movieman1957

He came to deeply respect them. I think they came to understand why Taylor had to drive them like he did. And they all, seemingly, lived happily ever after.

I don't even know what film you are discussing and you make perfect sense --- as always.

I finished the film and agree with everyone that this is more of a Mother's Day type film. In fact the title probably should have reflected more of her than her sons. It is a lovely film. A wonderful performance by Margaret Mann as the mother. It seemed to me that as her last son went off to war her appearance changed. Not quite as proper as she was earlier. Her shawl gives her a "poor" look. And maybe she was as her last son went away while deep in her heart I think she knew he would not come back. His departure on the train and her desperate attempt to kiss his hand is a wonderful scene. I did find it funny that Joseph could go across the ocean and in a foggy battlefield in France stumble upon his brother when he later couldn't find his mother in NY. France was a stretch but NY is completely understandable. It was a nice ending. A wonderful surprise to find this film.

>Do you think Solid Gold Cadillac is a Romantic Comedy? Yes.

The last 15 minutes or so of this is pretty special. The women want to regain the femininity before they meet the men. They have been resourceful in getting there now they will be that to dress themselves up with what they have left. (So much was left behind in the desert.) It is an elegant meeting. No one was picky. No one was bothered by what their mate looked like. Both men and women knew it was a gamble but they were willing to take it head on. All for the sake of the companionship. Who knows if they would all work but they had gone through too much not to give it their best. Of course happy endings are meant to be just that.

As a kid I thought it was funny. (I was only 11. What did I know about family dynamics?) However, 40 years and it TV's evolution can make you shake your head when looking through an older set of eyes.

>Is it just me? Does anyone remember the curse of the Bonanza men? No it is not just you. It all started with Ben. All the boys had different mothers. They all died. THe boys had the same problem except it was always before marriage. Although I do seem to remember someone saying Joe either did marry or was pretty close when the girl died. I am not quite sure. Even David Canady and that younger kid late in the show threw the dynamics a little. A wife probably would have destroyed it.

I watched about the first 40 minutes before work and the primary thing that struck me so far is the economy and beauty with which each character is introduced. (I count the German Army as a character so far.) From the dissolve from the name on each drawer in the dresser to a 15 or 20 second clip you get such a sense of each brother. Even the bar owner and family is defined by their size and the way they "run" through the restaurant. The Germans at once are shown to be arrogant, pompous, superficial and somewhat ridiculous. Right from the moment the train comes into the station (which has a very nice reverse dolly shot to go along side the train) it is required to back up about 15 feet so the commander can get out exactly where he wants. The "double mint twins" get off the train first, dressed exactly alike then move exactly alike all the while being ever so precise and proper as the commander gets off. Then with the Army as they go off to war a lovely shot of the Army coming through town from the view through the cemetery. Certainly an indication of things to come for some of them. And then with the officers leading the way a black cat runs in front of them (also like "Stagecoach") and the commander is so upset he kills it with his sword. One nice touch musically was when Joseph shows up in America, as if you couldn't tell from the traffic, the music changes to a few bars of jazz to reinforce his location. Mother is set up with plenty of love from her boys and the village. I like the shot of the shadow of her hand over the boys as she prays for them as they go off to war. Sentimental, yes but a very touching moment. Not much going on yet but we get in that time a deep sense of who these people are and some of their dreams. Looking forward to the rest of it.

Pardon the interruption but---- If anyone has been looking for it "Strangers On A Train" airs Sat. the 6th at 10:15am ET. I know some points have been touched but maybe there is more to be mined,

You sure know how to take care of your people.

Nope. "Four Men and A Prayer" but not "Four Sons."

A little more than a week left. It all ends June 10.

I taped it and my daughter had it on while it was recording. She didn't watch it as she was doing a project but thought the music was wonderful. I hope I can watch it this week so I can join in.

Capuchin: Thanks for playing. A terrific schedule. I appreciate you taking the time to put one up against the other fine schedules. I hope you come around more.

You are going to have a pretty long list when all is said and done. Obvious films include - "Red River" "The Far Country" "The Cowboys" "Monte Walsh" but that is more about the cowboy's life. A good made for cable movie is "Conagher" but that is also about a cowboy's life. The ultimate cattle drive may be "Lonesome Dove" but that is only TV.

