HITS & MISSES: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow on TCM

[SadPanda]

Who'll Stop the Rain is definitely my must-see movie of today. The crackerjack screenplay was written by Robert Stone, based on his own novel Dog Soldiers.

[Fedya]

6 hours ago, Bethluvsfilms said:

Give me 1950's CAGED any day.

 

How about Untamed Youth with Mamie Van Doren, and a musical number in a cotton field?

(Lurene Tuttle is actually quite good in the movie.)

[jamesjazzguitar]

28 minutes ago, Fedya said:

How about Untamed Youth with Mamie Van Doren, and a musical number in a cotton field?

(Lurene Tuttle is actually quite good in the movie.)

A picture is worth a thousand words.     As for Lurene Tuttle;  Below is a picture I found on the net,  but it looks like Spring Byington to me (far right).

[Bethluvsfilms]

1 hour ago, Fedya said:

How about Untamed Youth with Mamie Van Doren, and a musical number in a cotton field?

(Lurene Tuttle is actually quite good in the movie.)

Haven't see that one, but it certainly looks interesting.

[lavenderblue19]

1 hour ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

A picture is worth a thousand words.     As for Lurene Tuttle;  Below is a picture I found on the net,  but it looks like Spring Byington to me (far right).

That's Spring Byington on the right and definitely Lurene Tuttle on the left

[jamesjazzguitar]

18 minutes ago, lavenderblue19 said:

That's Spring Byington on the right and definitely Lurene Tuttle on the left

I had to look at other photos and her filmography to refresh my memory.      It also solved another mystery I had after watching an Adam-12 episode.    

There was an actress playing a librarian.    She looked like Spring Byington so I looked that up but Byington was retired when that episode was made.    It was bugging me who that actress was since I knew I had seen her before in films,,,  but just couldn't place her.     Now I know it was Lurene Tuttle.     So thanks for the confirmation! 

 

[lavenderblue19]

4 minutes ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

I had to look at other photos and her filmography to refresh my memory.      It also solved another mystery I had after watching an Adam-12 episode.    

There was an actress playing a librarian.    She looked like Spring Byington so I look that up but Byington was retired when that episode was made.    It was bugging me who that actress was since I knew I had seen her before in films,,,  but just couldn't place her.     Now I know it was Lurene Tuttle.     So thanks for the confirmation! 

 

You're welcome

[nakano]

On 7/21/2020 at 2:54 AM, Bogie56 said:

Wednesday, July 22

7 a.m.  Once You Kiss a Stranger (1969).  Carol Lynley stars in a criss-cross murder plot ala Strangers on a Train which is on at 2:30 p.m..  

I did not noticed your Japanese poster...watched it today,the first 3 minutes with Carol Lynley in a bikini made it memorable... otherwise the last minute also  .Good cast though.

[Bogie56]

19 hours ago, Bethluvsfilms said:

I noticed a lot of women-in-prison films, particularly in the 70's and 80's, had a tendency to have the same plot over and over again....wrongfully convicted (or not) women exploited behind bars by the sleazy powers-that-be in charge.

Give me 1950's CAGED any day.

 

 

Broads Behind Bars is still my all time favourite.

[Bogie56]

Saturday, July 25

10 a.m.  Popeye: Blunder Below (1942).

 

noon.  Malcolm X (1992).  It's still Spike Lee's best film and the one that Denzel Washington should have won the Oscar for.

[TomJH]

On 7/23/2020 at 4:59 AM, Bogie56 said:

Friday, July 24/25

2:30 a.m.  The Big Doll House (1971).  With Pam Grier.  If these women weren't behind bars they could probably all get jobs as models. 

I eagerly anticipate what appears to be a fine, realistic portrait of prison life. And I can hardly wait to see if there is a prison guard who looks like Barton MacLane in drag.

[Bethluvsfilms]

5 hours ago, Bogie56 said:

Saturday, July 25

10 a.m.  Popeye: Blunder Below (1942).

 

noon.  Malcolm X (1992).  It's still Spike Lee's best film and the one that Denzel Washington should have won the Oscar for.

I agree that MALCOLM X is indeed Spike Lee's finest work and had he not been competing against Al Pacino (who was long overdue at this point) who was nominated for SCENT OF A WOMAN alongside Denzel, Denzel probably would have won Best Actor that year.

Which is not to say Pacino wasn't great in SCENT OF A WOMAN (he was), but he turned in much more award worthy performances in the first two GODFATHER films, DOG DAY AFTERNOON and AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

[Bogie56]

Sunday, July 26

Here we go.  TCM swapped nights with July 12.

