deeanddaisy666

Fernando, I still can't get over you doing all this research. Thank you. Looks like my poor old VCR is going to be very busy in the near future!

ML, here's the least spam filled link I could find with this article: http://www.johnfry.com/YouShouldBeDead.html It's called People Over 35 Should Be Dead, in case anyone wants to Google it themselves and not open the link. The link, as far as I can tell, is harmless. By the way, I grew up in the same town as Rob Petrie, Ozzie Davis, and Eddie Foy. Not exactly on the same side of the tracks, but it was fun, nonetheless.

I too wanted to say early on that anything with Cary Grant was 'physical' in terms of his persona. His Girl Friday was the first film that came to my mind. And of course all of Haroly Lloyd and Buster Keaton. They're the best of the best.

I think it was She Had To Say Yes, keith, as I have that taped. The dresses were by Orry-Kelly, the subject matter was incredible, and the film is an historical gem. Oh, and Breen should be boiled in oil. The others sound wonderful, too. If you would, take note of the demographics. I'm curious. Wonder if TCM has the rights to all those films? The Apple, eh? Never saw it, more's the pity. As wonderfully wacky as TRHPS, in which Tim Curry looks better in makeup than I do? If anyone here gets the chance to go to a midnight showing of TRHPS, by all means, go, you'll have a blast!

Wow, wow and wow......thanks Fernando!!!

No prob, ML! Glad to have a board mediator. Seems my forte is hotheadedness......

Mea culpa. tcmprogrammer, when you read my note, take out all the 'we's', and replace them with 'I's'.

Sorry, tcmprogrammer, to be driving you crazy! Let me explain some of my baggage. I think TCM is doing a great job. In a sea of drivel and drek, they're the Little Tugboat That Could (I know, I'm mixing vehicles of transportation). Just to let you know, when I see snails being eaten alive on Fear Factor, I'm off to send yet another email. The American Humane Society, Film Division, and I are on a first name basis. Now, TCM isn't doing anything reprehensible, but yes, we rabid film lovers were burned. Very burned. Like many here, I was a classic film lover as a child, and didn't even know it. Thanks to this board, I do now. So when AMC came out, I was blase. I didn't tape many movies, and then whammo, they were gone. Without so much as a by your leave. I didn't see the signs. And the signs were black and white movies shunted to the wee hours of the night from their former prime time positions. Then Bob and Nick were gone. And finally, the ultimate insult, commercials reared their ugly heads. Now, I had heard about TCM and read about TCM, but Cablevision, in its imbecility, only brought it into the lineup in Jan. 2004, a full ten years after TCM had been created. So, I've been scrambling like a madwoman trying to tape every black and white movie available. I'm rambling. Yes, there's passion. And that's good. We're proprietary about the station and about this board. That's good too. And we've welcomed Robert into our homes, but are leaving Ben standing on the stoop right now. There's something about him that we, okay I, don't trust and hence don't like. Why not Bob Dorian? Wasn't he available? I would have liked to see him working again. But no matter. I can fast forward past Ben. And again, all of this blather was just an explanation of why I keep bringing up the AMC comparison. Heck, if you were a Mystery channel, I'd be comparing you to A&E and waiting for you to feature sensationalistic tripe from the offices of Bill Kurtis. So, howza 'bout re-programming the block of Pre-Code films you showed in 2002, when TCM was just a speck in the eye of Cablevision? I promise to quit comparing you to AMC if you do! Well, for awhile at least.......

If you like Wallace Beery, mysasha915, I also recommend you catch Victor McLaughlin whenever he's on. Same 'type'.

Absolutely, ML. In my neighborhood, Ray's was the butcher, and Nick's was the grocery. They were brothers, by the way. We were a stone's throw from many stores, and I thought nothing of the fact that I was growing up in a commercial neighborhood. The place where I bought comic books was a front for a bookie. At July 4th, the toughs of the neighborhood used to set off enough fireworks to result in a veritable sea of paper the next day. The cops looked the other way. Oh, and NO one got hurt. Imagine? No lawsuits. It was great. Now, heaven forbid, the aim is to have kids grow up in elite neighborhoods and to drive and drive to get necessities. In addition, my mother's freezer was no bigger than this monitor screen, so she had to shop daily for food stuffs. Different world. Is it better? Except for the advances in technology and medicine, the 'little man in my gut' tells me no. ML, have you seen that article floating around the Internet titled 'How Did We Survive Our Childhood'? It's quite true.

loliteblue, here's where I'm torn. While I agree it's a good idea to get the viewership of the youts to TCM, which they probably didn't have two years ago, why not bring the youts up to our level, instead of us going down to their level? Now, before this seems like a flaming remark, here's my thought process. And it's based on what AMC did. AMC was old movies hosted by old men who gave a glimpse into the past, including spotlights on old movie theaters around the country. Fascinating. Unique. Specialized. Then AMC decided they had to be part of the trend. Had to appeal to the youts, or how the youts are viewed by Madison Avenue. So out went the old movies, the old men, and the movie theater spots. In came the young hosts, the first of whom was actually decent and can be seen on E! now, I believe. Then the station denigrated into showing...can you hear me, TCM?...recent movies, action movies, garbage movies, just because they were recent. Then, horror of horrors, in came the commercials. So, loliteblue, I see the new host as a portend of things to come. TCM is already showing waaaay too many recent movies for my taste, but hey that's me. I know it's been stated that TCM has no intention of bringing in commercials, but hey I don't believe Oswald alone killed Kennedy, so I also do NOT believe TCM. My longwinded point. Why can't the youts appreciate TCM as it is, or was?

