CaveGirl

I would listen to James Mason just reading the phone book, Dargo. Too bad he did not make an album called "How to Talk About the Movies in Words of Only One Syllable". That could have been a big seller for internet communications about movie lore.

So true, TS and I think all here would acknowledge that you are one of the "real" film historians here!

Hmmm, I wonder if Brian Epstein had not had such a crush on John Lennon, if he would have taken them on as clients. I just heard the Isley Brothers' original version of "Twist and Shout" and it is really superior by far to the Beatles, but the Isleys did not have cute moptops and there's the rub.

I was excited to see this silent film on the schedule last nite. It starred Eleanor Boardman as an innocent thrown into the clutches of Hollywood, and how she survived. Of course, after jumping off a moving train to escape her murderous hubby, played by Lew Cody maybe Tinseltown was not so frightening after all. The storyline, though ostensibly about a newcomer's rise in the Hollywood pantheon, seemed really to be more about showing outsiders the inside scoop on Hollywood productions in progress. In that respect the film was fascinating showing Erich von Stroheim directing Jean Hersholt, and also bits with Chaplin directing Boardman in equine control and Fred Niblo at work. The cast also supposedly had thirty-five stars featured, but the main cast had Barbara LaMarr, known as the star "too beautiful" for Hollywood, Richard Dix, Billy Haines, Dale Fuller from "Greed" and the bits with June Mathis [screenwriter extraordinaire], Zasu Pitts, and many others was fun to see. The film also starred Mae Busch who had a long and fruitful career in films and was a true original. It was rather strange to see Boardman's murderous husband show up later, fully now in love with her enough to risk his life for hers, but still the film was beautifully shot with many tinted scenes and an interesting chronicle of early silent techniques and studio styles. Watching Boardman I finally realized she could be the mother of actress, Teri Polo since they so resemble each other. Check it out if you don't believe me! Anyone else watch?

Damn fine coffee they serve here at the TCM Automat, Miss Wonderly! Gotta go, my log says we have to move on now since the coup is beginning.

Hey, King, my grandma said that she was walking down the street one day and John Boles was in town to do a play and he walked by her and smiled and that he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. Poor grandpa! Honestly though, she said Boles has beautiful blue eyes, a great smile with white teeth [when Gable only had those dentures!] and pink cheeks and thick wavy black hair and he was all dressed up and she still talks about him to this day. I think she said he looked very sophisticated and classy too. He was quite debonair!

Is this gonna be that thing that Ann Sheridan said, Down? Boy, she really got some mileage with that dig, didn't she?

Aw, ain't he adorable!

Maybe it's a reference to "Twin Peaks"?

The thing I liked best about this film, is that it can never have a sequel called "The Son of the Sterile Cuckoo". Comments? The Coup-Coup spelling is spy language and hidden code meaning for those who would like to take over the message board. My President of Vice has been chosen and it is Dargo. Sign up here:

Dargo, did you kill yourself a "bar" when you were only three? I'm doing the phonetic spelling! "Born on a mountain top in Tennessee, Greenest state in the land of the free. Raised in the woods so's he knew every tree, Killed him a bear when he was only three. Davy, Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier. Fought single handed through the Injun war, Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was restored. And while he was handling this risky chore, Made himself a legend, forevermore. Davy, Davy Crockett the man who don't know fear. He went of to Congress and served a spell Fixin' up the government and laws as well. Took over Washington, I heard tell, And patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell. Davy, Davy Crockett, seein' his duty clear. When he come home, his politickin' was done, While the western march had just begun. So he packed his gear, and his trusty gun And let out a grinnin' to follow the sun. Davy, Davy Crockett, Leadin the Pioneer." source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/davycrockettlyrics.html

Dargo, I thought you came here looking for people to prove your claim that you are the illegitimate son of Charles Coburn. Fess up! And don't say you are the illegitimate son of Fess Parker. See, I now can even prognosticate your potential humorous asides that you grace us with. Or rather, with no ending preposition, that should be...that with which we here at TCM are graced in your plenitude and generosity. Whew, that was a mouthful!

