CaveGirl
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Posts posted by CaveGirl
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1 hour ago, lydecker said:
2018 has been rather light, so far, on female SOTMs. Thus far, we've had only Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene Dietrich while, for male SOTMs, we've had (or have coming up) Charles Boyer, William Holden, Leslie Howard, Steve McQueen and Dean Martin. October's designee has lately been a "horror" SOTM (drives me crazy but that's another rant for another time) and those tend to be more frequently men rather than women. Come on TCM. What about a salute to one (or both) of the "Joans," Bennett & Blondell?
I could definitely go for one for Bennett and they should divide it into her original blonde and then raven-haired periods.
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4 hours ago, sewhite2000 said:
Actually, I would argue his show was "news" in the sense that it gave you an in-depth look at what it was like to live right now in whatever place he was visiting that week. I would say everything he did was vastly more informative than Sean Hannity frothing at the mouth and screaming at the camera.
Is "frothing" anything like ****?
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14 hours ago, slaytonf said:
Stop BORING me!
Slayton, I'm confused. Never really thought about Mickey being part black and part white before so thanks for the visual.
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14 hours ago, LawrenceA said:
Okay.
Did you have a point other than "Disney bad!"? Oh, I didn't see any examples of hypocrisy in your post, either.
Sorry for interrupting, Lawrence but is that the Mad Nun from "Black Narcissus" in your current pic?
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People [or at least someone else's people!]
If you are an inveterate viewer of Hollywood films then you are aware in the pantheon of ethnic roles portrayed, that some actors stand out as being superlative examples of the form. Now let's be clear, in a non-judgmental way that often a role for an ethnic type was not always played by an authentic representative of the group. We could mention how Iron Eyes Cody for years, and quite successfully in films like "Ace in the Hole" was playing Native Americans, though he was actually born to Italian parents who came to the US, and his original name was Espera DeCorti. But for some, he did the roles proudly and left them with a tear in their eyes just as he had in those tv commercials.
So whether the person who played an ethnicity in films for eons was really from that group or not, did they make a lasting impression on you for good or bad? There were so many character actors who seemed relegated to playing the same parts over and over like Irish cops or cab drivers or restaurant owners in Little Italy, that the mind boggles. Some actors who often really were from the place that their roles indicated might be wonderful folks like Felix Bressart, or someone like Esther Minciotti, from Italy who though she made few films really brought the role of Marty's mother in the Paddy Chayefsky tale to life, due to her authenticity. For African American roles I always liked Juanita Moore and Lillian Randolph too, or in other contexts, people like Oscar Homolka, or Olga Baclanova, who was great at representing mysterious origins.
But even when someone was actually Irish, like J. Carroll Naish, due to his ability to handle many dialects and seem believable, he more often played roles of Mexicans, gypsies, Orientals, Arabs and sundry types, with an aplomb that defied his true origins. I mean, though now one would want someone actually perhaps of the culture, one has to admit that a good actor who can handle dialects still can make a role impressive. Another person who seemed to be able to play multinational parts, if they were those of exotic locales, was good old Turhan Bey. He brought mystery and exotic elements to all his roles and was fun to watch, and though born in Austria was of part Turkish descent if I recall correctly.
So name your favorite actors who could handle ethnic roles with relish, if they were truly of that group or even if they weren't really from that background!
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31 minutes ago, Dargo said:
Hibi, you probably also remember an old Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode where true of form(or type casting) poor ol' Herbert is once again cast as the cuckold husband.
In it, he locks himself in a room with Robert Horton, his wife's paramour, and tells him he's just drank poison contained in the wine they just shared, and then won't let him out of the room.
Great episode, Dargo but have you also seen Marshall in the AHP's one called "Little White Frock"?
It really is a winner so look for it, if you've never seen it. He is superb in the role!-
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2 hours ago, Princess of Tap said:
Dargo- In real life I heard Herbert Marshall was anything but.....
I thought he was absolutely giving The Knockout Performance of his life in "The Little Foxes". It's the kind of scene that you remember for the rest of your life - - they always show Bette Davis and talk about Bette Davis in the scene, but he completely steals it from her.
Mind you this is coming from one of Bette's adoring fanatics-- and the movies I like her best in are when there are two of her because I just can't get enough of her. LOL
BTW-- Ralph Bellamy had that wimpy role tattooed on his forehead. He was such a great actor and went on to play FDR in "Sunrise at Campobello" that I think it must be very hard indeed to play wimps as well as he did.
Bette as twins is better than Bette and Joan together!
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On 6/4/2018 at 5:35 PM, Hibi said:
LOL. Did you notice that Fear Thy Neighbor is Back?? (speaking of noirs). It was on Sat. night with new episodes!
