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Yes, Lavender, you CAN see Bogey wet-eyed in *Casablanca* , and I KNOW I've seen him shed tears in other movies, although I can't bring them up at the moment. I remember an actress, name forgotten, who in a TV interview many years ago talked about doing a movie with Bogart where SHE had to cry in one scene, and found it difficult. Bogart took her aside and started giving her pointers on how to do it. And while he was telling her all that, he had TEARS rolling down his face! We all, at first, respond to Cagney (and Bogey) on the surface. They did a LOT of "tough guy" gangster type roles, but subsequently got into deeper character portrayals that required them to be more than "cookie-cutter" hard guys. You can see it in subtle facial and eye expressions. These guys were far better at their craft than the first impressions let on. Both Cagney and Bogart were deft at showing warmth and vulnerability, and also frightening psycosis. Many of these guys weren't obsessed with their on-screen images. I don't think any of them would pass on using the act of crying if it were integral to the story of the character they portrayed, or the storyline. In spite of what some are led to believe, or have allowed themselves to believe, it takes a REAL man, secure in his manhood, to allow himself to cry, especially if the situation warrants it. The death of a loved one, a child, intense pain. Even the "manly" Kirk Douglas has cried in more than one movie. If they have ANY artistic integrity, they'll cry if the scene requires it. Sepiatone

Yeah, Hibi, that's what they say about the Golden Globes. But notice that Eddie Murphy, who won the Golden Globe for his role in *Sunshine Girls* didn't cop the Oscar that same year. Most complaints about the Oscar programs are that they run too long. They could solve that by holding the presentations for some categories at a seperate ceremony as they do other categories. For example, NOBODY I know has ever SEEN any of the "Shorts" that get nominated. Eliminate that on the main Oscar broadcast. Same with "Sound" and "Sound Mixing". Nobody knows the difference, and most TV viewers don't care. Throw in "Editing". When was the last time any of you heard "Average Joe" rave about the way some movie was EDITED? And WHY do the winners feel they HAVE to thank everyone from the doctor who delivered them to their DOG GROOMER? If my wife were an Oscar nominated actress, and won, I'd feel her thanking ME would be a waste of time, since SHE did all the work! I know my suggested deletions are important to the success of a movie, and I'll likely get flamed royally for their mention, but we're not discussing the obsessive "moviephile". More than 90% of the people who tune into the broadcast are the average, occaisional moviegoer, who judge a movie on how it held THEIR interest. And those are the ones who don't go to hear how well the SOUND was mixed. Sepiatone

That's not entirely true, MissW. Especially in the case of Laurie, who's "goofy" looks as illustrated by the photo you posted was largely due to affected facial expression. At least my wife thinks so. She's seen some of Hugh's earlier work, and thought he was always kind of handsome. And it's not always true that men generally get better looking as they age. Keith Richards put THAT to rest! And that phenomenon DOES happen with women, but in an earlier range of age. For instance, Sarah Jessica Parker got MUCH more attractive when reaching adulthood than when she was in her teens, As did Mellissa Gilbert. And some, like Ann-Margaret, Sophia Loren and Raquel Welch NEVER got "old". There ARE exceptions to EVERY rule. Sepiatone

I know I could easily look it up, but I'm here NOW. How old would he have been? Sepiatone

I wonder if that same impersonator did one of Bette singing "Bette Davis Eyes"? I always shuddered at that image! Sepiatone

Americans have always found dismissive and derougatory ways to refer to those of differering backgrounds. I pointed this out in an ealier post. It was also addressed by the FIRESIGN THEATER in *How Can You Be In* *Two Places at Once(When You're Not Anywhere At All).* The second half of a little song they sing in answer to "What IS America?" goes something like: "It's Micks and **** and Wops and ****; With noses as long as your arm; It's **** and Zips and **** and Chinks; And Honkies, who never left the farm!" It's easy to see that ethnic bigotry is one of America's natural resources. Always seems to have been. And most likely the result of the same bigotry held in our diverse population's various points of origin. I'd not be surprised if the same feelings were held in European countries towards neighboring countries. Here in america, we define this mostly with insulting humor. How many Polacks do you need to screw in a light bulb; Why do Mexican women wear long skirts; How do you get a Scotsman into a bathtub; Did you hear about the new Italian snowtire? Many of those jokes are interchangeable, depending on the "nationality" you're wishing to insult. In this country, you needn't be black to be the target of a joke...just having blonde hair will do. Some detrimental referrences get confusing to me. For instance, WHY are redheads called "Gingers"? I have ginger root in my pantry, ground ginger in my spice rack, and ginger ale in my fridge. NONE of them are RED. What's UP with that? Sepiatone

