film lover 293

I saw four movies last week. "Attack of the Giant Leeches" (1959) is a Low budget effort from Roger Corman. Best things in the film are Yvette Vickers trying to pull off a "Baby Doll" performance with no help from the script or director, and the First good look at the leeches. If you're looking for a quality movie, this isn't it. "13 Ghosts" (1960) is a gimmicky thriller from director William Castle with a prologue and epilogue about the existence of ghosts. Was originally shown with glasses that made the ghost images clearer: in the print I saw on YT, there was still the instructions "Put Glasses On" and "Take glasses off" on the print. Was an enjoyable, bloodless thriller. The 1935 "She" was my find of the week. Although I typically disapprove of colorization, this is maybe the One time it worked. Murky shadows obstructing the action disappeared, Helen Mack was actually pretty (in black and white she just blended into the background), I could See peoples' expressions, and this is a first for me: applause for who thought out Shes' color scheme for her outfits. In her first scene, She's all in lacy white, like a bride; near the end, She's dressed in angry yellow orange. The film, for those unaware of it, is a great, howlingly funny piece of Camp, based on the story by H. Rider Haggard. Nigel Bruce is a delight all film long. "Balalaika" (1939) is wonderful when the cast is singing, a "floperetta" whenever the characters speak: Nelson Eddy to Ilona Massey, while trying to seduce her: "Your teeth are national treasures" (if MGMs' dentists got a screen credit, I missed it). Good musical, with plenty of ridiculous spoken moments, for those who enjoy that. Must-see--"She" (1935)--black and white or colorized; both versions can be found online. Not a must view--"Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)

Favorites: "Murder, He Says" (1945)--Fred MacMurray runs into a family of murderous hillbillies. "A Foreign Affair" (1948)--Billy Wilder Post WW II comedy--Marlene Dietrich is brilliant. "Ace in the Hole" (1951)--"Kneeling bags my nylons."--Jan Sterlings' character. "The Trouble With Harry" (1955)--Something keeps reappearing. 'Lord Love A Duck" (1966)--A comedy of Greed. "Pretty Poison (1968)--Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld are near perfect. "Hammersmith Is Out" (1972)--"Trailer trash" version of "Faust".

GregoryPeckfan--About your post about the Marx Bros.--No danger of you being put on Ignore because you don't like them. About a film full of music; TCM aired this gem before you joined the boards--"New Moon" (1930). Stars are Grace Moore and Lawrence Tibbett, who were both stars at The New York Metropolitan Opera; this was their bid for screen stardom. Film is 78 minutes long--has ten songs. There's roughly 4-5 minutes between songs. If you haven't already seen this, try to find it. If TCM shows it again at a decent time ( it aired 4:30 a.m. E.S.T.), see it! Back to thread topic.

1933: Best Actor: Winners shown by two asterisks, ties by four asterisks: Charles Laughton in The Private Life of Henry VIII Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones**** Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen Claude Rains in The Invisible Man John Gilbert in Queen Christina*** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Best Actress: Barbara Stanwyck in The Bitter Tea of General Yen** Katharine Hepburn in Little Women Greta Garbo in Queen Christina Jean Harlow in Bombshell Marie Dressler in Tugboat Annie ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Best Ensemble(s): Dinner at Eight**** Duck Soup****

ClassicMovieRankings--One, give yourself a little more credit: you have listed twenty films, not nineteen. Two, the only other help I can give right now is a correction to Elizabeth Taylor's first movie. The title is "There's One Born Every Minute" (1942). You've done an awesome amount of research: will have to do more checking before I can post here again, LOL.

EugeniaH--three more Barbara Stanwyck westerns you might want to see: "Annie Oakley" (1935), in the title role. "Union Pacific" (1939), a Cecil B. DeMille western. "The Violent Men" (1955) a "love it or hate it" Western/Noir film--I enjoyed it.

EugeniaH--Stella Stevens and Ernest Borgnine should have won Special Oscars for "Funniest Couple Snarling Their Way Through a Disaster Movie". Stevens especially is hysterically funny as she alternately snarls, coos, and shrieks her way through the film. Those two make the film; the Special Effects are icing on the cake, LOL.

EugeniaH--Oh, but "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) Delivers on the Special Effects!

dagoldenage--I meant "eliminate" only for the 1937 Best Actor "Captain"s Courageous" role. In my thinking, his role was in support of Freddie Bartholomew; so Tracy would be in the Best Supporting Actor category--and he would win Best Supporting Actor. He would win the Best Supporting Actor or would tie for Best Actor. Am not thinking of his "Boys Town" (1938) Oscar. Am sorry for any confusion I caused you.

