tommyphils31

Miriam Hopkins?

It could be "too sense", which is very valuable.

Well said, NylonLisa! I am relatively new to the TCM community, and I really enjoy hearing what sane, reasonable, intelligent film buffs have to say. I have learned a lot about the films and the actors I enjoy, and chiming in when appropriate too. It has been a very positive experience for me so far. I, like probably so many others here, consider classic films to be my favorite pastime, but it is merely a hobby. I think most of us likely deal with enough negatives in our daily lives that getting our dander up here is the last thing we want to do. Your solution is absolutely the only reasonable one to combat lunatics. Ignore them. No one forces anyone to respond here. Most lunatics seek validation any way they can, and reacting to them only allows them to puff out their chests. There are so many quality posters on these forums worth responding to. So, by taking a deep breath and moving on, you not only make wiser use of your precious leisure time, you also, as you adeptly pointed out, return the trolls to where they came. By the way, vitriol is a dessert topping. No, it's a floor wax.

We are absolutely on the same page on that one, james. That look on Joan Blondell's face when Tom (Cagney) and Matt (Woods) first see her and Mae Clarke in that speakeasy is something. Hot is too mild to describe it as far as I'm concerned. Jean Harlow is a "usual suspect", but has nothing on Joan Blondell.

I think roverrocks is correct that the red color is just an embodiment of hell since most classic depictions throughout the arts are red (hot color). Based on my recollection of the film, the bedsheets were used as tablecloths for the feast they were to have for the boys. In decades past, families would often use bedsheets for tablecloths since most people were too poor to have nice ones for special occasions. Since the whole town was "welcoming" the boys home, they needed a lot of tablecloths. The old Italian song "Lazy Mary" (the one that Mama Corleone and others are singing at Connie's wedding in "The Godfather") makes reference to this tradition. Lou Monte does a version of the song that includes an English translation which is quite specific. Although the English translation is rather benign, the native version is considered quite dirty. That is why they laugh when the old man sings one of the more risque verses in "The Godfather". For those of you who grew up in Italian-American neighborhoods, you remember that this scene was standard fare at weddings and other celebrations that often went on for days. Buona Giornata!

This (possible) situation between the sisters is one lesson that all of us can learn from: Make your peace now with those you love (even if you may be estranged at the moment). There can be no differences big enough to warrant living out the rest of your life with regret. Call or email your loved ones as soon as you can and let them know you care. Take that first step. You will be glad you did, and I bet they will be also.

As a post script to Joan Blondell, her pal in " The Public Enemy" Mae Clarke was certainly as Cagney said, "You're a swell dish". I love that line and use it occasionally in jest with female friends.

The old cliche is that celebrities die in threes. We certainly have exceeded that quota in the last couple days.

Patton The Fighting 69th Sands of Iwo Jima The Caine Mutiny The Great Escape Honorable Mention: Apocalypse Now & Full Metal Jacket p.s. to ozahs: If it is YOUR list of the best, it is absolutely valid. Every list I have posted on any thread is more about personal connection than being a critic. There is a balance with quality & entertainment of course, but certainly a film having personal meaning matters the most. Edited by: tommyphils31 on Dec 15, 2013 9:53 PM

I suppose Miss Kitty unintentionally could be a dose of authenticity. Of course, she still looks better than Belle Starr. Since Amanda Blake died of AIDS, that provides a somewhat ironic wrinkle to this thread.

There are quite a few other films that get to me, and I must say that a majority of them are related to my late father. Even if they are not obvious ones involving the death of a father, others remind me of my dad for other reasons. He, after all, was the one who introduced me to classic films from the time I was barely able to walk. I used to sit on the arm of his recliner and we would watch "John Wayne Theater" on Friday Night and "Dr Scar" (a local horror movie host) on Saturday Night together until I got too big and ended up on the floor. He was a tough as nails Battle of the Bulge veteran that like many of his generation rarely showed emotion. That is why it was always astonishing when he would break down at the end of "The Searchers". I don't know why that scene with Duke standing in the doorway got to him. Maybe it was the song that reminded him of the old B-movie cowboys and the cowboy music that he loved as a kid in the 30s. Needless to say I, along with my sister, carry on the tradition whenever viewing this movie, which is still one of my favorites, despite the tough to watch ending. As soon as that song starts, I'm a goner. The same thing used to happen at the end of "Beau Geste", and we carry on the tradition in that case also.

