laffite

Meet John Doe expire worthy

Chimes at Midnight hors' d'oeuvres

TIME OUT Apparently a war was going on and a cease fire was being called so they could feed the dog. Merton was at the end of his rope and perhaps losing his mind. Here he had thought to have found a girl next door but once again vaulted into adventures many and varied. He pinched himself to see if he was dreaming. To his utter amazement he actually woke up?to find himself being questioned?what do you want? I am looking for, he said, a Femme Fidele, a girl-next-door type who will remain faithful and true, that is if such a being exists in the world. The questioner regarded him with bemused contempt and then began to wonder aloud?

This just ended last night on PBS, a rerun. I missed the opening episodes and so used NetFlix to catch up. Ordinarily I might not think this would interest me but is turning out to be a pleasant surprise (I have seen three of the five one-hour episodes) Cranford is a village (and story) of Elizabeth Gaskill (never read anything by her) that has a lot of older women in bonnets doing a lot of fussing about trying to ward off anything that might disturb their circumscribed, traditional life styles (the men have their stories too but it's the women who dominate the narrative). Judi Dench is one these women and I worried about that since I have an aversion to her in some roles where she comes on really strong but here she is as soft spoken and warm as can be, and so likable that you almost wish she was your grandmother. Thie villagers are bathed in richly warm colors while the scenes at the Hanbury castle where the only truly high-born character (in the story, so far) resides, played by Francesca Ennis, are cold blues and white to mark the witheringly forbidding nature of this personage. This plays as drama but there are obvious stabs at humor that are entirely successful as well as the usual wry and more subtle witticisms that seem mark English dramas of this kind. Despite the rigidity of these characters they seem to find here and there ways to do things that go against everything they know in order to do what?s right, a way of accenting the general theme of the piece, that change is coming (a railroad is coming through or near the village though I don?t know the outcome of that yet). All in all, another gem by the BBC proving (to me, anyway) that it is not only the subject matter that determines the appeal of a given story but the exquisite way In which they seem to bring it to us. This was originally aired in 2007. Has anyone else seen this? *Cranford street* //

It's not currently scheduled to air on TCM...and worse, it's not on NetFlix. They don't even show it as a SAVE, which probably means it's not on DVD. Too bad, that one sounds like a good one. I don't get FMC...wondering though it this one could ever show up on the Encore Channel system.

ANOTHER MAN?S POISON ?and in good numbers as he found himself in front of a School for Femme Fatales that provided advanced courses in the myriad ways that not only blonds but brunettes and those fiery redheads as well can make life miserable for hapless and unsuspecting men while employing the arts of subterfuge, perfidy, back-stabbing, double-crossing and of course the Great American Lie. Merton longed for the long-gone girl-next-door type and wondered if there were any left. Sure enough there she was again, the smokey blonde, entering the building for still another lesson in deceit. Where are the Snow Whites of yesteryear? ?Here I am,? said a sweet voice behind him. Merton turned and?

Mighty Joe Young = Big Monkey Business Next: Onegin (1999)

CHAINED ?a litany of problems in vocal effusion that were besetting her including a certain imbroglio with some jerk named Alan but mainly being held hostage by a policeman who was transporting her to Reno where she was to testify against Don Michael Corleone for certain infractions that common decency dictate a prudent discretion be observed. They boarded the train and he took her to his compartment only to find the policeman waiting for them. The blonde panicked and shot him through the heart. The train police came and arrested the blonde for boarding without a pass and Merton for the murder of a police officer. What a charmed life I lead, he said, as they led him?

The only thing I remember from this film is one line. At the end of a newscast the announcer says, "The New York Yankees defeated the Milwaukee Braves, 6-2, in seventh game of the World Series." The announcer says this with disdain, suggesting that there is nothing more frivolous than sports. I hate that line because it is a reminder of that painful game when as a very young but hopelessly devout Milwaukee fan I had to endure the Agony of Defeat...thanks to that horrific batsman who I still feel was the most fearsome looking presence ever to stand at the plate. I speak of none other that The Moose, who did in my Braves with a single, horrible swing.

