therealfuster

who are also fine actresses. I shall nominate Carroll Baker. Personally I liked her fresh scrubbed gorgeous look in "Giant" but it had to happen that they would glamour her up to play the Baby in "Harlow", but she still shines through. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard at a comedy performance of the magnitude she gave in the Southern Gothic satire called "Babydoll" and to this day she is still lovely and still talented. I could also add to the good looking roster, Shirley Knight who was excellent in so many films, Alida Valli and Ann Sheridan. On the other hand, there are some great looking actresses of whom I see little talent like Gene Tierney, but until I've seen all their films I shall remain mute. I used to feel that way about Merle Oberon, having only seen her in Wuthering Heights, and realized I had been unfair after I saw her in These Three and That Uncertain Feeling, in which she equitted herself most equitably. Your nominations for beautiful but talented women of the silver screen?

I always watch a film if it has Everett Sloane in it. I had read once, that he had his nose surgically altered after his screen career began, and could never get used to it. If you look at the footage from Citizen Kane, and then compare his genial countenance to that in some later films of the 1950's, there seems to be a different person playing the part. Regardless, he is always real and true to the role. I think Laurence Harvey was highly underrated, and always enjoy his take. He was kind of Peter Lawford with a perverse twist. I think Alan Arkin is a marvelous actor, and was so fine in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

Hi! Are you saying that this person has prerecorded tapes or dvd's of the episodes from the Alfred Hitchcock Presents, half hour shows and the Alfred Hitchcock Hour episodes OR, that they have episodes that they have taped themself from tv? I have taped most of them myself every time they show up on a festival on some cable channel, and I have seen some show up on dvd. How many episodes do they have, if you know? Thanks!

is that vague comments about not having anything to watch on TCM, are taken seriously by anyone here. Let's get some specifics here. Person A complains that the same shows are repeated over and over. But...Person A rarely gives any real just criticism in detailing which films they are referring to, or with what they should be replaced in their Utopialike film schedule. Why do I feel that it would be a horrible thing and I'd be seeing a bunch of less than golden gems, if some of these people got their wish and were in charge of programming. Be careful what one wishes for..... Hmmm, I've seen a boatload of movies, try to have seen at least one film of every actor, actress, director, or cinematographer who ever lived, have seen both good and bad films, foreign and domestic, A's, B's and Z's, silent and talkies and own all those books on WB, Columbia, MGM, Paramount etc. that came out way back, and yet every day I see films listed on TCM that I doubt have seen the light of day since they were first shown at the Orpheum in anyone's home town. And this thrills me. Sure...Casablanca is shown more than a film like Sunrise, but I'm just happy that Sunrise is shown at all. Tell me that the common person has seen Cain and Mabel with Clark Gable, or Babyface with Barbara Stanwyck, which are representative of the anomalous character of some rarities TCM shows. Where else would one get a night of all Joe E. Brown films? Some may hate Joe E. Brown [though I could not like such person!] but he is a part of film history, and as such it is fun to see him in his prime, and NOT just in Some Like It Hot. If I were to guess, I don't really think this constant refrain of complaints comes from such genuine, dyed in the wool real film buffs, but rather from those who may have seen less movies than the normally obsessed film fan, and does not even want to watch some of the wonderful 1930's goodies that TCM shows daily. Maybe they just turn their nose up. They are just whining because they noticed that the Thin Man series is being shown again or something. As if, AS IF...every film every day for all 24 hours should please them totally, with no regard for anyone else or their tastes. I personally do not care for films about aircraft, but I can relent and allow those who do a little enjoyment occasionally at TCM. One can shut the tv off for a couple hours, instead of expecting TCM to totally entertain people for 24 hours solid, 7 days a week. Ye gads! I'm all for free speech in government, and one does have a right to complain there, as it's your money paying for things, but it amazes me that a channel like TCM which is commercial free, and shows class films or at least ones with historical interest, and not the usual pabulum which shows up on other channels, is treated so shabbily by a few of its viewers with their constant whining. NO...I don't work for them. But I'd probably work for free, if they'd give me access to the whole film library. I'd like to see some of the complainers make pertinent and specific remarks concerning what movies they would like to see to replace some of the ones they seemingly don't like on TCM. All this vague referencing and crying and gnashing of teeth is a bit childish. I was honored to watch the film Babyface with Stanwyck the other nite, as it was a real gritty eye opener, and I also thoroughly enjoyed all the rare silent shorts they showed last night, particularly The Invaders, which topped many Hollywood extravaganzas in using the true Native Americans in their glorious attire. Name one other channel which would show such gems or the one with Dorothy Gish or the commercial tie in oddities. My opinion is that real film buffs love TCM, and bogus ones only want to be negative, just to have something to say to harp about. I never say...love it or leave it, if I'm talking about the country, but I would say it to anyone who complained about TCM's fine schedule. Only real film buffs could appreciate seeing films daily with Eugene Pallette so young that he is thin, George Brent without a mustache, and Bebe Daniels as a little child. Those who are trying to commandeer this fine ship, will eventually sink it and those who love movies of the whole spectrum of film, will be left again to watch stations like AMC ad infinitum, and will then regret not speaking up.

