CharlieT

OK. Fred Clark in Curse of the Mummy's Tomb. Rosalind Russell in The Trouble With Angels. Forrest Tucker in Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas. I think Lee Patrick played the boy, but I don't know how to reference it to the clue.

The Mother Superior sounds like Rosalind Russell and the yeti exploiter might be Forrest Tucker which would point towards "Auntie Mame." But I don't remember Fred Clark in the other "exploiter" role and I can't remember the name of the boy. Maybe someone else can follow up on this chain if it's correct. If not, then nevermind.

OK, it needs to be said. What's a shmata? Nothing. What's a shmata with you? Sorry, couldn't help myself. CharlieT

Although I feel hardly qualified to choose among all of these entries, I feel they deserve to have some reaction from all of the regular posters here. Many of the themes are well thought out and show a sense of style, a sense of humor or both. After perusing all lists, I cast my lowly vote for filmlover. To state reasons why would be to ignore the efforts of all of the other contestants, but choosing "To Kill a Mockingbird" as the Essential didn't hurt his chances. The entry of lzcutter also appealed to my own idea of a good way to spend a week in June. Thanks to all of you for the time and effort invested and good luck as you head for the finish line. CharlieT Message was edited by: CharlieT

Hello, I must be going. I cannot stay, I came to say, I must be going. I'm glad I came, but just the same, I must be going. La la I'll stay a week or two, I'll stay the summer through, But I am telling you, I must be going.

Sons of the Desert?

Now, now. This is not the place for name-calling, scarlett.

Thanks, Rusty. But explaining what makes a beautiful woman beautiful is easy. Explaining what makes a plain woman beautiful is difficult. The final courtroom scene is definitely a goose-bump moment. The only thing I didn't get to say about the movie is how much I enjoyed the score. Just hearing it makes me nostalgic for an era I never experienced except through the magic of the silver screen and this - my all-time favorite - film. CharlieT

Well, I guess it takes all kinds. ; )

And a 20 second intermission.

Yeah! I remember it. It starred Charlton Heston as an American soldier who has to hide out with the orchestra to avoid the Nazis for whom the orchestra is forced to perform before they are allowed to move on to their next scheduled gig. Maximillian Schell played the German commanding officer. I really enjoyed the music. Leonard Maltin wasn't very impressed with the film, giving it only one and a half stars. CharlieT

If they did "Watership Down" would it be considered redundant?

They may have to expand that to 60 seconds.

The most essential to me is "To Kill a Mockingbird." I saw this at as a twelve year old and felt even then it was one of the best movies I had ever seen or would ever see. It was part scary movie, part comedy, part social commentary, part nostalgia and part a coming of age movie. It dealt with racism, single parent family life and raising of handicapped children (Boo, of course) at a time when there were few social agencies to assist. It dealt with the poverty brought on by the Great Depression. And it showed the fragility of the simple joys of childhood. Add to that the performances of Gregory Peck, Paul Fix, William Windom, an up and coming Brock Peters and several unknowns including Mary Badham and Phillip Alford. And of course, Robert Duvall (God, I hope I spelled that right or CineSage Jr. AKA CineSage will be all over my illiterate butt.) I would not pick a least essential. No matter which I would choose, someone else might feel it is one of the great cinematic wonders of all time. Just look at the debates on "Citizen Kane" and you see what I mean. One of the fillers I saw on TCM had young people talking about some of the symbolism in one of the scenes in "To Kill a Mockingbird" as it was shown to them in class and I only saw this for the first time when they pointed it out. I know this is good, possibly great cinematic artistry, but all I need to know is if the film touches me in any way without looking for hidden meanings in juxtaposing of characters and inanimate objects. All I ask is to just be entertained. CharlieT

I always thought that it was Mantan Moreland that said, "Feet don't fail me now!" in the old Charlie Chan movies. Of course, I was just a child the last time I saw these films. CharlieT

Silly fantasies have their place in the entertainment industry. Not everything has to have a deep and redeeming message for viewers to ferret out. Actually, many classics could be classified as silly fantasies - and that's OK with me. Song of Bernadette has a girl hearing voices (presumably the Virgin Mary) and seeing visions directing her to build a shrine and everyone thinks she's crazy. Although she doesn't give any dead people a ride in a VW minibus, it does have striking similarities, if you want to look at it that way. Looking at it with logic, the two films are nothing alike. As they say, that's what make horse races. I still like the movie for the reasons I stated and the reasons you stated as well, jarhfive. It does go beyond baseball to more human themes. But that's just me, I guess. CharlieT

Would you say that McQueen is number 1 with a "Bullitt?"

