ChristineHoard

FYI: 4 for Texas is the Frank Sinatra movie directed by Robert Aldrich. Victor Buono was in it, too. I thought the guy who played Sinatra was pretty good; he did look and sound like him. Aldrich must have forgotten that you have to get Sinatra on the first take because he hated retakes. As for Feud, another interesting episode with some good lines. Yeah, it is sad to think many of the same old battles are still being fought when it comes to women starring in the movies, women directing movies, etc. And I did love Joan yelling at Jack Warner to get out of her house and Joan firing her agents. You go, girl! I also loved the scene where Bette is just getting home from being on Jack Paar's show and Joan telephones her. Bette berates Joan for being drunk while she pours herself a drink and takes it to bed. I guess Bette could hold her liquor better than Joan although I doubt Bette would be drunk by 11a.m. like Joan was in her scene with Jack Warner. I got out one of my Oscar reference books because I couldn't remember who got best actress nominations besides Bette and (SPOILER ALERT) eventual winner Anne Bancroft (Miracle Worker). They were Geraldine Page (Sweet Bird of Youth), Lee Remick (Days of Wine and Roses) and Katherine Hepburn (Long Days Journey Into Night). Tough competition. I wonder what Bette Davis really thought of her chances.

Great observations, JLewis. I love PSYCHO, too; it has so many wonderful touches that we can appreciate with each viewing. I also do love Laurene Tuttle and John McIntire. (Laurene was also fine as Cary Grant's secretary in MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE. They both were great supporting character actors.) One minor quibble: I don't think her "IN BED" was a dig at Sam. I think she said that because it was a shocking gossipy thing to repeat. She didn't know Sam and Marion were having physical relations. Still, I love that line and the way she delivers it is priceless. John Gavin - not the greatest actor in the world but he's got the looks and the body - no wonder Marion wanted him. I know there are disagreements about the "tacked on" ending but I like it with the psychiatrist explaining things and the fade-out with Norman/Mother smiling and the car being dragged out of the swamp along with that wonderful musical score.

Anybody watch the third episode of FEUD? It was kind of bittersweet dealing with Bette and Joan's rocky relationships with their kids. I also liked the recreations of scenes from WHATEVER HAPPENED... and Bette's developing friendship with Victor Buono.

I certainly understand why Robert wouldn't want to reveal his sexuality especially considering when he came of age. As a young man in the 1950's, with all the hysteria about witch hunts, blacklisting, etc., it was easier to just go along with the conservative establishment especially if you were looking for a job. Even in movies from the early 1960's like ADVISE AND CONSENT, being gay is portrayed as a terrible sickness and you might as well kill yourself if you're going to be outed. Let's remember homosexuality was considered a mental illness until the 1970's. As a society, we have come a long way since then (and we still have a ways to go, in my opinion). Even President Obama was not for equal rights for marriage at first and then he came around. Being older, Robert may have felt more comfortable keeping that part of his life private. In a way it is kind of sad that he felt he couldn't be open about that aspect of his life although I'm sure close friends and family knew. On the other hand this is what he was comfortable with publicly and it was his own business and we need to respect that. I would have liked to have told him, "Robert, nobody cares. We love you and we thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm about movies and the people who made them with us." One's sexuality is only part of who we are.

Swithin, I may have to read this book. Beautiful. Thanks again,

I don't care what one's sexuality is, that passage is HOT! Perfect love, indeed. Thanks for sharing.

I wondered about this, too. I thought, d***n, Joan's not that old.

I imagine Hitchcock and the writers had to tone down suggestions of homosexuality to get ROPE past the censors, so the interaction between the two lead characters is subtle but viewers can pick up on it (or not). Rupert's sexuality is irrelevant; I never saw his character as gay or straight - he's a teacher spouting theories that these young men revered and took to heart. (I've never read or seen the original play.)

I wanted to thank you for this. I recorded it when HBO ran it the other day and I look forward to watching it. Bryan Cranston is a fine actor (loved him in BREAKING BAD and I want to see TRUMBO) and, as a history buff, I've read a couple of LBJ bios. If it hadn't been for Viet Nam I believe LBJ would have gone down as one of the greatest presidents ever (in my opinion). Civil rights, voting rights, Medicare, etc. are landmark achievements. He proved that having some legislative experience is helpful in getting stuff done.

I can't find the article I read but I did look at that EW story RoyCronin mentioned. SLATE and VULTURE also have interesting articles about FEUD and Bette & Joan. Maybe I misunderstood; Bette and Joan did sometimes have affairs with their directors and apparently Joan and Aldrich had a fling during AUTUMN LEAVES. Who knows for sure? As someone wrote on one of the Robert Osborne sites, so many of the older stars and older film historians have passed on so some of that first-hand knowledge of what really happened in the movie biz has gone with them. It certainly makes sense that in the Hollywood of yore where actors are under contract with studios and thus making films with the same directors and co-stars and are spending hours together there are bound to be plenty of opportunities for behind-the-scenes romances.

