I Just Watched...

[Dargo]

2 hours ago, CaveGirl said:

 

OMG! I own that too and bought the set last year. I love the Truman Bradley introductions and you've got to admit that the episode where the new neighbors had the "Broomba" type thingie which was sweeping their house was pretty radical! Just think, people use those dumb things now to sweep rooms but this was from the early 1950's. The new neighbors turn out to be aliens as I recall. It's fun seeing all the stars early in their careers. Watching the color change from bright to almost non-existent on some episodes still doesn't ruin my fun in watching. I liked the episode where Truman had the chicken on the table which seemed hypnotized the best.

CG (or Lawrence), question here.

Other than the regular opening scene and that TV program's theme music played during it, I only vaguely remember SFT for the most part. However, one scene in one episode that has stuck with me all this time featured a young kid who lived out in the sticks as I recall, and who had a model train set but no electricity to run it. But, along came a visiting stranger who had a suitcase that later the kid plugs the train set's electrical cord into and it ran for him.

(...question being, was that the same episode you just described in the above?)

[rayban]

8 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

i also had the unique experience of watching the last...Gosh, I guess I would say "15" minutes of THE LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE yesterday, but in LYLAH CLARE minutes that counts as an hour and a half.

HONEST TO GOD, PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THIS MOVIE CAN CAUSE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.

as TERRIBLE as this movie is and as UNIQUELY BAD as KIM NOVAK is and as STANDARDLY BAD as BORGNINE is and as CRACKED OUT as the direction is and as WRETCHED as the dialogue is- I still say PETER FINCH is "good" in this- in that he maintains a certain dignity even during moments where EVERYONE ON SET KNEW THIS THING WAS GOING TO BE A SPECTACULAR DOG OF A MOVIE. he sees it through and he plays it astoundingly straight; really, not since GARY COOPER in THE FOUNTAINHEAD has an actor seen an assignment through with a more quiet nobility- even as a quartet played an endless loop of Nearer My God to Thee on the set during the final says of the shoot.

coming in at the end tho, i was able to envision a path out of the mess that is this movie- I think if FINCH'S character HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR LEWIS ZARKHAN had to sit in the theater as an audience that had just seen footage from THE LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE walked out- dazed, angry at the world, possibly vomiting and convulsing- it might have at least given anyone who had sat through this a sense of something close to peace with what they have just spent over two hours of their life watching.

"VARDROBE!!!!!!!"

Here is a film that should have ended up on the shelf - collecting dust for eternity!

Its' unique badness cannot be described - it must be experienced.

[LawrenceA]

1 hour ago, Dargo said:

CG (or Lawrence), question here.

Other than the regular opening scene and that TV program's theme music played during it, I only vaguely remember SFT for the most part. However, one scene in one episode that has stuck with me all this time featured a young kid who lived out in the sticks as I recall, and who had a model train set but no electricity to run it. But, along came a visiting stranger who had a suitcase that later the kid plugs the train set's electrical cord into and it ran for him.

(...question being, was that the same episode you just described in the above?)

No, those were separate episodes. The one CG described, with the primitive Roomba, was from the first season, and it featured Don DeFore, Warren Stevens and Marie Windsor (the neighbors were fugitives from the future, and not aliens). The one you describe, Dargo, was one of the final episodes of season two, and featured Charles Winninger as the grandfather of the kid with the train set.

[Swithin]

4 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

I spent the last couple of days watching the 39 episodes of the second season of Science Fiction Theatre, a syndicated anthology show that ran from 1955 to 1957. The first season was in color (a rarity at the time), but this lower budgeted second season was in black and white.

I remember really enjoying SFT as a kid. I wouldn't have known if it was in color, since we didn't have a color set. For some reason, I remember SFT in connection with the Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre, but I don't think there was any connection between the two -- maybe they were both on Channel 9 in NYC.

