Why did Ben lie?

[28Silent]

He promised that the version of blackmail would be the silent version.Well soon as it came on surprise it wasn't .This would not of happen if it wasn't for the deregulation of big business greed,that Hollywood is guilty of since Fort Lee New Jersey 1910.So the only cure for this and the problem of time Warner putting limitation on film history exploration,as well as over charging in admissions and home video and the best actors and directors e.c.t. being over paid as well as studio executives taking more money out for their own salaries and putting less on the studio, even Hollywood columnist Rona Barret ,in the late 70''s complained about producers having drug problems and causing admission prices of movie tickets to go up, is government regulations against corporate Hollywood greed lying and over charging and putting less variety against to the movie consumer

[classiccinemafan]

 

idk , but i'm real disappointed. That silent version is pretty rare. I thought tonight was my lucky night.

 

 

[twinkeee]

I thought tonight was my lucky night.

 

I thought tonight was my "Lucky Night" too, I would FINALLY be able to watch my First Silent Movie EVER!...not to be! (:

 

Twink

[VP19]

Anyone blaming this on Ben Mankiewicz doesn't understand how TCM works (or, in this case, doesn't work). I'm certain his intro was taped some time ago, in preparation for showing the silent version of "Blackmail" -- and indeed, for the first few minutes, we heard synchronized sound effects but no dialogue. Then, suddenly, talking...not gibberish as Charlie Chaplin gave us in "Modern Times," but actual dialogue. Lots of dialogue. (When viewing a talkie in 1929, that's what audiences wanted to see, er, hear.)

 

I'm guessing TCM had both versions available (they wouldn't have promoted it as a silent otherwise), some technician inadvertently got the wrong film, ran it for a few minutes and didn't hear dialogue, and thought it was the one to run.

 

Let us hope that later this year, TCM can re-run "Blackmail" on "Silent Sunday Nights," this time showing the correct version (and admitting its mistake in the intro).

 

Yes, this was a particularly egregious error, but the many good things TCM does more than makes up for this goof.

[AddisonDeWitless]

> {quote:title=VP19 wrote:}{quote}

>

> Yes, this was a particularly egregious error, but the many good things TCM does more than makes up for this goof.

Yeap, pretty much.

I feel for you fans of silents though, on more issues than just this.

[DownGoesFrazier]

Fans of silents can be silent no longer.

[AddisonDeWitless]

> {quote:title=finance wrote:}{quote}Fans of silents can be silent no longer.

so true.

 

I really respect their love of silents because- forgiveness- I'm not "in" to silents meself. I know there are a lot of magnificent ones out there, but alas- in the end: I like to read and I like to watch movies but I'm not much for combining the two. (same reason I'm not real "in" to farn' films.)

 

That said, I'm happy whenever I see silents on the schedule, be it an all-day marathon or prime-time showings, and I wish TCM sent a little more love down Silent Film Lane than they do...One showing Sundays at midnight is a piddling offer when the "genre" still has committed fans out there.

[willbefree25]

Anyone blaming this on Ben Mankiewicz doesn't understand how TCM works (or, in this case, doesn't work).

 

Remember when every goof TCM made used to be blamed on poor old Robert?

[VP19]

> {quote:title=AddisonDeWitless wrote:}{quote}

> > I'm happy whenever I see silents on the schedule, be it an all-day marathon or prime-time showings, and I wish TCM sent a little more love down Silent Film Lane than they do...One showing Sundays at midnight is a piddling offer when the "genre" still has committed fans out there.

I love silents as much as anybody, and I'm happy whenever TCM shows them outside the "Silent Sunday Nights" timeslot (e.g., the all-day salute to Lon Chaney on April 1, the anniversary of his birth). At the same time, it must be acknowledged that silents have a niche audience, and most casual film fans (the bulk of TCM's audience) don't get the "language" or silents any more than most get that of the "international" films TCM runs after SSN. At least, if you're in Seattle or Los Angeles, you can watch SSN in prime time (a normal 9 p.m. start in the Pacific time zone). We here in the East don't have that luxury.

