Mr. Gorman

Question: How Dumb Is Mister Roberts? Answer: I don't know; I lost my yardstick with the 'Dumb' measurements and only have a stick with inches and feet. Sorry 'bout that cos I really wanted to help ya, Nipkow! ------------------- I like MISTER ROBERTS well enough. I enjoyed watching it the other night for the 3rd time. I could envision Ensign Pulver doing occasionally mischievous things in peacetime like smuggling a bit o'booze. I noted, ND, that through repeated viewings you are enjoying MISTER ROBERTS less. ♣My suggestion♣ : Don't watch it again if you're not enjoying it any more. That's what I do when the long, dusty, arid movie LAWRENCE OF ARABIA shows up on TCM's schedule.

Even though I'm not a charter member of the TCM Poxlot and my opinion isn't valued one whit, Ben M. has my seal of approval to remain host.

Victor/Victoria (1982)

Sepiatone, I used to have an old MEDIA Home Entertainment VHS of "The Groove Tube". Traded it to another video collector years ago. I never could get on board with those '70s-era "sketch comedy" movies. I had a couple other sketch comedy movies on MEDIA I parted with via trade -- both of which were not as good as "The Groove Tube". (The other 2 films were "Can I Do It 'Til I Need Glasses?" -and- "If You Don't Stop It . . . You'll Go Blind" → I traded that one to some dude named Master Bates. Neither movie was worth a damn in terms of entertainment value). I never saw "Kentucky Fried Movie" or "Loose Shoes" or "American Raspberry" (aka: "Prime Time"). Maybe I'll give one of those 3 a try some time. Speaking of Detroit . . . ♣SHAMELESS PLUG alert♣ I quite like the J. GEILS BAND song "Detroit Breakdown" from their 1974 album 'NIGHTMARES . . . And Other Tales From The Vinyl Jungle". Apparently the band considered Detroit like their second home after Boston (where the band was formed); their 1972 album "Live"/Full House was recorded at Cobo Hall in April of '72, I do believe. And parts of their 1976 live album "Blow Your Face Out" were recorded in Detroit as well. Detroit Breakdown = Motor City Shakedown!

Since the OP is including 1970s movies as opposed to stopping at 1965 or earlier films (like Leonard Maltin's Classic Video Guide does) well then, shucks, I've got a bunch of flix on my 1966-79 cinematic goodie list I'd be delighted to show to newcomers to older films. I'd have a weeklong festival of pre-1980 flix to show various interested folks. And a couple of my film selections would be Bad movies. With a capital 'B'. No one would escape my clutches without being tormented by the amazingly awful 1979 opus "MALIBU HIGH"! A jaw-dropping experience, esp. for those who might think it's a carefree '70s Youth Movie. It is not. Irvin Berwick (1914-1997) was 64 when he directed "Malibu High". What could Irv have been thinking? And, oh, those hilariously over-the-top music cues. Great lines from "Malibu High": JILL LANSING (to Stuart Taylor): "I thought we had a 'thing' going". STUART's reply: "We had a no-thing, baby".

Not With My Wife, You Don't! (1966)

I knew that, Winslow. He got more pervy as he got older and put a plastic bag over his head in 2011 at 73 to suffocate himself. He'd put ads in the paper for aspiring actresses and behaved sleazily once they arrived at his apartment.

