RAMBLES Part II

[wouldbestar]

Just watched *This Gun for Hire* and got a double dose of blonde-Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. They made a great team and Ladd was very good as the killer who does one good thing for his country and the person who befriends him even when she knows who he really is. For the record, I also love cats but have never killed anybody .

 

I got a kick out of that "introducing" tag for Ladd. All of us who've seen *Citizen Kane* know the reporter with the hat and pipe in the beginning and ending scenes at the estate is him the minute he speaks and that's the year before. Just kidding, he didn't even get billing in it. Obviously, they realized what they had during that time and we were let in on it for over 20 years.

 

I don't think Lake had all that much range but made the best of what she had. She was very good in *Ramrod* and *So Proudly We Hail.* She made her mark which a lot of other actresses never got to do.

 

Just found a post for the film. Sorry if this was not the place for mine.

 

Edited by: wouldbestar on Nov 7, 2011 10:44 PM

[CineMaven]

HOW TO HANDLE A BLONDE...

Uhmm, don't look at the guy in the sling...

 

"When I say I'm handling it...I'm handling it." - Hume Cronyn in "The Postman Always Rings Twice."

 

Wouldbestar, I liked Veronica Lake in "So Proudly We Hail." She was soo bitter...

[CineMaven]

...JUST A TIDBIT:

 

She's in love with her brother who used to date her mother???

 

*ROBERT YOUNG, LARAINE DAY, ANN HARDING (1945)*

 

Movie trivia keeps swirling through my mind. It happened again as I watched this film this morning.

 

Laraine Day + Robert Young = siblings in *"Dr. Kildare's Crisis." (1940)*

Robert Young + Ann Harding = lovers in *"The Right to Romance"(1933)*

 

I can't help it. ...That's how my brain's wired. Movie trivia's imbedded in its cortex.

 

In *"Those Endearing Young Charms"* (which I momentarily mistook for a Gail Russell movie) Ann Harding is sufficiently maternal, with hair pulled back in a bun and whispery voice. (Still beautiful, to me). Young is easy, breezy; can handle that 40's slang I love so much and throws a punch convincingly at young Bill Williams.I liked his way in this even though he's a playboy. Laraine Day is the surprise for me. Never really ever giving her a real chance, (other than in *"The Locket"* which I've got to check out again). I found her very charming here..engaging, clean; can hold that camera in the close-up that ends this film.

[MissGoddess]

> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote}:_| Waaaah! Raven always makes me cry.

 

Me, too. Ladd brings a touch of sadness to his character. And I'm a sap for anyone who likes cats.

 

wouldbestar, thanks for your posting your comments here. *This Gun for Hire* and Veronica Lake are big favorites of mine. I also love the music for this movie, it's classic.

[JackFavell]

_wouldbestar -_

 

I'm so glad you posted here, or I wouldn't have seen your comments at all.

 

I just love Alan Ladd in *This Gun for Hire*, he's like a feral cat, a killer who maybe far in the past was a sweet boy but over the years and the abuse has become as wild and dangerous as a lion. I like the fact that they never make him any less of a killer - he tries but the self preservation instinct is too strong in him.

 

Veronica is so soft and warm in this movie, never pushing herself or her pity on Raven, just seeing what he really is, as we do. She is calm, collected, and real. Again, the writers show great judgment in never letting the romance come to anything, it's more bittersweet this way, and rather uncompromising. This is my favorite pairing of Lake and Ladd, with *The Blue Dahlia* coming in second.

 

I have to say that I really never paid attention to Doris Dowling before, I hated her so much that I never noticed how good her acting was as Ladd's soon to be ex-wife. She's simply great.

 

_Maven -_

 

I love Veronica's character in *So Proudly we Hail*. She's the female Raven.

 

I too watched *Those Endearing Young Charms*.... for my gal Laraine, but also for Robert Young, who like Franchot Tone, always delivers a good solid performance with dark undertones that one doesn't always equate with him. My favorite roles for him are the ones where he lets this dark side out a bit....somehow, you still like him. Young was completely believable as the heel who captures Day's heart, despite her better judgment. He makes it all look so easy.

 

Ann Harding was great, and I thought she was quite lovely in her own right. She captured the camera in a few scenes, taking her moments like a pro.

 

Laraine for me is always believable, warm and lustrous, with a twinkle in her eye while doubting. I find her perfectly relaxed in front of the camera and I can't for the life of me figure out how she does it. I love these pals and sweethearts back home, Loy, Day, and Hussey. All have something warm and inviting under the skepticism.

