deeanddaisy666

Hmmm, in addition to most of the character actors of the 1930s and 1940s, my favorites include (in no particular order): Lionel Barrymore, John Barrymore, John Garfield, Cary Grant, James Cagney, Walter Huston, Warren William, James Gleason, William Powell, Dick Powell, Robert Montgomery, Robert Young, Edward G. Robinson, James Stewart, Dana Andrews, Ray Milland, Paul Muni, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, John Mills, Fred MacMurray, Brian Donlevy, Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, Basil Rathbone, Joseph Cotten, Bela Lugosi, Ricardo Cortez, Harold Lloyd, Claude Rains, George Raft, Buster Keaton, Eddie Bracken and Joel McCrea. I think that's about it for the men, I may have left some out, and then there are the women.....I'll come back!

Interesting question. I very, very much enjoy the Charlie Chan movies, but of course it is glaring that an American and a Swedish actor played the leading role, with Asian actors relegated to second string roles. In addition, blacks in the movies were not only given odd, one syllable names, but were listed in the credit with similar names! I have never found out why they allowed the credits to be listed as such, without their given names. Someone here probably knows? However, most minorities and many women were treated with little to no respect in movies of this era, and I put it down to the mores of the time. It is history, no more, no less. I don't believe in the censorship that many today would perpetrate on books and movies, but that is my opinion.

>What ever happened to deendaisy? I don't think anyone liked b/w more than that guy. LOL, thanks mutinyetc. Actually got away for a few days (but had the VCR set nonetheless!)...and you are correct (although I'm a 'she'), I am absolutely bonkers about black and white movies. This was one reason why my head almost exploded when Turner 'colorized' the b/w's, in addition to the fact that he was tampering with history. Fortunately, I think that 'enhancement' has gone by the wayside. Oh, yes, the atmosphere of the old b/w's, the mood, the lighting, it's a feast for the eyes. I go beyond the story when I watch a movie, I watch for continuity errors, I notice the clothing, and the lighting, and the b/w's somehow pulled me in to the scene before me. Color movies appear to keep me at a distance. Now, I realize this is an emotional reaction on my part, but nonetheless I can't say enough about the film noir genre or, as I've said before, the shadows from the venetian blinds in many early movies of the 1930s. Or the stark striped couches that were luminescent. Heck, I even appreciate the opportunity to visualize the color when a character refers to a woman's red dress. So, yes, I am not impartial enough to be coherent about b/w movies, so just color me a fan (I know, groan...).

broadwaylo, you're quite right. It *was* perfect. I wonder if they knew it when making it, or as happened so much back then, it was 'just' another movie....Cary and Loretta were sooooo beautiful. feaito, I sure would like to see 'Born To Be Bad', hope TCM screens it. On Christmas movies, Alastair Sim's is my favorite version as well. I've also always liked 'Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol', it's pretty much a cartoon version of Sim's version and the songs, to me, are quite nice. Anyone else like 'One Magic Christmas' or 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'?

LOL, hassan, they also stuck in a bleech movie of Ronnie's while I thought I was taping 'Chasing Yesterday' last night (you know how hard it is to program 12:15a.m.?, is it today, is it yesterday, is it tomorrow?). I happened to be awake, and surfing, and had to shut down the VCR, didn't want to waste tape on Ronnie boy. Seems, according to their schedule, that they're not pre-empting 'Inspector General' today for Ronnie. Enough is too much, after all. No matter, who am I to quibble? Like a junkyard dog, I am grateful for anything TCM does send out.

Yes, and a segment that is still with me, although Rod Serling wasn't happy with the show. She paid a man for his eyes, understanding the vision would only last a short while, and there was a blackout! Shades of O Henry.

