MissGoddess Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote} > I wanted to see THE HORSE SOLDIERS again but unfortunately fell asleep halfway through and woke up to William Holden during the Civil War so initially still thought it was the same movie. Then I wondered why Duke and Connie weren't around, but Eleanor Parker was. Before I could figure this out, I conked out once more. I had the same feeling of deja vu when watching *Alvarez Kelly*, which has a scene on a plantation which is almost a copy of a scene from *The Horse Soldiers*. I always think of Holden in terms of contemporary movies, never of the handful of westerns he did, though he was pretty good in them. I never realized until this moment that Holden was in three Civil War westerns, which is actually kind of unusual. Anyway, *The Horse Soldiers* is one of my favorite John Ford movies, and John Marlowe one of my favorite Wayne characters, but it's not one of Ford's most perfect. His friend and longtime stuntman, Fred Kennedy, was killed doing a stunt for the film and Ford was so stricken he basically wrapped up the movie in a rush just to be done with it. It shows in spots, but it also has some wonderful moments. If you can stand Constance Towers, ha, which some can't (nor could I, at first). Now I love her because her character changes so much from the spoiled brat she starts out as. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterscotchgreer Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Hey Barb, I'm glad you got to talk about Parrish. I know you were itching to discuss it with everyone! I l've reading everyone's thoughts on it. I LOVED Claudette Colbert in Parrish and would thank her for leaving retirement for this beloved movie! Diane McBain and Connie Stevens were beautiful in it also and I loved their chemistry with Troy Donahue. What I REALLY appreciated was the musical score by MaSteiner. Is almost as good as Out of Africa or Tamarind Seed, but in a different way, naturally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 Hi, sweet T.! I hope eveyone got the chance, thanks to Miss G., to read moirafinnie's delicious review of PARRISH at SSO. I believe moira also wrote about SUSAN SLADE (coming up at midnight) in Movie Morlocks. Of all the Delmer Daves Warner soapers, PARRISH is probably the most interesting -- a bit more involved and even complex in terms of character development, although A SUMMER PLACE might vie for first place, ha! I like Connie Stevens as a country sexpot, she's still very sweet, never vulgar or "common". How did Dean Jagger find Claudette for the job, lol? Put an ad in the paper? What could it have said? Be a companion to my insufferable stuck-up daughter? Mother-substitute wanted? I can't understand how Troy immediately got "so down" with the tobacco farmers. While I do think Steiner's score similiar to the other DD movies (with those "sauntering" interludes, for lack of a better word, most prevalent in SUSAN SLADE) I really appreciated his "tobacco" theme, with the evocative Southern chords. Quite nice. As I mentioned in another thread, I wasn't too crazy about Karl Malden, ha! Claudette was blunt to admit to her own son that Karl's $20 million didn't hurt his romantic chances with her. Ya gotta respect that kind of mercenary honesty, lol. I've been trying to appreciate Troy Donahue over the years. Frankly, it's been tough. He's, well, he's kind of....immobile. Earnest, sincere, with cool surfer-blonde hair and honest eyes, but I want some emotion across his adorable lagoony face! Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 22, 2011 9:58 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=MissGoddess wrote:}{quote} > > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote} > > I wanted to see THE HORSE SOLDIERS again but unfortunately fell asleep halfway through and woke up to William Holden during the Civil War so initially still thought it was the same movie. Then I wondered why Duke and Connie weren't around, but Eleanor Parker was. Before I could figure this out, I conked out once more. > > I had the same feeling of deja vu when watching *Alvarez Kelly*, which has a scene on a plantation which is almost a copy of a scene from *The Horse Soldiers*. I always think of Holden in terms of contemporary movies, never of the handful of westerns he did, though he was pretty good in them. > > I never realized until this moment that Holden was in three Civil War westerns, which is actually kind of unusual. > > Anyway, *The Horse Soldiers* is one of my favorite John Ford movies, and John Marlowe one of my favorite