Emily Dean

Countdown to December 3rd, George's day....two weeks to go.....ready, set, prepared to be "cad(ded)" for a full 24 hours.

Well my "favourite Nazi" (that term has to be an oxymoron) is Colonel Klink...now I know he was not in movies...but you didn't say I couldn't. He also played Emil Hahn in the movie Judgment at Nurenberg as one of the defendants as one of the most unapologetic Nazis in the movie.

Oh yes...one more thought however coincidental...maybe the espionage films are reminding us of the terrors of "fear" as imposed by the Nazis...something currently underway with terrorist attacks and threats..just a thought.

You are right I couldn't find anything specific to the war relating to espionage to call for a special day. A search of the internet, I know not the most reliable, indicated the following related to WWII on this date: 1937: Lord Halifax flies to Germany to enter into talks and beginning of appeasement 1938: Italy implements its own version of the anti Jewish laws 1939: U Boat sinks passenger ship 1944: Nazi's raid dutch polders (earthen dams to drain wetlands) in NE Holland oh yes, one more thing: this date in 1973 Nixon told press editors: "I am not a crook".

The best feature in the film, to me anyway (and that is what counts) are James and Lucille Gleason (she is his wife in real life). Gleason adds so much to every movie he is in....from this movie to Arsnic and Old Lace and oh yes let us not forget his stellar appearance in "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". I loved him as well in the mystery series he did with Dame Edna May Oliver as well as in " Meet John Doe". Why he hasn't had a "What a Character" solilquy is beyond me. But with the changing climate of TCM my wishes in regards to Mr. Gleason, Geoge Sanders and a few others will be ignored.

My TCM list will be complete when I don't have to see commercials re: Wine Club and modern movies...regardless of the inspiration.

According to Richard Vanderbeets biography..."a Dreadful Life", George and Delores conducted an affair during and following their first movie..."Lancer Spy" and this film. The affair lasted two years and occurred during her marriage to art director Cedric Gibbons. It slowly dissolved following George meeting Susan Larson. Susan had a contract with Fox and appeared in several "B" films and they met in 1939 while George was filming "Mr. Moto's Last Warning". They married but George kept her very much in the background.

I liked the The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp but it is not one of my must sees...and I certainly understand why WSC absolutely hated it...it was all things British in a not so pleasant presentation. However I did like Deborah Kerr through-out all three sequences. As for favourite...you spell it your way and I'll spell it mine (my parents are always watching to make sure I have not succumbed to untidy practices).

Just as a side note to Graham Greene and his stint in MI6 there is a terrific book about "irregulars" as British spies...not just Graham Greene but Roald Dahl (Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory) along with David Olgivy (the first big advertising agency) and of course Ian Flemming along with some help from Walt and Roy Disney (war propaganda) You can read about the "Irregulars" in a fascinating book called "The Irregulars". As for The Third Man, I watch it everytime I can and enjoy watching for nuances of the film I missed before or just to enjoy scenes like the Ferris Wheel. When I go to Vienna I am going to take the "Third Man" tour which takes you to all the places where the movie was filmed. Cannot wait to stand in Harry Lime's doorstep...I wonder if they provide the cat?

Top Billed I am definitely looking forward to the Charles Coburn and Cameron Menzies focus. Charles is one of my favourites and I don't even consider him a "character" because he provides so much impetus to the films he is in...you just cannot ignore hime. He and James Gleason stand out as "star" character actors to me.

Well I know what you mean...I could not sleep last night and watched a David Niven film I had neither heard of, let alone seen, The Best of Enemies. I really enjoyed it, even if I would have preferred to be sleeping. It had a great sense of humour about the characters without demeaning them, which I enjoyed. So I do wish TCM would read these darn postings and determine that not everyone wants "the usual suspects" on the prime time slots.

I have seen "Blackmail" and it is very good. I enjoyed these films because, after reading Hitchcock's biography, I realize these films are representative of his beginning approach to filmmaking and over time he gets better and better. During late last night and early today there are some David Niven films I have never seen before. I only wish that some of these films shown overnight got preference for early showing as opposed to the tried and true that are displayed during prime time. I believe true classic movie fans would appreciate exposure to lesser viewed films. Oh well, just the expression of a whiner or in Brit terms, whinger.

