Crisopera

They left out Dorothy Malone, WHO WON AN OSCAR. She died in January of last year, and wasn't included in last year's, either.

Suzn - That's Dancing (1985) has clips from other studios' work (and a section on ballet, with a very heavily-accented Baryshnikov). So it's worth taking a look at, even though it's still heavily weighted towards MGM.

Nobody, but nobody, cried like Barbara Stanwyck.

Well, I was just watching a not-terribly funny screwball, Hard to Get (1938), with Dick Powell and Olivia De Havilland, and, about in the middle of the movie, Dick Powell shows up to do an Al Jolson imitation (he sings "Sonny Boy") in, yes, full blackface, including wig. I know it's because he's playing Jolson, but still, it gave me a bit of a pause.

Well, the Judy Holliday biopic has a perfect lead in Annaleigh Ashford - but now there's going to be an Audrey Hepburn TV project. I just...can't. Who could possibly play her? I swear, if they cast Ariana Grande, I'll have do some murderin'.

voiceover - so you're the other person who read (and loved) that book! I read it when it came out and felt it was a book that absolutely earned its happy ending. So happy to find another fan. Have you ever read The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy? I found Brother quite reminiscent of that.

I thought the Formby movies were fascinating, in a sort of anthropological way. I don't believe I laughed at all. Maybe one of the problems was that he had a thick Lancastrian accent, which impeded my understanding of the "naughty" lyrics of his song. I thought the best one was Keep Your Seats, Please, which did have the great Alistair Sim as the villain. I didn't think they were poorly made (there were some nice chase sequences), just not funny. And did I miss something, or did Ben not mention the later versions of the Ilf and Petrov novel it was based on?

Another great George Sanders oddity tomorrow: A Scandal in Paris (1946). It's Douglas Sirk's third US movie. Sanders plays the real-life Vidocq, a thief who ended up being the chief of police in Paris (although the film is alleged to be based on his memoirs, it's more like a fairy tale). The cast is great - not just Sanders, but the tragic Carole Landis as a scheming showgirl, and two genuinely creepy performances by Akim Tamiroff and Gene Lockhart. (Signe Hasso is miscast as the ingenue.) The script is witty, as is the direction, the sets and costumes are terrific. Well worth a look. And there's a set of interesting-looking pre-Codes on Friday morning.

Thanks for pointing out Rembrandt, Rinaldo. I haven't seen it for many years, but I don't remember Gertrude Lawrence being especially memorable (Elsa Lanchester is much better, if I remember correctly). Lawrence really didn't come across on film (even Julie Andrews couldn't make her interesting on film!). As for the TCM Cruise, Ursula Parrott, I'm going to the festival for the first time next year, and thought about doing the cruise as well, but I couldn't afford both in one year.

Rinaldo - it played a few days ago. I recorded it randomly, because I'm very fond of George and Gracie and swing music. I wasn't expecting anything much. It was a pleasant surprise. It looks as if you can find it on YouTube.

Marc Platt is amazing in Tonight and Every Night. That audition number is stunning. And he pulls off a not-terrible Northern English accent as well. I was watching a Noir Alley feature, the B-movie Desperate, which I recommend the next time it shows up on TCM. It's one of those tight little thrillers, directed by Anthony Mann before he went over to westerns and The villain is a baby-faced Raymond Burr, who is as reliably terrifying as only he could be. And one last recommendation: College Swing (1938), a Paramount vehicle for George Burns and Gracie Allen, the rest of the cast is full of rising stars (Betty Grable, John Payne, Bob Hope, Martha Raye, and in a tiny bit, Robert Cummings). The plot is nonsensical, , but the numbers are fun (all the lyrics are by Frank Loesser, with composers Burton Lane, Hoagy Carmichael, and Manning Sherwin). It gives Martha Raye a terrific comic song, "What a Rumba Does to Romance," which she sings and then dances with Ben Blue - a very funny slapstick number. And there's an oddity - a trio of guys called the Slate Brothers, who are obviously a ripoff of the Ritz Brothers, not that anyone was asking for another slapstick trio. It's worth a look for the George and Gracie routines and the fun numbers.

inquisitionist - I too watched Johnny Belinda, and thought it was very interesting as an example of the rare unglamorous Hollywood movie. These were genuinely poor people who had to make-do-and-mend, and nobody's clothes looked new. Not perhaps a great movie, but Jane Wyman deserved her ascent to big time stardom after years of bit parts and Ronald Reagan. (I've always liked her.)

Oh, Rinaldo - the farewell trio is one of the most sublime pieces of music ever written. I was lucky enough to sing Dorabella in Cosi many (MANY) years ago, and it was almost difficult to sing, it was so beautiful and moving.

Hey, Dorothy Malone is on my birthday! Thanks for the list, Rinaldo. Quite an interesting, more obscure bunch this year. And, Charlie Baker, indeed, Safe in Hell must be seen. I have many of the pre-Codes recorded for a weekend binge, including Loose Ankles.

Not only Carol Burnett, but Reri Grist (Rinaldo, you'll remember her), singing the Italian Street Song from Naughty Marietta. She came to notice as one of Maria's three friends in West Side Story (also introduced "Somewhere"), then went on to a long career in opera, including many performances at the Met. (They were credited, but at the very end - I checked because I wasn't sure about Reri Grist, since the old recordings weren't very clear.)