TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[Julia]

First thing we were taught in technical theater classes was that if someone leaves raving about the sets, costumes or lighting the show has a weak story. Same goes for film. No one raves about the story, they rave about the burning of Atlanta, the costumes and the like.

And race relations when these movies were made were vastly different than now or than when the movies are set. Expecting them to be progressive is unrealistic.

I don't, actually, think that Bette Davis' performance was superior to Vivian Leigh's. Leaving that aside, I do think Leigh's character was far better written, and her level of self absorption was less sociopathic. I think Davis chewed the scenery beautifully, which only threw the shabbiness of the rest of the movie into starker relief.

And I don't expect progressive race relations from a romance of the old south. I expect a vaguely internally consistent depiction of race relations in the old south.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Julia

[CherryMalotte]

Friday is Pre-Code Heaven.  Of special note is Clara Bow in Call Her Savage, that plot has everything and the kitchen sink in it - forbidden love, a wee bit of S&M, marital rape, mental breakdowns, and lots more.  I adore Clara in her silent films, but this one has a special place in my heart.  Downstairs is excellent as well for John Gilbert, Ladies They Talk About, all the Loretta Young films, and of course Warren Williams in Employee's Entrance is a treat.  

 

Have to admit that Una Merkel is one of my all time fave character actresses, from Man Wanted with Kay Francis, and Day of Reckoning, Beauty For Sale, and even Destry Rides Again.  I just love her and her so-thick-you-can-spread-it-on-toast accent. 

Edited September 25, 2014 by CherryMalotte

[ratgirlagogo]

 

  Of special note is Clara Bow in Call Her Savage, that plot has everything and the kitchen sink in it - forbidden love, a wee bit of S&M, marital rape, mental breakdowns, and lots more.

I'll say.  The highest possible camp film, with a "surprise" ending that would be deeply offensive if it were possible to take anything about this movie seriously :

it turns out that her Wild and Savage behavior is the result of her being, indeed, a Wild Savage - the poor kid's dad was a RED INDIAN CHIEF and thus she's uncontrollably  violent and just CAN'T act civilized the way a real white girl could.

  Like the movie Thirteen Women which I believe we talked about earlier

and which also has a character, Myrna Loy in that one, whose evil behavior is explained by her being a half-caste

this one is based on a novel I've never read by Tiffany Thayer.  The main thing I know about Tiffany Thayer is that he founded the Fortean Society and because of that I was shocked at the sleaziness of his storylines, although I don't know why that would matter, I guess.

 

even Destry Rides Again

What do you mean EVEN Destry Rides Again???  with her doing one of the greatest catfights in movie history with Dietrich???.  Seriously I love her too.  I think the first thing I ever saw her in was The Bank Dick where she plays Fields' daughter and is a perfect foil for him.

Edited September 25, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[aradia22]

 

 

First thing we were taught in technical theater classes was that if someone leaves raving about the sets, costumes or lighting the show has a weak story.  Same goes for film.  No one raves about the story, they rave about the burning of Atlanta, the costumes and the like.

And race relations when these movies were made were vastly different than now or than when the movies are set.  Expecting them to be progressive is unrealistic.

Can't I rave about both the sets and costumes and the acting and script? From what I've seen, I think the performances in GWTW were much more compelling and the key scenes were much more striking than anything in Jezebel. Again, I'm withholding judgment on the whole movie until I've seen it in its entirety. Personally, as you've probably noticed from my comments on these boards, I pay attention to everything. I love talking about costumes as much as I love talking about scripts and performances.

 

Also, my comment was more about the difference between black and white and color. There are black and white films that I adore. They look absolutely gorgeous. Jezebel is not one of those movies. On the other hand, GWTW is one of the most vibrant and lush movies filmed in color. And there are films in color that I hate. I think Technicolor can be too harsh, there's a 50's-70's aesthetic that I'm really not behind because it has that same muddy, dirty quality to me (whether that has something to do with the cameras, film, effects, etc. I'm not sure) and a lot of modern movies look very flat. Don't even get me started on how so many movies today are filmed with a blue/gray filter or with that hideous blue/orange contrast. For me, Jezebel quite literally pales in comparison to GWTW, right down to the red dresses, which I think I've brought up before.

