harlowkeatongirl

One scene that never fails to make me laugh.. maybe you'll see this movie on AMC sometime, LOL: Tommy Boy. Especially the scene where Tommy and Richard are in the car trying to settle on a station to listen to. Tommy wants hard rock, Richard wants fluffy Euro pop. LOL They settle on The Carpenters singing "Superstar." And they're like: "Sheeeyeah. Talk about LAME." "Yeah, totally." "I can live with it if you can." "Suit yourself." And then about 60 seconds later, they're both bawling their eyes out and singing along passionately with Karen Carpenter. .......... Until the hood of their car flies up blocking their entire view and they end up spinning out all over the road, and taking a road sign w/them. LOLOLOL...........

My reaction is pretty simple. Number one, and I'll always stress it... I love them both. But Buster edges it out for me, because plain and simple, all intricate analysis aside, he plain makes me laugh more. That simple. When I watch a Chaplin film, which I always enjoy, I actually find myself silently laughing to myself, much more than laughing outloud, because I find I'm really paying attention to the way he made the film, and enjoying that instead. He was a genius. Like many have said.. the direction, camera angles, his take on a story, and so forth. I'm always aware it's a movie -- and that watching good filmmaking. But I enjoy it just the same. When I watch a Buster film, I'm literally transported somewhere else for a while, be it an hour and a half or twenty minutes. (Depending on whether or not I'm watching a full-length or a short. ) I also find myself laughing outloud more and kind of forgetting the work that went into the scenes. It's literally not until afterwards, when I think to myself, "Wow. That was LIFE-THREATENING, what he just did in that scene!" Or "That had to have taken a lot of planning and work!"..... And then come to find out later, sometimes it really did. And then sometimes it was completely improvised. He was a great improviser -- a mark of a true genius comedian. And I have to say, I prefer his relationship w/his female leads better. He allows them to act and put on a performance and get some laughs, too. Even when they're just props, they're actually more than that. And his "stone face" was so full of expression, even though he never changed expression. It made him that much more fun to watch. I've said this to other Keaton fans and they agree --- He created eccentricity out of complete subtlety. That's not something just anyone can pull off.

What do you all think? Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton? I'm not in any way trying to start a feud or anything. lol I'm genuinally interested in the "whys." I'll post my own later. I love them both.

JIMMY STEWART, hands down. Why? For words: It's A Wonderful Life.

GABLE. I have a thing for Clark Gable... Gary Cooper is gorgeous and he's a great actor, but Clark just puts a smile on my face. He's more charming.

Welcome, Joycefrith! I'm very new myself. Haven't responded to this topic, because I haven't seen enough of her movies to really say. But there was this one I saw about a ghost in the woods that was pretty good. I think it's a '70s movie.

Yes it was Shirley. He was pretty hot, wasn't he? That's a great suggestion. I just submitted one for a Buster Keaton day.

G'evening everyone! > I learned from the movies that even if people KNOW > someone is out to kill them, they still somehow > manage to forget to lock their front doors. Here's another one ~ Whenever someone is running away from the killer inside their house, instead of haulin butt out the front door... they run upstairs.

Well back then, there wasn't a McDonald's on every corner, either. LOL .... > On the other hand,some of the stars,especially of the > Thirties/early Forties era,were just tiny,both in > stature and proportion. I read that some of Vivien > Leigh's costumes in a museum had 18 inch waists. And > a lot of the women in Thirties movies looked really > tiny,and streamlined. They look to me like their Art > Deco ideals,or like greyhounds. I always mention the > low-slung rears that so many had(Barbara > Stanwyck,Joan Crawford),because it seems especially > characteristic.It makes me wonder,do even body shapes > somehow change with the passing styles,LOL.It seems > so many of them were naturally smaller at that > time-different diet,especially as children(ie > Depression fare)?

