[I Just Watched...]

Yep, I just wanted to add one more thing to my dissertation about senselessly cut films.

 

Yes, the BBC are notorious for cut things! MY hubby and I love to watch Mystery!

and in the 90's there was a great series called Adam Dalgliesh. I really enjoyed

them and wished I had taped them, for.....

 

On a vacation in the early 90's just after our daughter was born we were watching

PT. 5 of A Taste for Death in our hotel room. This was the denouement of this

riveting 5 part series. Well, the scenes toward the end were complete at the time

and the story was quite riveting.

 

Not so with the boxed set sold commercially later. In fact, unkind cuts

altered the story! Not to spoil it for anyone, but a key person in the story

was a murder victim in the church. The way this was handled toward the end was quite

different!

 

THE worst cut of all (I think) was Shroud for a Nightingale; another 5 part series of

Adam Dalgliesh. At the very end, a segment of the killer's confession is quite

differently interpreted than in the set now available commercially. Sadly, I did not

have it on tape. However, the marvelous book by P.D. James clearly states

this thunderous proclamation which is integral to the story! IT was what

I remembered seeing when it was new. Also, it is one of the most profound

murder confessions I have ever read. And, Adam

Dalgliesh's reaction! IT was only a moment or two toward the end, but made

the world of difference, as they say. (We recently lost this great mystery

writer, P.D. James. A lot of her thrillers have many psychological aspects

to them which are brilliantly portrayed).

 

What is strange, is that this director clearly cares about arrangements for

Mystery! These were all outstandingly done and arranged. But I guess we

had other cooks to contend with who altered the "soup".. to fit the series

into a shorter mode? I don't know what else was missing. Other reasons

could have been afoot. Could the Alterations Fairy have been trying to make

things politically correct? That may be with some (respecting criminology).

 

AND, for those that love Jane Austen's films like Pride and Prejudice

like myself and my 24 year old daughter... In '78 there was a marvelous Pride

and Prejudice 5 part series which my hubby and I initially enjoyed. Recently

we watched the NEW packaged set with our daughter.

 

Good thing I taped it in the 80's when it was on again!.

 

We later found that some of the clever wit was actually lost when this was

packaged up to sell! Luckily my VHS tapes we transferred to DVD have the

whole story. I am glad I happened to have the old tapes. Though not as

crystal clear, the lost footage can be precious. In fact, too precious to

lose. They even have delightful flute music and drawings between the episodes

and a witty intro. by Alistair Cooke!

 

Some of these films and Specials are priceless and deserve to be

shown in the format in which they were originally presented!

[I Just Watched...]

Drifting OT for the thread here, but I shudder to think of some of the stuff I missed in earlier years before VCRs became affordable / school/employment/sleep got in the way. On the TV show side of things some things were never even taped, or the tapes got wiped (the BBC were notorious for this)...

THat is so true! Some of the stuff I saw on TV as a kid is not available now and worse yet, some are cut!

A good case in point was the wonderful '34 rendition of Great Expectations. I had seen it as a kid in

the 60's and when it was on again in the 80's (a UHF channel) I blythely taped it, not realizing what

would happen in future when it was re-aired.

 

Well, the day came in the early 80's when I ran out of VHS tapes. I looked around and thought! Oh, Great

Expectations is always on, so I taped over it as I can always retape the film.

 

WRONG! WHen the film was on again I was shocked to see that it was missing about 15 minutes (at least)

in footage. For some reason, nearly 50 years after the film's inception they decided to cut out Valerie

Hobson's part as Biddy the governess. This involved deliberate wiping out of different scenes with Valerie and

Pip in the story, as well as with others. Of course. they altered the running time of the film as well.

(In the 40's remake with John Mills - and more famous, Valerie Hobson stars as Estella).

 

This really angered me, as the '34 film was really marvelous. An underrated actor, Phillips Holmes, stars as

the adult Pip and the film is quite riveting. Here Jane Wyatt played Estella.

 

My letters to the TV station were Unanswered, so I did not pursue it further. A friend who knows people at the

AFI says the 30's film book lists the film with Valerie. In parentheses it says her scenes were deleted.