 

I didn't expect "progressive" race relations but I think there are interesting power dynamics and ideologies in GWTW. There's nothing in Jezebel so there are just these overly long singing sequences for example that just slow down a movie that's already quite boring. The non-white characters are essentially set decoration. GWTW isn't progressive but there's something to at least talk about there.

[Charlie Baker]

Call Her Savage is a good showcase for Clara Bow, even if it's over the top.  Before seeing it, I had never seen her in anything, and I could see why she became a star.

Ladies They Talk About is a lot of fun--you might expect a pre-Code women in prison picture to be fairly gritty, but this one also gets pretty giddy, silly even at times, and Stanwyck of course gives it her all. 

[Milburn Stone]

I didn't expect "progressive" race relations but I think there are interesting power dynamics and ideologies in GWTW. 

 

I agree. On the one hand, Mammy is, obviously, a slave. On the other hand, she's clearly not only one of the most likable characters in the movie, but one of the most admirable. Whenever she has a scene, she's the lens through which we view character and action. When Mammy disdains Scarlett's superciliousness, so do we. When Mammy cries over Bonnie, we cry. If there's one character in the entire cast the audience identifies with, and knows how to feel because of, it's Mammy. You can swoon over Rhett, you can find Scarlett fascinatingly complex, you can wish you were as good as Melanie, you can feel sorry for Ashley--but you are Mammy.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Milburn Stone

[psychoticstate]

Friday is Pre-Code Heaven.  Of special note is Clara Bow in Call Her Savage, that plot has everything and the kitchen sink in it - forbidden love, a wee bit of S&M, marital rape, mental breakdowns, and lots more.  I adore Clara in her silent films, but this one has a special place in my heart.  Downstairs is excellent as well for John Gilbert, Ladies They Talk About, all the Loretta Young films, and of course Warren Williams in Employee's Entrance is a treat.  

 

Have to admit that Una Merkel is one of my all time fave character actresses, from Man Wanted with Kay Francis, and Day of Reckoning, Beauty For Sale, and even Destry Rides Again.  I just love her and her so-thick-you-can-spread-it-on-toast accent. 

Thank you for this heads up!   I haven't seen Call Her Savage or Downstairs and will definitely be setting my DVR. 

I've seen Employees Entrance before but being a fan of Warren William, will be recording it again.  Plus it's certainly worth a re-viewing.

 

I like Harlow in her atypical role in Wife vs. Secretary; with her typical roles, a little goes a long way for me -- the foursome in Libeled Lady makes for the perfect amount of screen time.  But Dinner at Eight is thoroughly entertaining. I think that's the Harlow litmus test; if you don't enjoy her in that, you'll just never like her.  (Plus, you get Marie Dressler as a bonus.)

 

I am a fan of Harlow's but can understand those who don't care for her.  I really love Red Headed Woman but I would definitely suggest viewing Dinner at Eight (which is spectacular) or Red Dust (which may be her best movie).  I also really enjoy Bombshell, which is a campy/comedic take on Harlow's own life at the time.  Plus you get to see Lee Tracy.

 

As the OP said, the major bonus with Dinner at Eight is the presence of Marie Dressler who stole every movie she was in and made each one gold.  Her comedic timing was extraordinary and her faces - - she could say anything and everything with her eyes. 

 

 

 

Ben's intro said that Melvyn and Joan made 4 movies together.

 

 

I may stand alone on this but I absolutely love Joan and Melvyn in They All Kissed the Bride.  As the part was initially for Carole Lombard, the role (and the film) is definitely more screwball than Joan's normal fare and maybe that's why I enjoy her so much in it.  It's not her usual genre and she seems to have a lot of fun with it.  Plus, I think she looks absolutely gorgeous.  I'm a fan of Melvyn's - - Ithink he was a greatly underrated actor - - and he and Joan play very well off each other here.

Edited September 25, 2014 by psychoticstate

[3pwood]

Red Dust (which may be [Harlow's] best movie). 

