film lover 293
-
Posts
6,310 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
4
Posts posted by film lover 293
-
-
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE--(1920)--with; John Barrymore and Nita Naldi.
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE--(1932)--with: Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins.
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE--(1941)--with: Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman.
This comes down to co-stars performances. The 1920 version is my least favorite, despite Barrymore doing an outstanding job in the dual title role. Nita Naldi is a vivid presence, but she disappears from the film far too quickly. Barrymore's co-star who plays his fiancee is so bland I can't even remember her name.
In the 1941 version, Spencer Tracy is miscast and looks uncomfortable to be caught in a horror film: Lana Turner is completely unconvincing as a Victorian maiden, but looks spectacular and screams on cue. Just looking at her makes the viewer somewhat understand the source of Jekyll's frustration (which is an undercurrent of the film, whether The Code wanted it there or not). But Ingrid Bergmans' barmaid Ivy is a presence that knocks Tracy off the screen. She gives the best performance in the film by far; her performance, along with excellent cinematography and music, vault this version above Barrymores' silent.
The 1932 version is my favorite. Fredric March won a Best Actor Oscar for the title role, Miriam Hopkins clearly implies she is ready to sleep with Jekyll, and does one of her best acting jobs here. Rose Hobart as his fiancee breaks the tie, She is the Only person to make a believable human being out of a badly underwritten role; though she can't act, the 20 year old Turner is a vision, and makes a definite impression on the viewer. John Barrymore is the reason to see the 1920 version, IMO.
-
1
-
-
Tonights scum is from "retrdgfdgfdgfd."
-
"King of Jazz" (1930)--This Universal film was the last of the studio revues (Hollywood Revue of 1929, Paramount on Parade (1930), etc.) to be released. It was also the most costly (over one million 1930 dollars) and arguably the best of them. Film is "hosted" by Paul Whiteman, maybe the most influential bandleader of the 1920's, who was also a composer. Film starts off well with an animation sequence, and seldom lets up. There are sequences that don't work, but they are outnumbered by the ones that do.
Centerpiece of the film is an instrumental version of Gershwins' "Rhapsody in Blue". The vocals are drastically undermiked: John Boles and Laura LaPlante make their solos work by sheer lung power: Boles in particular in "Song of the Dawn" is louder than some 15-20 extras. He was a so-so actor at best, but he had a good baritone, so he was much in demand for musicals. Bing Crosby made his film debut here.
Film won an well-deserved Oscar for Best Art Direction; the photography is hallucinatory at times. But thanks to the market being flooded with musicals, KoJ lost more than half its' cost.
Film is on YT; search "full movies 1930", KoJ should be the sixth result on page 4 of results.
-
2
-
-
"North By Northwest" (1959) is Infinitely preferable to "Waltzes From Vienna" (1933) , In My Opinion; if anyone wishes to view WFV, at Least one copy is on Youtube.
-
Wed., Dec. 23rd--one short, one tv special, one movie; All times E.S.T.:
7:58 p.m. "Judy Garland sings "Silent Night"--(1937)
8:00 p.m. "Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank"--(1957)
11: p.m. "High Society"--(1956)-- Cole Porter musical with Grace Kelly in her last film role.
-
"Call of the Flesh" (1930)--The term "floperetta" was coined for this sort of movie. Stars Ramon Novarro, whose tenor was better than adequate--until he decided to try opera. The films first half hour is entertaining enough. Then plot complications set in, and the movie slows to the pace of a glacier. Novarro is in good voice in the non-operatic songs, and the film spawned one minor hit, "Lonely".
Dorothy Jordan, his co-star, is hopeless throughout the film (she married in 1933 & retired as a starring actress). A native of Tennessee (source--Wikipedia), she switches from a Spanish to Tennessee to French accent throughout the film (sometimes in the same sentence)!
Due to plot requirements, Novarro tackles opera in the last half hour of the film. He seems mildly incompetent at the audition, so we assume he will be insulted and sent home. No such luck. He is insulted, but Dad buys him a night at the opera, so he can sing. I never thought I'd say this, but Ramons' operatic singing made me long for Nelson Eddy to show up: he couldn't act, but at least he had the vocal range to SING the part! One expects the audience to walk out en masse, but no; Ramon gets multiple offers to sing opera.
