jarhfive
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Posts posted by jarhfive
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RTRiley,
Reading your message, I remembered something I have been wondering about for a long time. If somebody says, "he's a metrosexual"...are they talking about a person like Rondo Hatton?
Rusty
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Jon,
One hundred dollars. The lowest price I found on the internet for a new MST3K Volume 10 (mrsl...your message regarding the Mystery Science Theater 3000 acronym made me laugh). The minimum new price is now more than two times the retail price. So, I guess I should hit the streets and check local stores....except, I have one of those thingees on the side of my right foot and walking hurts. Damn Wal Mart shoes.
Oh, and "Manos"? Boy, I watched a movie last night...eegah, nearly as horrible as "Manos"--"The Atomic Brain". Transplant cat brain into human, transplant human brain into cat. And I watched the whole thing.
Rusty
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Jon,
Looking on Rhino.com the Volume 1 collection has also been removed from their catalog. I don't know why.
The reason I started looking for MST3K last month...oh, it is a sad tale. Watching a dvd of "The Brain That Wouldn't Die", I remembered I had the MST3K version of the movie. I went searching in MY vault and...gone...all gone. All thirty to forty MST3K tapes I had recorded (Comedy Central and Sci-Fi)...gone. No magic sword...no sidehackers...no sampo...no mole people...and so on. Well, I did have one creature from the black lagoon and one-half of a hercules movie. I soon found out my tapes had been given away to my sister-in-law and...well, I guess I remember saying it was okay to give away the Mystery Science Theater tapes. I had to make do with one and one-half MST3K movies and some Dr. Katz episodes (Dr. Katz was pretty darn funny). Anyway, my MST3K tape loss led to my search for MST3K dvds.
Thanks for the info regarding the Volume 10 dvd collection.
I found the following on Wikipedia, MST3K entry...I thought it was funny. Under the heading of "Recurring Guest Characters...Santa Claus (Kevin Murphy)":
Appeared twice on the show, including a fight with Pitch (another recurring guest), bellowing, "I'm here to chew candy canes and kick ****, and I'm all out of candy canes!"
That is all.
Rusty
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lynn,
Last month, I ordered several MST3K dvds and noticed (while looking for MST3K) some of the first three seasons (Canadian television) of "Second City Television" available on dvd. The first three SCTV seasons have been in the vault since the late 1970s. I thought, "oh boy, I have been waiting decades to see some of those old SCTV episodes". Well, I will have to continue to wait...maybe, forever. The SCTV dvd is a mish-mash of skits from the second and third Canadian television seasons. Not even one skit from the first SCTV season. Why? Music was used in all SCTV episodes without regard for copyright...a lot of music. Because of a mid-1990s legal decision (I forget the name) a work, or any part of a work, may be copyrighted. For a SCTV episode having ten songs...potentially ten negotiations to clear rights for the music. Thus, orginal SCTV may never be on DVD.
A similar situation for MST3K. Rhino has taken years to release the 10 MST3K collections (about 35 episodes) because each movie license has to be negotiated.
Now, I don't know how the mid-90s copyright decision impacts TCM programming choices. I do remember a message from tcmprogrammr(?) briefly mentioning the legal decision as impacting TCM licensing films for broadcast.
I am an end user, so I say, "what a drag".
Rusty
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otterhere,
Record "Night Into Morning". A good showcase for Ray Milland's talent as an actor. Nancy Davis gives a moving performance as Milland's supportive friend. The story is depressing...Milland loses family in fire, he turns to drink and is despondent to the point of suicide. Sounds melodramatic, but the story does not stoop to maudlin. Recommended...Nancy Davis is really good in this movie.
By the way, I just saw the movie "Marooned" is scheduled. I may get some disagreement about the following, but I think it is the last Hollywood production that tried to get the science accurate. A few years later, "Star Wars" and...good bye reality.
Rusty
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The running time of "Destination Moon" is 92 minutes. My recording of "Destination Moon" is 90 minutes. So, I guess...the four astronauts survived their trip to the moon? No astronauts pulled out of the space ship by an oxygen tank?
By the way, one interesting thing used so often by 1950's science fiction writers it is almost a required item is the science lesson. For instance, the day before TCM's 1950 science fiction programming, I watched three genre films from the 1950s, early 1960s. Claude Rains in "Battle Of The Worlds" from 1961, John Carradine in "The Incredible Petrified World" from 1957 and Bruce Kellog in "Unknown World" from 1951. The latter two movies include a few minutes of teaching science. "The Incredible Petrified World" includes some claptrap about a mysterious layer of something found in all the oceans of the world. Paraphrasing the science narration, "This is what we think this layer is...but, let's take a trip down there and find out what that mysterious layer of gunk is all about...". "Unknown World" starts with a faux newsreel. The newsreel narrator explains, "The Earth's surface is about to be re-surfaced via a worldwide atomic firestorm. So, let's build this drilling ship and drill towards the center of the Earth and find that cavern we know is down there. A cavern big enough to hold all the people worth saving...".