Yes, I think it was Hays who brought his charming little personally biased views to the movie industry, and they were accepted carte blanche, it appears. I love the early 1930s movies, with their risque costumes and colorful dialogue. Not sure if it was at these boards where I talked about Basil Rathbone saying to a character who said he 'admired' Norma Shearer in 'Last of Mrs. Cheyney': I am paraphrasing..."any man who admits to 'admiring' a woman is insinuating that her underclothes are made of linoleum". I LOVE that line, just love it. Heck, it wouldn't even make it past today's censors! Then again, never mind, most of the audience wouldn't 'get' it.

It was a funny movie, in the vein of 'Happy, Texas' another outrageous movie on the subject of child beauty pageants (and other stuff!). I very much enjoy those types of movies, a recent one on dog shows with Eugene Levy was a good example.

moviejoe, re Norma Shearer, did you catch the homage to her in May? It was about her Adrian dresses that I was going on and on ad nauseum in another thread. What a gorgeous woman. Please tell me you caught the incredible dialogue between Basil Rathbone and Norma in 'Last of Mrs. Cheyney', or her delightful chemistry with Robert Montgomery in 'Private Lives' and 'Strangers May Kiss'? Re another thread, I imagine these were 'B' movies, but they were wonderful, simply wonderful. Thank you TCM. I agree on tcmprogrammer. Not to go on about it, but anyone who doesn't believe what a crackerjack employee of TCM he (she?) is should have been a poster on the old A&E boards, or wander over to (careful if you do) Television Without Pity.

lococardinal, I'd have to say that TCM is the ONLY place you're going to see charming b/w 'B' movies from the 1930s and 1940s. If they're not, then Costco hasn't been getting lots of my money for tapes since Cablevision started carrying TCM, only ten years after the fact. And they have! I've been a taping fool since the beginning of the year, thank you TCM. And every single movie has been a black and white gem (my preference, I admit, MY preference) with sometimes 'B' actors (Warren William, I love you), and always atmospherically gorgeous. No, I don't think they're all classics, look especially for those shown in the wee hours of the night. You won't be sorry!

Good answer, Sandy! But as to Gable, I just saw an offbeat little movie, 'Strange Interlude', based on a play by Eugene O'Neill. The 'thinking' of the characters which is played out loud is slightly disconcerting, or was to me on first viewing. At any rate, Gable had no moustache in the beginning of the movie, and did in the latter part, which showed him as an older man. I'd be interested in hearing other reactions to this movie.

Wow. tcmprogrammer, thanks. LOL, yes, someone here mentioned that, to log in "immediately" on accessing the site, rather than trying to read and then log in. It does work, temporarily. But THANK you for pursuing the problem and getting back to me with an answer. Yes, I may be the junkyard dog of the Internet and an oldtimer when it comes to manners of current day service people, and may be overreacting, but you have no idea how nice it is for someone like yourself to pursue an issue and get BACK to the person with an answer. In this day and age. On the Internet. I thank you most wholeheartedly. I congratulate you on your integrity and decency, I wonder if TCM knows what a rare commodity you are in today's environment of slipshod customer service???? And please also extend my thanks also to your tech wizard, I look forward to the new login system. AND, since you are a real, breathing, decent human being who delivers on inquiries, can you tell me if TCM owns 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Beyond Tomorrow', two movies I would like to suggest TCM program? Thanks again.

moirafinnie14, a kindred spirit! Don't get me started on trip wires and Tarzan movies. Amen to the bad guy who hurts any animal getting it before the final reel. But what a funny topic. Thought I was alone in my amazement at women with regular jobs being able to afford gorgeous apartments with all kinds of stipred chintz couches and Orry Kelly dresses! Other things I've learned: --anyone can spend as much time as they want in a diner, no one is pushing them for their table, --no one ever 'lawyers up' when a cop starts to interrogate them, not in 1930, not today, --not too many people ask to see identification from a stranger at their front door and cops are invited in, noooo problem, --hitting a woman was okey dokey in the 1930s, --no matter HOW well adjusted the women or how financially secure she is or how seemingly intelligent she is or how gorgeous she is, she just HAS to have a man before the end of the movie. Without one, she's nuttin, --no ONE, and I mean, NO one, did number two during the 1930s and 1940s, --there were NO minorities at parties, businesses, train stations, etc., during most of the 1930s. Heck, even in 'The Apartment', there was only one black guy. And given all this? I still loved the movies from the 1930s and the 1940s more than the movies of today.