BUT it does not say when this occurred. My hubby thinks there were 2 copies at the TV station and someone

showed "the whole thing" in error.

 

Later I bought the professional VHS to get the lost footage, but no.

 

I never located a complete copy again. We both clearly remember the scenes with the crazed handyman who attacks

Pip's sister when he thinks she is sneering at him. So, for some reason that one had to go too.

 

In conclusion, it is like governmental issues and politics at times. We only have part of the sandwich in

view. The other portion can be withheld for various reasons.

 

I am a little wordy here, but my notation in my taping diary shows it was complete in the summer of 83.

[Off Topic: Favorite Music?]

Beautiful song, and her clear, pure voice.  Somehow the video (and other videos here) aren't showing up tonight.  Maybe a poltergeist.

Me too! I am very sad about celebrities we lost in plane crashes, like Patsy Ciine. I love Crazy and I

Fall to Pieces. Patsy did have a lovely, clear voice. I recall my dad really liked her music. Also, Ricky Nelson! I grew up loving Rich's

wonderful music like Poor Little Fool, Traveling Man, etc. Later he made a good comeback with Garden Party, etc

 

Yes, it was tough hearing about others like Otis Redding as well. I love The DOck of the Bay... etc.

John Denver... was also very gifted. Wasn't it a hang glider that crashed?

 

When I was first starting grade school they announced the plane crash with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big

Bopper. At the time the only one I had heard on the car radio was Donna by Ritchie. STill a treasured

favorite today.

[Off Topic: Favorite Music?]

Where is Chris Christie when you need him? I saw Brucie in

the late seventies. Great show with lots of energy and Bruce

jumping around like Errol Flynn. I lost interest in the mid

1980s. Nothing lasts forever.

That is neat that you saw Bruce in the 70's! I basically loved the 60's very much and didn't listen to too

much of the 70's until a work friend got me into them. (I missed going to concerts with my sister in the 60's

I as little sister did not enthuse as much when she got married in early 70's. I got back into them, though.

Sorry we are losing our musical celebrities recently. David Bowie and Paul Kantner are irreplaceable and have

their roots in good rock music. I am glad we still have Bruce. HE is still quite magnetic.

 

It is great to have Paul McCartney still writing songs and performing. Also, Mick Jagger performing still as well.

Just listened on YOU TUBE to a great song we saw and heard in concert a long ago August day in '66! -

I was a virtual kid! lol. The song is BLUE TURNS TO GREY and the guitar sound is quite distintive.

[Off Topic: Favorite Music?]

Please tell me we have some Bruce Springsteen fans out over here. This was the first album from the Boss that I bought right when it came out. 2004-2005 was when I discovered the Boss & have been a fan ever since. Beautiful album, great songs, some of Bruce's best in more recent years. A very true, gritty, down to earth, intelligent, enjoyable works of art in this particular genre. Definitely worth a listen.

 

 

 

WE still have fans of BRucie! He certainly had talent and charisma. Interesting to see the interviews.

[Off Topic: Favorite Music?]

 

I like them too!

[Off Topic: Favorite Music?]

R.I.P. Keith Emerson (1944-2016)

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry to hear the sad news about Keith!

[I Just Watched...]

Limey:

 

You should be able to find The Richest Girl in the World on TCM sometime.  I saw it for the first time not that long ago thanks to TCM.  Because I'm a Joel McCrea fan, I have things to be recorded - well,  recorded.

 

 

I then watched it when  was ready to watch it.

How did we ever manage to do it before? (Before the days of DVR's). Here we can schedule our greatly anticipated

films to see when we can. In past years I recall coming home from school or work and scanning the TV Guide for great

films. If I was working nights or had a night class, I would miss a film. It gave me something to look

forward to, but was more erratic. Schedules could not be depended on for film watching if we were not

available or did not feel well.

 

Today I love the DVR and can watch what I want when I feel like it. It is another great invention like the

VHS had been and the DVD player. To have a means of viewing favorite films is ultimately the key if you

collect films and want to keep up your collection.

[I Just Watched...]

