RAMBLES Part II

[MissGoddess]

Wouldn't that be super if we all could go...boy, that takes in a lot of territory.

[movieman1957]

We can resurrect the Taylor Film Festival at my mother's house. Well, wherever we go I'm thrilled to be included.

[MissGoddess]

Maryland makes a good half-way point between Monument Valley and Cong.

[rohanaka]

Maryland makes a good half-way point between Monument Valley and Cong

 

Oh yeah!! And on the way west from there, we can stop off at my house (since I'm SORT of in the middle) and we can have that big back yard BBQ that we talked about last summer.. you WILL bring your German Potato Salad won't you????

[MissGoddess]

> {quote:title=rohanaka wrote:}{quote}Maryland makes a good half-way point between Monument Valley and Cong

>

> Oh yeah!! And on the way west from there, we can stop off at my house (since I'm SORT of in the middle) and we can have that big back yard BBQ that we talked about last summer.. you WILL bring your German Potato Salad won't you????

 

A whole tubful.

[rohanaka]

woo hoo.. John Ford.. a TCM back yard bbq and family reunion party... AND your german potato salad.. (may I just add.. yeehaw!!)

[molo14]

*_Cinemaven wrote:_ I think everyone should try on..."The Tattered Dress."*

 

Well I tried on *The Tattered Dress* CineMaven. I think I look a little silly but the movie was definitely a nice find. Thanks for bringing it up.

 

*SPOILED TATTERS!*

 

*_Maven wrote:_ I was ready for a rip-roaring-tawdry-technicolored B-movie good time.*

 

That's about what I was expecting. I thought it all was going to be pretty lurid, and it was, but it WAS more than that too.

 

*But what I got was a good solid very frank drama...*

 

I agree.

 

*Chandler's Blaine is the lawyer you hire...when you are guilty.*

 

Exactly. Blaine isn't a crusader for justice, he's no hero. He's far more interested in gaming the system and despite his booming bravado and smug exterior, in a lot of ways he's as sleazy as the clients he takes on. He confesses as much in his final summation to the jury.

 

He started out with ideas of becoming a corporate attorney and, once rejected because of his humble credentials, the chip on his shoulder drives him to be the best defender of the crooked, the sleazy, and the well connected who occasionally slip up and kill somebody from time to time. Oh and he gets a nice home with a sweet wife (Jeanne Crain) and a couple of kids too. He can't hold that together though.

 

He's a man with a penchant for vice and, like you said, he gambles, he drinks and he sleeps around. He's probably wallowed in the grime he thrives on for a bit too long and while it does make him an interesting character, it also lays the works for an incongruous battle for justice between him and Jack Carson's Sheriff Hoak.

 

He does pick up a few interesting allies along the way in the Platt and Tobias characters. I liked both of them here. When poor Giles gets in the car and starts driving down that desert road, I knew he was in trouble but I was still a bit surprised to see Hoak act so decisively.

 

*But let me get down to brass tacks...it's JACK CARSON's show all the way. Carson plays the town sheriff. And as power does...power corrupts, absolutely. Yes Miss G., he's MacBeth...and also Machiavelli all rolled up in one hail fellow well met. He's jovial and menacing; threatening and sympathetic.*

 

Carson just made the movie for me. That's a wonderfully descriptive assessment of Carson's Hoak. He is so smooth in his deceptive, two faced dealings with Chandler.

 

*When on the witness stand a second time, he talks of how he considers Chandler a friend; even kind of intimates that he knows he's holding onto his glory days as a collegiate grid iron star long past its expiration date. < Sniff! > But he's a back stabbing snake in the grass...and convincing at it too. He's pulling the strings and won't stop at lying, cheating, beating or murder.*

 

That scene where he relates to Chandler the story of why he could consider him a friend was superb, it sent a bit of a chill down my spine seeing Jack turn that situation around with such a benevolent anecdote. Hoack just got scarier as the film went on.

 

*The Witness who accuses the New York lawyer of bribing her is none other than GAIL RUSSELL. Her life was to come to a sad and tragic end in four years at age 36, and you can see the effects alcohol has had on her once hauntingly beautiful looks. But she does a grand job here as the witness. She withstands a grueling and blistering cross-examination by Chandler and goes toe-to-toe with him, as we see her stress mount question by question. "The Tattered Dress" is about two movies away from the end of her career and the end of her life, but I can still see she's got It. Dear sweet Gail.*

 

There were two reasons I was looking forward to seeing this movie. One was Jack Carson and the other was a chance to see Gail Russell in a later role. I wasn't disappointed by either of them. Russell was wonderfully tragic as Carol Morrow. The scene where she meets Diane at the door, her getting slapped around in the bedroom by Hoak and her going head to head with Blane on the witness stand being broken down piece by piece, all of this was nicely played.