I certainly remember the first set on your list. "He and She" and "Bridgett Loves Bernie." "The Mothers-In-Law" I remember being funny (as far as my juvenile mind would carry) and I didn't even know who Eve Arden was. "The Second Hundred Years" I don't remember much about either but I remembered Monte Markham. And I thought I was the only one who would remember "My World and Welcome To It." From Paul Sands on down you are on your own.

At least with the films spread out it'll be easier to catch them. I went down that road with Laurel and Hardy two years ago. Not very easy to catch them all.

Speaking of ventriloquists I think Jay Johnson ("Chuck and Bob") from "Soap" were really good. One of the funniest episodes had to do with Billy Crystal hiding "Chuck" in the refrigerator and Bert finding him. Mostly pure sight gags.

The guy had talent. I don't think it was a stretch for him. The grand part of is that, assuming anyone had the talent, is that there must be a whole depth of emotions and experience can be brought to the role. I am sure there was potential for Murphy to look really foolish. There may be some imitation but that only goes so far.

Two weeks left everyone. Still plenty of time to enjoy your holiday and finish a schedule. (I planned it that way. Smart, huh?) Even if you don't plan on playing please take time to check out the schedules posted and come back and look for more. There will be a new thread to post votes on June 11. Join in.

Not only do I love classical music and piano in particular you picked my favorite, Beethoven and one of my favorite pieces. How nice of you to remember. Thank you for the music.

I have all there albums except "December." (Not counting the compilations.) I have seen them in concert several times but not in a couple of years. They still tour quite extensively and always draw a good crowd. Maybe they are "Sundayish" the same way I think Saturdays were made for watching westerns. Lots of good music to enjoy.

I recently bought the remastered "In Search Of The Lost Chord" by The Moody Blues. Having been a long time fan I had been looking for a copy of Mike Pinder's song "A Simple Game." The remastered edition had two versions of it. Having enjoyed those I finally decided to go for the whole album. My goodness what a difference in the sound quality. The original CD never sounded all that clear to me. This remaster confirms how weak the sound was originally. If you are a fan at all and haven't thought about it then I would recommend upgrading. With Father's Day around the corner there may be some more added to my collection.

You can type it in a word document of some kind and then paste into a posting. You would have to go through and underline or bold whatever you wanted but you don't post it and lose it. This way you can make sure it is correct before you post it.

A couple of recent viewings for me. I watched *Colt .45* with Randolph Scott and Ruth Roman. It is another typical western in the Scott catalog. The premise is right after the days of the invention the Colt .45 Scott is a salesman for Colt and during a jailbreak the prisoner (Zachary Scott) steals the guns and is empowered by having a multi shot gun over a single shot gun. Scott spends the rest of the picture retrieving the guns and putting Zachary Scott away. Cast high point is Alan Hale as a corrupt sheriff. Low point is, to me, a terrible over-the-top performance by Zachary Scott. He is everything with the guns and nothing without them. Roman is pretty good but a cast of Indians is kind of awkwardly used. You won't miss much if you skip it *Only The Valiant* stars Gregory Peck and Ward Bond. Peck is a cavalry officer whose troops thinks he has pulled a stunt that he substituted a rival for his girl on a dangerous mission that was his to lead. No one bothered to ask the fort commander whether he gave the order, he did. (No spoiler there as you find out early on.) Peck with the most discontented and troublesome bunch defend an abandoned fort against Indian attack. A fairly exciting climax is marred by a slow time getting there. The film suffers from some obvious indoor sets and an awkward performance or two. Biggest surprise is Ward Bond as one of the most unlikable characters I have ever seen him play. Barbara Payton is the woman Peck and Gig Young are vying for. (Her part is pretty small.) One thing about Peck is that when she dumps him because she thinks Peck sent Young off to die so he wouldn't have to is that Peck never forces the discussion. That may be because if she he thinks that if he really did that he doesn't want her or since he is regular Army it doesn't matter. However, at no time does he try and straighten the story out. This is a 1951 WB release which would explain why it never has showed up on TCM. I found scrounging through the Netflix catalog. Jeff Corey, Neville Brand and Lon Chaney, Jr. lead the supporting cast. You almost wouldn't recognize Chaney. Dark makeup and I swear it looked like he was wearing some kind of shoulder pads to make him look even bigger. His role as an oddity. Bond isn't evil as much as he is selfish and irresponsible. OK but don't rush right out to watch it. Produced by James Cagney's brother William. Anyway, next...