The Annual FrankGrimes Torture Thread

[rohanaka]

of course you and I look lovely too

 

Of COURSE! That's because we are sisters, afterall.  

 

Meanwhile.. I wonder if Frank will fit in the window seat. I would hate for his suit to get all wrinkled if we have to fold him over or anything.  Because we DO want him to look nice for the funer.. um.. I mean for his trip to Panama.  

 

[JackFavell]

[JackFavell]

of course you and I look lovely too

 

Of COURSE! That's because we are sisters, afterall.

 

Meanwhile.. I wonder if Frank will fit in the window seat. I would hate for his suit to get all wrinkled if we have to fold him over or anything.  Because we DO want him to look nice for the funer.. um.. I mean for his trip to Panama.

 

 

Frank looks kinda scrawny to me.....

 

CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE! 

[FrankGrimes]

See? You WERE waiting for us to torture you!

 

I think you're right!

 

How's it going? Did you go MIA too? I bet it was sports related.

 

Where sports has got me is my watching films.  It's really taken some of my time away,

 

But the reason I haven't been posting is mainly a lack of energy and motivation.  It has nothing to do with anyone here.  I'm very appreciative of being missed.  That was very sweet of everyone.

 

I've had a schedule change that has affected some of my time and energy.

 

I haven't watched many films since the end of April.  It's crazy.

 

I absolutely love all of the photos you've been posting!  Such a great memory.  I can't believe you remembered all of the films I haven't liked too much.  I got a kick out of your remembering my dislike of Bewitched.  I think you remember them because you like them!

[FrankGrimes]

Meanwhile.. I wonder if Frank will fit in the window seat. I would hate for his suit to get all wrinkled if we have to fold him over or anything.  Because we DO want him to look nice for the funer.. um.. I mean for his trip to Panama.

 

  You can't fool Ma Stone!

[rohanaka]

Frank looks kinda scrawny to me

 

It's hard to gain weight on a steady diet of sawdust and saurkraut.

 

PS: Grey Dude:

 

You can't fool Ma Stone

 

You can't blame an old gal for trying. 

 

I am not too sure about Jackie's cab driver. I don't know what movie that one is from.. but he looks MUCH to cheery for the likes of you. I am sure she MEANT to call you a DIFFERENT cab..

 

Hey look.. YOUR cab is waiting over here.. and your driver had just come on duty..  

 

 

 

All kidding aside.. It's nice to see  you and Jackie BOTH, this evening. You two have been missed a lot. It's not the same here without you. 

[JackFavell]

See? You WERE waiting for us to torture you!

 

I think you're right!

 

How's it going? Did you go MIA too? I bet it was sports related.

 

Where sports has got me is my watching films.  It's really taken some of my time away,

 

But the reason I haven't been posting is mainly a lack of energy and motivation.  It has nothing to do with anyone here.  I'm very appreciative of being missed.  That was very sweet of everyone.

 

I've had a schedule change that has affected some of my time and energy.

 

I haven't watched many films since the end of April.  It's crazy.

 

I absolutely love all of the photos you've been posting!  Such a great memory.  I can't believe you remembered all of the films I haven't liked too much.  I got a kick out of your remembering my dislike of Bewitched.  I think you remember them because you like them!

 

 

Awww. I cheated a little there with Bewitched. I was reading the posts I hadn't seen yet and saw it there. I haven't even seen rhe movie! Just looked up the plot summary. The others I remember oh so well.... because I was so unhappy that you dissed them!

 

I hope your schedule change is a good thing for you, other than interrupting your movie watching. I haven't been watching anything much either.

 

I'm ALMOST disappointed you came back... I was about to post this:

 

 

just to tease you into coming back! I knew you couldn't resist a mistake like that.

 

But wow.... you LIKED it? It's INCONCEIVABLE!

[FrankGrimes]

Awww. I cheated a little there with Bewitched. I was reading the posts I hadn't seen yet and saw it there. I haven't even seen rhe movie! Just looked up the plot summary.

 

Oh!  I can't believe you went back that far!  Miss G really likes Bewitched.  It was her suggestion.  I think you would side more with her on that one.