At least one of TCM's 1950s science fiction movies programmed yesterday includes a science lesson scene..."Destination Moon". "Destination Moon" has a cartoon character, Woody The Woodpecker, explaining to moon mission investors the science of sending a ship to the moon. A clever money raising tactic...having a cartoon character explain the moon mission. I mean, if a woodpecker can explain the science of a moon trip...how difficult a task to get some astronauts on the moon? We take checks and credit cards...
I did not watch the other science fiction films programmed yesterday on TCM. Did "Red Planet X" have a dubious science lesson scene?
Oh yeah...wasn't the science lesson via cartoon thing lifted by Steven Spielberg for his film, "Jurassic Park"? I will answer my question...yes, the idea was recycled.
Rusty
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SPTO,
Quote:
"The only good thing about AMC is the Saturday Westerns block. I guess even some of the worst stations have to have at least one redeeming quality."
I enjoy the AMC Saturday Westerns. Yesterday, I watched the western "Warlock". First time. High powered cast--Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn, Dorothy Malone and DeForest "Jim...I'm a doctor, not an escalator" Kelley. I enjoyed the movie, but it took something like four hours to make it to the final credits. Which is strange, because I skipped through most of the commercials. I just remembered...I was interrupted about seventeen times during the movie. Anyway, "Warlock" was a good and colorful movie.
I do wish for some new Saturday Westerns...I think I have seen all of them, I don't know how I missed (until yesterday) "Warlock".
Rusty
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Matt,
Yes. I think you are correct regarding TCM programming department using your TCM challenge theme, the lazy bast...wait...no, you are wrong...the Sanders' programming was simply a coincidence. I'm wondering...when did you replenish your refreshment sling?
And Tom Conway looks? With his pencil thin mustache Conway looks about half way between his brother and Errol Flynn. No, make that one third away from George and two thirds away from Errol.
By the way, I was sorry to hear about Conway falling out with his brother. I heard this via Robert Osborne. Anyone know why the brothers quit speaking to each other? Something to do with a Gabor?
Rusty
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Jon,
Any message posted having the movie title "Dolemite" must include the sound notation, "chicka...chicka...waa...waa...".
Happy New Year...I'm ready for many martinis.
Rusty
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SPTO,
I am posting this the day after the showing of Vincent Price in "The Last Man On Earth"...if you watched the thing, I hope you enjoyed the show. If you have not watched...well, I hope you enjoy the show.
I am a big fan of Vincent Price...I even stopped getting ready for work a couple of days ago when I saw Price on my television screen ("Laura" was playing on AMC). I was pretty late for work that morning.
Many, many years ago I drove 30 miles to Denver to catch Vincent Price on stage in a one man show. His character was some 19th century British playwright...oh, you know...what's his name. I'm kidding. Price's "one man" was Oscar Wilde. Vincent Price's performance as Oscar Wilde was terrific. Of course, not having ever seen Oscar Wilde, I cannot make any sort of comparison (e.g. did Price do a "correct" Wilde?). That said, Price was really good and I was never bored during the two hour show. The stage show was a matinee and I went by my lonesome (aww...). At nineteen years of age, I think I was the youngest person in the theater. Yet, I felt so welcomed by all the folks sitting around me...what a nice audience for this event.
Plus it was the first time I ever heard the term "absinthe". Price spent most of the show drinking absinthe. Well, he called the liquid in the glass absinthe.
Rusty
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What a group of discriminating contributors to this thread...
Robert Ryan...yes, my choice for most underrated actor. And Lizabeth Scott? My God, yes...most underrated actress. I first noticed Lizabeth Scott in "The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers" (1946). "Martha Ivers" cast includes Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk Douglas. Even with such top notch co-stars, Lizabeth Scott still stole the show...as far as I am concerned.
By the way, talking about character actors and actresses. I recently watched the 1937 movie "Hideaway" and the cast is ALL character actors/actresses. I mean, the top billed performer is Fred Stone. Who is Fred Stone? In fact, the only cast member I recognized was J. Carrol Naish. And it was a great (and funny) movie. Because no "star turns" for this movie, every member of the cast has a unique personality. "Hideaway" is a good showcase for studio era character actors and actresses. "Hideaway" has got to be one of the most underrated comedies of the 1930s.
That is all.
Rusty
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I'm stretching the definition of "con artist", but I want to mention Barbara Stanwyck again. The fright film, "Christmas in Connecticut".
Everybody already knows, Stanwyck fools Dennis Morgan (the mark), her boss (Sidney Greenstreet) and her readers (me, if I had been around in 1945). Morgan wins, Stanwyck loses. Stanwyck tells truth.
