Lori3

When I first got into appreciating and watching classic movies, I actually thought the Dick Powell of the 30's movies and the Dick Powell of the "noir" classics were two different Dick Powell's. I couldn't believe it was the same actor. He really was talented. Lori

Just about anything with W.C.Fields, Mae West, The Marx Bros. Woody Allen movies, especially "Take the Money and Run" The Nake Gun movies, Monty Python movies, and the movies that the MST3K have their stuff to. Oh, and The Hangover, (the first one) I thought it was hysterical. Thanks Lori

Thank you ginnyfan for your support. I still have not heard back from the owner of "Max Blooms Cafe Noir regarding how films are shown at this cafe. Once I hear back, I will post here. In the mean time I thought I would post some fun and interesting info regarding TPART. "Early Oscar predictions for 1946 indicated that John Garfield would be a shoo-in for an Academy Award nomination for his performance in *The Postman Always Rings Twice*. The film's May release date may have worked against him however. By the time ballots went out for nominations in the late Fall, his performance had been forgotten, despite the movie's box office success," From one of the critics, of "Three Movie Buffs" 2003 “If you look up on-screen chemistry in the classic Hollywood dictionary, I believe you will find a picture of John Garfield and Lana Turner kissing passionately on the beach or staring lustily across that diner counter at each other in The Postman Always Rings Twice.” "When MGM publicity released photos of Lana Turner and John Garfield's love scene on the beach, they got complaints from the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America about the film's sexual tone." Imagine, getting all upset about an innocent little picture like this. Thanks Lori Edited by: Lori3 on Jul 29, 2012 8:07 PM

Eugene Palletee! No, seriously, what about Roland Colman or Lawrence Olivier? I think they both had beautiful voices. Lori

Beautifully written thoughts, thank you Tom. Garfield's Harry Morgan is so real it almost "leaps" off the screen, and The Breaking Point is quickly becoming one of my favorite films of his. I too, wish I could have known him. I truly think he was a genuinely a "nice guy" in which a great talent live and he deserves to be bettered remembered today. Here is something to get your thread back on topic. My favorite dancer with my favorite all around entertainer, filming a scene from "For Me and My Gal" 1942. Kelly kind of looks like someone, but I can't think who. Thanks Lori

TonyWendice, as ginnyfan wrote to discuss HUAC, the blacklisting, and Mr.Garfield downfall and death is not the purpose of this thread. You obviously have your thoughts and opinions about this whole mess,(and I am sure others agree with you) and ginnyfan, myself and others have our thoughts and opinions about it. Once this whole HUAC mess gets started on threads it almost always ends up "highjacking" the main purpose of the thread and people start making statements that don't belong on these message boards. I don't want this thread to end up being closed by the administrator of this boards. I am sorry I got caught up to in "highjacking" my own thread as well, but it will stop now. OK? Thanks, Lori

Well said ginnyfan. Thanks!! Lori

TonyWendice, I don't think Garfield's HUAC testimony had to do with his "stupidity" but rather his inability to forget the lessons of his childhood in the slums in New York, where he learned from others that "you don't rat on your friends." Numerous books have been written about him and the blacklisting, and all admit he was not a communist, and HUAC cleared his name of all wrong doing a month after his death. He was uneducated man who was testifiying at HUAC, as really a "street kid" and probably should of had better counsel. None the less, he was man who was generous, and strongly supported the country he loved, and fought Hollywood producers to give minority actors more dignified roles. The author of a great biography on him, Robert Nott said it best when he said, "He could not hurt others, but he could hurt himself." Garfield's good friend Clifford Odets, American Playwriter wrote this letter to the NY Times two days after Garfield's funeral. In these keen and bitter times, highly placed and so open to any wild attacks, Garfield remained extraordinary [free|http://fan.tcm.com/_John-Garfield-Blacklisted-Actor/blog/6214529/66470.html|Powered by Text-Enhance] of malice and meanness....they were nowhere in his nature. Despite any and all gossip to the contrary, I, who was in the position to know, state without equivocation that of all of his possessions Garfield was proudest of his American heritage. His climb from bare poverty to stardom illustrated for him one of the most cherished folkways of our people. His feelings never changed that he had been mandated by the American people to go in and "keep punching" for them. His success as he felt it, was the common property of millions, not peculiarly his own. Affectionate by nature, charming and often refreshingly candid he mostly reserved for friends a glimpse of something true and precious...the adore of a boy for learning and growth." Many critics believe that at 39 Garfield was just beginning to reveal himself as an actor in terms of wider range, new sensitivity and maturity." The letter ends with "I ask, finally to be permitted to forget the present hushed austerities and say simply, "Julie, dear friend, I will always love you." I think there will always be different stories or opinions on Garfield's live and death and there is no way to change peoples opinion of him. All I know is that to me he was a great actor and a brave man who had his share of tragic events in his life (not just the blacklisting) and he did not deserve to die like he did. That of course is just my opinion of John Garfield, and you of course can have yours. Thanks Lori Edited by: Lori3 on Jul 29, 2012 7:46 AM Edited by: Lori3 on Jul 29, 2012 7:48 AM

