MCannady1

Sounds lovely! I really liked The Red Shoes, but had never seen Swan Lake. I am sure it was beautifully done too! The Royal BAllet is quite famous.

I love Green Acres too! As a kid I fell in love with Arnold the pig and really loved every single clever scene. The Ziffels sure treated him like a person! Though I have not seen the show for many years, I remember so many things! Mr. Haney, Alf and Ralph, the bungling carpenters, Oliver's aristocratic mom, the Ziffels, Mr. Drucker, you name it! And when Lisa said something was "romantical"! Too bad we don't have the station here in CA. where I live - we don't have ME or Throwback or Get here. Thank heavens we do have TCM and FMC but no, we don't have those channels that show Gilligan's Island, etc. GRowing up in the 50's and 60's we had many fine shows to admire besides. Gilligan's Island is one. My sister and I loved that too. I too liked Black Beauty (the novel) and have never seen the film. It sounds like it might be one to look forward to! I did like Dear Wife but never saw Dear Brat. I read somewhere that Mona Freemon was first selected for My Little Margie (my fav. show when I was little) but was busy on other film work. The rest was history. I really like Mona very much, but had loved Gale Storm and her shows since I was six in the late 50's. Gale turned out to be a very good actress on the show and in earlier films. I will never forget meeting her in 2005 in a film collector's show in Burbank, Ca. She was just as gracious and warm as I had always known she would be. She gave me her phone number and we talked often and even corresponded back and forth.. Sadly, she passed away in 2009 but I had the wonderful experience of meeting her and was even invited to her home for a party celebrating the 50th year (since The Gale Storm Show). But this never took place as she was ill after that. But it was fun joining the Gale Storm Appreciation Society. I got to meet some people who felt like I did and a wonderful act of kindness is when I received wonderful copies of the show's episodes. I even corresponded now and then with her daughter.

Thanks! I will try Wikipedia.

Love this film! Look no more, Joan. James Mason was ravishing in this film! I personally love this film as my favorite Joan film.

This last bit of info. sounds too awful for words! Funny that she had just given a fine and sensitive performance opposite the superb actor James Mason in The Reckless Moment. It appears she really found one, but it certainly did not work out! Instead of blaming the guy, her husband should have gone ahead and asked Joan for a divorce. After all, if she didn't care for him anymore what was the point of "staying and straying?"

I agree! I do hope TCM will respond to our wishes in the affirmative. I loved seeing Joan's films on TV when I was growing up. All of the ones I once enjoyed are still wonderful to behold today. So I am throwing my hat into the ring. How about it TCM, I say?

IMDB is a great source for obscure info. as well as key items, but could not find either answer on A Woman's Devotion. The actress who played the first murder victim remains unidentified and also, the tune I was trying to identify. Near the beginning of the film we see Ralph Meeker (as Trevor Stevenson) pleasantly strolling toward a cantina. As he nears his goal, a haunting song is playing within. I have heard it a number of times - in Mexican restaurants or in other films set in Mexico or South America. Thank you! I will continue to search.

I love many of the Silent films, though I usually collect 30's, 40's, 50's. The list sounds wonderful for the Halloween Month. The only one I had seen was Life of the Party, so I and many other TCM fans will have many to look forward to!

I am a big Joan Bennett fan too. I like the idea of separating Joan's career into topics according to her age at the time - This would enable TCM to air Joan's films in segments of time periods when she made her greatest films - the 30's and 40's. This multi-talented actress was not only superbly gifted, but beautiful as well. I Met My Love Again with Joan and Henry Fonda is a very engrossing film from the late 30's. Joan was stunning here. Last night I re-watched early Joan - in Little Women '33. Going on ahead, The Reckless Moment '48 is one of my favorite films and features the superb James Mason as a suave and handsome blackmailer who falls for his victim, the lovely but married Joan Bennett. As a child growing up in the 50's and 60's I saw many of Joan's films on TV and remember Scarlet Street and Woman in the Window as very fine 40's films with Joan, Edward G. Robinson and Dan Duryea. In recent years I was to discover Joan's sister Constance who was primarily a great star of the 30's. Between AMC and later TCM I became her fan too and have enjoyed many of her fine films of the 30's as well as some great suspense films of the 40's The Unsuspected and Torrid Zone. Whew! What talent between these 2 sisters. A friend mentioned Barbara Bennett their sister who was in some films as well. A very talented family! Their dad was silent star, Richard Bennett. Constance was honored on TCM not long ago and I agree that Joan should be honored as well. These 2 ladies were key and wondrous figures of Hollywood's Golden Age..

A very fine man, but an enigma. Love this painting!

Tomorrow is Forever is one of my favorite films of all time. Claudette, Orson and George Brent were marvelous in their roles. Natalie Wood, a child star at the time turned in a superb performance as a German orphan Orson's character adopts after her parents die in the war. ..... I had forgotten to say The Third Man was quite impressive too. Orson, Joseph Cotten and Valli are very talented here. .... I too loved Orson in the magic act on I Love Lucy. She gets levitated in the episode!

