MCannady1

I like all of Lizabeth Scott's performances; especially in I Walk Alone with lovely background music. Too Late for Tears may have been her best performance, but I did like Martha Ivers too. I just recently watched a great film with Lizabeth Scott and Paul Henreid, called The Stolen Face. I had seen it many years ago on TV as a kid and was so impressed that I actually recalled the film when I saw it again in a boxed set. Liz was a highly underrated actress and was great in many a film!

Well, I do admit that I pick up NOW PLAYING so eagerly every month and watch primarily for things from the 30's and 40's or the 50's, Once in awhile I spot something I would like to try from the 60's or newer. The reason? Nostalgia? Not just. We had started out that way watching old movies and TV show of the past when little with our parents. The values and off-beat interesting elements of some were intriguing and a great lure for my big sister and I. Yes, TCM tends to stand for Turner Classic Movies., When I was a kid and first developed a love for classic films on TV, we called them "old movies". It was the 60's and My sister and I eagerly scanned the TV Guide for the Early Show and The Million Dollar Movie, etc.. . Later I discovered that the grown-up person felt the same as the 12 year old had about the Classics and that my sister also feels the same about those great fims and early TV Series. My personal feeling is that the classic films of the 30's and 40's especially had a certain quality of romance that was quite compelling. It is true that they tended to avoid blatantly risque scenes and over the top violence. So I am glad for that. As far as the romance is concerned, it can still be realistic whether over-done or not. When I was 18 and in my first job in the late 60's, I was shocked when I picked up the TV Guide. My favorite stars were in films I did not like. Yes, the series like Mannix and Medical CEnter were good, but the films in the theaters were not my bag (Usually)..! IT all began with swearing and then escalating to more, sadly. When the censorship came out of the films, it seemed to depart with the romance! My work friends who were older wanted me to attend Movies with them over the next few years; THe Rose, etc. I did, but did not care for some. I think the promiscuity became unattractive in some. I do not want to sound extreme, but there were some I did not like, epecially those. However, the 70's had some great made for TV films I taped later.. Romance seems missing in many of the 70's films. Even the mid-60's with GOldie Hawn and Peter Sellars. I later saw these and did not care for them too much. Not my bag! However, I did like the early 60's Lolita which I saw later in the 70's. It was well-done and showed good intentions on the part of the professor who had a crush on Shelley Winter's daughter (Sue Lylon). So I don't mind intrigue; I just don't want it overdone. Once that happens, romance can disappear. WIth the 80's and 90's some of the movies were better, but I limited my young boys from PG's. It turned out they watched some at friend's houses. My hubby and I were busy working and did not find this out until later. THough we set a good example, it did not work for us.... LAter with our daughter I was home and was a little less influencing. THe result? She likes both; older and new! Today we have some good things on Masterpiece Theater and Mystery! like in the 80's and 90's, Admittedly there are some good films in the theaters. So I have maintained my early feelings for the love and romance of older films. It is an intangible element that exists once you start watching. It is very hard to describe, but if you watch a Greer Garson or Irene Dunne (my mom and dad loved) film like Random Harvest or Penny Serenade then we can see the beauty unfolding with the romance. Not just the romance between men and women, but also the love and caring for children in some. So, those are my feelings, but I respect the feeilngs of others and understand different preferences. (I just like to explain my feelings and hope nobody minds). I do find an occasional exception.