10 p.m.  Bedazzled (1967),  One of my favourite comedies with Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and the babe with the bust, Raquel Welch.  Drimble Wedge and the Vegetation is not to be missed.  Music by Dudley Moore.

[Bethluvsfilms]

3 hours ago, Bogie56 said:

Sunday, July 26

Here we go.  TCM swapped nights with July 12.

10 p.m.  Bedazzled (1967),  One of my favourite comedies with Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and the babe with the bust, Raquel Welch.  Drimble Wedge and the Vegetation is not to be missed.  Music by Dudley Moore.

Been awhile since I saw that one. Will have to catch that one.

Should be interesting to see Moore during his younger, pre-ARTHUR days.

[nakano]

SILENT SUNDAY  SADIE THOMPSON 1928 July 26th

With Gloria Swanson with Raoul Walsh acting and directing Walsh started as an actor & was doing the 2 jobs before having an accident with a jackrabbit,losing one eye on the set of his next film

I have seen the movie a few years ago,was very familiar with Swanson read her bio,films etc but her beauty in this movie is quite extraordinary,Gloria Swanson Mary Nolan and Garbo are my favorite silent beauties,but Swanson is quite unique in Sadie Thompson.

 

[Bogie56]

Monday, July 27/28

2 a.m.  Insignificance (1985).  Really good Nicolas Roeg film with Teresa Russell and Tony Curtis.  Recommended.

[scsu1975]

16 hours ago, nakano said:

 

 

Hmm ,... reminds me of someone around here ... now who  could it be???

[scsu1975]

[Bogie56]

Tuesday, July 28

9:45 a.m.  Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).  Very good Mike Nichols film with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis.

 

Carl Reiner Tribute

2 a.m.  Where’s Poppa? (1970).  Irreverent comedy based on the book by Robert Klane.  For me, Ron Leibman (1937-2019) is the stand out in this film.

BTW, anyone else read Klane’s The Horse Is Dead?  Incredibly un-PC if memory serves but very funny IMO.  I read it in high school though.  I was attracted to a quote on the softcover … “The funniest book I’ve read read - Jack Benny.”  I wonder if it was true that Benny had even read it?

[Bethluvsfilms]

5 hours ago, Bogie56 said:

Tuesday, July 28

9:45 a.m.  Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).  Very good Mike Nichols film with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis.

 

Carl Reiner Tribute

2 a.m.  Where’s Poppa? (1970).  Irreverent comedy based on the book by Robert Klane.  For me, Ron Leibman (1937-2019) is the stand out in this film.

BTW, anyone else read Klane’s The Horse Is Dead?  Incredibly un-PC if memory serves but very funny IMO.  I read it in high school though.  I was attracted to a quote on the softcover … “The funniest book I’ve read read - Jack Benny.”  I wonder if it was true that Benny had even read it?

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINA WOOLF is a powerful film, Elizabeth Taylor more than earned her Oscar for that one and Richard Burton should have won one for his performance as well.

 WHERE'S POPPA? is a funny flick. I agree that Ron Leibman is the main highlight of the movie.

[Bogie56]

Wednesday, July 29

2:45 p.m.  One Million Years B.C. (1966).  With my kind of cave woman, Raquel Welch.  I had this poster.

[SadPanda]

The biggie tonight is The Comic (1969).

I've been waiting a long, long time to get this one in my TCM library.

Carl Reiner once said that he was shocked when Dick Van Dyke didn't receive a best actor Oscar nomination for this movie.

[ElCid]

Scrolling through the TCM listings for today and tomorrow and found a Leonard Maltin rating I have not seen before.  Movies is Sex Kittens Go to College (1960)  Couldn't copy it, but there is a "BOMB" rating and a 

LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW:    

 

😧 Albert Zugsmith. Mamie Van Doren, Tuesday Weld, Mijanou Bardot (Brigitte's sister), Louis Nye, Martin Milner, Mickey Shaughnessy, Pamela Mason, (Norman) "Woo Woo'' Grabowski, Jackie Coogan, John Carradine. Priceless title and cast fail to deliver in shockingly unfunny comedy; new head of college science department (Mamie, working very hard to convince us she's a genius) turns out to be an ex-stripper. Finding a movie with worse direction would be almost as impossible as finding another movie with a night club jazz combo fronted by Conway Twitty! Don't say you weren't warned. Aka THE BEAUTY AND THE ROBOT.

[Bogie56]

Thursday, July 30/31

2:45 a.m.  Kes (1969).  Pretty good early Ken Loach film.

