DownGoesFrazier Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Not bad. This was MacMurray's first major role, wasn't it? Did it make him a star? The actor who played Alice's father was very good . Who was he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I believe Fred MacMurray's first major role was in The Gilded Lily with Claudette Colbert, made the same year as Alice Adams. I believe 'Lily' was the film that boosted him to stardom, but I imagine, in conjunction with 'Alice,' it probably cemented his star status. I think MacMurray was very underrated as an actor. Nowadays, he's mostly known for My Three Sons and his Disney films, but there is so much more to him than his 1960s output. I think he was great playing the heavy (like in Double Indemnity and The Apartment). He's also a viable romantic comedy lead. I especially like his collaborations with Colbert and Barbara Stanwyck. Fred Stone is the actor who portrays Alice's father, Virgil, in the film. I agree, I thought he gave an excellent performance as the patriarch who works hard to provide for his family--even though Alice and her mother want a higher status in society. I love Alice Adams. I record it each time it airs. I watched it last night as well. I especially like the scene where MacMurray comes over to the home in the stifling heat and the family serves a heavy meal in an effort to impress him. The meal is a mess, but MacMurray is a good sport about the whole thing. I also thought Hattie McDaniel was hilarious as the messy maid who doesn't know what she's doing and is sweating profusely while trying to get this meal on the table. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 I believe Fred MacMurray's first major role was in The Gilded Lily with Claudette Colbert, made the same year as Alice Adams. I believe 'Lily' was the film that boosted him to stardom, but I imagine, in conjunction with 'Alice,' it probably cemented his star status. I think MacMurray was very underrated as an actor. Nowadays, he's mostly known for My Three Sons and his Disney films, but there is so much more to him than his 1960s output. I think he was great playing the heavy (like in Double Indemnity and The Apartment). He's also a viable romantic comedy lead. I especially like his collaborations with Colbert and Barbara Stanwyck. Fred Stone is the actor who portrays Alice's father, Virgil, in the film. I agree, I thought he gave an excellent performance as the patriarch who works hard to provide for his family--even though Alice and her mother want a higher status in society. I love Alice Adams. I record it each time it airs. I watched it last night as well. I especially like the scene where MacMurray comes over to the home in the stifling heat and the family serves a heavy meal in an effort to impress him. The meal is a mess, but MacMurray is a good sport about the whole thing. I also thought Hattie McDaniel was hilarious as the messy maid who doesn't know what she's doing and is sweating profusely while trying to get this meal on the table. I assume Fred Stone was primarily a stage actor. I don't recall his name from films at all. But there are more knowledgeable people who might. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I assume Fred Stone was primarily a stage actor. I don't recall his name from films at all. But there are more knowledgeable people who might. I've never seen him in any other film aside from Alice Adams. According to IMDB, he only has 18 film credits. His first film was something called Destiny: Or, the Soul of a Woman made in 1915, and his last film was The Westerner made in 1940. Also according to IMDB, Stone was primarily a circus performer. He ran away from home in 1884, at the age of 11, and joined the circus. At the turn of the century, Stone paired up with another circus performer and they formed a song and dance team and were the hit of the burlesque and minstrel show circuit. In 1917, his partner died and he continued on without him--performing vaudeville shows with his wife. He also made quite a few silent Western films in the late 1910s and then left film. Alice Adams was his return to film. He finished out the 1930s appearing in a variety of Westerns, such as 'Westerner' and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. He died in 1959. I'm not sure what he was doing between 1940 and 1959, IMDB doesn't say. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Dave Montgomery and Fred Stone, the Tin Man and Scarecrow in a 1903 Broadway adaption of Wizard of Oz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 apparently whoever drew the art for this poster was under the impression that MacMurray was kin of some sort to Edward G. Robinson. the artist didn't exactly "capture" Hepburn either though, did he? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 a lot of MacMurray's best roles came about as a result of no one else wanting them- (his triumphs for Billy Wilder come to mind) and it's quite possible he got this gig because no one wanted to act opposite Hepburn at the time, either because of her reputation or vastly diminishing box office returns (remember, this movie was right after SPITFIRE!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 apparently whoever drew the art for this poster was under the impression that MacMurray was kin of some sort to Edward G. Robinson. the artist didn't exactly "capture" Hepburn either though, did he? They look more like Cagney and Veda Ann Borg then MacMurray and Hepburn. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 apparently whoever drew the art for this poster was under the impression that MacMurray was kin of some sort to Edward G. Robinson. the artist didn't exactly "capture" Hepburn either though, did he? MacMurray looks like a drag queen here.. Here's Evelyn Venable 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 MacMurray looks like a drag queen here.. Here's Evelyn Venable Now that is a good picture. She must've been nicer to the Publicity Dept. than Kate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 i think Michael Jackson took that poster image of Hepburn with him to the plastic surgeon's office one day and was like "here, this is it: I WANT this nose!" ...and the Doctor was like "say no more." 