[LawrenceA]

I started my stack of movies from 1957 yesterday:

Abandon Ship - Powerful, emotionally grueling survival drama starring Tyrone Power as a ship's officer put in charge of a lifeboat of survivors after their passenger ship sinks in the Atlantic. The small lifeboat, designed for 9 people, is instead holding over 20, and it isn't long before Power is forced to make hard decisions to ensure the survival of the majority. Also featuring Mai Zetterling, Stephen Boyd, and Lloyd Nolan. I thought Power was outstanding, giving one of his best dramatic performances. The situation the film presents is a fascinating moral dilemma, and it made for some tough viewing. Recommended.   (8/10)

The Accursed - British mystery about a group of former German resistance fighters who reunite every year to honor their fallen leader. This year things are different, as the identity of the man who betrayed their leader has been discovered, and it's one of the men in attendance, only the person with said knowledge is killed before divulging who it is, leaving the men to suspect one another as the killings continue. Starring Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Jane Griffiths, Anton Diffring, and Christopher Lee. This one has its moments, but it's hemmed in a bit by static staging and uninspired direction.   (6/10)

Bayou aka Poor White Trash - Legendary exploitation "classic" starring Peter Graves as an architect who gets caught up in love and conflict in Louisiana bayou country while working a job. Lita Milan co-stars as the object of Graves' affection, while Timothy Carey steals the movie as the crazed goon who also wants Milan. This played the drive-in circuit for over a decade! This is terrific whenever Carey is onscreen (his dancing has to be seen to be believed), but it's a slog whenever he isn't.    (6/10)

The Big Boodle - Promising crime drama loses a lot of appeal thanks to poor production and a couple of bad casting decisions. Late-stage Errol Flynn isn't bad as a jaded croupier in a Havana casino who gets caught up in a counterfeiting ring. Also featuring Pedro Armendariz as a pushy cop, and Gia Scala as a banker's daughter. Rossana Rory, as the banker's other daughter, is awful, as are the film's villains, undercutting a decent story.   (6/10)

Chicago Confidential - Another crime drama, this one starring Brian Keith as a district attorney trying to get to the bottom of a murder case involving the mob and a union boss (Dick Foran) who may have been framed. Also featuring Beverly Garland and Elisha Cook. There are some interesting moments here and there (I liked all the scenes in various dive bars), and I liked the violent finale.  (7/10)

[laffite]

On 7/25/2018 at 7:04 PM, LawrenceA said:

Sawdust and Tinsel (1953) - Swedish drama from Sandrews Film and writer-director Ingmar Bergman. A flea-bitten traveling circus makes its way to a small coastal town. The ringmaster (Ake Gronberg) has grown tired of the nomadic and impoverished life of the circus, and as this was his hometown, he hopes to reconnect with the wife and children that he abandoned years earlier. Meanwhile, the ringmaster's young lover Anne (Harriet Andersson) feels rejected and considers joining a theater troupe, hoping to find comfort in the arms of handsome actor Frans (Hasse Ekman). Also featuring Anders Ek, Gudrun Brost, Annika Tretow, Erik Strandmark, and Gunnar Bjornstrand.

This early triumph from Bergman marked his first teaming with cinematographer Sven Nykvist. Their collaborations would go on to become one of the greatest between director and cinematographer in film history. This film already exhibits the Bergman/Nykvist look, with striking close-ups, atmospheric B&W compositions, and almost unearthly landscapes. The performances are good, particularly from Andersson. There's an anarchic, almost grotesque quality about the way both the circus folk and the theater troupe are presented that reminded me a bit of Fellini. Recommended.   (8/10)

Source: TCM.

 

I was engrossed throughout. I like the way the story goes full circle with the troupe on the road again. And in between an extended "life is hell" sequence which makes up the story, to engage in simplicity.. All the actors were fine and Harriet quite fetching and with that lovely dress. The opening sequence is actually moving and sets a tone. I'm not sure where the dividing line is between the "early and the later" of Bergman films but I seem to like the early ones a lot. Maybe this is the one that gets in the second and later category. This is not the first theatrical troupe we see in Bergman, I can think of at least one other. And i agree about Franz (pictured actor) great face. I'm thinking that he was not one of Bergman's "regulars" but I didn't check it out. He was perfection here like just about everyone else. The story here seems relatively straightforward for a often heavy hitter like Bergman but nonetheless engaging in sort of fraught way. // 

[LawrenceA]

24 minutes ago, laffite said:

I'm not sure where the dividing line is between the "early and the later" of Bergman films but I seem to like the early ones a lot. Maybe this is the one that gets in the second and later category. 

