movieman1957

I love "Monkey Business" and "Horse Feathers" and "Duck Soup" because I think they epitomize the anarchy more more so than the first two films. It is situational beyound what is normal and played out on a bigger place. "Cocoanuts" suffers for me from it being too stagy and the music interrupts the flow. There is a verbal "anarchy" to it but it doesn't move. The same thing goes for "Animal Crackers." I like it better. I think overall it is funnier and moves better within the house. "MB" stretches all that. They are still on the ship but it is more open. They go from Todd's room to the Captain's room to the father's room, to the barber shop, etc. Each place brings a new bit and that doesn't always have to be connected to the story. (What little story there is.) "Horse Feathers" begins their tearing down the "holy places." Here a college is the target. Speed is not only in the football game climax but the choreography of the scene in Todd's room is priceless. They turn the vaunted world of higher learning on it's ear. "Duck Soup" takes on the sacred "government." Margaret Dumont is so naive but she is the catalyst for Groucho. There are no rules in this government. There are no rules in film making. The last 10 minutes are proof enough of that. "Hail Freedonia."

I have to go play for auditions this morning but I'd love to talk some more about the Marxes later if that's okay.

Dearest Ro: I should know these things by now but I somehow manage to miss them. I hope you had a lovely day. Happy Birthday.

*is Retroplex a premium channel or is it like ME-TV? i just found out I have ME-TV.* Retroplex apparently comes with Movieplex and is tied to my Encore package. I've heard quite a bit about ME-TV and Antenna TV. Neither are available on my cable but I have a TV upstairs that is hooked to an antenna. I have on occasion been able to pick up the DC signal. It looks like great fun for those of us over a certain age.

There was that legend that I think he puts away in his long and wonderful interview on the TV archives website. I've seen that movie as well. Besides Bennett I think maybe Johnny Mathis and maybe Jack Jones I can't imagine there are too many more. Vic Damone is still alive but I have no idea if he is anything but retired.

"Lawman" is on at the wrong time for me and for some reason I never think of recording it. I caught one Saturday night on Retroplex. They're usually have a Sat. night western listing. They show "Cimarron Strip" also. Overall, I like the "Lawman." I'd like to wear shirts like that too but.... I've never read "Riders." I saw the movie years ago and enjoyed it because it felt so mysterious. The Bride has a Kindle app on her ipad so I may go looking. For all the westerns I've seen I've rarely read any of the books. I read "The Ox Bow Incident" a long time ago. I've never even read Louis L'Amour. (Criminal, ain't it?) Though I'd like to read the films I know like "Conagher."

Andy Williams died at age 84. He was a big part of my childhood because my mother loved him. I did too. Great voice. Wonderful sense of humor too. Softly, As I Leave You

For those who have Comcast and Encore. My Comcast has on its On Demand several of their western series. "Rawhide," "Gunsmoke," "Have Gun, Will Travel." There are dozens of them and are on until next spring. Also, I think through the end of the month you can find the rare "Riders of The Purple Sage" with Ed Harris under TNT's On Demand.

*oh, and I love the sea chase, i don't think it's bad at all.* "Double M" I like it. I've always found it interesting that a decade that could produce, albeit with John Ford, "The Quiet Man" and "The Searchers" also had "Legend of The Lost," "The Conqueror" and "The Barbarian and The Geisha." The 40's was varied but maybe for me the quality was mor consistent.

I agree about "The Shootist" being well above the post '69 roles. Comparatively, it's a small film but he's so good in it. There are times when his melancholy is heart breaking and belies the toughness of his character. I'm not sure he could have played it even a few years earlier. He looks tired and that helps. "McQ" and "Brannigan" I always found decent enough but he seems so out of his element to me. Watching him get in and out of the Firebird is funny at times. I used to have a 1975 Camaro and you didn't get in them as much as you fell into them. I like "Big Jake" and "Chisum." "Rooster Cogburn" is fun as long as he and Hepburn are on screen. I'm not that fond of "The Undefeated." There are times it seems it wants to be different things and ends up being nothing special. Then there was the "teen idol" rut. Too bad. That was, I guess, all about getting the young girls to come to the movies. The guys were already coming. Someday we should run through those 50's movies. That was an odd decade.

Hi Rey: I don't like "Cahill" either but I'd still put "The Conqueror" or "Jet Pilot" and some of those middle 50s films right there. George Kennedy makes me crazy in "Cahill" as I recall he spends a good bit of the time running around like a cray man. Ever seen "Circus World"? "Chisum" is better for the reasons you mention. I don't care much for "The Train Robbers." It takes too long to get where it wants to go and not a lot happens. We could all have a discussion just on Wayn'e post "True Grit" films.

THIS THREAD IS OVER 10,000 POSTS. WAY TO GO EVERYONE. Sir Francis: I have seen "The Barbarian and The Geisha." It takes a bit to Wayne playing a 19th century diplomat posted to Japan. It's just wrong. I don't recall the story being all that bad once you've settled in about Wayne. Frankly, there isn't much I can tell you about it. I agree that Yakima is fun as the bad guys in those old Wayne pictures. Wait til you get to the late 30s Wayne films. They're still about the same but now he is part of "The Three Mesquiteers." Max Terhune uses a dummy. Yes, that's right - a dummy. Charlie McCarthy had nothing to worry about.