 

That movie is so good that I almost think it's everybody's best (except Gene Raymond, who seemed to be forgettable in whatever he did).  I love Clark Gable & Mary Astor in anything & everything but this one stands out, even among Gone With The Wind & It Happened One Night for Gable, & Dodsworth & The Great Lie for Astor.  It's not the only perfect movie ever made, but definitely one of the few for me.

[CherryMalotte]

I love love love love Red Dust and agree it's her best.  Second would be Wife Vs Secretary for me, she was great in that as a 'straight' role, and then Libeled Lady.  She's a lot of fun in China Seas.  

 

One film that Astor is in that I wish I'd see more of on TCM is The Little Giant with Eddie G - it's a lovely funny little flick, and one of my faves.  

Edited September 25, 2014 by CherryMalotte

[Julia]

As the OP said, the major bonus with Dinner at Eight is the presence of Marie Dressler who stole every movie she was in and made each one gold.  Her comedic timing was extraordinary and her faces - - she could say anything and everything with her eyes.

If there were nothing else to love about that movie, it would still be worth watching it as a setup to Marie Dressler leading Jean Harlow's character in to dinner.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

except Gene Raymond, who seemed to be forgettable in whatever he did

I don't know, he was very memorable in two of my favorite movies.  He's the animal-loving fur-coat hating zookeeper in A Zoo in Budapest and the condemned man on Death Row who gets his million dollar gift a little too late in If I Had A Million.  In Red Dust he's playing the role of the guy the movie wants the audience to forget so I don't think it's  a good film to judge him by.

[magicdog]

Just got through watching pre-code film, "Heroes For Sale" (1933).  Dang if this film isn't a bunch of BS posing as drama! 

 

First it begins with

a man who comes back as a WWI vet (Richard Barthelmess).  He has trouble adjusting to civilian life, but he eventually finds work, marries a great gal (Loretta Young) and has a son.  After he and another man invent a part for a washing machine, their jobs are wiped out (as they were working in a laundromat), and in retaliation, their Luddite co-workers go to tear the place apart, only for the cops to come and break things up and arrest him for starting it - even though he tried to stop them.  Wife is killed in riot, while he is sent to prison for 5 years.  Shortly after his friend comes by and tells them the part they invented is bringing them big bucks (about 24k a year, which in 1933 dollars is about 425K now) and he can now hire a lawyer and get out.  He decides he'd rather stay in.  I found myself yelling at the TV!  Excuse me, you are in a place you don't deserve to be and now have the means to get out and meanwhile your son is living without a dad!  Why?  So you can be a martyr??  He gets out after 5 years but is harassed by police as he's believed to be a trouble maker and warned to leave town.  I kept thinking - you have 24K a year coming - take the boy and go to another state and start over.  He chooses to leave son with a friend while he goes riding the rails as a hobo!  What the.....!!! 

 

The second half of this film could have been ended in no time flat and it makes no sense for the character to act as he did.  Had The Code been in force, this film would have ended on a much happier (and perhaps more sensible) note.

[Bastet]

Friday is Pre-Code Heaven.  Of special note is Clara Bow in Call Her Savage, that plot has everything and the kitchen sink in it - forbidden love, a wee bit of S&M, marital rape, mental breakdowns, and lots more.  I adore Clara in her silent films, but this one has a special place in my heart.

 

I've made it home and settled in with popcorn for the upcoming TCM premiere of Call Her Savage.  I understand a restored print was unearthed a few years ago, so I certainly hope that's what we'll be shown.

[Crisopera]

Call Her Savage is indeed pretty much insane.  And it shares the award for Ultimate Pre-Code Title with Safe in Hell and They Call It Sin.  Speaking of the last, David Manners really was extremely good-looking (a sort of fairer Jon Hamm), but what an absolutely terrible actor.  Stiff as a board.

[aradia22]

I decided to watch She Had to Say Yes (1933). I was having a hard time remembering which of the actresses was the leading lady/what the leading lady looked like when she wasn't on screen. I was excited when I saw the fashion sketches in the opening and then the movie ended up having this weird plot about pimping out female employees. I'm halfway through it right now. Not sure if I'm supposed to find her possible romance with the rape-y guy compelling or not. This movie is weird.

