MCannady1

I watched a Patch of Blue not long ago too. A great film with a good cast. Ironically the bad person is Shelley Winters; character as mother to the blind girl Selina. She is not only completely self-centered, but bigoted. IT is very touching about Selina's romance and great love for Gordon. I found myself wanting Selina and Gordon to marry in the end. The story leaves the topic open. With that said, with casual empathy and great friendship I believe Gordon was developing a love for his young friend as well. His brother warns him about it and I think this makes him realize his true feelings. What a powerful and beautifully made story! After Blind School if all works out......

Your welcome. I get really emotional when I think of the wonderful impact these films had on me and my sister growing up. I love discussing them and remember so many. I will be looking forward to your next installment. It is always a pleasure to read your wonderful posts too and other good friends here on the Movie Boards. In view of the tragedy of her daughter's life-long illness (born with Down's Syndrome during the war) and the subsequent break-up of her marriage, Gene set aside her personal sadness and continued to give us a great performance every time. I am home a lot recovering from a spinal surgery. During this time I have re-watched many favorites; including Gene's films. It has been nearly five years since my first operation for severe childhood Scoliosis. It suddenly started to collapse my spine and caused me to have difficulty walking. The surgery was life-saving, but the walking situation did not improve. Two more surgeries followed in the last two years, but I am still waiting to walk again. So now I have to re-learn walking straight and rarely leave home except the doctor or Physical Therapy. Thanks to a wonderful family (even if not fellow film fans like me) and my great friends here on the message boards I feel much better.

Wonderful choices for pictures and info. I am a fan of all of them here. Not long ago I became a Janet Gaynor fan after viewing Seventh Heave, Sunrise and A Star is Born. The great Tyrone Power who died all too young left a lasting legacy for the Golden Age. I never get tired of The Razor's Edge, Son of Fury, Lloyds of London, The Rains Came. He was equally at home with drama and comedy. In viewing the tearjerker This Above All one sees that this talented man enhanced many a film. He is great in the film noir Witness for the Prosecution and in I'll Never Forget You. In each film Tyrone gives us a sensitive portrayal..... Regarding Betty Grable, yes I saw many of her Color films on TV as a child and they were musicals I enjoyed especially.. After seeing many over the years I find I Wake Up Screaming, a Film Noir, to be my favorite. This beautiful and talented lady could be a music hall entertainer, sister of a murder victim or a girl looking for a rich husband. All of her films are very entertaining. My dad loved Alice Faye and I have come to admire her too. She was not only a very good actress but also had a lovely singing voice. In re-watching my favorite Shirley Temple film "Poor Little Rich Girl" I just have to mention her gorgeous rendition of two songs; But Definitely and When I'm With You. The film is worth re-watching for the songs alone as well as the neat story. She was great in many a film and shone in In Old Chicago with Tyrone Power. Loretta Young was absolutely splendid. I loved the Loretta Young Show when I was growing up and saw many of Loretta's films on TV that were primarily from the 40's and 50's. In more recent years I have seen her great pre-codes which I also enjoy. Loretta shone in Employee's Entrance, The Hatchet Man and Midnight Mary as well as films with the handsome David Manners. This lovely lady had multiple talent and could give sensitive or humorous portrayals. I liked Don Ameche in Ramona with Loretta Young.. He gave a very fine performance as Alessandro. This tragic love story still has the power to move me after seeing it on TV when very young. I had also read the book. I liked Don as Alexander Graham Bell as well and Heaven Can Wait. (He could play an untrustworthy husband as well as a devoted one and was good in humorous parts as well).

Yes, it is great when a film makes a favorable impact on us. Years later upon subsequent viewings it seems to get better. I do love Bette Davis best of all actresses and love her performance here. Many of her fine performances will live on today; Now, Voyager, Dark Victory, Petrified Forest, Marked Woman are among my favorites.. She is outstanding with Miriam Hopkins in Old Acquaintance and other countless masterpieces of the 30's and 40's. ll About Eve was a great tour de force for Bette in the early 50's; an interesting tale of an understudy usurping not only the main actress in her part, but attempting to take over her life as well. It is a film I will always treasure like The Razor's Edge and The Rains Came. Those two films I had seen long ago on the Early Show and recently viewed again. They are both touching and eloquent. A film is quite impressive to review it mentally some forty years later and remember the key elements.

Thank you for this wonderful post. There was Susan looking as beautiful and gracious as always. Though she was very ill at that time she carried on bravely like she had in many of her films. (It had been only a few months earlier that I watched Stolen Hours in which Susan gave a poignant and realistic performance).

I'll miss this one too. For me Susan has always been an important part of my growing up years; movies played an integral part in my life from an early age and Susan was part of it. Her lovely appearance, courage and forthright manner were always wonderful to behold. I found myself over the years wishing to emulate this great lady.

