Milland was great at being devious and clever, loved his intense facial expressions; Grace Kelly kind of faded into the woodwork for me and I found Robert Cummings to be a little restrained) I Confess (Montgomery Clift shows off his considerable acting chops) The Wrong Man Honorable Mention: Lifeboat (where else can you see Tallulah Bankhead and William Bendix in the same movie!)

To attract a younger viewing audience, TCM is offering various members of the Kardashian family an Essentials co-host deal. Kim Kardashian, said to be interested after sampling some old movies herself, remarked after seeing The Incredible Mr. Limpet, "That's like, deep!"

I saw these two movies for the first time recently and I liked them a lot. Laird Cregar was wonderful in both. I can't say which movie I prefer more - I remember the eerie, terrific ending in "H.S." and "Lodger" had some striking moments also.

TCM announces that they will establish a 'sister' channel, which will have 24/7 continuous showings of "North By Northwest."

Off the top of my head: Humphrey Bogart: The Caine Mutiny (Bogart does a great job of playing someone slowly losing his mind) Joan Crawford: Sudden Fear (I'm not a big Crawford fan, but she really pulls me in here, drawing me into the drama) Gary Cooper: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (I'm not a fan of Gary Cooper, period. But I like him in this and he actually shows range here. In the scenes where he is despondent he really touches my heart) Bette Davis: All About Eve (hers was hard to choose. This was such a great film, how could I not vote for it? Stellar writing....) George Sanders: All About Eve (see above!) Leslie Howard: It's Love I'm After (makes me laugh) Spencer Tracy: Desk Set (he plays a really charming character here. Not a 5-star film, but I like his role in it) Jean Arthur: The More the Merrier (Jean is a lovable neurotic) Peter Sellers: The Party (a laugh riot) Robert Mitchum: Night of the Hunter (so far, in my mind, his best role) Gene Tierney: Leave Her to Heaven (same reason as above) Carole Lombard: True Confession (love her screwball, wide-eyed innocence in this one, as she causes trouble for everyone else. Love the mannerism of her rolling her tongue inside her cheek, raising her eyebrows, looking a bit like a cartoon, as she is thinking/plotting)

And for that reason I thought DeHavilland's response was classy.

Thanks for the recommend, Dargo. I keep hearing about this movie and I wondered if it would also appeal to people like us who are regulars here, and are a little bit rabid in our love of the classics.

Thanks for posting this. I had to laugh, reading where she says that the judges thought she had "sufficient snap in my celery" to deserve the award. Terrific actress and funny lady, even at the young age of 99.

I'm also happy to see that you have a Kate Winslet page on your site - my favorite modern actress. I'm going to check this out, too. (Okay, she's not a 'classic' actress now, but maybe in the future.)

Yes, that's what's wrong...

Thanks, Tom. I respect your opinion and always enjoy reading your posts. I definitely didn't give this film enough of a chance - I only saw about 15 minutes of it. I didn't read enough about the movie before I started watching it, and I think I was expecting a different kind of plot... I didn't expect "suspenseful" and "eerie", and based on what you write it sounds like there's a lot to look forward to. I will watch it again (my friend, a fellow classic film nut, had lent me his Blu Ray - I'll send him a quick text and tell him to bring it back to me!) Thanks again! As an aside, I've seen a lot of great movies based on other posters' recommendations. I'm also now looking forward to seeing "Abandon Ship" for the first time based on all the raves this movie got from board members here.

And her makeup will still stay intact!!

Funny, CMR, the same thing happened to me with this movie. The first time I saw it - many years ago - I loved it. Then I saw it a second time more recently, and I wasn't as taken by it. It's still a good movie, but I wasn't that drawn in the second time around... Brando is great in this, but at a certain point things felt like they were "dragging on" for me. It could have been more my mood at the time than the film itself.