I hear ya, finance. I quit them when they started showing FX style movies WITH commercial breaks. Sepiatone

HERE, HERE! Sepiatone

Yes, as *The Wizard of OZ* came out in '39, the movie's characters being included in a Christmas parade would make more sense in 1940 than in later years. My Mom, who was 14 in 1940 LOVED this movie. She did point some things that seemed 'out of place", but easily looked past them. And yes, the absence of any war referrences, "Uncle Sam" posters and the like indicate the story was "pre-war". Writer/narrator Jean Shepard was about Ralphie's age at the time. It all ties in. Incidentally, when I first showed this movie to my Mom, I thought she was going to swallow her upper plate when the scene of Ralphie sitting with a bar of soap in his mouth came on. Unfortunately, HER preferrence for me and my brother was FELS NAPTHA! Sepiatone

If you've ever been to Vegas in recent yeats, you should at least get a kick out of seeing how BARREN "The Strip" looked in those days. Sepiatone

It was my understanding the word "schvartzes" came from the Yiddish, which sounds to me like it's largely based on German anyway. Gabe Kaplan did a routine about how as a kid, he was unfamiliar with the term. One day, all the people in the apartment building he lived in were all upset and worried looking because "the Schvartzes" were coming to look at a recently vacated apartment in his building. Judging by the worried looks on their faces, he assumed some pending disaster was about to strike, so he sat on the front stoop with his football helmet on, looking up at the sky. He noticed a black couple walking up to the building and told them, "You guys better get out of here. The SCHVARTZES are coming!" Sepiatone

Those who watched the recent marathon of "The Twighlight Zone" on SCY FY noticed how they handled the closing credits. They compressed them in a box on the right side of the screen. With little effort, you could read them, but it's annoying all the same. And while they're doing this, all they're showing on the major part of the screen are promos for the same crap they've been cluttering up the bottom of the screen with throughout the broadcast! It seems EVERYBODY gripes about this stuff, with no response from, or effect on, the networks. Sepiatone

When I first went to Las Vegas, we visited the Desert Inn. It looked to be doing just fine. Susan Anton was appearing there. When we went back the following year, it was closed up, and a huge fence was surrounding it. That was a surprise. Also, the first time we went, we stayed at The Stardust! 'Nuff said. Sepiatone

I was wondering the same thing, MissW. If she was braving some serious chronic condition, she never let on. Not only content to put on a cheerful face, but went the extra mile to put one on US as well. Now that I've absorbed it more, I too, would like to pass condolences to her family and loved ones. Depending on what you believe, Lori3 has finally got to meet her favorite! Sepiatone

Well, she was YOUNGER than me! What the hell happened? Now I'm too bummed out to say more... Sepiatone

After watching the original *Ocean's Eleven* tonight on TCM, Robert Osborne came on for his "epilogue" and claimed that only two of the casinos in the movie were gone...The SANDS and the SAHARA. But THE DESERT INN, which was also "hit" in the movie, was closed and demolished in 2000, and Steve Wynn's new casino/hotel stands in it's place. Was this an oversight by Osborne's staff, or is that clip of Osborne's epilogue that old? Sepiatone

The movie strikes a note with many people, Filmgoddess, because we ALL can remember a time in our childhoods, regardless of age, when we coveted that ONE gift we wished for Christmas that we felt would complete our lives. For me, it was a gun and holster set from "HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL". Never DID get it! Sepiatone