Logic-defying as it is, this hokey mess made a profit at the box-office. Crazier still, Novarros' singing was well reviewed (source; Richard Barrios book "A Song in the Dark"). If you wonder why musicals started flopping in late 1930-33, here's a prime example why. 4/10 stars
-
3
-
-
TikiSoo: As to Oberon's parentage:
She was Definitely born in Bombay, British India, in 1911. She May have been part Eurasian: there is an article about her on Wikipedia, which blows the "facts" I thought I knew about her early life from Charles Highams' biography all to ****. Read the Wiki article, then research from there--there is a long list of sources.
As to grouping--All I can Guess is, TCM wanted to start off with a bang, so they selected "These Three" (1936) to be the first film shown; it's possibly her best performance.
The final weekend--Oberon seem to be merely another name to sell those films (excepting 1954's "Desiree", where she gives the films' best performance as an affecting Josephine to Marlon Brando's mumbling Napoleon & Jean Simmons' scheming Desiree.)
-
speedracer5--The number you've pictured from "Nancy Goes To Rio" (1950) is the number I described in a post that's somewhere on page 2 now. Don't let a couple of clowns stop you from seeing the number! The clip in TE III doesn't do it justice; the number lasts for 4 minutes, at most. I'm guessing that's the longest MGM could maintain that level of insanity: 20th-Century Fox did it for almost thirty minutes at a time in "The Gang's All Here" (1943).
That number is worth waiting for and rewatching.
Partial explanation (maybe); films finale is set during Carnival (sp?) in Rio de Janeiro; for all I know, clowns are a tradition at that time. Just a Guess, and JMO.
-
"Janice Meredith" (1925) First, all credit and thanks for finding this go to TomJH.
Marion Davies is a favorite of mine, and I had counted this among her Lost films. I am Delighted to be proven wrong!! Even with so-so at best picture quality, this is more than Worth seeing. An over two hour spectacular about the American Revolution, Hearst & MGM reputedly spent more than $500,000 in 1925 dollars on this film; & even with not optimum picture quality, every penny shows. The director was E. Mason Hopper; this film is maybe the best of his career (he worked as a director from 1915-1938). JM shows Davies range, from dramatic actress to clown ( W.C. Fields is in one scene with Davies). JM got unanimous raves from critics when it opened, and was thought better than D. W. Griffiths' "America" (1924) but didn't recoup its high cost. It was a "prestige success."
Trivia: Tyrone Power Sr. plays General Cornwallis.
-
3
-
-
Hibi-- Number five is "Trilogy of Terror" (1973) (I Think).
-
I have a question about Marion Davies and her MGM films that have never been shown, according to your list. They are:
Lights of Old Broadway (1925)
Zander the Great(1925)
Beverly of Graustark (1926)
The Fair Co-Ed (1927)
Quality Street (1927)--(yes, I know I complained about the sound version; how is the Silent?).
The Cardboard Lover (1928)
It's A Wise Child (1931)--The lone talkie of the bunch.
Her older films I consider Lost (there are/were nineteen of those, according to Fred Lawrence Guiles' 1972 biography of Marion Davies). Excluding "Janice Meredith" (1925), these are just the Marion Davies films since 1925 that haven't been aired. Any idea why these have not been shown, Or can you point me in the right direction as to who to ask? Your lists are an awesome feat of work!
fxreyman--thank you for posting markfp2's post of 2014!
-
TikiSoo--About "Annie Get Your Gun"--Have read from two sources (both Internet Only--they're the sources I give least credibility to) that she Was considered for the lead; she would have had Howard Keel for support. Would Garrett and Keel have struck the same comic sparks as Sinatra and Garrett? We'll never know.
I need to read her autobiography and let the lady speak for herself. Until I read it, though, I blame the HUAC Blacklist for basically destroying her career/any career momentum she had built up. And she Had career momentum; On the Town, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, & Neptunes' Daughter (all 1949 films). All box-office hits. In ND, she got to sing (part of) the Oscar-winning duet (Best Song) "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
About the talent--I really don't know.
-
speedracer5--Ricardo Montalban should have been starred in "The Kissing Bandit" (1948) for it to make sense. He had the acting & dancing moves down, and he had an pleasant baritone. He knew how to walk and Dance in those super tight pants and not look an idiot, or worse. Sinatra tried his usual long stride, and it turned into a waddle (in the song, "If I Steal A Kiss", between 1:42--1:54 of the song, Sinatra strides forward--or tries to. Watch the result. A clip of the song is on YouTube) There's a very good reason TKB aired at 5:15 a.m. in the morning (E.S.T.), LOL. JMO.
-
"Nancy Goes To Rio"--(1950). Notable as The Transition role for Jane Powell.
