cmovieviewer

Hibi, I looked at the noiralley.tcm.com video page but so far the Gun Crazy intro has not been posted there yet. Hopefully they'll post it later? I also checked my cable system video On Demand section for TCM, and Gun Crazy is now there complete with Eddie's intro and wrap-up, so you might check that if you happen to have the equivalent (I have Time Warner / Charter cable). Strange you got censored - I think I happened to catch your post before the edit and didn't think anything of it... Also agree with you and James that Wallace Ford was very good in T-Men. I recognized him from He Ran All the Way that was shown earlier on Noir Alley and went to look at his IMDB page - amazing list of films he's appeared in. Thanks to TCM we can appreciate the fine work provided by the character actors.

I think I Love You, Alice B. Toklas had a memorable airing in 2014 as part of the Essentials series. My recollection is that Drew Barrymore had selected the film and even though Robert was his typically gracious host, I got the impression that he didn't think this one really qualified. (Despite the fact that Robert did love other Peter Sellers movies.)

Turning my thoughts from being spam crazy to going gun crazy... I had no idea that Dalton Trumbo was involved in many of the classic Noir movies. So far on Noir Alley we have seen The Prowler, He Ran All the Way, and this week Gun Crazy. I’ve seen Gun Crazy on TCM before so I’m curious to hear any comments from those who are seeing it for the first time. Nice that Eddie showed part of the previous interview he did with Peggy Cummins. I didn’t realize that Peggy was Welsh until I heard her accent and looked her up on the internet. Too bad it appears her career did not include many other high profile American films. Only two more films to go before the hiatus for Summer Under the Stars. I’m looking forward to the 2nd one, Born to Kill, so I can get me some more Claire Trevor.

Limiting multiple threads is a start, but it will quickly put the focus on multiple registrations, which is why there is the emphasis on stopping spammers from creating new users in the example I showed. 3 topics per user is no good if they just create 10 times as many user IDs. I believe the goal for creating multiple messages is because search engines like Google will scan a site every day and raise scores for internet links they find there. The more hits they find for a given site the higher the score. So a Korean gambling site can raise their score for Google web searches by spreading the same message throughout the TCM message board. It doesn't matter if we read it or not, it is the Google search engine data collectors that are being targeted. Which raises the question if a message board could reduce the incentive for such messages by blocking Google from using their web pages in their scans. There are /noindex and /nofollow tags that can be added to the TCM web pages to do this. But TCM's message board software would have to be aware of this when it creates its own ability to search for our messages. We could lose our own search capability in the process. I'm sure TCM would not want the internet to go blind to all of the messages here, so it would have to be done carefully. But again that involves changes to the board and that's probably way beyond the scope of what would be supported. Ultimately the simplest and most direct way to keep out the spam is to stop the spammers from registering in the first place.

Here is some sample text from the AVChat website that describes steps they recommended for addressing spam registrations using the same IP.Board software that TCM uses for their message board system. The AVChat approach used a combination of techniques, including CAPTCHA variations and publicly available spam IP address checks. Note the final graph which shows such registrations reaching near zero after previously being as high as 100 per day. I'm not implying that this approach is impenetrable or that TCM could easily do the same. The point is that this demonstrates there are established methods that can produce effective results for specific cases. These days we faced some annoying spam attacks on our forum and had to take some security measures that will share with everybody here. IP.Board spam prevention As first quick measures: 1) You have to ensure that the registration page contains at least a “Questions and answers challenge” and a CAPTCHA code. For those who don’t know, this area can be found in the AdminCP under the menu System->System Settings->Security and Privacy. We used to have re-captcha from Google before, but the bots were still getting in, so we switched to “Are you human PlayThru” to see if something changes. Here’s a graphic of user registrations due the past months where we can notice abuse of users registered: 2) The e-mail validation after user’s registration is also recommended. We already had it enabled, but it seems that the spammers found a measure to pass this so we’ve searched for other good measures. 3) As spammers are studying security bugs for software versions, you might want to hide your IP.Board version located in the footer. 4) Also, you need to make sure that your license is active, otherways the spam monitoring service from IP.Board will not be active. 5) What seemed to be a good tool is Forum Spammer IP & Email Check via Stop Forum Spam 2.1.5 . This adds a check during registration submission that checks the registers IP address and email address against a known list of spammer IP’s and emails from stopforumspam.com. If it returns true for a spamming IP or email the registration is declined and the IP and email address can be added to IPB’s ban filters. Here’s the actual registration graph which shows a descending line:

It's worth asking the question. I've read that they have some mechanism for taking online polls, but I'm not sure if they have a full-up separate message board or not. (I'm not a member so I can't answer.)

Sorry Dargo, I'm feeling really dense now. Are you asking if any of the Backlot members ever bring up message board spam during their visits with the TCM people?