Good points. I'm not saying they didn't have normal lives off-camera.. or that they didn't have problems. Lord knows they did. We've read about most of their problems in history books and biographies by now. But when they were on-camera, they sure gave it their all, didn't they? We don't really see that kind of rapport anymore. There was a magic there. > It's nice to live in a fairy tale, but those 20's, > 30's and 40's star were just normal people, too, with > insecurities and foilbles. It just was publicized > back then, which I think it would make it harder on > those stars than the stars of today. They had to > maintain that facade everytime they stepped out of > their homes. Today, at least the stars try to live > normal lives even though they have paparazzi > following them 24-7. I don't want my stars on > pedestals. I don't want them in the mud either. > Somewhere in between is fine with me.

Hi Sabesy ~ Hi! I was looking through the old topics and have to respond to one or two. That's an easy question - vanity was in it's lowest forms back then. These days, it's like you can never be pretty enough... even if you're a knockout. People are killing themselves to be perfect. Back then in the good ole days I think vanity existed, but people it wasn't so extreme..yet. I was looking at an old photo of Jean Harlow recently in a full-length swimsuit, and she looked beautiful. But I have to say (sadly), and I was thinking this as I looked at the picture: "by today's standards people would be calling her chubby." She wasn't. She was curvy. I wish standards for women were a little more like they were back then. Now I'll bet I could pull off Jean's body, if I worked out some more. LOL... But Halle Berry's? Forget it. And back then curves were just fine. I wish I had that picture. I think it might be located at Jean's Platinum Blonde site. http://harlow.teamviola.com/ > I remember seeing a short a long time ago about how > stars stayed fit before.. I think around the 30s-40s? > It seems that as standards have changed, stars of > today are much much thinner (women) and more buff > (leading men) than the old Hollywood stars. How did > stars stay fit before?

Spinach and skim milk? Mmm, breakfast of champions.. That sounds interesting... That had to get old though. I'm curious how she ate it.. w/butter? Cooked or raw? Funny what people swear by. Jean Harlow used to put ice on her breasts to keep them perky. lolol.. I forgot who told her that, maybe her mother. And of course we all know that woman was a genius.... haha. > Yes, I did see it,and I have some awesome books on > the beauty industry and its beginnings,but they're > more generic.I'd love to find one about the actual > secrets of real stars from the past. I loved reading > in Mary Pickford's autobiography "Sunshine and > Shadow" about how she curled her ringlets-on kidskin > curlers,and kept her blonde curls bright-castile soap > shampoo and olive oil treatments,and her diet > regimen-spinach and skim milk-I find that girly stuff > fascinating.She used milk masks to keep her skin > white,and had to cut her nails when a child visiting > the set of one her movies said" Mommy,she's not > really a little girl,she has long nails".And the > beautiful delicate dainty clothes! Grooming and > attention to the smallest details mattered back then. > I love in one of the Gloria Swanson movies,when her > rival in love(forgot the actress's name),puts a > little scent on her LIPS in order to entice the > hero,Swanson's husband.And the fashion parade,when > Swanson decides to shed her dowdy image,is great. > Women didn't mind a little fuss in order to be > stylish,though I think Swanson's movie wardrobes were > probably a little over the top even then,LOL.

Hi Daddysprimadonna ~ Well, ya know, we girls have gotta stick together. Beauty comes at a painful price sometimes. lol... I've had her "Biography" episode on tape ever since 1997. lol It's mentioned in there. And speaking of beauty regimens, Biography Extra aired an interesting show about the beginning of the make-up industry recently. Didja see it? It started out in the late 1800s talking about how a "painted lady" was only either a prostitute or had impure thoughts. ) Then it went on to talk about the beginning of Elizabeth Arden, Max Factor, Revlon, and Estee Lauder companies. And then there was a freaky story about a woman around 1877 who used something with lead in it as a beauty product and her arms when completely numb. She wouldn't tell the doctors what she did (because beautifying was looked down upon) until it was too late and she finally admitted she used this stuff on her skin that had lead in it. And she ended up dying about a year later of lead poisoning.

