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lzcutter, Quote: "But part of that difference in progress is that from 1905 -1939, the art of moviemaking was still be written..." lzcutter...excellent point. An observation: Watching Buster Keaton silents are not only some of the funniest movies I have seen but, show me the 'joy' of craft. I understand Buster Keaton and his crew (pre-MGM) 'made it up' as they filmed. Keaton's wonderful spontaneity is the result. Oh...along with Keaton, I would add some other silent comics who demonstrated 'no bounds' filmmaking--Charley Chase and Fatty Arbuckle. I bet, 1910 to 1930 was the best time to be in the movie biz. Rusty

oobleckboy, "2001: A Space Odyssey"

OhioGuy, Regarding Ben M.: "...ye know not what ye do; ye are opening a door to..." ~Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776. Well, you will find out shortly. bubba

filmlover, Quote: "And you mean I would have to axe the Bringing Up Baby Day, on back to back in case anyone..." Stick to your plan. This bubba has a hankerin' for bubbub day. Rusty

markfp2, "Carry On Theater" was broadcast on my local TV when I was a young'un. I love them. I fondly remember them as 'comfort comedies'--goofy fun. Thanks for mentioning a collection of "Carry On" films are now on DVD. I would never have thought of looking up availability of the "Carry On" series. Rusty

oobleckboy, "From the Earth to the Moon" (1958)

lzcutter, Thank you for your reply regarding the "Edison Manufacturing Company". Do you remember the TCM broadcast a couple of years ago of a few of the "actuality films". I don't remember the circumstances but, as you wrote, they were a series of inter-titles and set-pieces. I thought at the time TCM broadcast the (circa 1905) films that, in a few short years--King Vidor's "Show People" (1928) would be produced and, eleven years later, "Gone With The Wind". Of the films I have seen, I consider "Show People" a high water mark for silent films and, of course, "Gone With The Wind" the zenith of Hollywood movies. Using 1905 to 1939 two ends of a 'yardstick', American cinema progressed from 'set pieces' to Technicolor masterpieces. Consider. What was in theaters about the same number of years in the past? Oh, thirty to forty years? Let's see...2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)...that would be thirty-eight years ago. Hollywood has not progressed the 'art' of cinema much in (almost) forty years. Rusty

MattHelm, Sorry, I misunderstood your reference. I thought I might have missed something more, uhm...scandalous. Specifically, the guy had a really 'up close and personal' relationship with 'da bears'. Yes...I saw the bee thing and the 'smiley face' thing and the 'happy fox' thing and... Rusty

vecchiolarry, A couple of chapters of "The Amber Room" is devoted to the construction of the 'new' amber room. The authors, Catherine Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy, write about their meetings with Dr. Ivan Sautov, Director of the Catherine Palace and overseer of the re-building of the amber room. Larry...please write about your impressions of the 'new' amber room after your return from Russia. BTW: Excuse my (possible) forward request but, I would like to ask you about someone mentioned in the book, "The Amber Room". Considering your connections with Russian nobility, you may have may have met this person--Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein? Rusty

MattHelm, Okay..."Brokeback Mountain". I must of been 'out' during parts of "Grizz...", what did I miss? Rusty

stoneyburke, Lance Loud?? Dredged that name up from the depths of, what...? Good comparison to "Grizz.." Rusty

daddysprimadonna, Hey...quotes around the word "art" and then referencing Kinkade? LOL. Rusty BTW: I've got to check out this "Bannister" person...might be good for a laugh or, groan?

MattHelm, Now, further down the 'low road'. Watched "Grizzly Man" last night (till 1:30 AM) and discovered the answer to the rhetorical question, "Does a bear s*** in the woods?". Rusty