Touche, tom, and I know it isn't accent grave over the 'e', thank you W.C.Fields, but it's some kind of accent. I agree, one thousand percent. Brilliant post. As I've stated, I don't give media people the same 'break' I give normal human beings. Since Ben is OBVIOUSLY getting paid who knows how much for his few minutes on film, he SHOULD be the consummate professional. And he is not. So, he should not have been hired. Good point as to the name recognition. I never thought of that. Same goes for Clooney. George, that is. If not for Rosemary and his father, he wouldn't have been given the time of day in television. He couldn't act his way out of a paper bag on Roseanne and he wasn't much better on ER. He has improved, somewhat, but he's still more pretty than he is talented. And just THINK of all the UNpretty, MORE talented actors out there who are just withering on the vine...well, Hollywood and Vine...and waiting tables while schmucks like Jim Carrey get paid $26 million. Oh, sorry, veered off into a rant there. I don't know WHOM Ben is attracting, since the youts of the world, I imagine, aren't beating down the doors to TCM. TCM had better realize their core audience and realize it damn quick. Or they'll soon be in the same crap pile as AMC. Oh.....I wasn't supposed to be nice too, was I? Sorry, can't do it.

WOW......fascinating, coffeedan. Thanks. It sounded to me exactly as if somebody rippppppped a nail across the film. That would account for the fact that I hear the 'S' in the line, or maybe more, then. So it was a manual censoring. Again, I hope Breen is suffering in the afterlife. He deserves it. And now television uses the line when it isn't even warranted. This place is kewl.

Ah, but that's why you're the board mediator, ML! And I thank you for it. You're willing to give people a chance, I'm not. So I'll stop fast forwarding after Ben has been at it about 20 years.

Oh, very likely, Fernando. But the Great Big Giant Brains behind Cablevision didn't include TCM in their lineup until Jan. 2004. The year of TCM's tenth anniversary! So now tcmprogrammer will just have to take pity on the poor schmos who have Cablevision and give us a chance to catch up?

Wow, cool, I'm so happy to see my frivolous suggestion taken seriously! Of course, I would be in black and white movie heaven if such programming were to be planned. path, on A Front Page, nope. I wound and re-wound the tape, and it was a scratch. The idiots (Breen, I hope you're in pain somewhere) seemed to have scratched the tape to edit out the words. I was astounded to almost hear Menjou utter them, and would love to know if there's a master tape somewhere with the words left in. Funny thing, though, I liked Grant's version better. I find Pat O'Brien grating in the original. I've developed a new respect for Menjou, though. He ain't half bad on the eyes, either! Fernando, I don't have many of the films you mention. tcmprogrammer, your thoughts? Please, please, please?

lizimbrie88, you're quite correct. There is no projected warmth. Osborne, like Dorian and Clooney on AMC, had the same effect as many of the good hosts on Masterpiece Theatre. They added to the movie watching experience. I pause my tape for Osborne's bits of trivia when a movie comes on. When Ben shows his face, I just fast forward.

Cool, I did not know this. Yes, the shadow of the building seemed about that. Thanks, coffeedan. As I said, they could have had a shadow of the Eiffel Tower, seeing Fredric March in a skirt was treat enough for me.

LOL, I was being facetious but hey, tomagain77, if you second it, then it's possible!!! Whaddya say, tcmprogrammer? Is it possible?

Almost forgot, modern movies have NOTHING on movies then. The scene where the woman is dancing...grinding away!...around March's girlfriend is absolutely mind blowing! What, by the way, was that a shadow of through the door of the room where Colbert and March were when she was asking him to be her, um, lovah? It looked to me like the shadow of a skyscraper!! Nah, they couldn't have been that sloppy... Breen should be boiled in oil and then tarred and feathered. TCMprogrammer, is it possible for you to show every single black and white pre-code movie ever made in Hollywood? Thank you very much.

THANK you, path, thank you. From the little I saw, Sign of the Cross looks to be a treat for the eyes. And Fredric March in a skirt, who could ask for anything more? But seriously, Colbert seemed amazing. Not sure I didn't hear the word 'scum' at some point, could that be right? Laughton was absolutely squicky, and March, sigh, March. In eye makeup too. Thanks again, path.

Sorry, igt1899, I don't know the answers to your questions, but oh I love that movie too! That anklet, that poor schmo Fred McMurray! But my favorite is the 'little man in my gut'. I use that all the time, and ain't it the truth?

Thank you, path. What I saw of Devil and... I loved, especially all those shoes from the 1940s. Funny part is, though, they were all worred about Coburn not having food and...could he have been any wider? No matter, I loved it anyway! Nice parallel between the company getting rid of older employees (age 55, how ironic) and the real life situation I'm in right now. By the way, pleaaase don't tell me this is the title that the X rated movie co-opted for their use? Ugh.

Wow. Good question, and not one I think I can easily answer. But for an early performance that affected me and helped to shape the rabid animal lover that I am, I'd have to say Willis O'Brien's creation of King Kong. The empathy drawn to that creature, which still stands today, was and is amazing. As to greatest performances by a human, hmmmm. Burgess Meredith in Of Mice and Men, Cary Grant in anything, Marlon Brando in Godfather, Olivier and Oberon in Wuthering Heights. Not show stopping performances for everyone, perhaps, but ones that affected me. It is probably a personal choice after all, right?

Shame. He lived in the town where I grew up. My husband did work in his house. He didn't live in a showy neighborhood. I spoke to him a hundred years ago on our Main Street about a film he had done with a mentally challenged young man (don't remember the film's name). Apparently his craft meant more to him than being a 'star'. Good for him. He'll be missed.