TopBilled Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 In a review of one of Guy Kibbee's films, a critic says that the entire affair is centered around the beloved character actor's "familiar bombastic-idiot persona." While I don't think Kibbee always played obnoxious characters (his later film roles show a gentler, softer nature), it is probably true that audiences associate him more with the roles where is over-the-top and blustery. Especially in BIG HEARTED HERBERT, a cute Warner Brothers programmer from the thirties that pairs him with frequent costar Aline MacMahon. He also made several films with Jane Darwell. What is your favorite Guy Kibbee movie...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 What is your favorite Guy Kibbee movie...? Footlight Parade, Captain Blood, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and City Streets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet0312 Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I enjoyed his sparring with Slim Summerville in Captain January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 I enjoyed his sparring with Slim Summerville in Captain January. I still have not watched CAPTAIN JANUARY. It may be the only Shirley Temple feature film I haven't seen. Warners used Kibbee in a similar role with Sybil Jason (the studio's answer to Shirley) in a cute picture called THE CAPTAIN'S KID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewannie Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I still have not watched CAPTAIN JANUARY. It may be the only Shirley Temple feature film I haven't seen. Warners used Kibbee in a similar role with Sybil Jason (the studio's answer to Shirley) in a cute picture called THE CAPTAIN'S KID. You should...it's a really good one. As for favorite Guy Kibbee movie, can't pick one as I always enjoy him even when he was playing an obnoxious character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I still have not watched CAPTAIN JANUARY. It may be the only Shirley Temple feature film I haven't seen. Warners used Kibbee in a similar role with Sybil Jason (the studio's answer to Shirley) in a cute picture called THE CAPTAIN'S KID. His roles are different in both films. In "Captain January" he plays a lighthouse keeper who is soon to be retired due to modern technology taking over. In "The Captain's Kid" which I'm fortunate to have, he plays a has been who tells tall tales to impress Sybil Jason. http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/113907/Captain-s-Kid-The-Original-Trailer-.html TCM needs to reair this movie to give people a chance to record this very rare film which has NOT been released to video In the 1924 silent version of "Captain January", the child Baby Peggy is called Captain January instead of the lighthouse keeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM108 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 In a review of one of Guy Kibbee's films, a critic says that the entire affair is centered around the beloved character actor's "familiar bombastic-idiot persona." While I don't think Kibbee always played obnoxious characters (his later film roles show a gentler, softer nature), it is probably true that audiences associate him more with the roles where is over-the-top and blustery. Especially in BIG HEARTED HERBERT, a cute Warner Brothers programmer from the thirties that pairs him with frequent costar Aline MacMahon. He also made several films with Jane Darwell. What is your favorite Guy Kibbee movie...? There are way too many to mention all of them, but I do wish that TCM would run The Captain's Kid for the first time since 2009. I wouldn't even mind if TCM ran every single Kibbee movie they could get their hands on from beginning to end. My all-time favorite quote about Kibbee was in The Dark Horse, when the scheming political insider played by Warren William was asked to describe the amiable puppet (Kibbee) he was running for Governor: "Every time he opens his mo u t h, he subtracts from the sum total of human knowledge." That pretty much summarizes Kibbee's character in more than a few movies, but in terms of lovability if not intelligence, he's a perfect complement to another great character actor, Charles Coburn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 His roles are different in both films. In "Captain January" he plays a lighthouse keeper who is soon to be retired due to modern technology taking over. In "The Captain's Kid" which I'm fortunate to have, he plays a has been who tells tall tales to impress Sybil Jason. The roles are similar in that he plays a character instrumental in the life of a young girl. While I haven't seen CAPTAIN JANUARY, he probably shares with Shirley his stories of the 'old days,' like he does with Sybil-- albeit differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 The roles are similar in that he plays a character instrumental in the life of a young girl. While I haven't seen CAPTAIN JANUARY, he probably shares with Shirley his stories of the 'old days,' like he does with Sybil-- albeit differently. He doesn't do that in the film. It's on Youtube and am surprised 20th Century Fox isn't raising hell over it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W4MaXR1fuw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 Thanks ham-- I am going to have to set aside some time and watch CAPTAIN JANUARY. When I had discs arriving from Netflix (way back when) I somehow failed to put this title on my list and did want to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyfan Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'm guessing TopBilled knows my favorite Guy Kibbee films: Kibbee does a nice job of being the changed Scrooge in BAD LITTLE ANGEL Kibbee uses his bluster to great effect on both Weidler and Sterling (the son-in-law) in THIS TIME FOR KEEPS. Are the Scattergood Baines films available anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyfan Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 He doesn't do that in the film. It's on Youtube and am surprised 20th Century Fox isn't raising hell over it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W4MaXR1fuw Apparently, Fox isn't quite as vigilant as Warner tends to be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 TCM Tribute to Guy Kibbee. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'm guessing TopBilled knows my favorite Guy Kibbee films: Kibbee does a nice job of being the changed Scrooge in BAD LITTLE ANGEL "Bad Little Angel" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7DI1sA5Y-I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyfan Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 ginnyfan, is "Bad Little Angel" a movie or a short? The Youtube video is 15 minutes long. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlqWQHAaXdo It's a programmer running at around 70 or 75 minutes. YouTube recently had a crackdown on anything Warner and removed two different postings of the full film and of Young Tom Edison. I actually worry that I helped contribute to that because I made some of my members aware the films were there so they could watch them on Ginny's birthday. The film is a bit underrated. Virginia stars with Kibbee, Gene Reynolds, Toto, Ian Hunter, Lois Wilson, and Reginald Owen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 ginnyfan, I just found the movie, recheck my last edited post. I placed a copy on the Youtube thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyfan Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 ginnyfan, I just found the movie, recheck my last edited post. Good, I thought I had wiped out all the Weidler films on YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 TCM Tribute to Guy Kibbee. Nice TCM tribute to Kibbee. At a film club event a few years ago in Arizona, I screened POWER OF THE PRESS-- an effective little programmer from Columbia (with a script by Sam Fuller). In the picture, Kibbee is very subdued as a small-town newspaper editor, and the audience responded well to his charming on-screen demeanor. I can only imagine what he was like in his younger days as a riverboat entertainer on the Mississippi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'm guessing TopBilled knows my favorite Guy Kibbee films: Kibbee does a nice job of being the changed Scrooge in BAD LITTLE ANGEL Kibbee and Weidler also costarred in HENRY GOES ARIZONA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Kibbee was capable in a wide range, from the bumbling tool of a sherriff in HIS GIRL FRIDAY to the savvy, street smart "Judge" in LADY FOR A DAY. And was able to pull them off with convincing ease. It would be hard for me, too, to pick a favorite Kibbee movie. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starliteyes Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Sepiatone, Gene Lockhart played the sheriff in "His Girl Friday," although I could see Guy Kibbee in that role, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 Some shots of Guy Kibbee with Joan Blondell from the lost Warner Brothers film CONVENTION CITY. He sports a toupee in this one: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyfan Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Kibbee and Weidler also costarred in HENRY GOES ARIZONA. Alas, I hadn't started my quest when TCM last showed that one (2011?) So I can't officially add it to my likes list yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnysc Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Great thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValentineXavier Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I don't think I've ever seen a Guy Kibbee film I didn't like, but I will always think of him first as Hagthorpe, in Captain Blood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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