I Just Watched...

[Shank Asu]

The Last Bus (1921) I tend to watch anything that is filmed in Cornwall, and this film follows an elderly man, on his last legs, as he travels from the most Northern point of mainland UK, John O'Groats in Scotland, to the Southernmost point at Land's End in Cornwall, where he met his late wife.  There's nothing too original about the story, but this journey seems especially hard on the main character, and the audience is probably doubting he'll make his destination.  I enjoyed it, but was disappointed that they didn't actually film anything in Cornwall or Land's End, which isn't too far from me.  They even show the ocean on the wrong side of the screen for someone traveling South to Cornwall.

Old English people might like this one.  I recommended it to my mother-in-law.

[Fedya]

23 hours ago, CinemaInternational said:

Its still worth catching for Sinatra's work, and Remick, Bisset, Al Freeman Jr. and Jack Klugman are solid in supporting roles.

As well as William Windom and Tony Musante.

And any movie in which Frank Sinatra utters the immortal line, "Pen!s cut off" is worth watching.

[Fedya]

23 hours ago, CinemaInternational said:

The Crowded Sky (1960) is a bit hokey, but its fun. It's the missing link between The High and the Mighty and Airport, telling the soapy sagas of the people aboard an airliner and a Navy jet before they accidentally collide 12 minutes before the end of the film. Most of the characters survive. There are longeurs but it is filled with all sorts of familiar faces, all of them professional. Its more of a soap opera than a disaster movie. Favorite cast member: Patsy Kelly in a small but delightful part as a wisecracking Hollywood agent.

What's the line she says about her client -- Even his neuroses have neuroses or something like that?

And then there's the scene with Troy Donahue on the ground with his pilot while their military plane is getting repaired.  The music for that scene is the theme from A Summer Place.  I nearly fell off my chair the first time I saw that scene.

[Fedya]

36 minutes ago, Shank Asu said:

The Last Bus (1921)

How old was Timothy Spall when he made this? 

[LornaHansonForbes]

43 minutes ago, Shank Asu said:

Myrna Loy really was quite a looker.

and a redhead, in real (non-black and white) life.

[CinemaInternational]

11 minutes ago, Fedya said:

What's the line she says about her client -- Even his neuroses have neuroses or something like that?

And then there's the scene with Troy Donahue on the ground with his pilot while their military plane is getting repaired.  The music for that scene is the theme from A Summer Place.  I nearly fell off my chair the first time I saw that scene.

Yes, that's the line Patsy had that her client's neuroses had neuroses.

I definitely recognized the theme from a Summer Place in that scene. Very ironic.

[Shank Asu]

19 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

and a redhead, in real (non-black and white) life.

wow- i did not know that.

[Shank Asu]

21 minutes ago, Fedya said:

How old was Timothy Spall when he made this? 

ha- yeah, they make him up to be much older in the film.  It's only a year old apparently although i'd never heard of before i saw it on Prime.

[speedracer5]

On 8/19/2022 at 3:44 PM, CinemaInternational said:

This is a picture of my local library... where I basically grew up at.

That is a sweet looking library.  My library looked like this:

It was built in the 1970s and looks every inch of it.  The library was just remodeled last year to make it more earthquake proof.  I loved this library though.  My family went to the library  ~3 weeks or so (coinciding with the length of the borrowing period).  It was a cheap family activity--only $0.25/hour for city parking.  I was in the Kids Summer Reading club every single summer from kindergarten to 12th grade.  As a middle schooler, I liked to read old newspaper articles on the microfiche machine and read old Almanacs in the reference section.  There was also a cafe in the basement that had really good cookies.  The drinking fountain by the elevator on the main floor had the greatest water.  It was so cold. 

Back in the day, they had a huge Lucille Ball VHS collection in the A/V room for whatever reason.  When I discovered Lucille Ball when I was 10 in 1994, I checked out every single movie and book that the library had about Lucy.  

I love the library. I'm part of a different library system now, but I always have nostalgia for my childhood library in Salem, OR. 

[speedracer5]

I recently watched two films that I've never seen on TCM and I'd never heard of before blind buying them during the most recent BOGO Olive Films sale on Deep Discount.