Hi Tom. The Breaking Point is getting more notice lately, with the recent resoration of the film and screening in LA last month and now this. An article from the Film Noir Foundation most recent addition on John Garfield. The article is about the film The Breaking Point, and it compares the character, Harry Morgan's life with that of John Garfield's life. Very interesting article and here is the link to the article if you care to read it. http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/home.html Kind of a "behind the scenes" photo. Photo taken in 1947 when many Hollywood actors traveled to Washington to protest the HUAC hearings. Actors included Bogart, Bacall, Garfield and many others. Garfield signing autographs after the actors made their protest known. I think maybe this "protest" did more harm than good, at least in Garfield's case, because the committee "questioned" him hard on it during his testimony in 1951. The young ladies look excited to get his autograph though. Edited by: Lori3 on Jul 29, 2012 6:33 AM Edited by: Lori3 on Jul 29, 2012 6:44 AM

Thank you MovieProfessor for a beautiful post on Judy and A Star Is Born. I have loved Judy since I was a little girl and love her still today. The Man That Got Away, is simply Judy at her BEST! I thought all of Hollywood at the time thought Judy had the Oscar for her performance. In fact I thought I read or heard that she didn't attend the Oscars that night because she was in the hospital after giving birth to her son. However, there were news reporters and cameras in her hospital room ready to interview once the announcement was made she had won. Once they heard Grace Kelly had won, they quickly packed up and left Judy, without a word. Is that a true story? Your friend Harold Arlen co-wrote two of Judy's greatest songs ever. Thanks Lori

Hi TonyWendice. Welcome to these message boards. I have never seen you (your name) here before. It made me sad when I read your question, but, that is OK, it is all good. John Garfield was a very popular actor at Warner Bros studio, during the 30's and 40's. Film historians credit him as the first onscreen rebel anti-hero of American films. First Method trained actor to make in "big" in the films. Probably The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946 with Lana Turner was his most famous role. In the early 1950's he fell victim to the HUAC witchhunters. He refused to name, names was blacklisted and soon found his film career had ended. No studio would hire him, because like many other actors, directors and screenwriter he was accused of being a communist. In 1952, he died of a massive heart attack at the age of 39. Although he had a "bad" heart, many believe that he was hounded to death by the government, and that the blacklisting was in a large part responsible for his premature death. Next Sunday, TCM is airing his first film "Four Daughters" 1938, and it is in this film where many say he changed the style of screening acting and the first "rebel" was born. On September 19th, TCM will be airing many of his films for the John Garfield Tribute. Also, on that day is scheduled "The John Garfield Story", a great documentary on his life. A famous and often repeated statement regarding him is, "Before there was Brando, Dean, Cliff or DeNiro there was Garfield. He has also given the title of "one of the most underrated and forgotten actors in history." I would encourage you to look him up on the internet or over at the CFU site and check out some of his films, I am sure you won't be disappointed. He is my favorite actor, and my goal along with some other fans is to increase his "star recognition" hence my petition for a box-set of his films. Thanks, Lori

