CaveGirl

Excellent review, Lawrence! Chayefsky's work is always touching and no more so in this film.

Oh, now that is really a draw! I often feel I could slit my wrists when I have to watch any extended sequence with Patsy Kelly...yikes! I will say, her most annoying tendencies were used to perfection by Polanski in "Rosemary's Baby" though. Even Satan's son would want to off himself with her rocking his crib and singing little ditties I bet.

Agreed, Calvin! So many literary tales were noirish in tone, way back before movies even came into existence. I don't think this type of way of looking at life, just appeared in full bloom in films, but evolved little by little, and then began to be noticed. You make good cases about all the periods and why the disenchantment with forced and prim reality began to become noxious. I will say upon my first viewing of TSOTTF, I was mightily impressed though with its novel lighting and framing of shots, by Musaraca which do influence later noir films I feel. Thanks for your fine post!

I'll trust your judgment, TB. I will watch just about any movie and have, but each time I try to watch the Ritz boys, I turn to drink...

Didn't they rip off the story from HKMA to make that Eastwood film, "Two Mules for Sister Sara"? And there might have been some homoeroticism in that one, what with all the animal husbandry going around plus the fact that in this one, the nun is a fake nun as I recall. Okay, it's not really a remake but I'm sure you see there is some comparison. What were we talking about, Fedya? Oh yeah, I think you are dead on though that there is not one iota of homoeroticism in the Fitzpatrick Traveltalks, unless of course he is visiting the island of Lesbos or at any museum in Rome displaying statues of Priapus, which could incite some inadvertent reactions.

Yes, I've seen "The Docks of New York" and it really does have many noir elements and your classification is exacting. Speaking of protos, I always enjoyed the talents of actor, Bruno VeProto who starred as the rich man in the classic, "Daughter of Horror" [aka "Dementia"]. Thanks for your as always erudite thoughts, TB!

TB, I might have to pick up some moonshine to sit through three Ritz Brothers' flicks.

Good call, Princess, yet some say Mr. C. partook too much of the Kraft Music Hall Clam Dip recipe, between takes of his Christmas show set in the Holy Land. Now why he ever thought a Christmas show would do well there particularly with Richard Chamberlain as a guest, makes no sense to me, since good old Doctor Kildare could barely carry a tune in a suitcase. Historically speaking, this clam dip recipe was the first televised one for such a clam appetizer, and after Perry promoted it on his show, canned clams sold out with one day in New York City. If any have forgotten the recipe was for Kraft cream cheese, minced clams, Worchestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Yum-O!

Hey, no cracks! This is serious business. TCM is showing what could be the cornerstone of noirish origins on this coming Tuesday, September the 18th with the showing of the Boris Ingster flick, "Stranger on the Third Floor" from 1940. Starring erstwhile man of mystery, Peter Lorre the theme is about a newspaperman who is a witness in a murder case. Also with Elisha Cook, Junior, what more need be said? With German Expressionistic tendencies and a dark, foreboding atmosphere, this film commands respect. Also a fine musical accompaniment by Roy Webb adds to its allure. Filmed at RKO, and lensed by master cinematographer, the fabulous Nicholas Musaraca, this winner was taken from work by writer Frank Partos, who left Hungary in the 1920's to work in Hollywood, later working with screenwriter, Charles Brackett. "The Stranger on the Third Floor" had some uncredited assistance on the script by Nathanael West, who wrote the really most downbeat take on Hollywood in "The Day of the Locust". Some say this could be the first noir, but if you disagree, please give us your choice for the title.

I heartily agree with you, Miss Wonderly. Freedom of speech is one thing, but killing off people prematurely does seem mean spirited and foul. It starts rumors and if I were a celeb who kept hearing I was deceased via the grapevine, I just might get fed up enough and off myself to make people happy. It only takes a few seconds to find out if someone famous has departed from their mortal coil, so wouldn't it be worth the time to check before one posts such hyperbole? I tried to be snide to get the point across, but your more direct way was the more sensible approach and I applaud you, Miss W!

Lovely lady and with such a beautiful speaking voice, reminding me a bit of Joan Greenwood. Didn't she also do some voices in the cult series with Patrick McGoohen, "The Prisoner"? Thanks, Swithin!

I always agree with Dargo too, except about Robert Benchley.

But I thought your favorite actor was Andy Devine, Dargo??? If you want good inflection, you need to hire Captain Kirk!

Right on, Lydecker! I saw them also and found them an appealing duo, and with interesting reflections.