Sleep My Love (1948) This is a Douglas Sirk-directed film noir starring Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, and Robert Cummings.  At the beginning of the film, Colbert's character wakes up on a train (headed to Boston) and has no memory of how she got on the train.  She then discovers a gun in her purse.  She is disoriented and ends up getting the help from an older woman who helps her find a phone and call her husband (Don Ameche) in New York City.  As the film continues, it becomes apparent that all is not right with Ameche and that he might have more sinister intentions.  It was interesting seeing Don Ameche in a more villainous role (aside from his role in Trading Places).  Robert Cummings plays the typical good guy who comes to the aid of the heroine.  Hazel Brooks has a "now introducing" credit.  While this isn't the best Sirk film or film noir that I've seen and parts of it seemed very much like Gaslight and Suspicion, I really liked it.  I thought Claudette Colbert was fantastic as the confused, anxious, and hysterical wife of Ameche.  I always enjoy seeing Don Ameche in a film, he has such a fabulous voice.  There is a great scene in this film featuring a Chinese wedding that feels authentic and devoid of any stereotypes.  That was refreshing to see.

 Union Station (1950) This is the last of the three William Holden/Nancy Olson pairings that I hadn't seen yet.  In this film, Olson plays Joyce Willecombe, a young woman who sees a suspicious man (Lyle Bettger) board a train carrying a myraid of guns.  She alerts the conductor who doesn't think anything of it, but says that he will wire the police stationed at Los Angeles' Union Station railway station (where the train was headed).  Joyce ends up meeting up with Police Lieutenant William Calhoun (Holden) who at first is ready to brush her off.  However, it becomes apparent that Joyce is not overreacting when the police receive a report of a young blind woman's kidnapping.  Joyce's concern is further compounded when the police retrieve a suitcase left in the lockers at Union Station by the man on the train.  Upon the suitcase's opening, Joyce recognizes the contents as belonging to the young blind woman.  The rest of the film is an interesting race against time as Calhoun and his colleague, Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald), try to capture the man from the train while also remaining sensitive to the notion that the young woman could be murdered if the police act too aggressively.  This was an interesting film.  It's not often we see Holden in a noir and it's especially not often we see him running after suspects and engaging in gunfire. I thought he was great.  I really like Nancy Olson, I wish she'd had a larger career.  The ending scene is definitely the highlight of the film.

[Mr. Gorman]

Two movies watched this evening:

SPY WITH THE COLD NOSE, The (1966-UK).   SPY STUFF!  With a good cast and a lot of canine companions!  On VHS from 'CHARTER Entertainment', a 1987 release.

CHU CHU AND THE PHILLY FLASH (1981-Comedy).   On '20th Century Fox Video', a 1982 release.  This movie has never been issued on DVD or Blu-Ray.  Out-of-print since 1983.  I fished out my aging videocassette for a go-round in the humble VCR.  You really have to see this movie to believe it.   Has a very good cast of stars and familiar faces.  This bombed in theaters, but did make a few CBS network appearances in the mid-1980s.   Doesn't seem to have aired much since the '80s.  Someone uploaded it to YouTube, however, so it can be watched there. 

[LornaHansonForbes]

5 hours ago, Mr. Gorman said:

Two movies watched this evening:

SPY WITH THE COLD NOSE, The (1966-UK).   SPY STUFF!  With a good cast and a lot of canine companions!  On VHS from 'CHARTER Entertainment', a 1987 release.

CHU CHU AND THE PHILLY FLASH (1981-Comedy).   On '20th Century Fox Video', a 1982 release.  This movie has never been issued on DVD or Blu-Ray.  Out-of-print since 1983.  I fished out my aging videocassette for a go-round in the humble VCR.  You really have to see this movie to believe it.   Has a very good cast of stars and familiar faces.  This bombed in theaters, but did make a few CBS network appearances in the mid-1980s.   Doesn't seem to have aired much since the '80s.  Someone uploaded it to YouTube, however, so it can be watched there. 

as always, i applaud and admire your concise style and the risible passion with which you write about both film and the medium of VHS...

and I must apologize for mentioning this in this thread but...

In light of recent events, I cannot help but view ALL ESPIONAGE/SPY  FILMS in a whole new, almost Sissyphean and downright comic light.