who can explain this message being received in emails. I had been receiving the monthly schedule and bulletin from TCM in my emails, since I registered recently. Till this past week, everything worked fine. For the last few days, I keep receiving emails with the following type header line: "L-Soft list server at TBS, Inc? Subscription probe for TCM-SCHEDULE - please ignore" I'm not opening these so I don't know what is inside. Does anyone know what this is about. Does it contain the schedule and should I be opening these emails? Thanks for any information!

so I'll go with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride. Or Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery.

Fay was in almost a hundred films from silent days to talkies, and besides King Kong was in greats like The Most Dangerous Game, Four Feathers, Doctor X, The Mystery of the Wax Museum, The Cobweb and Queen Bee, besides Stroheim's The Wedding March which you so justly mention. Just because a lot of these are not seen regularly on television, unless one has TCM, does not mean that Fay does not deserve a place in film history. Just like James Dean who only made three films, it is quality and not quantity which earns one a right to the film pantheon.

intermissions! A true film fan will appreciate them for showing the exact way the film was shown in a theatre originally. Films like "Lawrence of Arabia" or "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or others have those interesting prologue type parts which play theme music and are a lot of fun. I enjoyed hearing Mendelsohn's compositions while waiting to see Mickey Rooney as Puck, the last time TCM played the latter film. Let AMC cut out the extraneous sections, as they are only worried about time constraints and cutting up films.

Clem Bevans' day! James Woods would introduce all the films for obvious reasons.... After that it might be fun to have a Roland Young Day!

Are you talking about that group of overlapping still type pics, which is all blurry and recedes to the right of the screen? I think I can see shots with Gary Cooper, Toshiro Mifune, Dorothy Dandridge, Metropolis, Rita Hayworth Godzilla maybe, Max Shreck from Nosferatu and Fred Astaire? The thing is so unclear the way I'm looking at it, I can barely see some of the pics. Help, I'd love to see all of it more clearly! Can you give us a way to see it better?

they were both still ticked off at both having "dated" in the Biblical sense director Vincent Sherman, during both of their heydays? Yes, I've read of the feud, and that Bette did things like kick Joan and Joan was dead weight when Bette had to pull her off the bed, and Bette hurt her back consequently. And I'm sure Bette had little regard for Joan's acting, knowing that she was the superior actress technically. But I always watch a Bette or Joan flick, as both are rivetting on screen. Even when they are chewing up the scenery, so seeing them together is a bit of fun. Wasn't Joan supposed to be in "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" too but the first screen pairing did her in? I'm just glad they made WHTBJ as it is a Grand Guignol classic!

a complex person. Regardless of whether one feels sorry for her, is disgusted with her, has elevated her to sainthood, or does not even care about her...what is up there on the screen, is great. She was a talented actress in not just comedic-musical type venues, but in drama. Witness her exhilirating performance in "I Could Go on Singing" with Dirk Bogarde. I don't feel pity for her, because her essence transcends that and lives on to continue to entertain and uplift. Her basically self-deprecating humor and sarcasm was also a part of her personality, and one can see it on old talk show excerpts, like those from Jack Paar, et cetera. Her screen persona evolved from a rather simple child with a magnificent voice, to a sophisticated performer with presence, somewhat helped by the intervention of Kay Thompson who defined how Garland should present herself onscreen at MGM in her glamour years, in her stances and use of arms and position while singing, and it worked and gave her a unique screen presence. There is probably no Garland flick that does not have something worth watching, and her nervous rather hyperactive behaviour was perfect on film in giving her a persona to watch as in the Trolley Song set piece in MMISL. Unfortunately her offscreen life was not always as happy, but she did bring joy to many people and still does, so I am happy there was a Judy, or a Frances Gumm. Many of her friends have commented publically on the good and bad sides and it was depicted honestly in that Judy Davis epic on tv, which is quintessential viewing for a Garland fan. I can like a person with flaws, and just appreciate them for the good parts, and still accept that there are some not so likable parts, which I don't think Judy would begrudge.

I forgot Lubitsch! Shame on me. He could comprise a category all himself. The Lubitsch touch is not an urban legend. His films really do have something a bit different, in sophistication and continental lightly seasoned humor. I like all your choices for fave directors but Ernst is special!

this devotchka is very impressed with your take on the droogie chatspeak. Yes, Kubrick did have a good eye for spotting a brilliant novel and translating it to the screen. Though Nabokov may have been a teensy bit displeased, Kubrick still caught the heart of Lolita and Humbert Humbert on film. The Jeremy Irons' version was true to the book but a bit less entertaining. I'm enjoying reading everyone's picks here for fave directors and thanks all who participated!