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Nov 8, 2011 10:43 AM

[CineMaven]

I think the Moody Blues said it (sang it) best...

 

 

NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN

 

That's right.

 

And if you don't know who THAT is, ask your father. Or your grandfather. I think she was the IT girl of the 1930's and you've got a couple of chances to see why, when TCM airs her films. If she's not quite your cup of tea, no worries. The month's not over and TCM's not finished with us (or blondes) yet.

 

Who knows if blondes have more fun. But it's sure fun to watch this one. My favorite of today's bunch would be "BOMBSHELL." She's not afraid to make fun of her self or her image. While she's mostly the 'straight man' while all around her is manic, her comic timing is impeccable. She doesn't play the joke, she plays the situation. Sorry girls, no Gable tonite...but I've recently read the virtues of Franchot Tone extolled here on the Board. TCM's giving us The Blonde and it'll be a good fifteen years before the next blonde comes along and blows everyone's mind.

 

Hmmm, I wonder what Jean would have made of Norma Jean.....

 

6:00 PM DINNER AT EIGHT (1933)

A high-society dinner party masks a hotbed of scandal and intrigue.

Dir: George Cukor Cast: Marie Dressler, John Barrymore , Wallace Beery. BW-111 mins, TV-PG, CC.

 

12:00 AM BOMBSHELL (1933)

A glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on. Dir: Victor Fleming Cast: Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan. BW-96 mins, TV-G, CC.

 

1:45 AM PLATINUM BLONDE (1931)

A heartless heiress seduces a hard-working reporter into a disastrous marriage. Dir: Frank R. Capra Cast: Loretta Young, Robert Williams. BW-89 mins, TV-G.

 

3:30 AM HARLOW: THE BLONDE BOMBSHELL (1993)

Sharon Stone hosts this look at Jean Harlow's rise to stardom and her tragic end. Dir: Tom McQuade Cast: Sharon Stone, C-47 mins, TV-G, CC.

 

4:30 AM GIRL FROM MISSOURI, THE (1934)

A gold-digging chorus girl tries to keep her virtue while searching for a rich husband. Dir: Jack Conway Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Franchot Tone. BW-72 mins, TV-PG, CC.

 

Edited by: CineMaven on Nov 9, 2011 5:19 PM - I'd like to think Harlow would laugh, slap Marilyn on the back and say: "Go get 'em honey! Just like I did!!" She'd be proud.

[butterscotchgreer]

Sooooo.....I was in this huge antique mall the other day looking for something specific, but I ended up looking around the entire place (big surprise heehee) and I ended up finding this book called, The Movie Buff's Book by Ted Sennett. It was written in 1974 and I just had to get it. I thought I had like every book about old movies, but evidently not yet. Of course that's an exaggeration, but anyway, in that book I found out that Greer Garson was supposed to play Gertrude Lawrence in the biopic Star!, but Julie Andrews got cast instead at the last minute. What are the odds of that?!

 

So I flipped out when I read that and my eyes lit up and was jumping up and down for such a little piece of information and my boyfirend was less than impressed. He said, "Oh no. Here we go. More old movie stuff. Please no." Poor baby. Heehee! But I thought it was so cool. I mean even though I love Greer to bits and bits and she will always be my favorite, I don't think I could see her as Julie's replacement. She definitely could have given the attitude that Julie gave in her performance, but I'm glad Julie was cast, because her voice hit the spot for me, every time I watch it. Such a loverly musical!

 

I don't know if anyone would find this nearly as interesting, but just thought it would be loverly to share.

 

 

 

 

 

[bagladymimi]

In response to "butterscotchgreer", I love that kind of stuff. That is the reason I read so many biographies of entertainers - I am always looking for that kind of trivia! And I think Garson would have been good in the part if it had not been for the singing. I loved Julie Andrews in the part - I can't imagine anyone else could have done better.

[butterscotchgreer]

Cinie-T, I didn't mean to interrupt your previous discussion. Please do go on with your chit chat. I do enjoy reading it.

 

bagladymimi,

 

Nice to meet you!

 

What biographies do you like most?

[CineMaven]

No worries ButterScotch. You're not interrupting anything. The thread's been lying dormant for a week now. I don't know the Sennett book, but it sounds like a great find. Good for you. If you see something you want, just get it!

 

Continue to train your young man. He'll come around. ;-)

[butterscotchgreer]

The book is such an awesome find. I love looking through it. i'm learning lots of things!