Greetings, sewhite of 2000. You mentioned 'discuss' in regards to FAME (1980). Yesterday was the 1st time I'd seen it, too. I was 7 when it came out in '80 so I didn't get to see it on the BIG screen and it eluded me as well . . . until now. I'd read the Leonard Maltin review of 'FAME' (he gave it **½ stars out of a possible ****) scores of times over the years and you mentioned the same thing his reviewer did about the disjointed continuity as the film progresses and a fat number of loose story ends. Maybe the director filmed so many scenes there was no way to tie up (or at least wrap up a little bit!) some of the story threads without having another 30 minutes of movie. Or longer. An extra half-hour would've pushed the run time to 2 hrs 45 mins and perhaps MGM didn't want it to run that long? So The Chop/per went to work cutting scenes here 'n' there that could have wrapped up some threads. I dunno . . . In regards to a casual abortion scene like is seen in 'FAME' the TV print of 1982's "FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH" includes a scene cut out of the theatrical version when Jennifer Jason Leigh goes to the abortion clinic and a doctor is seen performing the procedure. I taped the Tv version aired on TBS back in the '90s and I noted that scene didn't appear when I'd watched the movie on my MCA Home Video tape. There's quite a bit of alternate/cutting-room floor footage put back in to FAST TIMES for its Tv presentation. Couple extra scenes with Sean Penn among other added-back stuff. (Another Tv version of a movie with lots of different footage from the theatrical release: CAR WASH (1976)). THE DANCING ON THE STREET SCENE IN 'FAME': I can't help but think someone involved in the production of 'FAME' saw the 1976 movie "APPLE PIE" and incorporated the final scene of "Apple Pie" into "Fame". APPLE PIE only runs 80 minutes but the the last 10m. feature the rubber-limbed TONY AZITO and all sorts of extras dancing on the streets of New York City. They dance on cars -- especially a white Ford station wagon. They dance on the sidewalk. They dance on fire escapes on the sides of buildings. → And who shows up at the end of the film as one of the dancers? IRENE CARA. She's easily recognizable in the final sequence. I think she comes running from her red brick apartment building to start dancing on the street. (I'm guessing she appeared in "Apple Pie" before being featured in "AARON LOVES ANGELA"). I didn't think of the FAME kids as being obnoxious dancing all around. They were just feelin' the music. I wrote a review of the NYC-based movie 'APPLE PIE' on the IMDb should anyone wish to read a bit about it. Near the end of the movie -- but before the dancing scene -- there's a woman who drives up next to Tony Azito at a stoplight and he reads her shirt which says: "If you can beat me You can eat me" (!) So Tony and the gal have a road race and later end up at a fancy restaurant where they start chucking fancy food at one another while the bemused patrons look on. In the final analysis I'd watch 'FAME' again. One of the reasons being I liked the music. --------------------------------------- ♣SHAMELESS MOVIE PLUG♣: The forgotten 1980 release 'HEADIN' FOR BROADWAY'. It seems like director Joseph Brooks ran out of production money and wasn't able to film all the scenes he needed. Even so, I rather liked it despite its shortcomings. Like 'FAME', I enjoyed the music in "Headin' for Broadway". Starred Rex Smith, Paul Carafotes, Terri Treas, Vivian Reed, Gene Foote. Runs 89 minutes and is [PG].

I wish I knew, but it sure is annoying.

I like that song SIGN OF THE GYPSY QUEEN by April Wine. Someone who played in April Wine from 1976-84 died a few days ago at age 67. Can't recall the fella's name off the top of my head. I bought the "Nature of the Beast" album which contains "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" and you can hear the song in the 1981 Canadian comedy 'GAS' when Helen Shaver is talking to Carl Marotte in the van. Thorn/EMI video released a VHS tape in the early '80s of APRIL WINE in concert. I snagged a used copy of the video several years ago. Now I gotta go look up the guy's name . . . It is bassist STEVE LANG who has passed on.

I think you'd like ALABAMA'S GHOST. If you liked 'GODMONSTER' then it's more likely than not you'll find enjoyment in "Alabama's Ghost". Just reading about it is amusing. I have a Something Weird Video of another Hobbs movie called ROSELAND, but I haven't seen it yet. My VCR is busted and I bought it on tape from SWV.

EDUCATING RITA is most enjoyable. Too bad that's not being shown. On the other hand, I firmly believe TCM deserves thanks for not showing EASY RIDER. Overrated and under-interesting.