 

The others I remember oh so well.... because I was so unhappy that you dissed them!

 

  I thought that was a big factor with your memory.  I like that.  Top Hat is a film I should try again because I think it suffered from being my first Astaire & Rogers film.

 

I hope your schedule change is a good thing for you, other than interrupting your movie watching. I haven't been watching anything much either.

 

You know how life is: there's almost always a mix of good and bad with most everything.

 

I'm disappointed you came back... I was about to post this:

 

That's hilarious!

 

just to tease you into coming back! I knew you couldn't resist a mistake like that.

 

But wow.... you LIKED it? It's INCONCEIVABLE!

 

I really liked it!  It's such a great relationship film.  I thought it was great to see two people so madly in love with each other but whose pride always got in the way.  It's amazing what can get in the way of great love.

[JackFavell]

I really liked it!  It's such a great relationship film.  I thought it was great to see two people so madly in love with each other but whose pride always got in the way.  It's amazing what can get in the way of great love.

 

 

Yes, and that's what makes it heartbreaking at the end. They were really caught in a Catch 22.... long before that phrase was even created. That last scene makes you sit on the edge of your seat (or throne as the case may be)....every time I see it, I pray she will call him back and stop it. And it's like she died too, when the drums stop. Powerful. I agree that Errol was magnificent in this movie. Not another actor could match up to her so well, I think. Perfect casting.

 

 

I'm so happy you and Laffite liked Les Visiteurs du Soir. I too was really taken with it. I loved the interplay between the characters, especially Arletty and Gilles, I mean Alain Cluny. Fascinating how differently they dealt with their respective downfalls. Women sometimes can be more pragmatic than men, so that little twist really made sense to me.

 

Is that Phyllis Thaxter in bewitched? I really like her very much, so this is high on my list to see.

[FrankGrimes]

I am not too sure about Jackie's cab driver. I don't know what movie that one is from.. but he looks MUCH to cheery for the likes of you. I am sure she MEANT to call you a DIFFERENT cab..

 

Hey look.. YOUR cab is waiting over here.. and your driver had just come on duty..  

 

That's true!  And he's my favorite cabbie!  Do you think he's going to take me out for a night on the town?

 

All kidding aside.. It's nice to see  you and Jackie BOTH, this evening. You two have been missed a lot. It's not the same here without you.

 

Awwwwww, thank you.  And I feel the same about you and the other "Ramblers".  You always feel something is off when someone is missing.

[JackFavell]

Ro-

 

Even when I haven't been here, my heart HAS been. I missed you guys so much. It's just that deadlines and money matters and other things sometimes get in the way.

 

 

[FrankGrimes]

Yes, and that's what makes it heartbreaking at the end. They were really caught in a Catch 22.... long before that phrase was even created. That last scene makes you sit on the edge of your seat (or throne as the case may be)....every time I see it, I pray she will call him back and stop it. And it's like she died too, when the drums stop. Powerful. I agree that Errol was magnificent in this movie. Not another actor could match up to her so well, I think. Perfect casting.

 

I agree with all of that.  In classic "me" fashion (ignorance), I remember saying how I had no interest in Errol Flynn when I first joined this board.  I have finally started watching his films in the past couple of years and I'm finding I really enjoy the guy.  He's the most charismatic performer that I have ever seen.  He's magnetic.  And I think he can act, too.

 

The ending to The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex really is tense.  Even I was hoping for a different kind of ending.  It's remarkable to see Errol and Bette together.  They don't seem to fit but that ends up becoming part of the appeal.  Such strong wills battling over the strongest emotion in life.

 

I'm so happy you and Laffite liked Les Visiteurs du Soir. I too was really taken with it. I loved the interplay between the characters, especially Arletty and Gilles, I mean Alain Cluny. Fascinating how differently they dealt with their respective downfalls. Women sometimes can be more pragmatic than men, so that little twist really made sense to me.

 

I hope Laffite chimes in on the film for you.  I think he'd appreciate the discussion.  I thought Dominique (Arletty) was a difficult one to figure.  Could you help me out with her?

 

Is that Phyllis Thaxter in bewitched? I really like her very much, so this is high on my list to see.