Bringing up Grandma again! SHE grew up through a period when black people actually DIDN'T like being called "black", but preferred "colored". THEN down the road, it switched. For a short while, "NEGRO" was in preferrence, then NOT. "AFRO-AMERICAN" was insisted upon in the late '60's through the early '70's, but was dropped. Once, black people wanted to become a recognized part of the American facescape. THEN they wanted NO PART of acknowledgement from white society. Once, they claimed that their skin color SHOULDN'T MATTER. THEN claimed their skin color should be all that DID matter. The bullseye in the target is the finding a way to not offend black people with which to how they're being referred as, but the target keeps moving. Eventually, even the most liberal minded whites gave up trying, and stopped caring due to impatience with waiting for y'all to make up your minds. I essentially feel "live and let live", and leave it at that. Sepiatone

Calm down, Mike. I'll help you out. Yes, it seems for the last DECADE or so, ALL stations and networks have taken to obliterating either the lower left or lower right corner( and some blot out the ENTIRE bottom fifth of the screen) with "announcement" graphics of presentations that might not air for WEEKS. Mostly though, what's generally seen down in the corners is a network or channel logo. The reasons for this are vague to me, but it might have something to do with preventing bootlegging, or an assist for the viewer to know which channel he's on, or just plain promo. I'm not really sure. I for one, MISS the days when we could watch TV WITHOUT all that CRAP on the bottom of the screen. Sepiatone

I haven't seen the movie, MissW. But it sounds GREAT, according to your description. And honest. I like honest movies. The wife is unhappy in her marriage? So she sticks it out, knowing that leaving and starting over might be too difficult. Occupies her mind to try and endure. JUST LIKE millions of others are probably REALLY doing. No outlandish heroics. No "White Knight" to come and sweep her away. No abject "lesson" of "strong woman takes charge of her destiny" kind of cliched crap. I actually have no idea if any of this has anything to do with this movie, but I'm just saying a word about honest and actual movie portrayals. You make it sound as if *Spirit of The Beehive* is that type of film, which makes me regret missing it. And after several years of flubbing around with photography, it's perfectly reasonable, to me, for you to use the word "POETRY" when describing a film. I've seen hundreds of STILL photographs in which the word could be used in THEIR description. So go ahead. Sepiatone

Gemini, you've struck a point I had been trying to make for some time. One of my nephews used to date a girl who hailed from Egypt, which I claimed makes HER technically "African-American". But another point of contention, at least for me, is the "American" posting second. I DO have some pride in my Polish heritage, but when some twit asks the old question, "What's your NATIONALITY?", I always reply "American". After all, I was born in Wyandotte Michigan, which IS, last I looked, in America. Raised in neighboring Lincoln Park, MI, ALSO in America. Educated here, made my living here, raised MY family here, and STILL live in America. I'll only go so far as to claim being "American-Polish". It all goes to my earlier statement about people "cramming their heritage down our throats". And, as usual, I have a true story that's related in a way. When my Grandmother was 14, my great-grandfather had her take a box of items to the family that just moved into a farm down the road as sort of a "Welcome to the community" offering. When she got to the new neighbor's place, she first noticed that they were Italians. She then noticed the house was lively decorated with plants and flowers hanging on the walls, and wine bottles with candles in them(probably Chianti bottles) sitting on red checkered tableclothed tables. In essence, she told me, it looked to her how a farmhouse in Italy might look. When she got home, she asked my great-grandfather, "Hey, Pa...how come WE don't have anything in our house to show that we're Polish?". My great-grandfather pointed out to the road and said, "On the mailbox! It says KUROWSKI. How much more Polish do you want?". My grandmother then told him about the new people's house and it's decorations and ended with what was said earlier about it looking like what a farmhouse in Italy might look. My great-grandfather then told her, "If I wanted my house to look like a POLISH house, I would have STAYED IN POLAND." He then left the room shaking his head in something like pity. But he made his point. When HE came to America in 1893, there were NO bilingual signs to let him know where he was, or bilingual instruction booklets to help him find his way. it was like that for ALL immigrants in that period. Yet, somehow they all managed. Sure, they moved into the proper ethnic neighborhoods where ealier immigrants would be able to assist them until they learned the customs, and more importantly, the LANGUAGE well enough to get along on their own. THEY realized they were no longer in "the old country", and set about the business of becoming "AMERICAN". Someting they always took pride in. Being a third generation descendant of Polish immigrants, I have NO real connection with Poland, have never BEEN there, and don't even, beyond my name and a few Polish cuisine dishes, speak the language. I'M an AMERICAN first, as all others born here should consider themselves. Sepiatone