I'm not really sure either. I've seen some sources list Summer with Monika (1953) as the end of his "Early Phase", while others list Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), and some that use the double-shot of The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries in 1957 as the first of his "Peak Years", which continued on through Face to Face (1976), after which he entered his "Later Years" and a handful of true classics (Autumn Sonata, Fanny & Alexander) along with some diminishing works. But a real scholar would have to answer to the specifics, as this is just my opinion, and I'm far from a Bergman expert.

[TomJH]

7 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

The Big Boodle - Promising crime drama loses a lot of appeal thanks to poor production and a couple of bad casting decisions. Late-stage Errol Flynn isn't bad as a jaded croupier in a Havana casino who gets caught up in a counterfeiting ring. Also featuring Pedro Armendariz as a pushy cop, and Gia Scala as a banker's daughter. Rossana Rory, as the banker's other daughter, is awful, as are the film's villains, undercutting a decent story.   (6/10)

 

Flynn's career was really bottoming out when he starred in this minor "B." As a reflection of that in his next film, The Sun Also Rises, he would be reluctantly accepting fourth billing, though that film would prove to be a temporary "comeback" for him in a character role.

I thought the most interesting aspect of The Big Boodle was its strong Havana on location photography, including Morro Castle. That city was old stomping grounds for Flynn so I imagine he may have been pretty familiar with a lot of the streets shown. It's also interesting to get a glimpse of Havana in the days immediately preceding the revolution. Flynn would be back as a news correspondent for the Hearst press, roughing it in the hills, seeing Castro (a claim many in the media doubted at the time).

 

[TomJH]

7 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

 

Abandon Ship - Powerful, emotionally grueling survival drama starring Tyrone Power as a ship's officer put in charge of a lifeboat of survivors after their passenger ship sinks in the Atlantic. The small lifeboat, designed for 9 people, is instead holding over 20, and it isn't long before Power is forced to make hard decisions to ensure the survival of the majority. Also featuring Mai Zetterling, Stephen Boyd, and Lloyd Nolan. I thought Power was outstanding, giving one of his best dramatic performances. The situation the film presents is a fascinating moral dilemma, and it made for some tough viewing. Recommended.   (8/10)

 

I agree this is a fine, stark tale of survival, based, I believe, upon a true incident from the 1800s (Souls At Sea, with Gary Cooper, had touched upon this story, as well).

I agree that a non glamourous Power is excellent, as is the entire largely British cast. Difficult to believe this film was shot in a studio tank so realistic is the presentation. For my money this was Power's strongest performance outside of Nightmare Alley. For those who dismiss him as just a pretty boy matinee idol, this performance would be a revelation as to how fine an actor he could be when given the right material.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I'VE GOT SOME (enumerated) QUESTIONS embedded throughout this IF ANYONE HAS THE TIME:

So, I watched 54 minutes of SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY (1971) on TCM ON DEMAND last night. I had never seen it before (really behind on my 70's flicks)

It felt like longer. I didn't not like but I am genuinely on the fence about whether to finish it or not (I was too tired to continue.) 1. should i keep on with it anyone who has seen it? I also admit that I would LOVE to watch this film with a room full of salty gays because there is NO DOUBT GLENDA JACKSON WOULD BE DRAGGED. 2. Has there EVER been a more unlikeable, frigid, and yet undeniably proficient actress than GLENDA JACKSON? She always seems vaguely p iss ed off to even be in whatever movie I am seeing her in, not that I've seen her in a lot but.... 3. is there a scene where she eats a plate of fudge and gives herself even more unflattering bangs? because if there is, I'm in. also, 4. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET "ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK" OUT OF YOUR HEAD?????

[Swithin]

8 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

2. Has there EVER been a more unlikeable, frigid, and yet undeniably proficient actress than GLENDA JACKSON? She always seems vaguely p iss ed off to even be in whatever movie I am seeing her in, not that I've seen her in a lot but.... 

