CaveGirl

I thought the movie was beautiful but so overlit. It looked overexposed and I really did wonder what was going on. I had hoped there were better copies available since it was a wonderful film.

According to IMDB he was on an episode of "Lights Out!" so I shall look for him in an episode in the dvd set. Thanks TB!

I always liked Oscar Levant's comment about Doris Day, saying he could not watch her movies since he was a diabetic. We all know the other comment he made about her state of purity so I won't go there.

Tom Cruise playing himself in anything, which is all his movies!

I decided to set my alarm to watch this movie in real time on Sunday morning and I am so glad I did! I thought I had seen all of the films with Welles as actor or director, but this one must have been less often shown. It was a masterful retelling of the legend of Cagliostro, who was born to poor gypsy parents who were hung, and this creates a vengeance to pay retribution to the Viscount who sent them to the gallows. The film was in magnificent b&w and also starred Akim Tamiroff, Valentina Cortese, with Berry Kroeger I think as the author, Alexandre Dumas [Pere] and Raymond Burr as A.D., Fils! The storyline about Cagliostro as a child meeting Doctor Mesmer, was well, mesmerizing. The court intrigues about Marie Antoinette and Madame Dubarry were fascinating, and Welles was young, slender and magnificent. This film was a perfect blend of romance, intrigue and spectacle. Anyone else watch?

Great list, Lawrence! I'm almost embarrassed to say that I own all but seven of those titles. The Leni one, all the Amicus and Hammer ones and well, I did say I liked anthologies didn't I? They're all great but particularly "Kwaidan". Did you mention "Trilogy of Terror" with Karen Black. It's so creepy too.

For those who like the combination of horror with comedy, there are very few better than Polanski's "Dance of the Vampires" or as it is called in the US, "The Fearless Vampire Killers". TCM will be showing it this weekend late Sunday nite [check schedule]. Though not all directors know how to combine the laughs with the chills, when done properly both elements seem to create a tension that aids both sides. Scares become scarier and laughs more abundant. Why, I don't know perhaps due to being always in a state of flux for the viewer. I also think "Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein" is a great example. Any others you can think of will be appreciated. Here's the synopsis for the Polanski film, which definitely does not do it justice. Some scenes are quite eerie and very memorable! FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, THE (1966) A bumbling professor tracks vampires in the wilds of Eastern Europe. Dir: Roman Polanski Cast: Jack MacGowran , Roman Polanski , Alfie Bass . C-107 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Yes, I fear and dread that anthology films will cease to be made and they are one of my favorite genres. I enjoy things as melodramatic as "The Story of Three Loves" or as sublime as anything filmed from a Somerset Maugham tale. If you are into anthology films which ones stick out in your mind as being the best of their genre? My personal faves are things like "Tales from the Crypt" which was an Amicus presentation and I still cringe in horror when I think about the best tale of the five in the film, the one actually taken from an EC Vault of Horror comic called: "… And All Through the House (The Vault of Horror #35) After Joanne Clayton (Joan Collins) kills her husband (Martin Boddey) on Christmas Eve, she prepares to hide his body but hears a radio announcement stating that a homicidal maniac (Oliver MacGreevy) is on the loose. She sees the killer (who is dressed in a Santa Claus costume) outside her house but cannot call the police without exposing her own crimes. [spoilerS AHEAD!!!] Believing the maniac to be Santa, Joanne's young daughter (Chloe Franks) unlocks the door and lets him into the house, whereupon he starts to strangle Joanne to death."

She and Eli Wallach were such a cute couple. Sorry to hear of her passing.

Uh, he didn't have the nickname of Squeakie, did he? I know, Leslie Robert Hope?

Uh, let's see is that Eduard Franz? Or maybe John Lund or William Lundigan. I'm stumped, Dargo. Wait, I know it's Charlie Rich, the Silver Fox right? I had no idea that he starred in any movies though, so thanks!

