LornaHansonForbes

Yeah, I almost walked after 15 minutes, but once Gilbert and Baklanova start fooling around- in a REALLY FRANK scene- my interest was piqued, and stayed there. Slow to start, this one was.

I have never, ever heard anyone say "Vivien LAY," it's always been LEE to me. Oddly, "Vivien" was considered the masculine spelling of the name, "ViviAN" (as she was born, I think) was the feminine- she changed it to end in "en" at the insistence of an agent.

I was writing this out in the I JUST WATCHED thread, when it occurred to me that this film was unique and revelatory enough that I figured I'd just start a thread just for it. Featured as part of Virginia Bruce's SUMMER UNDER THE STARS day, it wasn't really a noteable performance on her part (don't get me wrong, she's fine- but there's not a lot to her character, who is more of a driving force for conflict between the two leads played by Paul Lukas and John Gilbert that the film centers on.) A proto-DOWNTON ABBEY (and i have to admit my appreciation of the plot had much to do with the episodes I'd seen of that show as they serve as a reminder for us who live in the modern era of the complicated caste system that used to exist in grand households between the upstairs owners and downstairs servants)- the film deals with the Hungarian head Butler (Paul Lukas) to a wealthy Baron, whose wife Olga Baklanova (the first film I've seen her in that wasn't FREAKS! and she's terrific) is having an affair with the shiftless chauffer played by John Gilbert-who is also "giving it to" the old, overweight cook in a shockingly frank and salacious B-story. . Gilbert ends up setting his sights on a pretty lady's maid played by Bruce (his real life wife at the time) who has just married Paul Lukas's head butler. Blackmail, violence and a power struggle ensue in one of the Pre-Codiest Pre-Codes I've ever seen. The two revelations of the film were, without a doubt, Gilbert and Lukas- neither or whom have I ever thought of as good actors. Gilbert's performance is nothing short of extraordinary- so confident and relaxed and dedicated is he to playing an utterly repugnant s***heel- the kind of role that would make Warren William step back and go "whoa, I dunno, THIS guy is too much of a jerk for even me to play"- the high-pitched whine to Gilbert's voice was GONE- it was a strong, steady tone- he doesn't falter once, and it's interesting to watch such a MAJOR star give a challenging performance when I am sure his back was against the wall career-wise. Rarely do I agree with Maltin, but I have to say that he is right when he says that Gilbert's performance dispels the myth that he was a bad actor with a high, squeaky voice. The other revelation- although less so- was Paul Lukas, who I was just recently railing against for his weak, yet Oscar-winning performance in WATCH ON THE RHINE- he's better in this film than any other I've seen him in- but it takes a while for him to get "warmed up"- and there were quite a few scenes early on where I could not understand him and even more where he visibly struggles with the dialogue- nonetheless, the "foreigness" of his character adds to the sense the audience has of his frustration at losing control of his wife and his household to the manipulative Gilbert. Allegedly, this film was a flop (which I can understand), and it seems to've been a slightly rushed affair (both Lukas and Gilbert flub lines that are left in the picture)- but after a kind of routine start, this thing reeled me in and I was on the edge of my seat for the conclusion. Did anyone else see it?

Then maybe you're in for a disappointment, because THE PAINTED VEIL is a talkie, made in 1934. Don't know if it's just barely pre- or just barely post- Hayes Code. (I'm also looking forward to it.)

I think it would use asterisks if it was an auto sensor. It merely says "blanked", the word literally. I copied and pasted it as it appeared in the IMDB trivia section. Maybe Kelly just screamed "Bye, Felicia" to McDowell and strutted off. He was so ahead of his time, that Gene.

All the LOLs today to you, Good Sir. you have earned them well.

I don't remember that. And now I don't remember where it was that I read about any conflict between fellow Brits Leigh and Howard...I just perused the lengthy trivia entries for GWTW at imdb and came up with nothing... Maybe it was brought up in the documentary on Vivien Leigh that has shown on TCM from time to time, because I distinctly recall seeing or reading details somewhere that Howard and Leigh clashed. ...of course, the truth is, any group of people working together so long on such a lengthy endeavor are prone to moments of tension, and considering the pressure everyone is under, it's likely the relationships between the actors was a series of ups and downs...or maybe everyone was too busy to fight.

Actually, I think it was Rochelle, Rochelle: The Musical.

He did a film in 1998 called THE THIN RED LINE, based on a James Jones novel about WWII in the Pacific Theater. It was actually nominated for Best Picture. A friend of mine went to go see something else with her fiancee at the time, but they couldn't get in, so they went to go see THE THIN RED LINE instead. I can still recall the two of them going on a 45-minute long co-rant about the film, which they retitled THE THIN, STUPID, BORING RED ****ING LINE. It was epic, I still laugh now recalling it. Apparently it is nine and a half hours long and nothing happens in it except George Clooney shows up for 45 seconds three hours in. Then leaves.