> Hello! > Like everyone else here, I adore classic movies and > the golden age of Hollywood. I am currently writing a > paper on the legend of Hollywood and how people have > chosen to embrace it. If possible, I would love to > have some questions answered. (call it research and > curiosity if you will! ) > When you think of the golden age of hollywood, what > do you think of? What do you associate with it in > terms of personal memories or general public history? > Finally, why do you think the legend has kept its > status through the years? > I have my own answers, but I would love to hear > yours! When I think of The Golden Age I think of the glamour of the time. I automatically think of Hollywood Premieres with stars walking the red carpet all decked out in their immaculate gowns and those old flashbulbs going off every two feet. I think of the "Hollywoodland" sign. I think of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. And the original studio heads that were still alive then, like Louie B. Mayer. I kind of imagine him w/a big cigar, fancy suit, behind a large desk.. promising people he can make them a star. And I think of when Hollywood was still beautiful and not slummy like it is now. lol And I think it's held it's appeal, because that was when Hollywood was brand new and thriving for the first time. Like when anything is brand new. Like MTV in the '80s or like 1950s Rock and Roll, or like The Roaring Twenties when the American system really gelled and business was booming (or so they thought anyway). Those were really kind of the first "celebrities." They hadn't really existed on that kind of a scale before. It was glamorous and fun and something we won't see the likes of again probably.

> If you were presented with the opportunity to have > coffee or tea *any* one person from the motion > picture industry, past or present, who would it be > with? (And would you have coffee or tea? ) > > For me? > > It would be tea with milk and sugar. And I'll give > you three guesses as to who it would be with! Mmm, John Wayne? I'd like to have a cuppa joe - w/fat free half & half and three packets of Splenda - with Buster Keaton, of course. Get to know him. We have one thing in common for sure.. we're both shy people, until we get to know someone so I don't think either of us would be too intimidated by the other. A cup of Orange, Passionfruit, and Jasmine Lipton Green Tea with Jean Harlow. And then before I boarded the time machine again, I'd give her a buttload of platinum blonde cream bleach from Loreal so she wouldn't have to torture her poor head w/those Lux flakes anymore... 8) Maybe a brandy or twelve w/Marie Dressler. Something tells me she'd be fun to get bombed with. LOLOL j/k

> TCM!--Please broadcast all their > thoughts or have Mr. Osborne interview them before > time takes them away. If TCM doesn?t think that it > would garner enough of an audience, why not run their > interviews late at night, when the audience is > thought to be smaller anyway--some of us could tape > them and the hard core among us would probably burn > the midnight oil to see them. Hi Miorafinnie14 ~ That's a great idea...! If they ever do that, I'll be burning my lava lamp. *teehee* Whenever a legend dies I get that same bummed out feeling, even though I know it's inevitable. That there are fewer and fewer people alive today that remember the early time periods. There are maybe a handful of people out of the whole world who vividly remember 1910, for one example. They would all be over 100. There are some, though. A couple here around where I live. I used to work in a retirement home and our oldest resident was 104... maybe 105 now. I don't work there anymore but she's still around. And another man lives here in town who is 107 (maybe 108 now) and he is of completely sound mind. He lives at a retirement home across town. He says he gets his exercises by taking the stairs to meals everyday. And from what I hear, he dresses in a suit, like he's going to a dinner party every single day. (A lot like they dressed in the early 1900s!) I think this is a great idea and is all part of what TCM does, which is preserve classic cinema. You should submit it directly to them, if you haven't already. Do they have some sort of suggestions link here?....

Hi Gagman66 ~ Thanks for that info, too! I'd heard that, but I was getting it confused with the dates you mentioned. Glad I won't have to wait until June. Hi Slappy3500 ~ A lot of Buster's later work had alluded me still. That "Bikini" movie was scheduled for early this morning on Starz, but I didn't see it listed. Was kind of a bummer. I saw "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" years about when I was about 10 or 11 years old and I didn't get a lot of the humor then. Only vivid memory I have is a scene of some old guy dying and -kicking the bucket.. literally. A tin one. Hi Classicsfan1119 ~ Email me and we'll talk! And last but not least a little picture for y'all: http://silentgents.com/Keaton/Keaton214.jpg

<> No harm done, Carley, I didn't mean you specifically. I was just commenting on some general comments below that claimed Buster didn't go for sentimentality like Charlie did. And I was saying he did.. just in his own way. That's all. And I have not read that Buster Remembered book yet, but I'm working saving up for it.