Wayne characters, but it's not one of Ford's most perfect. His friend and longtime stuntman, Fred Kennedy, was killed doing a stunt for the film and Ford was so stricken he basically wrapped up the movie in a rush just to be done with it. It shows in spots, but it also has some wonderful moments. > > If you can stand Constance Towers, ha, which some can't (nor could I, at first). Now I love her because her character changes so much from the spoiled brat she starts out as. Is gack-y Patrick O'Neal in ALVAREZ KELLY? I've never seen it. You describe Holden so perfectly -- yes, he is always very contemporary, even going back to the late forties (APARTMENT FOR PEGGY, as an example) He had irony even then, a modern sensibility, which set him apart in my eyes from many other actors. The first time I saw THE HORSE SOLDIERS, I was taken aback by the pairing of Bill and Duke, two performers so different in their screen personas, and yet I feel Holden complimented the larger-than-life Wayne, and that Wayne gave dramatic context to Bill's character. Connie seems to have many of the Fordian female attributes (not that I would really know, you're the Pappy expert) -- she's feisty, feminine, vulnerable, manipulative. However, I don't feel a warmth and a true strength as I do with Maureen O'Hara, who for me is his ultimate womanly muse. I'm enjoying Henry Fonda in DAISY KENYON. I love his marriage proposal to Daisy: "Come live with me and be my love". I realize that Dan is charismatic and powerful (two adjectives that frankly I would never have thought applied to Dana Andrews, but he plays this tycoon extremely well, and believably) but I'm so glad Daisy broke free. I think I would adore being married to Peter -- homey, private moments in front of a fireplace on the Cape, looking at beautiful architectural designs in a warm, cozy, romantic, loving environment.. Is Joan speaking with what she thinks is a New England accent? She calls Henry "Pee-tah". Oh, btw, did you see my comments on VIRGINIA WOOLF further down on this thread? I explained why I didn't post them in Rambles when you were discussing the movie there. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 22, 2011 8:41 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Is Patrick O'Neal the guy with the bushy eyebrows, who reminds me of Peter Lawford? Yes, he's in it, but not all throughout. It's mostly about Holden and Widmark (who I think should have switched roles). I agree about Maureen and you can add that her being Irish imminently qualifies her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Yep, that's O"Neal, and the less of him, the better, ha! I added something to my last post on DAISY KENYON and WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 > I'm enjoying Henry Fonda in DAISY KENYON. I love his marriage proposal to Daisy: "Come live with me and be my love". I realize that Dan is charismatic and powerful (two adjectives that frankly I would never have thought applied to Dana Andrews, but he plays this tycoon extremely well, and believably) but I'm so glad Daisy broke free. I think I would adore being married to Peter -- homey, private moments in front of a fireplace on the Cape, looking at beautiful architectural designs in a warm, cozy, romantic, loving environment.. > I really like this movie and watch it pretty often (I even have a copy of the novel its based on). I agree that Fonda is definitely the better choice, though Andrews' performance steals the show. I'll never hear/read "honey-bunch" without thinking of him. > Is Joan speaking with what she thinks is a New England accent? She calls Henry "Pee-tah". > I wondered the same! She sounds so funny saying his name. > Oh, btw, did you see my comments on VIRGINIA WOOLF further down on this thread? I explained why I didn't post them in Rambles when you were discussing the movie there. > No! I missed them, I'll look for them now, thanks. Edited by: MissGoddess on Apr 22, 2011 9:48 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 > > I understand Bette Davis and James Mason were set to star in the screen adaption. So then Bette would have been parodying herself during the "What's the name of the movie?" scene, lol. > That's right! "What a dump!" by the way, Elizabeth's imitation of Bette was terrific, even to the turning down of her upper lip. > Yes, Miss G., I've seen WAOVW many times over the years, but am still in ine dark about George and Martha. I recoil from those hateful emotions, but obviously something clicks for me because I find it all so, well, so entertaining nevertheless, and always have to watch it