 

Continue to train your young man. He'll come around.

 

Well I did get him to watch Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison. He actually liked it. he said it was different from any movie he'd ever seen and loved how the ending wasn't predictable. I love this film and could watch it multiple times. i'm so excited, i am branching him out. It's jaw-dropping, he even said he wouldn't mind seeing more Gary movies. I'm in pure heaven!

[CineMaven]

A boyfriend. And one who you can share classic films with?

 

Yeah. Sounds like a heaven, girl. You're so cute. :-)

[OllieTSB]

ButterScotch, try something like BATTLEGROUND with Van Johnson. That will be an eye-opener. And maybe STEEL HELMET. Then, after seeing Gene Evans in that one, maybe flip him over to the '50s crime dramas like BIG HOUSE USA and ARMORED CAR ROBBERY. He might be surprised by the harshness of THE LINEUP.

 

Of course, I'd try a different tactic. I'd get him to watch films about how terrible women are to sweet innocent men. Like BLACK WIDOW, BODY HEAT, THE KILLERS, or the foolish things an honest man gets himself into for yet another beautiful woman in ROADBLOCK. McGraw had a decent job but those beauties in bars... they get poor innocent sweet guys in trouble all the time.

 

He might need a lesson like that!

 

And of course, drop me a note if you have questions! ha ha

[bagladymimi]

In response to "butterscotchgreer", it is nice to meet you too. I think the best autobiography I have read was by Billy Wilder. I think it was called "Some Like It Wilder". He made such a wide variety of films and his book was full of details about all of his films. I have read so many biographies that it is hard to pick, but "All About Bette" is a good one too - I have read several books about Bette Davis. But I have also read books about Michael Caine, Stanwyck, Jimmy Stewart, several about Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Vivien Leigh, George Sanders, Basil Rathbone, Hitchcock, Sheldon Leonard, William Powell, Kay Francis, Grace Kelly, Gable and Lombard, both Hepburns, William Holden and many, many more. David Niven wrote 2 really funny books about the business. They were both excellent. I love to read about movies and the stars - I always have. I can remember reading Photoplay when I was a girl of about 8 years old and that was a very long time ago. So I enjoy any tidbits that you furnish us with. And if you have any questions, if I can help, I'll be more than happy to fill you in. It is so much fun to find you fellow enthusiasts.

 

[CineMaven]

ALL HAIL...THE KING

 

 

February 1, 1901 - November 16, 1960

 

 

NO OTHER LIKE HIM

[MissGoddess]

*bagladymimi*, was the Michael Caine book his autobiography or did you read the one he wrote on acting? He's hilarious. His writing style reminds me of the David Niven books, which I have never forgotten since I first read them.

 

I just saw Niven last night in a DVD of "Golden Age of Television"...I think it was one of his "Four Star Theater" productions. It was called "The Bomb" and John Dehner, from all those westerns, was his co-star.

[MissGoddess]

Yes! More! More!

 

Are they featuring him today on TCM?

 

My favorite Gables (favorite movies---all but the top four are subject to "mood" changes):

 

1. GWTW (mais bien sur)

2. The Misfits

3. Mogambo

4. Test Pilot

5. Soldier of Fortune

6. Teacher's Pet

7. Manhattan Melodrama

8. Red Dust

9.**** Tonk

10. The Tall Men

11. It Happened One Night

12. No Man of Her Own

13.Strange Cargo

14. It Started in Naples

15. A King and Four Queens

16. Band of Angels

17. A Free Soul

18. Idiot's Delight

19. Mutiny on the Bounty

20.San Francisco

21. China Seas

22. Hold Your Man

23. Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise

24. Cain and Mabel

25. Hell Divers

26. Men in White

27. Run Silent, Run Deep

28. Wife vs. Secretary

29. Too Hot to Handle

30. Homecoming

[CineMaven]

WHOA! That came trippingly off your fingers!!! Ha...

 

CLARK GABLE. Really, has there ever been a more manly man. He's not a swashbuckler or a Robin Hood. No dashing pirate, he was solid (Mr. Christian!!!!!) He's so rooted, so grounded. He's a general, pilot, reporter, a submarine captain, a huckster, big game hunter, race car driver, cowboy, gambler, newspaperman. He could be gentle, mothered, a little boy(ish), a ladies' man, a man's man. Rakish, devilish, stubborn, roguish. Funny, he never played a detective. I wonder why. Oh well. I think he's all Men wrapped up into one handsome rugged hunk. He'll break your heart, he'll rough you up (...and you'll love it), he'll love you up (...and you'll love it), he'll protect you and disappoint you, he'll cry on your shoulder (though not often). He can be a bad boy, Girls, I just love him.