Now another funny or strange thing is that Shelby (Vincent's character) did not flip out that much when he saw Laura was not the victim.. He knew what had happened really, but it was strange that his reaction was not so powerful. A normal person would be in shock practically from seeing a murder close up (like that one). And this was an old girlfriend. Okay, so Laura was making a decision whether to marry him or not and had decided not to. He didn't know her answer, and at the time I did not realize that Laura's model friend had been borrowing Laura's apartment to rendezvous with Shelby. That had gotten by me when I first saw the film. I guess in a nutshell I am still rather naive. I really inferred that the viewer is supposed to assume that this overly cynical and dapper bachelor suddenly went crazy and felt compelled to annihilate this lovely young girl because he had given up. He had tried to convince her that this young man was not for her. In his mind was the thought that he had done so much for her endorsing her pen and taking her to swanky nightclubs and museums. She was intellectual and well-read and Waldo assisted her with meeting the right people. Suddenly Waldo is aware of all he might lose. (And it is possible that he had denied himself a relationship earlier in his life thinking he didn't like women much). Laura disrupts everything by announcing that she might marry Shelby. Realizing the true nature of Shelby's character and his great own great love for Laura, Waldo snaps. So yes, it is possible to have this happen, though she had done nothing to encourage Waldo. This is more of a rare occurrence in films today, but this is how I saw it. Waldo felt that Laura was betraying him personally. IF he couldn't have her no one else would..... Of course at the time Waldo does not know Laura's decision, nor that Shelby was at Laura's apartment with another girl. Later we observe with interest that she falls for the charming and tough Mark McPherson and Waldo feels that he is disgustingly "earthy". So he will lose her anyway. There are some great one liners here, Back to Laura's relationship with Waldo, they had developed on the surface a very nice friendship. I n the course of a

Love Clifton's comedies like Mr. Belvedere and For Heaven's Sake. Serious Film Noir, The Dark Corner was always pretty scary to me. He certainly put one over on thug William Bendix. A very scary scene nearly gave me nightmares it was so realistic. Not to spoil anything for anyone who has not seen the film, just wanted to share with everyone how good this film is. So he was able to play all sorts of roles; in this case a snobby and wealthy art dealer letting another man pay for his crime. So this guy had class.

THough I liked Clifton a lot here, Vincent Price would have been great as the "man scorned" person seeking revenge. Here he was flaky and cheating on Laura. Even in the face of murder he was not going to tell that he knew about the murder because of being there. He was busy two-timing Laura and his aunt (Judith Anderson) sure had more than an indulgence for him! It is true that we don't see any evidence that Clifton had a former girlfriend that he dumped for Laura. He simply was portrayed as the secretly lonely bachelor who had hoped to marry Laura eventually? He certainly was enraged to behave the way he did. Jealousy knew no bounds here.

I am Laird Creegar's fan too. Years ago I was quite beguiled when I saw my first Film Noir; I Wake Up Screaming. Laird playing this part sensitively with marvelous acting. He had fallen hopelessly in love with a beautiful girl who became a murder victim (played by the wonderful and tragic Carole Landis). He was also great in Joan of Paris as a Nazi sympathizer who hounds Paul Henreid and Michele Morgan. So while I like Laird in his roles and feel sad about his untimely death, I do still admire CLifton as Waldo. But I do understand that you would like it the other way with the casting. I would probably have thought so too had I not seen Clfton's magnetic performance,

Me too! Mom and I loved Clifton in everything.

I read the book several years ago and Waldo was just as acid-tongued there. I think Clifton was remarkable here. AS a young child I saw this one on TV and assumed the motive was jealousy because Laura was going to marry someone else. So the physical side may be underplayed very cleverly, but the older man really cared for Laura. Nope, he did not go for Andrews. Sorry - not just the potshots he took at him, but we really get the picture as it unravels. What a frightening thing to have happened! (WHat a terrible way to exact revenge, but do not want to spoil it). Though he is portrayed as a severe critic and lonely bachelor he was internally very lonely. Laura had all the wonderful qualities he had ever wanted in a woman. Yes, I read the other things years later about Clifton. Aside from that, he enacted the top superb performance of his life when he actually became - for a brief time - Waldo Lydecker, the former cynic.

Sorry my error. Laurie Mock sure looks like Stephanie Powers who was in some mid-60's films as well. Nice to have the info. Thanks!

Thanks! I may have seen it about 30 years ago. Though good, and not Dana's top notch performance, it may be worth watching to see him and the wonderful Jeanne Crain. I actually watched it at the time to see him and Jeanne.