when it's on. I'm afraid my true lack of insight into human nature within the marriage bond would make any rumination on my part rather unfruitful in your Rambles thread, especially when everyone else is contributing more significantly. > Poo, what you wrote below proves otherwise. I always think of you whenever the movie's mentioned. You got me thinking it was something I should see. > I don't profess to know anything about Albee or the background of this work. I do think that the names of George and Martha might be significant in some primal Freudian way. (yes, I really do, lol) George and Martha are the 'first family" of our land, and represent not just a couple, but Mother and Father. Albee likes to play with Freudian slips: "I'll have another nipper of brandy", etc. Beyond this I'm lost, ha! I do think Richard Burton was robbed of an Oscar. Elizabeth exceeded all expectations, but Burton is truly brilliant. As much as I don't begrudge Scofield Best Actor in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, Scofield had the advantage of honing that role (possiby originating it?) many timies on stage, whereas Richard went into George "cold turkey" and was able to perfectly inhabit the bittersweet ironic poignancy and rage of the character. Burton professed he had an intellectual, scholarly, bookworm side to him, and this I think you can really see him tapping into with George. Also, Burton's cadences flow like fine wine (or bergun). He performs vocal mesmerism with that dialogue as the head gamesmaster of the evening. Did Arthur Hill play George (to Uta Hagen's Martha?) on Broadway? I just CANNOT imagine Hill delivering those lines with the same fierce, blood-dripping poetry that Richard brings to this part. > Goodness, I never would have thought of the names!! That's incredible and I'm sure you're right since George is Assoc. Professor of the history department. I'm not clear who Arthur hill is, I'm confusing him in my mind with the director, Arthur Hiller, ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Wow, how did you find my post so quickly? I was still looking for it, LOL Thanks for your kind words. It's funny, the first time I ever heard of the play, I associated the names of George and Martha with the Washingtons, because it just seemed too "coincidental" for me. But that's just how my psycho-babble mind sometimes works. Arthur Hill actually won a Tony for playing George on Broadway! You've probably seen him many times on old t.v. shows over the years, also occasional movies. He's the bland pipe-smoking professorial type (but NOT one of my hunky squares) you never remember, lol, even though there might be a lot going on under the placid surface. I think he's also played some sinister corporate types, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 *Arthur Hill actually won a Tony for playing George on Broadway! You've probably seen him many times on old t.v. shows over the years, also occasional movies. He's the bland pipe-smoking professorial type (but NOT one of my hunky squares) you never remember, lol, even though there might be a lot going on under the placid surface.* Barb, Wasn't Arthur Hill *Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law*, which was a weekly series when we were younger? Didn't he also head the team in *The Andromeda Strain* ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SansFin Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote} > I wasn't too crazy about Karl Malden, ha! Claudette was blunt to admit to her own son that Karl's $20 million didn't hurt his romantic chances with her. Ya gotta respect that kind of mercenary honesty, lol. "Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?" Lorelei Lee in *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* (1953) I have heard of women who are attracted only to men who are poor but I must think it is psychosis or a form of ****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=SansFin wrote:}{quote} > > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote} > > I wasn't too crazy about Karl Malden, ha! Claudette was blunt to admit to her own son that Karl's $20 million didn't hurt his romantic chances with her. Ya gotta respect that kind of mercenary honesty, lol. > > "Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?" Lorelei Lee in *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* (1953) > > I have heard of women who are attracted only to men who are poor but I must think it is psychosis or a form of ****. Freds simple laws of life, learned after many decades of personal experiences: It's simple: Rich ugly old men can get young good looking dames, if the men are rich. The men want sex, and the dames want money. Women who go after poor men usually have some hidden money that they don't tell the man about, and they want this kind of man so they can boss him around. This kind of woman wants to be the "head of the household". So, in effect, the woman becomes the "husband", and the man becomes the "wife." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Regarding *Susan Slade* Why does Chile look like Mojave, California? And the poor guy in a serape who tells Lloyd Nolan "vio con dios", really a serape? This has only got to be more camp than ever I realized when I was a teenager. Getting on the boat on the lastest designer dresses? Where did they get those frocks so far south? Oh wait, Grant Williams just got his first look. It can only go downhill from here. Storyline speaking. Lovely orchid colored chiffon scarf Connie is wearing. Oh wait, Lloyd snagged those clothes for Dorothy and Connie in Santiago, according to Dorothy. And Dorothy suggests she snag Grant NOW!. Am I the only one thinking of the Titanic while Connie and Grant play shuffleboard. Oh, wait, the theme for *Summer Place* just started. Isn't that a different film? Constance Ford isn't in this film though Dorothy is. Ooooh, hot kiss between Connie and Grant and he declares his love. Connie has to sneak in to her state room. Wait, maybe, Dorothy is playing the Constance Ford part. How cruel. Grant has to die and Troy has to come in and take his place because obviously a baby has been made. Another Titanic reference as the ship comes into port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Oh, man, Troy's father is the fall guy for the company Lloyd works for and he hangs himself. "FATHER!" screams Troy at the silhouette of his father dangling from a rope. Dorothy and Lloyd sing some weird Happy B'day song to Connie in bed??? Sub-text anyone?? Oh look, daddy Lloyd got Connie a horse for her birthday. Sub-text anyone? "He's pretty frisky. I'll give him a ride first" says Troy. Sub-text anyone? Dorothy knows Troy's back story. Yet, let's Connie continue. Sub-text anyone? Troy sports a James Dean-like red jacket and won't let Connie ride alone. Sub-text anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 "Hoyt Becker wrote here" Robert Louis Stevenson, John Steinbeck and Hoyt Becker. Really??? Why does Dorothy look like Jane Wyman? Ooops, Connie's pregnant but Guy won't return her telegrams. She has to find a substitute. Who will that be???? Ah, Troy?? Yeah, Troy, no matter how much she loves Grant? Grant, who will break her heart but Troy will pick up the slack and be her one true love. Oh wait, there's that baby no one wants to talk about to deal with. So, she can't see Troy's goodness yet. Though the Monterey/Carmel landscape of the early 1960s is beautiful but the whole waterfall imagery is a bit much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SansFin Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=FredCDobbs wrote:}{quote} > > Freds simple laws of life, learned after many decades of personal experiences: > It's simple: > Rich ugly old men can get young good looking dames, if the men are rich. I do not believe it is always simple as that. It is very hard to say a man is so ugly they must be rich to find a young lover. I am sure Jack Elam had many women wanting him even although he was not very rich and he did not conform to an objective standard of beauty. I am sorry I can not provide link to show him but I believe most people will agree that Vyacheslav Dobrynin is not most handsome man in the world and I believe he is not wealthy by American standard but he has always had his choice of lovers. I was fortunate to see him five years ago. I do not believe that at the end of the night there was a dry pair of panties in the house. Edited by: SansFin on Apr 23, 2011 3:05 AM - I have now switched mode on computer and can provide links so you can see Vyacheslav -- see later post for links to his music but note he had beard then and not now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineMaven Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 AS my train hurtles through the night towards Chicago, I read the Message Board. Arthur Hill? Be still my heart!!! He is one of my absolute favorites. I love his voice and yes Lynn...he was ?Owen Marshall.? Also a big fan of Monte Markham. You're right Bronxie, professorial and corporate slimy but I loved Artie so. Think he played Jean Seberg's dry husband in ?MOMENT TO MOMENT.? Miss Goddess - ?He's many of those