I know you want to see Glenda Jackson dissing Margaret Thatcher, after Thatcher died. Jackson felt obliged to attend the tribute session for Thatcher "to tell the truth about her."

 

[LornaHansonForbes]

oh that is tacky...really tacky!

(thanks)

ps- don't get me wrong, what little i know about Thatcher, I can't say as I like, but there is a time and place for everything, and a certain subtlety for shade even if it ISN'T AT A FREAKING MEMORIAL SERVICE is more effective than outright vinegar.

 

[LornaHansonForbes]

OH AND NOT REALLY A QUESTION, BUT I CAN'T NOT MENTION IN RE: TO SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY:

OMG- the scene where the CHILDREN (like an 8 and 10 year old) SMOKE POT IN BED WITH THE COUPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks 1970's kitchen-sink-style filmmaking for again remindING me that I still have the ability to be utterly stunned by something.

ps- was one of the kids VERUCA SALT?

[Swithin]

3 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

oh that is tacky...really tacky!

(thanks)

ps- don't get me wrong, what little i know about Thatcher, I can't say as I like, but there is a time and place for everything, and a certain subtlety for shade even if it ISN'T AT A FREAKING MEMORIAL SERVICE is more effective than outright vinegar.

 

The show Billy Elliot has a line in one of the songs: "Every day's a good day because it's one day closer to Margaret Thatcher's death." Evidently they left the line in on the day she died. She did after all do a lot of nasty stuff, particularly to the miners in the north and midlands.

[kingrat]

For Lorna and others who have watched Sunday, Bloody Sunday: There's an exchange from Terrence McNally's play Love! Valour! Compassion! that goes something like this:

"Do the English even have a word for macho?"

" . . . Glenda Jackson?"

[LornaHansonForbes]

1 minute ago, kingrat said:

For Lorna and others who have watched Sunday, Bloody Sunday: There's an exchange from Terrence McNally's play Love! Valour! Compassion! that goes something like this:

"Do the English even have a word for macho?"

" . . . Glenda Jackson?"

[LornaHansonForbes]

I also answered one of my own questions via imdb: the actress who played one of the pot smoking children in SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY was NOT the same as the one that played VERUCA SALT in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

Makes sense. I can't imagine being high and in a candy factory and still managing to be that level of all-around irritable...

[Janet0312]

Trilogy of Terror. Always a treat. John Karlen's name came up in the credits as John Karlin - with an i. This is a Dan Curtis production, folks. It's not like JK hadn't worked for Danny before. Dark Shadows? Not that Dan had anything to do with creating the credits, but really. 

 

Amazon Prime

[LawrenceA]

21 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I also answered one of my own questions via imdb: the actress who played one of the pot smoking children in SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY was NOT the same as the one that played VERUCA SALT in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

Makes sense. I can't imagine being high and in a candy factory and still managing to be that level of all-around irritable...

Sunday Bloody Sunday also marks the film debut of 13-year-old Daniel Day-Lewis:

[Hibi]

2 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

OH AND NOT REALLY A QUESTION, BUT I CAN'T NOT MENTION IN RE: TO SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY:

OMG- the scene where the CHILDREN (like an 8 and 10 year old) SMOKE POT IN BED WITH THE COUPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks 1970's kitchen-sink-style filmmaking for again remindING me that I still have the ability to be utterly stunned by something.

ps- was one of the kids VERUCA SALT?

Yes, it's worth watching till the end for Peter Finch and Glenda. I may be in the minority, but I always found Glenda Jackson attractive (not in a Hollywood way); but I thought she looked better in the first half then the second after she gets a new "doo". This was a trailblazing film at the time and Finch was robbed of an Oscar (Gene Hackman in The French Connection) imo. The film is downbeat for the most part. The only weak link was Murray Head (who never went on to much of anything, except to record Jesus Christ, Superstar). Hard to see what they both saw in him to put up with the situation.......(must've been great in bed!)

Bessie Love has a bit part as the telephone operator and Peggy Ashcroft as Glenda's mom.

 

So the sex scenes were not edited out? (I havent watched it yet).

[CaveGirl]

17 hours ago, Dargo said:

CG (or Lawrence), question here.