THE FOX ?across the patio complaining about the noise because Dix was strangling Stella for saying no to a proposal of marriage and her screams of terror made the sisters throw their hands up and flee the scene much to the consternation of Merton who was relating the best part of his life when he was being interviewed by Larry King and telling the world what if felt like to be an idiot and psychotic. The fox, whose name was Laural, rushed to help and upon fixing a gaze on Dix fell immediately In love him. Dix looked at her and was so equally smitten he dropped Stella who hit her head on the sideboard and died which made Stanley, who had been yelling "STELLAAAA!" looking for her and upon seeing same in a pool of blood, have a Polish hissy fit of monumental proportions after which he gazed upon Dix with a dreadful menace who returned the threatening glance with one of his own that made the house fairly tremble. Who would prevail between these two temper tantrum titans of tinsel town? But then... Edited by: laffite on Jan 2, 2010 3:10 AM

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH or HIGH NOON

A SHOT IN THE DARK ?although upon closer examination it was not a shot of booze at all but a horse?s neck which made him think again of that pull in his own and he heard Dix tell him that it was for Mildred, a hat check girl who was on her way over to hear Merton?s life story for his screenplay since he, Dix, was to be busy checking out the fox across the patio. ?And make it good,? said Dix with a splishy drawl, ?I don?t sell popcorn.? The doorbell rang, no doubt Mildred, but when Dix opened the door?

MY LIFE Yeah, I?ll write my autobiography. Surely, he thought, people would want to read about the life of an average psychotic. If the famous Thomas of the same name could become well known, then why not he, himself ... so thought Merton. Because he couldn't write himself out of a wet paper bag, he decided to enlist help by looking...

*but I have been reluctant to comment in this thread because...* I, for one, am glad you did. I haven't seen Cutter's Way and I'm putting it on the queue. I love a reason for watching something new and you have given me one.

*SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* for *Act of Violence* *I realized that Astor was a little more guilty than I initially had thought... she still wanted some recompense for her mothering of Frank... but I do wish she had gotten that C note as well.* But the mothering was real, as you pointed out before. The way she "asked" for the money was straightforward and honest. It's not as if she was trying to steal it. I thought that little checkbook scene was a nice touch. *I was going to say that those with murky pasts and dubious morals were very willing to commiserate with Frank, to cut him some slack, to make excuses for his behavior. But then I realized his wife does the same thing! But she doesn't know the whole truth at that point.* *The interesting thing would have been to watch Frank and Edith's relationship play out after these revelations. She realized he did wrong. Could she have forgiven him? Would it have always been hanging over his head? I think it might be very possible that she would not have been able to forget, and he would have constantly imagined her watching him, judging him.* Frank reveals quite a bit in that staircase when he tells her the story. I think she knows a lot (though perhaps not assimilated it yet) I don't have the DVD now, but doesn't she tell him---later---something like, "Before I thought you were perfect, but now I know you are a normal man and can make mistakes." That sounds naive and child-like but she is very young. Still, in her way she is dealing with it, not sweeping it under the mental rug. It's possible she might have moments as time went on where she judges him but she has a lot invested in him. If she can't believe he is a good man who made a mistake, then her whole world falls apart. I say she suppresses the negative about him even in the long run and relies on the positive as a defense mechanism, something that we all probably do to some extent when our self-preservation or peace of mind is at stake. *Even his weakness, letting Johnny take charge, knowing all along what Johnny was all about - you gotta feel for a guy who would be so weak as to let it happen all over again....so he could live a lie. What kind of hell does that make of your life, knowing that about yourself? He just can't help it. It's the way he's made. We can't all be heroes.* He allows the Johnny thing almost in a state of torpor, under the crushing weight of guilt and self-loathing. But there comes a time when he recoils at the idea. Doesn't Pat (Astor) urge him at some point after to leave it to Johnny and he looks at her in anguish and shakes his head? At the end he is willing to give up his life to stop Johnny (though mostly to alleviate his already existing guilt). The only thing he ever says to Joe is, (paraphrase) "I've come to warn you...after that do as you will." Jumping in the path of the bullet could have been impulse but those words suggest he was willing to be shot by Joe. I don't know if this makes him a hero, probably not, but I'm wondering if the decision to use Johnny was made under extreme duress and then rejected later and that Frank should get any slack for that. In any case, there is at least some redemption. I had a fleeting notion that when Frank told Edith that there was nothing more to worry about (near the end) a sort of Crimes and Misdemeanors moment was occurring. Martin Landau, you'll remember, plays an ordinary law abiding citizen who takes the extraordinary step of having his girlfriend killed by a professional, extraordinary, I say, because although this sort of thing happens in movies a lot, it doesn't usually happen with ordinary law-abiding people. Of course the Code would never have allowed this in Frank's case but I thought maybe the story was at least allowing the attempt. Then he surreptitiously leaves the house for what I guess was a suicide mission. *Loved your review, Monsieur Pirate!* Thank you...but you are too generous to call it a review. Your kind remark begs me to be honest and admit that I was mostly rebounding off your's and other's comments. What makes your initial post so good---and I would say dazzling, not only in content but in your wonderful, wonderful writing---is that you were responding directly to the movie. To be truthful I was a little muddled after watching this movie---it seemed so straightforward, obvious even, and I had trouble finding a handle---but reading the rest of you helped me free my thoughts. I don't believe I had a good spontaneous reaction to this film like you (and others) obviously did. *I didn't read the review of Mystery Street, because I haven't seen it and I didn't want any spoilers. I will make a point of it, now, if for no other reason than the inclusion of Elsa Lanchester.* I appreciate your restraint. FWIW, there are only minor (if that) spoilers in what I wrote about Mystery Street. But you did right because there was reason to believe from the Act of Violence part that there may have been spoilers in the other movie as well. I don't write this now to urge you to go back and read. In fact, since you are an Elsa fan and are going to watch the film anyway I would urge you _not_ to read it. But your comment reminds me that I was remiss in not issuing a _spoiler alert_ for Act of Violence as well as a _minor spoiler alert_ for Mystery Street. I'm usually pretty good about this but can be careless with a movie already under discussion since spoilers are common in discussions of any depth. Still, spoiler alerts are always necessary. // Edited by: laffite on Dec 30, 2009 9:57 PM