I like him too, Kingrat! I always enjoy seeing him in a film, since he is so good at being creepy.

It would probably help! I feel constrained now to say that my comments about Maltin and Ebert were meant in a tongue in cheek way really though. By the way I don't like feeling constrained. I do still think having some knowledge of subject matter is helpful to anyone reviewing something and if it is out of their wheelhouse they should excuse themselves from the task. I wouldn't want Kim Kardashian reviewing a book on the similarity of the theories of "Escher, Godel and Bach" either. I shall not be reviewing "The Diary of a Country Priest" by Bresson for this very reason, not being a papist who lives in bucolic bliss. Thanks for your comments though, Holden!

If it makes you feel any better, Miss Wonderly I don't come here to learn either. Like you I have scads of books on movies and have spent mega time looking up or reading volumes on most movies so I don't really need to learn anything per se. I think of the word "learn" in the meaning of getting new facts about something. That is not to say that as by product, that I don't occasionally "learn" new things here, but mostly I come just to hear other people's opinions and takes on films. How they might view it differently or see it from another angle. I think I am a auto-motivated learner and have always incessantly researched most anything that I am interested in, which is why I don't feel I need this joint as a primer, but more of as a coffee shop or lounge where movie buffs say interesting things about movies and are entertaining in ways the general public could never be. Movie buffs here make jokes that only an insider could appreciate, and that's why it is fun to read their posts. Hey, Miss Wonderly the priest left the confessional after your time with him and said you forgot to close the screen inside so you need to say two more Hail Marys. I got no penance since I told him I was at Lourdes last month visiting Bernadette's crypt and also made a novena last week.

You have described the germinal, embryonic and fetal stages of movie westerns in your fine exegesis, Cigar Joe. Most artists and art movements have a rise, decline and fall. We are now in the moribund stage of the movie western and perhaps this is due to the genre not being as relatable to audiences who have been raised on car action sequences instead of those on horseback. Some significant movements lose their lustre and never return to the esteem they once had. This may be the fate of the movie western.

I often will start to watch a movie, and plan to turn it off and then it will have one minor reason why I will continue watching, even though in general I'm not interested at all. For example, I decided to watch "The Desert Song" from 1953 because I wanted to hear the Sigmund Romberg score, but then when it started as much as I like Gordon MacRae I found him swathed in sword and sandal attire so ridiculous I had my fingers on the off button. Then I was stopped mid-movement by a character to the side of MacRae who looked like a combination of Charles Middleton and Christopher Lee. He was menacing and steely-eyed and very authentic looking and was mesmerizing. I thought to myself, "Who is that?" I could not take my eyes off him. Kathyrn Grayson is singing about being in Paris, Raymond Massey is checking out his harem, the whole shebang was a silly melange of abstruse items that supposedly symbolized desert life, but the only really good thing to watch was this character, called Mindar. Now don't get me wrong, Gordon sounded fine, Kathryn is lovely, Ray is a good actor and even Steve Cochran is fun to watch, but if not for Mindar I would have turned this dreck off. I found out that it was played by Frank DeKova and then of course realized I've seen him many times but just didn't recognize him in this get-up. But again, he was the one redeeming factor that made me watch the whole film. Name a film you would not otherwise have watched, if not for that one redeeming factor that drew you in.

Much appreciation for the well researched write-ups, Jlewis! Also thanks for the iconic photo of Niven and streaker guest.

I think if one has read few books on the assassination, then Posner's facile explanations seem plausible, Bogie. But the more one reads and digs, one finds the error in much of his reporting and a clue to the problems with his investigations becomes evident, just by the title he chooses with "Case Closed" as if anything with as many conflicting issues can be that easily solved. Though I believe in the Occam's Razor philosophy that often the simplest solution is the best one, I don't think Occam was referring to a case as complex as this historically convoluted a one. I put Posner's book in the pile, just for comparison but not for facts. I think he even misrepresented much about Mary Sherman's life that was later refuted, due to his habit of sloppy fact checking. And Bugliosi should never have set himself up as an expert in a crime in which he knew so little; should stick to the Manson gang and their tale and not go after presidential assassination individuals.