I want to add Best Years of our Lives as one of Dana Andrews' best films. I had seen it a number of years ago and it still packs a great punch. Dana Andrews and Fredric March are superb as the returning war vets, as well as poor Harold Russell whom I read had lost his hands in an explosion at a munitions plant. The women are good, but the basic theme is about the war as it is commented on here. Dana gives a superb and realistic performance. So yes, this film is a real tearjerker and very touching. Laura is my personal favorite. WIll never forget the opening line of Clifton Webb as the acidic Waldo Lydecker; I will never forget the day Laura died. And what a marvelous story! IT is very atmospheric and touching. Don't want to give anything away. If anyone has missed this film, they are in for a real treat. It is a very wonderful film noir with great cast. Suffice it to say that Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney were outstanding here.

Was it Hot Rods to Hell? I remember that one. Not up to Dana's usual marvelous standards, but well done. I had seen this one a good while ago. IF I'm correct, that's still beautiful Jeanne Crain and also lovely Stephanie Powers as their daughter.

I love Basil too. I agree that his wonderful acting talents coupled with a distinctive manner and precise voice have enhanced many a film. I too like Love from a Stranger with the great Ann Harding and the scary Son of Frankenstein. He was really good in Tower of London as well. Basil could do it all. Just recently my hubby and I have been re-watching the Sherlock Holmes collection which I remembered seeing when real young on TV. What a wonderful Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce, a great Dr. Watson.

Actually a very good remake. AT the time I first saw this one I was ten or eleven and it was on TV. I remember being so impressed by Susan's lovely voice, her appearance and aristocratic bearing (beautifully inherent in many of her films) that I did not realize there was an age gap between her and her suitor Walter (John Gavin). Susan was another favorite of my mother. Since that time I have seen Back Street on TCM, having seen the two original films on AMC. I feel that each version poignantly portrays the story. Irene Dunne and John Boles in the 30's and then Margaret Sullavan and Charles Boyer in the 40's . But yes, that would be hard to play a part like that For Susan. But she was a wonderful and talented actress to the end and always looked lovely. Sadly, I had viewed Stolen Hours in the 70's and then heard the tragic news (when I was in my early 20's) of Susan's passing, What a marvelous career! I had assumed that she was a 50's and 60's actress primarily and later discovered some good 40's films too which Susan greatly enhanced. ( But I do prefer With a Song in MY Heart and I'll Cry Tomorrow and My Foolish Heart - all great and powerful 50's performances! )

Hi Everyone, The superb James Mason is my favorite male actor. For some time I have been collecting his films and endeavored to find a clearer copy of two in particular. Alibi '42 is an excellent James Mason film co-starring the lovely and talented Margaret Lockwood. I ordered a copy from a film magazine and was told it was the best available. Nope - it was really washed out and blurry. I had acquired one that was too dark earlier. Now if I could just get a good balance a great film would be more enjoyable! Lady Possessed '52 is an interesting film based on a novel James Mason's first wife (Pamela Kellino) had written. It is a really good suspense story coupled with the supernatural and co-stars the lovely and talented June Havoc. Stephen Dunne and Stephen Geray are great in their roles as well. The film is relatively clear, but the faces are a little indistinct. You might call the above films a film noir of note. Thanks!

No, but would really enjoy seeing it. I will try to locate it. I do wish the attitudes had been right, but we have wonderful actors and actresses of the Golden Age in some unique roles. I like Elizabeth Welch (Big Fella) with Paul Robson and Louise Beavers in Imitation of Life. Of course we all like Hattie McDaniel in Gone With the Wind and other great films.

Wonderful choices!. I discovered more favorites when watching Pre-Codes; Madge Evans, Anita Page, Helen Twelvetrees. and Helen Vinson. Also noteworthy was the lovely Sally Eilers. Love Carole Lombard in some later films too; namely In Name Only with Cary Grant and Kay Francis and Vigil in the Night with Brian Aherne and Anne Shirley. Carole could do it all - whether tragedy, humor, commonplace problems, etc. I have been watching Pre-Codes like Baby Face in the Forbidden Hollywood Sets. To my list I must add Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young and the marvelous Irene Dunne and Barbara Stanwyck.

Thanks Ian! I enjoyed your reviews of all of them. It will be fun discussing more classics here or on You Tube. I just read a neat quote by Martin Scorcese saying that films are a window or a door into our futures and we often go through a learning process with many of them. This is true of several I had seen on TV as a young child. They became a real window of the future and many instill ideals along the way.

I was sorry to read of your friend's loss. Kyle sounds like he was a great person to know!

I love Leo Carrillo's films and recently saw a Movie Short on TCM that mentioned his kind invitation to people to visit his ranch in CA. Out here in California we also have Leo Carrillo Beach. He was a very fine actor and I especially liked him in a serious role with Grace Moore entitled Love Me Forever.

Thanks! It is especially fun to watch at Halloween time.