*Maven*, I didn?t see Terminator ?but I see what you mean, of course. The image I got watching Joe Parkson was of ole Yul Brynner in the movie Westworld, where he was an indomitable force, not to be denied. There are differences to be sure but the gist is the same. Joe didn?t seem to mind where or who was around when the event was to take place. He wanted his gun and Frank close to enough to shoot at, the rest be hanged, even that policeman standing over there (if there should happen to be one). When Frank and his wife dim the lights, close the blinds, stand around in darkened hushed silence, hear Joe dragging his leg, hear the doorknob rattle, it was as if the movie wanted us to think horror movie. The baby suddenly cries out and at a volume disproportionately loud so as to make us jump a little. But for Frank it IS a horror movie---or more like terror. *Jackie,* your comment regarding how Frank and Joe communicating through others and not directly to one another is a good one---you point out for ?suspense? and ?flow?---another way of saying, I think, that Joe is Frank?s conscience and that?s exactly what Frank is afraid of. Having these two talk it out would have resulted in another movie altogether (to state the obvious). *Jackie*, I can?t disagree with your marvelous take on Mary Astor but I have a slight reservation about her in this role. She does everything right and is fun to watch, but for me she lacked (ever so slightly) that je ne sais quoi intangible quality that we sometimes call ?magic? that makes an actor and the performance just jump off the screen at you with uncanny believability. Just me, I guess. Or maybe I?m asking too much. Maybe I can?t bear to see my :x :x :x being an old floozy even though she seems to be a nice one. Did they want someone older to make the nurturing more believable, coming from someone who has been around? That all problems are caused by ?money or love? is cute but it also served the purpose of illuminating that light bulb in Frank?s head as a way of getting out of his predicament. I like the way she tried to hit him up, making the check out for a C note and asking him to sign it. ?You can afford it,? she says. You?re right, *Jackie*, she might have done him wrong and yet here she is asking. Unfortunately, something happens and he runs out. Too bad, I wanted her to have that hundred bucks. Poor Frank. When he explains to his wife he makes it sound, at first, like a reasonable mistake. Some men tried to escape but were caught just previously. He thought he was helping. But when she picks up on that and agrees with him wanting to palliate the guilt, he suddenly rebels and ends leaving the impression that he did it for food (he probably ate the food because he was hungry, not as a reward, but he can?t see that right now). Frank sabotages his own even-handedness with himself because it was the hellish consequences that he, rightly perhaps, can?t live with. And yet without Joe Conscience around he was doing just fine. It?s easy to have mixed feelings about Frank but he is the basically decent guy who makes decisions that result in the dark mire he cannot get out of. When Joe says at the end he?ll tell Frank?s wife it?s hard on the one hand to believe this sudden shift. Yes, Frank took the bullet but has Joe forgot about his fellow officers who died because of Frank? But it works anyway. Even though Frank?s redemption is all but complete, this gesture by Joe drives it home. On the same disc is this one. At first we?re getting a mystery story as well as a tutorial on forensics. Ricardo Montalban as an investigator has a few early scenes with a forensics specialist and we are painstakingly taken through the various processes. Though fairly interesting, I?m going, oh no. The story then becomes a of sort of peeling away the onion, the systematic solving of clues as all secrets are finally resolved. This process can be tedious if not careful but I?ll say and without going into details that this movie is not that way, it plays much better than that and one very big reason is this? When Elsa turns up we leave the investigator?s point of view and we get a different part of the plot that is really a change of pace. I?m sure you all know what an incorrigible little scene stealer Elsa is with these relatively small roles?and she does it again here. Remember her in The Big Clock ?...same thing. She?s wonderful. And they are not just throwaway Elsa Lanchester comedy relief, they have a great deal to do with the story. This is from the second of two fairly lengthy scenes she has. I love the way she says that. She knows her shtick and she can deliver without being mannered or obvious. She has that elusive quality, that ?magic? if you will, in these little bits they give her to do. (Not a criticism of Mary Astor, the latter has her own magic, just ask Laffite, he knows all about :x :x :x , although that Elsa is a sweetie pie in her own right ) Elsa adds considerably to this movie but the rest of Mystery Street is very solid and well done. Honorable mention to: *Jan Sterling*. One of these faces we?ve seen so many times. She is wonderful in this small role where she hustles this guy for the use of his car and very amusing in the doing. She (the actress and the character) is not trying to be funny. She plays it deadly serious. If I am amused by her it?s because she is so earnestly playing a recognizable type and playing it so crisply and so well that I can?t help but smile with admiration. She is so excellent in the few minutes she gets in this film. *And why is she looking at this lamp?* *Look at the Lamp again!* *See the difference!* *Lamp! Lamp! Lamp!* I wish the TCM store would get a lamp like so I can buy it. // Edited by: laffite on Dec 28, 2009 11:23 PM

THE BIRDS ? began to fly in to see this so-called bird-loving soldier and to maybe get a fly on part in the movie. They began to gather---ominously it seems---and a nearby school. A woman was sitting on a bench and began to nervously glance about. She lit a cigarette that seemed to excite the birds. Soon the were birds everywhere, a great many of them on the monkey bars in a sand box. The film crew arrived and soon discovered they were on the wrong set. Merton approached the woman on the bench but was told to buzz off. Finally the director, a fat guy, came up to Merton and offered him another script to read, it was about?