things in The Horse Soldiers.? Well that's a movie I will look for then. Thanx! Bronxgirl - Jackie knows about the phenomena of falling asleep during movies one really wants to watch, so has it been with me and Milland. I was looking forward to REAP THE WILD WIND. (forget Ray, I really wanted to see the squid) Yeah you're right, a C.B. DeMille squid can steal the show. I know about falling asleep during a movie. The only thing I can tell ya to do is to put in a tape or however you memorialize films (a DVD ?) If you fall asleep, you've got it. If you don't fall asleep, you?ve got it. ...and, a question, though -- what is it about Paulette Goddard that De Mille feels he has to bring down, humiliate, punish in a sort of, well, perverse kind of way, lol? In a couple of these movies, Paulette is told she's filthy and made to take a bath, or is being spanked. I saw Ray spanking her in WIND. He'd never subject Missy to this abuse! I?m thinking all these directors had crushes on their leading ladies...gals they could never get in real life if they weren?' directors! (Look at Hitch...but then again look at Victor Fleming). Directing them and having them under their control is one way to get 'em. Missy would have smacked that crap out of DeMille, that's why he didn't try that with her. Guess Paulette didn?t have that kind of clout. I remember the spanking scene. It was a patriarchal turn off. Didn?t Paulette smack Ray in "KITTY"? And didn?t he smack her back. Somehow that seemed more fair. (No I don't espouse men hitting women!) LOL As for Duke, you could sort of see the beginnings of his screen persona -- an effortless take-charge attitude hiding a core of sweetness and vulnerability... Nicely said. Wasn't his persona firmly in place by this film? This is the beginnings? He was sweet with Paulette. Ray can definitely exude sinister-ness but I don't like him mean. I prefer Milland pleasant. He's never bland, though, when nice. There's always a hint of something a bit more complex, which I run from. However, I did find him very sexy in KITTY, rotten as he was. But with Patric Knowles around, why suffer? Ray did have a sly look about him; like he was up to something... like there was an inner joke only he knew. In "KITTY" he looked like he got a hearty good natured laugh out of everything Kitty thought would be a problem to overcome. He kind of did a sly Bette Davis-in-"...Baby Jane" laugh when he laughs behind the door at the fact that Kitty will palm off her baby on the old Duke (Reginald Owen). I'll betcha you didn't notice this...I'll betcha no one noticedd to see it. Miss Goddess - I always think of Holden in terms of contemporary movies, never of the handful of westerns he did, though he was pretty good in them. What an interesting career Holden has had. I saw him in "NETWORK? the other night and he was simply marvelous in it. The movie was perfectly cast. In fact it was perfect. Has he been made TCM?s ?Star of the Month??? This is not the thread to make Lists, but if I were to make a mini-list of Perfect Movies, ?NETWORK? would be among them including ?ALL ABOUT EVE? and ?CASABLANCA.? (Cast, director, screenplay). Hey Baby T - What I REALLY appreciated was the musical score by Max Steiner. Is almost as good as Out of Africa or Tamarind Seed, but in a different way, naturally. I haven?t seen ?PARRISH? in eons; wasn?t a big fan of it b?uz it didn?t have the lush cinematography (as I remember it) of a ?Susan Slade? ?Rome Adventure? or ?A Summer Place.? But you?ve piqued my interest talking of the music of ?PARRISH.? I?ve got the movie on VHS. I?ve got to check it out. Oooooh, you just brought up one of my favorite movie composers: JOHN BARRY. I love his scores!!! Bronxgirl - ...I hope eveyone got the chance, thanks to Miss G., to read moirafinnie's delicious review of PARRISH at SSO. I believe moira also wrote about SUSAN SLADE (coming up at midnight) in Movie Morlocks. I saw Miss G?s citing of Moira?s review and checked it out. Hilarious! Oh and you?re no slouch either. This line cracked me up: ?I've been trying to appreciate Troy Donahue over the years. Frankly, it's been tough. He's, well, he's kind of....immobile. Earnest, sincere, with cool surfer-blonde hair and honest eyes, but I want some emotion across his adorable lagoony face!? That?s about as good a description as I?ve come across for the vacously vapid Troy Donahue. Lagoony indeeed!!!!LOL! I'm enjoying Henry Fonda in DAISY KENYON. I love his marriage proposal to Daisy: "Come live with me and be my love". I realize that Dan is charismatic and powerful (two adjectives that frankly I would