[scsu1975]

22 hours ago, TheCid said:

Scrolling through the TCM listings for today and tomorrow and found a Leonard Maltin rating I have not seen before.  Movies is Sex Kittens Go to College (1960)  Couldn't copy it, but there is a "BOMB" rating and a 

LEONARD MALTIN REVIEW:    

 

😧 Albert Zugsmith. Mamie Van Doren, Tuesday Weld, Mijanou Bardot (Brigitte's sister), Louis Nye, Martin Milner, Mickey Shaughnessy, Pamela Mason, (Norman) "Woo Woo'' Grabowski, Jackie Coogan, John Carradine. Priceless title and cast fail to deliver in shockingly unfunny comedy; new head of college science department (Mamie, working very hard to convince us she's a genius) turns out to be an ex-stripper. Finding a movie with worse direction would be almost as impossible as finding another movie with a night club jazz combo fronted by Conway Twitty! Don't say you weren't warned. Aka THE BEAUTY AND THE ROBOT.

Well, here is my review from about 7 years ago, so you can judge for yourself if you want to watch this:

In the opening credits, somebody sings "Sexpot Goes To College," which is an alternate title for this flick. I can think of a few more titles, but I don?t want to get banned from the TCM boards. Colossal misfire, unfunny, unentertaining, unbelievably bad, and one of the greatest wastes of non-talent ever conceived. Granted, you don't expect much from a Mamie Van Doren flick, but this thing is truly abysmal, and more boring than a John Kerry speech.

A robot/computer named THINKO selects the newest faculty member for Collins College. That would be Mamie, who has 13 degrees, can speak 18 languages, and has a sign over her bed reading "Over One Million Served." The reaction of the welcoming committee consists of astonishment (Louis Nye), disapproval (Pamela Mason), and lust (Martin Milner). Mamie tries to impress them with her knowledge of theoretical mechanics: "When I blast off, I've got an escape velocity which gets me to my aphelion point practically instantaneously." Actually, I understood that. Mamie is introduced to the science class, and gives a psychology demonstration by firing two pistols. Next, she sets her sights on helping the star football player overcome his shyness. The football player is played by Woo Woo Grabowski, whose character's name happens to be Woo Woo Grabowski. Woo Woo is being wooed by Tuesday Weld, who looks cute but does not give her performance the old college try. Elsewhere, we have Minjanou Bardot (Brigitte's sister) as a student who apparently is writing a book about sex, two moronic gangsters (Mickey Shaughnessy and Alan Drake playing characters named "Boomie" and "Legs" who think THINKO is a bookie), John Carradine as a lecherous biology professor, Jackie Coogan as Admiral Wildcat MacPherson, and Jose Gonzales-Gonzales as a Mexican.

The thin plot involves the discovery that Mamie used to be a dancer named "Tassels Monclair." So I'm not sure how she found the time to get so highly educated. Mamie does get to dance in a tight silver dress, and sings "Baby," accompanied by Conway Twitty's band. This is definitely the highlight of the film, but it quickly deteriorates as Coogan, Carradine, Nye, and some other guy prance around with her, and do a weak impersonation of a chorus line. Then everybody scatters when a monkey shoots off a machine gun. Apparently, even Cheetah can pass a background check.

There are a few subplots, but they are hardly worth mentioning. In fact, I can't even describe them. The dialogue is witless, as witnessed by this exchange between Bardot and Drake:

Bardot: "Parlez-vous francais?"
Drake: "Not if I can help it baby, it gives me gas."

ROFLMGasO

This makes at least three films I've seen with the musclebound and mentally challenged Woo Woo Grabowski ... College Confidential, The Beat Generation, and now this. I have no idea what he is doing in any of these films, and apparently neither does he. Coogan is obviously doing a W. C. Fields impersonation, and falls flat. Shaughnessy seems to be channeling Lou Costello; please, switch channels. John Carradine gets to do the Charleston and the tango with Mamie. He makes former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner look like an amateur. Nye spends the entire film looking like he is suffering from hemorrhoids. Vampira has a bit part as Nye's assistant; I didn't even notice it was her until one of the final scenes. Bardot needs to have her libido excised. Pamela Mason is out of her league. It's no wonder a few years later she cleaned out hubby James in the divorce; she couldn't have made any money from this dreck. Milner overacts, does doubletakes, and mugs wildly for the camera. In the finale, he commandeers a fire truck (from Charlie Chaplin, Jr.), and, with Nye hanging on the ladder, sets off after Mamie to propose. The truck is pulled over by Officer Kent McCord, thus starting a long and beautiful friendship with Milner.