Alice in Wonderland (1966) (TV) Directed by Jonathan Miller ? List Price: ? $29.95 Product Details * Director: Jonathan Miller * Encoding: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.) * Format: Black & White * Aspect Ratio(s): 1.33:1 * Audio Encoding: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono * Rated: NR * Studio: Home Vision Entertainment * DVD Release Date: November 18, 2003 * Run Time: 72 * DVD Features: * Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) * Director's commentary track * Behind-the-scenes stills gallery by world renowned photographer Terence Spencer * Cecel Hepworth's 1903 film of Alice in Wonderland * Essay by author and critic Wheeler Winston Dixon * Music specially composed by Ravi Shankar * ASIN: B0000CG8I8 Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Fans of Lewis Carroll's classic novel for children will be fascinated by this startling 1966 interpretation by Jonathan Miller, a noted British theater director. Influenced by surrealism and Victorian architecture, Miller's black-and-white version of Wonderland is a dour and creepy place, not the frenetic and charming bustle usually depicted. A brunette Alice (Anne-Marie Mallik) wanders like a sleepwalker, rarely looking anyone in the eye, and has fractured conversations with the likes of the Mad Hatter (Peter Cook, Bedazzled), the Caterpillar (Sir Michael Redgrave, The Lady Vanishes), the Duchess (Leo McKern, Rumpole of the Bailey), and the Mock Turtle (Sir John Gielgud, Brideshead Revisited, Arthur). The result is probably an accurate picture of the adult world seen through a child's eyes--an unsettling and intriguing vision. Also featuring Peter Sellers as the King of Hearts and music by Ravi Shankar. --Bret Fetzer From the Back Cover A subversive and haunting retelling of the classic children's story featuring legendary actors Sir Michael Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud, Leo McKern, and satirists Peter Sellers, Peter Cook, and Alan Bennett. This surreal masterpiece was filmed for the BBC by stage and screen director Jonathan Miller. Miller's Victorian Gothic version of "Alice in Wonderland" captures the menacing undertones of Lewis Carroll's story while poking fun at middle-class England. Anne-Marie Mallik .... Alice Freda Dowie .... Nurse Jo Maxwell Muller .... Alice's Sister (as Jo Maxwell-Muller) Wilfrid Brambell .... White Rabbit Alan Bennett .... Mouse Finlay Currie .... Dodo Geoffrey Dunn .... Lory Mark Allington .... Duck Nicholas Evans .... Eaglet Julian Jebb .... Young Crab Michael Redgrave .... Caterpillar (as Sir Michael Redgrave) John Bird .... Frog Footman Anthony Trent .... Fish Footman/2nd Gardener (as Tony Trent) Leo McKern .... Duchess Avril Elgar .... Peppercook Peter Cook .... Mad Hatter Michael Gough .... March Hare Wilfrid Lawson .... Dormouse (as Wilfred Lawson) Gordon Gostelow .... 1st Gardener Peter Eyre .... Knave of Hearts Alison Leggatt .... Queen of Hearts Peter Sellers .... King of Hearts John Gielgud .... Mock Turtle (as Sir John Gielgud) Malcolm Muggeridge .... Gryphon David Battley .... Executioner Charles Lewsen .... Foreman of the Jury (as Charles Lewson) rest of cast listed alphabetically Eric Idle .... (uncredited) Angelo Muscat ....

the BBc production of Lewis Carroll's classic, which is in black and white, glorious black and white beautifully executed. I just bought a dvd of this esteemed television production, which I had never seen. Being that I am American, I think it did play here on PBS but I must have missed it. Let my check online to get your all the particulars on the version I just bought a few months back at Borders.

cinematographers, where would films be? Being that it is a visual medium, how many films owe their fame and prestige to the men or women who put the images on film. There are so many great cinematographers, that I'd like to mention a few of my favorites. With these people if I see their name mentioned in the credits of any other film, I will usually watch it just to see their handiwork. A few favorites with a particularly special film they worked on, in no special order, are: Jack Cardiff for "Black Narcissus", Gabriel Figeroa for Bunuel's "Los Olvidados" and others, Leonce-Henri Burel for Gance's "Napoleon", Boris Kauffman for "Baby Doll", John Alton for "He Walked By Night" or "The Spiritualist", Sven Nykist for Bergman's "Persona", James Wong Howe for "Hud", Billy Bitzer for "Way Down East" [check out those frozen eyelashes on Lillian Gish as she crosses the icy river!], Greg Toland for "Mad Love" or "Citizen Kane", Karl Freund for "Dracula", Henri Alekan for Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" or "Topkapi", Nicholas Musaraca for "The Magnificent Ambersons" or "Cat People", Conrad Hall for "In Cold Blood", Sacha Vierny for "Last Year at Marienbad" or "Hiroshima, Mon Amour", and Haskell Wexler for contributions to one of my favorite obscure films, "Angel Baby" with Salome Jens. Do you have any cinematographers whose work you particularly cherish?