Mr.Gorman--welcome back! A question--is the movie you mentioned GASssss (1976)? I saw that ten or more years ago, & agree with your comment. Read the book "The Shining" (1978?) by Stephen King sometime; book is faster moving than the movie (1980). Kubrick didn't fully understand horror movies, and that's part of what's wrong with it, IMHO--although the glacial pacing is a BIG problem (as it was in "Barry Lyndon" (1975). LOVE the nicknames for the "epics"! We share the same one for "The Sound of Music.

LawrenceA--"Candy" (1968) is still on YT. Picture is jumpy, and I quit watching after 10 minutes: films' opening is an amusing take on "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), but then film is BAD--John Astin and Richard Burton are not funny (to be fair, Burton's part might have read funny); film is over two hours long. Film is available to be seen.

EugeniaH--to expand on jamesjazzguitar's comment: how about western/film noirs? I'm thinking of two: "The Furies" (1950), which starred Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Huston, and Judith Anderson. "Pursued" (1947), which starred Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, and Judith Anderson.

Brando favorites of mine: no comments unless a film hasn't been mentioned. "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) "Julius Caesar" (1953) "Desiree" (1954)--From what I've read, Brando made this to make up for his running out on "The Egyptian" (1954)--will be shown during Merle Oberon month (March). "Guys and Dolls" (1955)--Film is too long, and Brando's singing voice is just adequate, no more; but Frank Sinatra and the rest of the cast make up for bad parts. "Reflections In A Golden Eye" (1967)--Southern Gothic to the max, based on Carson McCullers' novella. Brando tried to do every genre to expand his acting range. That's what I admire about him most.

"Balalaika" (1939)--Film is set in 1914 Russia. The good: When the actors/actresses sing, film is wonderful. Nelson Eddy is more assured and competent acting than he was when paired with Jeanette MacDonald, IMHO. Ilona Massey has a good voice, although she doesn't smolder like MGM apparently wanted her to (she's introduced in a cabaret, costumed and singing like a Marlene Dietrich knockoff). Eddy does a perfect job of "The Volga Boatman", sung in Russian(?)--is films' high point. Eddy and Massey duet on the beginning of "Carmen", Act II to fine effect. Another highlight is Eddys' singing "Silent Night" in German to the opponents in WW I; this has some basis in fact. The bad (or the silly side of things): As film begins, Cossacks are rampaging through a town on horseback, waving what looked to be mini pom-poms on a stick: Nelson Eddy was at the front of the riders, waving a sword or whip. He started to sing, and the first three words of the song were "Men and leather..."; later, at the cabaret where Massey is singing (sporting a tattoo of a bird and a beauty mark that looks like a pimple), Eddy starts singing about "wine, horses, and women". The plot is nonsense that includes WW I, the Russian Revolution and a farrago of an opera the credits said was based on Rimsky-Korsakoffs' "Scheherazade". The lines that almost made me choke on my coffee that I haven't already listed: Eddy to Massey, while trying to seduce her: "Your teeth are national treasures". Massey does have a smile any dentist would be proud of, but if MGMs' dentists got a credit, I missed it. Eddy's orderly, replying as to whether the orderly has a new girlfriend: "Yes, hot off the griddle, you might say." My take: 5.6/10 stars if you watch only for musical elements; 7.8/10 stars if you appreciate the unintentional humor (which I did, even at 4:00 in the a.m.).

The 1973 "Marco"s script, music and Desi Arnaz Jr. must have been a deadly combination; two leads out of three could sing (I don't know about Arnaz). Zero Mostel starred in "Fiddler On The Roof", and 3rd billed Jack Weston was in 1949's "South Pacific" and 1956's "Bells Are Ringing". After being reminded of how Painfully BAD musicals starring people who can't sing can be (think Lucille Ball's "Mame" (1974) and the vocal demolition of Cole Porter standards known as "At Long Last Love" (1975) (Madeline Kahn is the sole performer who survives this disaster with reputation unblemished), someone else can tell the Boards all about "Marco" (1973).