But first, Carmen Miranda co-stars in the film. She has two numbers; the first is mildly amusing. In the second, "Caroon Pa Pa" (which comes near the end of the film), Helen Rose, MGM dress designer, let her imagination run wild and came up with Miranda's costume (source is TCM's article on the film), It apparently inspired everyone else to let their imaginations run free. The result is a lulu of a number that's nearly as crazy and funny as "The Lady In The Tutti-Frutti Hat" in "The Gang's All Here" (1943). Number is hysterically funny and indescribable; it's almost worth sitting through the whole film to see.
Jane Powell transitioned to adult roles with this film. Near the end, when people have acknowledged she's "almost grown up" she sings a version of "Embraceable You" where she seems to focus more on the emotion than technique (Powell was almost always technically perfect, or sounds so to me). Powell goes from dressing modestly in the first two thirds of the film, to gowns that emphasize her bust in the remainder of the film.
This was Ann Sotherns' last MGM film. As always, she looks lovely and sounds better.
The film's meant to be amusing plot was antique in 1950. Now it is a struggle to sit through the non-musical parts.
Based almost completely on Carmen Mirandas' two numbers, the rest of the music in the film, and the charm of the cast, film rates 6.5/10 stars
-
2
-
-
Dona Drake as the maid in Beyond The Forest. She verbally blackmails Bette and when Bette orders her to dust a table, swipes a corner and walks off. She gives maybe the worst performance in the film.
-
1
-
-
Yes; I Love when you can put captions in balloons over their heads, like in the comics. In this number from "The Kissing Bandit" (1948), at 1:43 into the number, stop it and look, going from right to left, starting with the girl in a pink gown and some huge reddish pink flower in her hair, just as Cyd Charisse pulls out a black fan:
Girl in pink--"Oh, Good, the fireworks are about to start! About time!"
Man in middle of Girl and Older woman--"Huh?
Older woman in red dress and mantilla(?)--"Now he's going to get it"
-
1
-
-
TikiSoo--About Betty Garrett: she was married to Larry Parks (star of "The Jolson Story (1946) and other films). She debuted on Broadway in 1942; married Larry Parks in 1945(?) starred in the Broadway revue hit "Call Me Mister" (1948), where she attracted MGM's notice. Her film debut was in 1948's "Big City". Depending on which reference you credit most, Garretts' career was stopped short by:
A.) "Guilt by association" (Her husband Larry Parks admitted to being a Communist between the years 1941-45 before The House of UnAmerican Activities in 1950(?) and refused to name names. He had been a Communist: therefore, his wife had been/was a Communist; both were Blacklisted.
B.) Her agent asked for too much money to star her in "Annie Get Your Gun" (1950), & Garrett became blacklisted.
C.) She was pregnant with her first child by the time her husbands' Hearings were scheduled; she retired from the screen to raise her family (she had two children).
My Guess--a combination of A and C--she did resume her career in 1955, although it was sporadic. You may remember her from All in the Family (1971-?) as Archie Bunkers' liberal neighbor.
There is a good long article on Garrett on Wikipedia, and Garrett wrote a memoir in 2008(?)
-
I try to list them here when I am here so Statistics minded people and the Moderators can sort of track them.
Tonight's scummy spammers are "kimmy7065" and "ghfgflove" and "woobinxsfeder" and "GerdfrDnfbrdfe".
-
1
-
-
Sunday, Dec. 20th: All times E.S.T.:
7:48 p.m.--"We Must Have Music--(1941)-- eleven minute short about film scoring I haven't seen.
8:00 p.m.--"Broadway Melody of 1940--(1940)--Dream pairing of Eleanor Powell & Fred Astaire.
-
1
-
-
Alfred Hitchcocks' "Number Seventeen" (1932). Film omits necessary exposition, just puts seven-eight people together in a house known as Number Seventeen. Films' script is sketchy, to put it politely; actors seem to be improvising half the time. The women fulfill their plot functions, to scream on cue and be endangered, then rescued.
The men have to figure things out. One especially irritating nitwit who thinks he's funny goes around calling everyone "guvnor" (phonetic spelling) and uses the phrase "Lord love a duck". That may have been current British slang in 1932; now it's just a puzzle (to me, at least), as the only time I've heard the phrase is as the Tuesday Weld 1966 movie that's a satire of Southern California.
Hitchcock makes suspense out of nothing; the last fifteen minutes of the film is suspenseful. The first part of NS is full of double & triple crosses, a disappearing corpse, and characters who choose to do something stupid just as the plot requires.
Trivia; there is a shot early in the film (the first five minutes are silent) that Robert Wise's cinematographer blatantly copied in "The Haunting" (1963).
Film rates 5/10 stars.
