MCannady1

Just looked at International Lady and it looks pretty watchable if anyone has trouble getting a copy. I would be glad to send one on DVD. Going to see it tonight. Any film with Basil is worth it!

Sounds like a good film for me to try too! Thanks for the info.

In the end we watched The Copper Beeches with Jeremy Brett. It was a very good episode with Joss Ackland and Natasha Richardson. This episode was filmed superbly and the clothes and surroundings of mysterious people at an estate is wonderfully portrayed. Tomorrow The Scarlet Claw with our wonderful Basil and Nigel. Though the story is gruesome and spoken of with the victims of the scarlet claw, nothing of the gruesome sights are shown.. That is much preferred by me and many other film watchers. Today the makers of the films (and for several years now) think that excessive violence is either realistic or more appealing to the public. I would much rather have our films like they were portrayed in The Spider Woman or The Pearl of Death. Both are spine chilling too, but made in a tasteful manner. Recently our daughter wanted me to watch a vampire film (with her) with Brad Pitt. I decided to do it. Brad is a good actor, but I lasted only about 10 minutes into the film. A graphic vampire scene ensues in an outdoor restaurant. No thanks! She (24 years old) usually watches newer films but likes some of my Film Noir ones too. So every few nights I abandon the classics so we can hang out too. Last week we had fun watching the wonderful Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. She wants to watch Rear Window or Dark Corner next time. So we alternate. (Last week I did watch The Notebook with Gena Rowlands and was quite impressed), Now she will see a film listed and say "You couldn't handle it, Mom". Yep, that is true. I love the Film Noir of the 30;s, 40's and 50;'s primarily. So I usually watch most of my classic films alone. Last night I rewatched Pandora and the Flying Dutchman starring the lovely Ava Gardner and superb James Mason. What a wonderful magical tale with romance and pathos. James Mason makes a magnificent portrayal of Hendrick, the Flying Dutchman who meets the beautiful Pandora Reynolds. Their lives are intertwined with the past. For those that may not have seen the film, I don't want to comment too much. A beautiful and haunting story!

Basil must have been not only a superb actor, but a fine and loyal family man and friend. Sounds like this actor was really devoted to his adopted daughter Cynthia. The play (Judas) Basil co-write sounds very appealing too. It must have been really wonderful meeting Basil Rathbone.net author and all of the things sound very interesting too. It would be great to see the pictures as well. Another film I just recalled (and had seen several years ago) with Basil as a despicable nobleman who does not stop when his carriage runs over some one was A Tale of Two Cities '35. He was wonderful in this film as well as Ronald Colman and Elizabeth Allen and an all-star cast continuing on. His powerful role effectively depicted the source of the great feud between two families.

I have International Lady which my friend in Europe had on VHS on the PAL System and we transferred to NTSC and DVD. I will look and see how the quality is. (I have had it about ten years and first saw it about the time I received it). I find Basil very handsome too, as well as Ronald Colman. Two splendid actors with wonderful distinctive voices. I have Kind Lady which is very well acted and Adventures of Marco Polo. My Garden of Allah is kind of jumpy now, but have had for nearly 30 years. I agree that it would be great to find the rarer films; Rio and Mad Doctor. Hoping my International Lady will play well.!

Wish I did have a copy! Would be glad to give if I did. I really admire Jeremy Brett and consider him the other brilliant Sherlock Holmes. I read that he had been an admirer of Basil when young and wanted to emulate his character in a play. Well, he certainly went beyond that by essentially becoming the great Holmes himelf in the wonderful series. Once in awhile my hubby and I watch the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes and saw The Boscombe Valley Mystery last night. Jeremy first came to my attention when we viewed Rebecca '78 which was shown on Mystery! in the 80's. Jeremy was brilliant as the wealthy and lonely Max de Winter and Joanna David is very good as his shy second wife. Sadly, we lost Jeremy in the '95 due to his weak heart. He had been plagued by Rheumatic Fever when very young which weakened his heart. Years later (after losing his beloved second wife Joan Wilson) Jeremy was despondent and was treated for major depression. Doctors were unaware that his heart would weaken more still. In the 90's Jeremy's friends urged him to take the part of Sherlock Holmes and they knew it was a good tonic for his depression. He gives us a wonderful performance every time while he was "recuperating". He was still playing the great detective to the end. I wish you luck in your quest!