I read yesterday on a web site (sorry, I can't remember which one for sure; I look at about five every day besides TCM)) that Ryan Murphy interviewed Bette Davis in the 1980s and he said she said she and Aldrich did have an affair. I'll try and track this down later.

SPOILER ALERT: I meant to add another great scene - when Joan tells her much-younger lover he's being recast. Apparently he hadn't been attentive to her enough. I think my DVR stopped before the end of the show because it cut off during the last (I think) scene.

I can't argue about THE SEARCHERS. I haven't seen the list but I bet SHANE and HIGH NOON are among the top. UNFORGIVEN is really good and of more recent vintage so maybe more people remember it. My favorite is STAGECOACH.

There is room for everything. I think Now Playing will continue. It's a companion to TMC, just like the web site. I don't think the print medium is dead - yes, it's struggling, but there is still a place for it.

I watched the new (second) episode of FEUD and I like it a lot. I thought it was very entertaining. The guy who played Victor Buono was a perfect acting choice. The girl (Keiren something that starts with "S"?) has the same character traits as the girl she played in MAD MEN only now a couple years older. Kathy Bates is spot-on as Joan Blondell. Judy Davis and Al Molina are excellent. Susan Sarandon is doing a fine job capturing Bette's mannerisms and vocal style. I like Jessica Lange's portrayal of Joan overall but, yeah, sometimes her frozen face detracts from her performance. My favorite part of tonight's show was Bette and Robert Aldrich rehearsing "I'm Sending a Letter to Daddy" and how he guided her. It was a great scene. I wonder how much truth is in this story so far and how much is fiction. I really don't know. I've seen WHATEVER HAPPENED...a bunch of times and I am a big fan of both actresses, particularly Bette (always #1 on my list of best actresses but bumped to #2 a few years ago by Barbara Stanwyck). I had read they really didn't like each other and it went back to the old days when Bette was fooling around with Franchot Tone, Joan's boyfriend. Still, they acted like pros on the set for the most part.

Thanks for the tip!

Horror doesn't lend itself to "epic" in terms of budget and time length. The best horror films are tightly wound. Any "epic" horror flicks would be mini-series on TV like Stephen King adaptations or maybe Walking Dead. A lot of horror on TCM is aired during October (of course), so at least we have that. What I would like to see on TCM (and it would have to be after prime time due to gore) are more of the great horror films from the 70s like those of David Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, etc. with commentary by someone who actually knows and appreciates the genre. For the most part and with some exceptions, the horror movie of the past couple of decades has not been very good - predictable plots of teenagers getting into trouble, trying to infuse horror and humor and failing at both. Right now there are a couple of new horror flicks that look very interesting and that I would like to see: GET OUT and RAW.

YES! Very much so; I like them both, especially CROSSFIRE - one of my all time favorites..

The time slot may not be ideal but there are recording devices out there, folks. The Roberts Mitchum & Ryan are the Gods of Noir. I adore both of them.

Off topic a bit but I couldn't agree more. I think Julia Roberts won because everyone loved her and voters probably thought she was "due" but Burstyn's performance was absolutely terrific. As for FEUD, I love Bette and I love Joan and I love WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...so I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it because I didn't want the film makers to make fun of these two great women and their wonderful movie. But I enjoyed it so far and I'm going to follow it through. Love Judy Davis and Kathy Bates in it. I have to use my imagination a bit with the two leads; sort of like Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon in NIXON. They may not look that much like their characters but they are getting the mannerisms down pretty good. Favorite scene so far was Bette with soon-to-be ex-husband Gary Merrill.

God bless Robert Osborne! I've been a classic film fan since I was a kid in the late 1950s. When I discovered TCM, I was in movie heaven! His intros, his gracious and friendly manner - he was a true class act. He had respect for all film genres. Even when I had problems and sadness in my own life, Robert and TCM were there. Like everyone else, I will miss him very much and I imagine him in Heaven with all the great talent we've lost over the years (in front of and behind the cameras) having a wonderful time. RIP indeed, dear friend.

You're not alone; I'm getting the same thing.

Maybe it just felt like 2-3 hours.

If an actor can't do a decent accent, then please don't - for all our sakes. It takes you out of the movie. I'll use my imagination and pretend they are part of the locale where the story takes place.

The best thing about BLOW UP is the Yardbirds. I love seeing the youthful Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck and I love their music. The rest of it, not so much. Yeah, Val Lewton used wind earlier and better. At least things happen when the wind is blowing in a Val Lewton movie rather than in BLOW UP.