JonParker

I watched a movie on cable about 15 years ago. I don't know anything other than it was probably late 1950's. It was about a teenage couple that gets pregnant. I agree that it sounds like "A Summer Place," although I don't remember Troy Donahue being pregnant.

And to jonparker for remembering Roger Corman. That was MattHelm that remembered Corman. I'm not sure I agree that he was the most influential in terms of style, although Matt makes a good case for his personal influence. Regardless, I will never pass up the chance to see a Corman film.

I was aware of the DVD included with the Scarface (1981) box, but I don't like the main attraction well enough to shell out that kind of money for it. My feelings are somewhere in between "most influential" and "dog of a movie." A Scarface (1931) at $20-30, or even a Criterion at $40 would be money well spent though.

I agree about Corman, although it's using a different definition of "influential" than I think most of us have working with. There's not much about his directing style that's particularly unique, but as far as nuts and bolts go he's the master.

Well, two strange reasons. Sorry...

My list is as follows: 04. Scarface (1932) Paul Muni I know they've shown Scarface before, because I have a VHS tape of it. Still, I'd like for them to run it again so I can record it to DVD. Even better, I'd like to see a commercial DVD release.

I'd have to vote for Hitchcock, although the cases for Fellini and Welles are strong as well. None of them are my favorite (that would be Murnau), but I think Hitchcock's influence is often overlooked.

New winner for me. Just bought the DVD of "Hell's Angels" and OMG. Jean Harlow's dress in the color sequence is yummy.

I can't answer that, but I bet if you posted to alt.movies.silent then Michael Blake or Jon Mirsalis could.

It's not a great movie, but I've been dying for years to see "Call Her Savage" with Clara Bow again. It shows on FMC once in a while, but i don't get that.

In my opinion Chaney was the greatest film actor of all time, period. He just amazes me in every movie he's in.

Which version of Ran did Netflix send you? The Fox-Lohrer version is atrocious.

The Outrage is also interesting for featuring William Shatner before he got fat chewing scenery.

No silents this year. Did you know that you can get to the schedules for the next two months from the TCM main page? If you don't own it, you should pick up a copy of Walter Kerr's "The Silent Clowns." It's OOP but avalable on Amazon. It's the best book on silent comedy ever, and possibly the best on silent film period.

I forgot Broken Blossoms. That's a great Griffith film.

Don't expect too much from "Fast Workers." It's really a muddled mess. I haven't seen Phantom of Paris yet, although I recorded it. I thought the booze was taking its toll on Gilbert in "Fast Workers" though. He looked kind of doughy. I don't think the issue for Gilbert was that his voice was too high, it's that it didn't match what his fans imagined it to be. My favorite Gilbert movie is "The Big Parade." It's a simply stunning anti-war film.

I believe it's by Carl Davis, but I'm not sure where it comes from.

Robin Hood (1922) with Douglas Fairbanks. Even the 1939 version (which is great) can't touch this one for production values, and no one has ever matched Fairbanks for sheer exuberant joy on screen.

There's a lot of good ending, but my favorite is The Graduate, where Ben and Elaine realize that nothing about them is different than their parents.

No way could I pick one. I love Murnau and Buster Keaton. If forced to choose one it would probably be, like several others, The Crowd. Or The Big Parade. I can't agree with Birth of a Nation. It was an important film, but excruciating to watch, even leaving the racism out of it. Griffith did much better work as a director on Orphans of the Storm and Intolerance.

Scott, I certainly didn't see Kay's wild life as a negative either, although her constant need for abortions are a lesson for those who want women's rights to return to the dark ages. I too was a bit wild in the past (and still on occasion). Regarding Phil Silvers: you are correct. I went back and reread that passage, and you did not state that he had rejected her advances. It is clearly stated as speculation. I apologize for getting that wrong. That will teach me to review books without having my copy handy. I'm glad that the photos look better in later copies, although it's the halftone resolution that's the real problem. I realize that this is not under your control. And honestly, my quibbles are minor, which I hope was made clear. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and treasure my copy. I was very pleased with it, and I'm sure Kay would be as well. You deserve a lot of credit for all your hard work in documenting the life of this fascinating woman.

It's probably stretching the definition of star a bit, but Barbara Pepper's role as Doris Ziffel on "Green Acres" was memorable. Actually, that's my all time favorite TV show.

I liked Eugene Pallette even if his politics were ultra right wing. He was always memorable in the movies.

What about "Penny Serenade?" It's the only Grant movie that I find unwatchable.

I finally finished Kay Francis: I Can't Wait to Be Forgotten" by Scott O'Brien. It's a good book, with a couple of limitations. O'Brien obviously adores his subject, so we get very little of Kay's dark side. It's not an objective book at all -- when he mentions the (admittedly few) people who didn't like Kay, he acts as an apologist. For example, Phil Silvers wrote some fairly nasty things about her, so O'Brien, with no real evidence, speculates that Kay shot him down when he proposed an affair. It may be true, but who knows. I have no problem with the Kay worship, but it is an issue in a biography. As I mentioned before, the photo quality is really bad. There are lots of pictures, but the grainy reproduction (you can literally count the halftone dots) is just awful. Those complaints aside, O'Brien did a great job documenting the life of Miss Fwancis. Lots of research, lots of anecdotes and interviews, and lots of excerpts from her diary. If I wasn't in love with Kay before (and I was), I'm totally mad about her now. Highly recommended -- a must read. Scott, if you're reading this, thank you. Great job.