 

Yes, that's Phyllis.  She was the main reason why Snippy suggested the film to me because she likes to call her "your gal".  I like Phyllis because of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  The film is directed by Arch Obler, who has fallen short with me.  Miss G likes him and I think the SSO crowd goes for him, as well.

[butterscotchgreer]

Frank, click your heels together three times and say: "Please STOP posting pics from movies I don't like, Wendy." and I'll stop!

 

Way to go Jackie, way to start his first day back....heehee. good girl!

 

And by the way, my lassie, greer is a good topic to start with. Heehee! He will go crazy for it!

[JackFavell]

 Sorry, I am such a slow writer.

 

I agree with all of that.  In classic "me" fashion (ignorance), I remember saying how I had no interest in Errol Flynn when I first joined this board.  I have finally started watching his films in the past couple of years and I'm finding I really enjoy the guy.  He's the most charismatic performer that I have ever seen.  He's magnetic.  And I think he can act, too.

 

I completely agree. I guess I always liked him, ever since I saw Robin Hood as a kid. But he had to be a good actor to do those kind of roles... really, have you ever seen anyone else who could play that role any better? Never, I say! I like the rebel in Errol tremendously, the will to deflate old gasbags, almost like Groucho Marx. and I also the sweet charlatan Errol. There's something inherently.... mistrustful about him, generally speaking, but he can make you believe his sincerity when it comes down to a single moment. Even when he's not sweet, he's got something you empathize with. It's such a gift.

 

The ending to The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex really is tense.  Even I was hoping for a different kind of ending.  It's remarkable to see Errol and Bette together.  They don't seem to fit but that ends up becoming part of the appeal.  Such strong wills battling over the strongest emotion in life.

 

 That's so well put! Yes, they don't fit, but that works to the advantage of the characterizations in this movie. They spark and their minds meet, they are exciting together ..... BUT he wants to be considered a man, have a man's rights over wife and 'kingdom', whatever that may mean to him. She doesn't want to be taken advantage of, used for her power, or let go of the reins of state through love-blindness.... It's an impossible standoff. I think he even says at one point that he WOULD try to take the crown should she relent and marry him. They're both equally stubborn and equally hurt, but equally honest with one another in the end. It should have worked but it doesn't, the inmost character of each won't allow for it.

 

Had they been anyone else, they could have lived and loved like any other two lovers, fought and made up and fought again....and it would have been of no consequence. People would have said they were a perfect match or that they would end up killing one another, but that spark would remain. Here, one has to kill it in the other.

 

We see these royalty stories all the time in the movies, they cannot be with the one they love, but here it's so adult and complex and it really does pose an insurmountable problem. It's so intelligent. It's my favorite of the Elizabeth movies because the two are so worthy of love... and so deluded by honor. I know it's a stretch, but to me, they are very much like Sam Spade and Bridget O'Shaughnessy, or Scarlett and Rhett. They are equals. Everything in them is telling them to be together. They are perfect for one another in their faults, and that's why they can't ever be together. Trust on either side is singularly lacking. Mercurial actors on the world stage always have other motives, even if they don't want to have them. At least these two are honest about them.

 

I hope Laffite chimes in on the film for you.  I think he'd appreciate the discussion.  I thought Dominique (Arletty) was a difficult one to figure.  Could you help me out with her?

 

I think she gave in to her position as the devil's handmaiden, gave up long ago trying to fight it maybe even immediately, as it was to her advantage to give in. She decided it was more pragmatic to simply go with the flow from the moment he trapped them, that maybe she would be able to find a way to outsmart him. I think she already did relish a little devilment when dealing with others weaker and stupider than she, but I also feel that it has deepened into a more cunning lust and hatred over a long long period of time. She's one of those who like to play the game, twist other people in the wind because they can. I think she looks down on those who find her attractive, also on those who are foolish in love. She carries worldly wise to an extreme level, has taken womanly shrewdness to just this side of evil. There is no softness, no vulnerable spot there showing... but why? I still somewhat like her as a character. I see one **** in the armor of her sarcasm and haughtiness.   underneath that hard glittering exterior, I think she was dumped by Gilles, and never really forgot the sting of it. Some people will do anything to avoid being vulnerable again. And so she got even harder and colder. There may have once been hope for her, but it was lost. She's like the male Liliom - it's easier to sit back and enjoy doing bad things than to change. I'd have to go back and watch again to see if wjhat I said actually fits the story. It's an impression I have.