 

I would have liked a little more backstory on her dealings with Hoak. She apparently had a good reputation in town and he was using that, and using her, but she was also in love with him. Whatever the story was, Hoak was able to drag her down with him.

 

Carson's Hoak sure seemed to hold a lot of power in not only the town, but the state, for a local sheriff. Yet he couldn't hold sway over the local juries. If it wasn't for the scene, where Blane is roughed up, I would have gotten the sense that he was mainly working alone accept for the necessary involvement of Carol Morrow.

 

He knows enough, and is ruthless enough to do his own killing. You don't want a lot of people in on that sort of thing. I wasn't clear at the end whether he was about to shoot Blane before Carol gunned him down. She certainly ended the movie with a bang!

 

*Miss Goddess wrote: Great description of Carson's character. I kept thinking about Molo while watching him*

 

Well I'm not quite that conniving and hey, I haven't forced anybody off the road and over a cliff in twenty... Oh wait, you meant... Nevermind!

 

*since i know he's a favorite of his. This has to be up there with his best performances.*

 

It really is. Jack is just fantastic as Hoak. I hit on this a bit earlier, but I really liked the way the battle between him and Chandler's Blane was so twisted. In a very crazy way, Hoak was seeking justice and Blane was seeking victory. I couldn't quite root for Blane but I certainly couldn't root for Hoak, no matter how charming a snake he was.

 

I wouldn't want to be inside either of their heads! Justice was definitely tattered alright!

 

Thank you again CineMaven for bringing this up and thank you Miss Goddess for pointing it out to me. I am definitely glad I got to see this one.

[CineMaven]

GLORIA SAYS...

 

"WHERE'VE YOU BEEN? YOU'VE BEEN A VERY NAUGHTY BOY! ...AND I LIKE THAT!!"

 

Well as I live and breathe!!!! Molo. MOLO!!! You ol' sidewinding sodbuster. How are you?! I hope all's well with you and your little Glo-lo'D Mo-loes!!! And you happened to see one of my favorite films. Awwww.

 

Well I tried on "The Tattered Dress" CineMaven. I think I look a little silly but the movie was definitely a nice find. Thanks for bringing it up.

 

Thank you for trying it on. Pssst! That dress looks mahvelous on you too. Tatters and all!

 

...I thought it all was going to be pretty lurid, and it was, but it WAS more than that too.

 

I thought so. I thought it was pretty luridly layered.

 

But what I got was a good solid very frank drama...

 

I agree.

 

Well as one Maven to a Molo...whew! I'm glad.

 

Exactly. Blaine isn't a crusader for justice, he's no hero. He's far more interested in gaming the system and despite his booming bravado and smug exterior, in a lot of ways he's as sleazy as the clients he takes on. He confesses as much in his final summation to the jury.

 

You're right. He was. But I sometimes get dazzled by the pretty packaging. He was pretty cocky. ( "I just can?t seem to lose," or words to that effect ).

 

He started out with ideas of becoming a corporate attorney and, once rejected because of his humble credentials, the chip on his shoulder drives him to be the best defender of the crooked, the sleazy, and the well connected who occasionally slip up and kill somebody from time to time. Oh and he gets a nice home with a sweet wife (Jeanne Crain) and a couple of kids too. He can't hold that together though.

 

See? He was forced to do it. It didn't matter that he had the sheepskin. It mattered where the sheep came from. Bringing home the bacon...it ain't easy.

 

He's a man with a penchant for vice and, like you said, he gambles, he drinks and he sleeps around. He's probably wallowed in the grime he thrives on for a bit too long and while it does make him an interesting character, it also lays the works for an incongruous battle for justice between him and Jack Carson's Sheriff Hoak.

 

You just put a thought into my ol? Draculean noggin. Sheriff Hoak was trying to seek justice for his dead friend. I was so taken with Blaine, I forgot about the victim. Dang that Hollywood casting! Brain-washed again!