Not to besmirch the Barrymore family reputation, as if I could do it any more damage, but wasn't there controversy about the real reason that Lionel had to be in a wheelchair in films, TB. I seem to remember, maybe from the Gene Fowler book on John, something about Lionel having a morphine addiction that restricted him to the chair. Some said this morphine was necessary for an extreme case of arthritis or a hip injury, but others discounted it. John had more problems with liquor while carousing with friends like Fowler, Decker, Flynn, Carradine and such but even that did not stop him from being a good judge of character. As I recall after marrying Dolores Costello he once said something like that the only book she'd ever read was the Butterick dress pattern book. Whatever is true, Lionel was a true trooper and genius onscreen! Thanks for the synopsis, TB.

Right on, Arturo! Ameche is a great choice, thanks.

Well, having had relatives who worked at Hallmark's main headquarters it was said that Mr. Hall the founder was one of the meanest men who ever lived. Although he came up with the slogan "When you care enough to send the very best" apparently he was not the best person in terms of temperament. It may be apocryphal but supposedly that saying is on his tombstone.

Well, I love Dean Stockwell too so your choice for his second wind as an actor is well deserved. I thank David Lynch for reviving many older actors careers in his movies, like Stockwell. Thanks, Helen!

Oh, yes! It was so wonderful to see Price in ES. I had forgotten about O'Brien and O'Connell so thanks for the great submissions, Sepia!

Hey, I watched it too. This film was an incredible concoction of fluff, that was as beautiful as a rainbow parfait and as light and breezy. I'm guessing that just like Demy did in "TUOC" that the harbour town buildings were repainted to colors that brought them to life onscreen, Deneuve's sister, Francoise Dorleac was gorgeous and her early death is a loss to films. Her meeting on the street with Gene Kelly was masterful. All the dancing and singing were lovely and I actually liked that they seemed very natural and were not micro-synchronized but in the scenes with Gene, all the dancing was picture perfect with him on point, and my guess is that he engineered and choreographed them himself.

It would seem that often a star of the silver screen starts big, but then either their career dies off, or they are relegated to minor B-films, or perhaps they go back to Broadway or Europe from whence they came. What I enjoy is seeing these folks in the second phase perhaps of their careers. One of the people I enjoy seeing after her major heyday in films is Alla Nazimova. Born in Russia and one of the original students of the Stanislavski Method, Alla cut a wide swath in silent films in the US in the early 1920's, with things like "Salome" and "Camille" with Valentino. Her films were not accorded their just praise in those days due to them being so highly artistic and experimental, but now have achieved cult status. After being off the screen during the first years of the talkies, she did come back in a few features in the mid-1940's and still exhibited her amazing thespian talents with moving portrayals in things like "In Our Time" with Paul Henreid and Ida Lupino and in "Since You Went Away". Luckily one could see that she was an incredibly fine actress in speaking parts also and not just silent melodramas, before her death soon after her final performances on film. In a different type scenario, actor George O'Brien never really went away from films after his early successes in things like Murnau's "Sunrise" but just wasn't seen in many A-films, which made it all the more enjoyable to view him in Ford's "Cheyenne Autumn" in 1964. He was still striking and made a real impression on film. Do you have any favorites who fell out of favor but then came back onscreen later in their careers and if so please share!

I wonder if Warren let his fingernails grow really long too!

You guys sure do stick together, Dargo! But I guess there is always a method to men's madness.

Probably Steve Cochran or maybe Forrest Tucker?

For me, it is the ending in "Vertigo". Though probably the most depressing ending in film history, being that it appears that Scotty has managed to twice cause the death of the woman he loves, the ending creates a cyclical effect on the viewer making one want to start the film over while hoping that this time things will turn out differently.

I think instead of calling this the Warren Beatty "long in the works" epic about Hughes they should call it the Warren Beatty "long in the tooth" movie.

I remember reading in that book about John called "Goodnight, Sweet Prince" many stories about Ethel and the Drew family. It is a great read if one is interested in the whole family of acting giants and all their stage experience. Great post, TB!

It wasn't what I would "wish" upon them, but I was curious what they would "wish" for themselves.