movieman1957
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Posts posted by movieman1957
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Somehow I missed the post. Sorry about that, chief.
I revisted Lang's "The Return of Frank James." A sold western. Nothing flashy and nothing terribly Lang about it. That is at least as far as I know about Lang.
Fonda is quite good. This was the year he felt, to me, that he really started to mature. Lovely scenery too. I did notice that during the outdoor scenes and especially during the long horse rides that there was a good deal of framing of Fonda and Cooper in tree lines and rock formations.
The court room scene was fun. The judge was very fairminded. And then The Civil War came up. Alternately referred to as "The Rebellion' and "The Late Unpleasantness Between The States" was funny.
The only drawbacks were minor and that was Henry Hull bordered on being "over the top" and Tierney a lot too young lady-ish. I know she was college age but a little more heft was in order.
Enjoyed it.
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My pleasure.
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Catch "Hurricane Express." It is fun just to see what they did for serials. All those "B" westerns back in the 30s are almost interchangeable. Some of them are funny in that you watch about half of one and everything looks 1880 then along come a bus. What????? Or everyone looks 1880s except for the leading lady who has on a dress from 1935. Some look like 1935 except for Duke. Some people take their car but he's going on the horse no matter what. Great stunts though. This was the main thing I enjoyed was thinking how dangerous they were and that they pulled them off.
Then comes The Three Mesquiteers. Max Terhune is kind of weird. (Those aren't serials but more a series of films.) There is about 8 of them with Wayne. Apparently his character went on long before and after his appearances.
*I've been filling in the gaps. After I watch the 40s, I should be at 100 films watched for Duke.*
We'll be right close then as my total is 116.
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Sorry, I thought it was more chronological than it has been. (I know some of them you'd seen.) Out of what you have Miss G is right in that "Three Faces West" is pretty good despite what it might seem. Depending on your take on WW!! movies and how rah-rah they are "Back To Bataan" and "The Fighting Seabees" are both decent. (You get Duke dancing too if I recall correctly.) "The Flying Tigers" is good.
"Tycoon" is okay but long. "Dakota" and "In Old California" are programmers that are okay but certainly not top notch. I didn't care for "Reunion in France." I guess you've seen "Pittsburgh." Wayne and Scott fared much better in "The Spoliers."
The rest is only fair. I wouldn't consider them memorable. The rest of the 40s films certainly beats what's coming in the 30s after "Stagecoach" if you are going that far.
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Those two Wayne does cameos. It's a long wait in "The Greatest Story Ever Told."
As far as your list goes I might put "Hondo" a little higher but I'm with you, more or less, on the rest.
Some good stuff too coming up in his 40s films.
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Sir Francis:
Have you seen "The High and The Mighty"? A decent, but not great, Wayne movie. One of the guys at our other playground saw it so I thought I'd bring it up. I think it's safe to say that this one created all those later airplane movie cliches.
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I've seen a few. I see your going through the "lesser" Wayne pictures. Oh, my.
*Abilene Town.* As you know I love westerns and with Scott you usually get serviceable though seldom great pictures. That begins to change when Boetticher shows up. Some of them are almost interchangeable but they're okay.
*Days of Wine and Roses.* I think Lemmon is marvelous. It's a tough film to watch but I think extremely well done. Good though it may be it is not one you come back to too often. The greenhouse scene left its mark on me.
*The Man From The Alamo.* Another "perception is everything" picture. Ford has done nothing wrong and in fact did what he was told but because he had been from the Alamo and survived there must be something wrong. I enjoyed it and thought Ford was good trying to clear himself.
*The Man Who Never Was.* Based on a true story this is a pretty good story that doesn't quite come off as well as I would have hoped. I don't know whether it's Webb or a bit slow but it is an interesting story.
*Montana.* Ordinary late Flynn. Compact though.
As far as the Wayne pictures go this is probably the low point of his work since his 1930's B films. The story behind "Jet Pilot" is more interesting than the film. "The Conquerer" has its own legend. "Big Jim McLain" is a low end anticommunist film that is so stuck in that time that it has not lived well since. Wayne had more discrepency in the 50's than anywhere else. Among these weak films are some good films that helped the legend grow.
I've seen a few others though not as many as usual. The trouble is those I have seen have mostly been so long ago that I could start them again.