Hey ginnyfan I copied this from "Classic Missing in Action" thread by TopBilled. You should check it out, cute picture of Ginny there. TopBilled made the post on July 26th. 008. *GIRL OF THE OZARKS *(1936)...Paramount...Virginia Weidler, Henrietta Crosman, Leif Erikson From ancient-andean at the IMDB: Virginia is a very special child actress, a master in this movie. Unlike many of her era, she was an 8-year-old who could squeeze the last bit of emotion from the audience, eyes gleaming in one scene, dripping tears in the next... mischievous, adorable. Along with her big brown eyes, she could act. Viewers will also want to catch her singing "Old Dan Tucker." She sings it like a poor child really would and what happens during the song will break your heart. Ginny seems very popular on these message boards. Lori

Thank you ginnyfan for the help and support. Rather than open a new thread and get in trouble I will post these announcements here. From DVD Talk Review: on two classic John Garfield films released on DVD / Blue-ray. Body and Soul 1947, "{font:Verdana}Robert Rossen's film directly inspired Martin Scorsese with Raging Bull, especially apparent in the film's whiz-bang climactic fight sequence. {font}{font:Verdana}A gritty, satisfying boxing melodrama with a knockout performance from John Garfield." {font}{font:Verdana}Another wonderful performance comes from Canada Lee, playing one of the few examples of a dignified, non-stereotypical black man in '40s cinema. He rocks.{font}" {font:Verdana}Garfield received an Oscar nomination for Best actor, for his portrayal as boxer Charley Davis. {font}One of the producers of the film tried to talk Garfield out of using Canada Lee in the film, fearing negative reaction from some southern states, he said why take a chance like this, just use a white actor for the part. Garfield's response to the producer, F---you! Force of Evil 1948. {font:Verdana}"A tour-de-force for actor John Garfield, 1948's Force of Evil is a tightly woven crime drama about two brothers, a big racket, and the consequences that come when the chips fall. The matinee idol plays a smooth-talking mob lawyer looking to legitimize the numbers racket in New York, and only finding a deeper systemic cesspool than he even realized. Force of Evil is stylized but smart, both challenging gangster movie conventions and affirming them. Sometimes you see a classic and wonder why it's considered so influential; such is not the case with Force of Evil." {font} Also, WBs has released "Nobody Lives Forever" 1946 on DVD, another "solid" Garfield performance, and little unknown "gem" of a film. July has been a good month for John Garfield fans. (Me) Thanks Lori Edited by: Lori3 on Jul 28, 2012 4:57 AM

No sorry, I have no contact info on Marsha Hunt, but someone on these board met her and said she was very pleasant to talk with. It is under the thread relating to "actors you have met" or something like that. Lori

Hi ginnyfan. I enjoyed the ginnython too. The last film, "I'll Wait for You" is a remake, (I think) of the film "Hide Out" 1934 with Robert Montgomery and Maureen O'Sullivan, with Mickey Rooney in Virginia's role. Any ways it was a good film with a good performance by Ginny. Marsha Hunt was very pretty, she was another victum of HUAC and the blacklisting. Thanks Lori

ginnyfan, I am the one who started the confusion I guess. When I wrote "the message is important" I was referring to the sermon! Sorry. BTW, I always assumed most of the people on these message boards lived on the East coast, not the West coast. Oh well I enjoyed the first "Ginny" film this morning, "I'll Wait for You" starts in about a half hour. Lori

Hi Tom. Yes, in answer to your question Garfield was separated from his wife at the time of his death. From what I have read she was really upset with him for planning to write the article for Look magazine, "I was a Sucker for a Left Hook" in which he was trying to salvage his film career and remove his name from the blacklist. I guess she wanted him to forget his film career and NOT give in to the pressures of HUAC. The article never got published. Then of course, HUAC cleared his name of any wrong doing a month after his death. (A little late.) He had his faults e.g. the womanizing, but he had a lot very good qualities e.g. his strong love and support of this country, his support of minority actors for more important and dignified roles and his generosity, just to name a few. Garfield filming a scene from "They Made Me a Criminal" 1939 with the great James Wong Howe. Trivia: John Garfield and Claude Rains went to Howe's grand opening of his Chinese Restaurant in 1939, in return Howe taught them both how to make Chinese food. BTW, love the photos of Grand Hotel. Thanks Lori Edited by: Lori3 on Jul 27, 2012 2:48 PM