-
1
-
-
CaveGirl--If you want miscast Actors/actresses on the basis of age--watch an over-40 Joan Crawford play an 20-something wife (with horrid jangling dimestore bracelets) who beheads her cheating husband & his lover with an axe in "Strait-Jacket" (1964). Enjoyably Bad film has unexpected kicker at the very end after the credits.
-
1
-
-
Oh, what a week:
"Summer Stock" (1950)--Judy Garlands' final MGM musical, is good fun with classic numbers "Get Happy" & Gene Kellys' dance with a newspaper & squeaky floorboard as his partners. 7.5/10 stars.
"A Summer Place" (1959)--A drama about teenage sex that uses every word except sex. Impossible to take seriously. Sandra Dee wails and whines to Daddy about having to wear a girdle and bra like Mom is making her wear a chastity belt! Nice theme song and musical score. 6.5/10 stars.
"Beyond The Forest" (1949)--Underrated noirish, moody drama with Camp elements (Bette Davis' Hideous black wig, a Pompous prologue that made me expect a Disaster on the scale of "The Exorcist II: The Heretic", a trash incinerator that in some shots' looks a mile away, in others in the Molines' front yard). Joseph Cotten can keep his dignity in anything, A fun watch; 8/10 stars.
"On The Town"--(1949)--Classic musical; Sinatra and Betty Garrett bring out the clown in each other. A great watch for musical lovers. 9/10 stars.
"Take Me Out To The Ball Game"--(1949)--Wispy plot is made up for by near non-stop musical numbers. Is film where Garrett showed she was a fine clown, & that she & Sinatra were a marvelous team. 8/10 stars.
"The Gang's All Here" (1943)--I almost laughed myself into an asthma attack. Directed by Busby Berkeley, film is Demented, Glorious, Hysterically Funny, Essential Camp--"The Lady In The Tutti-Frutti Hat" (sung by Carmen Miranda) and the finale are beyond description--a must-watch for lovers of the Silly.
"Fallen Angel (1945)--TCMs' copy is 97 minutes; the copy I found is one minute over two hours. Had no credits, but started at films' beginning. Has a prolonged scene of police brutality (1945 version), and Alice Faye and Dana Andrews share a bed; my guess is I found a British copy. With plot holes fixed, 8/10 stars.
"Frankenstein" (1910)--Filmed at The Edison Studios, film is primitive by 2015 standards, but is a must to watch; film is only 13 minutes long; is on YouTube, and who knows how long it will be available to watch. One of the oldest films available to the general public, so rating is waived. See it while it's available to be seen.
All films should be seen, but "The Gang's All Here" (1943) is the most fun to watch, IMHO.
-
1
-
-
Palmerin--The movie has its own sense of enchantment, as the drab looking (to me) Kansas is left behind for a Technicolored Land of Oz, and the movie is beautiful, and say what you want about the score, Garland & her co-stars were in fine voice--I grew up in the 60's & 70's, when TWOO was shown annually on tv. The film has/had its own magic, at least for me. You may not like the film as an adult, but I loved it when I was a kid: so much so I asked if it was based on a book; once I found that out, I read the book, then the rest of the series.
There are Much worse musicals out there than TWOO. I know, because I've watched too many of them, LOL.
TomJH--at a guess, the most viewed film of all time would be TWOO, The Ten Commandments (1956) due to annual Easter showings that date back to the 60's, or maybe GWTW (1939) .
-
speedracer5--watching "Quality Street" (1937) is like chugging a gallon size bottle of corn syrup. The super sweetness-stickiness of it all is nauseating. Katharine Hepburn has an occasional intelligent line and Cora Witherspoon gives a hemlock flavored performance; otherwise, all is much too sweet. James Barrie (except for Peter Pan) plays are unbearably sappy. Just my opinion, and my opinion may well be different from others.
-
1
-
I Just Watched...
in General Discussions
Posted
"Just Imagine" (1930)--The plot: a man killed in 1930 is brought back to life in 1980. Musical has all the technological advances the filmmakers could think of. They got some right: helipads, computers acting as telephones that show the people on both sides of a conversation, traffic jams in the sky (not personal airplanes as the film shows). The ones they got deliriously Wrong though, is their idea(s) of Mars. Comedian El Brendel stars in the film, but stick out the cornball humor: JI's last 35 minutes venture into camp territory. If I say more, I'll spoil the film. A pre-Tarzan Maureen O'Sullivan co-stars. Films' score is not memorable, but is well sung. In spite of Brendel, 7/10 stars.
Four prints of film are on YT.