I watched that too! I also love "The Killer Beside Me" series.
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On 6/3/2018 at 10:30 PM, Silent Bob said:
The quality of programing on TCM has declined drastically since Mr. Osborne's passing. If I want to binge watch a single theme all day there are already 20 channels that do that. You are becoming repetitive, your decision to showcase B level serials is a serious disappointment. Only a few months ago TCM always had something worth watching, now it goes several days without an interesting or noteworthy program. I suggest you rethink your programing adjustments.
I think you probably are not at the right channel for your taste, SB.
TCM, in showing the gamut of film history from soup to nuts and silents to talkies, with old newsreels, serials, cartoons, Big Band soundies, and the like, accompanied with mainstream films and B-level programmers is for people who enjoy seeing the progression of film history internationally, and it probably particularly appeals to those with an eye to the more rare items which often receive little or no programming in this day and age, to be replaced by action films with Vin Diesel probably. If you don't enjoy seeing an occasional Robert Benchley short, or interviews with long dead stars, you might be in the wrong place? I would think there are enough channels that appeal to those who do not enjoy TCM's diverse programming, that would satisfy rather than changing the one channel which is so inclusive of so many neglected avenues of film in its history. -
22 hours ago, TopBilled said:
First, I wonder if there's anyone who's been watching since the very first broadcast in 1994.
I didn't start watching TCM until July 2008 (almost ten years ago). Sally Field was the guest programmer that night, and she was introducing THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK. I still remember everything she said about the film and why she chose it.
How about you..?
Please repeat everything that Sally Field said about the film, TB!
Just kidding, but you probably would be able to do it. I might have been watching that far back but do not remember the absolutely first broadcast. I do remember though some of the intros for the films with differing set-ups.
Is there a movie which got away with more sordid events than the "Miracle of Morgan's Creek"? I mean really, Trudy Kockenlocker [I'm spelling it phonetically since I don't remember the actual cast spelling] about a girl attending USO or whatever dances who comes home pregnant due possibly to inebriation and tries to pass it off on her dumb boyfriend, Eddie Bracken and I could go on and on. This of course is why it is one of my favorite movies and I love Preston Sturges!-
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I can't really think of any, but I thought it would make for a good topic.
Oh wait, I would have liked Jack Lemmon to marry Joe E. Brown in "Some Like It Hot".
Now that would have made a great sequel for sure...
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23 hours ago, Vautrin said:
Yeah, it should have been nominated. (Victor) Sen Yung was very effective as the mega
obsequious law clerk. There were a few occasions when James Stephenson looked like he
was ready to take a swing at him. VSY was a lot friendlier when playing Hop Sing on
Bonanza. In real life I like to think that Bette would not have gone passively to her fate,
but grabbed a gun and started shooting.
Hop Sing and his imitation of Uriah Heep probably got him in a heap of trouble, after meeting up with Leslie and company and he learned his lesson by the time he got hired by Ben Cartwright and then he became all compliant and unassuming. I agree, Bette would have packed heat and gone off shooting anyone who got in her way. The book does not end like the movie, and thank goodness for that.
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2 minutes ago, laffite said:
Bette's little effusion meets the definition of blurt but the word doesn't satisfy me in this case. Blurt can often mean something innocuous but this was quite an admission and the emotional quality seems to me more like an outburst. IMO.
I usually agree with you on everything so this is wonderful that we diverge on this point, Laffite. Otherwise people might start to find us boring and like Siamese twins or something. Thanks for your opinion!
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5 hours ago, TomJH said:
The Letter is a perfect illustration, unlike some of Davis's more histrionic work, of the actress bringing more to a role when she gives less. Thanks Willie Wyler!
But I have also long been an admirer of James Stephenson's beautifully nuanced low key performance as her attorney. He brings genuine integrity to the part of an honest lawyer who compromises his own values, and regrets it. At the same time, through Stephenson's eyes, we see his observation of Davis's character and how his feelings about her gradually change.
This role was a breakthrough for Stephenson who would die, tragically, the year after The Letter's release. Who knows what fine work may have laid ahead for this fine character actor. At least, at the end of his life, he finally got a fine role through which he was able to reveal his subtle acting skills.
Yes, he is very moving in his role to save Leslie. I doubt Jose Baez would look as good if they film "The Casey Anthony Story".
