JackFavell Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}The title of that book? "500 Things To Do With Buttermilk" Bwaaaahahahaa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 SueSue, I love that historical tour. We're definitely not the "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" types, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 Odd's fish, isn't Merle gorgeous in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL? (and so stunning in that hat) Sink me, I just adore Leslie in this movie!! Sigh... Kept nodding off during BRITISH AGENT. Directed in rather breakneck fashion by the straightfoward Michael Curtiz, it didn't have the romantic, picturesque charm and sweep of Korda's KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOR. and I didn't feel any chemistry between Kay and Leslie. It was fun revisiting FIVE CAME BACK. The only thing I ever remembered about it from back in the day was Chester Morris in an undershirt! Woo-woo! (and Lucy thought his advances were a bad thing, lol?) Patric Knowles as you've never seen him! (spoiled rich weakling lout!) I think the sets were left over from KING KONG. Kent Taylor as Chester's co-pilot, who hankers after Wendy Barrie! And, most especially, Jackie's Joe, in the film's best performance, as the anarchist Vasquez! By the way, Lucy really looks beautiful here -- I don't know if it's the make-up and/or hairdo, but I've never seen her so attractive. Blast it, I can't believe I missed THE BARBARIAN this morning... Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 2, 2012 9:30 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Dem me, I think Merle is very possibly as beautiful in The Scarlet Pimpernel as any woman has ever been on earth. I can't think of anyone who has ever looked better, except for maybe Vivien Leigh. And you know, I think the age of the movie somehow actually helps! Maybe the only time I can think of that a restoration couldn't improve the look of a film. Kind of like how you come to appreciate all the pops and fizzes in your old records? That's how I feel about this movie. I just adore Leslie in The SP. He's sublimely foppish, he out fops any other actor in any incarnation of the role. Ty Power? Who's he? then he out romances them too. That longing, the way he looks as if he's about to kiss her but holds back.... well... it's too divine for words! My favorite part has got to be the scene where he's sleeping on the little couch in the library when Raymond Massey (boo hiss) is trying to figure out who the Pimpernel is. And pretty much any witty thing that Leslie says at any time during the movie. Hilarious! People don't realize how funny he was. What a great movie! I remember not being impressed with Kay and Leslie either, but I missed it this time, fell asleep, but got it recorded. I'll try again, since I love this kind of story. Apparently Kay was unhappy on set, since Leslie spurned her advances. One woman he didn't actually have an affair with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueSueApplegate Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 So true, Bronxie! One day....I just know we will all traverse in tandem and in glorious Technicolor, and in style! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 What's so fascinating about the charismatic Leslie we see on screen is that outwardly, he's gentle and sensitive, but there's a core of steel underneath; woe to those who try to cross or underestimate him! (although I guess it's the reverse with Henry Higgins, lol) THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL illustrates this perfectly! I love the subtle way his demeanor shifts from diffident dandy to quietly impassioned lover and hero. This is a great actor. I recorded 49th PARALLEL; saw it years ago and remember two things: Larry hamming it up as a French-Canadian, and being frightened by the perpetual lemon face of Nazi Eric Portman. I think Leslie lived in a tepee with some incongruous modern art, lol. Can't wait to see it again. Looking forward with delicious anticipation to director & producer Leslie's update of TSP. He plays Horatio Smith, an eccentric archeologist during WWII, in PIMPERNEL SMITH, which, as I mentioned, is uploaded on YouTube. I also found STAND-IN! I didn't know Kay had a yen for Leslie, but am surprised by his reaction. Then again, he did always have a pretty full plate in that department, and I guess could pick and choose, lol. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 3, 2012 11:27 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 What's so fascinating about the charismatic Leslie we see on screen is that outwardly, he's gentle and sensitive, but there's a core of steel underneath; woe to those who try to cross or underestimate him! (although I guess it's the reverse with Henry Higgins, lol) THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL illustrates this perfectly! I love the subtle way his demeanor shifts from diffident dandy to quietly impassioned lover and hero. This is a great actor. I recorded 49th PARALLEL; saw it years ago and remember two things: Larry hamming it up as a French-Canadian, and being frightened by the perpetual lemon face of Nazi Eric Portman. I think Leslie lived in a tepee with some incongruous modern art, lol. Can't wait to see it again. Looking forward with delicious anticipation to director & producer Leslie's update of TSP. He plays Horatio Smith, an eccentric archeologist during WWII, in PIMPERNEL SMITH, which, as I mentioned, is uploaded on YouTube. I also found STAND-IN! I didn't know Kay had a yen for Leslie, but am surprised by his reaction. Then again, he did always have a pretty full plate in that department, and I guess could pick and choose, lol. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 4, 2012 2:42 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capuchin Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 My favorite line of the movie is when her brother is talking to him about her betraying a family to the Revolution. Armand: So that is why you ceased to love her. What a tragedy. Percy: Ceased? I shall love her until the day I die. That's the tragedy. That's just so in character for him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 I agree, Capuchin! There is really no one else quite like Leslie who can deliver those sorts of lines. What I appreciate about him is how so many of his characters can be sardonic and somewhat world-weary on the surface but still maintain idealism and love for humanity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 double post, drat. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 4, 2012 3:19 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Mama mia, is that Capri, SueSue?? I want to be there YESTERDAY!!! Can we take Leslie with us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capuchin Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote} > I just wrote you I t'wern't writ, I's hatched. You know how it always says your post was accepted but it may take a while to appear? Today, that 'while' can be half an hour or more. It's vexing to see a reply in the list, but when you click on the thread, the last post, or two, isn't there yet. If it gets much worse, we'll have to ask for our money back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueSueApplegate Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 His love for humanity would be a definite asset! And he would certainly fit right in at Monte! Plus, he adores boating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Yes, Leslie's the perfect travelling companion! We'd have to make sure he didn't bump into anything, though, what with his poor eyesight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 He can bump into me! I loved that Sharp Dressed Man video, too funny. Something I noticed about him in the last few weeks, watching all his films in a row, he moves really well. You think of him as all brain and no brawn, but he really is very good at conveying things through movement. Take that short clip from The Scarlet Pimpernel, the way he stands preening, the way he blithely points his cane around, and his quick step on leaving the room, it's all so graceful, but more than that, he's got beautiful comic timing and isn't afraid to use his body for comic effect. And I love him in all his glasses. I love that line about tragedy too, but another of my favorites is when he's telling Lady Blakeney that she's the most courted woman in all of London, and she says by all but one man, or something like that, and then he says, "But damn me, I'm your husband!" His fake shock always cracks me up. I LOVE *49th Parallel*, I hope you watched it by now, Bronxi. Where else can you get Leslie AND Anton Walbrook in the same movie? Someone Canadian in a blog said that though Olivier is completely over the top, his accent is actually spot on! I don't know.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueSueApplegate Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Agreed, Jacks. He just has a certain fluidity of motion that seems effortless.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1968B2 Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Bronxie, You need to adore LH in TSP. Need to! There's no temperance on cravatte quality, or the jabot! And you need mention his slant-of-eye as he slows momentum down to grasp his turn at turning the screw. Love the love for Leslie on this Messageboard Sink-Me tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 Hi, Little Dear One! Whew! Things have been kind of crazy for me lately, lol -- I'll explain later this evening. Sort of disappointed tropical storm Gordon didn't head our way. See you tonight to talk about THE 49TH PARALLEL, PIMPERNEL SMITH, NIGHT FLIGHT (Clark Gable has to return home to Helen Hayes, oy!), and other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Bronxie! I'm so glad you were able to access the site! I still can't access the site for half an hour after posting... it sure makes conversation hard. Can't wait to chat about LH. Oooh, Is that a handsome scotsman I see? He'd make an awfully laid back tropical storm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 Bon soir, Jackie, oh, heavens, lol. In between running around doing errands for Mom (who keeps refusing to take pain medication for the back arthritis, which would facilitate her mobility) and trying (with intermittent luck) to get back on the board, it's been "fun"! Can't wait to go back to work next week -- I'm on the last leg of our summer break -- I'm rather sluggish and torpid (of course, our humidity doesn't help) Maybe I need some "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" joy juice. (Mountain Dew mixed with Red Bull, heaven help us) That show, OMG -- although I'd rather watch this (orchestrated) train wreck than the Kardashians. Mom and I happened to come across it when I was staying overnight at her place (I'm now