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RAMBLES Part II


MissGoddess
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Richard Todd night! Don't miss A MAN CALLED PETER -- Dick is so sexy as ambitious, down-to-earth real-life Scottish preacher Peter Marshall. Jean Peters lends fine support. "See you in the morning..."

 

Just saw CHASE A CROOKED SHADOW. Did you sense that ending coming? I didn't. Don't worry, Doug, we won't tell anyone, lol. Anne Baxter's Barcelona villa was pretty creepy.

 

 

I caught snippets of ODONGO. Poor Rhonda Fleming, paired with that unforgettable hunk MacDonald Carey, who tells her, "Don't forget you're a vet, not a professor of gynecology". During a jeep drive, they burst into song: "Oh, life is wonderful!" What the---?? Little Odongo is a Sabu-substitute who tries to teach MacDonald the beauty of nature and an appreciation of animals. He "Bwana-s" Carey to death, but all he gets is MacDonald's control-freak scorn.

 

 

In KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY, Laraine Day goes into such a crying jag, I expected Clark Gable as Rhett Butler to come over and offer her his handkerchief.

 

Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Nov 18, 2011 9:58 PM

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Hi, Goddess! Yep, you knew I'd be watching Dick tonight! A MAN CALLED PETER is my favorite of all his movies; He is simply wonderful in the role -- vigorous, humane, earthy, inspirational, passionate, and darned cute. I'd never even heard of CHASE A CROOKED SHADOW before and was rather fascinated by it - the plot reminded me of that Susan Strasberg woman-in-peril thriller/shocker. (can't remember the title) The moody b&w photography of SHADOW BOLalso put me in mind of DIABOLIQUE. Of course you knew I'd be grooving to the Mediterranean scenery, as well as Baxter's villa, beautiful and eerie at the same time.

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:) It's nice to see I'm not the only Richard Todd fan around. Fox and Disney served him well with the roles they gave him and he returned the favor with great performances. Unlike Dana Wynter in *D-Day, the Sixth of June* I'd have picked him over Robert Taylor in a heartbeat.

 

I'd never seen *Chase a Crooked Shadow* and did not suspect the ending. This was a nice surprise. I never fail to be inspired by *A Man Called Peter;* if the sermons used were indeed Rev. Marshall's this Catholic is very grateful to that Presbyterian.

 

I also noticed that Covington, GA, where his ministry began, is the town where the TV version of *In the Heat of the Night* was filmed. There was only radio then so nobody had a clue as to what was coming. And Catherine Marshall went on to a career as a writer giving us *Christy* which became a TV series. Life is indeed surprising.

 

Edited by: wouldbestar on Nov 19, 2011 12:38 PM

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A very stylish thriller. I'll honor Mr. Fairbanks' request to not mention the ending

 

Me too.. but only will say.... OH ME, I never saw it coming! I really enjoyed this film a lot. I missed the first ten minutes or so, but was totally captivated after I came in on it. Very intriguing story.

 

Ps..Re the house and scnerey.. I don't know what got my attention more.. the lovely surroundings of that villa.. OR.. Anne Baxter's tiny waist!! Good golly, I never knew she was so trim... how did she even breathe?? :D (But my, wasn't she lovely in this one?)

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Ha! I was thinking the exact same thing about Annie's waistline. I always thought she was a bit more voluptuous but she sure showed me wrong.

 

Jackie: Happy Fourth Anniversary to one of the main reasons I stick around on this board. Or does that lay the blame at your door? :D

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I always thought she was a bit more voluptuous but she sure showed me wrong

 

Well, I am with you. I always had a mental image of her that was a bit rounder.. ha. But she was just so petite in this film. It was such a surprise because up until lately... after watching her a couple of years ago in that one you told me about w/ Ralph Bellamy where she was that awful house guest (from "hel..sinki" ha.) and then after watching her in The Razor's Edge a while back, I don't think I can ever recall seeing her in too many other films except The Ten Commandments... In fact, I have seen her so many times in that movie, I just about only THINK of her that way, and she was definitely a bit more "voluptuous" in THAT one. Maybe it was all the fancy Egyptian food she ate while she was pharoah's wife.. ha... or maybe it was all those flowing robes. HA.

 

(Note to self.. never buy any flowing robes.. I do not need any extra help w/ roundness, alas)

 

But I digress... :D

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Well Chase a Crooked Shadow was released the year after The Ten Commandments. So either Ann lost some weight or it was those robes!

 

I enjoyed the film and since it was one I had never seen or heard about before it was interesting. The Fairbanks speech was somewhat corny and I assume done for marketing reasons.

 

But Ann did look very nice in this film as well as the countryside. I also wondered what part of Spain this was. Looked like southwest Italian coastline to me.