They're all so good but "No Man of Her Own" is in a class by itself. Can't think of anything that would beat Cornell Woolrich and Barbara Stanwyck working together!

All I remember is entering a portal behind a file cabinet at work and getting thrust down a tunnel which was supposed to drop me off on the New Jersey turnpike and instead...I ended up here! I still don't see anyone who looks like John Malkovich?

For all fans of the exploitation king, TCM will be showing one of his masterpieces tonight. Sadly they are not showing the short he did called "How to Take a Bath" which I've sought out for years. Though it sounds more like it should star Robert Benchley, I have a funny feeling that it might star instead an ecdysiast practitioner. Here is the lineup with the Esper film called "Marihuna" that all film fans need to have seen at least once in their lifetime: 2:00 AM REEFER MADNESS (1936) Drug dealers lure a pair of young innocents into marijuana addiction. Dir: Louis Gasnier Cast: Dorothy Short , Kenneth Craig , Lillian Miles . BW-65 mins, 3:00 AM MARIHUANA (1936) Drugs lead to tragedy for a young girl who is transformed into a big-time drug dealer. Dir: Dwain Esper Cast: Harley Wood , Hugh McArthur , Pat Carlyle . BW-57 mins, 4:00 AM COCAINE FIENDS (1935) A drug dealer gets a small town waitress hooked on cocaine. Dir: Wm. A. O'Connor Cast: Lois January , Noel Madison , Sheila Mannors . BW-61 mins, 5:15 AM KEEP OFF THE GRASS (1969) The dangers of marijuana are outlined in this educational short film. Dir: Ib Melchior Cast: J. Edward McKinley , C-21 mins, 5:15 AM TERRIBLE TRUTH, THE (1951) A juvenile court judge investigates the tragedy of marijuana addiction in this short film. C-10 mins,

That's interesting, TS. My boyfriend also starts to "bow" when he sees me and later will also "perform" to get treats. I don't keep him in a stall though, and he is impervious to being taught most "tricks" or "whistling" sounds. I guess horses and men do have a lot in common when one thinks about it.

RJS, I think you've hit the nail on the horseshoe! Trigger is "majestic" and "noble" and Ed is just "adorable". As you say, what loser would not love a talking animal? Thanks for your sage input!

After reading the comments made about "Looking For Mister Goodbar" I decided to rewatch the film and decide for myself about some of the issues mentioned here. I give Lorna extreme plaudits for making the distinction between one's not liking a film, not necessarily meaning that one does not think the film was well made. I only saw LFMG once, and had forgotten how hard hitting and brutal it was, but I do think it was showing a brutal truth. The storyline, based on true incidents was tough to watch due to the many interpolated intimacies depicted and rough behaviour, but I give the filmmakers credit for being able to not sugarcoat the incidents, and yet show them in ways which somewhat were lessened in offensive images. Without Diane Keaton as the lead I don't think this could have been done. There was something about her portrayal that though there was nudity and street language the film never descended into anything pornographic in essence. She was the perfect actress to achieve this sense of verisimilitude without descending into gratuitous salacious scenes. I think the incidents depicted typical behaviour at the singles scenes and were right on target and Richard Gere was never better, as were Tuesday Weld and even Tom Berenger in a small part. I see this film as a cautionary tale, that took very seriously its theme of people behaving irrationally and getting caught up in believing they are totally in control of their lives. The fact that Theresa Dunn starts to become a bit like her initial seducer is revealing and her sense of her ability to spot danger erroneously is well played out. The death scene was handled well by using the strobe light technique to show the event but not glamourize it. William Atherton was a bit bland but was supposed to be so all's well. Richard Kiley laid it on thick with all his proselytizing but seemed believable. All in all, I think this is a movie which dealt with a very difficult subject which was hard to watch, but did it admirably. Can't say it is a movie I "like" but it is a movie I admire!