lzcutter
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Posts posted by lzcutter
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It sounds like *Star in the Night* which is on the schedule next Tuesday night.
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MrRoberts,
If the URL address takes up two lines, it causes havoc with adding the ! at the beginning and end.
To get around that problem, go to TinyURL.com and put in the long original URL address.
TinyUrl will take the long addy and convert it to a much shorter one. Copy that shorter addy, come here and paste it into your post.
Be sure to add the ! at the beginning and end and your picture should post with no problem.
Here's hoping!
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John Gilbert's biggest problem wasn't his voice, it was the fact that the screen image the public had of him was quickly going out of fashion. It wasn't just talkies that there were changing the landscape of movies but the Depression as well. And Depression audiences wanted more modern movies and movie stars. The Depression made possible the stars that we still associate with 1930s.
Gilbert's other big problem with MGM was his salary. He was one of the highest paid (if not the highest) star on the lot and the conversion to sound and the Depression were playing havoc with MGM's bottom line.
By the time that Gilbert realized the big cultural shift that had taken place he was already behind the eight ball. He was the victim not only of that shift but of the bad business decisions made not only by himself but by his handlers.
But the urban myth of his voice recordings being sabotaged makes for much better reading than the story of man who couldn't keep ahead of the changing times and fell victim to the changing tastes of movie goers because of that.
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One thing to keep in mind, just because the schedule is up, it's not the official schedule and as Michael, the new WebAdmin likes to remind us at times like this, it is subject to change.
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> I seem to remember this movie being shown more often in years past,
Possibly on other channels. I don't think the Sims version has been on TCM very often as fans are often posting about its lack of screenings on TCM at this time of the year.
But this year, those requests have been answered!
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> I still wonder why there seems to be a need for such detailed plot outlines.
MsW,
Here's some info on the AFI catalog and database that the top info in the TCM database comes from:
"The AFI Catalog, the most authoritative filmographic database on the web, includes entries on nearly 60,000 American feature-length and 17,000 short films produced from 1893-2011, as well as AFI Awards Outstanding Movies of the Year from 2000 through 2010.
The AFI Catalog is a unique filmographic resource providing an unmatched level of comprehensiveness and detail on every feature-length film produced in America or financed by American production companies. Detailed information on cast, crew, plot summaries, subjects, genres and historical notes are included for each film. " (emphasis added)
A quick look at the AFI database shows that the paragraph free full synopsis originated with the AFI and was not a problem with importing the synopsis into the TCM database.
Hope that helps!
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> Who writes these things?
The Full Synopsis for each film came from the AFI database. If you notice on any film page of the TCM database the first section is bracketed and says "data from the AFI catalogue". That's probably why they are so detailed as well. The Brief Synopsis gives a one line description of the movie and the Full Synopsis gives a full description of the movie.
As to no paragraph breaks, they may have been written that way or (more likely) there could have been a problem when the information was imported and the paragraph breaks did not import over.
Considering the number of films in the TCM database, the time and labor involved to go in and create new paragraph breaks was probably considered cost prohibitive.
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The bottom line is that Doris Day is not comfortable giving in-person interviews. She has turned down various awards or sent someone to say thank you on her behalf rather than appear in person.
She seems very comfortable with her life in northern California and seems to content to put her Hollywood days behind her.
However, one should never say never and we can all hope that Robert O and TCM might prevail on Ms. Day to do an in person interview one of these days.
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> If she is doing audio interviews, I don't understand, then, why TCM in general, and RO in particular, was not her first choice.
She doesn't normally do interviews. Her record label probably set up the GMA interview and were looking at the opportunity to promote CD sales to a wide ranging audience that might not be familiar with Day's career.
That Day knows and likes Robert O, now that he is back from his hiatus, perhaps TCM can work with both to bring an audio interview with her to the channel.
But, if that happens, there will probably be posters complaining that it was only an audio interview and why couldn't she show up in up person.
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> I can't see any former owner wanting any back any more than I can see SONY wanting back vinyl from Columbia Records,
LTalbot,
They usually don't. One reason they get rid of old film and tapes is for the same reason studios did back in the day, they feel they need the space for other things. The last thing they usually want back is material they dumped in the first place.
It will be interesting to see if the John Glenn footage is a copy of famous footage or if it is something different.
Please keep us posted!
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> You guys are the best thanks- I love movies about Los Angeles
Retiredblue,
If you can find it on YouTube, I highly recommend *Los Angeles Plays Itself*, a documentary about the City of Angels and it's role in film history. It's long (almost 3 hours) and due to various rights issues probably won't be coming to DVD any time soon but if you can find it on Youtube, chances are, you'll enjoy it!
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> I frankly wasnt really looking at his face. So the consensus is he had some sort of plastic surgery?
I don't think so. He has lost weight, especially in his face but he looks healthier than he did last summer.
But people are going to read into his hiatus what they want and if they think he took time off for reasons other than those stated that's what they are going to believe.
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> I would Love to see for the Holiday season " It's a wonderful Life"
I think many here would love to see *It's a Wonderful Life* as part of the holiday line-up on TCM.
*Unfortunately*, NBC has the long-term exclusive broadcast contract for the film, so we will have to wait that out and hope that when the contract comes up for renewal, NBC won't get first dibs on renewing.