It's wonderful having all this info. Yes, the films look great. I just purchased the box set of the 14 films and my hubby and I are rewatching. Tonight we will see The Scarlet Claw. I have been a Basil fan ever since very young and watching his 30's and 40's films on TV. Whatever the role, he could play it with aplomb and could act out a wide range of characters. A murderer in Love from a Stranger, the great Sherlock Holmes in our boxed set of 14, swashbucklers, a scary and vengefu 18th century pirate-likel former friend of Dona's husband (Joan Fontaine in Frenchman's Creek). The genial hubby does not realize his friend is dangerous and intends to kill his wife if she does not respond to his advances. In an earlier film with Billie Dove and Kay Francis, Basil is a wandering gypsy violinist who goes after a wealthy girl (Billie) for the money. Kay Francis is his girlfriend. A touching story follows with a former suitor, Ian Hunter, waiting for his girl to return. Recently my favorite film magazine Films of the Golden Age had a really nice article about the great friendship between Basil and Nigel, the loyal but naive Dr. Watson co-starring in the Sherlock Holmes films. Also, Dennis Hoey (Inspector Lestrade) was covered extensively in a sentimental write-up by his loving and admiring son. It was a thrill when he met Basil, his dad's friend. What is especially nice is the real camraderie between these actors and their co-stars. Their work comes shining through more briliantly it seems. Nigel often plays a genial or serious person and is usually likeable in his role. I remember really loving his character as Dr. Watson, nd Beakie in Suspicion with Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant. This man had great charm and talent! In The Rains Came he is a bedridden, selfish wealthy gentleman stranded in India during a tidal wave with torrential rains. His rudeness here knows no bounds!

I am sorry I got the name wrong! Thanks for the info. It was Storm Warning I was speaking of with Ginger and Doris. Tight Spot was good too with Ginger. As for Romance on the High Seas, what a lovely way for Doris Day to begin her film career as Georgia, the poor girl with the great singing voice who wanted to go on a cruise and switches places with well to do Elvira Kent to keep an eye on her husband! SHe is beautifully dressed that first night and I always remember the scene where Jack Carson, an investigator who thought he was tailing Mrs. Elvira Kent wrote WOW in his notebook when he first met her. It seems he was hired by the other girl's husband to check her out. What a story and the songs are beautiful! Especially Doris's rendition of It's Magic. I have Midnight Lace from when it was aired on TCM if anyone would like to see it again. Great story of an heiress being tailed and threatened by a killer!

Everything well said here. I was not a good fan of Esther WIlliams until I saw a Film Noir she was very good in as a schoolteacher stalked by a killer in The Unguarded Moment. Though the swimming scenes are well done in other films and often artistic, I prefer a Film Noir or Comedy instead.

That will be neat to read. I liked Doris Day Show too. I never forgot a hillarious episode where Doris pretends to be her boss's wife to deter an old flame. All goes well until she forgets and says Mr.! I love several of Doris's films. She was even good in Film Noir; Midnight Lace or in the scary Tight Spot film. I loved her singing in Romance on the High Seas. especially.

Yes, Shelley was quite talented and could play serious or comedic roles. Her over the top characters are interesting too.

I have to agree on that. Hope this guy doesn't make it to the top! Like Mr. R. better, played by the great Gary Cooper in The Fountainhead.

Thank you for all the wonderful info. on Gary's films. A lot of them are my favorites; Design for Living and Peter Ibbetson.

Yes. I do think Joan was great in Class of '63 and The Group. Her lovely, sensitive voice and diction enhanced the credence of whatever story she portrayed. I recently saw some of her Alfred Hitchcock performances for the early 60's and was really impressed by her performances in them. ALso, she was good in Five Desperate Women, another Film Noir of the Made for TV films of the 70's. Though I had seen it some years ago I remembered the good acting and the story.

I just watched a great Made for TV 70's film called The Other Man ('70) starring Roy Thinnes and Joan Hackett. For anyone who has not seen the film I won't give anything away, but wanted to mention the lovely scenery and pathos and haunting background music to what could be termed a Film Noir. This movie has it all; love, pathos, murder and unusual plot twists. I had first seen the movie when it was aired on TV in the early 70's and was quite entranced. For several years I tried to acquire a copy without success, but finally found one through a message board for the film. This film will keep you guessing right through to the end and stays with the viewer for years. It was wonderful re-watching and seeing the beautiful scenery and hearing the haunting music again. Joan Hackett gives a marvelous performance as the heroine of the film and Roy Thinnes is perfect as the person who is key to the story. Tragically, Joan died all too soon, but was an important actress to the post-Golden Age. Her fine performances and sensitive acting actually motivated me to really enjoy the film, though I usually prefer older Film Noirs,

Thanks! I will see if I can locate Desire. It sounds like an enjoyable film and sounds like good chemistry between Marlene and Gary.

Thank you! I have not seen Desire with Gary and Marlene Dietrich. Sounds like a great film and will try to catch it soon.. I like Marlene's 30's films very much as well. She was wonderful in The Scarlet Empress and a film called Angel.

I was moved to tears recently when I saw Pride of the Yankees the first time. How touchingly Gary portrayed Lou Gehrig, his trials and tribulations and his lovely wife's concern and great love for him, played by the talented Teresa Wright. In flashback we discover why Lou might have acquired the disability; as a young boy he had been a victim of fights where the other boys (who were smaller) pulled his arms and legs. Ultimately I was moved to tears by his speech and his final time playing baseball that was really profound. Yes, it is certain films that I feel only Cooper could have played in so beautifully. My favorites are Friendly Persuasion, Pride of the Yankees, Peter Ibbetson, The Fountainhead and Return to Paradise. In all of these Gary gives us a fine and sensitive performance, as he had in Ten North Frederick with Suzy Parker. Yes, the list goes on, but I find these most memorable.