Then clearly you have never seen anything else directed by Terence Malick (along with 97% of the rest of the general population.)

a few more trivia items copied and pasted from imdb: For the "Make Em Laugh" number, Gene Kelly asked Donald O'Connor to revive a trick he had done as a young dancer, running up a wall and completing a somersault. The number was so physically taxing that O'Connor, who smoked four packs of cigarettes a day at the time, went to bed (or may have been hospitalized, depending on the source) for a week after its completion, suffering from exhaustion and painful carpet burns. Unfortunately, an accident ruined all of the initial footage, so after a brief rest, O'Connor, ever the professional, agreed to do the difficult number all over again. A microphone was hidden in Debbie Reynolds' blouse so her lines could be heard more clearly. During one of the dance numbers, her heartbeat can be heard, mirroring what happens to Lina Lamont in the movie itself. The original negative of this film was destroyed in a fire. Working days sometimes stretched to 19 hours. At the 1972 Academy Awards Gene Kelly blanked* Malcolm McDowell because he was so offended by the graphic rape scene in A Clockwork Orange (1971) being performed to the song 'Singin' in the Rain'. Like Lina Lamont, when sound films arrived, many silent screen actors lost their careers because their voices didn't match their screen personas. The most famous example is silent star John Gilbert. However, it wasn't the sound of his voice that killed his career; it was the rumored behind-the-scenes backstabbing (speeding up of his voice by sound technicians, on direct orders from someone with an agenda) and the ridiculously florid lines he had to say. The lines that Gene Kelly's character speaks in "The Dueling Cavalier" are based on the types of lines that killed John Gilbert's career. Gilbert's actual lines as a mock Romeo in the "William Shakespeare Scene" in The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) is an example of this. Interesting? |The jalopy driven by Debbie Reynolds was the same one driven by Mickey Rooney in the Andy Hardy pictures. *-no, I don't know what they meant by "blanked."

I posted these in another thread, but thought some of you might've missed them. these are but a few trivia items for SINGIN IN THE RAIN from imdb.com: (my two faves are in red) Debbie Reynolds remarked many years later that making this movie and surviving childbirth were the two hardest things she's ever had to do. Only 19 when cast to play the film, Debbie Reynolds lived with her parents and commuted to the set. She had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and ride three different buses to the studio; sometimes, to avoid the commute, she would just sleep on the set. Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds for not being able to dance. Fred Astaire, who was hanging around the studio, found her crying under a piano and helped her with her dancing. In the "Would You" number, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) is dubbing the voice of Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) because Lina's voice is shrill and screechy. However, it's not Reynolds who is really speaking, it's Jean Hagen herself, who actually had a beautiful deep, rich voice. So you have Jean Hagen dubbing Debbie Reynolds dubbing Jean Hagen. And when Debbie is supposedly dubbing Jean's singing of "Would You", the voice you hear singing actually belongs to Betty Noyes, who had a much richer singing voice than Debbie. The script was written after the songs, and so the writers had to generate a plot into which the songs would fit. A microphone was hidden in Debbie Reynolds' blouse so her lines could be heard more clearly. During one of the dance numbers, her heartbeat can be heard, mirroring what happens to Lina Lamont in the movie itself. [..] Donald O'Connor admitted that he did not enjoy working with Gene Kelly, since Kelly was somewhat of a tyrant. O'Connor said that for the first several weeks he was terrified of making a mistake and being yelled at by Kelly.

I had COMPLETELY forgotten making this comment and the context in which it was written, so you can imagine my triple-take when reading this. ps- if i ever need an alias, Chocolat Brockovich has moved soclose to the top of my list.

in re: Leslie Howard. Bless his heart, the poor thing. This is a subject I've gotten into a lot over the years, and it's one I could go on and on about, so I'll try to abridge. I loved seeing the make-up tests for him in the GWTW documentary, one could almost imagine the pit-crew-changes-a-tire-like sounds of air compressed ratchets and nozzles as they put him in a series of wigs and prosthetics. They did a pretty damn good job though, as he is clearly 46- but could pass for a weary 38 in the right lighting. For the record, he was an excellent actor- and it takes a deeper dive into classic films than many GWTW fans have done to discover that. He is superb in PYGMALION- really every damn bit as good as Rex Harrison, and I wish some of that Howard had shown up as Ashley, and terrific in BERKLEY SQUARE. His supreme triumph though is likely THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, where he gives us the two sides of his personae- a hilarious send-up of the delicate, empty-headed dandy and the man who gets things done and takes crap from no one. I'm torn about him in GWTW, because on one hand-- Howard/Ashley is wrong for the film in so many ways, but in some senses- he's right. I can actually see why Scarlett wants Ashley so bady- she wants to dominate a man in every way. This, of course, will never make her happy in the end, only life with the indominateable Rhett will. So, the psychology of casting Howard in the role- and the wonderful switching-of-gender roles Ashley's relationship with Scarlett takes in the second half of GWTW- in on-point. PS- Allegedly, Vivien Leigh- who got along just fine with Gable and DeHaviland- did not get along with Howard.