apparently her maid as well) and our mouths were hanging open in disbelief. Not exactly the death knell of Western civilization, and I can't believe Newton Minnow is spinning any more crazily in his grave than usual, still...ugh! But that family is laughing all the way to the bank. Yet, please, put it out of its misery! "There, there now...." I'm rambling. I wish my former Scots boyfriend had looked like Denis Lawson... Leslie! Leslie! You know that Myrna Loy tribute by Julianne Moore? The more I read about his quirks, I'm going, "He had agoraphobia? Me too! He was a hypochondriac? Me too!" THE 49th PARALLEL -- this time around I actually found Larry quite endearing as a French-Canadian, warbling "Alouette", saying things to Nazi Eric Portman like "My fadder, he fought you in the first war. We licked you then and by golly, we do it again!" He also looks so cute in his lumberman shirt, lol. His fate was quite poignant to me. I didn't think I would have this reaction. I couldn't quite figure out the tone of 49TH PARALLEL; of course it's a propaganda film but it also exhibits a fair amount of offbeat drollery. Niall MacGinness is sympathetic, although Portman still terrifies me with his lemon face, even if I suspect that his rather one-note ruthlessness might be a "playful" stylistic P&P device. Anton always startles me as Peter, because even when delivering his unforgettable "We are not your brothers" speech, his usual clipped, hissing delivery sounds so menacing, lol, almost counter-productive. I love the panoramic cinematography; the opening musical theme is somberly, hauntingly beautiful. I kind of enjoy the episodic nature of the story, with all the carefully constructed star-cameo vignettes, not the least of which is Leslie as Philip Armstrong Scott. (isn't that a perfect Leslie Howard screen name?) It's almost as though he ambled off the PETRIFIED FOREST set and then somehow took a rowboat to Canada, lol, settling into his art and book filled tepee to match wits with the Nazis. (no contest) He's his usual deceptively unassuming self, tossing off ironic witticisms and intellectual musings, all the better to catch the enemy off guard and show them what he's really made of. Parts of the movie reminded me of Hitchcock and also Fritz Lang. Hold on, let me get some coffee and I'll be back with PIMPERNEL SMITH. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 19, 2012 2:35 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 > Bronxie, You need to adore LH in TSP. Need to! There's no temperance on cravatte quality, or the jabot! And you need mention his slant-of-eye as he slows momentum down to grasp his turn at turning the screw. Love the love for Leslie on this Messageboard Sink-Me tonight! Sink me, I've said it before, but, there just isn't anyone else quite like Leslie, is there, 1968? He comes across as an "old soul" to me for some reason. The clip of him in TSP reciting his poem and all the "effete" banter -- he's just so relaxed and at ease in front of the camera, with such a natural sense of humor and comic timing. And as Jackie says, so inherently graceful. Have you seen PIMPERNEL SMITH? It's wonderful! Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 18, 2012 11:30 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 Capuchin, have you seen THE 49TH PARALLEL? Anton Walbrook's memorable "We are not your brothers" speech: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 SPOILERS -- SPOILERS -- SPOILERS This is now my favorite Leslie Howard film. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 18, 2012 11:01 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 I'm adoring Leslie in PIMPERNEL SMITH, it's now my favorite LH movie, even above TSP! As an "absent-minded" archeology professor, (thankfully nothing like Danny Kaye in MERRY ANDREW, ha!) his Horatio Smith, like Sir Percy, wears the "mask" of a harmless, self-involved eccentric in order to better facilitate his underground heroism, although it's obvious Smith is an odd, socially awkward duck to begin with. This updating of the original story is brilliant, and Leslie is...just...so...WONDERFUL, donning sly disguises, playing cat-and-mouse with burly Francis L. Sullivan (again, no contest, lol), tentatively drawn to an apparent Nazi agent (Mary Morris, whose face I was having trouble recognizing until it finally dawned on me in shock -- she plays the scary mechanical toy with all the arms, who gives Miles Malleson some interesting loving, lol, in THE THIEF OF BAGDAD. Eeeek!!!) and in general catching enemies off-guard with his charmingly tweedy academic befuddlement. There is one disguise that is so deliciously picturesque, it reminded me of the Disney version of DR. SYN. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Aug 19, 2012 2:33 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capuchin Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote} > Capuchin, have you seen THE 49TH PARALLEL? I've watched it, probably more than once over the years. It's a decent story and good performances, but it's far too preachy for my taste. Any kind of ideological oration turns me off. I love Leslie Howard's heartfelt expressions when he's talking to Wendy. I found, strangely enough on TCM's own site, my favorite Leslie Howard scene. http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/253872/Scarlet-Pimpernel-The-Movie-Clip-It-Was-My-Wife.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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