[chitowngirl]

Oh, TCM, why did you have to put Auntie Mame on a midnight last night? Why?? I can never not watch that movie! I have to be reminded to Live! Live! Live! every once in a while.

[Julia]

Hully gee whiz. I looked up Gene Raymond to see what else he's done. I've only really seen Flying Down to Rio, that I could recall. Who knew there were Jeanette MacDonald ship wars still going on?

Edited September 28, 2014 by Julia

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Speaking of the last, David Manners really was extremely good-looking (a sort of fairer Jon Hamm), but what an absolutely terrible actor.  Stiff as a board.

I liked him in The Miracle Woman, but I only discovered that within the last 8 or 10 years.  Before that I only knew him as the normal guy lead (i.e.  the Boring Guy you can hardly remember after the movie's over) in Dracula, The Mummy, The Death Kiss and The Black Cat so I always kind of expect him to be a bit of a blank.  Even The Miracle Woman hasn't changed my mind all that much.

 

Who knew there were Jeanette MacDonald ship wars still going on?

I know!  I guess they'll continue for as long as people care about her and her movies. God bless TCM for allowing us to continue ancient ship wars!

[voiceover]

No one raves about the story, they rave about the burning of Atlanta, the costumes and the like.

 

Disagree to the nth degree.  That film is an onion for me: every time I watch it, I peel off another layer & find something new to consider.

 

I think my biggest "Aha!" moment was being part of a discussion, years ago, in film school, over the "real" thread of the film.  How the story is not the romance between Scarlett & Rhett; it's the friendship between Scarlett & Melanie.  Because when Melanie dies = the movie's over.

 

And I agree with Milburn Stone's assessment of Mammy.  She's the smartest one in the film.  Plus, that scene about the " 'Nothin' but your red silk petticoat!' " was wonderful.

 

Was sorry they didn't include Crossing Delancey in the Jewish Experience series.  An underrated romantic comedy that is one of the only films that accounts for ALL the people in a single woman's life: lifelong friends, adult friends, work friends, gay buddy, married lover.

 

Ahh, "Silent Sundays" & John Gilbert!  Merry Widow is worth the watch.  

Edited September 29, 2014 by voiceover

[CherryMalotte]

I so enjoy Zoo In Budapest also, it's probably one of Gene Raymond's better roles.  He wasn't what I'd call a great actor, more like - dependable.  He filled in for the boyfriend, or husband, or whatever the script called for, did the job and moved on.  I like him in House On 56th Street and Sadie McKee as well.    

 

Oh Crossing Delancey is wonderful!  That's one film that I waited and waited for to be available on dvd and the moment it was I pounced on it.  "How do I talk to Isabelle?"  It's one of my top ten romantic moments ever on film.  

 

Bit disappointed with the horror or spooky flicks for October, I guess I would have liked more Hammer films. 

[Julia]

I loved Crossing Delancey. I had the most terrific crush on Peter Riegert after the one two punch of that and Local Hero.

[elle]

 I'm trying to like Jean Harlow but it's just not happening. 

I felt the same way for a long time.  Even watching marathons, I could not see what "it" was about Jean Harlow.    The movie that finally won me over was "Hold Your Man".  I could feel the affection between Gable and Harlow for the first time.  I do think the recommendation to watch "Wife vs Secretary" is a good one simply because it is a good movie.  (personally, I can not stand "Red Dust"!)

 

You may never like Harlow and that is okay, there is room for everyone here, even me - I've never been fond of Carole Lombard for example. ;0)

 

I'd be amazed if you only saw her in one other film; she worked a lot from the '30s through the '60s.  In her younger days, she was often the best friend.  (And, of course, she later delighted as Verbena in The Parent Trap.)

Oh, and what a surprise it was to see her so very young, still funny, but flirtatious and pretty.  I am having fun introducing my daughter to the Disney films of the 60s like "The Parent Trap" and then pointing out to her the actors when they were younger.  I think the biggest surprise for me was when I realized that the nosey landlady in "That Darn Cat" was none other than "Gigi Graham", Dixie's (Barbara Stanwyk)'s best friend from "Lady of Burlesque".