People here mentioning if Bette did or did not "blurt" out her love for the man she killed, is interesting. Not to split hairs but I decided to look up the proper definition of the word "blurt" and I think in this case, it is used correctly since Leslie does seem to "say something suddenly and without careful consideration". I think some might think "blurt" implies a loud and bombastic rendering, which is not really necessary to fulfill the dictionary definition, and here it is:
BLURTblərt/verb-
say (something) suddenly and without careful consideration."she wouldn't blurt out words she did not mean"
synonyms: burst out with, exclaim, call out; More
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8 hours ago, Sepiatone said:
I'm gonna "wet" on these cornflakes and say I thought, after years of "hype" about it, that I found the movie somewhat of a disappointment. Y'know, like BRINGING UP BABY, a movie that so much fuss was made about over the years by movie "experts" that many people feel an obligation to say they like it or thought it was "great" in order to avoid the possibility of looking like someone who doesn't know a good movie from a bad one, and also possibly not "fit in" with the "film buff" crowd.
You know, like that one person in another thread that claimed that, "a film lover HAS to love silent movies!"( or words to that effect).
Sepiatone
Now what kind of fool would say in a thread, that "a film lover has to love silent movies" I ask you, Sepia???
Well, it actually is true, but why say it on some online film site? Speaking of "Bringing Up Baby" my granny took me to see it at a revival when I was about 14 and I think its allure is due to it being a movie which made use of Grant's comedic talents since he often was looked upon as a romantic lead only. It does hold up in that regard. Some films fall a bit out of favor due to changing tastes about comedy or whatever, and it may be a little dated perhaps? -
3 minutes ago, Dargo said:
Hmmmm, now I haven't seen the movie yet CG, but according to another board member who recently reviewed it in the "I Just Watched" thread and who posited a similar humorous thought as yours here--in a short little aside, they had jokingly asked if the Andy Garcia character was based on me--and so I was under the impression that it was his character in this film who lived in Sedona, not Don Johnson's?!
(...btw, and in case you missed by response to that, I posted back: "Yep, before the shooting began on this film, I advised Andy that if only he'd closely watch and mimic my every move, there could be Oscar buzz in his future for this!")
Well, actually Don is not really in the Sedona parts of the film, but I just thought they changed that aspect after you bowed out of the film. And yes, it is Andy who lives in Sedona in the movie, but he pilots a plane and not a tour bus, to his detriment.
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14 hours ago, Princess of Tap said:
The English actress who played Bette Davis's mother in " Now, Voyager", Gladys Cooper, originated the role of Leslie Crosby for Somerset Maugham on the London stage.
Gladys was the leader of the English film colony in Hollywood. She had a rather pejorative opinion of Bette Davis's performance in her role.
I have to say that there's something in "The Letter" to offend and /or disgust everyone. Even though Bette is my favorite actress, I can't stand this movie.
The best part is the beginning when she comes out shooting and it just goes downhill from there.
The only salvation for this film is the endearing performance of Herbert Marshall.
I can also say 2 other good things about this film:
Orry-Kelly did a great job for Bette and Tony Gaudio made sure that we could see her at best advantage.
The rest is best left unsaid.
Thanks so much for giving a divergent view! I may be prejudiced due to loving all works by Somerset Maugham, but would sure love to have seen Cooper in the role, as she was known to be a great beauty on the stage and I wonder who played the other parts then. I will look it up in my "History of the Stage" book and see if there are any photos too of the production.
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On 6/3/2018 at 12:05 PM, laffite said:
I don't recall that a "blurts out" thing, it was rather an emotional effusion out of sheer distress for perhaps not being able to live a lie, something along that order. I don't think it was out of spite. was it? All this might be wrong but that's how I'm remembering it.
That's the part not in the book as I recall.
In my memory she does seem to blurt it out, like she wants to shout her love for the dead paramour to the rooftops, but I may be hallucinating...
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On 6/2/2018 at 9:54 PM, ChristineHoard said:
THE LETTER is one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite Bette Davis performances. The whole cast is terrific! Poor Herbert Marshall gets badly treated by Bette here and in THE LITTLE FOXES. Trivia note: Marshall is also in the 1929 version with Jeanne Eagels only in this one he plays the murdered lover. He has a scene before he gets plugged when he tells Leslie it's over.
Thank you, Christine! I too feel sorry for poor old Herbert, and wonder if Bette treated him that way due to his artificial limb? I've seen the Jeanne Eagels version and really enjoyed it though it is done with an entirely different slant than Bette's version. I think James Stephenson was wonderful also, don't you? The bit about how could a man be married to someone for many years and still not know her is a fascinating scene.
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On 5/26/2018 at 4:25 PM, calvinnme said:
How about the "The Phantom Carriage"? This Swedish silent film confuses me, and the Criterion copy with commentary sheds no light on the subject. I'm not sure it is religious propaganda, but it basically has an unlikable protagonist praying his way from death back to life. Supposedly the first person to die in the new year has to drive the death carriage around and collect the dead souls for the next year. Oddly enough the carriage has nothing but Christian symbols on it, so I'm not sure how people in India and China would receive such a carriage. Another odd thing is that a dying woman in the salvation army repeatedly calls the unlikable protagonist "the man she loves" even though he is married and everybody knows this. And yet nobody seems to have a problem with this.