I mean, can you imagine RISKING YOUR LIFE on a daily basis, forgoing all creature comforts, living in KABUL or DAR-ES-SALAAM for the better part of a decade only to find out that- years later- all your hard work and methodical detailing was sitting in a cardboard box in some ***hole's basement in FLORIDA, 150 feet from water ON BOTH SIDES, with a padlock from WAL-MART and a MR YUCK STICKER on the STORAGE ROOM DOOR as all the protection afforded these secrets that- again- PEOPLE ****INg DIED to OBTAIN AND PROTECT, DENISE.

Sigh.

apologies if this was not the place for this rant, but here it is, free of charge.

[LornaHansonForbes]

YES, YES, I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW

[LornaHansonForbes]

SORRY.

I'll try to get us back on topic.

I watched FLAMINGO ROAD (1949) on TCM because I watch FLAMINGO ROAD every AUGUST 22ND.

[LornaHansonForbes]

11 hours ago, speedracer5 said:

I recently watched two films that I've never seen on TCM and I'd never heard of before blind buying them during the most recent BOGO Olive Films sale on Deep Discount.

Sleep My Love (1948) This is a Douglas Sirk-directed film noir starring Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, and Robert Cummings.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i AM UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS ONE!!!!!

[Shank Asu]

15 hours ago, speedracer5 said:

That is a sweet looking library.  My library looked like this:

It was built in the 1970s and looks every inch of it.  The library was just remodeled last year to make it more earthquake proof.  I loved this library though.  My family went to the library  ~3 weeks or so (coinciding with the length of the borrowing period).  It was a cheap family activity--only $0.25/hour for city parking.  I was in the Kids Summer Reading club every single summer from kindergarten to 12th grade.  As a middle schooler, I liked to read old newspaper articles on the microfiche machine and read old Almanacs in the reference section.  There was also a cafe in the basement that had really good cookies.  The drinking fountain by the elevator on the main floor had the greatest water.  It was so cold. 

Back in the day, they had a huge Lucille Ball VHS collection in the A/V room for whatever reason.  When I discovered Lucille Ball when I was 10 in 1994, I checked out every single movie and book that the library had about Lucy.  

I love the library. I'm part of a different library system now, but I always have nostalgia for my childhood library in Salem, OR. 

Too funny- that was the exact same library i remember going to until i was about 6 or 7.

[Janet0312]

17 hours ago, speedracer5 said:

I recently watched two films that I've never seen on TCM and I'd never heard of before blind buying them during the most recent BOGO Olive Films sale on Deep Discount.

Sleep My Love (1948) This is a Douglas Sirk-directed film noir starring Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, and Robert Cummings.  At the beginning of the film, Colbert's character wakes up on a train (headed to Boston) and has no memory of how she got on the train.  She then discovers a gun in her purse.  She is disoriented and ends up getting the help from an older woman who helps her find a phone and call her husband (Don Ameche) in New York City.  As the film continues, it becomes apparent that all is not right with Ameche and that he might have more sinister intentions.  It was interesting seeing Don Ameche in a more villainous role (aside from his role in Trading Places).  Robert Cummings plays the typical good guy who comes to the aid of the heroine.  Hazel Brooks has a "now introducing" credit.  While this isn't the best Sirk film or film noir that I've seen and parts of it seemed very much like Gaslight and Suspicion, I really liked it.  I thought Claudette Colbert was fantastic as the confused, anxious, and hysterical wife of Ameche.  I always enjoy seeing Don Ameche in a film, he has such a fabulous voice.  There is a great scene in this film featuring a Chinese wedding that feels authentic and devoid of any stereotypes.  That was refreshing to see.

 Union Station (1950) This is the last of the three William Holden/Nancy Olson pairings that I hadn't seen yet.  In this film, Olson plays Joyce Willecombe, a young woman who sees a suspicious man (Lyle Bettger) board a train carrying a myraid of guns.  She alerts the conductor who doesn't think anything of it, but says that he will wire the police stationed at Los Angeles' Union Station railway station (where the train was headed).  Joyce ends up meeting up with Police Lieutenant William Calhoun (Holden) who at first is ready to brush her off.  However, it becomes apparent that Joyce is not overreacting when the police receive a report of a young blind woman's kidnapping.  Joyce's concern is further compounded when the police retrieve a suitcase left in the lockers at Union Station by the man on the train.  Upon the suitcase's opening, Joyce recognizes the contents as belonging to the young blind woman.  The rest of the film is an interesting race against time as Calhoun and his colleague, Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald), try to capture the man from the train while also remaining sensitive to the notion that the young woman could be murdered if the police act too aggressively.  This was an interesting film.  It's not often we see Holden in a noir and it's especially not often we see him running after suspects and engaging in gunfire. I thought he was great.  I really like Nancy Olson, I wish she'd had a larger career.  The ending scene is definitely the highlight of the film.