 

Yes, that's Phyllis.  She was the main reason why Snippy suggested the film to me because she likes to call her "your gal".  I like Phyllis because of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  The film is directed by Arch Obler, who has fallen short with me.  Miss G likes him and I think the SSO crowd goes for him, as well.

 

Yes, I've seen them write about him. I know hardly anything about him. But I do like everything I've seen Phyllis Thaxter in. The Breaking Point was the eye opener for me. I thought she was just wonderful in that one- complex and interesting in a role that could have been one dimensional. She wasn't just this nice housewife,... she had feelings and they weren't all good ones. She seemed so bottled up and trapped.  She had a whole life going on outside the film, I felt.

[JackFavell]

Frank, click your heels together three times and say: "Please STOP posting pics from movies I don't like, Wendy." and I'll stop!

 

Way to go Jackie, way to start his first day back....heehee. good girl!

 

And by the way, my lassie, greer is a good topic to start with. Heehee! He will go crazy for it!

 

 

Little T! Haha! Nothing says torture like Greer Garson! Just kidding....  don't want you to strangle ME with those gloves.... So nice to be back here.and see you still posting darlin'!

[FrankGrimes]

Sorry, I am such a slow writer.

 

The beauty of a message board is that no one would ever know you're a slow writer.  You could have just started writing ten minutes ago and we'd never know.  Besides, I'm also a slow writer.  I'm slowed even more by my need to re-read everything.

 

I completely agree. I guess I always liked him, ever since I saw Robin Hood as a kid. But he had to be a good actor to do those kind of roles... really, have you ever seen anyone else who could play that role any better? Never, I say! I like the rebel in Errol tremendously, the will to deflate old gasbags, almost like Groucho Marx. and I also the sweet charlatan Errol. There's something inherently.... mistrustful about him, generally speaking, but he can make you believe his sincerity when it comes down to a single moment. Even when he's not sweet, he's got something you empathize with. It's such a gift.

 

Very good!  You're so good at pinpointing a performer or director or character's strengths.  Bronxie is another who is great at doing this.

 

When I joined the board, my classic film knowledge revolved around Hitch, film noir, and some westerns.  Flynn wasn't a player in the first two realms and I hadn't seen him in any of his westerns.  As my classic film world expanded, thanks in large part to so many of you, it allowed for me to give Errol a real chance.  And I have greatly enjoyed him.

 

I definitely like Errol's "devil may care" persona.  He and Gable are excellent with this.  I love the devilish twinkle in Errol's eye.  I love his athleticism.  I love his sense of humor.  I also love his look.  Errol doesn't look like the guys of the 30s and 40s.  He's just so different.

 

That's so well put! Yes, they don't fit, but that works to the advantage of the characterizations in this movie. They spark and their minds meet, they are exciting together ..... BUT he wants to be considered a man, have a man's rights over wife and 'kingdom', whatever that may mean to him. She doesn't want to be taken advantage of, used for her power, or let go of the reins of state through love-blindness.... It's an impossible standoff. I think he even says at one point that he WOULD try to take the crown should she relent and marry him. They're both equally stubborn and equally hurt, but equally honest with one another in the end. It should have worked but it doesn't, the inmost character of each won't allow for it.

 

Had they been anyone else, they could have lived and loved like any other two lovers, fought and made up and fought again....and it would have been of no consequence. People would have said they were a perfect match or that they would end up killing one another, but that spark would remain. Here, one has to kill it in the other.

 

That's excellently put.  Essex did want the throne and he did say he wouldn't relent in wanting this.  I think Elizabeth was okay with that in her heart but she knew she couldn't do it for royal purposes.