Other than the regular opening scene and that TV program's theme music played during it, I only vaguely remember SFT for the most part. However, one scene in one episode that has stuck with me all this time featured a young kid who lived out in the sticks as I recall, and who had a model train set but no electricity to run it. But, along came a visiting stranger who had a suitcase that later the kid plugs the train set's electrical cord into and it ran for him.

(...question being, was that the same episode you just described in the above?)

Yes, that episode is the one described by Lawrence and played first on January 26, 1957, with Charles Winninger as the grandpa. I watched it and it was fun to see! I have not watched all the episodes yet.

[CaveGirl]

13 minutes ago, Janet0312 said:

Trilogy of Terror. Always a treat. John Karlen's name came up in the credits as John Karlin - with an i. This is a Dan Curtis production, folks. It's not like JK hadn't worked for Danny before. Dark Shadows? Not that Dan had anything to do with creating the credits, but really. 

 

Amazon Prime

I used to love seeing Karlen bow and scrape to the wishes of Barnabas!

[Hibi]

9 minutes ago, LawrenceA said:

Sunday Bloody Sunday also marks the film debut of 13-year-old Daniel Day-Lewis:

 

I remember him saying he was in it and thought he must be one of the boys doing the vandalism, but I didnt recognize him or even in this still!

[CaveGirl]

12 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

I started my stack of movies from 1957 yesterday:

Abandon Ship - Powerful, emotionally grueling survival drama starring Tyrone Power as a ship's officer put in charge of a lifeboat of survivors after their passenger ship sinks in the Atlantic. The small lifeboat, designed for 9 people, is instead holding over 20, and it isn't long before Power is forced to make hard decisions to ensure the survival of the majority. Also featuring Mai Zetterling, Stephen Boyd, and Lloyd Nolan. I thought Power was outstanding, giving one of his best dramatic performances. The situation the film presents is a fascinating moral dilemma, and it made for some tough viewing. Recommended.   (8/10)

The Accursed - British mystery about a group of former German resistance fighters who reunite every year to honor their fallen leader. This year things are different, as the identity of the man who betrayed their leader has been discovered, and it's one of the men in attendance, only the person with said knowledge is killed before divulging who it is, leaving the men to suspect one another as the killings continue. Starring Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Jane Griffiths, Anton Diffring, and Christopher Lee. This one has its moments, but it's hemmed in a bit by static staging and uninspired direction.   (6/10)

Bayou aka Poor White Trash - Legendary exploitation "classic" starring Peter Graves as an architect who gets caught up in love and conflict in Louisiana bayou country while working a job. Lita Milan co-stars as the object of Graves' affection, while Timothy Carey steals the movie as the crazed goon who also wants Milan. This played the drive-in circuit for over a decade! This is terrific whenever Carey is onscreen (his dancing has to be seen to be believed), but it's a slog whenever he isn't.    (6/10)

The Big Boodle - Promising crime drama loses a lot of appeal thanks to poor production and a couple of bad casting decisions. Late-stage Errol Flynn isn't bad as a jaded croupier in a Havana casino who gets caught up in a counterfeiting ring. Also featuring Pedro Armendariz as a pushy cop, and Gia Scala as a banker's daughter. Rossana Rory, as the banker's other daughter, is awful, as are the film's villains, undercutting a decent story.   (6/10)

Chicago Confidential - Another crime drama, this one starring Brian Keith as a district attorney trying to get to the bottom of a murder case involving the mob and a union boss (Dick Foran) who may have been framed. Also featuring Beverly Garland and Elisha Cook. There are some interesting moments here and there (I liked all the scenes in various dive bars), and I liked the violent finale.  (7/10)

Great write-ups and thanks so much for showing those incredible posters. I remember first reading about "Poor White Trash" in a film book as a teenager, and wanting to see it so badly. Love the poster but gotta say the one for "The Accursed" is even better and I'd pay big money for it, plus the film has that suave and icy villain, Anton Diffring!

[Janet0312]

1 hour ago, CaveGirl said:

I used to love seeing Karlen bow and scrape to the wishes of Barnabas!

Oh, brother. If you like that sh*t, have I got a website for you!