I watched Sleep My Love this afternoon. Wicked good film! Thank you so much for posting it. 

[Grumpytoad]

After watching a number of dramas in row, I needed to watch a great comedy as a sort of palate cleanser.

Paper Moon from 1973. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal. With Madeline Kahn and John Hillerman.

Plot: A professional con man reluctantly helps out an orphaned child during the Great Depression.

It's VERY funny. A bit touching, but not maudlin ever. Black and white cinematography first class. I'd almost believe the movie was shot way before the 1970's. 
 

The O'Neals are in real life father and daughter. They acted beautifully together. Ryan's character is a nice mix of stern yet caring towards Tatum's bright yet also hurt little girl.

Tatum is remarkable in the movie. Her facial expressions and emotional delivery were perfect.
She won the best supporting actress Academy Award for her performance that year. Bogdanovich is on record saying she should have won best actress instead, but admitted the Academy would never have nominated a child for such an award.

Kahn was nominated for best supporting actress for her role also(with maybe the funniest name for a female character ever). I've always enjoyed her comedic talent, but she has a scene in this movie with Tatum that shows she could do  WAY more than make us laugh.

The movie was shot in the very places referred to in the story, which I also liked.

It was also enjoyable to see in the ending credits the way in which musicians from the sound track were acknowledged.

Thank you to the late Mr. Bogdanovich for making this movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckyDan]

3 minutes ago, Grumpytoad said:

After watching a number of dramas in row, I needed to watch a great comedy as a sort of palate cleanser.

Paper Moon from 1973. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal. With Madeline Kahn and John Hillerman.

It was also enjoyable to see in the ending credits the way in which musicians from the sound track were acknowledged.

Thank you to the late Mr. Bogdanovich for making this movie.

My college guitar teacher's Dad's orchestra was credited. I always get a kick out of watching the name scroll by. Enric Madriguera and his Orchestra. 

Rick told me his Dad once hired "this terrible bingo player only because he knew Lucille Ball." 

[Grumpytoad]

8 minutes ago, LuckyDan said:

My college guitar teacher's Dad's orchestra was credited. I always get a kick out of watching the name scroll by. Enric Madriguera and his Orchestra. 

Rick told me his Dad once hired "this terrible bingo player only because he knew Lucille Ball." 

Ah, the lovely Lucille Ball !

So I just looked up some songs by that orchestra on youtube. Admittedly not much of a fan of music from that era, but do appreciate a little latin jazz now and then.

[LuckyDan]

7 minutes ago, Grumpytoad said:

Ah, the lovely Lucille Ball !

Right but more to the point, the well-connected Lucille Ball.

And the terrible bongo player he hired was Desi Arnaz.

[Grumpytoad]

7 minutes ago, LuckyDan said:

Right but more to the point, the well-connected Lucille Ball.

And the terrible bongo player he hired was Desi Arnaz.

Now I understand! 
I've always wondered though, whether Desi was considered a good musician. He was apparently popular as a band leader early on, but I realize popularity doesn't always mean talented. 

 

[LuckyDan]

Just now, Grumpytoad said:

Now I understand! 
I've always wondered though, whether Desi was considered a good musician. He was apparently popular as a band leader early on, but I realize popularity doesn't always mean talented. 

 

Good looks can pass for talent. He certainly had an appeal. 

[Fedya]

6 hours ago, Grumpytoad said:

Now I understand! 

Luckydan was saying that Desi Arnaz was a terrible bingo player.

[Tikisoo]

6 hours ago, Grumpytoad said:

He was apparently popular as a band leader early on, but I realize popularity doesn't always mean talented. 

His talent was performing. He wasn't a trained musician, but music is a Cuban's heritage. I love his heartfelt & exuberant singing style and enjoy his performances. The fact he was handsome -flashing that big smile- certainly helped his stage presence, popularizing him.