 

 

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Ro,

It's been a VERY long time since I saw The Ten Commandments so I don't even remember what Annie looked like in that. I'm sure she was naughty. :D

 

Maybe it was all the fancy Egyptian food she ate while she was pharoah's wife.

 

Ha! All those leeks and garlic and whatnot.

 

I still can't get over that wonderful shot in *Chase a Crooked Shadow* of Todd and Ann at that beachside cafe. It was so, so beautiful. Lazy, wonderful days, sitting and sipping rojas, an espresso or cafe con leche. Oh now I'm depressed.

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I'm sure she was naughty

 

In truth.. ha.. we always get a kick out of her in that film (the QT and I) because she honestly seems to come off a bit "campy" to us. (but I mean it in a good way We go around quoting favorite lines from her in that one all the time. And YES.. very naughty.. (oh and vindictive too, ha)

 

 

 

 

 

 

All those leeks and garlic and whatnot

 

HA.. I guess the whole "leeks and garlic diet" would likely not be TOO hard on the figure as I might have sounded a bit harsher in my judgment of her figure in my last post than I intended. Because even if I always thought of her as "less petite" I never thought of her as overweight.. ha.

 

Good golly.. even in TTC she is lovley.. but just seemed "curvier" is all..

 

So it musta been the clothing after all. Gee... WHO KNEW those flowing robes could add so much volume to a gal's "voluptuous-ness".

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYJnkvKn_70

 

(Second note to self.. STAY AWAY from the flowing robes.. no really, I mean it.. ha.. now I am the one who is depressed. HA) :D

 

Edited by: rohanaka on Nov 19, 2011 7:34 PM

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Thanks for the congrats guys!

 

I think I deserve something for sticking around that first couple of years...... :D . I'd rather say thanks to you folks, who make me WANT to be here - the erudite, intelligent and enthusiastic people who make this such a GREAT place to chat about wonderful CLASSIC FILMS.

 

_movieman -_

 

Congratulations to your lovely daughter! Happy Birthday to her and many happy returns. I hope you guys had a lovely time.

 

_Bronxie (and MissG and Ro) -_

 

I watched *Chase a Crooked Shadow* too, while the kids were downstairs giggling and tearing the house apart during the sleepover. I did NOT expect that ending either - but no SPOILERS here, Doug, Jr.! I did wish that somehow, RIchard Todd and Anne could have gotten together... it seemed headed that way for a few moments anyway. I LOVED the villa, and the little boat house, and the setting with the terraced land all around on the edge of the water.

 

My first real alcoholic drink was the one that Todd fixed for Anne in the little guest cottage boathouse -- the swimming drink? I think it's called a Kir Royale - and has white wine and cassis in it. Did I miss something? I thought he didn't know what drink to make.... how did he figure it out? Or was that part of the coaching session?

 

As for *A Man Called Peter* , I watched with the sound turned down, so I could hear any more giggling or sneaking around in the middle of the night, and put a stop to it. I probably didn't have to, since they were REALLY LOUD in their sneaking.

 

I wish I'd been able to hear the scene where RIchard was in the basement? at the furnace, and breaks down while Jean was in the hospital or something??? It looked really good, but by that time, hubby was asleep so I couldn't turn the sound back up. He started to cry! and leaned up against a brick wall... I don't know if they were having problems, or if she was sick, but he started to pray I think. It seems to me that by missing that, I missed the best part of the movie.

 

Oh, and there was another scene of Todd "relaxing" at home that just cracked me up. He was wearing the most stiffly pressed and starched blue shirt and tan pants I've ever seen! Barely a button unbuttoned at the top.... the outfit was so perfect, I thought it looked like it could have stood up by itself. He couldn't have been any more straight-laced and unrelaxed looking if he'd been wearing a priest's collar! It made me want to scream out loud. I literally wanted to knock him down and roll him into the dirt like Tracy Lord does to George Kittredge in *The Philadelphia Story.*

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Nov 19, 2011 8:25 PM

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jackfavell--I suspect he knew how to make the swimming drink but had to think really hard about it because it was such a minor detail that maybe he thought it would never come up. Or he was just really good at guessing what the "swimming drink" was. It was just one of those implausible details of the film, even though I enjoyed it very much.

 

I can't answer your question about the basement scene, however the wife was incapacitated by TB for several months so maybe he was in anguish about that.

 

I agree that Todd, as Marshall, was always very neatly dressed, even when playing ball in the church parking lot. And he always had that ramrod straight posture. Todd had an excellent physique--ROWR!!

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A spectacular four years, Jackie! I ADORE your posts.

 

696491_enlrg.jpg

 

You're right about the importance of the basement scene in A MAN CALLED PETER. All I can say without giving away spoilers is that he is engaged in a serious conversation with God. I loved all the references to Marshall's beloved Scotland, and Alfred Newman's musical themes.