One of the things I love most about TCM is the fact that they so far have resisted running advertisements (other than for their own or directly related programming / services), so I don't want to go down that path, if you want an honest answer. I may be missing your point (if you are trying to make one). Are you implying that we are not paying for the message board and therefore we are not entitled to hope for a spam-free experience? An underlying assumption I have is that someone is currently being paid to run the message board (probably among other duties) and there is a certain time/cost budget for them to do so. It might be possible for them to improve the system to reduce the spam within the currently allocated budget so no additional costs would be necessary. I have a software background so in that context I have seen many examples of spending extra time up front to create tools that simplify processes later. In these cases you make an extra investment in the beginning which ends up saving you time/effort in the long run. This is the type of trade-off I am thinking of. If you block spam from being added in the first place then the admin doesn't have to log on at 3 am to clear out the 7 pages of spam. If you multiply this by however many days in a year that happens, then that might add up to more work than it would take to implement/maintain some spam reduction methods.

SansFin, I have seen the argument before that any measure to prevent spam can be defeated. But does that mean that no effort to stop spam should be made? As you state, such countermeasures from the spammers have a cost. The message board wins if the cost for the spammers is higher than they are willing to pay or if they don't have access to the additional necessary tools, or if there are easier targets elsewhere. I visit several other message boards and I never see the level of spam there that I see on this board. I doubt there is any reason why TCM's message board would specifically be targeted, other than the fact that it is more easily vulnerable to attack. It is clear that stopping spam has almost no priority on this board, and I agree that it is likely due to budget constraints. I would argue that a cost/benefit case could be made that a little prevention might actually be the same or less cost than repeated cleanup, but I'm in no position to prove that. I also realize that such argument is wasted breath without consideration by TCM, but I mostly just wanted to voice my frustration.

Sorry I'm not sure what a bias cut dress is, but some of the 'slip-dresses' shown in this USA Today article may qualify. Regardless, to me they are pretty to look at. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/07/14/slip-dresses-selena-gomez-zendaya-more-celebs-slink-into-trend/468467001/

If you consider how much time and effort must be spent by the message board operators in cleaning up spam that is left day after day, I find it frustrating that at least some effort seemingly has not been made to prevent the spam in the first place. Before I continue let me say how much I appreciate the fact that we have this resource that is free for us to communicate most all of our opinions on the movies and related aspects that we love to discuss. But it is the very appreciation for this resource that also makes me wish that something could be done to stop it from being defaced on a regular basis. I am most likely unaware of all of the related aspects, but in my humble opinion things could be improved by 1. Limiting the number of message threads that a user can create in a specified time period. The goal is to stop a user or a limited number of users from creating multiple threads with the same or similar title over and over within a short amount of time. It is apparent from the spam that is left that multiple message threads is a main goal of the spammers. If new message threads by a given user are limited per day, then a related step that must be taken is 2. Insure that the process for adding new users is such that it cannot be automated. (The CAPTCHA method is a common example of one way to do this.) The goal is to allow real people that want to contribute to be able to make a new account without too much trouble, but to block or slow down robo-accounts. For item 1, would it really be a big deal for the rest of us if we were limited to say, 4 new threads a day? (Just picking a number out of a hat.) I would be very surprised if that didn't cover most if not all of the legitimate activity on the boards. For item 2, I have read on the internet that there are freely available systems that can be used to 'de-automate' the new user process. It's been a while since I signed up, but the new user process may already have such safeguards in place. Not sure if they would need to be enhanced once item 1 was implemented. I shouldn't presume to tell the board operators how to do their business, but at least they should be permitted to try something. The system in place now is akin to allowing graffiti to be painted on the walls of your business, and periodically having someone come in and paint over it, only to repeat the cycle the next day and so on. In thinking this through, the one counter to the argument I can think of is that once you start the 'war' by retaliating, then perhaps things could escalate and you might have to take additional steps to continue the fight. Other techniques that quickly come to mind are blocking specific IP addresses from joining the board (I believe there are publicly available lists), blocking non-Roman characters for message text, etc. But my guess is that the spammers go after the low-hanging fruit and would hopefully move on once things become more difficult for them. With all the message boards we see on the internet, surely the defense of a message board is a common activity with known techniques that can be achieved without too much effort. Whew, okay I feel better now that I got that off my chest. I very much hope I have not offended the operators. I realize that I am completely unaware of the parameters they have to work with.

I hope I'm not stealing anyone's thunder, but I notice there are 3! Ronald Colman premieres on TCM this Thursday evening (July 13): - Clive of India (1935), - The Light That Failed (1939), and - The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (1935). Great that TCM is including these for the Star of the Month celebration.

I suspect the change was made last Sunday because Canadians could not be trusted to see the detailed images of U.S. bank notes and Treasury Department credentials that were included in T-Men. Sorry, bad joke - there's a warning at the beginning of T-Men that reproduction of the currency or Treasury Department credentials shown in the film is strictly prohibited. (Not that anything could be done with those 1940's images anyway.) It does look like both Canada and the U.S. are scheduled to see Gun Crazy this coming Sunday, so hopefully we will all be in sync again for a while.