Lavenderblue, it's listed on NetFlix but is marked for SAVE, which (you may already know) means that it is not available and possibly not on DVD. It looks interesting. I've never heard of it. This reminds me of another series called "5 types of Love" or something like that. There were five episodes, each separate stories with different actors, each unconventional "love" stories. In one episode, boarding house members wonder out loud to each other where one of the other boarders, a quiet one on the fringe, goes off too when he disappears one day out of the week. One of the boarders finally decides to follow him one day. In another episode, an aging and lonely woman more or less resigned to her unhappiness takes a trip to Italy and has an unexpected and quixotic relationship with an chef who has an unconventional personality. Each story is a little gem. Such high quality...and yet nowhere to be found.

*Molo*, please take your time. Remember, my post was long promised and forever delayed and then finally posted without warning...so it's not fair that your reply should be so soon expected. Why not take care of the holidays and get to this after the New Year? Your reply is much awaited but we are patient. Please enjoy your holidays! I hope you have a great Christmas Day and New Years.

BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT ...was acquitted of the charge of Gross Harassment of every major Hollywood studio for his hapless desire to break into the movies which he actually did for awhile but was sued for fraud because he didn't know what he was doing. But the latest news out of Variety was that he had inherited a sum of money from an uncle who mistakenly put Merton in his will instead of his cat so now Merton thought he would be an angel and Andy and Judy regarded him with just suspicion but were desperate and accepted his offer, that is, until they discovered the dough he inherited was play money. Andy and Judy gave up and went back to MGM to do drugs and Merton was arrested for fraud having distributed play money to an undercover agent when he tried to buy some...

BABES ON BROADWAY ?were doing numbers while waiting in long lines. Suddenly this little fella charges on the scene with vigorous enthusiasm and said, ?Hey, let?s put on a show!.? It was no other than Andy Hardy who broke into a song and dance that was really good but everybody said, ?Who?s gonna pay us?? and Andy said, ?We?ll do it for the love of show business? and they all laughed at him and turned away except one cute girl who identified herself as Judy and said we?ll do a show together and so they sang a duet and this really rich guy with a halo came up to them and thought they were really good and so?

*Casablanca lover*: Thank you. I recall Danger UXB when it came out. It's great to be reminded of it. At the time I remember a certain morbid fascination with it. Not that I wanted to do that kind of work Truly harrowing! I looked up The Hurt Locker and put it in my queue. Along the same lines I see, rather an up-to-date version of UXB . And it's got Ralph F in it. Terrific! *DougieB*: Mapp and Lucia sounds great! Never heard of it before. And there are books too! I put the first disc on the queue. And please no "apologies" or reservations are required for claiming to be of a certain brow. These expressions are hereby banned on this thread . I consider myself so-called "high" in temperament (at times) but I am "low" to "middle" in everything else so these terms are blah to me. By some definitions, just watching the old classic Hollywood movies would be considered "high" so in a way we are all insufferable snobs in that respect. But we are wonderful. Laffite

BLUE ...as well having just taken a tab of LSD and then it was learned that everyone would do that and then ad lib their parts which made Laura Mars madder than ever so she got off at the next stop and ended up vanished anyway. Phylis' husband was the limping man having just broken his leg and they drew straws to see who would play the narrow margin although Fred and Phyliss were not good candidates having transformed themselves into a couple of fatties so they were assigned to be the strangers. They held auditions to have someone play the narrow margin and they came up with...

Merry Christmas to you as well, *Casablancelover.*..and to *all*. That last batch you posted, a nice group of selections. laffite

OF HUMAN BONDAGE ...being forced to take a steam bath in the smoking car by the script which by now had everyone concerned as there seemed to be several scripts mixed together no doubt due to some idiot in the dining care who mixed up all the gravies. So everyone sat around and smoked cigarettes until they sorted this out and then the guy name Guy got up and wondered out load what movie he was supposed to be in and then Laura Mars apologized for having wandered on the wrong set although she thought she smelled something fishy the minute she saw Fred and Phylis with apple fritters in their cheeks. Finally the director came on the scene appearing like a ghost out of the steam which was making it difficult for everyone to smoke their cigarettes and said, "Okay, here's what's what..."