Phroso, if you look quickly and carefully, you'll notice the year 1940 stamped on the "decoder pin" Ralphie uses to discover the "crummy commercial" he found out was Annie's secret message. There's a lot of "out of place" things in *A Christmas Story* . Usually in outdoor shots, and likely left alone in hopes the viewer won't notice, and to shave the budget. For instance, the house behind the playground when FLICK sticks his tongue to the pole has aluminum siding, aluminum window frames and storm door and wrought iron railings holding up an aluminum awning. Something NOT seen until the mid-'50's and later. As for the music, I only noticed some disparity on radio music. I too, thought I noticed a couple of tunes post 1940, but not really sure. I DID like the mixture of "PETER ANDTHE WOLF" and "GRAND CAYON SUITE" used for the background score, and thought the WOLF instrumentation from PATW to introduce SKUTT FARCAS was inspired. Sepiatone

Defend DISCO? Now, WHY would you want to do THAT? OTOH, *Saturday Night Fever* was one of those movies I thought I'd hate, but wound up liking very much. Didn't care for the music, and thought Travolta's dance partner for the competition was terribly miscast. But the story, having Travolta's character learn there's more to life than what he likes or dislikes, accepting that there were people who could dance BETTER, and accepting that it's OK that he's NOT all that and a bag of chips was quite good. Sepiatone

To extremely paraphrase Al Capp, there really can't be any "racism", as all the insulting bigotry is aimed at various members of the "Human " race! In light of that, let's resort to calling it "Ethnicism". And THAT'S been largely predominant in American society. Even among WHITES. "He's IRISH. You KNOW what THEY'RE like!", "Don't go down THAT street. That's the ITALIAN neighborhood.", "Man, I HATE them (squareheads/ Polacks/ Frogs/Krauts/ Hunkies/ Lymies/ Clodhoppers)". Mulitple choice! Black people also get into arguements about "Who's more BLACK?". Based on skin tone. As Americans, we've taken to being BOASTFUL about our diversity to other nations. While iside America, it's treated as a point of contention. Go figure. Warren Beatty, as "Bullworth" said, "We're all going to keep FU**ING each other till we're all the same color, so why get so upset now?" Or something to that effect. Sepiatone Edited by: Sepiatone on Jan 7, 2013 5:11 PM

Now, HOLD ON a minute, folks! There may or may not be some merit in this. First of all, we don't know how old this brother is. IS he of an age where there was nothing but black and white TV, and then you wonder why THAT didn't affect him? Or was he born when EVERYBODY had color sets, and found out he had this malady when he viewed B&W? Over the years I've read and heard stories of wives being "allergic" to their husbands, husbands with audio anomalies where they couldn't hear certain pitches of sound, and their WIVES just happened to speak at that pitch, color blindness in the form that the colors blue and green were indecipherable to the viewer and so forth. I've heard of this B&W thing in reverse; people who felt nausea or got headaches when color televisions started entering the picture. There are other visual conditions that can affect movie viewing. My younger daughter has what for lack of a better term are "vortex" astigmatisms. Laser surgery can't correct them, and she can't see the 3-D effect in modern movies. With the glasses. My wife suffers with slight "diabetic retinopathy", and while she can see what's on our TV's 50" screen, she can't make out subtitles in movies like "M". The brother in question's situation can be more easily judged based on whether or not he displays disappointment in the fact, or not. Or is it something he's come up with recently after long periods of trying to pique his interest in "classic" movies. We need the full story. Sepiatone