 

We see these royalty stories all the time in the movies, they cannot be with the one they love, but here it's so adult and complex and it really does pose an insurmountable problem. It's so intelligent. It's my favorite of the Elizabeth movies because the two are so worthy of love... and so deluded by honor. I know it's a stretch, but to me, they are very much like Sam Spade and Bridget O'Shaughnessy, or Scarlett and Rhett. They are equals. Everything in them is telling them to be together. They are perfect for one another in their faults, and that's why they can't ever be together. Trust on either side is singularly lacking. Mercurial actors on the world stage always have other motives, even if they don't want to have them. At least these two are honest about them.

 

That's quite fascinating.  Pride is a huge obstacle with love.  I also feel expectations are a killer of love.  We can never just love simply.  We have to create all these obstacles.  We often allow Society to help add obstacles, as well.

 

I think she gave in to her position as the devil's handmaiden, gave up long ago trying to fight it maybe even immediately, as it was to her advantage to give in. She decided it was more pragmatic to simply go with the flow from the moment he trapped them, that maybe she would be able to find a way to outsmart him. I think she already did relish a little devilment when dealing with others weaker and stupider than she, but I also feel that it has deepened into a more cunning lust and hatred over a long long period of time. She's one of those who like to play the game, twist other people in the wind because they can. I think she looks down on those who find her attractive, also on those who are foolish in love. She carries worldly wise to an extreme level, has taken womanly shrewdness to just this side of evil. There is no softness, no vulnerable spot there showing... but why? I still somewhat like her as a character. I see one **** in the armor of her sarcasm and haughtiness.   underneath that hard glittering exterior, I think she was dumped by Gilles, and never really forgot the sting of it. Some people will do anything to avoid being vulnerable again. And so she got even harder and colder. There may have once been hope for her, but it was lost. She's like the male Liliom - it's easier to sit back and enjoy doing bad things than to change. I'd have to go back and watch again to see if wjhat I said actually fits the story. It's an impression I have.

 

That was superb!  I can see all of what you said with Dominique.  It really is easier to do bad, to just give up.  Rejection is painful and it leads one down a "I don't care anymore" path.  This leads to hurting others, even taking enjoyment in this.  It's very difficult to be on the "losing" side of love while watching others "win".

 

Yes, I've seen them write about him. I know hardly anything about him. But I do like everything I've seen Phyllis Thaxter in. The Breaking Point was the eye opener for me. I thought she was just wonderful in that one- complex and interesting in a role that could have been one dimensional. She wasn't just this nice housewife,... she had feelings and they weren't all good ones. She seemed so bottled up and trapped.  She had a whole life going on outside the film, I felt.

 

I agree with you about Phyllis' wife in The Breaking Point.  There's a reality to her.  And, interestingly enough, I feel Phyllis has a "Patricia Neal" vibe to her, who plays her "counterpart" in The Breaking Point.

[rohanaka]

Jackie says: I missed you guys so much. It's just that deadlines and money matters and other things sometimes get in the way.

 

Little Missy, I totally get it. I am just glad you are able to take a breather from that and be here with us, kiddo. I hope it is a sign that things on the upswing for you now. It is so good to see you posting again, little darlin'.

 

PS: Mr. Grey: 

he's my favorite cabbie!  Do you think he's going to take me out for a night on the town?

 

Ha.. wherever  he's taking  you.. let's hope it's not a ONE WAY ticket!

 

You always feel something is off when someone is missing.

 

Ha.. or in MY case it's more like something is off whether I am here or not. HA!  But again.. all kidding aside, it is good to see you both here, my dear (not DEAR) friends.

 

Hope your schedule works out for you.. I know it is hard to adjust when you get used to living one way and have to totally reconfigure everything to match up a different time of day, etc. Don't over do it. I't not good to be burning the candle at both ends (Because hey. we need you in good shape before we stick you w/ hatpins, hang you with frozen ropes, strangle you with gloves.. you know.. all the important stuff like that)

[laffite]