By the way, why my "fright film"? "Christmas in Connecticut" has Sidney Greenstreet laughing...several times. I have to leave the room during the "Greenstreet is laughing" scenes.
Sandy...glad you liked Mr. Microphone and your quote takes me back to the "disco era". Thanks. I just read (another thread) you received "Trivial Pursuit 1980s" as a gift. I bet you won...
Rusty
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Matt,
Quote:
"Someone just had to get me this huge bottle of Jack that came in this swing-like device, that lets you pour with just a well-placed pinky on the neck, without having to actually lift the bottle. Next year, I'll probably get it in an IV bottle."
Yeah...that's why I had to give up pot a couple of decades ago. All the sniffing and crushing and sieving and picking and pulling and rolling and tearing and rolling and wetting and tearing and rolling and burning and dropping and jitterbugging and forgetting and paranoid-ing. Not enough fun...too much work.
Rusty
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Rob Zombie is a good host. I like his use of film clips to illustrate the introductions. And "The Honeymoon Killers" should be required viewing by students in film school...an example of how to produce a low/no budget movie. I simply cannot understand how the one (and only) time director of "The Honeymoon Killers" created such an accomplished and attention grabbing movie. The first few set-up scenes of "The Honeymoon Killers" move the story into the main plot so efficiently, I think Kurosawa would applaud the effort. Well, that is what I think.
I could go on and on about how great a movie "The Honeymoon Killers" turned out to be, but I guess this thread is supposed to be..."Rob Zombie, good host?"
By the way, this week is scheduled the Vincent Price movie..."The Last Man On Earth". I watched the film a couple of months ago and it is worth a view. The movie is made on the cheap, but Vincent Price is pretty darn good.
Rusty
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Last night, I watched the 1938 movie "Tarnished Angel" starring Sally Eilers as show girl...turned fake evangelist...turned not so fake evangelist. Remade in 1992..."Leap Of Faith", starring Steve Martin.
While watching "Tarnished Angel"...I thought, "now, there is a well worn movie plot". Okay, I will list a few movie titles. What is the recycled story?
"Trouble In Paradise" from 1932.
"The Last Of Mrs. Cheney" from 1937.
"I Love You Again" from 1940.
"The Lady Eve" from 1941.
"Rings On Her Fingers" from 1942.
"Yolanda and The Thief" from 1945.
Yes. The story of the con artist who has a change of heart and wants to...
*give back the ill gotten booty.
*live happily ever after with the mark.
*just "come clean" and take the straight and narrow.
Let's see...
"Trouble In Paradise"...Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins versus Kay Francis. Kay Francis wins.
"The Last Of Mrs. Cheney"...Joan Crawford and William Powell versus Robert Montgomery and other rich people. Montgomery wins.
"I Love You Again"...William Powell versus Myrna Loy and greedy townsfolk. Myrna Loy wins.
"The Lady Eve"...Barbara Stanwyck versus Henry Fonda. Fonda wins.
"Rings On Her Fingers"...Gene Tierney versus Henry Fonda. Fonda wins.
"Yolanda And The Thief"...Fred Astaire versus Lucille Bremer. Bremer wins.
Above titles are a small sampling of my recycled plot...anybody think of other movies?
Rusty
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And my favorite..."HAIR IN A CAN"=>
Rusty -
Sandy...
A trip down memory lane=>
Rusty
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Oh shoot...I forgot my two best presents.
The one and one half hour of sober Christmas Eve listening to a very bright ~20 year old tell me about his combo spiritual/philosophical/martial art avocation. Fascinating stuff.
And the two hours (Christmas day) a very bright 15 year old listened to my somewhat drunken philosophy of dismay. Quite a discerning young man...
Rusty
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"The Man Who Reclaimed His Head" (1934). A misleading title. Not science-fiction/horror, but a look at fairly recent to 1934 events. A melodrama. "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head" has Claude Rains working for Lionel Atwill as a contributor to Atwill's liberal newspaper. Atwill betrays Rains. Later in time, Atwill hires Rains as ghost speechwriter. Atwill betrays Rains. Rains takes bloody revenge on Atwill, heads (no pun intended) over to the nearest lawyer for a little show and tell...this is where the movie starts.
Notable for some of the most cynical few minutes of classic film I have watched. Considering the year this movie was released (1934)...the "just before the start of World War I" meeting between the pacifist-politico (Atwill) and the soon to be very rich munitions manufacturers presents a remarkably misanthropic point of view.
If you can find the movie, recommended...particularly, if you like Claude Rains.
Rusty
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A lot of laughs reading "Our Dumb Century: The Onion Presents 100 Years of Headlines"...and a hangover. No...the hangover was December 26th.
WHITE SOCKS.