Your keeping busy is certainly keeping us busy.
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Airgrams were these telegram like notes that parents and/or friends would have read over the loudspeaker to their kids. They were usually dumb and not funny but full of love and parental support. I think the band sold them as a way to raise some money.
I only did one. It was for Maureen but only at Carolann's insistence. Maureen thought it was funny so it worked.
If only I could type.
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I'm with you on "Parent Trap." it's fun. In lesser hands than Mills this could have been a disaster. For us I get that Sir Francis would have wanted more with Keith and O' Hara but I understand that this is all about the "girls."
I've seen fewer films or it's been so long since I've seen them I just as well not count them than any of his prior lists.
I like "Zenda." Ronald Colman and Fairbanks, Jr. make up a fine cast in a fanciful story.
Favorite joke about marching band was Woody Allen playing cello in a marching band in "Take The Money and Run."
Did they do "airgrams" when you were in marching band?
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THe Bride and I recently saw "Rebel Without A Cause" on the big screen. You are correct that it is about teen angst and friendship but it is even more than that. I'd say relationships.
Part of the angst comes from the main characters relationships with their parents. Dean wants his father to be a father and that means a man. He doesn't see that in him. Wood's father still wants that little girl/ daddy relationship with her father. He is clearly uncomfortable with that now that she is closer to woman the girl, physically at least. Poor Sal Mineo doesnn't have a relationship with either parent. He only has one with the housekeeper.
These things may help drive them to each other. After the awkwardness of getting to know each other they find comfort with each other. I think Dean is willing to take a chance on Mineo's friendship. It helps but it only goes so far.
There have probably been lots of copy cat films since but it is worth remembering this may have been the first like it. I don't quite remember where "The Blackboard Jungle" falls in with it but that is more about Glenn Ford than the kids.
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I really like ELO's "Out of The Blue" and "Eldorado" albums. "Out of The Blue" is really broad in scope and style and everyone on that double album is good. Great arrangements and I think very interesting chord changes.
Fogelberg's double album "The Innocent Age" is very much the same epic venture.
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I would disagree about the Bee Gees being mainly a disco group. No doubt their biggest successes were in the middle 70s but their popularity has extended since the mid 60s. After Maurice died it certainly slowed down.
I think there have been few groups that have reinvented themselves more often and more successfully than the Bee Gees.
I do like Michael McDonald though his solo work more than the Doobie Brothers. "Take It To Heart" is a particular favorite.
ELO is a favorite through about 1980. Lynne is a huge talent but I think they kind of lost their way. His album titled "Zoom" back around 2001 or so feels like mid 70s.
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My kids did marching band. They loved it. I hated it. I'm glad they did it. I love music and am glad I was abe to pass that on. I hated going to all the competitions because it was generally always the same schools doing the same routines week after week. I had enough. I told them to go have a good time and they could tell me all about it when they got home.
I'll give them credit for doing it though. Ian played in the orchestra too. Sax, clarinet there and drums in the marching band. He was good. He didn't stay with any instrument though. Maureen still messes with the piano a bit. She played in the pit in the marching band.
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Good afternoon Sir Francis: I hope you had a lovely Easter with your family. Ours was a bit of a sad day. One of my bride's aunts died yesterday morning. And I wasn't involved in any musical setting at a church for the first time in a long time.
The above monologue by the Colonel features one of my biggest pet peeves: ownership of God. The Colonel is claiming God for himself, which is an extremely selfish act in my eyes. Men died in the battle, on both sides. Those who died, were they all heathens? Did they not pray hard enough? Why did God only choose the Colonel and his side to be "victorious"? Why? My skin crawls every time I hear someone take ownership of God for victories between humans. I hear it a lot in sports.
I think, though I've never been in it, that anyone claims God for themselves in that time. Of course they want to survive and win. If you don't win then that creates bad situations. I don't think anyone in the heat of battle or preparation for one cares a thing about the enemy. The men on the other side are probably doing the same thing. I think after a battle one might pray for an end to it all so that no one else has to die. I don't think it unnatural to thank God in those circumstances. I don't think the rest of the paragraph is conncected to the prayer as much as it is an outcome of the victory.