Thanks everyone! I'll try those out.

LOL, ML, you're not impressed with Leo? He is most assuredly impressed with himself, make no mistake about it. I was willing to give him credit for his accomplishments, but when he comes here to bash TCM, one of the LAST bastions where we the usually intellectually insulted audience can get old movies without commercials, he is quite unlikely to find allies. IF he doesn't like TCM, why exactly doesn't he go elsewhere? TCM programmer, from a poster who has seen the indifference of A&E and AMC, and the downright Orwellian censorship of TWoP, your openness in admitting to facts is completely breathtaking, and not an occasion to be taken for granted. Whether anyone here realizes it or not, you do NOT owe us an explanation. You work for a company, and companies can do as they damned well please. IF those who frequent these forums are naive enough to believe that the corporations behind most media outlets are human beings, they have another guess coming. These corporations are in it for the MONEY, people, the 'bottom line' is all to Time Warner and Rupert Murdoch and the like. When TCM programmer comes here to offer an explanation, it is QUITE out of the ordinary. So as much as I like cynicism and sarcasm, an attack on TCM programmer is uncalled for. Thank you TCM p., for your response. MEANwhile, I cannot watch any of these jungle pictures, or any of the old Westerns, for that matter, due to the cruelty imposed on the animals in that time period. The studios in that time considered animals disposable commodities, and as a vehement animal lover, I cannot abide watching elephants who have probably been mistreated or, in the case of Westerns, horses that were tripped by wire or shoved off cliffs.

Good point, ML, Joan Crawford and Bing Crosby come to mind, if one can believe all the stories. I'm sure the human beings in Hollyweird are no more dysfunctional than the rest of humanity, their problems are just exacerbated by the media and the plethora of money. Then again, one is wont to think "poor little rich girl/guy" when it comes to them. But yes, it seems Grant was a planner when it came to family (although who really knows?), so he made a conscious effort to delay fatherhood. Then again, he was according to that special on TCM, a man of principle when it came to drugs and Judy Garland...um, hello, pot calling kettle black, LSD is okay when it is prescribed? Interesting, how humans justify their own actions, isn't it? Meanwhile, some link on 'John' Orry Kelly brought me to a site that said the openly gay Orry Kelly lived not ONLY with a hermaphrodite...not that there's anything wrong with that...but also lived briefly with a very young Cary Grant. Then again, I guess Hollyweird is ALL about hypocrisy. Never mind, I LOVE the 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, so blinders back on.

I know of current movie review sites, such as 'Cranky Critic', where I can usually find reviews that agree with my jaded view of current offerings. However, does anyone here know of an online movie review site for the Golden Oldies from the 1930s and 1940s? I have a Film Guide that I constantly refer to, but I would like one that is online, if possible. Is there such an animal? Thanks!

tcmprogrammer, thank you! I echo ML's sentiments on how nice it is to have you here to communicate with us. And brackenhe, I have a feeling you are correct. Come to think of it, it's only since I've had to resort to dial up (isn't it annoying, moviejoe?) that I've had problems. At any rate, thank you every one for the comments.

classicsfan, I too enjoy Cary Lite above his serious performances. The movie 'People Will Talk' comes to mind as one that made me uncomfortable, yet I valued his performance. I love him in the 'Awful Truth', 'Favorite Wife' type of movies, and from there the broader slapstick of 'Arsenic and Old Lace'. I also admired him in the Hitchcock movies. He constantly amazes me with his ability to make it ALL look so easy. James Cagney is another actor with this ability, imo. I did not realize that he had a moral ethic in his choice of roles, as outlined in the TCM special the other night, and that he turned down a role with Judy Garland due to her personal demons. Interesting. I also miss him.

