mikadoetal
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Posts posted by mikadoetal
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I have to give kudos to Dean Stockwell and Jackie Cooper, who went beyond child star to teen and young adult actors and continued their professionalism as they became older adults. It shows it can be done!
I always loved Shirley Temple, and was glad to see she hosted the AFI special a few years back.
I didn't get to see a lot of Jane Withers' older movies, but I got such a kick out of her when I was a kid, watching the old Comet commercials, that she gets a special mention.
Our Gang...man, Roach knew what he was doing. Outside of Cooper, Dickie Moore may have been one of the main ones to go on beyond the gang and succeed. I loved seeing Alfalfa in "It's a Wonderful Life," and regret greatly that his life ended prematurely and in such torrid circumstances. And everybody loves Darla. She's the angel on the Christmas tree in "Bohemian Girl." I loved those crossovers at the Roach studio.
Don't want to forget Charlotte Henry (I think that's her name), either. She was Bo-Peep in Laurel and Hardy's vastly superior "Babes in Toyland" and Alice of the Paramount production of "Alice in Wonderland." She wasn't my favorite, but there is something about her, and evidently Hollywood agreed. I loved her scene with W.C. Fields...as Humpty Dumpty.
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I'm glad to see they'll also be running "The Milky Way." Lloyd is thought of by many to have suffered the fate of so many silent stars once sound took over. This shows that in the right circumstances, he could still shine. I think in no small way, having Leo McCarey and Norman McLeod was a boon; they were at the helm of "Duck Soup" and "Monkey Business"/"Horse Feathers" for the Marxes...and it's great to see what their partnership with Lloyd produced. McCarey had also worked with Fields, Mae West, Laurel and Hardy, and Burns and Allen. It must have been a match made in heaven, and I wish we'd seen more collaborations. Harold Lloyd was...he IS...a great star.
It's a shame we didn't get more output after the early 30's. But it's great to see TCM's homage to him!
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Verb or noun? Two different entries, you know.
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Farmer's career...sad beyond belief what happened to her. I can't remember if it was a bio or autobiography I read many years ago of the hell she went through, but tragic is exactly the word.
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"All About Eve."
I wouldn't worry about your heart, Eve...you can always put that award where your heart ought to be.
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Am reading it and loving it.
I'd love to find out more info on the satire he tried to put together on "Grand Hotel." An all-star comedy with Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, and a number of others. I've seen bits and pieces, but man what a find that would be. Wish Thalberg or whoever had okayed it.
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"The Childrens Hour" was better than the original "These Three."
Both, interestingly, had Miriam Hopkins. But the slanting towards infidelity and away from the suggestion of lesbianism blunted the story (as well as the "revenge" angle). The Hays Office even forced the title change.
Not the first time, I know, but still...
Wonder what would have happened if Wyler hadn't been so confined his first time at bat?
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Actually I did get an invite, but didn't need the Thesaurus... But I won't put you down if you do. See? I'm learning already.
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The biggest tragedy of Thalberg's career being cut short was what it did to the careers of the actors and actresses in his camp...
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An amazing topic that could have been more interesting, but went to the dogs.
I truly appreciate the people who spoke up on why they didn't like this actor or actress, and why they DID, but watching some of the people?s electronic graffiti made me wonder whether they?d really feel the same way when the reached the age of, say, twelve.
What?s missing here is, in many cases, knowledge. If someone is freaked out by, say, Peter Lorre, maybe that was the point. But the lack of any foundation in acting (or for that matter, writing) is hardly a basis for some of the claims made here. It?s like having an herbivore discuss the merits of chuck steak versus schnitzel.
When I look at the crop of trash we are compelled to look at today, I feel lucky we were allowed to see nearly any star mentioned herein. There are a few I agree with. I like Lewis, sometimes, but was he ever overrated? And I can see the point of several of you on several stars and or thespians (not quite the same thing).
But when I look at someone who finds Ingrid Bergman?s eyes ?horrible,? who thinks Stanwyck can?t act, who discusses their dislikes of the Marx Brothers by misquoting them (it?s not ?take a rubber from one to ten,? it?s ?rumba?), and who thinks Chevalier singing ?Thank Heaven for Little Girls? is an ode to pedophilia, I can only say ?each to their own tastes, and evidently some to none.?
Was the point to discuss this topic or write on the chalkboard while teacher was away? Hepburn and Davis were both great on occasion and both sad on occasion. It happens with every actor or actress. Davis was responsible for becoming every female impersonator?s rendition of her as she got older. Only the strongest directors could rein her in and when they did, she could be glorious. When they didn?t, she?d camp to the point that ?Baby Jane? looked positively benign. True, Hepburn benefited from longevity, but having just directed ?The Lion in Winter,? I know what it takes to pull off that role. She, too, was a star, an entity.
If you throw eggs based on a lack of concept or any reasonable point of reference, you?re not a critic as much as a two-bit cheerleader. I mean some of this just comes across as jealousy, with ignorance aforethought.
I didn?t like Bing in everything?I hated Brando in ?Tango??but I like Bing and Brando. To dislike Chevalier?s ?Frenchness? is like saying you hate camembert because it?s so milk. Where does this come from? To say Cooper and Wayne were always the same? Well, basically? So is chocolate. So is cotton. So are roses and Christmas trees and blue jeans. There?s something to be said for old favorites and comfort levels. The well-rounded wants something old, something new. It?s a way to grow, but still have something that grounds you, as well.
The Three Stooges over the Marx Brothers? I love the Stooges and the Marxes. The Ritz Brothers and Olson and Johnson had their place, but there?s a reason they are relegated to the back burner while the Marxes and Howards, etc., were not. The Stooges were slapstick, pure and simple. With the best writers, they had some decent dialogue, but they did not span the silent/dialect/insult/wit/parody that the Marxes did. Ever. They could be spectacular (?I?ll Never Heil Again,? for instance) or they could be same old, same old, with nowhere to go but sideways. Of them, Shemp is probably the most underrated. It?s a shame.
But more to the point?I like Bugs Bunny, Oscar Wilde, the Road movies, ?Pygmalion,? ?Arthur,? Mae West, Popeye, ?The Lion in Winter,? ?Doctor Strangelove,? and ?Airplane.? Because I get them all?and it runs the gamut of styles of comedy. If you don?t get the Marxes, stay at the level you can appreciate, or broaden your horizons.
Well, enough ranting. Bravo to those of you who think these things out rationally and then backed it up; who discussed and ?rediscussed.? I?ve learned a lot, and been challenged. To the others, I?ve learned a lot and been challenged even more. I?ve learned mistakes I don?t want to make and I was challenged in my attempts to read through it.
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I think Bern and Harlow fit better under "Saddest Couple," along with Gable and Lombard and a few others.
Worst Movie Lines
in Your Favorites
Posted
Still from "Plan 9":
"Visits? That would indicate visitors!"
So is that the worst line, or the best?
We laughed for about 30 minutes, and had to stop the tape so we wouldn't miss anything else.