[filmlover]

> {quote:title=28Silent wrote:}{quote}He promised that the version of blackmail would be the silent version.Well soon as it came on surprise it wasn't .*This would not of happen if it wasn't for the deregulation of big business greed,that Hollywood is guilty of since Fort Lee New Jersey 1910.So the only cure for this and the problem of time Warner putting limitation on film history exploration,as well as over charging in admissions and home video and the best actors and directors e.c.t. being over paid as well as studio executives taking more money out for their own salaries and putting less on the studio, even Hollywood columnist Rona Barret ,in the late 70''s complained about producers having drug problems and causing admission prices of movie tickets to go up, is government regulations against corporate Hollywood greed lying and over charging and putting less variety against to the movie consumer*

 

I see some sensible replies about the silent film being shown, but no one is discussing the sheer incomprehensibility of the original post. My first thought was that this person is off their medication.

[jamesjazzguitar]

 

Yes, the post is very hard to follow but I do see a political POV here that I have mentioned before (and I didn't get any feedback on it either):

 

Should the goverment treat 'old movies' like they do historical buildings? e.g. take them from the owners or apply very strict criteria as it relates to ownership; one must restore the films, make them available to the public at a reasonable price, cannot alter them (e.g. colorize) etc... i.e. something like eminent domain.

 

I know there is the Library of Congress but I don't know what powers they have as it relates to taking over (controlling) the rights to a film that is added to the library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MovieMadness]

They ordered the silent version but got the talking version, so Ben was *Blackmailed*.

[Sepiatone]

I'm still trying to figure out what showing the wrong version of a movie has to do with producers being on dope.

 

Or if the OP was implying the government had something to do with the mix-up.

 

Or how TCM showing the "wrong" version on TV on late Sunday night affects movie ticket prices?

 

Or how producers drug habits affect them. Or anything ELSE about the OP, for that matter...

 

Sepiatone

[dpompper]

 

DP = confused, too

 

 

I'm noticing that folks seem to characterize TCM faux pas as somehow an outcome of Ben's LYING. What's that about?

 

 

[Dargo2]

So, I guess you folks haven't heard that despite his many denials, the Mankster has been spotted flying black helicopters for the government. AND, that this has been goin' on for some time now!

 

(...and thus how Ben's reputation has been sullied)

[markfp2]

Ben has no say in what's running. He just reads what's written for him. His intros are recorded, sometimes weeks before the movie runs, so he has no idea what's actually being shown.

[FredCDobbs]

I think it was just an honest mistake. One problem TCM has that no other network on television has, is the constant juggling of hundreds of films every month. Negotiating, shipping, receiving, processing, cataloging, scheduling, etc., etc.

 

Many of the intros are taped months before the films are shown, so a lot of things could change in-between the taping of the intros and the showing of the films. For example, Drew is obviously pregnant during all of last months and this months Essentials intros, so those intros were taped before she had her baby last September.

[DownGoesFrazier]

That's the beauty of message boards. If you met this person at a party, and he said that to you, would you have had the nerve to respond, "Are you off your medication"?

[hoytereden]

I don't blame anybody really but I was disappointed and a little more disappointed that, with the numerous posts here, that someone; anyone, at TCM doesn't post something on the site or in an email concerning it. It wouldn't take much effort and would make me feel that at least they're paying attention to their viewers. Just good old-fashioned customer service.

 

 

[jamesjazzguitar]

 

I have to assume that someone at TCM knew that the movie they were going to show wasn't the silent version. I can't believe it would of been too costly or time consuming for TCM to put up a short message after Ben's into (or instead of), that indicated that TCM was going to show the non silent version.

 

 

 

 

[ValentineXavier]

> {quote:title=finance wrote:}{quote}That's the beauty of message boards. If you met this person at a party, and he said that to you, would you have had the nerve to respond, "Are you off your medication"?

 

I'd just say 'I see you've been picking up our transmissions, from out in space... '

[BigFaceSmallRazor]

> {quote:title=ValentineXavier wrote:}{quote}

> > {quote:title=finance wrote:}{quote}That's the beauty of message boards. If you met this person at a party, and he said that to you, would you have had the nerve to respond, "Are you off your medication"?

> I'd just say 'I see you've been picking up our transmissions, from out in space... '

I call them an idiot troll but then quickly hold up a smiley face so all is forgiven.

[ValentineXavier]

I don't expect forgiveness, but the emoticons here are very limited... I just expect the smiley face to indicate that I'm not angry.

[filmlover]

LOL, if it happens again, just call your cable company and tell them to turn off the sound.

 

 

[jamesjazzguitar]

Well I counted 16 emotion icons. How many do you need? My wife tell me I only have 3!