You get no disagreement with me about sports. However, you need look no further than yesterday's basketball game and that horrific injury to have all kinds of people pray for a single person and not about who wins or loses.
I've always thought you've written deeply here. Even when your comments weren't lengthy I've thought they were well thought out.
Edited by: movieman1957 on Apr 1, 2013 1:34 PM
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*Burr is just menacing but not very appealing. He plays the same kind of sleazy villain in so many movies of this period. I can't think of any good guys until "Perry Mason".*
He is sleazy and that makes me wonder how he got so many women. Though he does play the restaurant scene with some charm. That quickly leaves though.
I think you're right about "Mason." Though he did have a ordinary role in "Godzilla" as I recall.
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You'd be the treat but brownies and cookies would be great. The Bride has some family in TX so I'll keep that in mind.
If you're ever in or around DC/Baltimore you let me know.
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I was thinking of you and Miss G when The Bride and I watched "The Blue Gardenia." She liked it. I thought it was okay. I liked Anne Baxter. Conte was okay. Ann Sothern was fun.
I thought the story a pretty straight telling of a murder. Not a lot of noir to it save for Baxter's state of mind and Burr's slimy character. Why he was as popular with the ladies as indicated seems a bit of a stretch but.....
The ending bothered me a little. I thought it came from almost out of nowhere. Save for a small blip of a scene in the middle of the picture there was nothing to indicate the ending. Surprise endings seemed to be a bit of a thing for Lang for a little while.
Wouldn't rank it real high on a list but glad I saw it. (Another never before seen film for me.)
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I got to meet *Sue Sue* when she came to Baltimore for a conference. She and I had dinner one night and then The Bride and one of her friends joined us for dinner another. She's terrific. We even talked about people here.
On a trip to visit my son for a weekend The Bride and I met *Jack Favell* and her family. They couldn't have been more wonderful and fun. She even had peanut M&Ms for me. A fine time was had by all. It was too bad there wasn't more time with them.
Someday I'm going to meet some others - if they'll have me.
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Things are moving along.
It is funny but nice that "Prime Suspect" reminds you of The Bride and me.
I think it's frand you are going to the festival. I have really wanted to go but have never been able to afford it.
People I know have been in the past include Kyle, lzcutter, SueSue, and CineMaven. I'm not sure how many are going but my best bet is start with Lynn (lzcutter.) They would love to meet you.
I've had the pleasure of meeting two people in person and it was a great thing.
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Hi Sweet T:
I've missed seeing you around. (Of course, I haven't been everywhere on here.)
Mostly, I recall that is was long and slow. They did spend a great deal of time pulling that rail car. Maybe some cutting and tweaking might have helped for me.
And you?
(I hope all is well. I guess you have been busy.)
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Hi Sir Francis:
Mostly of the three films I like the performances. Olivier I think is terrific in "Term Of Trial." There are plenty of boy's school dramas but he's good to watch.
I recall "Boomerang" being a pretty tough drama. I recall it being an unusual murder case but this is all on memory.
"Rebel" has a great cast. I like Backus. I'll admit I never had the grief, or anywhere near they have, but there is a lot of talent in the picture.
I like Monty Wooley too. Since it is early Chayefsky it is not as preachy as some of his later scripts and thus makes a good point more gently.
You're only behind me in those viewings because I'm old. No hurry to catch up.
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Welcome back.
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"Rebel" is playing on the big screen Saturday morning. The Bride wants to go so maybe I can give a decent comment on it.
She told me to tell someone the plot. I couldn't remember much more than a "coming-of-age" trip for a group of teens. Angst reigns.
Good acting. I recall Jim Backus was quite good in a role that was not at all glamorous.
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Valerie French (Mae) was also in "Decision at Sundown."
The Annual FrankGrimes Torture Thread
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Since you brought up Jack Benny - I've been listening to podcasts from itunes of old radio shows from Benny. There are some that go back as far as 1938 that are different than what we knew later.
Once he got Don Wilson and Mary Livingston and Rochester and Phil Harris he was onto something. They were quite funny. Still are.
Another set of old radio podcasts have included Fred Allen and they too can be pretty funny but it was sort of a whole different format than Jack's.
More winners have been Martin and Lewis, Mel Blanc, Red Skelton. Plenty of name that we would recognize.