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> they weren't kept is a controlled environment,some of the cans have TV station labels so whatever the contents are they were probably readily available for broadcast in the 1950s and/or 1960s
As they haven't been kept in a climate controlled environment, you may not want to risk running the films through a projector. Over the years, film grows brittle and splices dry out. If the films aren't inspected and repaired (if need be) before going through a projector, projecting them could damage the films further.
Another factor is that even safety film can fall victim to vinegar syndrome.
These are all things that need to be taken into consideration before projecting the films.
If he has footage from a local television station or network affiliate, the station or network may still own the rights. Did LT or someone else order the footage years ago? Did the station throw the footage out? Even if they did, they could still retain the rights.
The movie starring Jimmy Durante? Depending on the title, the rights could belong to a studio, not LT. As another poster pointed out, the studios used to sell movie titles for at home projection.
Just as owners of DVDs do not own the rights to those films, just because LT has a film collection does not mean necessarily mean he owns the rights to those films.
If he does have footage that he or a family member shot of historic events, both local and national, that is a horse of a different color but from LT's posts, he hasn't mentioned that.
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LT,
If I may ask, where are you located? If we knew approximately where you were located, we might be able to make some suggestions that would be of more help to you.
It sounds like you may have old news footage from one of your local stations/broadcast affiliates among your other footage of Jimmy Durante and newsreels.
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Jeffrey's suggestion of visiting Nitrateville.com is a good one. That forum is filled with working archivists and film preservationists from around the country and around the world.
They have fielded questions like the OPs in the past and are very helpful to any one who asks.
Not all facilities are like the one you encountered in Kansas City and to paint them all with such a broad brush does a disservice to those archivists and preservationists who fight the good fight every day on the main lines of preserving history.
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Michael, the new WebAdmin, seems to be taking a more hands-on approach to board moderation than we have seen in the past.
The thing I always find interesting is the posters who question why Robert O and/or more of the TCM staff don't visit the forums.
It's one thing to point out when Robert O, Ben M or Alec misspeak or get facts wrong and another thing to pile on about it (usually under the guise of "we're just being funny) just because we can.
A similar situation occurs when guest hosts appear who don't read well from the teleprompter.
And the programming staff comes under increasing critical appraisal at least once a month.
Again, it's one thing to add to the discussion and something completely different to just pile on simply because it is fun.
The forums can appear very intimidating to anyone who reads these forums occasionally or anyone who doesn't spend a lot of time here getting to know the various personalities.
And it's not a far leap to deduce that the mean spirited tone of numerous posts here (especially those directed towards Robert/Alec/Ben and the TCM staffers) could be one reason that the TCM staffers who used to post here regularly no longer do with the frequency they used to.
We're don't come off as especially inviting when the main idea is not to bring something new to the discussion but to continue to harangue because some posters think they are being funny.
Edited by: lzcutter on Nov 29, 2011 8:59 PM
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Kyle,
You are .. and always shall be... my friend. Live long... and prosper.
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It's not available on DVD (and probably never will be due to clearances and rights issues) but *Los Angeles Plays Itself* is a nifty (if too long) look at the way the City of Angels has been portrayed on the big screen from the silent era through to the present. I think it's on Youtube.
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> I have no idea what I am typing.
Rich,
As always, your recap had me laughing out loud!
The films may be bad but your recaps are priceless!
Thank you for doing this!
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You know, finance, not everything (including Robert O's health) is fodder for a joke.
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> ...but if he's going on the cruise, you know he's going to be asked questions about his operation by the "cruisers".
He is scheduled to go on the cruise and there have been no announcements otherwise.
As for the "cruisers" asking him questions about his hiatus, if they are anything like the attendees of the Film Festival, they are very respectful of him, his privacy and when they do encounter him, are likely to keep the conversation about how thrilled they are to finally meet him and have their picture taken with him.
At least I hope they do. He is entitled to his privacy and it should be his decision to share that information with us *if he chooses to*. Just because we are fans of the channel and of him, doesn't mean we are entitled to any explanations.
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> what's to say his "i'm coming back" promo wasn't shot BEFORE he went on break?
It's highly unlikely that the "I'm coming back" promo was shot before Robert O's hiatus. If you watch the promo, he looks well rested and healthier than he did in the weeks leading up to his hiatus.
His crew in the studio are professionals who enjoy working with him. They would not allow him to look the way he did in the weeks prior to his vacation unless that's how he actually looked. They would not intentionally make him look less hale and hearty to pull a ruse on their viewers and neither would he.
As for a change in his looks, the only change appears to be that he looks much healthier and has that old Robert O sparkle back in his eyes.
As to the medical reasons for his hiatus that is none of our business. The man is entitled to his privacy.
Fragments Special Re-airing Tonight on TCM
in General Discussions
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> Also had a question. These fragments, for example the short clip of Theda Bara as Cleopatra, the clip they showed was about 10 seconds longDoes this compilation show the entire existing fragment, or just a piece of what still exists?
It's probably all that exists. The negative and fine grain master of Bara's *Cleopatra* were destroyed in a vault fire that destroyed many of Fox's silent and early films. The vault fire occurred in 1937. The destruction instituted a change of policy of storing negatives and fine grain masters together.
Also among the films lost in that fire: *Way Down East* as well as films starring William Farnum, Harry Carey and Tom Mix. Also films from companies such as Educational Pictures and World-Wide that Fox sub-distributed were lost.