Good morning Sir Francis. (And ladies.) Looking over your list I am happy to see that "Monkey Business" fared well. It's a great little film. Clocking in at about 77 minutes there is a lot going on. Lots of fun. No surprise on the Wayne films. Those old 30's films were hard to tell apart and not much difference in them as far as their quality. I've also never been much of a fan of "Cahill." The boys are annoying, and meant to be, but I just never liked the premise of it all. I noticed you watched "Moon and Six Pence." I saw it years ago in the middle of the night and thought it the most boring picture I ever sat through. Knowing I was watching while having an insmonia attack has never forced to revisit it, though I am sure I should. I do disagree with "Too Many Husbands." Based on your list I would have had it much higher. It's a bit silly and the ending doesn't really solve anything but I really enjoy watching the three stars together. I like it. Some of the others I haven't seen but always thought a lot of "Across The Pacific" and "Captaing Blood."

My DVD recorder can record on the HD channel but not the SD one. A year or so ago no one could help me when it first came up. I dno't have a DVR but I've yet to try Lynn's suggestion.

I have never seen one. Most of the serial mysteries have escaped me. I'll try and check them out.

*I think it's great that you are willing to watch the suggestions of others.* Absolutely. I'm not sure where everyone finds these movies but it does a couple of things for me. More often than not I get a pretty good film to watch. Even if I'm not that fond of it it certainly broadens my knowledge. And it makes for a chance to have discussions. It's fascinating when we get one. There have been times when we've had a great discussion that I'll go back and watch it again with what has been said as a focus and get even more out of it. I'm always looking for sugestions. The trouble is I can't quite keep up with them.

Good evening. I'm glad we are so together in how we look at the movie. It was an interesting choice. I'd never heard of it. You and the gang are doing wonders for my Netflix queue. BTW, I saw "Bridge On The River Kwai" on the big screen tonight. Very impressive. My friend loved it. Now if we can get you to watch it we can have a fine chat.

Thanks, MissG.

*Bitter Victory* "I hate you for the professional coward you are." War is death. How each soldier comes to it or causes it may tell us plenty of the man. So the "fight" begins between Curt Jurgens and Richard Burton as they are part of a team of British soldiers who raid a German post and then bring the contents of the raid back to their side of the war. They are different men. They are aware of their differences. The contrast is all the more stark because Burton had once had an affair with Jurgens wife before they were married. Early on an incident brings Jurgens resolve and courage into question. Burton witnesses this and it becomes the catalyst for the disdain they politely show one another throughout the film. *SPOILERS* Time and again Jurgens proves Burton's accusations right. Whether it is the guard that was Jurgens' responsibility or the following instances where he leaves Burton with the wounded or sits by as his own fear over a scorpion also becomes a tool. He is the coward that would let another thing or situation do his dirty work. Burton is the more practical of the two and sees Jurgens for his weakness. While he calls Jurgens on it he is not afraid to point his own weakness. The irony brought home especially when he deals with a wounded German and British soldiers. The irony is affecting. While Jurgens doesn't deny his cowardice it is troublesome coming to terms with it. At the end when he is given a medal and he hangs in on one of the training dummies right on the heart. I wondered if it was his way of hanging it on himself and he acknowledges that he is as empty as the dummy. It is an odd film. The catalyst would be the thing most war films build to happens early on and the trip back becomes the story. Burton and Jurgens are fine. Ruth Roman, despite her billing, is almost a cameo. It is nice, however, to see Christopher Lee in a normal role. The Netflix disc is 103 minutes. There was an 82 minute film in circulation. Don't know if it is still there but avoid it. More to go but would like your thoughts Sir Francis. (Anyone else seen it?) I'd never heard of it.

I enjoyed this one too. At first I wanted ot see it because George Burns was involved even though he did the narration. (I was realtively new to movies.) But Judy Holliday was quite a discovery at the time. I liked the fact that they were fairly normal people. Douglas looks like anybody, not particlulary handsome so it was nice to watch him in a romantic lead. Nice to think one person could make a corporate difference as well.

It's nice to see "Remember The Night" was so high on the list. I love the Christmas Eve scene at Fred's home. It's what I'd like mine to be every year. Sometimes it is sometimes no but it's a lovely scene.

Beating a dead horse to death. Hmmmm.

If it means anything add my name to the list requesting to a day or more for Mr. Carey, Jr.

*Movieman might like the film.* If my name comes up for a film I'm checking it out. Netflix will send it next week. Thanks so much. BTW, if I pull up a thread that has lots of posts like this one I've found the quickest way it loads is if I click on the whatever the last page number is under the thread title. If I click on the last poster listed to the right then it will take forever.

*Good evening Sir Francis. Dern really didn't register with me. I found him annoying.* Of course he's annoying. He is the bad guy. Young jerk who thinks he's hot stuff and tougher then them all. Absolutely annoying.. *And I had no idea you were risking your life meeting Jackie!* I risked it trying to get to see my son up in RI. We mistakenly got off the highway into NYC. Meeting "Jackie" was pure delight.