Is that one you- or anyone else reading this- has seen? I read several things about it- namely a few funny entries in THE FILM SNOB'S DICTIONARY- but have never seen any part of it.

YOU PROBABLY KNOW ALL OF THESE NUGGETS ALREADY, BUT WHAT THE HEY? COPY AND PASTED FROM IMDB TRIVIA SECTION: Debbie Reynolds remarked many years later that making this movie and surviving childbirth were the two hardest things she's ever had to do. Only 19 when cast to play the film, Debbie Reynolds lived with her parents and commuted to the set. She had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and ride three different buses to the studio; sometimes, to avoid the commute, she would just sleep on the set. Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds for not being able to dance. Fred Astaire, who was hanging around the studio, found her crying under a piano and helped her with her dancing. In the "Would You" number, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) is dubbing the voice of Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) because Lina's voice is shrill and screechy. However, it's not Reynolds who is really speaking, it's Jean Hagen herself, who actually had a beautiful deep, rich voice. So you have Jean Hagen dubbing Debbie Reynolds dubbing Jean Hagen. And when Debbie is supposedly dubbing Jean's singing of "Would You", the voice you hear singing actually belongs to Betty Noyes, who had a much richer singing voice than Debbie. The script was written after the songs, and so the writers had to generate a plot into which the songs would fit. A microphone was hidden in Debbie Reynolds' blouse so her lines could be heard more clearly. During one of the dance numbers, her heartbeat can be heard, mirroring what happens to Lina Lamont in the movie itself. [..] Donald O'Connor admitted that he did not enjoy working with Gene Kelly, since Kelly was somewhat of a tyrant. O'Connor said that for the first several weeks he was terrified of making a mistake and being yelled at by Kelly.

It was the creamy nougat center.

Hey now: Julie Roberts (pronounced Whoo-lee Row-bears) was magnifique in the Weinstock Bros. critically acclaimed Chocolat Brockovich. THE LAST true great film of the millenium. DON'T YOU DARE CRITICIZE HER WORK! IT IS A FLAWLESS G*****N PERFORMANCE!!!!

Joan Bennett's too urbane and smoky and worldly and modern and mature for the part. She's fabulous, but not right for Scarlett.

Bomp-chicka-wow wow...chicka-chicka-chicka...Bomp-chicka-wow wow...

Wasn't there once upon a time a Franklin Mint commemorative figurine collection based on GWTW? Like circa the fiftieth anniversary in 1989? This was just a thought I had as I was going over the various incidental and supporting roles- every one of which is cast spot-on. From India Wilkes ("I hate you. I've always hated you!") to Laura Hope Crewes' Aunt Pittypat (whose relationship with her butler "Uncle Peter" is one of my favorite untold stories behind the story of GWTW), to Jane Darwell- who is a 180 from her Oscar-winning Ma Joad the next year), to the mascara-ed milksop playing Charles Hamilton, to Barbara O'Neill, who is magnificent in her brief role as Scarlett's mom (and would give an excellent Oscar-nominated performance the next year as the villainess of ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO) to Ona Munson's Belle, who I'm glad they found room for in the story.)...and this even extends to the controversial choices in casting the slave roles- whatever you can say about the context of Oscar, Prissy, Big Sam and Mammy- there's not a one that is a failed performance. They all make the absolute most out of the tangential roles, each one being like a tiny figurine to be kept and remembered forever... (am i laying it on kind of thick here?) ps- I think Leslie Howard is the only role miscast, which considering whan an endeavour the whole thing must've been, is commendable.

+1. I'm hard pressed to think of any other female star who so rarely got a vehicles really worthy of her talents.

I would quite possibly give my back molars for the chance to see Zasu Pitts' screen test as Scarlett.

I really wish they'd show this one too. It's a Universal pic, but plenty of other Universl pics have shown up on the schedule over the years (does Universal still own the rights?) Anyway, I don't know why it hasn't played on TCM either EVER or in a long, long time. I ended up watching it on youtube and it is a delight from start to finish- and this from someone who likes the occasional western, but by and large isn't a huge fan of the genre. If anyone from programming is watching this, see what you can do about snagging DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, because it is a film you could show twice monthly for two years straight and I would not complain. It's also one of the most unfairly never-mentioned great films of 1939.

Can anyone blame Myra for not thinking CHU CHIN CHOW would be a huge hit? That's one I'm not expecting a revival of any time soon, sounds racist as hell.