as a horror director, but I'll go with Ingmar Bergman's "Hour of the Wolf". I find it very scary and like a nightmare.

by the Academy, as I have noticed it in movie magazines that I collect from the late 1920's. Here's a bit of explanation that is accessible online: Definition of Academy Award for Best Picture? The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This award was originally called Best Production. 1920's * 1927-28 Wings - Paramount Famous Lasky - Lucien Hubbard Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production also known as "Best Artistic Quality of Production" was only presented in the first year. * 1927-28 Sunrise - Fox - William Fox Best Production * 1928-29 The Broadway Melody - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Harry Rapt The Brodaway Melody competed against: * Alibi - Feature Productions, United Artists -Roland West * The Hollywood Revue of 1929 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Harry Rapt * In Old Arizona - Fox - Winfield Sheehan, studio head * The Patriot - Paramount - Ernst Lubitsch * 1929-30 All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal - Carl Laemmle Jr. * The Big House - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Irving Thalberg * Disraeli - Warner Bros. - Jack L. Warner with Darryl F. Zanuck * The Divorcee - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Robert Z. Leonard * The Love Parade - Paramount - Ernst Lubitsch 1930s The name of the award becomes Best Picture * 1930-31 Cimarron - RKO Radio - William LeBaron * East Lynne - Fox - Winfield Sheehan, studio head * The Front Page - Caddo, United Artists - Howard Hughes * Skippy - Paramount - Adolph Zukor * Trader Horn - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Irving G. Thalberg

Liz too! Although I've read she hates that nickname. Anyone who was friends with Roddy McDowall is okay by me. She is a great actress and seems like a good hearted and not pompous person. My favorite of her films are Virginia Woolf, Cat, Giant, Suddenly Last Summer, Taming of the Shrew and Reflections in a Golden Eye. That last one is really good and rather outre, and Marlon is great in it too. What's not to like about everyone on your list? All are great choices. Well I hope you enjoy your time here and I'm sure you are enjoying the films on TCM.

It might be the Sellers' film, since I've seen most of his output, being that he is so unbelievable to watch in his multiple roles. It's been a long time since I've seen "TMTR" so that might be it. I own the old William Castle flick with the darling Charles Herbert, so I must get it out and rewatch the credits. Castle's films had so many fun gimmicks, countdown clocks and juries voting on people's punishments, or inserted color scenes with red blood. I wish someone making films today had his flair and sense of the absurd.

about "not feeding the trolls" all the time on message boards, but I always ignore it. They are hungry little critters, who obviously live under cyberspace highway bridges and need some attention. I find it much more beneficial to mankind, to feed them...but just put some arsenic in their feeding dish or deal with them in a sort of Sweeney Todd type of way and decimate them one by one. Internet Trolls do bring discredit to the nice Scandinavian Trolls who live in caves in the mountains, and substitute changelings for babies they steal, but nevertheless Net Trolls too serve a purpose if only for one to have a handy spot to vent one's sarcasm on their inept posts.

about buying "Nanook of the North" from Criterion, but I wouldn't have to if TCM would show it. Then I could concentrate on buying all the other Criterion films I want like "Big Deal on Madonna Street", "Bob Le Flambeur" and the Eisenstein boxed set.

you have good taste! I think there is good in every time period, but the fun of liking things shown on TCM, is that you get the cream of the movie crop all bundled up into one package which one can see all year, every day and nite. Today, there might be one movie made a year I actually admire, but even if there was only one a year in every past year of cinema, that means that one has a hundred of more films to see all clustered together which are classics. I can relate to your clothing interest, as I have always been a fan of the women's clothes in old Hollywood films from the 1940's especially. And the bias cut deco stuff during the Depression years was cool too, and I own some vintage women's clothing that I occasionally wear. Since you are not following current trends, then you must be a unique person, who has some sense of history. There are others like you, but you just haven't met them yet, since it is a specialized interest and sometimes one meets more like minded souls at a place like this. Guess what...I have a Mae West album. She sings the Beatles' "Day Tripper" on it, and yes...it is a trip listening. I enjoyed reading your post. Who are your favorite stars, directors and which films do you collect?

and I wouldn't ask him anything. I'd just like to look at him for a spell, as he was quite intriguing and mysterious. The only person who ever somewhat resembled him and his malificent demeanor is Christopher Lee, who I also admire.