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Bit disappointed with the horror or spooky flicks for October, I guess I would have liked more Hammer films.

Gee, seems to me like outside of Halloween night itself there are more Hammer and Amicus films than the old Universal or Paramount ones.  Of course I'd be happiest if October was completely devoted to horror/supernatural films, but it also looks like they're showing a ton of early sound/pre-Code films again, so I shouldn't be a kvetch.

[aradia22]

I finally finished up She Had to Say Yes. What the hell, 1933? This may be the worst "romance" I've ever seen. So rape-y. 

[Julia]

I finally finished up She Had to Say Yes. What the hell, 1933? This may be the worst "romance" I've ever seen. So rape-y.

At the end of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Robert Montgomery is going to have his way with Carole Lombard. She's trapped in her skis and struggling and demanding that he leave her alone, he's ignoring her. Then one of the skis comes off, and she looks to see if he saw and puts it back on real quick. Even if I liked Robert Montgomery, that would be creepy, and as it is? Ick.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Julia

[aradia22]

 

Even if I liked Robert Montgomery, that would be creepy, and as it is? Ick.

I was thinking about watching When Ladies Meet (1933) but passed when I saw Montgomery was in it. Also, my DVR is super full.

[Bastet]

There's some refreshingly candid and mature conversation in When Ladies Meet, thanks largely to the source material (by playwright Rachel Crothers).

Edited October 3, 2014 by Bastet

[aradia22]

I really want to watch the Joan Crawford version. 

[3pwood]

And I much prefer the cast of the 1933 version (Ann Harding, Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan, Robert Montgomery) to that of the 1941 version (Greer Garson, Joan Crawford, Herbert Marshall, Robert Taylor).  But both versions are well worth watching.

[magicdog]

I was looking forward to seeing, "Sunday in the Afternoon" on Thursday.  The guide read it was the 1933 version with Gary Cooper.  I later found out there were no fewer than three versions of this film, as the one made in 1948 was the one that aired.  I was disappointed since a pre-code version seemed like it would be interesting. 

[Crisopera]

Well, I finally encountered a Pre-Code movie I just couldn't finish - The Life of the Party (1930). The star is Winnie Lightner, an incredibly abrasive, hyperactive belter.  I'm sure she came across better in vaudeville, where you didn't see every expression in close-up.  About two song-pluggers who decide to become gold-diggers (with tiresomely "wacky" results), I gave up after about half an hour.  Awful, awful dialogue and performances.   Even Charles Butterworth is annoying.

[CherryMalotte]

I'd agree with you on The Life Of The Party - it's awful.  Another one to skip is Let's Try Again with Diana Wynyard from 1934.  It's awful as well, please feel free to skip that one.  Wynyard might have been a great stage actress, but I think she's lousy on film.  Outward Bound 1930 with Doug Fairbanks Jr and Leslie Howard is no great shakes either.  I sat thru it because I like both Doug Jr and Leslie, but it really doesn't have a lot of redeeming qualities.

Edited October 6, 2014 by CherryMalotte

[Milburn Stone]

Who the hell else would do a "100th Anniversary of Bray Productions"?

 

This is why we love TCM.

[Rinaldo]

As I've told my VCR to bring me any Mitchell Leisen it finds (it's mostly dug up old Twilight Zone episodes, plus The Mating Season), it recently gave me Swing High, Swing Low from 1937. This was, at the time the Leisen bio was written, a "lost" film in the sense that its rights were in dispute and nobody could show it. It has apparently since been clarified as public domain, and TCM shows it. I've just begun it, and it starts much "cuter" than I'd expected from its reputation as a dark story of a romance that ends up sadly. I guess the long-term trajectory tells the story; I'll report back when I finish it (which might not be right away). Anybody else here know it?

[Crisopera]

I have Swing High, Swing Low on my DVR to watch over the weekend.  I am looking forward to it, as I am a HUGE Mitchell Leisen fan.  Midnight and Kitty are two of my favorite movies.  I think he is perpetually underrated.