 

He does pick up a few interesting allies along the way in the Platt and Tobias characters. I liked both of them here. When poor Giles gets in the car and starts driving down that desert road, I knew he was in trouble but I was still a bit surprised to see Hoak act so decisively.

 

Yeah. JackaaAaay, (Jack Favell) could tell George Tobias was a goner as soon as he entered the film. Ha!

 

Carson just made the movie for me. That's a wonderfully descriptive assessment of Carson's Hoak. He is so smooth in his deceptive, two faced dealings with Chandler.

 

Thank you. I was wondering if Carson had the chops to play the Willie Starks role in "ALL THE KING?S MEN." What do you think? Carson was very convincing here. And to think...he made three movies with Doris Day.

 

That scene where he relates to Chandler the story of why he could consider him a friend was superb, it sent a bit of a chill down my spine seeing Jack turn that situation around with such a benevolent anecdote. Hoack just got scarier as the film went on.

 

He might not have gone to law school. He might've been a dumb jock, but he was a one-man lynch mob, wasn't he.

 

There were two reasons I was looking forward to seeing this movie. One was Jack Carson and the other was a chance to see Gail Russell in a later role. I wasn't disappointed by either of them. Russell was wonderfully tragic as Carol Morrow. The scene where she meets Diane at the door, her getting slapped around in the bedroom by Hoak and her going head to head with Blane on the witness stand being broken down piece by piece, all of this was nicely played.

 

I wish Gail Russell's life could have turned out better. I just saw her in "MOONRISE" and find that with all her fragility and delicacy, she had a lot of depth as an actress. Yes, her Carol Morrow took quite a beating...from both men in the movie. Ugh!

 

I would have liked a little more backstory on her dealings with Hoak. She apparently had a good reputation in town and he was using that, and using her, but she was also in love with him. Whatever the story was, Hoak was able to drag her down with him.

 

She loved him; and she was shamed in front of her entire community. I'm thinking of three movies (two I saw recently) where love (or "love" or "passion" was like a drug for these ladies and they can't break away from the men in their life:

* ?All the King?s Men"

* "The Earrings of Madame de..."

* "The Letter"

He knows enough, and is ruthless enough to do his own killing. You don't want a lot of people in on that sort of thing. I wasn't clear at the end whether he was about to shoot Blane before Carol gunned him down. She certainly ended the movie with a bang!?

 

That brought to mind Willie Starks' end in "...King?s Men." Sometimes only a woman scorned can take out the garbage.

 

It really is. Jack is just fantastic as Hoak. I hit on this a bit earlier, but I really liked the way the battle between him and Chandler's Blane was so twisted. In a very crazy way, Hoak was seeking justice and Blane was seeking victory. I couldn't quite root for Blane but I certainly couldn't root for Hoak, no matter how charming a snake he was.

 

I was pulling for Blaine to clear his name. (Those Restons were a piece of work, weren't they? And then look how they turned on him). I enjoyed the battle between the Lawyer and the Lawman. I like seeing Jack Carson being kind of mean and surly. He?s always such a big loveable lug in so many movies, I loved his dark glint of malevolence as the Sheriff. ( "Don't let me find you!!" ) Ha!

 

Thank you again CineMaven for bringing this up and thank you Miss Goddess for pointing it out to me. I am definitely glad I got to see this one.

 

Well I?m glad you stopped by. Don't be a stranger. Here's more of the Grahame Molo?d Welcoming Committee; ...incentive:

 

 

[JackFavell]

Molo! We've missed you so much!

 

I liked seeing Jack Carson as a bad guy. His image as a big, goofy nice guy really played well turned on it's ear like this. Not only do we have preconceived notions about Jack, but the town had preconceived notions about Hoak. Hoak used that "everyone's buddy" image in order to get away with murder, literally, and Carson used our own feelings about his image to turn in a deeper, more sinister performance. Oh, how smoothly he was able to turn on that "sincere" bit during the trial, saying why he thought of Chandler as a friend! I almost fell for it, and I knew the truth. That scene just showed what a great actor Carson was.

 

I've seen him as a slimeball before, the type to try and get away with something, or like Gooper, a kind of smarmy guy who thinks he's pulling the wool over someone's eyes, and hasn't any convictions, but I've never seen him as an out and out villain before. It suited his talents. He was always able to dig a little deeper in his serious roles - there is something kind of scary underlying them. The dark side of the good-natured party boy.

 

And yes, George Tobias had the big x marked on his forehead for me - the mark of death just as visible as the sign of the pentagram.....