 

RO -- I also marvelled at Anne Baxter's waist in CHASE A CROOKED SHADOW, lol! Although for 1954's CARNIVAL STORY she looked pretty trim.

 

 

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> Oh, and there was another scene of Todd "relaxing" at home that just cracked me up. He was wearing the most stiffly pressed and starched blue shirt and tan pants I've ever seen! Barely a button unbuttoned at the top.... the outfit was so perfect, I thought it looked like it could have stood up by itself. He couldn't have been any more straight-laced and unrelaxed looking if he'd been wearing a priest's collar! It made me want to scream out loud. I literally wanted to knock him down and roll him into the dirt like Tracy Lord does to George Kittredge in The Philadelphia Story.

LOL! I kept hoping for more beach scenes at Cape Cod, but of course knew that Peter Marshall could never be seen wearing a bathing suit.

 

There was a young woman called Barbara who couldn't keep her eyes off Todd. "You don't look like a minister". She took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Nov 20, 2011 4:37 PM

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*THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT...MY HEART*

 

RALPHMEEKER.jpg

*RALPH MEEKER*

 

TCM shines a spot light on this under-rated, intense and interesting actor in a myriad of performances today:

 

*7:00 AM SHADOW IN THE SKY (1951)*

A shell-shocked veteran tries to recover his sanity while living with his sister. Dir: Fred M. Wilcox Cast: Ralph Meeker, Nancy Davis, James Whitmore. BW-78 mins, TV-PG,

 

*8:30 AM GLORY ALLEY (1952)*

A boxer's drinking problem threatens his career and his love life.

Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast: Ralph Meeker, Leslie Caron, Kurt Kaszner.

BW-79 mins, TV-G, CC,

 

*10:00 AM JEOPARDY (1953)*

A woman desperately seeks help to prevent her trapped husband from drowning. Dir: John Sturges Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Ralph Meeker . BW-69 mins, TV-PG, CC,

 

*11:15 AM NAKED SPUR, THE (1953)*

A captive outlaw uses psychological tactics to prey on a bounty hunter.

Dir: Anthony Mann Cast: James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan.

C-92 mins, TV-PG, CC,

 

*1:00 PM KISS ME DEADLY (1955)*

Detective Mike Hammer fights to solve the murder of a beautiful hitchhiker with a mysterious connection to the Mob. Dir: Robert Aldrich Cast: Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart .

BW-106 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

*3:00 PM PATHS OF GLORY (1957)*

A military lawyer comes to question the status quo when he defends three men accused of cowardice. Dir: Stanley Kubrick Cast: Fred Bell, John Stein, Harold Benedict. BW-88 mins, TV-PG, CC,

 

*4:30 PM RUN OF THE ARROW (1957)*

A bitter Confederate veteran joins a Sioux tribe to keep his war against the Union going. Dir: Samuel Fuller Cast: Rod Steiger, Sarita Montiel, Brian Keith. C-86 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

 

*6:00 PM ADA (1961)*

A call girl weds an easygoing politician and helps him against corrupt state officials. Dir: Daniel Mann Cast: Susan Hayward, Dean Martin, Wilfrid Hyde-White. C-108 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THE ANATOMY OF A TATTERED DRESS

 

THETATTEREDDRESS.gifANATOMYOFAMURDER.jpg

 

I've been watching "THE TATTERED DRESS" ( 1957 ) and I've found a bunch of similarities between this film and "ANATOMY OF A MURDER" ( 1959 ). Not an exact replicant of plot, mind you, but pretty similar.

 

THE HOT SHOT NEW YORK LAWYER:

 

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Cocksure and never loses.

 

THE ATOMIC BOMBSHELL VICTIM:

 

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These gals give their husband sleepless nights...in more ways than one. Wouldn't you if you looked like that? Can't help it, the girl can't help it.

 

THE JEALOUS HUSBAND:

 

PHILIPREED.jpgBENGAZARRA.jpg

They protect what's theirs...even if they can't hold her. Just why IS she seeking other men, hmmmm??

 

FRIEND AND PROTECTOR OF THE MURDER VICTIM:

 

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They live vicariously through their misguided friendship. What IS behind that?

 

THE FAITHFUL WIFE(Y):

 

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She can't quit him...even if she wants to. (Arden is faithful to Jimmy Stewart, who in this case is not a hotshot NY lawyer).

 

THE TRUE FRIEND & LOYAL SIDEKICK:

 

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Whether a defendant or soused, he's a pal 'till the end. They don't make sidekicks like these guys anymore.

 

THE SURPRISE WITNESS:

 

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Oh boy oh boy, can she bust the case WIDE OPEN!! Just what lies beneath the Brunette?

 

And now, members of the jury, I give you..."THE TATTERED DRESS."

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XYyIvEpabY

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