I could probably list several right away, but maybe one at a time may be best for now. It seems like the list gets larger as the years move forward and I turn into a sentimental old cuss, but here's a start: Film: "Yankee Doodle Dandy" Scene: Walter Huston's death scene Why?: My own father's gone, and I miss him more as I age. Plus, Jimmy Cagney cries so convincingly.

Right on the money, hamradio. The fine line between lawman and desperado is something that has rarely been presented with authenticity by Hollywood. I enjoy the western myth in film, but like I said before, the dichotomy of real old west characters such as Wyatt Earp would make a very interesting movie, perhaps better than any ever made to date. An interesting book on Wyatt Earp that I doubt is still in print is "The Earp Brothers of Tombstone" by Frank Waters. It is the first hand recollections of Allie Earp, Virgil's widow, when she was an old woman living anonymously in Southern California ironically around the same time the Stuart N. Lake myth of Wyatt was really taking off. It is not a glowing portrayal of the "heroic frontier marshal" at all, and an interesting counterweight to the Wyatt Earp myth. Sepiatone's points concerning western costuming and the true appearance of frontier women are also bullseyes. Take a look at any existing photo of Belle Starr, and the list of actresses who have played her, and it is laugh out loud funny. The real Belle 'dolled up" makes Uncle Miltie in drag look like Miss America. As for the costuming issue, in a humorous vein, I recall Bob Hope's outfit in "The Paleface", and also the reaction to Michael J. Fox's getup in "Back to the Future, Part 3". As for my assessment of baseball movie flaws, I think the reason why I can overlook poetic license in westerns more than baseball movies is that the whole concept of Hollywood westerns IS a myth. Meanwhile, as most baseball fans know, the history of the sport is so well-documented both anecdotally and statistically that when a filmmaker does something like jumble stadium backgrounds as in "Bang the Drum Slowly" it jumps off the screen at us. My complaints in my two posts in this thread fall short of outrage. In my case, nearly all of these flubs are misdemeanors in the grand scheme. I enjoy film, period, and unless it is William Bendix as Babe Ruth, I can live with a few factual errors. However, others I know are quite militant on this subject. By the way, "Death on the Diamond" is so far-fetched that it is enjoyable to me too. That is a good example of a classic baseball movie that is definitely outside the box. I also would recommend any of Joe E. Brown's baseball comedies from the mid-30s such as "Alibi Ike' and "Elmer the Great", which appear periodically on TCM, regardless of how daffy the baseball scenes are. They are simply fun, and that is what movies are all about.

I love 'em all, TikiSoo, thank you!

You won't be disappointed in any of these, dirtyape. Nor will you be in nearly all the films from any list on this thread. Since these are "top 10" lists, they are the cream of the crop to each poster. Therefore, I would think there would be consensus that all films mentioned here are great, and well worth viewing. I wish you all the best in your discoveries, and the evolution of your own "Classic Top 10" list.