Well musikone, thank you for the explanation, I guess. I am sorry, it's late, I am tired and I am not sure how to take your response. I would think that when a monthly schedule is developed by TCM programmers, their "choices" would have to be checked and given the "stamp of approval" by their supervisors. The only thing I can figure out is that The John Garfield Story follows the film "Tortilla Flat" 1942 in which Garfield co-stars with Spencer Tracy, and Hedy Lamar. I will say that I am not real happy with all of the films TCM is airing on September 19th for his tribute. TCM puts in the line up "East of the River" and Flowing Gold" two of his B films for Warners, and leaves out "Pride of the Marines" and "Humoresque?" I am assuming also that the reason TCM is not including Body and Soul and / or Force of Evil to be aired on his tribute day is because they don't have the rights to the films. I just think that if TCM is going to give someone a "tribute" they would include the actor's most acclaimed roles, and not two B films that they were force to do by the studio. Thanks Lori

Hey, great pics Tom. Thanks for posting the photos from TPART. The last picture you posted with Garfield and Turner on the beach with all the people in the back ground has interesting bit of trivia. Well, according to Robert Nott, author of Garfield's story one of those brunette ladies is actually (so he claims) Robbie, Garfield's wife. I guess she made a lot more visits to the set of this film then any other her husband made. She obviously didn't trust her husband with Turner, or didn't trust Turner with her husband. I think they still manage to fool around a bit, according to Nott and others. The film also had to be edited after it's first screening, because the audience were "shocked" at the way Garfield and Turner were kissing. Garfield and Turner thought they were in France, I guess? Lori

Not that I am complaining in the least bit, but why is TCM re-airing "The John Garfield Story" on October 9th, when on September 19th, it is scheduled to air as part of the "John Garfield Tribute" day? I am just curious what the reason is, that's all. Maybe somebody with TCM is trying to shut me up and keep me quiet? Thanks Lori

Thanks ginnyfan, I know what you mean. I knew my favorite wasn't as well know as Cagney, Bogart or Robinson when I joined the TCM message boards. A little over a year ago, when I first "discovered" him I was reading "He Ran All The Way" by Robert Nott. My husband asks me "what are you reading? "Oh I said, a great book about John Garfield's life. My husband's reply, "Who is John Garfield?" I wanted to "knock" my upside the head, but I didn't. My husband now knows about John Garfield. ( To be fair, he knew Garfield's face and knew he was in "Air Force", he just didn't know his name.) Sorry, but I am sure he would be clueless on Virginia Weidler right now. Thanks Lori

Thanks ginnyfan on the "heads up" regarding the two Ginny films. I look forward to seeing them. I also look forward to reading your answers for the Ginny quiz. Oh, and yes I did see the pictures you posted on your last blog. They are great pictures and I didn't realize she came from such a "show business" involved family. Thanks Lori

Thanks ginnyfan for posting TART screening on Virginia's Facebook page. Thanks too, for the idea about doing a blog for the CFU regarding the screening. Hopefully I will get to do before the weekend ends and I will include VWRS to it as well. I was just thinking about working on and submitting a blog on Garfield to that classic movie blog site I gave you info on a while back. Have you written anything about Virginia for that site yet? WOW, It is a lot of work being a "devoted" fan of an "star" that is not as iconic as others huh? You know what I mean? Thanks Lori

ginnyfan, I am really interested to see how you do with those questions regarding "Ginny's" life in 1935. I am looking forward to what she said, she wanted to be when she grew up. How old was Ginny in 1935 any ways? Lori

Hey ginnyfan, I am almost sure that "Max Bloom's Cafe Noir" has a large screen TV, or projection screen to air their films on. Maybe your church should take up a donation or something to purchase a projection screen for it's use. Although I guess what something is projected on is not as important as the message, right? Thanks Lori P.S. I am still waiting to hear from the owner of Max Bloom's Cafe Noir regarding how they "show" the films on Tuesday nights, e.g. The Postman Always Rings Twice, on August 28th.