MattHelm, I was about to ask "how"? However. I guess it does not take a whole lot of imagination, on my part, to answer my own question. Rusty

pktrekgirl, Quote: " But IMO, Russell Crow is vastly overrated" Have you had the opportunity to view "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"? That is the one movie I have seen the last ten years I would answer yes to the question, "Does Hollywood make any movies 'like they used to'?". pktrekgirl..."Master and Commander" is a rousing adventure and Russell Crowe plays the Captain Aubrey role without any pretense. Rusty

lzcutter, Looking for something on IMDB, I happened on "Edison Manufacturing Company". IMDB lists "Edison Manufacturing Company" as the distributor of 1,545 films, years 1893 to 1910. IMDB lists "Edison Manufacturing Company" as the production company of 1,387 films, years 1898 to 1917. lzcutter...I am interested to know what you may know regarding the "Edison" library? For instance, are some of these films restored and, if so, by whom--Library of Congress...Smithsonian? Rusty

slagman, I'm trying to visualize one of David Lean's epics without the wide screen... Nope. I've got to have the whole picture to enjoy one of Lean's 'pictures'. Rusty

Hello, This is a very interesting conversation--I wish I had some pertinent information to add. FredCDobbs...what a great question (vis-a-vis Rothschild's money)! Oh, I will add something a little off-topic. I recently finished the book "The Amber Room". The book details the authors investigation into the vast (post WWII) search for the stolen Catherine Palace room. Tracking down clues to the Amber Room's fate, the authors follow a trail that includes much of northwest Russia and east Germany . I will not reveal the authors conclusion regarding the fate of the Amber Room--I don't want to ruin the story for anyone who might pick up the book. What was interesting was the almost fanatical interest (from 1945 to 1990) by Soviet Union, East German and West German governments regarding the whereabouts of the Amber Room. Through their (the authors) search of former Soviet Union and former East German archives, the authors reveal something about the complexities of 'doing business' in totalitarian regimes. Fascinating read. Rusty

Hello, I have not read the book. I don't know if Margaret Mitchell's novel has the same sense of drama but, the movie "Gone With The Wind" is a great example of the 1930's melodramas that TCM viewers know and love. For instance, the scene between Ashley and Scarlett. Ashley has returned from the Civil War, he is splitting rails, Scarlett runs up and asks (major paraphrase), "Tara is going to crap...what are we to do!". Leslie Howard (Ashley Wilkes) launches into wonderful oratory (paraphrase), "I am so weak...Scarlett, you are so strong...". "Melo" moment, eh? Love it. One more thing. daddysprimadonna...my earlier (admittedly cryptic) message? I refer to that beautiful Technicolor! On my TV, the restored Technicolor of "Gone With The Wind" (the 'play' of light and shadow) reminds me of a "Dutch master" oil painting. Maybe even Thomas Kinkade! Rusty

daddysprimadonna, ...and doesn't that print look beautiful! Rusty

Hello, Verbatim from "Personality Parade", Parade magazine, February 26: Question: "...Who do male cosmetic surgery patients want to look like?": Answer: "Brokeback Mountain stars and Oscar nominees Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. 'We've seen a shift away from the heavy macho features of Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe,' say Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon..." Rusty BTW: "Gyllenhaal" is really hard to type.

stoneyburke, Quote: "abandoned all pretense at decent programming, and scheduled a documentary on The Bra (or Underwear, I forget which)...." I've wondered many times, who tunes into this stuff? I know it costs next to nothing to produce but, does it really provide much income? I have come to the conclusion that a major reason why content heads for the toilet is the cable and satellite love for the tier system. In my opinion, tier (or bundled) programming is a communist system. No matter how few customers tune into a particular channel, that channel still gets its percentage from the total revenue (the 'commune' of cable/satellite offerings). When was the last time you heard of a cable/satellite channel out of business? Free market? Not with TV. Down with the tier system! I want pick-and-choose! Rusty

MattHelm, I 'caught' ten seconds of "Jaws" on the History Channel (no...I was not planning to watch the movie). I happened to hear a talking head (a shark guy?) say, "'Jaws' is not only about history, it (the movie) made history". Okay. Next channel, please! Rusty

MattHelm, Quote: "The only other one that comes to mind is Don Knotts..." Oh God, that is spooky. You mention "Don Knotts" and, you know, Don Knotts passes... That's just like the story of Lord Carnarvon and his pet dog. Gives me the willies! Rusty

MikeDouglas, Andy Devine in "Romeo and Juliet"? I think Hollywood versions of Shakespeare's plays usually did not 'mess' with The Bard's words. However, I wonder if MGM let Andy slip in a couple of "crocacrooka...owlhoots" for his dialogue? Rusty