Re the Ava Gardner schedule change: My guess is that the William Shakespeare lineup is essentially a commercial tie-in with the TNT series "Will" that started on TNT last night (2 episodes were shown). Better to directly/indirectly promote the series now than to wait until the 24th when the 4th episode would be airing.

Not sure what happened Hibi. In the wrap-up I watched, Eddie referred to a "crazily exciting film from 1950" that he had to write a book about. I think it's this one: http://www.eddiemuller.com/guncrazy.html The TCM schedule and noiralley.tcm.com both still show Gun Crazy on Sunday. Possessed is scheduled for October 1. Sorry if I am missing something.

The one thing I would add to all the great comments about the guilty pleasure The Best of Everything is how much I enjoy the opening shots of early-morning New York City during that time, together with the silky theme sung by Johnny Mathis.

No angst this week as Eddie presented T-Men (1947), with the government Treasury men as the straightforward good guys and the organized counterfeiters as the bad guys. Sort of a criminal procedural companion to He Walked By Night (1948), complete with the Reed Hadley narration. Eddie cracked me up with his put-down of the stiff introduction provided by real-life T-Man Elmer Irey. Eddie was also right to point out the cinematography as a master class in lighting. Don’t want to spoil the movie by saying too much but there was a bit of a surprising scene in the last third which emphasized the high stakes for undercover work. Also, I think it’s the second case where Eddie has mentioned how the mob financed a film by working on the down-low with the head of the production code office, Joseph Breen. Say it ain’t so, Joe! Looking forward to Eddie’s comments next time for Gun Crazy (1950), a film which I have seen before but I’m sure Eddie will shed some new light on it for us.

SlingTV (sling.com) is another streaming service that others have talked about here. Looks like you pick a main package starting at $20 per month, and then you have to add $5 per month for the 'Hollywood Extra' package to get TCM. I don't have the service so I can't comment on quality, etc.

It's unfortunate that the original schedule as planned was messed up. The version of Downhill that was shown ran until 11:40pm Eastern time so Farmer's Wife didn't start until 11:45pm (originally scheduled for 11:15pm). In the shuffle afterwards Champagne was removed and replaced with The Lodger. You can tell that when the intros were shot Ben & Co. thought that Champagne would follow Farmer's Wife because after that film, Ben teased the upcoming movie as "from 1928 the story of a spoiled heiress and her complicated relationship with her father." Bummer. BTW, I'm still waiting for the rare silent version of Blackmail that was scheduled, introduced as, but replaced with the regular version many months ago.

If you liked Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell in the Noir Alley film They Live By Night (1948), you might want to check out Side Street (1950) in which they also appear together. Side Street is currently scheduled to be shown on TCM this coming Friday at 11:30 am Eastern time. I have not yet seen Side Street but it has positive reviews on IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042960/ Per the listing, Side Street is directed by Anthony Mann, who was responsible for several fine Westerns with Jimmy Stewart, among others.

I would like to reply by saying my admittedly simplistic post was meant to convey my own reaction to the film, and was not intended to summarize it. I really just wanted to make a placeholder for the movie to see how others would react. In one of the tributes to Robert Osborne there was a quote where he said something to the effect that "movies don't change, but we do." So you can revisit films later to see if your opinion on them changes. It is probably my own current shortcoming that I have reached a point where I am not able to enjoy films that seem to have an inevitability of tragedy and do not have at least one character that you can root for with some hope of achieving at least a small success. Thus I have been 'depressed' by the fact that several of the Noir Alley films have fallen into this category for me. Before I forget I also wanted to add that I thought Eddie Muller did a wonderful job before and after the film - he spent about 5 minutes each going into his thoughts on the film and the details of the production. That is an eternity in TCM terms and I really appreciate it from Eddie and TCM.

Received the first newsletter today (for July). Does include a link to a separate "At A Glance" section which retains the format of the previous printed version for all days of the month. Indicates daily themes and premieres as before. Then there's a schedule link which is just a link to the on-line monthly schedule that we've been seeing for a while now. So from a do-it-yourself printing perspective this is all we have to work with. (Unless you want to try to do something with one of the daily schedule formats.) I guess the semi-monthly newsletter will just feature additional announcements / articles in the secondary e-mail each month.

Another tidbit in the July News Flash: the Now Playing Newsletter will be sent "twice monthly." Does that mean we only get the schedule for two weeks at a time? I guess time will tell.

This week on Noir Alley: They Live by Night Just too depressing.

In the 'Classic Movie News Flash' for July that TCM just started airing, there's a tease for the e-mail version of the Now Playing Guide (it's advertised as the 'Now Playing Newsletter'). In this tease there's a quick glimpse of an 'At A Glance' section which looks like a picture of the same section taken from the July printed version. If this section and format does indeed make it to the newsletter, then 'At A Glance' would continue to list the daytime and nighttime themes as well as the TCM premieres for the month, and that covers the main pieces of information that are missing from the current on-line schedules. As the song says, "a girl can dream"... (or boy for that matter)