There is an article in today's edition of The Daily Telegraph on the upcoming 70th anniversary of "Brief Encounters". The article is actually in the travel section of the on-line edition discussing not only the film but the Camforth station, northwest of Leeds, where the station scenes were filmed. Included in the article is a discussion regarding the experience of the director and film crew. Other interesting items is the stations restoration which was begun fifteen years ago. At one time the station was voted the worst station in England. The trust records approximately 60,000 visitors a year from all over the world. I believed that there should be recognition by British film lovers out there, other than those who think "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Remains of the Day" are pentultimate British films, who would like to list their favourite British films and maybe why and how they were first exposed to the films. For some of us, it might be "39 Steps" and "The Lady Vanishes", well know Alfred Hitchcock films (we all know he was a Brit) and for others it might be Powell and Pressberger's "Red Shoes". I have watched British films since my teen-age years when my parents would take me to "a Foreign Film theatre" to see films shown in the US. Now while I know it was supposed to be "arty" type movies my first exposure to British films was anything but arty. The one difference between the movie audience and my family is we understood the words and dialects and occasionally would be the only ones in the theatre laughing. We wern't embarassed and occasionally were asked to translate, which annoyed my parents. Film first seen with my parents were: The Ladykillers I'm All Right Jack Lavender Hill Mob Kind Hearts and Coronets My all time favourites are the four above (I'll watch anytime, regardless of the number of exposures, the same as my "Casablanca" fetish) and the following: Brief Encounter The Third Man (comming tomorrow at 1515 CST The Dambusters (best "dam" war film, the sound of those Lancaster engines a delight) In Which We Serve , directed and starred in by Noel Coward along with David Lean I Know Where I'm Going Hope and Glory (outside of my 1940-1950 film preference period) The Fallen Idol So....discuss. Plus if this doesn't generate discussion would someone tell me how I am able to remove it. I don't know how.

How could I forget in my earlier post, the theme song from the movie "A Man and a Woman" which is so enchanting. I saw this movie in Dallas at a "foreign film" theatre and it was entrancing. You know in the sixties we were new to foreign films and this was a "date night" dream. Remember date night....dress, heels, gloves and purse. What self respecting girl left the house without being dressed to the nines and your date leaving after an exhausting and awkward 10 minute grilling by your father with questions like.."Young man what do plan for your life?" as that was uppermost on the minds of most teen boys. Anyway loved the time, loved the movie and even have the album still in its orginal jacket in the basement along with the Kingston Trio and some original Beatles recordings. Astrude Gilberte did the humming and you can see and hear exerpts of the movie on "You tube" ...Happy Days.

Many movies have inspired my travelling expeditions, among some of my favourites are: "The Pained Veil" travelling in China "The Motorcycle Diaries", travelling in South America "Murder on the Nile", travelling in Egypt "War and Peace", travelling in Russia "Love in the Afternoon", enjoying the sights of Paris "Topaki" persuing the jewels of Turkey and Istanbul "Roman Holiday" where else but Rome "Casablanca" travelling in Morroco without letters of transit I belong to a travelling club and when my presentation time was alotted I chose to take the group on trips through the movies which they throroughly enjoyed and the above includes only a smattering of movies filmed across the world and inspired many of us to travel.

George alert!!! George at his very best next Saturday night in the "Picture of Dorian Gray". One of George's best roles ever, Lord Henry Wotton in the "Picture of Dorian Gray", he is top billed over the Hurd Hatfield who is an unknown in the character of Dorian Gray. The director Albert Lewin, writer of the screen adaption believed George was the best deliverer of Oscar Wilde's cynical remarks which George deftly performs on the screen and many screen reviewers believed the same as well. The highly critical Bosley Crowther of the NYT writes that George "gives the the only commendable performance" in the film. It is interesting to note that one quote from Lord Henry ( George's character) relates later on to his comment at the end of his life..."When a man says he has exhausted life, you may be sure that life has exhausted him." It is also said that the delivery of this and other witty and wicked lines reinforced George as the cynical but elegant cad. I will use these references once today and knowing when I comment on information re: George and his life I am referring to the following books: George Sanders, An Exhausted Life, A Biography by Richard Vanderbeets and "A Dreadful Life, A Personal, Intimate Book about George Sanders by Brian Aherne (assisted by George Sanders and Benita Hume). Good watching and loving George.

