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The original production of The Fantasticks in 1960 starred Jerry Orbach, Rita Gardner, and Kenneth Nelson. It was a piece of perfection in its simplicity, and the soundtrack on record, tape, CD has sold millions of copies. There was a terrible NBC production in 1964 and and an even worse film in 1995 that could not capture the simple perfection of this piece of gossamer. And to think Harvey Schmidt could not read or write music!

To each his own. I just didn't like anything about the film except for Andre Holland in the last part of the film.

It also features a terrific and Oscar-nominated performance by Bessie Love and was a huge box-office hit.

The copy of East Lynne (1931) I've seen is missing the final reel (although the complete film apparently survives at UCLA). It's a good film, based on an old-fashioned play. Ann Harding is terrific as Isabella. The 1925 silent version survives, starring Alma Rubens in the same role. To my knowledge East Lynne is the only Oscar-nominated best film that's never been released on VHS, DVD, BLU etc. As for Cimarron, it's a sprawling film that utilized "sound" in location shooting in new ways, so it was a technical "marvel" for 1931. I like the film except for Richard Dix' hammy performance. As for best film of the year I would say it was close between Cimarron and The Front Page with Skippy, East Lynne, and Trader Horn, being the other nominees. Skippy seems an odd choice.

LOL..... Cimarron may not have been the best film of the year but at least it's a decent film. Moonlight, on the other hand, has nothing going for it. Uninteresting story, badly acted, badly directed, hideously bad narrative structure, unappealing characters, etc.

Anything over last year's Moonlight. Worst best film winner of all time.....

Hal Mohr actually won an Oscar for best cinematography for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as a write-in candidate against the three films officially nominated: Barbary Coast, Les Miserables, and The Crusades. The year before, Bette Davis had been a heavy write-in candidate for for best actress in Of Human Bondage. The three official candidates were Claudette Colbert, the winner for It Happened One Night, Norma Shearer for The Barretts of Wimpole Street, and Grace Moore for One Night of Love. The year before that, Marion Davies had been a strong write-in candidate for best actress in Peg o' My Heart. The official candidates were Katharine Hepburn, the winner for Morning Glory, Diana Wynyard for Cavalcade, and May Robson for Lady for a Day. As a result of these write-ins The Academy banned write-ins after Hal Mohr's outright win. As a result of the strong write-in campaigns for Bette Davis and Marion Davies, the Academy upped the number of acting nominations from three to five (although the the 9th awards that saw Davis win for Dangerous actually had six best actress nominees because of a tie).

Two supporting performances that come to mind, both in films that flopped, that were outstanding. Elaine Stritch as the acerbic mother in September Beatrice Arthur as the acerbic Vera in Mame

Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar Marion Davies in Peg o' My Heart (although she was a write-in candidate) Ann Sheridan in Kings Row Judy Davis in My Brilliant Career "To Sir with Love" as best song Debbie Reynolds in Mother Deborah Kerr in Black Narcissus Barbra Streisand in Yentl (actress and director)

Don't be fooled. There is no vault. TCM's "library" is an ever-changing list of films for which it has licensing agreements. Generally these agreements cover much of what used to be in the MGM library, but that never was inclusive, and specific agreements for "new" film versions (restorations, etc.) are necessary. The library generally includes films from MGM, Warners, RKO (it was bought by Warners years ago) and also includes some public domain films. This is why Paramount and Fox films are relatively rare on TCM. A licensing agreement generally runs between 5-7 years for airing on TCM only. A licensing agreement can be made with an individual or a corporate entity to include one or a number of films. Once the agreement date has been passed, the film cannot be shown again on TCM. Silent films can be tricky. Although many silent films are in the public domain (all films dated 1922 or before), the copyrighted music score is not included and must be licensed. For example, I have licensing agreements with TCM for several of my restorations projects where I have commissioned a new score and own the rights. Therefore TCM can air the Marion Davies films, Enchantment with score by Donald Sosin and The Bride's Play with score by Ben Model. Ben produced his own restoration of Davies' When Knighthood Was in Flower and has his own licensing agreement with TCM.

So many started in silent films. And yet so many people still think that silent films and talkies were two totally different mediums and that there was no cross-over.

Oscar nominated actors/actresses who worked in silent films: Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Lillian Gish, Marion Davies (write-in), Betty Compson, Bessie Love, Nancy Carroll, Corinne Griffith, Ruth Chatterton, May Robson, Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, Gladys George, Barbara Stanwyck, Marjorie Rambeau, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Paulette Goddard, Sara Allgood, Edith Evans, May Whitty, Billie Burke, Louise Dresser, Jeanne Eagels, Lynn Fontanne. Charlie Chaplin, Richard Barthlemess, William Powell, Richard Dix, Chester Morris, Adolphe Menjou, Mickey Rooney, Walter Pidgeon, George Bancroft, Lew Ayres, Clifton Webb, Erich von Stroheim, Louis Calhern, H.B. Warner, Harry Carey, Albert Bassermann, Frank Morgan, Sessue Hayakawa, Ed Wynn, Alfred Lunt, Jack Oakie.