Although I must admit I still enjoy them, I can be very hard on historical inaccuracies in westerns and baseball movies. Specifically, there has never been a portrayal of Wyatt Earp or Tombstone of the 1880s that has been close to accurate. What is surprising to me is that many of the subplots and motivations involving the principles who participated in the Gunfight at the OK Corral have never been included in any film even though some are more dramatic and interesting than the myths. I like the Burt Lancaster/Kirk Douglas version from an entertainment standpoint, but I cringe when I hear Burt yell "Hit the Dirt!" prior to the climactic five minute shootout (the real one lasted 28 seconds and was confined to an empty lot between two buildings only a few feet wide). I also cringe when I see the huge saguaro cactus in the scenes. There are no saguaros in Tombstone, Arizona because the mineral content of the soil will not allow them to grow there as they do throughout the rest of the Sonoran Desert. The rivalry between Wyatt and John Behan was almost entirely due to politics not Josephine Marcus. In fact, many historians consider Wyatt Earp's reputation to be as shady as any of the "villains" he rivaled, which if put on film, would be a more interesting character study than the myth Stuart N. Lake created. Although I am willing to overlook much of this for entertainment purposes, just once it would be cool to someday see Wyatt Earp as the crook and weasel that he may have been. As for the baseball movies, I am much less forgiving of historical inaccuracies. I like "Field of Dreams", but every time I see "Shoeless" Joe Jackson batting right handed it drives me insane. Plus, he is throwing left handed. I have never heard an acceptable explanation for this seemingly trivial yet significant historical gaffe. If they worked for months to teach Gary Cooper to bat and throw lefty for "The Pride of the Yankees" along with some camera tricks in the name of realism, why could they not get Ray Liotta to hit left and throw right here? After all, his skills were pretty mediocre anyway considering he was portraying perhaps the greatest natural ballplayer of that era. Another inaccuracy that gets a rise out of me is in "The Winning Team" with Ronald Reagan when as Grover Cleveland Alexander he staggers in from the bullpen (in reality due likely to a hangover instead of some post-concussion syndrome) to strike out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded to win the World Series for the Cardinals. That strikeout actually ended the 7th inning of Game 7. The 1926 World Series really ended on one of the most bone-headed moments of Babe Ruth's legendary career. He was thrown out trying to steal second base. It certainly would have been less appropriate carrying Ronald Reagan off the field with that ending. Also, no major league team wore numbers on their backs until 1930 (a gaffe repeated often in time period films). I have other examples, but I think I have made my point. Plus, it's getting late. By the way, Liotta and Reagan look nothing like Jackson and Alexander, but I haven't a problem with that. Like I said, I still enjoy all these pictures and others not mentioned here, but I can't help reacting whenever I view these types of errors. Edited by: tommyphils31 on Dec 13, 2013 1:49 AM

Post-1970 The Godfather Love and Death Close Encounters of the Third Kind Pulp Fiction Jaws The In-Laws (1979) The French Connection Airplane! GoodFellas Rocky

Robert Walker?

Pre-1970? Little Caesar King Kong Bride of Frankenstein Duck Soup Red River Ben Hur Sands of Iwo Jima Take the Money and Run Angels With Dirty Faces Road to Zanzibar Edited by: tommyphils31 on Dec 12, 2013 11:40 PM

In the same vein, Joan Blondell is stunningly beautiful.

Teri Garr does it for me. I think her, like many other predominantly comedic actresses, are underestimated for how beautiful (visually) they are.

Isn't it something how that happens? I have experienced this a number of times over the years-- both ways too. It is much more common for "great" pictures from youth to lose their luster as the years roll on. For me, many of the "midnight movies" that I was excited about as a teen or young adult such as "The Warriors", "The Song Remains the Same", "Dawn of the Dead", and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" do not provide the same adrenaline rush that they did 30+ years ago. These films as well as many others I do still enjoy, but merely from a nostalgic point of view. On the other hand, I have shared your experience with films that have improved with further viewings. I suppose we are not the only ones. Even Leonard Maltin has obviously had this happen. There are numerous examples in his movie guide where films have gone from bombs 20 editions ago to 3-stars or more now. I guess we should never completely give up on some films. Of course, there are still plenty that are lousy that stay lousy too.

Probably a toss up between "Frankenstein" and "King Kong"-- at least 50 times each.

It might be "Hellfighters" (1968)

In the same vein as George Raft, George Bancroft never struck me as incredibly skilled, but I love every picture I have seen him in, especially his later supporting roles. From what I have read about him, his inflated ego often got in the way especially in his prime. A more recent actor who in my opinion is not as skilled as many of his contemporaries is Kevin Costner. It makes me cringe sometimes when he performs his lines like he is reading them directly off the script, especially during love scenes. However, I enjoy almost all of his movies, and any perceived flaws don't seem to get in the way of that enjoyment. I acknowledge finance's argument about John Wayne and his skill, or lack thereof. I don't think anyone could ever compare Wayne to Olivier or Brando, or hundreds of other actors who by training or pedigree were much more skilled. I am sure this topic has been argued for years ad nauseum on these message boards. So it's not my intent to re-open that can of worms. However, I love almost every picture John Wayne ever made especially the westerns. I would watch any of them, even the Yakima Canutt chasing himself ones from the 30s, anytime. Few of his performances were Oscar-worthy, but it doesn't matter. To me, it is all about the feeling I get watching those films. The true beauty of film is that entertainment is strictly in the eye of the beholder. That is why this is such a great question. Thank you for offering it. By the way, I enjoy the work of Olivier and Brando and the hundreds of others also. Edited by: tommyphils31 on Nov 26, 2013 8:55 PM