For those who have patience of movies with narratives that journey all over during the course of the film check out either or both of these movies: ALABAMA'S GHOST (1972) GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS (1973) Both were directed by Frederic Hobbs. They're indescribable. I will say this, however, 'GODMONSTER' is the only movie I've seen where I've felt sympathy toward a deformed mutant sheep roaming the countryside. (The sheep has a limp arm).

In regards to the movie 'SINGIN' IN THE RAIN' (1952) I cannot regard the comment that it's "sappy" as anything but stupid. Come on. The romance angle of the film between Gene and Debbie is hardly the main plot of SINGIN' and I don't see how it's all mushy and nausea-inducing, anyway. In 1951, the musical release 'AN AMERICAN IN PARIS' had more of a focus on romance to go with the music. I wonder if that's supposed to be 'sappy', too? Can't show that to a 30-year old! → See, there's trees blooming everywhere in Paris dripping sap all over the picture so that one's a 'no-go'! And would 1954's BRIGADOON be a sap-a-doodle movie as well? Them Scottish highlands are just fulla treacly, sticky stuff, aren't they? You want sappy? Watch 1973's "Breezy". I kinda like the movie, but the ending is sappy as hell. Or watch 1933's FEMALE with Ruth Chatterton driving like a mad woman to catch up with George Brent -- even though he really wasn't very nice to her and put her down constantly. That's why I don't like FEMALE. Too sappy with Ruth giving up all for George and getting so little in return! ----------------------------- I couldn't pick GWTW as an "introductory" classic because it's so long. Not because of any racist "message". I've never thought of GWTW as a "message film". I would never show 'Lawrence of Arabia' for the same reason were I trying to introduce someone to the joys of classic movies. (If I were going to introduce someone to a David Lean epic I'd select 1984's "A PASSAGE TO INDIA" easily over "Lawrence of Arabia", "Doctor Zhivago" or the 1970 Lean movie whose title escapes me at the moment but which is a long film). ------------------------------- I'd show 1932's CARNIVAL BOAT. It's short (62 minutes) and contains action and romance (but not like FEMALE where the woman has to be 'tamed') and is a pleasant way to spend an hour. With William Boyd, Ginger Rogers, Hobart Bosworth, Fred Kohler.

Bit overdramatic there, SleepyDog? DAYS OF HEAVEN only runs 1 hr 35 minutes -- I watched it when it was on recently. At least if you're going to use that now-irritating phrase "I can't get those 2-3 hours of my life back" use it for a movie that actually runs 120 minutes instead of 95.

Pepe wasn't alone in his imitation of Charles Boyer.

I think TCM should air THE ZOOT CAT, a 1944 Tom & Jerry cartoon. Tom turns in to a real 'hep cat' in this one and even impersonates Charles Boyer. As for any petitions going on to try and keep the IMDb Message Boards extant I wonder what the odds are of them succeeding?

QUARSHIE, Hugh

GARY MORTON (that was an easy one, TB!) next: Actor who died way before his time; he kicked Pat Benatar out of the house in her "Love Is A Battlefield" video in 1983. Between 1984-89 he was a very busy actor and was hired to be in "Miller's Crossing" by the Coen Brothers . . . and then it was all suddenly over due to an arterial vascular malformation that lead to a cerebral hemorrhage five days before his 41st birthday. _ R _ _ /// _ I _ S _ _

ED AND HIS DEAD MOTHER (1993) [PG-13]

Gilbert Green (1914-1984) next: E. A.

Welcome to Arrow Beach (1974) Laurence Harvey's last movie, btw. Released after his death.

Moon Zero Two (1970-UK), a British space western (!)

Raymond Bailey ('Mr. Drysdale' on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES probably his most well-known role). next: T. W.

"People Who Died" by THE JIM CARROLL BAND. Not exactly a sentimental tune, but so what? The song runs a couple of seconds under 5 minutes. Plenty of time to display photos of the recently deceased entertainers. At the 3:48 mark you can jack up the volume when Carroll sings "I MISS 'EM . . . THEY DIED!" (The song is from the 1980 album "CATHOLIC BOY", btw).