Darts thrown into a dart board by monkeys....or their facsimiles...illiterate film students and interns at TCM....maybe they are done from a "work at home" type. Pajamas and video games in-between.

I cannot listen to the Overture without thinking of The Lone Ranger either. I don't know if that is a positive or negative. However between the movies and some great classical music cartoons I learned to love Wagner and others and I suppose the biggest influence was "Fantasia" and when they play the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" all I visualize is Mickey and multiplying broomsticks. Oh yes..don't forget "A Night on Bald Mountain" another classical music piece in a classical cartoon. One other obscure song that always plays in my mind...is "Farewell Amanda" from "Adam's Rib". If you remember David Wayne, who has a crush on Katherine Hepburn composes the ditty and plays it at a cocktail party. Frank Sinatra recorded it and that is the version you hear in the scene where Spencer Tracey is listening to the radio. Apparently Sinatra recorded it but the recordings have never been found. It is a Cole Porter song.

I don't think of Citizen Kane and Casablanca as competitiors...I think they are each an example of filming from two different approaches. There are many films to argue over, however I believe that most classic film viewers are present for the enjoyment they bring and as an antithesis to today's miserable selection of film with gratutious everything including sermonization.

Thank you Dargo...as I said earlier my most favourite movie of all time. I cannot remember when I first saw it but I have been mesmerized ever since. To me it is the bestest of the best and I haven't seen anything to compete with it since...well maybe "Play it Again Sam"...no just joking but you know that Woody Allen film says alot about his respect for the film and its creators. That the film was an accident waiting to happen makes it even more joyful...

For you Dracula fans who don't mind intervening schlock, Svengoolie is showing Dracula this coming Saturday. Now it won't be the Spanish version, but Dracula is Dracula in any language. So it will not be commercial free but it will save you the cost of a ticket if your are a miser like myself.

This piece is always a reminder of "The Lady Killers" with Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers. The piece was played each time the crooks met in their room as a ruse to the land lady to cover up their meetings. In the end it was the landlady, who in the end was the receipient of the "lolly" as the thieves killed each other off. Two other great pieces are "We're In the Money" both the pig-latin and straight English version by Ginger Rogers and the lamenting lyrics of "Remember My Forgotten Man" sung by Joan Blondell. This would be considered a very depressing song for a musical but somehow Busby Berkley choreographed it in such a way that ended up being a great finish and evocative of German expressionism in its filming. According to history Busby was inspired by the 1932 Veteran's march on Washington D.C. Hence the movement from WWI troops to the "Forgotten Man".

This is one of my absolutely favourite George movies....I came upon it accidentally one time on TCM and was mesmerized. According to my biography source....Richard Vanderbeet's, "A Dreadful Life", George did this film because he wanted to work with Ingrid and Roberto. It is an ironic film in that Ingrid and Roberto were going through end of marriage angst and Zsa Zsa (George's wife at the time) was carrying on some international affair. According to the book Rossellini intended to shoot the movie without a script with a non-existant plot and George was forced to invent dialogue. Regardless of the underlying events I truly loved this movie. I liked the post-war filming in Italy, somewhat beautiful, in spite of its remaining bombed out scenery, I liked that it was in black and white and used Pompeii as a back drop (especially as the site was pre-tourist on-slaught). Great movie and to top it off the Guardian back in 2013 cited it as not to be missed movie and seriously overlooked. Apparently was part of Rosselini's trilogy starting with "Stromboli" and "Europa" . Good going George!!!! Some saw it as the beginning a the "French new wave" however in hindsight I discover many movies are named as the beginning of the "French new wave".

The good news here is that regardless of the commercial the movie received a less that stellar review by Kenneth Turan of the LA Times and NPR this morning.

Well it must be a day of George as a knight....I am watching Ivanhoe and cannot believe George got to kiss Elizabeth Taylor....I bet he just loved that. Will watch KRATC as it appears to be knights in shining armour today. Thanks film lover, 293