Really, Zea? A horse is just a horse? Of course...of course! Bamboo Harvester would agree with you on that one, though I have a funny feeling that as an equine he might be more partial to Freud's interpretation of dreams and p-e-n-i-s envy theories than Jung's cosmic consciousness ones, doncha think?

Was he singing in the front yard? Was he wearing one of those cardigan sweaters? Was he alive at the time, Spence? Enquiring minds want to know... Hot Diggity!

Didn't he say something like "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated" or something to that effect? I only remember because one nun I had was nuts about Twain and would quote him all the time. What a clever, creative, witty, insightful about the human race, and humorous man he was though. I kind of wish I had been able to meet him, but then I'd be like 162 years old now which might be scary.

I can think of a person who hasn't died yet that I would have lots to say about also. But I'm restraining myself...

Their names are so alike; no wonder so many are confused, Hamradio!

OMG! Missed it but have seen it before. I remember thinking when I first saw it, that I'd never seen Rory Calhoun in anything with a satirical slant or any humorous intent. I kinda love that wacky film, and it is hard to keep a small business like a motel going these days so carving up your guests and using them for victuals might be the only way. Thanks, darkblue!

To continue this too serious vein, this can happen in art too. In Johannes Vermeer's "The Music Lesson" we see a young lady from the back, standing at the virginals ostensibly playing for a gentleman at her right. There is a mirror above the instrument, which shows her face, but if we look at it technically it becomes apparent that Vermeer tilted her head in the reflection at an angle which is not true at all to the actual position of her head, as we see it from the back. Though he often seemed to paint all with extreme amounts of verisimilitude, after examination of many of his works we see that he was prone to make things work for him in a final result way, whether or not the actual position of things was correct or sized appropriately. Now back to less serious subjects, like Roger Corman films. Enjoyed your information on forced art and great theory about attempting the Egyptian stance being a visual trick!

I have no idea...what is a "box conglomerate", Cigar Joe. Oh, I said it! Let me go check, sometimes I confuse even moi. Back again, had to find what I'd written in 2017! Joseph Cornell was an artist, basically little known by the general public, who would make assemblages of found things and arrange them in boxes with a theme. He didn't actually draw much himself, but would take all these items, like a feather, an old photo, a key, a picture cut from a magazine, and so on, and make a conglomerate of them by staging them in a wooden box, that could be hung, and then would fasten all down by paste or spit or whatever. His work at that time, was only appreciated by some like Andy Warhol and other avant garde artists, but now many of his boxes are in museums. They are called conglomerates because though there are many items placed together for an effect, each item still seems to retain its own individuality, even though it is a part of the larger intent of the organized box appearance. One interesting things about Cornell and films. He would often get a fixation on one person, as he did actress Rose Hobart and take all the bits with her, out of her films, and splice them together for one giant film with only Rose Hobart in it. It might be on Youtube if you check.

That's so true, darkblue. I had a friend once who was dating a guy who had that avocation of following twisters. He met us at a bar once, detailing all his exploits and about the book he was writing and I said to him "Gee, isn't it true that the search for the twister is just a search for fulfillment and satisfaction in a phallic environment and that men following twisters might have some impotency issues?" Well, that twisted his mind a bit, but of course I just made it all up for fun. I sure hope he didn't really believe me, I'd just feel so so bad...boo hoo!

I don't know, darkblue. There are so many things which can enter into sexual paraphilias, that this is beyond my field of comprehension. Might be a good topic for a film though, and we could have everything in the film be an erotic object except for one thing...nudity.

Tell me about it, Sepia! I post something here like "Gee, I have no children that I know of..." and sure enough, there will be one person who will feel the need to write me a post which says something like the following: "Miss Cavegirl, I don't think it makes any sense that you say you have no children that you know of, since you are a female and that is only said by men who cannot get pregnant so they mean when they say it that they could have children left in Vietnam or near their neighborhood watering hole, by women who did get pregnant. I just thought you might want to know this and correct your post since you seem confused about what that line really means when you use it." I can share your pain at the language barrier from your story. It reminds me of the episode of I think "Celebrity Rehab" wherein someone implied that drugs were found in Jeff Conaway's room and he said he knew nothing about it, and I think one of the Baldwin brothers said "Well, maybe unbeknownst to you they got put in your room" and due to the fact that Conaway apparently had no idea what the word "unbeknownst" meant, he was up and ready to slug Baldwin! I guess that's what you get for using those big words, Sepia and what I get for trying to be snide. We both won't have punishment in an after life as we have to suffer for these transgressions here on earth by those who don't GET US!!! Life can be so difficult.