scsu1975

Why doesn't some theater run a double bill of She and IT and call the thing Sheit?

The film takes place aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line. Everyone gets the norovirus and loses ten pounds, although with Greenstreet, no one can tell the difference.

The most egregious cut was a walk-on by Groucho Marx, who, after seeing Maria Ouspenskaya, warbles "boogie boogie boogie."

The print on youtube was excellent. I was surprised it was up.

The House of the Seven Gables (1940) youtube This film bears little resemblance to the 19th century Hawthorne novel (which may be a good thing, since nothing happens for about the first two-thirds of the book). On the other hand, this film could have been a whole lot better. Still, it’s a decent way to kill 90 minutes. George Sanders gives his usual pompous a** performance as a scumbag trying to cheat brother Vincent Price out of the family fortune, even though the family is bankrupt. When their father vapor locks during an argument with Price, Sanders accuses his brother of murder. The jury convicts Price without deliberating. Ah, the good old days of law and order. Eventually, Price’s sentence is commuted, and he figures out a way to get even. Sanders and Price try to out-ham each other, with neither succeeding. Price does get to sing while pretending to play the harpsichord. Lovely Margaret Lindsay gives a fine performance as Price’s cousin and lover, transitioning from an effervescent beauty into an old maid. In the novel, her character and Price’s character are siblings – but Hawthorne was not that kinky. There is an unnecessary subplot concocted by the screenwriter involving abolition and Sanders making money off the slave trade. I guess somebody felt his character wasn’t repulsive enough.

The overlapping dialogue also contributes to the suspense. When people are talking over each other, it's as if no one is listening to each other, and the audience wants to scream "shut up and work on this together, will you?" Again, this is relevant today.

The original version has something no remake will ever have - a Dimitri Tiomkin score. This may be the only sci-fi film he ever scored (somebody can check if they like). When the film begins, we see the two crossed rifles for Winchester Pictures, and the music sounds like the opening to a western. Then Tiomkin lowers the boom. Listen to how he adds another layer of suspense every time the Geiger counters start ticking. Makes my skin crawl. The film is as relevant today as it was in the 50s. We are still arguing over who knows best - government or scientists. Ditto for The Day The Earth Stood Still.

The man with his back turned is definitely John Gavin. I watched the entire scene.

True ... but who knows where the credits came from. I'm not convinced it's Mr. Osborne, just putting it out there for others to have a look. In the scene, we never get a clear shot of his face, mostly a side view. The hair doesn't look quite right either.

Maybe Mr. Osborne is the fellow at left (the church pastor). No one is credited with that role, so maybe he was just listed as "man."

He has a credit for Spartacus as well ... good luck trying to spot him in that.

As long as I'm venting my spleen here, I am so fed up with people using the word "gate" after every scandal. I would bet that at least half the population now think that Watergate was a scandal about water. I've lived through "Iran-Contra gate," "Nannygate" (anybody remember Zoe Baird?), "Deflategate," "Bridgegate," and "Travelgate." Now I see that Trump's taped conversation with Billy Bush is being called "(word for small kitten)gate."

Well, Trump could be a commie, and he is in the government, so at least there is some connection ... On the other hand, if someone is investigating his movie and television appearances, that would not be McCarthyism. It would be more like "get a life ism."

It was the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that investigated Hollywood. McCarthy was a senator, and not involved with the house nor the investigation. He was "delving" into communism in the government. Whether you think McCarthy was a hero or a piece of dung, it is ridiculous for "reporters" to continue to use his name to describe a situation in which he was not involved.

Bobby Barber, bit player extraordinaire. He had well over 100 film credits, including some silent shorts, plus television appearances. A close friend of Abbott and Costello, he appeared in many of their films (often with no lines), as well as their television show. During filming of The Noose Hangs High, A & C paid him $200 a week to stay on the set all day and joke around to keep them happy. “If Costello isn’t feeling so good, he sneaks up behind me and drops an ice cube down my back,” Barber once said. “Well, naturally I jump up and yell, and I hit Costello and he hits me back and then Abbott hits me and the director hits me and I fall over a table or something. It makes everyone feel real swell.” During the filming of The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap, Costello returned to the set after a four-day absence due to the death of his father. To lighten the mood, Barber squirted a mouthful of water on him. “Everybody laughed,” said Barber. “We couldn’t have gotten a scene that day if I hadn’t done something.” During the first day of shooting Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Barber hid in the rafters and dropped an egg on the head of director Charles Barton. He was also prone to ruining a take by running through a scene, wearing shorts, and yelling “Fellows, be quiet. I can’t sleep!” You can spot Bobby in lots of places. He appears as a passenger in Monkey Business with the Marx Brothers. He is the lone customer at a roadside stand in Mighty Joe Young. Look for him everywhere. Bobby tries to impress Claudette Colbert with his physique:

I'm glad you clarified that it was the remake you saw ... I knew you were old, but ... Interestingly enough (or not), I think that was the first film I saw as well. My parents took me and my brother, not knowing if we would be able to sit through it (I was either 2 or 3 at the time). I recalled two scenes - the old slave (Francis McDonald) gets a spear in his chest, and the staffs turning into snakes. Not sure why I would remember those scenes, and not the parting of the Red Sea. Maybe because they scared the crap out of me.

Well, Ike got behind the Interstate Highway System. Maybe Trump can get behind the underground wiring system.

Douglas: "Mine hit the ground first." Wayne: "Mine was taller." Great fun, and great score by Dimitri Tiomkin.

That "improvised" scene from Romeo and Juliet was probably the low point in the film ... made me drowsy watching Burton and McNamara. I do agree with your other comments about Derek doing a decent job as John Wilkes Booth - that was a pleasant surprise. And the assassination of Lincoln, though almost secondary to the story, is handled very well. The finale, with Burton onstage, is quite dramatic, but, from what research I've done looking at newspapers of the time, totally made up. Still, the film is worth watching.

Ladd was at the end of his career and did not look well. He spends most of the film on crutches or using a cane (he gets beat up during the film). He looks tired and his speech sounds slurred at times. As for Steiger, he is clearly on tranquilizers. I’ve never seen him so sedate. Apparently there was not enough scenery in the budget for him to chew this time. Michael Callan plays a creep. “When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds, you were beautiful.”

Who knew Blackmer was such a stud?

Yes, it's an unrecognizable Gladys George. Your thread, Miles.

Nice review, Tom. This is just a great thread - there is always something to learn about films here, be they neglected classics or stinkeroos.

Sepia: You might contact your power company, mention your wife's condition, and see if they have a priority list for restoring power. Perhaps they could add your neighborhood. Worth a shot. You also might look into a portable generator.

Morita says that in The Karate Kid. "Now show me sand the floor. Now show me paint the fence. etc."