GregoryPeckfan--Garbo was dubbed in "Romance" (1930) by a Diana Gaylen. source: Garbo forever.com

All times E.S.T.: 6:30 a.m. "King Solomon's Mines--(1950)--Grand adventure film. 8:00 p.m. "Young Frankenstein--(1974)--Mel Brooks comedy 4:00 a.m. "Balalaika" (1939)--Nelson Eddy musical (he couldn't act, but he could sing). To check out in advance, 2-3 numbers from "Balalaika" are on YT to be heard and seen.

"She" (1935). Great, howling piece of camp from the very beginning. I watched the colorized version on YT; instead of a black and white cheapo-deluxe (which is how it looked the first time I saw it on videotape), it looked like a semi-expensive piece of film. This is maybe the only case of a good job of colorizing a film (and it reflects how bad a condition the b&w video of "She" was in). The plot: Randolph Scott and company are in search of The Flame of Immortality. Actors are marvelous. Nigel Bruce babbles on brainlessly throughout the film. He's a delight. Randolph Scotts' character seems dimwitted. Helen Mack finally looks attractive (in b&w, she blended into the background), although she gets all the worst lines. Helen Gahagan, as She, gets the most memorable lines in the film and delivers them well. My favorites: She, in a minor snit, to subjects who had mishandled Scott: "WHO gave you leave to think contrary to MY will??! Bruce, after the queendom they're looking for has been found, pooh-poohing Scotts' fears of an unfriendly reception: "Oh, Bosh! The natives are preparing a ceremony of welcome!" ( They're definitely not.) Max Steiner's score is gorgeous, the special effects actually look better colorized than in b&w, IMHO, and the dance numbers--are unforgettable, and maybe the funniest things in the film. One more thing; "She" was nominated for Best Dance Direction (?!?), so "She" would be eligible to be shown during TCM's 31 Days of Oscar! TCM, Please show this in 2017; the last time "She" was reviewed was in 2011! Wonderfully funny film, a Great watch; 9.5 stars out of 10.

"13 Ghosts" (1960). Gimmicky William Castle horror film that originally used 3-D(?) glasses for its' effects. Print I saw had Castles' preface and afterword to the film intact. Film is tinted when ghosts appear--they are visible without 3-D glasses, although comments on YT said they were clearer when viewed through red or green cellophane, plastic, whatever. Enjoyable, bloodless film. 6.4 out of 10 stars.

"Attack of The Giant Leeches" (1959) three of ten stars/six of ten stars. If you're looking for a "good" movie, pass this by; if you want one" so bad it's good", this is one to watch. Film is set in The Everglades, but has Southern accents from every state in the South. A few high/lowlights: Victim #1 sits on a full bottle of booze with no pain (viewers of "Sabrina" (1954) will remember William Holden & the champagne glasses); accents are applied as actors remember( or forget) to use them; the first Good look at the "Leeches" is memorably funny; heroic scientist takes his wife (along with coffee and china cups!) with him to search the swamps for a killer creature. Photography varies from abominable to OK. Film is just over one hour.

1933 Films: 1.) "Dinner at Eight" 2.) "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" 3.) "Queen Christina" 4.) "Duck Soup" 5.) "King Kong" 6.) "She Done Him Wrong" 7.) "Cavalcade" 8.) "Baby Face" 9.) "Flying Down To Rio" 10.) "The Emperor Jones"

Oh, geeez; OK, my four favorite technical slip-ups: "Julie" (1956), starring Doris Day and Louis Jourdan: Holds the record for the number of times the boom mike Shadow appears in the frame (I quit counting after ten, LOL). "The Big Fisherman" (1959), starring Howard Keel: Holds the record for the number of times the boom mike itself appears in a film. "North by Northwest" (1959)--A little boy holds his ears Before a gunshot sounds. "Body Double" (1984)-- As Melanie Griffith and Craig Wasson are being filmed in a bar, the cameramen and director Brian De Palma are briefly shown in a full length mirror opposite the two stars.

CaveGirl: the other nominees: Paul Muni as Emile Zola for "The Life of Emile Zola" Charles Boyer as Napoleon Bonaparte In "Conquest" Fredric March as Norman Maine in "A Star Is Born"

A film I should have walked out of, but had too much eye candy for me to care if there was a plot, and put me to sleep once the film left the beach: "Blame It On Rio" (1984); BIOR has a Nine percent "Fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes dot com.

dagoldenage--Agree with LornaHansonForbes--Tracy's role is Supporting Freddie Bartholemew; so Tracy is disqualified on that technicality. Montgomery deserved the nomination for trying a different "type"; but I'll give vote number four to Cary Grant in "The Awful Truth".