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 In the poster, Katharine Hepburn kind of looks like a cross between post-post-post op Michael Jackson and Barbara Stanwyck. Fred MacMurray looks like Tony Curtis' Josephine (sans wig) in Some Like it Hot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyCronin Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 It looks like Greer Garson, having just discovered Germanium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 I've never seen him in any other film aside from Alice Adams. According to IMDB, he only has 18 film credits. His first film was something called Destiny: Or, the Soul of a Woman made in 1915, and his last film was The Westerner made in 1940. Also according to IMDB, Stone was primarily a circus performer. He ran away from home in 1884, at the age of 11, and joined the circus. At the turn of the century, Stone paired up with another circus performer and they formed a song and dance team and were the hit of the burlesque and minstrel show circuit. In 1917, his partner died and he continued on without him--performing vaudeville shows with his wife. He also made quite a few silent Western films in the late 1910s and then left film. Alice Adams was his return to film. He finished out the 1930s appearing in a variety of Westerns, such as 'Westerner' and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. He died in 1959. I'm not sure what he was doing between 1940 and 1959, IMDB doesn't say. Strange that Stone wasn't given other opportunities for roles like in ALICE ADAMS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Strange that Stone wasn't given other opportunities for roles like in ALICE ADAMS. I also thought he was great in the film and even took time to look him up on imdb while it was airing. Often times i come across people in old movies and wonder the same thing (why they didn't go on to do more things), and the truth is: you never know what the circumstances were. it's possible he preferred doing theater; it's possible he hated California (and even more possible he hated the moviemaking business, which is a HARD GAME); it's possible he was in poor health; maybe there were personal issues. with actresses, nine times out of ten the reason their careers stalled was because they said "no" to someone who was asking them for a romp on the ole' casting couch; with this guy I doubt that was the reason, but hey, there's always been some sick tickets in Tinseltown and anything's possible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosebette Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I actually liked Alice Adams less on a second viewing. I found it impossible to believe that Fred MacMurray's character could be attracted to Alice's affected, insecure, and pretentious character. Any redeeming virtues she has aren't displayed until the end of the film when she speaks out to her father's boss. I found the dinner scene hilarious, though, and I thought Stone was excellent. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 I actually liked Alice Adams less on a second viewing. I found it impossible to believe that Fred MacMurray's character could be attracted to Alice's affected, insecure, and pretentious character. Any redeeming virtues she has aren't displayed until the end of the film when she speaks out to her father's boss. I found the dinner scene hilarious, though, and I thought Stone was excellent. At that time Hepburn was prettier than any of her "rivals" in the ffilm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosebette Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 At that time Hepburn was prettier than any of her "rivals" in the ffilm. Prettier than Evelyn Venable, with that statuesque bearing and lovely alto speaking voice? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Prettier than Evelyn Venable, with that statuesque bearing and lovely alto speaking voice? I believe DGF was just cracking wise, but related to your comments and the plot: Yea, the Alice Adams' personality wasn't very appealing for much of the film so one can assume the main factor that cause the man to come back for another bite at the apple was her looks. Or maybe he just was a sucker for punishment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I believe DGF was just cracking wise, but related to your comments and the plot: Yea, the Alice Adams' personality wasn't very appealing for much of the film so one can assume the main factor that cause the man to come back for another bite at the apple was her looks. Or maybe he just was a sucker for punishment? I'm not so sure DGF was kidding, James. In fact, I agree with him and would say in response to rosebette's query about the possibility of Evelyn Venable being prettier than Hepburn in that film, Venable's appearance is a pleasant one but nothing really out of the ordinary, and whereas Hepburn's was as it always was in her youth...striking. (...yep, I'm pretty much talkin' about "cheekbones" here again, dude!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaveGirl Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I will only watch "AA" for one reason: Frank Albertson! Having read the book in high school, I hated the film when I first saw it, but I will watch bits of it to see Frank since I love him in anything. He had a long career and later is probably most famous for being the guy who flirts with Janet Leigh in "Psycho" and also is the bearer of all the money that she steals. Love him! Hate Kate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I will only watch "AA" for one reason: Frank Albertson! Having read the book in high school, I hated the film when I first saw it, but I will watch bits of it to see Frank since I love him in anything. He had a long career and later is probably most famous for being the guy who flirts with Janet Leigh in "Psycho" and also is the bearer of all the money that she steals. Love him! Hate Kate! Funny, but I would've thought his most famous role might have been as Sam Wainwright in a certain Christmas perennial, CG? (..."HEEE-haw!!!") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaveGirl Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Funny, but I would've thought his most famous role might have been as Sam Wainwright in a certain Christmas perennial, CG? (..."HEEE-haw!!!") He was great as Sam, Dargo but I guess that was so much earlier I wanted to pick a much later role for him. Frank was also the Mayor in "Bye Bye, Birdie" too. Just think, if Sam had not wired that he would advance 25,000 smackeroos to George Bailey to save the Building and Loan, Georgie might have ended up in the slammer with Violet. But that's a whole other movie! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 He was great as Sam, Dargo but I guess that was so much earlier I wanted to pick a much later role for him. Frank was also the Mayor in "Bye Bye, Birdie" too. Just think, if Sam had not wired that he would advance 25,000 smackeroos to George Bailey to save the Building and Loan, Georgie might have ended up in the slammer with Violet. But that's a whole other movie! He was in PSYCHO as the guy whose money Janet steals. He is totally unrecognizable from his earlier roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaveGirl Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 He was in PSYCHO as the guy whose money Janet steals. He is totally unrecognizable from his earlier roles. Yeah, he had aged from a callow youth to a rather smarmy on the make rich guy, Down. Happens to a lot of guys. I still dig him. He was always such a smart-aleck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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