I am thrilled that Crawford turned down From Here to Eternity.  Thrilled.  I cannot imagine anyone else in the cast being in the cast and it turning out just as brilliant.

 

I love Humeresque.

I prefer Humoresque to Torch Song too. Humoresque has a great performance by Joan. Did not care for

"Gentle" Joan in Torch Song.

[I Just Watched...]

You know GPF, if they'd made it an all out farce, that plot line would have worked way better - you can get a away with almost anything in a good farce - as it was, the film mostly just fell flat & didn't qualify as bad enough to be unintentionally good. I did enjoy that last musical number, I suspect because the participants actually seemed to be having some fun with it.

 

I can see why it was selected for the LOD spot, but as per film lover 293's post in the Revisionist history thread, I think you'd really need a pair of 3D specs to appreciate any attempt that it was making at being salacious, which at any rate would be ultra mild by today's standards.

 

I'll have to keep an eye out for The Richest Man in the World.

I like the Hopkins / McCrea film better. THought it was Richest Girl in the World but may recall it wrongly.

The one I remember has Fay Wray as Miriam's friend in this film.

[I Just Watched...]

The French Line (1954)

 

Well, Maltin's review on this one isn't far off the mark. Russell's much vaunted 3 dimensional assets fail to save this from being decidedly dull. I'd mentally checked out & found myself checking my email & the listings guide before the 30 minute mark. Even the bathroom scene failed to re-catch my attention. Things did perk up with the final song'n'dance number towards the end & with Roland (who for some reason, kept reminding me a frazzled looking James Garner) doing a repeated carry-on style invasion of the ladies dressing room, followed by an over-the-shoulder caveman carry of Russell.

 

It didn't help that the print image was somewhat indistinct in sharpness/detail, presumably a result of conversion back from 3D?

I like Jane RUssell and Gilbert, but also did not care for the story. I sort of remember the print looking good

(about 20 years ago) when I saw it, but I burned out on the tale. I did like the music in spots.

[I Just Watched...]

A Foreign Affair.  This is the second time I watched this film.  I watched it earlier this summer during Marlene Dietrich's SUTS day when it was recommended to me by many on this board.  When I saw it the first time, I remember not thinking much about it, despite my being a fan of Billy Wilder and Jean Arthur.  Last night, I watched this film a second time and I found myself enjoying it a lot more the second time around.  I can see now why members on this board enjoyed the film and recommended it to me.  Despite it being marketed a comedy, it is definitely not a comedy in the same way that Some Like it Hot is a comedy.  There were some comical parts, but to me, it was almost a black comedy.  It was an interesting juxtaposition having a comedy take place with war torn Berlin as the setting.  Arthur is less zany in this film than in previous efforts (like Talk of the Town and The More the Merrier) but she still has her moments.  I especially like her drunk scene in the Lorelai club right before it is raided.  The real star of the film, in my opinion, is Dietrich.  I especially loved her singing scenes.  She has a very unique singing style that adds to her allure and makes her a very interesting figure in this film.  She also wears gorgeous dresses.  An especially touching scene is near the end after the raid where she speaks in her Native German to an officer to help out Arthur--despite Arthur being her competition for the affections of an American officer. 

 

This is a very underrated Wilder film and I look forward to seeing it again.  I finally "get it" and would recommend this film to others. I look forward to seeing Five Graves to Cairo another of his lesser known films.  Perhaps I'll watch it tonight.

I watched this film once before and look forward to seeing it again. The story and the cast were great.

[I Just Watched...]

Once again last night I went over my list of recorded movies, looked really closely at the never before seen movies on my to-see list............................................................

 

 

 

AND DECIDED TO WATCH THE GLENN FORD COMEDY DON'T GO NEAR THE WATER INSTEAD!

 

 

Fun, fun, fun!

I did not expect to like it that much, but yes it was fun!

[CLASSIC INTERVIEWS]

 

 

Robert Di Nero is a very fine actor. I liked his acting advice. Interesting seeing him in 80's and 90's

roles.