 

HA! You think those ladies were...acting? (Ask Crawford).

 

No, I'm afraid no Gable today. He just slowly wafted through my mind as I thought about him this sad day.

 

 

I had to go to IMDB to make sure I didn't miss a drop of Gable. Here'd be my list...and other than the top two...I'll take Gable in any order; any way I can get him:

 

1. Gone With the Wind

2. The Hucksters

A Free Soul

Night Nurse

Red Dust

No Man of Her Own

Susan Lenox, Her Fall and Rise

Manhattan Melodrama

It Happened One Night

China Seas

Mutiny on the Bounty

Wife vs Secretary

San Francisco

Test Pilot

Boom Town

Command Decision

Any Number Can Play

Mogambo

The Misfits

 

Edited by: CineMaven on Nov 16, 2011 10:32 AM - He's a big ol' oak tree. Or maybe a Sequoia. Yeah, that's the ticket. A Sequoia.

[JackFavell]

Gable favorites

 

1. GWTW

2. The Misfits

3. Test Pilot

4. Red Dust

5. It Happened One Night

6. Manhattan Melodrama

7. San Francisco

8. Hold Your Man

9. Mutiny on the Bounty

10. The Hucksters

 

I'm stopping at ten, partly cause I can't remember some of the films, I haven't seen many of them in years. I also like Strange Interlude and Polly of the Circus -they are interesting for casting Gable as milder types, and I still like him, but they aren't really rankable films for me.

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Nov 16, 2011 11:31 AM

[CineMaven]

HEY JACKAAAAAY!!

 

I like your list.

 

 

< ( Sigh! ) > We can get into a lot of trouble with him... :x

[JackFavell]

Ha! he's trouble all the way - divine trouble!

[bagladymimi]

In response to butterscotchgreer, kudos to you for remembering all those Gable movies. I loved him and particularly like the movies he made as he got older, so I was glad to see "It Started In Naples" and "Teacher's Pet". I also loved "Idiots Delight". And, of course, GWTW is perhaps his best - there will never be another Rhett Butler or Clark Gable.

Also, the book that I read about Caine was his autobiography "What's It All About". I have not read his book on acting. But I am going to try and find it - sounds like fun!

[bagladymimi]

In response to butterscotchgreer, kudos to you for remembering all those Gable movies. I loved him and particularly like the movies he made as he got older, so I was glad to see "It Started In Naples" and "Teacher's Pet". I also loved "Idiots Delight". And, of course, GWTW is perhaps his best - there will never be another Rhett Butler or Clark Gable.

Also, the book that I read about Caine was his autobiography "What's It All About". I have not read his book on acting. But I am going to try and find it - sounds like fun!

[butterscotchgreer]

OOH OOH may I pretty please make a Mr. Gable list of favorites? Oh goodie goodie, here I go!:

 

 

 

Just my top 20...But I love most all of his films. I wish I knew how to post these pics like I used to. Apparently I am losing my touch. heehee!

 

http://www.acertaincinema.com/workspace/media/greer-garson-clark-gable-adventure.jpg

 

http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/images/MASTOSprofiles/loy/1936-watkins-gable-harlow.jpg

 

http://s11.allstarpics.net/images/orig/1/n/1na7lfhdb25fbd5l.jpg

 

 

 

1. It Happened One Night

 

 

 

2. Gone with the Wind

 

 

 

3. Mogambo

 

 

 

4. Adventure

 

 

 

5. Teacher's Pet

 

 

 

6. A King and Four Queens

 

 

 

7. Key to the City

 

 

 

8. Too Hot to Handle

 

9. The Hucksters

 

10. Test Pilot

 

11. Manhatten Melodrama

 

12. The Misfits

 

13. Call of the Wild

 

14. Red Dust

 

15. Band of Angels

 

16. To Please a Lady

 

17. Lone Star

 

18. Wife vs. Secretary

 

19. San Fransisco

 

20. Idiot's Delight

 

Edited by: butterscotchgreer on Nov 16, 2011 8:00 PM

[JackFavell]

Scotchie, I love the photo with Greer! What a rugged face he has! And the one with Loretta (that is Loretta isn't it?) makes you really see the warmth and sparks between them.