never have thought applied to Dana Andrews, but he plays this tycoon extremely well, and believably) but I'm so glad Daisy broke free. I think I would adore being married to Peter -- homey, private moments in front of a fireplace on the Cape, looking at beautiful architectural designs in a warm, cozy, romantic, loving environment. I?ve always enjoyed ?DAISY KENYON? myself. Choosing Fonda u]is[/u] the better and wiser choice for all those reasons you stated. I haven?t seen it in years, but I always remember a scene in a restaurant that I?ve been to. It?s across the street from the Greenwich movie theatre, which is now a health club. When I pass by the restaurant, I always think ?Daisy Kenyon.? In fact, that restaurant and (ex-movie theatre) is near the Moroccan restaurant you sent me to Bronxie. Joan often sounds affected when she speaks. I liked how she waid ?embroidery? in??THE WOMEN.? SansFin, if Dobrynin has that effect on ladies underwear...I just had to Google him and see what he looks like! He's no Tom Jones ...but he's not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SansFin Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=CineMaven wrote:}{quote} > AS my train hurtles through the night towards Chicago, I read the Message Board. > > SansFin, if Dobrynin has that effect on ladies underwear...I just had to Google him and see what he looks like! He's no Tom Jones ...but he's not bad. I hope you are having a happy trip. Vyacheslav Dobrynin is very much like your Tom Jones in his effect. Many of his songs are of lost love which make one yearn to console him. I have seen that he is now shaven. I do not think he looks better for it. You may find many of his songs on YouTube. You will not understand words. You may still like them. You should search for: "Вячеслав Добрынин" One of my favorites is: One I love very much although it is played up as schtick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_aUoniAO6o&NR=1 I am a little heartsick now for I wish very much to hear his songs again but Capuchin is finally deeply sleeping and I do not want to wake him by turning on speakers. I know I will forget to find CD when I go to my apartment in the morning so I can listen to it on drive to school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=lzcutter wrote:}{quote} > Regarding *Susan Slade* > > Why does Chile look like Mojave, California? Probably because it is. > > And the poor guy in a serape who tells Lloyd Nolan "vio con dios", really a serape? This has only got to be more camp than ever I realized when I was a teenager. I don't know about the serape, but SS this time around was even worse than I remember. > > Getting on the boat on the lastest designer dresses? Where did they get those frocks so far south? I was waiting for a ship attendent named Nick. > > Oh wait, Grant Williams just got his first look. Handsome as Grant is, I think I prefer him as the incredible shrinking man. > > It can only go downhill from here. Storyline speaking. It was downhill from the beginning. > > Lovely orchid colored chiffon scarf Connie is wearing. Connie had a whole wardrobe of those scarves. And did you notice the red motif in this movie? > > Oh wait, Lloyd snagged those clothes for Dorothy and Connie in Santiago, according to Dorothy. What a good husband and father. But you know what? As sad as I was for his character's poor health, secretly I delighted in the fact that Dorothy became a widow, because she was always pontificating to daughter Susan about "true love" while pushing Connie into a loveless marriage with rich but yucky Bert Convy. What a shallow hypocrite. All she cared about was how things LOOKED. > > And Dorothy suggests she snag Grant NOW!. I HATED Dorothy as a mother in this movie. Hey, Katie Nolan and Officer McShane reunited once more, this time out of the tenaments and into that luxurious Carmel house, thanks to Brian Aherne (I thought he was going to make a pass at the Asian housekeeper) and Lovey. > > Am I the only one thinking of the Titanic while Connie and Grant play shuffleboard. SUSAN SLADE is a disaster in its own right. > > Oh, wait, the theme for *Summer Place* just started. Isn't that a different film? They played it when Conn was nuzzling Susie's neck at what seemed like a shipboard petting party, with other young couples. The look on Connie's face was almost like soft porn. She was getting aroused and then some. Quite daring, I thought, for 1961, and Connie looked her most beautiful in this scene. > > Constance Ford isn't in this film though Dorothy is. And Dorothy for me was almost as much a gargoyle, to be perfectly honest. > > Ooooh, hot kiss between Connie and Grant and he declares his love. Conn was full of corny fatalism -- make love to me before I go off and get killed on a mountain. What young impressionable naive girl wouldn't? He certainly wanted to scale her virgin peak. > > > > Wait, maybe, Dorothy is playing the Constance Ford part. > > How cruel. Oh she was. > > Grant has to die and Troy has to come in and take his place because obviously a baby has been made. I wonder what the baby would have looked like had Troy been the biological father. Something aquatic. > > Another Titanic reference as the ship comes into port. This movie is titanically bad. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 23, 2011 6:13 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=lzcutter wrote:}{quote} > "Hoyt Becker wrote here" Where do they get these soap opera names? > > Robert Louis Stevenson, John Steinbeck and Hoyt Becker. Really??? That line always gets the biggest laugh out of me. > > Why does Dorothy look like Jane Wyman? Frankly I think Dorothy looks like a Titan statue from JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. (she's joined by Clive Brook) Very scary. > > Ooops, Connie's pregnant but Guy won't return her telegrams. Did you see the actor who played Conn's father? He looked like 102 years old. > > She has to find a substitute. > > Who will that be???? > > Ah, Troy?? At least Susan shows some taste in preferring Troy over Bert. > > Yeah, Troy, no matter how much she loves Grant? Grant, who will break her heart but Troy will pick up the slack and be her one true love. One thing I always liked about Troy in his movies -- he was basically faithful, true, loyal. Like a dog, only he's the sweet creature from the black lagoon. > > Oh wait, there's that baby no one wants to talk about to deal with. Didn't they baby-proof that house?? Leaving lighters all over the place, geez... > > So, she can't see Troy's goodness yet. But it's written all over his winsome lagoony face. > > Though the Monterey/Carmel landscape of the early 1960s is beautiful but the whole waterfall imagery is a bit much. Water and the color RED are interesting symbols.... SPOILERS -- SPOILERS -- SPOILERS --- SPOILERS -- SPOILERS The baby goes up in a pile of flames, but Dr. Kent Smith says "we're lucky, it never touched his face". Miraculous indeed. And wasn't Dorothy DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HER BELOVED HUSBAND'S DEATH?? She was the architect of the ridiculous cover-up, which "necessitated" faulty-tickered Nolan to leave the peace and serenity of the Carmel home and go back to work at the mines, which I have no doubt speeded up his heart attack. He needed rest and relaxation, but instead was going up and down those shafts, and all because Dottie thought it was "best" for the family to go away and hide Susan's pregnancy. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 23, 2011 6:16 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 > {quote:title=lzcutter wrote:}{quote} > Oh, man, Troy's father is the fall guy for the company Lloyd works for and he hangs himself. Was the actor who played Troy's father the same guy who was Bette Davis's hapless husband in DANGEROUS? > > "FATHER!" screams Troy at the silhouette of his father dangling from a rope. Troy really showed some emotion there. I mean, he even opened up his whole mouth for that exclamation. > > Dorothy and Lloyd sing some weird Happy B'day song to Connie in bed??? Sub-text anyone?? "Susie's having a birrrrrrrrrrthdaaaaaay!" Oy. > > Oh look, daddy Lloyd got Connie a horse for her birthday. Sub-text anyone? Lots of mixed messages in this movie. The parents treat Susan like a five year old, and then get her that horse. At one point I thought Connie was going to say to her present "Oh, Forio, if you want to bite someone, bite me!" (and remember, there's a lot of RED COLOR motifs in SUSAN SLADE. Three years before MARNIE!) > > "He's pretty frisky. I'll give him a ride first" says Troy. Sub-text anyone? Ever see MY BLOOD RUNS COLD? > > Dorothy knows Troy's back story. Yet, let's Connie continue. Sub-text anyone? Here's my opinion of Dorothys character -- she was an over-protective, shallow bee-itch. > > Troy sports a James Dean-like red jacket and won't let Connie ride alone. Sub-text anyone? There's the red color again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineMaven Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Oh snap!!! You and Lynn are killing me...and you and Lynn are killing me. It's tough looking at a movie with 40 year old eyes. It can't