"And it's all the more odd that more people here don't find that wrong." harlowkeatongirl, you must have missed my post where I said you were MORE than wise NOT to give out your personal information to this person. He seemed to me to be 'playing' you. However, I applaud TCM moderators for allowing this to play itself out, unlike the dictators and censors at TWoP, since the posters here saw through gagman and called him out on his 'game' with you. That said, on to discussing wonderful old movies and the greats such as Harlow, Keaton, and Lloyd. Oh, and welcome back!!!

tcmprogrammer, since this is an Information thread, can I ask you a question? Are there any plans to make this site more user friendly in terms of updating the log in? The site doesn't allow opening new windows without logging in anew, and yes I've set all my 'cookie' settings properly. This is the only site that causes an error. And, if one opens a thread first without logging in, there is a loop that occurs if login is then attempted that I for one cannot get out of until I shut down the window and start again. I'm not sure which system other boards use to maintain their message capability, but it appears that this one is one of the more difficult to maneuver. Any plans on updating? Thank you.

As a matter of fact, I was just recently marvelling at Norma Shearer's Adrian gowns in 'Last of Mrs. Cheyney' and 'Strangers May Kiss'. She was gorgeous, the dresses were gorgeous, what a treat. But my hands down favorite is still Orry Kelly. His designs, imo, were pure poetry.

As far as I can tell, and I may be wrong, gagman made an offer of Lloyd material to someone who is not enamored of Lloyd in an effort to elicit personal information from her. She wisely declined. A marketing scam on the part of TCM? Hardly. Just the usual bantering and 'playing' that sometimes goes on via these message boards and which other boards (specifically Television Without Pity) censor in their attempt at controlling people's minds. TCM is nicely hands-off, apparently, when it comes to freedom of speech. I applaud them for that. That said, every poster should look out for him/her self when it comes to something that doesn't sound right. You found out, inhonorofpop, that all was not well with this offer. By the way, good for your grandfather, and sorry that he is no longer on this earth, that he passed on his love of classics to you.

Well, I'll have to start by saying I think he was THE most gorgeous man from that era. I hope what I read about his relationship with Randolph Scott was malicious gossip...not that there's anything wrong with it. But whether his persona was manufactured or not, whether he dabbled in LSD for fun or medicinal purposes, he was one of the most beautiful, talented men in the history of Hollywood. He segued from comedy to drama without breaking a sweat, which can not be said for many other actors of that or any other era. My favorite of his movies? Topper, although he's in competition with that gorgeous Cord. The strong female lead movies, In Name Only, The Awful Truth, and My Favorite Wife. Wonderful movies. His Girl Friday and Arsenic and Old Lace, for their manic pace and his supremely delightful physicality. Mr. Lucky, for "**** for tat" and "bottle and stopper"...delightful. Penny Serenade, which I cannot watch without crying, no matter how many times I see it. The Bishop's Wife, only because Loretta Young was possibly more beautiful than he in this movie. All his Hitch movies, but especially North by Northwest...especially with the volume turned up really loud. Loved his 'mother' in this movie. All of the biggies, of course, Holiday, Bringing Up Baby, etc. The last 'recent' one I liked him in was Charade, I didn't like his last two. And bless his heart, unlike some other actors, he knew when to bow out gracefully. He was an amazing actor, we'll never see his equal again, and I hope he knew how wonderful he was while he was alive.

Mr. Blanding's house, which he built for a pittance! Laura's apartment in the film by the same name...especially if Dana Andrews came to visit. Any of those spacious apartment from the early 1930 movies with venetian blinds and gauzy criss cross curtains and huge kitchens and baths and striped couches in a shiny fabric whose name escapes me...sigh...those places were gorgeous.