I agree! I think Orson was marvelous and recently saw one of his last films about Tesla. He played J.P. Morgan very ably. My young son who is 34 said he liked the film because of Orson! .... I first discovered Orson when I was about 10 when I saw Jane Eyre on TV in the early 60's. I was quite impressed by Citizen Kane and his other fine performances as well. ... Yes, Touch of Evil was very good and Othello, etc. I did read that he was not a very easy person to know at times, or be married to. Rita Hayworth had been very unhappy. But his genius will live on.

I wanted to add my acclaim for THe Barretts of WImpole Street '34. It is nothing short of sheer genius. The beautiful words and music of a song Elizabeth Barrett Browning had written really stirs the soul (well, my soul and many others). Norma Shearer is marvelous in the role of Elizabeth and actually sang the lyrics of the song. CHarles Laughton was also superb as the tyrannical father of the Barrett children. (I just re-watched this film last week and love it more with every viewing). David Copperfield '34 really stirs one's soul as well. Freddie Bartholomew is wonderful portraying David as a child. A great supporting cast with the great Edna Mae Oliver as Aunt Betsy and Basil Rathbone as David's evil stepfather enhance the film still more. Again, Elizabeth Allen turns in a fine performance as David's fragile mother who died giving birth to a new baby. Of course I will have to watch these fine movies again and also Frances Dee's Little Women '33. And though Film Noir seems to be my favorite in recent years, I always return to the fine films of the 30's and 40's. I remember when my big sister and I were growing up in the 50's and 60's and watched many of these films on TV as kids. Our dad said they would never be able to duplicate the marvelous films of the 30's. Mom said the 40's appealed to her the most. Now that I have come full circle, I find that they were both right! And though I enjoy a 50's or 60's or more recent film now and then, my heart is with the earlier films!

You're right, there will always be differing opinions. It Happened One Night is one of the best early 30's films. Gable and Colbert were marvelous in their roles. I agree! No one could top the brilliance and superb acting of the A Tale of Two Cities. Ronald Colman and Elizabeth Allen were marvelous in their roles as well as a fine supporting cast with Basil Rathbone, Edna Mae Oliver, Blanche Yurka, etc, Mutiny on the Bounty '35 is the very best version of this film. THe cast, fine acting with Clark Gable heading the cast is marvelous. No doubt about it according to me , of course. King Kong '33 surpasses any other version! It is one of the best of '33 films, The special effects are certainly different and are still very impressive and realistic even today. (I did see it on TV when I was a kid in the 60's. I was not aware of the miniatures that were used with the buildings, etc. at the time). THat to me is even more impressive and inventive! Today's CGI is good, but so were the fine graphic of yesteryear!

A wonderful list! I too would choose Little Women. From the very beginning music to the end the movie is fantastic! Our daughter loved watching in her teens and is now in her 20's. She likes to watch different versions of films and just finished watching the 90's version of Little Women which I watched with her. THough it was well done, I would choose this version at the top. I love the 40's one with June Allyson too, but this film is tops with me. To have met Frances Dee must have been a thrill! She and her hubby and fellow actor Joel McCrea are 2 of my Golden Age favorites. I have seen Frances in Finishing School, The Silver Cord and other pre-codes which were outstanding films as well. Another great film from '32 was Back Street with Irene Dunne and John Boles. It was re-made very well in the 40's with Margaret Sullavan and Charles Boyer and with Susan Hayward and John Gavin in the early 60's.

Great choices! I really love the early 30's films and have watched many. I like all of the above titles, and a few that come to mind I viewed a number of years ago when a friend out of state I traded with sent me hundreds of VHS tapes! These come to mind - Devotion with Ann Harding and Leslie Howard, Employee's Entrance with Loretta Young and Warren William, Skyscraper Souls with Warren William and Maureen O'Sullivan, Walls of Gold with Sally Eilers and Ralph Morgan Doctor's Wives with Loretta Young and Warner Baxter My Woman with Helen Twelvetrees and Victor Jory Ann Vickers with Irene Dunne The Lady Refuses with Betty Compson There is something very special about the pre-code era, When I first started watching these about 10 or 12 years ago it struck me that many of the situations are relevant today though handled differently at times. Loretta Young, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, (to name a few -- Whew! ) radiate talent and charm in their roles. I developed a real liking for these actresses and actors - Charles Boyer, George Brent, Leslie Howard, Warren William, Victor Jory - and others too numerous to mention. I became aware of many I had not heard of - Madge Evans, Sally Eilers, Anita Page, etc. THough Film Noir is my favorite time period and genre recently I always return to my parents' Favorites, the early 30's.