'Fraid I don't remember any reference to "Field of Dreams" in "Sleepless in Seattle." I do recall Tom Hanks and his brother-in-law getting maudlin over the end of "The Dirty Dozen" to rib Rita Wilson's crying over the end of "An Affair to Remember." I really enjoyed FOD because of its connection to early vintage baseball. My only complaint was casting Ray Liotta to play Shoeless Joe Jackson. Liotta played him as a right-handed New Yawker, but Jackson was left-handed and from South Carolina. Other than that, I choose to "suspend my disbelief." This is advice I always give my daughter whenever she questions motivations of actors or the credibility of some actions or reactions to way the movie is presented. One could tear apart the logic of almost any movie made if one wanted to, but where's the fun in that? CharlieT

... and Roland Young.

True misers refuse to spend even on themselves. Scenes in many versions take the time to make that point. In the 1951 version, Sim turns down more bread he requests because it will cost him a "ha' penny extra." Scrooge does little or nothing to make his life more comfortable at home or at work because it is cheaper. Even the 1938 version loses some credibility when Gene Lockhart's Cratchit has to pay Owen's Scrooge for his hat that is ruined by the passing coach. There's no way Charles Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge would pay as much for a hat as he paid Bob Cratchit for a week's work. True misers tend to live a life closer to abject poverty than affluence. CharlieT

Try private messaging sandykaypax. She's from Cleveland and probably watches TCM on the channel you need. CharlieT

I love most versions, but the 1951 version with Alistair Sim is the one that first hooked me. Second, I rate Albert Finney's "Scrooge" musical for its fantastic lyrics. Third, my wife's favorite, Reginald Owen from 1938. The Muppet's Christmas Carol is one of the most humorous, along with Bill Murray's "Scrooged." Another animated version not mentioned here is "The Stingiest Man in Town" with the voices of Walter Matthau and Tom Bosley. George C. Scott is good as Scrooge, but he seems almost too affluent for a miser. I rate his version about the same as Patrick Stewart's. Sir Seymour Hicks is very good and I think Donald Calthrop captures the essence of Bob Cratchit, however most versions available are so poor that I lose some of the enjoyment of watching. One of my favorite TV versions stars Frederick March as Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as Marley. It was on a program called "Shower of Stars" (I think) and was sponsored by Chrysler. I also enjoyed Rich Little's Christmas Carol where he played all of the parts ranging from W.C. Fields as Scrooge, Paul Lynde as Cratchit, Truman Capote as Tiny Tim, Jimmy Stewart as Dick Wilkins to Groucho Marx as Fezziwig. Above all, avoid Kelsey Grammar's unwatchable version that was made for TV a couple of years ago. Henry Winkler's "An American Christmas Carol" was good, but I like to keep the story in the original English setting. That leaves out Palance's Western "Ebenezer" and the female version, "Ebbie." I do have one animated version that is completely strange that has a unibrow Scrooge and my favorite line from Tiny Tim to his father at the dinner table when the turkey is presented for all - "Cut that sucker, Dad!" Overall, it's the story of redemption that keeps this immortal classic alive and in one version or another a holiday favorite for almost everyone. CharlieT

O.K. just as obvious. Blue Hawaii?

Sounds like Elmer Gantry. Burt Lancaster as The Crimson Pirate Jean Simmons in A Small Killing Arthur Kennedy in A Summer Place (wild guess) Shirley Jones from Partridge Family. Message was edited by: Charlie Message was edited by: CharlieT

Let's eliminate the obvious. Hawaii?