Rusty
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Fred,
I just remembered another one. We used to play a mix of WWII battle and WWII prisoner of war camp. One of my neighbors had a garage full of World War II era stuff. I'm serious...the neighbor had so much military junk they could have started one of those military surplus stores. The neighbor with the military junk had three kids (born one year apart) and they were into playing war. They built, in their relatively tiny back yard...something that started as a fort, but very quickly turned into a prisoner of war camp. The rest of my neighborhood was the arena of war and the neighbor's back yard became a "battle the Nazis and rescue the prisoners from the fort-camp". No, it must of just been "battle the Nazis", because I don't remember any prisoners. A mix of "The Great Escape" and war movies...right now, the names of the war movies escape me.
Rusty
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Fred,
A great topic. I grew up in a post-WWII slap 'em together neighborhood in Boulder. The neighborhood was mostly families with kids.
In my neighborhood, I remember several movies us kids would fantasy play. Long after the theatrical releases, so we must have seen them on television.
Let's see...Marlon Brando was hugely popular, so we would play "A Streetcar Named Desire". I would always pick Blanche DuBois, does that make me a strange duck?
No, I'm kidding. I remember Robert Mitchum was the man...he was very popular in my old neighborhood. We would play "Thunder Road".
And, I don't remember why, we would fantasy play the John Wayne movie, "Hatari!". I guess, Wayne was a popular guy in my neighborhood.
Rusty
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Fred,
Thanks much for your reply. Now, something you mentioned is important to talk about a little. In fact, it is worth an essay. No...no...no. I won't write an essay.
The following regards your line about teaching the audience a lesson. I know the movie, "Youth Runs Wild" is a film genre now called info-tainment (I really hate the word, but that does not stop me from using the word). I think, if you are creating entertainment with the secondary purpose of informing your audience, it is necessary to not lie to your audience. You want your big message to fall on deaf ears? You misinform about a little message...something your audience has had experience...such as, what happens to you when are caught for driving a car over the speed limit. The issue of skepticism towards your message is especially true for adolescents. Does not matter if it is 2006, or 1944...teenagers have a highly developed bulls*** radar. I'm sure, something to do with hormones.
I see this mix of fact and fantasy, with no distinction drawn between the two...all the time. One of my favorite examples is the ancient people science guy. You know, the PhD anthropologist roots around on the ground and picks up some black colored something another and explains to the audience, "I am holding a remnant of an ancient cooking fire and this artifact tells us scientists all about how the ancient cooking fire people lived...". Well, I know the PhD anthropologist is spinning a tale. I mean, I could be squatting in front of a camera and tell a yarn about people dead thousands of years. And my made up tale is no less "true" than the anthropologist's tale. I know what I just said is true, because historians have trouble deciding what is "true" for events 100 years in the past. I will add, sometimes the PhD will preface his/ her tale with the cautionary statement, "what I am about to say is theory based on the best available scientific evidence". Sometimes a cautionary statement...more often no prefacing warning. For info-tainment programs, I would like to hear a statement such as, "what you are about to hear is probably crap, but we have a documentary going here...so what are we to do?" Much more often, the expectation of these documentary people is their audience is a bunch of boobs ready to swallow just about any info having a patina of scientific "respectability".
Oh man, I'm glad I got that off my chest.
Rusty
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Hello,
Last night, I watched a recording of a recent TCM broadcast movie..."Youth Runs Wild" (1944). Has anybody watched the movie? Well, it is sort of like one of those "Crime Does Not Pay" shorts, stretched out to one hour. The movie takes place in some munitions plant town during World War II. Briefly, the movie asks, "whose supervising the kids while their parents work 12 hour days, 7 days a week...and the parents are drunk, or sleeping when not at 'the plant'"? Okay, fine. My question. Was the United States constitution suspended in war plant towns? I mean, the movie shows three "running wild" kids...speeding...pulled over by a town constable...taken to a judge...and the three kids put on probation. For what? For speeding? For being a passenger in a speeding car? What town in this country at any time during the 20th century had laws such as presented in "Youth Runs Wild"?
Fred Dobbs? Any ideas why the makers of this film would show driving over the speed limit a probationary offense for youngsters? If it helps, I think it is a California town...
Rusty
The Eddy Duchin Story
in Hot Topics
Posted
moira,
So, I guess it was a good thing I recorded "The Eddy Duchin Story"? I thought because it was scheduled at something like 2:00 a.m. central, it was probably pretty much a waste of time. I noticed Tyrone...so I thought, "what the heck...record the thing...I can always erase later". Movie worth a look...eh?
Usually, I am not a big fan of movie biographies (musician category). Except, of course, "The Glenn Miller Story". And "The Glenn Miller Story"...only because Glenn was a graduate of my alma mater. Whoop-dee-doo.
Rusty