Thank you for that schedule, Path40a! I'll be sure to get my VCR ready. I like Harold Lloyd and I haven't seen any of his movies in ages. BTW ----- completely off topic: I have the most stimulating job in the world now. I work at a call center and they picked a handful of us (myself included) because of our dedication, work ethic, and call quality to monitor calls from only one center. A center that calls for authorization. So basically, we get paid to come in, sit in a chair, and read a book. I'll need to watch some more TCM to keep my brain cells from shriveling up from lack of use.

Patrick Swayze is hands-down, absolutely my favorite dancer of all time in motion pictures. In my opinion, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers don't hold a candle to him. At all. Just kidding But he was pretty good in "Dirty Dancing." lol...

P.S. Buster always had the utmost respect for Charlie. I heard he was quoted as saying, when Charlie was rumored to have underpaid him for "Limelight".. he said: "I would've worked with Charlie for nothing." I only wish Charlie's ego wouldn't have been so big as to speak a little more highly of Buster in return. He was always looking for approval from people, and any doubt anyone planted in his mind that he WASN'T the greatest, he could not take. But I don't see why he needed to worry. Charlie had his fans - Buster had his. And millions love both. Charlie was a good guy but he was a little insecure in that way. More of a character flaw than anything. I can tell he had major respect for Buster, though. He had a totally different approach and I have no doubts that Charlie must've looked at some of Buster's films and the stunts he did, gags he pulled, etc. and thought "Holy *@*@." LOL No doubt, Buster did that when watching Charlie's films, too! And P.S. No, Carley I don't run BusterKeaton.Com! lol

> It just makes me sad that people do that often with > Chaplin. > > Yeah you're right Carley. I think people always like to do that to whoever is on top.

I think diversity is what makes this so much fun. I highly respect and understand Carley's reasons for why Charlie Chaplin is her favorite. I agree w/her on a lot of points, too. He's one of my favorites, too. But I prefer Buster, for all the same reasons people in this thread say they enjoy Buster. And I have to disagree about Buster not being sentimental in any way. He was - in his own way. If you look at any of his films, he brings across a very gentle soul. In The General for example, there's that part where he reaches over to strangle the girl, and then kisses her instead. That's one example. He always treated ladies with a lot of respect. And making them part of the gag only showed to me that he thinks of them as strong capable people just as worthy of getting a laugh from the audience as himself. Because he made himself the butt of the joke just the same way. As much as that girl in The General drove him nuts (LOL!), he protected her and worked WITH her. That represents in a nutshell the kind of tender person he was. "Rough around the edges" is even pushing it in regards to Buster, I'd say. The only thing I regret is that Buster and Charlie never did a full-length feature together.

> (And Shyla... I've always prefered Buster's voice > myself! I have an ***adorable*** photo of Buster > with him holding a daisy. Do you have it? If not I'll > send it to you!) Hi LittleTrampLover, LOL Buster's voice is so unlike what he looks like onscreen, isn't it? It's more "gruff." And yes, please, send me the photo! I'll print it out and put tape it to my workstation at work and remove all doubt that I'm a complete weirdo. And I disagree w/Mr. Chaplin. Voice may have transformed The Tramp into a BETTER person. Listening to him talk in "The Great Dictator" and that cute little voice he did. And then those scenes where he revives the Tramp outfit a little when he goes on the date w/Hannah... that made me totally able to see The Tramp talking. I think it would've made The Tramp better. I think if anything, done the right way, would've created a lot of great publicity for Charlie. "The Tramp Speaks!" Isn't that cooler than the Garbo headline?

Good topic! I love who everyone mentioned. I just saw Maureen O'Hara yesterday on TV and I have to say she's strikingly beautiful. I think someone else in the thread mentioned her, too. And also - Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth, Marion Mack (she was only in the movies for two seconds in the '20s, but she is still gorgeous), Greta Garbo, Ava Gardner, Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn, Mary Pickford, Lucille Ball (not much of a movie star, but still gorgeous), Marilyn Monroe.