 

As for Gail Russell, she's another who adds depth to each characterization. She's so lovely, frail and so sad underneath, but is able to use it to create such memorable performances. I didn't realize how soon after this movie she was gone.

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Dec 16, 2011 9:39 AM

[fxreyman]

I understand that it might be a romantic and a great excuse to travel off to some far away land, but most fans probably could not afford a trip to Ireland these days......

 

Especially those of us who are unemployed, like me.

 

But having said that, I really do hope that this event can raise awareness to those filmmakers who are just now getting started and to those who may have known about John Ford, but who nonetheless really do not know that much about his films. Hopefully such a high-profile event will raise awareness not only of the annual winner, but also to Mr. Ford himself.

 

This all makes me wonder why no other American film company and or film society like AFI never came up with this kind of idea before. I know that AFI has it's annual tribute to some actor or director/producer that they present each year; Ford himself won the first AFI award in 1971. But I could see where an American company could partner with the John Ford Ireland Project and present an awards ceremony where many of Ford's greatest films were filmed.....

 

Monument Valley. And they could even tout the presentation as an awareness campaign for the plight of the American Indian. Who knows, maybe someone has already come up with this idea.

[movieman1957]

Oh look! An early Christmas present. It's Molo.

[CineMaven]

*"And yes, George Tobias had the big x marked on his forehead for me - the mark of death just as visible as the sign of the pentagram....."* - JACK FAVELL

 

*GEORGE TOBIAS ENTERS JACK FAVELL'S BOUDOIR.*

[rohanaka]

Oh sure.. Molo is back to posting and he picks a movie I haven't SEEN yet to start chatting on.. oh bruddah..ha. (but it was a fine read.. glad to see everyone's posts on this.. but especially glad to see YOUR name back in the mix, dear Mad Hat.. don't be a stranger.. you DO remember I still have my ROPE???)

[bagladymimi]

Jack Carson was a terrific actor. He not only had a chip on his shoulder in some of his movies, but he had one in real life as well. From what I have read, he deeply resented playing the "second banana" most of his career. From my point of view, there are many movies that were truly enriched by his presence - actually too many for me to mention!

[JackFavell]

> {quote:title=CineMaven wrote:}{quote}*"And yes, George Tobias had the big x marked on his forehead for me - the mark of death just as visible as the sign of the pentagram....."* - JACK FAVELL

>

>

> *GEORGE TOBIAS ENTERS JACK FAVELL'S BOUDOIR.*

>

 

OMG! gurgle... hmmph..... bwaaahahahahahaha! Oh that is too funny! You are hilarious, my friend! I am just glad someone got my reference.

 

- Favellspenskaya

 

Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Dec 16, 2011 7:32 PM

[molo14]

Hi CineMaven,

 

Thanks for the GLORIAous welcome back!

 

I've missed ALL of you a lot!

 

*You're right. He was. But I sometimes get dazzled by the pretty packaging. He was pretty cocky. ( "I just can?t seem to lose," or words to that effect ).*

 

He certainly was cocky and characters like that are almost always set up for a fall. I think the frame up unsettled him. He was on Hoak's turf.

 

*See? He was forced to do it. It didn't matter that he had the sheepskin. It mattered where the sheep came from. Bringing home the bacon...it ain't easy.*

 

Yeah, okay Maven. He probably could have found a nice comfortable position maybe upstate or somewhere south of Hoboken, but once his dream of working for the big firms was shot down, he needed to prove himself on his own turf. He needed to "show them" and he did. I don't think that is necessarily a flaw, but then I think it ate away at him and he lost his conscience.

 

It eventually affected his marriage and we never really see any regret until he's in real trouble. Even his final admission to the jury is a courtroom maneuver, however honest it was. It did make him an interesting character though.

 

*You just put a thought into my ol? Draculean noggin. Sheriff Hoak was trying to seek justice for his dead friend. I was so taken with Blaine, I forgot about the victim. Dang that Hollywood casting! Brain-washed again!*

 

Ha! Well that was the thing I found so interesting. Hoak wanted justice for his friend and he was used to getting his way. It was all personal though. Hoak was warped. Blaine not only got the killer off, he tarnished the victim and he used Hoak to do it. Now Hoak was risking everything he had to get back at him. It was that important. Hoak didn't just snap in this one case of course, he was a bad dude already, but I think he was driven over the edge a bit here (Just a bit! ) because of the personal connection and his idea of justice turning into vengeance.