[CLASSIC INTERVIEWS]

Hello again MCannady1, hope all is well with you also. Yeah I have decided to take break from this site for a little while, I am slowly starting to catch interest in this again. Too many people on that other thread with just no class or respect. They think I just post thing for the hell of it, when every time I did so, I hoped it would stir up some conversation about anything I posted, but obviously that didn't happen the way I hoped it would. Thanks for your post, I will continue to post more in here, as anyone who is interested in my posts are free to comment in this thread as long as it makes sense. Talk again soon, stay cool, & stay classy

Hi! Just making sure all was going ok. I kind of surmised what had happened and was sorry to hear it.

Take care and hope things go better for you too! I am hanging in there too. (Class and respect is

an important thing here! Your point well taken).

[CHRISTOPHER BEAN, ANYONE ?]

The June schedule is now available. And Marie Dressler is the Star of the Month...!

That is wonderful news! I love Marie's films. Her wit and great acting enhanced all of her films.

[Golden age: Roll call]

One of the best books I've read in recent years is Heading out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick. It was published in 2012, set in the fifties .  In it, there's a beautiful young woman, married to an ogre, whose only pleasure is dressing up in fabulous clothes and going in to town.  She and her dressmaker go the movies for fun and fashion ideas.  The one dress, described at great length, is this one worn by Ann Miller:

 

Ann is quite beautiful in this picture, as she was in all of her endeavors!~~ Heading out to Wonderful sounds like a great read.

[Golden age: Roll call]

0179 of 1300

Talk about a lady with many talents. Ann Robinson is, of course, known to millions for her costarring role with Gene Barry in the 1950s adaptation of H.G. Wells' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. But it was just one fraction of her experience in the movies. She had begun in westerns, as a stand-in/horse-riding double. Soon, she was getting better on-screen parts in science fiction stories and crime dramas (as a lead with Jack Webb in the feature version of DRAGNET), as well as westerns. There were recurring roles in television, too, and she remained in demand as an actress for several years. In the late 50s, though, her career took a different turn when she wed a Mexican matador. She would primarily focus on raising two sons but her proficiency in both Spanish and English made her a natural choice to dub other actresses that were not bilingual. So at this point, she started to do more voice-over work. Recently, the stylish actress has turned up at autograph signing events, eager to meet with fans.

Ann still looks great! Yes, I think she was quite impressive in her films.

[CLASSIC INTERVIEWS]

Hi! I am interested in classic interviews as well as music. Hope all is going well!

[Golden age: Roll call]

I was not familiar with the Weavers. It is neat to have the info. and look forward to seeing their films.

[Golden age: Roll call]

THanks! I just recalled that we have Firefox. I just went out of it and then double clicked when I returned.

THank you again. I have never had it happen before- lol. All is well now, I think.

 

Yes, that was true that Too Many Girls like the title of the movie split up America's Sweethearts. Lucy continues to be a favorite!

[Golden age: Roll call]

Your latest posts look fine. Maybe you have to close the browser you are using and re-launch it. I use Google Chrome, and that's what I have to do sometimes. As for the Arnazes, in Desi's autobiography he says he met Lucy on the film set of TOO MANY GIRLS. And that after they divorced, Lucy said it's what broke them up, too many girls he had on the side while married to her.

Thanks! I will try it. IT's the strangest thing! I have to find out which one we are using -(smile) first.

Thank you and have a good day!

[Golden age: Roll call]

I am sorry I can't make responses. Suddenly I am having technical problems responding to any e-mails here. THe print goes side to side and merges with the former comment as well as double-spacing! Right now I am looking at it like that.. I am hoping you see this. Can't imagine what happened, except I hit the wrong Button@ Sadly, it happens on all of my responses. They come out merged with former text!

I just noticed that the last one I made was there looking okay, but it happens while I am typing. I am not sure what button I hit in error. I was responding to a Lucy-Desi comment. I just wanted to say that it was a good thing that they had an interpreter nurse helping Desi trying to speak with Lucy at the end It was a good thing for Lucy especially.

 

FRom the perspective of a child, my big sister and I were devastated by the break-up too! She was 11 and I was 8 when we first heard The News. After that we sought solace in watching the episodes of the TV shows which returned each time with the Ricardos still together despite mishaps.