I find the same thing about myself. I was born in the early 50's, so tended to listen to 60's rock music with my big sis. We went to a Rolling Stones concert in '66 when in High School and a Beatles one in '67. So I tended to love the BRitish invasion and maybe a little bit of the early 60's, like Bobby Vee and Bobby Vinton. We had liked Dion singing Teenager in Love and some of THe Fleetwoods we had heard, Mr. BLue. from late 50's. Of course we were both big fans of Elvis too! However, I did not like 50's rock very much. WHat I had listened to occasionally on the radio seemed to have a be-bop sound that seemed a little bit monotonous. Lately I was gifted with two CD's of Classic Rock and found myself falling in love with 50's music as well! In addition to all of my favorites as a teen I discovered some wonderful mid-50's rock groups. The beautiful melodious vocal harmonies and the lovely trolling of mellow acoustic guitars gave it a unique sound. Now I have become a collector!. My collection includes some rare groups including The Channels, The Valentines, The Dubs, The Chantals, The Academics, etc. Oldies.com has a wonderful selection. 90 percent of my newly acquired music I have never heard before. THe fun is in discovering them - or re-discovering really overlooked gems. Even songs I had never heard by GLadys Knight and Carl Hogan and the Miracles are just lovely. One interesting factor is that in watching THe Buddy Holly Story, one would think that (and I am a big fan of Buddy and Ritchie) rock and roll must have started with the 3 rockers who sadly perished in a plane crash in '59. Not so! I have discovered many, many rare gems that border Pop ROck but are still are part of the Rock and Roll days. There are more and more I find and glad I gave them a chance! This is especially good right now, as I am housebound following a spinal surgery I had 5 years ago for Scoliosis and a collapsed spine. I work hard at Physical Therapy and at home with exercises to re-strengthen my legs and spine so I can walk again. I was born with Scoliosis and diagnosed at the age of 8. It was about 6 years ago I suddenly experienced great pain and a difficulty in walking. Today I am surviving with meds. and exercise. I am lucky to have a very nice hubby and grown kids who are very caring. They see me enjoying TCM and watching my old movies. Of course my exercises are accompanied by my new favorite music (headphones of course). Don't think hubby and kids are ready for it yet! Thanks to my friends on the TCM Message Boards I feel much better about being cut off from the world. I am praying for 2016 to be a better year and that my walking skills will be restored. At present I cannot do this very well even with the walker.

I like this one too! I saw this film about five years ago and found it really entertaining. Bette (though no longer the main actress) was forceful and effective as the powerful mother-in-law to Mike Connors. Susan was beautiful and as touching as ever in her role. She had been a flirtatious woman who married Mike's character. There is a scene that is quite poignant near the end but will not elaborate, as it may spoil things for someone who has not seen the film. I cannot think of anyone who could have played it so beautifully and heartrendingly as Susan had. All of the cast were well-chosen, including Joey Heatherton as the daughter and Jane Greer as the social worker. When I was quite young in the 60's I remember my mom talking about a real murder case from the 50's where Lana Turner was interested in a handsome gangster and her daughter Cheryl loved him too. It made headlines when the teenaged daughter killed him to protect her mother when they were having a battle. Cheryl was 14 when the incident occurred and spent some time in a correctional institute for young women under age. Nothing was ever proven about the real motive. Anyway, when my mom saw Where Love Has Gone she wondered if it were based on the case involving Lana in the mid-50's. Later when I was old enough to see this film on TV I wondered the same thing. Some of the facts differ, but the main elements are similar! I have to wonder if Harold Robbins thought of this case when writing the book. One thing is certain; Susan Hayward was a beautiful and talented lady that left this world all too soon due to the cruel ravages of cancer.. She shone beautifully in every performance, including the ones she enacted toward the end of her life. SHe will always be etched in my mind and heart as a great actress who was an important part of the Golden Age of films. Had I had the talent and had been an actress (instead of a long-time secretary) I would have wanted to emulate Susan's ingenious talent and her way of placing herself entirely into the other person's character she portrayed.. This made for an entertaining performance in every film.

THat is right. And it is great that we all have our own thoughts on films. IT makes the film world more interesting.

