Bogie56 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Journeys, odysseys, quests, trips, vacations, voyages. Themes well suited to the movies. I’m going to start with one of my favourites from childhood and that it Mister Scoutmaster. A 1953, Henry Levin Twentieth Century Fox film. Fox is probably the reason it is not seen very often, or at all on TCM. It is probably 50 years or so since I have seen this one so my memory is quite sketchy. From what I recall Clifton Webb takes on a role similar to Mr. Belvedere in that his curmudgeonly character is put to the test by being surrounded by kids. And he is out of his element when taking the kids on a camping trip. The thought of Clifton Webb and a horde of kids is funny to begin with. Somehow I could understand Webb’s form of acidic humour even as a kid. And I liked films that were about kids. As a six year-old I thought George ‘Foghorn’ Winslow was hilarious. Almost as funny as Froggy from the Our Gang series. My cousin and I virtually destroyed our voices one day trying to speak like them for hours on end. How Mister Scoutmaster would stand up to an adult viewing I don’t know. I'm sure I would still be amused by Clifton Webb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Journeys, odysseys, quests, trips, vacations, voyages. Themes well suited to the movies. I’m going to start with one of my favourites from childhood and that it Mister Scoutmaster. A 1953, Henry Levin Twentieth Century Fox film. Fox is probably the reason it is not seen very often, or at all on TCM. It is probably 50 years or so since I have seen this one so my memory is quite sketchy. From what I recall Clifton Webb takes on a role similar to Mr. Belvedere in that his curmudgeonly character is put to the test by being surrounded by kids. And he is out of his element when taking the kids on a camping trip. The thought of Clifton Webb and a horde of kids is funny to begin with. Somehow I could understand Webb’s form of acidic humour even as a kid. And I liked films that were about kids. As a six year-old I thought George ‘Foghorn’ Winslow was hilarious. Almost as funny as Froggy from the Our Gang series. My cousin and I virtually destroyed our voices one day trying to speak like them for hours on end. How Mister Scoutmaster would stand up to an adult viewing I don’t know. I'm sure I would still be amused by Clifton Webb. I saw Mister Scoutmaster for the first time about a year ago and it was a fun movie to see. While it was predictable (i.e. one knows he will lighten up by the end), how Webb acts around children is funny. His overall persona isn't that much different than that in Laura, The Dark Corner and his other films; a very superior attitude etc.. but here it is played for laughs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I liked THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1938), which I saw in the late 1940s, and I remembered the "lost in the cave" sequence for decades. Also in the late '40s I visited Tom's real home in Hannibal MO (Mark Twain's childhood home). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 My pick is A Canterbury Tale (1944) - a British film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger Click HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arturo Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Journeys, odysseys, quests, trips, vacations, voyages. Themes well suited to the movies. I’m going to start with one of my favourites from childhood and that it Mister Scoutmaster. A 1953, Henry Levin Twentieth Century Fox film. Fox is probably the reason it is not seen very often, or at all on TCM. It is probably 50 years or so since I have seen this one so my memory is quite sketchy. From what I recall Clifton Webb takes on a role similar to Mr. Belvedere in that his curmudgeonly character is put to the test by being surrounded by kids. And he is out of his element when taking the kids on a camping trip. The thought of Clifton Webb and a horde of kids is funny to begin with. Somehow I could understand Webb’s form of acidic humour even as a kid. And I liked films that were about kids. As a six year-old I thought George ‘Foghorn’ Winslow was hilarious. Almost as funny as Froggy from the Our Gang series. My cousin and I virtually destroyed our voices one day trying to speak like them for hours on end. How Mister Scoutmaster would stand up to an adult viewing I don’t know. I'm sure I would still be amused by Clifton Webb. MR. SCOUTMASTER has.been on FMC in the last year or so. It may be repeated again. Webb had had great success in films.where he deals with kids,.i.e. the Belvedere movies.and.CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. The concept for.MS probably started as.another Belvedere sequel. But as the third of these films, MR. BELVEDERE RINGS THE BELL (1951), did not do nearly as we'll.as the first two, maybe the studio decided the series had run it's course, and revamped the scout concept, gave Webb a wife (Frances Dee), and released it as Webb's next standalone vehicle. At least two other planned Belvedere films were scrapped; one predated this film, and the other, would have reteamed him with Maureen O'Hara and Robert Young from the first film,.presumably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I confess I misunderstood the subject of this thread. But now that I've read the posts and think I'm on the right track, I submit two of my childhood favorites: In Search of the Castaways and Journey to the Center of the Earth. There is a great book about Antarctic exploration called Ice and the English Imagination, largely about the Nineteenth-Century fascination of the British who were eager to leave their comfortable Victorian homes to endure unspeakable hardships in search of the South Pole (and other unexplored regions, hot and cold). That yearning was the guiding spirit behind exploration and fiction as well. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) was my favorite film as a small boy. It's full of wonder and excitement. If you read comments on IMDB, you find that those who saw it in their childhood remain as smitten with the movie today as they were when they were kids. As children we happily accepted the middle-aged James Mason as the lead character and hero. And it's 50 minutes before they actually get under the earth! Lots of time for story setup and character development. Can you imagine that luxury today? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I confess I misunderstood the subject of this thread. But now that I've read the posts and think I'm on the right track, I submit two of my childhood favorites: In Search of the Castaways and Journey to the Center of the Earth. There is a great book about Antarctic exploration called Ice and the English Imagination, largely about the Nineteenth-Century fascination of the British who were eager to leave their comfortable Victorian homes to endure unspeakable hardships in search of the South Pole (and other unexplored regions, hot and cold). Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) was my favorite film as a small boy. It's full of wonder and excitement. If you read comments on IMDB, you find that those who saw it in their childhood remain as smitten with the movie today as they were when they were kids. As children we happily accepted the middle-aged James Mason as the lead character and hero. And it's 50 minutes before they actually get under the earth! Lots of time for story setup and character development. Can you imagine that luxury today? It would be dirty pool to out somebody while the person is off on an outing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 It would be dirty pool to out somebody while the person is off on an outing. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OllieTSB Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Hooray for A CANTERBURY TALE. That's not one I'd have initially considered but, yes, it has all hte elements of a 'lark' outting in places, as well as more dramatic themes. But definitely the film should fall into the Odyssey Department. I'm not sure how I'd consider CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS, by the way, because while it's definitely an odyssey, the central character is on it, unwillingly at first and then 'converts' wholeheartedly I can't think of a better definition of 'an odyssey' than that, but I find myself reluctant to use that label. IN SEARCH OF CASTAWAYS, SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, and the TREASURE ISLAND tales - those seem to fit into this topic a bit easier. (Now, for a strange "outting", the rather wonderful li'l Paul Hogan film STRANGE BEDFELLOWS (2004) would get my vote where one elderly rural fellow needs hospitalization insurance and the only way he can get it thru socialized medicine is to claim he's gay. And have his best friend agree to that announcement. I mean - isn't that what friends are for?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 I liked THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1938), which I saw in the late 1940s, and I remembered the "lost in the cave" sequence for decades. Also in the late '40s I visited Tom's real home in Hannibal MO (Mark Twain's childhood home). This movie is scheduled to air on TCM on July 7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenBaby2 Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 A film that I love that. could maybe fit this category is Swiss Family Robinson (1960 and it doesn't hurt that it has a very cute James MacArthur in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 A film that I love that. could maybe fit this category is Swiss Family Robinson (1960 and it doesn't hurt that it has a very cute James MacArthur in it. I worked with James M. in the 1990s. I was waiting for him, expecting that cute young guy to arrive. And this short gray-haired man showed up. Time marches on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougieB Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 I like "Travels with My Aunt" (1972) with Maggie Smith as the eccentric (borderline criminal) aunt who drags her nephew across Europe on the Orient Express and involves him in shady dealings with customs officials, etc. The Orient Express in its heyday seems like the ultimate outing to me. "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Death on the Nile" would probably also qualify for this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 I like "Travels with My Aunt" (1972) with Maggie Smith as the eccentric (borderline criminal) aunt who drags her nephew across Europe on the Orient Express and involves him in shady dealings with customs officials, etc. The Orient Express in its heyday seems like the ultimate outing to me. "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Death on the Nile" would probably also qualify for this thread. Yes, Maggie Smith was really good in TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT. When she made the movie she was younger than the age of the character (except in the flashback scenes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 The 1940 version of Swiss Family Robinson with Thomas Mitchell, Freddie Bartholomew, Edna Best and Tim Holt is a rarity. Has TCM ever shown that one? Another Thomas Mitchell 'road movie.' LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 If there were a soundtrack to this thread, Jackie Gleason might be able to suggest "a little traveling music". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 The 1940 version of Swiss Family Robinson with Thomas Mitchell, Freddie Bartholomew, Edna Best and Tim Holt is a rarity. Has TCM ever shown that one? Tim Holt is a very underrated actor. I think he did mostly Westerns. His performance in THE MAGNIFICIENT AMBERSONS is fantastic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Yes, Maggie Smith was really good in TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT. When she made the movie she was younger than the age of the character (except in the flashback scenes). I saw Travels with My Aunt on stage in London in 1993. I was trying to remember who played the aunt, whether Maggie Smith was in it. I just looked at my programme -- no one played the aunt -- she wasn't a character in the play! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 I saw Travels with My Aunt on stage in London in 1993. I was trying to remember who played the aunt, whether Maggie Smith was in it. I just looked at my programme -- no one played the aunt -- she wasn't a character in the play! That's very interesting that the title character of the play doesn't appear, sort of like Waiting for Godot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Well, the Coen Bros made a funny and very entertaining little film back in 2000.... (...speaking of "Odysseys") 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 Wim Wenders was the subject of a complete retrospective at Toronto’s very fist film festival, which was known as the Festival of Festivals in those days. (You can see why they changed its name) I caught the first Wenders film on offer and quickly booked to see all of the others. His 1976 film, Im Lauf der Zeit, or Kings of the Road was my favourite. Rudiger Vogler and Hanns Zischler play two unlikely travelling companions. Vogler drives a projector repair truck around the countryside tending to dying cinemas. You could call it an existential road picture. The black and white camerawork by future star cinematographer, Robbie Muller is quite stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 That's very interesting that the title character of the play doesn't appear, sort of like Waiting for Godot. In film, that also happens. One example is EDWARD MY SON. Another is I LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 In film, that also happens. One example is EDWARD MY SON. Another is I LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS. Hmmmmm...would Claude Rains count here when he played the Invisible Man??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Hmmmmm...would Claude Rains count here when he played the Invisible Man??? I think that's wothy of discussing, Dargo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 I know TCM doesn't show Paramount films very often. Do people have favourite Hope & Crosby road movies? Mine is Road to Utopia and I especially liked the ending when Bob Hope's kid with Dorothy Lamour walks in the room and he is a ringer for Bing Crosby. Very cute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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