[aradia22]

So this is an odd but hopefully fun topic. The NARS Audacious Lipstick Collection was released recently and a good number of the lipsticks were apparently named for iconic actresses. I can't find a key anywhere so I might be wrong about some of these but here are my guesses.

 

Greta- Greta Garbo (Wild Azalea)

Vivien- Vivien Leigh (Red plum)

Audrey- Audrey Hepburn (Red currant)

Jane- Jane Russell (Terracotta rose) or so I'd like to think but there are a lot of Jane's out there. Jane Fonda.

Brigitte- Brigitte Bardot (Nude rose)

Catherine- Catherine Deneuve (Sunny guava) perhaps?

Julie- Julie Christie? Julie Andrews? (Nude pink)

Natalie- Natalie Wood? Natalie Portman? (Flamingo) 

Grace- Grace Kelly (Bright pink coral)

Lana- Lana Turner (Vivid orange red)

Rita- Rita Moreno? (Scarlet)

Marlene- Marlene Dietrich (Red brick)

Olivia- Olivia de Havilland (Garnet) Do non-TCM fans know who she is?)

Sandra- (Rosewood) This is very dark red. I can't believe it'd be Sandra Dee or Sandra Day O'Connor. It must be Bullock or Bernhard.

Deborah- Deborah Kerr? (Chestnut) It can't be. This is basically brown.

Bette- Bette Davis (Bordeaux) I don't know. It's pretty vampy. 

Ingrid- Ingrid Bergman (Merlot) Dark purple. I guess she was in some noirs but really? 

 

Also no Joan Crawford? No Lauren Bacall?

 

Now is it just me or do a lot of these colors not make sense at all? I feel a little possessive of these actresses whether I've seen one movie or ten and it kind of bugs me when their names and brands are co-opted to sell something, especially when it's done badly. Now, it's not as bad as when they resurrect them from the grave for creepy commercials but it still makes me a little uncomfortable. Especially since they had style worth celebrating properly.

[Rinaldo]

I just looked around for these. There are actually 40 shades (I've also seen references to 10 additional limited-edition shades). People on various sites are having fun guessing surnames, some being obvious, some having several alternatives, others almost none. Also, the person who named them seems to have a particular continental-artsy bias (the first one named as an inspiration was Charlotte Rampling), so some names may be unfamiliar here. This is all unrelated to TCM so I'm not going to speculate here, but I guess my own feeling is that there's no point trying to make sense of the shades in relation to the actresses, or worrying on their behalf about this. They're only makeup colors. But that's just my opinion.

 

For reference, the names are: Angela Anita Anna Annabella Audrey Barbara Bette Brigitte Catherine Charlotte

Claudia Deborah Fanny Geraldine Grace Greta Jane Janet Jeanne Juliette

Lana Leslie Liv Marlene Michiyo Natalie Olivia Raquel Rita Vera

Carmen Dominique Ingrid Julie Kelly Marisa Sandra Silvia Vanessa Vivien.

[Athena]

Here's the website for the lipsticks. I like NARS lipsticks and a lot of their standard collection lipsticks have classic movie titles. I have their "Funny Face". I've been trying to avoid buying more lipsticks, but I may be tempted again with this line! 

[elle]

 

Rita- Rita Moreno? (Scarlet)

If we were guessing strictly Golden Age actress, I would say Rita Hayworth before Rita Moreno.  The shade definitely works for either lady.

 

I caught some of the Winsor McKay tribute.  I only really knew of "Gertie the Dinosaur" and the Lusitania movies.  He was way ahead of his time.  There was a lot of nightmarish stuff in there too, especially the one about the mosquito.  That was a Texas/Florida/Alaska all rolled into one type mosquito!

[aradia22]

 

If we were guessing strictly Golden Age actress, I would say Rita Hayworth before Rita Moreno.