That's a great point of view! It is the attempt or effort that is important. If one does not like the film, don't continue. There are some offbeat films I do not think I will like, so I tend to go past them. Several years ago Casablance was on and I saw it for the first time. Like you were saying, the cast was good, but it was somehow not qs great as I had heard. In fact, I had a work friend who did not like older films, but made an exception for this one. There were some good aspects portrayed here, but I have loved other films more. Claude Rains, Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman all portrayed their characters well, but the story was not quite for me either. This is true of a 40's film called Candlelight in Algeria, an early 40's war film. I did not think I would like this film, but gave it a chance recently as the great James Mason is the star! To my surprise, it turned out to be an entertaining film with suspense, romance, humor, and intrigue. I should have known that it would! (There was even a scene that I am certain got past the censors!). Sometimes I am glad for censorship and others not. In the superb and haunting film Odd Man Out with James Mason the ending is different than it would be if portrayed today. There seems to be a conflict about a certain murder incident. It cannot be portrayed as it was indicated in the book of that title. This incident was integral to the plot and was near the denouement of the story. Still, it was a great film.... In still another James Mason film, Lady Possessed, '52, there is a married woman who has recently lost her baby. She is besotted with a famous singer who has recently lost his wife, an eminent artist. He continues to perform in concert though his heart is breaking with grief. He puts their former beautiful home on the market. Meanwhile, to cheer his wife up after losing their child, the woman's husband agrees to buy the expensive home of the singer that is on the market. Soon the wife of the new owner thinks that she is under the spell of the late artist who desires to live again and return to her husband. She contrives to meet him and they have a fling. (The singer is unaware that the woman is married and lives in his former home). Meanwhile, the woman is soon overwhelmed by "mental messages" from the man's late wife and consults a spiritualist. The crazy spell seems unresolveable and the wife even feels suicidal when he eventually rejects her. Suddenly the woman's doctor consulted by her husband thinks the matter is resolved when the wife "wakes up" and hugs her husband. Was it all imagined after all? Both men think it was all imagination! OR a bad spell. (Now, I just read the book penned by James Mason's first wife. The ending is more drastic....).

Yeah, but you might change your mind now and then like I did. I am the former kid that still can't do without the 30's through the 50's. THere is something very special about many of them. Of course there are ones I don't like, but for the most part I like Film Noirs and Forbidden Hollywood. But I do respect your opinion and I occasionally get enticed away by a newer title. So I am usually a movie snob, but have exceptions to the rule. One important thing that many older films have is an exceptional portrayal of romance. Example: The Rains Came, '37 with Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy. You would have to watch the film to see what I mean. It was remade in the 50's, but the tremendous emotional impact was not quite the same. Now a lot of newer films have romance also, but are often done in a different manner. I like the way it is shown in some earlier films. I can't say that the 50's can do no wrong (though I was born in that decade), but there are many fine films from that time and also the 30's and 40's. I am going to watch the Sherlock film tonight with my youngest, a 24 year old daughter. Also, I like a lot of the British film portrayals from more recent times. So I guess it is a mix, but I get pulled by Nostalgia at times.

You are quite right about the nostalgia! I do miss my Mom and Dad whom we lost several years ago. I have wonderful memories of watching great old movies on TV with them and my big sister. My sister and I became enamored of these films and also the TV series of the times; late 50's and throughout the 60's. We both love Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond, Alfred Hitchcock Hour as well as The Farmer's Daughter with Inger Stevens. I have great memories at the age of 10 watching Thriller, Gilligan's Island and Route 66, etc. So in my mind and heart is an indelible picture of these great programs and 30's and 40's films we enjoyed on TV. Many a happy hour was spent with the four of us together watching. I remember all the way back to when I was 4 or 5 and first loved Lucy! There were many other wonderful 50's series to enjoy; Superman, My Little Margie, Father Knows Best, etc. I do think an indelible link was forged over our childhood years with the past. And in the 60's though we were "up to the minute" girls with the new things -The Addams Family, The Munsters, etc., we had great memories and returned often to the wonderful TV Series past and Old Moves that never got really too old to love.. Today we both feel the same about those films and TV Series. For Christmas my sister sent me O'Henry's Full House on DVD, a great early 50's film we had once loved and a special Perry Mason set. For Perry Mason was also a magical part of our growing-up years as well.

I have never seen The Sandlot either and feel motivated to watch it! I am surprised I don't recall hearing about this one.

