[20th Century Vole Presents]

 

 

Thirty Selfies Over Tokyo

 

Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle plans a daring air raid on Tokyo to boost

Allied morale. Unfortunately, he makes one tragic blunder. He allows camera

phones on the planes. The crews start taking selfies and posting them on

Facebook, losing sight of their primary mission. They become so engrossed

that they fly right past Tokyo and don't drop their bombs until they reach

Shanghai. This horrible mistake is covered up and Doolittle returns to the

U.S. as a war hero, where he finally gets to make his own selfies.

 

At least they weren't sexting . . .

[Whales of August Tonight]

GREAT NEWS! How early in the morning? At least I can record it..........

 

The start time is 1:45 AM Eastern on June 24.

 

It appears the June 23 online schedule.

[What color is that?]

Those are my favorite episodes. I believe Elizabeth Montgomery is beautiful in these. Her screen image was changed when they went to color, and it was not much to my liking. She had a softer, more natural appearance in the b&w episodes.

 

 I do like the episodes that were filmed in color but I don't like the colorized versions of the black and white episodes.

 

I agree that Elizabeth Montgomery is especially beautiful in the black and white episodes.

[Whales of August Tonight]

I love O Lucky Man! too. Havent seen it since it came out. Would be nice to see it on TCM. Perhaps an evening of Anderson's films.....

 

 

O LUCKY MAN! is scheduled to air on June 23 (actually early morning June 24).

[Dr. Zhivago Haters Gather Here!]

I'm surprised anyone thought the musical would be a hit but obviously some backers were convinced.

[If I Could Program A Year of SOTMs They Would Be . . .]

Selling broadcast rights for films to TCM is like money for old rope.

While other movie channels compete for the latest Will Smith, Tom Cruise films TCM shows Joe E. Brown movies.

I think people exaggerate the cost challenges of TCM's programming.  Even films from the 70's are probably pretty cheap.

Personally, I think the repetitiveness is a result of lack of imagination on the part of the programmers.  The same old same old are just easier to reach.

 

I think another issue besides cost is having films with a digital copy.

[If you could completely recast any movie--how would you do it?]

As much as I love Lucille Ball, I would have recast Mame and replaced her with Angela Lansbury who played Mame on Broadway.  Lucille Ball, while I imagine her bad singing on I Love Lucy was played up for effect, was definitely not a singer like Angela Lansbury.  Mame would have been a much better film if Lansbury was able to reprise her role alongside Bea Arthur.

 

Yes it would have been great to have that Angela Lansbury performance captured on film.

[TCM Summer 2015 "Fan Favorites" Selection Process]

Has anyone on these boards ever entered one of the TCM "Fan Favorites" contests?

[Stop Showing ROMAN HOLIDAY So much!!]

I know some on this board hate MAMMA MIA, but the love the location scenes in that movie.

 

I love when the Greek locals chime in on the choruses of the songs.

[James Dean]

James Dean Memorial, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles...

 

 

There's another memorial dedicated to him very closely to where he meet his fate while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder near the small central California burg of Cholame...

Thanks for sharing these images, Dargo.

[June Schedule is Up]

I saw a play a few years ago in London based on the making of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane called Bette and Joan.  It was a two-hander that all takes place in their respective dressing rooms.  Greta Scacchi of all people played Bette Davis and Anita Dobson played Joan Crawford.  It was quite good.  Yes, there was rivalry between the two but a lot of professionalism too.

 

Interesting casting there.

It sounds like a good play.

[What color is that?]

When I purchased my BEWITCHED DVD sets, I opted for Season 1 and 2 in the original black-and-white rather than the colorized versions that were also available.

[THE CEREMONY bumped for Rod Taylor tribute on January 29]

I watched the opening only so far.

The movie appears to be in pan-and-scan with the only opening credits in widescreen: pan-and-scan before and after the credits.

[If you could select 31 actors and actresses for August's Summer Under the Stars, which ones would you choose?]