You're so right, elle. I don't know why I always forget about Hayworth. I was so charmed by her the first time I watched Cover Girl but I haven't seen any of her other movies. It's partially that I don't think I'm ready for Orson Welles in the same way I'm not ready for Hitchcock or Westerns and partially that TCM has not been showing enough of her movies lately. 

 

This is all unrelated to TCM so I'm not going to speculate here, but I guess my own feeling is that there's no point trying to make sense of the shades in relation to the actresses, or worrying on their behalf about this. They're only makeup colors. But that's just my opinion.

I guess I have the fanciful idea that someone could have seen one of these colors and fallen in love with it and later learned about the actress it likely corresponded to, been inspired to look up her movies, fallen in love with them, and then found their way here to us. :) That and more selfishly, I'd probably be more inspired to shell out $30+ if I could get a perfect Joan Crawford red lipstick, or (insert name of actress and shade of lipstick here). It's weird to trade on someone's name and then not even do a good job of capturing their persona. 

 

Then again, fashion is sometimes frivolous. Given her filmography, I'd guess that most people who go on and on about the Veronica Lake hair swoop haven't seen a Veronica Lake movie.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Also no Joan Crawford?

I agree with you, but unfortunately she became infamous for a particular "slash/gash" style of lipstick application that few women these days would want to emulate.  I'd assume Rita to be Hayworth as well, but then again I'm wondering who Angela (Lansbury? doesn't seem likely, does it?),  Silvia, Vera (Vera Hruba Walston? Vera Miles? Vera Ellen? must be Vera Farmiga), Carmen, Michiyo (Aratama? Kogure? again hardly seems likely) and Kelly might be.  

 

TCM has not been showing enough of her movies lately.

She's some kind of Star of the Month for October on GetTV, which seems to show the Columbia catalog.  You Were Never Lovelier, Tonight and Every Night, a lot of her earlier films like that, the musicals and such.

ETA: next time TCM shows Gilda that's one you should watch.  It really is a great movie that displays her star power at its full wattage (even though I kind of hate Glenn Ford as an actor).

Edited October 9, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[Julia]

Angela Basset, maybe? Kelly Preston? and Carmen seems likely to be Miranda.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Angela Basset, maybe? Kelly Preston? and Carmen seems likely to be Miranda.

Carmen Miranda!!  Of course!  Doh!  The other two you're probably right as well although  Kelly Preston doesn't seem like that big a star to me.

[Rinaldo]

I'm wondering who Angela (Lansbury? doesn't seem likely, does it?),  Silvia, Vera (Vera Hruba Walston? Vera Miles? Vera Ellen? must be Vera Farmiga), Carmen, Michiyo (Aratama? Kogure? again hardly seems likely) and Kelly might be.  

I immediately thought of Angela being Lansbury, and then corrected myself. But if our designer is fixated on the "dames" of the past, Ms. Lansbury played her share of tough cookies and "other women," usually far above her real age (people were astonished, when she broke out as a stage star in Mame, that she wasn't ancient -- she was a trim youthful 40). So maybe it's she after all.

 

Silvia stumps me; I see after searching that there was a glamorous Mexican star Silvia Pinal, who flourished in the 1940s and is a "living legend." Maybe? Vera to me immediately conjured up Vera Miles, just because of her iconic association with Psycho, but I chuckled at the idea that it's Vera Farmiga (whom I do like a lot). I agree that Carmen surely is Miranda, and I haven't a clue about Michiyo. Kelly... I can think of a lot of actresses with that as a first name, but none in the rank that we're talking about here. Maybe Kelly McGillis, on the basis of Top Gun?

[aradia22]

I don't know if I have GetTV. I have TWC but when I go to the channel listed on the GetTV website for NYC, it's MTV2.

 

So I decided to finally, finally watch Night Nurse. Thoughts...