Just great! The highlight of my evening last night was indeed re-watching the beautiful and lyrical Peter Ibbetson. What a wonderful story! Gary was very handsome standing there with the Duchess of Towers and of course Ann Harding was beautiful as the Duchess. I really liked John Halliday as the stern Duke. All the romance of meeting again for John and Mary (separated tragically since they were children) comes into play here and they are eternally together in their dreams. The great Donald Meek as Peter's blind boss seems to have been the source of Peter's discovery - that he could be where he wanted at a certain time with focus. In retrospect, I often like older film classics like this one because of the romance. The Golden Age (primarily the 30's and 40's) often contains more romance and idealism in their films.

Thanks from me too. A very lovely and sentimental film, After viewing it several years ago, I will look forward to seeing it again in a better format.

Hope you find it. I love to listen for favorite musical backgrounds in a treasured film. Yes, I like the background music here too.

I agree. I love everything Dickens too. I have the 30's version with Reginald Owen who was really good as Scrooge. Yes, Gene Lockhart was so likeable and genial as Bob Crachit. A friend gave me a set of Christmas films with A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Sim. Yes, I agree that it is the very best version. Patrick MacNee is indeed very young. In the boxed set is the wonderful Beyond Tomorrow, a sentimental 40's Christmas film that will appeal to many. It has a realistic storyline centered around the holidays and is beautifully showcased by the acting of Jean Parker, Richard Carlson, Maria Ouspenskaya, and several other favorites. Does anyone else like the wonderful 1984 version of A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott? Though I am not a big Scott fan, I did admire his work in this film. He made a great, caustic Ebeneezer Scrooge and the musical background is delightful. THere are many Christmas songs here that are from an earlier time; The Snow Lay on the Ground, I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing, etc. It is a delightful version and Scrooge is quite likeable in reform mode, of course. The beautiful woodland snowy scenes are breathtaking as Scrooge journeys into his past with the Ghost of Christmas Past. Susannah York makes a beautiful Mrs. Cratchit. Hoping to catch the Muppett Christmas Carol. Somehow missed it along the way. I like the animated Christmas films and specials and just watched again A Disney Channel Christmas which we all enjoyed. There were snippets from a lot of great Disney films like Peter Pan, Snow White and Cinderella, etc. Of course everything was further enhanced by "Scrooge McDuck" as the stingy Scrooge, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale and other enchanted characters. Of course the humorous How the Grinch Stole Christmas is always entertaining as well. On with my Christmas list. Next is The Bishop's Wife, a time honored favorite. Noteable to watch in the boxed set is the 40's Christmas film Beyond Tomorrow. It is warmly sentimental with a lovely and realistic storyline.

Thank you for the new info. of your posts. I really enjoy reading them. Very nice of you to share about the origin of your interest in our wonderful classic films. I recall that growing up both parents influenced our movie taste for the classics. Dad would often say that they would never be able to make anything that measured up to the 30's. He loved the classic films; particularly films with Mickey Rooney and Alice Faye. Many a time he would point out an actor he liked That's Alan Hale, for example or Errol Flynn. He had a big admiration for the character actors like Donald Meek and Harry Davenport. By the time I was still in grade school I knew who they were and had seen and enjoyed several of their films on TV. Mom loved the 40's best and would often speak of the wonderful James Mason in The Seventh Veil, which came to be one of my favorites. She was a big Bette Davis and Joan Crawford fan too and knew the names of most of the actresses and actors in the films. When a good movie came on she would join us to enjoy it. I remember the time when we first saw The Spiral Staircase which is a really great film noir. Mom liked Ethel Barrymore, George Brent and Dorothy McGuire. What a great film! It is another masterpiece in the great film repertoire of our Golden Age of films. Over time my sister and I became quite knowledgeable and still love these films today. She recently said that it is a life-long hobby we can be proud of. Thanks again for the wonderful posts!

Thank you for your kindness. Thought I would mention why I feel so especially passionate about these wonderful classics. They are great to watch. I am sorry about your yoga injury. I know what you mean about cringing when you see someone taking a dangerous leap in a film. I was watching Chase a Crooked Shadow with Anne Baxter as a murder suspect not long ago and her scenes involved so much running and leaping away to get away from investigators. I think it was filmed on location in Spain. Anyway, in some of them I hope they used a stunt double! Looking forward to your post about more Fox stars tomorrow. And yes, our wonderful classics are a positive thing in our lives. When I used to watch them with great enjoyment I did not realize about the positive impact on my life in future. It is a gift from Hollywood and other film sources that keeps on giving.

I like Frank Sinatra's Christmas songs too. In fact, I was listening to a Christmas CD with selections from Harry Belafonte singing Mary's Boy Child and Bing Crosby with White Christmas, Earth Kitt with Santa Baby. There is even a charming Spanish tune called Donde Este Santa Claus? by Augie Rios.