Most of my friends don't see older films and I feel like I just landed from Mars when mentioning an actor or actress from the 30's or 40's.. They never watched old movies all the time like me and shun black and white films! One day in the 90's some friends of my sons (who were 9 and 12) came over after school to do homework and saw me watching Great Expectations (in black and white). Suddenly they were so absorbed in the film that they didn't notice my sons coming in after school. They wanted to sit there and finish! I heard one say as he went off to to do homework with one of my boys, "I didn't know there were any good Black and Whties". And surprisingly, my son who was 12 answered : "Yeah, my mom likes a lot of them. I am beginning to see why. Some are good". But still they did not switch over to B&W's, though. As grown-ups now they pick the new things like our 24 year old daughter, our youngest does. But she occasionally will sit and watch an old film that is great with me and I have come to like some of the newer things she does, So I always respect their choices, but am glad they have a few accolades for mine. I have always told them that in the final analysis, the black and white versus color mode, that does not matter. It is the film itself that is important; the cast and ultimately the storyline.. Of course we all love color scenes with wildlife or breathtaking snowy views or ballroom scenes, etc. in color, but when it comes right down to it, the story is the key element to real enjoyment! Also great photography (like in the '45 film Odd Man Out) enhances many a black and white! AS for my old work friends, there is only one who really loves older films. She e-mails me every time she sees a great film on TCM. Have you seen this one? When I said George Brent was in a great film, my best friend asked her hubby who he was? He did know, however. They have both gotten into a routine of new TV series and films. They hadn't been to see things in the theatre for 15 years. either. THey just watch real-time TV in the evenings on other channels, while I go for TCM or Fox Movie Channel to watch my favorites. A lot of people don't go for what I do, but that's okay. That was true when I was a kid and loved old films on TV..

I remember seeing this one as a kid on TV in the 60's. MY mom really liked George Sanders and my big sis and I watched with great interest. Dad joined us and would chime in and point out his favorite actors or actresses. I really liked The Private Affairs of Bel Ami too. George skillfully played the rake who broke many hearts. Years later seeing it again I found it quite clever and interesting. Here I will say no more, as I don't want to give anything away, Anyway, George continued to give a great performance and was really an important part of The Golden Age.

I like The Scarf too! In the last 3 or 4 years I have gotten into Film Noir of the 40's and 50's, About a year and a half ago I saw The Scarf which is a great suspenseful film. Another good one (40's FIlm Noir) that draws you in is The October Man with John Mills who has amnesia after a bus accident and is suspected of killing a girl living in his boardinghouse.

I know what you are all trying to say. It is really a matter of opinion and each and every one of has a viewpoint on what he or she likes best. Sometimes I am a movie snob.. I tend to love a certain period of time in the movies and rarely watch newer ones. Occasionally I will watch a later film with a family member or a friend and discover that after all it is quite good. My favorites are from the 30's and 40's and some of the 50's, but I can change my mind. AS a movie geek I expound quite happily on the merits of older films! I am in my element once I start describing the wondrous aspects of some of the older films. But there are exceptions to the rule for all of us. TAke music for example. I grew up pretty much in the 60's and still love 60's rock. I did not like the occasional 50's they would play on the radio. LAtely I have fallen for Doo **** 50's music and my friends (and hubby) are all surprised! After awhile the music I did not like became quite likeable as I listened and gave each a chance. Recently I ordered some Oldies.com CDs and had the best time listening to music I had never heard before. THese vocal harmonies and beautiful acoustic guitars (I think) enhance many of them despite the fact that some backgrounds have a Doo **** type sound (people actually saying Doo **** in the background). So in the last two years or so I was capable of changing my mind on those. (I listen with headphones not to bug anyone). I discover something NEW to me all the time! IT's a great world with a wonderful variety of movies. WE can go on with what we like or choose to try something else and be pleasantly surprised. To all of my neat friends on the Message Boards, Happy New Year and a great 2016!