 

 

The following is only one of my three or four ideas for a SUTS in August:

 

 

August 17th - Kim Novak

 

 

 

If Kim Novak is honored this year maybe TCM will air THE LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE again.

[Where is the "Upcoming Classic 20th Century Fox films" thread?]

I don't think I have FMC.

[A TCM Must See This A.M.]

If I'm not mistaken there was movie made about an older Tom Ripley.

I think maybe John Malkovich played the part.

[HITS & MISSES: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow on TCM]

Well, I'm recording 3 days in a row:

 

5/27 8pm THE STAR with Bette Davis 

 

 

Yes, I'm hoping to finally see THE STAR in its entirety.

 

I have seen the part where the Bette Davis character (a mature actress) performs her screen test like an ingénue.

[Underrated Gems in Someone's Filmography]

 

Some of my favorite not-so-well-known performances:

 

 

Loretta Young in MIDNIGHT MARY—I like Precode Loretta much better than later Loretta

 

 

Yes pre-code Loretta Young was quite a discovery. 

I loved EMPLOYEES' ENTRANCE.

 

I missed MIDNIGHT MARY when last aired.

[ROPE]

I don't know, Holden, but it seems to me it was fairly recently (like, sometime this year.)

 

You have to admire Hitch for making such an usual film. It's interesting to see John Dahl playing such a vile character when you  compare the role to the one he played in "Gun Crazy", where, despite his lawless status, he was a gentle soul.

 

I agree with you about John Dahl in GUN CRAZY.

[LEAST & MOST FAVORITE of the week...]

 

Another fun watch this week was THE STEPFORD WIVES. I was expecting that lilting theme, but that was VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. Same story?

From the first frame showing crazy 60's wallpaper, I knew I was in for a treat. Katherine Ross reminded me of Kathy Ireland and Tina Louise reminded me of Shelly Long. Both were really good in their roles, I was surprised at how good Tina Louise was in this. The story was predictible, but fun in the way it was told. It did get just a bit scary at the end.

I noticed all sorts of foreshadowing imagery in the movie: the man carrying the mannequin in the beginning of course, but also the living room had an antique dress form "doll", the bedroom had a man's valet, and a shot from the kitchen showed an odd print of a hanging dead rabbit.

The husband, played by Peter Masterson, behaved like a big 12 year old dope; "I want to screw in every room of the new house" He could have been played by Clint Howard just as effectively. Peter is Mary Stuart Masterson's dad and she played one of his daughters in the movie-early start for her career.

I saw this movie as a metaphor for the bland conformity of suburbia.

 

I saw STEPFORD WIVES for the first time when it aired on TCM during the spotlight on costume design. 

 

I was sad when Tina Louise's character gave up her tennis court.

 

The part where the "new" Paula Prentiss short circuits after Katherine Ross stabs her was amusing.

[20th Century Vole Presents]

I can't believe I never saw this thread until recently.

 

I love it!

[PSYCHO]

I recall that she almost knocked the cigar out of Akim Tamiroff's mouth with those in Touch of Evil

 

Is TOUCH OF EVIL the movie that she made with a broken arm that was hidden?

[Stop Showing ROMAN HOLIDAY So much!!]

Saaay, I think Chico Marx says that very thing in "A Night at the Opera", doesn't he Holden?

 

(...or was that in "A Day at the Races" and while be was sellin' that tootsy-fruitsy ice'a cream???...I get so confused sometimes, ya know)

 

Et tu, Darge?

[ROPE]

Yep, sorry Holden, but It appears you'll just have to settle for TCM's next showing of "The Ox-Bow Incident"!

 

(...get it?!..."lynching"..."rope"......oh never mind) 

 

 

 

Dargo, Dargo, Dargo  . .. .

[MAY SCHEDULE IS UP]

CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (with Orson Welles as Falstaff and Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet) is scheduled for May 15.

I hope it does not get bumped.

 

 

Well it looks like CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT did not get bumped.

 

It's scheduled to air this Friday May 15 during the Friday Night Spotlight on Orson Welles.