survive the scrutiny. But your quips and cracks are hilariously masterful, you two. I still enjoy the movie. (Not saying you don't). With these old myopic 50+ year old eyes of mine...I take it all in. Every improbable, lushly filmed, beautifully scored, vaselined-lens, lagoony moment of it. (Well, I still look with skepticism on the plastic doll going up in flames. I saw that when I saw the movie as a teenager. HA! My sister had enough dolls on her bed for me to recognize one when I saw it). Enjoyed your review ladies!! Can't wait to hear what you think of "WRITTEN ON THE WIND." That'll be a hoot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Here's moira's blog on SUSAN SLADE: http://moviemorlocks.com/2009/01/07/susan-slade-1961-stop-me-before-i-watch-it-again/ Your typical mother-daughter chat on a Saturday morning: Mom: I sat through DAISY KENYON, STELLA DALLAS, and SUSAN SLADE Me: You stayed up till 2:a.m.? Wow, I'm impressed! Mom: Yes, well, I figured why not? I probably saw all three but with my memory, it's like seeing them for the first time Me: Listen, I know what you mean. Mom: Dana Andrews was so good looking! Troy Donahue had gorgeous eyes. Me: You don't think Troy looks like the creature from the black lagoon? Mom: Don't be silly. No, I don't. Troy pouts a lot. Me: He's got fish lips Mom: The pouting might expand the lips more. Me: I guess so. Wasn't John Boles dreamy in STELLA DALLAS? Mom: Oh, yes! Such a gentleman. I'd take him in a heartbeat. But if I were sixteen, I'd probably have a yen for Troy Donahue. Now, did you think Dorothy McGuire looked less than attractive in SUSAN SLADE? Me: I thought Dorothy's face kind of brittle, like it would crack. And I hated her character. Mom: I don't think she was a classic beauty, but she did look somewhat harsh here. Yes, a lousy mother. Me: I don't like Henry Fonda with a bow-tie, but loved him in DAISY KENYON. Mom: Don't you like Dana Andrews? Me: I'm not sure. I don't think he's particularly handsome but he's a pretty good actor. Mom: You don't think Dana Andrews is good-looking? Oh, I do, and he acts rings around Troy Donahue Me: Mom, an anole could act rings around Troy Donahue Mom: Troy Donahue wasn't Laurence Olivier but he was nice, a very handsome boy. Me: Do you like Connie Stevens? Mom: Not really. She couldn't act either Me: How about that house in Monterey? Mom: Gorgeous! Oh I would love to live there. Me: With Lloyd Nolan? Mom: With anyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Ha ha! I'm with your mom on the Dana Andrews good looking line... But John Boles does nothing for me.... I am trying to write up my feelings on *Stella Dallas*, but all I do is get all verklempt when I think about it. It's one of my favorites, thanks to Barbara Stanwyck and Anne Shirley. Oh, here come the waterworks again! movieman watched it too. He's over in Rambles II I think, waiting for me to get it together....feel free to jump in with any thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 I LOVE Barbara Stanwyck in STELLA DALLAS! Anne Shirley is just wonderful. But I always miss the beginning. What would draw a genteel guy like Boles to not only be attracted to someone like Stella, but actually marry her? Was she dressing like a Christmas tree back then as well? Can't wait for your review in Rambles. I really feel for Laurel. She's no crass, upwardly mobile little spoiled monster along Veda lines, but a sweet girl with an inborn gentility, a gracious, loyal child unfortunately saddled with a social liability mother. What is so unyieldingly heartbreaking about the story (I'm always in tears) is the emotional tug of war between Laurel's deep, bonded love for Stella and Laurel's natural inclinations to regard well-born, sensitive Helen as the mother she "should" have had. Helen is a fantasy figure of a true lady to Laurel, and Helen meets and "fulfills" all of Laurel's expectations. Helen further becomes very real when she finally marries Dallas. Yet Laurel will always be Stella's child . I'm welling up right now. I've only seen John Boles in three movies -- FRANKENSTEIN, STELLA DALLAS, and a Shirley Temple vehicle the name of which escapes me. Could be THE LITTLE COLONEL, but I'm too lazy right now to look anything up. He has nobility of the soul and heart in a quiet, gentlemanly manner. I'm in love with John Boles now. I'm trying to get through FOUR FOR TEXAS. At least Peet-ah Lawford isn't in it, Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Apr 23, 2011 9:24 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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