Cary is almost No. 1 on my list too! I love all of his movies. Every performance has something special, including The AWful Truth and Mr. Blandings. Cary left a great legacy for us. I just love Bringing up Baby too! What a great comedy enhanced by Katharine Hepburn. She and Cary were a joy to watch!

That was great you had the Doctor Who series on BBC to help with muscle aches. They are really fun to watch! Hope you are all recovered and have a Happy New Year!

I like George Cole too. Even though he might not be the central character in the film, his kindness, quiet humor and sincerity would radiate throughout a film. He appeared like a great guy to know in real life. I first started noticing who he was in films when I rewatched A Christmas Carol '51 years ago.. He gave a sincere performance as Scrooge's nephew. I love other British films so it wasn't long before I caught George in Quartet, the Somerset Maugham film with vignettes. He was very good in Laughter in Paradise with AListair Sim as well. I always thought of George as young and handsome. I am glad he lived a long life. Can't believe he was 90 when he died this year. Time is certainly a crazy thing!

Thanks for info.! I too like Film Noir and enjoy the gangster ones too. WIll check it out on the Film Noir Gangster board. I'll bet our pals George Raft and James Cagney will be part of the gang. in some of htem.

I saw this one awhile ago and you are right. It is very creative, I've got to say. So many clever things for a future society! Interesting performance by El. I had seen him in a comedy film, I think. THeir ftuturistic-type computers acting as telephones, traffic jams in mid-air and their mistaken perception of Mars makes it fun to watch. Also the way the houses are constructed. I won't say more to spoil things. Clever but campy humor. Going to rewatch on YT.

I like Desk Set too. Kate was pretty much the dominant character, but Joan Blondell, Sue Randall and others turned in a good performance. Spencer was good too. I like it better than Adam's Rib, Guess WHio's and Woman of the Year. Suddenly last Summer was off-beat but well-done.

Saw this one on TV Auntie Mame was I was a kid in mid-60's. What a wonderful film! Since that time I have seen it again several times and just love it. The film has everything, risque elements, humor, romance, and even pathos. THrough it all Rosalind Russell gives a superb and endearing performance, Though I am a great fan of Lucille Ball as well, I greatly prefer this version. IT also contained a stellar cast who interacted with Rosalind's character beautifully.

Great! This one is on my want list. I love British films primarily of the 50's and 60's, Especially Film Noirs, Every now and then VCI Entertainment will restore a great film and it becomes available. Too Late for Tears is one that was just restored with Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea.

I am so sorry about losing both Patrick MacNee and George Cole this year. I have been a fan of both for a long time. Patrick's performance in A Christmas Carol '51, One Step Beyond, The Avengers, and other films and series is very special. To speak of him in British terms, this guy was "smashing" in the 50's and 60's, I love his casual, debonair manor and sincerity. George Cole is wonderful in many films. In particular I loved his performance in Quartet, '48, a great film with vignettes from Somerset Maugham. He enhanced many a British film over the years and was very good in A Christmas Carol '51, my very favorite.

Me too! I love this film. Boy, that Patrick MacNee looks great there. He was just starting out in his career as the young Jacob Marley.

Merry Christmas, everyone! We had some eggnog to celebrate. Tomorrow is the big day. I just watched a film my sister sent on DVD "O'Henry's Full House", '50 which contains interesting vignettes from O'Henry's short stories. Each is beautifully acted, with a stellar cast; including Charles Laughton, Marilyn Monroe., Jeanne Crain, Richard Widmark, Anne Baxter, etc. Each is touchingly acted with hints of humor and pathos. One in particular is noteworthy for Christmas called The Gift of the Magi with Jeanne Crain and Farley Granger. This is the one with a touching moral to it. I hope all of my friends on the message boards have a wonderful Christmas and I am looking forward to our wonderful films on TCM and Fox Movie Channel for 2016.

Thought I would respond to this one. Oddly enough, I liked Last of the Mohicans and so did my daughter. We love this version best with the romance between Cora (Heather Angel) and Uncas (Philip Reed). It touches my heart every time I see it. The other versions are good too, but this one has a special something,