Here are some Oscar winning actors/actresses who worked in silent films: Joan Crawford Norma Shearer Marie Dressler Janet Gaynor Mary Pickford Loretta Young Claudette Colbert Clark Gable Gary Cooper Ronald Colman Emil Jannings George Arliss Wallace Beery Victor McLaglen Lionel Barrymore Charles Laughton John Wayne Ray Milland Alice Brady Ethel Barrymore Mary Astor Donald Crisp Joseph Schildkraut Walter Brennan Edmund Gwenn

George Chakiris was terrific in West Side Story, but I would have voted for Jackie Gleason for his dramatic role in The Hustler.

Finally saw Phantom Thread. I thought Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville were terrific, liked the music, HATED THE ENDING.

My favorite John Mahoney performance was in The House of Blues Leaves for which he won a Tony Award. There was a PBS production of it years ago with Swoosie Kurtz, Julie Hagerty, Chsristine Baranski, and a young and chubby Ben Stiller.

The Shape of Water looks like is was pretty much lifted from a play by Paul Zindel called "Let Me Hear You Whisper." Zindels 1960s play is about a cleaner in a research lab who forms an attachment to a dolphin that's being used for research. Hmmmm. http://www.paulzindel.com/hisworks/synopsis/plays/letmewhisper.htm

I think he was a stable boy or groom.... been a while since I've seen it.

One of Rupert Graves' best roles is as Freddie in A Room with a View.

Some actors who got nominated but never won: Deborah Kerr, Peter O'Toole, Warren Beatty, Miriam Hopkins, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Burton, Harrison Ford, Woody Allen, Margaret Sullavan, Ava Gardner, James Mason, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Glenn Close, Carole Lombard, William Powell, Jean Arthur, Richard Barthelmess, Cary Grant, Sylvia Sidney, Robert Montgomery, Melina Mercouri, Marcello Mastroianni, Liv Ullmann, Ralph Richardson, Betty Compson, Debbie Reynolds, Robert Mitchum, Barbara Stanwyck, Irene Dunne, Annette Bening, Marsha Mason, Lily Tomlin, Kirk Douglas, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Boyer, Eleanor Parker, Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, Merle Oberon, Lew Ayres, Lillian Gish, John Garfield, Bessie Love, Candice Bergen, Jill Clayburgh, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Ann Blyth, Robert Ryan, Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Orson Welles, Albert Finney, Judy Davis, Cicely Tyson, Julie Harris, James Dean, Rock Hudson, James Garner, Elliott Gould, Ruth Chatterton, Charlotte Rampling, Catherine Deneuve, Steve McQueen, Natalie Wood, Elisabeth Bergner, Rosalind Russell, Michael Redgrave, Ann Harding, Nancy Carroll, James Earl Jones, Kevin Costner, and many more.

And don't forget one of the other kids in Farrow's tribe. Moses has written that he WITNESSED Farrow drilling into the girl's head that she had been molested. Most of the kids in that tribe have nothing to do with Farrow. That says a lot. She was nutty and unstable going back to the Peyton Place days ... and that was more than 50 years ago!

The New Blacklist Era is in full swing. All it takes is an allegation, or an endlessly repeated allegation from a professional victim (as is the case with Woody Allen who was investigated 25 years ago ... NO CHARGES) for the axe to drop. How ironic that Allen starred in a movie called The Front in 1976, a film about blacklisted writers. The film was written by Walter Bernstein, directed by Martin Ritt, and co-starred Zero Mostel and Herschel Bernardi ... all of whom were Blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. This was a subject dear to Allen, who starred in the film. As I said, how ironic.

Never even nominated.... EVER: Edward G. Robinson Rita Hayworth Glenn Ford Marion Davies Ida Lupino Hugh Grant Marilyn Monroe John Barrymore Myrna Loy Gina Lollobrigida Dirk Bogarde Ann Sheridan John Gilbert Jeanette MacDonald Kim Novak Betty Hutton Buster Keaton Harold Lloyd Betty Grable Fred MacMurray W.C. Fields June Allyson Robert Taylor Jean Harlow Ramon Novarro Alice Faye Alan Ladd Colleen Moore Dick Powell Bebe Daniels Lon Chaney Kay Francis Van Johnson Lucille Ball Jacqueline Bisset Dana Andrews Lizabeth Scott Bob Hope Constance Bennett Mae West Joan Bennett Clara Bow William Haines Jeanne Moreau Mario Lanza Jane Russell Tyrone Power Errol Flynn Veronica Lake Joel McCrea Joseph Cotten Robert Cummings Pola Negri Eddie Cantor Norma Talmadge Ben Affleck and many more

Ten of the biggest Oscar snubs 1. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard 2. Judy Garland in A Star Is Born 3. Judy Davis in My Brilliant Career (not even nominated) 4. William Powell in The Thin Man (not even nominated) 5. Joan Crawford in Humoresque (not even nominated) 6. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons 7. Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind 8. Barbra Streisand in Yentl (not even nominated) 9. Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 10. Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (not even nominated)

Moonlight ranks with Around the World in 80 Days as the WORST winners of best picture Oscars.