• What? There's a Chinese family who just happen to be there speaking in Chinese and not being caricatures?
• I am fascinated by hospitals in old movies. Did you seriously just need a high school education to be a nurse in the 30's? I'm not sure I sympathize much with the plight of this girl who really wants to be a nurse despite only having 3 years of high school education. Then again, maybe she doesn't need it. Imagine a doctor walking in now and just being like, hire this girl. 
• Weird subplots with them coming home late and the skeleton in the bed and the bootlegger.
• Were operating rooms really like that?
• Nick's patterned robe and polka dots pajamas... just, wow.
• OMG, the closeups on "I'm Nick. The chaffeur." and her gasp. 
• Is punching people Nick's solution to everything?
• Is she going out with the bootlegger? How does she afford all these furs on a nurse's salary?
• Ooo, Dr. Ranger is so villainous.
• I love how fierce Barbara Stanwyck is in this half of the movie. I think she fell a little flat when she was just being the ingenue who really wanted to be a nurse and was in training. The part with her shouting at the mother and taking charge is fantastic.
• A milk bath?
• Is it wrong that I find Clark Gable super attractive in that chaffeur's uniform?

 

I don't think it's a great movie in terms of structure, plot, or script but I think it's worth it for the performances and to add to your list of Pre-Code movies. It's primarily worth it as a Stanwyck movie.

[Charlie Baker]

I figured you'd react to Gable in this movie as you did. :-)

And I pretty much agree with you across the board about the movie.

[magicdog]

 

•I am fascinated by hospitals in old movies. Did you seriously just need a high school education to be a nurse in the 30's?

 

 

Actually, it was possible.  HS grads were far better educated then than now.  Even 8th graders could give today's kids a run for their money! Many would be nurses took exams to determine competency and were trained on the job.

 

Is she going out with the bootlegger? How does she afford all these furs on a nurse's salary?

 

 

I always thought he gifted her some things.

 

A milk bath?

 

To be fair, the woman was discussing home remedies from the previous century.  Plus, back then milk was likely raw (not pasturized - straight from the cow) and loaded with vitamins and proteins that helped nourish the body.  The lactic acid also helped to slough off dead skin cells.    Plus - it helped soften the skin - Cleopatra bathed in milk regularly.  Today's pasturized milk wouldn't do any good.

 

What bugged me about the milk was that the bootlegger took milk bottles wthat weren't even refrigerated!  Had it been evaporated milk, it would have been in a can.

[Crisopera]

About the NARS lipsticks - I think they probably misspelled a couple of them - I figured that instead of Michiyo they mean Machiko Kyo, the enigmatic and beautiful star of (most famously) Rashomon and Ugetsu.  I also think they meant Silvana (as in Silvana Mangano) for Silvia,  best known as being a kind of Sophia Loren forerunner (in Bitter Rice) and marrying Dino De Laurentiis (thereby unleashing Giada De Laurentiis upon an unsuspecting world).

[ratgirlagogo]

 

About the NARS lipsticks - I think they probably misspelled a couple of them - I figured that instead of Michiyo they mean Machiko Kyo, the enigmatic and beautiful star of (most famously) Rashomon and Ugetsu.

I couldn't figure this one out and I still can't.  In terms of Golden Age Hollywood Machiko Kyo is the only internationally famous Japanese movie star.  When I read Michiyo I even read it to  myself as Machiko - then I just thought they must mean some other internationally famous Japanese movie star, perhaps a more contemporary one. But if Machiko Kyo is who they meant why would they mispell her name?  Feel the same way about Silvia/Silvana. 

 

•I am fascinated by hospitals in old movies. Did you seriously just need a high school education to be a nurse in the 30's?

Until relatively recently you didn't even need a high school education to be a doctor in some places, you just had to pass the medical boards.  This movie also takes place in a time period where only about 2 or 3 percent of the US population went to college and only something like 30% of women completed high school (because they got married first or had to drop out and start working).  I know in contemporary terms it looks weird but like the Doris Day films in the late 50's/early 60's (being a private secretary! and look at her clothes!) this possibility of financial independence outside of factory work probably seemed exciting to a working-class female audience.

 

In any case I'm glad you finally saw and enjoyed one of my favorite films.  It's beyond good and evil as far as I'm concerned.

[Crs97]

I need some advice. I have Prince and the Showgirl on my DVR, but haven't been able to watch it yet. Part of my hesitation is that I love Olivier, but loathe Marilyn. Is it worth watching for him, or should I just let it go?