This one really got me when I was real young. Especially the freaky ending - Shelley was pretty scary and the film stayed with me for a long time. A good Halloween scary film!

THanks for neat info.! Never saw House of Strangers or Tulsa, so I am certainly making a note. Anything Susan is in is apt to be splendid in a unique way. (Right now we have company in and I have not checked the viewing schedules lately, so glad for the info.). When I was 8 or 9 I first caught her wonderful performance in Back Street on TV - '61.. Of course I was a little young to get the entire theme, but I was old enough to admire Susan's fine acting. She and John Gavin gave a great performance and Vera Miles was really wonderful too as his cold and heartless wife. Over the years I have seen 2 other versions of the film; Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer in the original Back Street, '32. Margaret Sullivan was super in the 40's version as well. When I like a film I see every version I can! This applies to Jane Eyre and Wuthering Height, Rebecca,. etc. (It was this film and several film noirs that got me into older or "classic films". The hobby has prevailed for many years and I have never regretted my choices! In short, I think Susan was marvelous to make a masterpiece out of a story that had been filmed twice before and several years apart. Oops! Forgot to say I have never seen The Conqueror, but did read here and there the tragic info. that Susan and Dick Powell. John Wayne and Pedro Armendariz had died of cancer not too many years later. Nuclear test sites had wreaked havoc once again on several lives. But one good thing is that we have wonderful TCM (well, most of the time) to keep our hobby going! These films and fine actors and actresses will never be surpassed (in my little old opinion, of course)! AS Mom and Dad said many times, "They just don't make them like that any more"!

Susan was a very fine actress in many of her films, including this one. For this reason I was also upset that the movie was cut off. I have collected her fine films for some time. It certainly was distressing that the last 10 minutes were cut off! I think it was the amount of time they allotted for the film to be shown in. When it doesn't fit and was miscalculated, we sadly have to wait for it to air again. I hope they will soon! Twice another film kept being cut off at the end - Seven Miles to Alcatraz. About a year ago I was taping it for a friend who does not have TCM. I was distressed to find that the last 10 or 12 minutes was cut off. I called our Cable Provider and mentioned this had happened. Basically, I was given the "nice" treatment where a kind sounding guy assured me it was probably an error of the channel or even - the provider and would not occur again probably.. Well, (ahem!) about 6 months ago the film was aired again and they had 'erred" again. I picked up the phone again and this time I got a recording which finally led to someone else calling back. In short, the answer was this - As long as they allott that amount of time to air a film, the Channel or your provider can still make the error if it is not changed. So we went around in circles and apologies and the lady said she was sorry and I said it was okay, but it really isn't! I kept the film in mind to find a copy for my friend. Of course it is not a vital thing, but the principle is that - we have a service that assures things like this cannot happen! I eventually got the other film through another collector. On that cheerful note, I hope we get the wonderful Suzie film in its entirety!

I like Strange Intruder too. A friend collects books that were made into films. I read tHe book recently from her, and really thought it was very good as well as the film. In the film Ida was great and I vaguely remember Ann Harding in a part as her mother? I did like Ida in Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The Light That Failed is great where she is a Cockney charwoman who admires soldier Ronald Colman's paintings. SHe has a crush on his friend (played by Walter Huston). When she finds that he won't pay any attention to her, she decides to blame Ronald Colman's character, as he had teased her a few times. That night she slashes his paintings and is amazed he can't see them, as he is going blind.. A very poignant and profound film.

I love While the City Sleeps too. THe Hard Way and High Sierra were great, Ida was a wonderful actress! Her talent her wonderful legacy as a good director as well will live on. Darn - I just remembered another - Ever seen The Light THat Failed? It is great with our Ida and Ronald Colman!

Great film, but a real tearjerker. Loved Bette in Dark Victory. Geraldine and George were great too!

That's right! Not very relaxing. Of course he deserved the ultimate treatment! HE did punch out Barb Stanwyck's character who did save her little patients. In the end she really got rescued! AN interesting film.

A neat list! IF I were sick - another time I would want Mary Poppins, Dumbo and Peter Pan! Plus all of the ones you mentioned! Taking a long time to get better, as I think the Dr. "Film Guy" recommends all of the 30's, and 40's films Bette made. So that recuperation is really getting more positive! About a year ago I had a spine surgery for Scoliosis (still waiting to get my posture back) and had had a surgery in 2010 to start with. I was delighted that the hospital actually had TCM! I proudly watched THe Little Foxes and Mr. SKeffington. Bette was marvelous! Seriously, I was there nearly 3 weeks with complications. During that time I saw many other films on my son's laptop. Mom did not get bored, and now - darn it, have to go and do my exercises!

Wish I had seen Night Nurse when I was very sick. I remember the severe supervisor clearing her throat - ahem! and Joan Blondell hiding under the covers when she checked to see if they were in bed! She had just imitated her; all too well!