I think she gave in to her position as the devil's handmaiden, gave up long ago trying to fight it maybe even immediately, as it was to her advantage to give in. She decided it was more pragmatic to simply go with the flow from the moment he trapped them, that maybe she would be able to find a way to outsmart him. I think she already did relish a little devilment when dealing with others weaker and stupider than she, but I also feel that it has deepened into a more cunning lust and hatred over a long long period of time. She's one of those who like to play the game, twist other people in the wind because they can. I think she looks down on those who find her attractive, also on those who are foolish in love. She carries worldly wise to an extreme level, has taken womanly shrewdness to just this side of evil. There is no softness, no vulnerable spot there showing... but why? I still somewhat like her as a character. I see one **** in the armor of her sarcasm and haughtiness.   underneath that hard glittering exterior, I think she was dumped by Gilles, and never really forgot the sting of it. Some people will do anything to avoid being vulnerable again. And so she got even harder and colder. There may have once been hope for her, but it was lost. She's like the male Liliom - it's easier to sit back and enjoy doing bad things than to change. I'd have to go back and watch again to see if wjhat I said actually fits the story. It's an impression I have.

 

I love the way the movie shows right off the difference between Dominique and Gilles. When the Gilles performs that act of kindness on the jester (with pet bear) she says disdainfully "What did you do that for?."  She's at home with her role of deviltry probably to a similar degree that Gilles is not. We get to see the essential goodness in Gilles before he even meets Anne. I do remember (I think) a conversation between Gilles and Dominique about their past and there's definitely baggage there, and I think you are quite right about that. And did anyone else experience a chilling effect when Dominique and Anne's father were sort of paired off and then disappear together. The movie doesn't follow them and then ends, leaving us to contemplate what might happen there. Surely she has some deviltry up her sleeve and I don't think Anne's father is in any enviable position. He doesn't know what's coming and we might be better off not knowing as well. (or did I remember that right?)

 

Jackie, that's a wonderful analysis of Dominique. You nailed her.

 

I love Jules Berry as le diable. He has that likeable rascal quality to him, something we can enjoy as viewers but we can understand only too well what one random character says of him, "There is something about that fellow that makes me nervous." The movie right off makes no secret on who he is, we get that amusing bit when he approaches the fire. Although he is the ultimate bad guy of all time he is imbued with a charming wit that keeps the tone of the story on an even keel, given the potential dire subject matter. There are comic elements to the story (can we consider the movie a black comedy, or at least of comedy of sorts?) and Jules Berry portrayal is certainly a factor. (I mean look at the reaction of le diable at the end when he hears those hearts a-patter, he pouts like a child, ha).

[MissGoddess]

 

 

Hilarious!    Hilarious!

[movieman1957]

I go away for a few days and I come back and Scott is back. Wendy is here. RO and April keep the home fires burning. Even Baby T is here along with M. Lafitte. Maybe everything will be okay. 

[MissGoddess]

i definitely haven't done much to keep the home fires burning...soooo much going on right now plus major fatigue keeps my posting limited.  on top of that, someone hacked my website!

[butterscotchgreer]

Charles De Mar,

 

The beauty of a message board is that no one would ever know you're a slow writer.  You could have just started writing ten minutes ago and we'd never know.

 

Well, NOW we know! Golly gee, Frankie! Heehee!

[butterscotchgreer]

Little T! Haha! Nothing says torture like Greer Garson! Just kidding....  don't want you to strangle ME with those gloves.... So nice to be back here.and see you still posting darlin'!

 

Oh, Wendy, I could never strangle you. I'm perfectly willing to overlook that comment about Greer...this time. You're too sweet to me and YOU never steal my strawberry shortcake at tea parties! No, that privilege is saved strictly for a certain grimey meanie.

 

On with the glorious posting! YAY!!!

[rohanaka]

soooo much going on right now plus major fatigue keeps my posting limited.  on top of that, someone hacked my website!

 

No fun!

 

And NO fair either.. I hate hearing about hacking. (ha.. no alliteration intended, there) You'd think folks would have better things to do with their lives than to just go about causing that sort of havoc for entertainment.    

 

I am sorry it's been such a rotten time lately, dear girl. Hope things are much better VERY soon. 

[butterscotchgreer]

i definitely haven't done much to keep the home fires burning...soooo much going on right now plus major fatigue keeps my posting limited.  on top of that, someone hacked my website!

 

I think someone needs a good cuppa hot French tea and a hug! Sorry, dahlink! Maybe we can all make you feel better today!

 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!