 

*I was wondering if Carson had the chops to play the Willie Starks role in "ALL THE KING?S MEN." What do you think? Carson was very convincing here. And to think...he made three movies with Doris Day.*

 

When *All the King's Men* was released Jack was making those films with Doris, and he was generally doing pretty light roles. I think he could have played the part, he had the range, but audiences at the time might have had a tough time seeing him in the role. That film would have definitely been a career changer for Jack either way.

 

It's been a very long time since I have seen ATKM, I would need to check it out again. I think Jack could do just about any role and I think by the late fifties people would have more readily accepted him in that type of part and that big of a part.

 

*I was pulling for Blaine to clear his name. (Those Restons were a piece of work, weren't they?*

 

Yes they sure were.

 

*I like seeing Jack Carson being kind of mean and surly. He?s always such a big loveable lug in so many movies, I loved his dark glint of malevolence as the Sheriff. ( "Don't let me find you!!" ) Ha!*

 

I do too. He was really ruthless yet so smooth here. I wish you wouldn't feel that way. Ha! This goes down as one of Carson's great roles.

[molo14]

*don't be a stranger.. you DO remember I still have my ROPE???) *

 

Ha! The rope is ALWAYS in the back of my mind!

 

I hope you get to see this movie though. I would like to hear what you think.

[lzcutter]

Mighty Mo,

 

Welcome back! I can only imagine that Glo and the little Glo-Los have been keeping you busy!

 

How are their various dance routines going? Are you and Gloria having fun driving them around to all their gigs?

 

Hopefully, one of these days, they'll be going to Broadway and you and Gloria can get some rest!

[molo14]

Hi Jackie,

 

*I've seen him as a slimeball before, the type to try and get away with something, or like Gooper, a kind of smarmy guy who thinks he's pulling the wool over someone's eyes, and hasn't any convictions, but I've never seen him as an out and out villain before. It suited his talents. He was always able to dig a little deeper in his serious roles - there is something kind of scary underlying them. The dark side of the good-natured party boy.*

 

I just really agree with everything you wrote about Jack here. He was able to dig a little deeper when the role demanded it.

 

He was wonderful at comedy but he was wonderful in any role when given the chance. He could be mean, noble, tragic, conniving, clueless, a lout, a lug or just wonderfully ordinary.

 

*And yes, George Tobias had the big x marked on his forehead for me - the mark of death just as visible as the sign of the pentagram..... *

 

You see so much more clearly than I.

 

O' great and mysterious Favellspenskaya!

 

*As for Gail Russell, she's another who adds depth to each characterization. She's so lovely, frail and so sad underneath, but is able to use it to create such memorable performances. I didn't realize how soon after this movie she was gone.*

 

I have just become a fan of her work really over the last couple of years. She was memorable in this one and there was much of the beautiful but damaged soul in her Carol Morrow.

[molo14]

Hi Lynn!

 

Yes the Glo-Los are coming along nicely. They are a handful though!

 

Speaking of talented little ones. Did you catch little Frankie in *Roaring Rails* the other night? I haven't had a chance to watch it, though I did catch a little when it aired. I recorded it though.

[lzcutter]

> Did you catch little Frankie in Roaring Rails the other night?

 

I didn't catch it in real time but I have it on my DVR!

 

Glad to hear that you and Glo and family are doing well.

 

Larry "Bud" and Jimmy Chan have, hopefully, been keeping out trouble as well.

[bagladymimi]

I definitely think Carson could have played Willie Stark - he would have been great in that role. And what a shame that he never had that chance. I think he was a strong enough actor to carry a movie on his shoulders. And, not to take away from Broderick Crawford, I think Carson would have done just as good a job with that character. Do you suppose that, by that time he had already irritated some people with the "chip on his shoulder"? He certainly had been on screen long enough - I wonder if he even tried out for the part?

[SansFin]

If someone wishes a little get-away-from-it-all-in-style vacation they may wish to consider this:

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/29018

 

My concern is whether you must go through TSA screenings between the bedroom and bathroom.

[Bronxgirl48]

Lovely to see you back, molo.

 

Happy winter season, everyone:

 

 

[lzcutter]

Merry Christmas, Barb!

 

 

May you, Rudy and Rod have a Merry one!

 

And may BronxMom enjoy the holiday cheer as well!