That is a confusing entry. I have to admit I mostly like it for the innovative cinematography and have pretty much ignored the storyline, though I would never do that with another of Sjostrom's film like "The Wind". I probably nodded out while watching it the last few times since it did remind me a bit of a film that Dreyer might have directed.
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On 5/24/2018 at 8:03 PM, NickAndNora34 said:
Not sure if this one counts at all, but I thought of Elmer Gantry (1960).
That's a truly interesting one, being that in some ways it caters to, yet denigrates religion. Thanks, N&N!
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I enjoy reading opinions which diverge from mine, since maybe I'm missing something and like crapola and should shape up and get better taste. For example, I might think that Lunt and Fontanne are just the height of sophistication if my grandma hadn't steered me straight way back and told me that they said they left movies because Hollywood films were so crass, but actually it was because their stage presence in films looked stiff and moviegoers wanted more realistic movie acting styles, and shunned their films.
I do think it is common for PR people to put out stuff implying complimentary things about their clients, when in truth such things were not generally accepted. For example, another older adult I know who is ninety, says that Eleanor Powell was not seen as such an amazing dancer in her day, and that many people thought her dancing was not that appealing and she looked like a big horse clopping around the stage. Now I can't attest to this, but it definitely is a divergent view from the glowing Wikipedia write-ups online.This divergent view probably also will not make Wikipedia, but I have a friend who says she can't watch John Wayne movies since...he is just too big to look at on a movie screen! I don't know if she'd rather see someone with microcephalia or not, but this is her rather odd but yet honest divergent view.
So if you have a divergent view of someone or thing or movie, that puts you in a lonesome state since no one seems to agree with you, please share. It might be something like that you don't care for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" or think Steve McQueen is a wimp, or think "Casablanca" is boring. Feel free to post it here, since at least I will enjoy reading it and reflecting upon if you might possibly be right and just ahead of your time?
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Taking a page from Eisenstein's book with babies bouncing down stairs in their carriages, always makes for memorable scenes in films, Hoganman! And yes, definitely that Bogie and Baby scene fits the bill for a magic moment.
Thanks for your choices! -
On 5/25/2018 at 10:57 PM, jimmymac71 said:
I am 60+ years and live with my mother of 83+. We love films that are not loaded with smut. People on this message form get that. CaveGirl - you are very kind. I am touched by your kindness. Everyone here treats me with kindness and respect. I talked with Mom tonight, and my feeling is, we need classic films, musical instruments, and sports in our schools, instead of guns! For decades, we have blamed the various mediums for what is wrong with the world today. Can we fix it? Maybe not, but we can make a difference. Way back when, Mom, a cable TV pioneer, helped get cable TV and PBS in schools. What if we could get classic TCM films in schools? Would it help? Yes! Can it hurt? Heavens no! Imagine "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," being shown in a modern day school? All the Sidney Poitier films would impact today's children, who would wonder if things are any better. We watched, "Lillies Of The Fields" in my middle school. Hey, Jimmymac71 knows how how to thread a 16mm projector. I take huge pride in my past, and would love to help other young folks to understand what many of us know and love. I'm sure 'JamesJazzGuitar' would agree, give kids a guitar, not guns! CaveGirl - before you cut movies off with a year, consider the artists. I LOVE "On Golden Pond," and "Victor/Victoria." Both are early 1980s. I do agree, the older the better. Being sight impaired, I drift toward music before TV and movies. The older the violin, the sweeter the music. That works for everything. I am so very thankful for TCM, even if I get grumpy, and especially the people here, who are magic! Thanks!
Ah, I was kinda kidding around, Jimmy about my cutoff point. Obviously I do watch later films but have to admit if I could only watch ones made after 1970 as opposed to only watching ones made before 1970, I would have no problem giving up the later output. The world is full of beautiful things that movies often reflect and I can concur with your ideas about how viewing some of the greats could be a fine idea for schools.
You know, like that one person in another thread that claimed that, "a film lover HAS to love silent movies!"( or words to that effect).
Someone says TCM's playing LESS movies now. True?
in General Discussions
Posted
That's like asking if a year's worth of cinnamon crumb cakes from Hostess have less particles left in the bag. I have no idea since they still play a voluminous amount of films monthly so it seems superfluous to even care, when there is such a surfeit of fun stuff to watch that are films. I give...what's the answer, TB? Have you done a comparison count yet on past years?