 

I can only imagine how terrible that was for Lucie and Desi Jr.! Lucy was right in sitting them down and telling them there could never be another reconciliationn.

[Golden age: Roll call]

I think she's wonderful. So glad TCM has a whole daytime schedule devoted to her on April 12th, her birthday. Can't wait for it!

If he was barely able to breathe, he probably couldn't voice any regrets he may have had. But I am sure those last days were cathartic for both of them. If you read her autobiography, she had gone to New York to perform on Broadway shortly after the divorce and was having trouble letting go. In later years, she probably still had a lot of feelings for him, but I think the logical part of her knew that marriage or even remarriage to Desi just would never work. She actually had a very healthy and strong marriage with Gary Morton, and Gary was very good to her kids. She didn't need to go back to Desi for more pain and suffering. 

 

As for the kids, she was on a talk show in the 70s (I am thinking it was Phil Donahue's program, while promoting MAME) where she discussed how the kids had a fantasy of wanting her and Desi to get back together. But at one point, she had to sit them both down and tell them there would never be that type of reconciliation. They had a good stepfather in Gary and from what I have read, Lucie has spoken highly of their stepmother (Desi's second wife).

I am sorry I can't make responses. Suddenly I am having technical problems responding to any e-mails here. THe print goes side to side and merges with the former comment. I am hoping you see this. Can't imagine what happened, except I hit the wrong Button@ Sadly, it happens on all of my responses. They come out merged with former text!

[Romance Films on TCM]

I don't disagree with you that THE DARK ANGEL (seldom aired on TCM) and RANDOM HARVEST are wonderful romance dramas. Anyone stumbling on to this sub-forum looking for titles to check out, should pick those two for sure. It's been awhile since I have seen ROOM AT THE TOP, so I cannot comment much on it, except to say I believe it did air on TCM a few summers ago when Simone Signoret had a day for Summer Under the Stars. 

 

Getting back to LOVE STORY, I don't feel it should be blamed for the trend of profanity in movies. It was representing the freedoms of the era, in terms of dialogue, with the code having been abolished. It received a specific rating from the MPAA because of the language. The gangster and crime films that studios turned out in the early 70s were much more explicit, in my opinion. An occasional swear word does not bother me. In fact, I think it would have been better if Bette Davis had been allowed to say d*mn or sh*t in a few of her movies. She was a tough gal and you would have expected her to talk that way in certain situations. It's a form of realism, and it may seem less glamorous I suppose, but characters who cuss from time to time can still get the romantic feelings across in their scenes. 

Hi Jarrod,

 

I happened to think of Random Harvest because it is in my top 10 favorites.  (The top is All This and Heaven Too).  I thought of Dark Angel, which I had once seen when I saw it listed here.  It was also a very touching film.  I can easily think of 25 great films from the 30's and 40's which I really love, including The Rains Came.

 

No, I don't blame Love Story, like you were saying.  Of course there are much worse.  Yes, the gangster films were pretty violent and crime films of the 70's.  The occasional swear word does not bother me, either.  Come to think of it, if our Bette could have let out a couple of epithets in some of her films; Beyond the Forest, etc. or even Joan in some of her tough roles that would have been been something!  Of course the romance can still come across in films. 

 

I am only saying that the way romance was projected earlier had a certain magic...  

  If it sounds like I mean this film primarily, I guess I was in error.  But speaking from the perspective of films that have that aspect. it often leads to more.  Not necessarily that particular film.  (At the time I was eighteen when I saw Love Story and preferred the old movies).  Like I was saying though, I wouldn't mind trying again.

 

One of my boys (33) changed his mind when his fiancee liked some of the older films from Netflix.  Now he says,

"I can see why you like them, Mom".  I was pretty surprised.  Our daughter who is 24 will watch an older film with me and then I watch a newer one with her.  So I try to keep an open mind.

 

So I guess the key word is preference. 

 

BUt you do have a good point there.  Swearing in films is not the epitome of removal of romance.  Other elements can contribute to that.

 

But all of that taken aside, like you said, I nailed it.  There was something pretty special about the 30's and 40's - and 50's at times.  When I take my favorite films and compare with today's, it's usually no can do, but it's  not always that way.