TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[Rinaldo]

10 hours ago, GussieK said:

What’s your opinion—should I get tickets to the new production of The Music Man with Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman?  

Boy, I have no idea. Hugh Jackman seems right, as he would for many leading musical roles (for years he wanted to make a new Carousel movie -- he did do a one-night concert years ago -- but the elements never came together, and now his time for Billy has surely passed). But Sutton Foster as Marian? She's wonderfully talented and likable, but this role has always been the province of a true soprano (Barbara Cook, Joan Weldon, Shirley Jones, Meg Bussert, Rebecca Luker, Kristin Chenoweth), which Sutton F has never pretended to be. Clearly they're reconceiving the role vocally, and I always resist this process, which goes on everywhere -- eliminate the need for "special" voices, transpose and rearrange so that anyone can sing the roles. But I'll be going in any case, because I have to see for myself. I wouldn't presume to advise anyone else, though.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Rinaldo

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

Boy, I have no idea. Hugh Jackman seems right, as he would for many leading musical roles (for years he wanted to make a new Carousel movie -- he did do a one-night concert years ago, but the elements never came together, and now his time for Billy has surely passed). But Sutton Foster as Marian? She's wonderfully talented and likable, but this role has always been the province of a true soprano (Barbara Cook, Joan Weldon, Shirley Jones, Meg Bussert, Rebecca Luker, Kristin Chenoweth), which Sutton F has never pretended to be. Clearly they're reconceiving the role vocally, and I always resist this process, which goes on everywhere -- eliminate the need for "special" voices, transpose and rearrange so that anyone can sing the roles. But I'll be going in any case, because I have to see for myself. I wouldn't presume to advise anyone else, though.

Now this is really some expert info. This is why we like to have you around, Rinaldo. 

[Charlie Baker]

Lucille Ball has been Star of the Month for October, and there's a tie-in, of course.  She's the subject of the new season of TCM's podcast.  I've read more than one biography of her--so two episodes in, there's really not much I didn't know.  However, these episodes are very well done, and it's great to hear audio from interviews they've dug up with LB herself, but also her brother Fred, her cousin (more like a sister) Cleo, her mother, some of the people involved in Lucy lore from her hometown.  With more to come, I presume, as the season continues. 

Her movie career was made up of frequent good performances in some fairly good to better than that movies, but also a lot of mediocre, forgettable, or worse movies.  She was churning them out, especially during her time at RKO as their queen of the Bs.  A later example of this which I hadn't seen was Her Husband's Affairs, which just doesn't work at all now, and I wonder how well it worked for a 1947 audience.  The principals, LB, Franchot Tone, Edward Everett Horton, and an actor I didn't know before this, Mikhail Rasumny, do their best.  The script tries to be screwball, zany, witty.  The direction keeps things moving--it runs under an hour and a half.  But nope. 

Contrast that with The Golden Fleecing. It has similar intentions and scope.  And everything clicks.  Further proof that there's an element of alchemy and/or chance in making a good movie, beyond just getting the elements in place, I guess.

OK, end of lecture.

As a theatre person, how could I not be curious about this new Music Man?  But like Rinaldo, I have my misgivings about the casting of Sutton Foster. Plus the ticket prices currently offered give me a long pause.

 

[AgathaC]

I, too, raised an eyebrow at Sutton Foster. She’s awesome and I adore her (seeing her in Thoroughly Modern Millie was one of my favorite Broadway experiences) but she doesn’t have that soprano voice and style Marian always has. And as someone who has a classical soprano voice, I feel a little more territorial than usual. There are enough roles for belters and mezzos, darn it! Leave Marian alone!

[EtheltoTillie]

There’s a bunch of Japanese noirish movies on tonight. Never heard of these. I will be recording them. 

[Tom Holmberg]

On 10/25/2021 at 2:19 PM, Charlie Baker said:

Lucille Ball has been Star of the Month for October, and there's a tie-in, of course. 

There's also a Lucy and Desi movie due out "Becoming the Ricardos"

[EtheltoTillie]

19 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

There's also a Lucy and Desi movie due out "Becoming the Ricardos"

Yeah, with Nicole Kidman as Lucy . . . huh? 

[Charlie Baker]

48 minutes ago, GussieK said:

Yeah, with Nicole Kidman as Lucy . . . huh? 

It was originally to be Cate Blanchett.  Fine actresses, both, but I dunno... There were a couple TV movie bios of LB and the actresses cast tried very hard, with variable results.

Saw the trailer for this new one, and it looks like a pretty elaborate recreation of the period.   (Without a really good look at Nicole Kidman as Lucy.) It has a voiceover from NK as Lucy that has her speaking like a typical writer/director Aaron Sorkin character, which...I dunno.

But yeah, I will probably see it  

[meowmommy]

4 hours ago, GussieK said:

Yeah, with Nicole Kidman as Lucy . . . huh? 

I saw a little bit of the trailer and while she seems to get the physical resemblance, more or less, the voice is all wrong.  Lucy's voice was raspy and husky, while Nicole is breathy.  And usually when she does an American character, her Aussie accent pops through every now and again.  That would be fatal playing Lucy.

Edited October 27, 2021 by meowmommy

[tennisgurl]

A lot of good Halloween movies coming up this week, Dracula is on late tonight and this Saturday has a pretty big variety of horror movies, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Spider Baby, the original Haunting, but Sunday has some of my favorite old school horror movies. Cat People (both versions), Psycho, Horror of Dracula, and my very favorite, Carnival of Souls! Good mix of the more prestige and the more grindhouse. Some of them are on really early/late though, which is unfortunate. I like vampire movies TCM, I'm not an actual one!

Edited October 27, 2021 by tennisgurl

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 10/27/2021 at 3:28 PM, tennisgurl said:

my very favorite, Carnival of Souls!

Have you read Candace Hilligoss' memoir? She writes about making the movie. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Well I finally watched the musical Mame, with Lucy. Oh, it’s just awful. Everything they’ve ever said. Except Bea Arthur. I loved Bea Arthur. Lucy just couldn’t sing the songs, and it was so lugubrious. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

30 minutes ago, GussieK said:

Well I finally watched the musical Mame, with Lucy. Oh, it’s just awful. Everything they’ve ever said. Except Bea Arthur. I loved Bea Arthur. Lucy just couldn’t sing the songs, and it was so lugubrious. 

Because of Gypsy, I always just imagine that the Rosalind Russell movie is the musical Mame until confronted with Lucy.

I do sort of like the bizarre Mame musical number. 

 

[EtheltoTillie]

The "Mame" song is meant to be another titular showstopper like the "Hello, Dolly" song.  It seems too dull here. 

[AgathaC]

Unless I’m getting it confused (always possible), I’m pretty sure Madeline Kahn was originally cast as Agnes but was fired her first day on set. The reasons behind it vary from story to story. But it freed her up to do Blazing Saddles and start her partnership with Mel Brooks so it turned out better for her anyway.

Edited October 29, 2021 by AgathaC

[Rinaldo]

4 hours ago, AgathaC said:

Unless I’m getting it confused (always possible), I’m pretty sure Madeline Kahn was originally cast as Agnes but was fired her first day on set. The reasons behind it vary from story to story. ...

You're right about Kahn being the original casting (I saw her listed in Variety and everything...). As you say, stories vary. In terms of feature films, she'd only done the two Bogdanovich films, What's Up, Doc? and Paper Moon, before this (both being out-there characters), and one story is that she turned up on set looking much younger and prettier than expected, and Lucille Ball wouldn't have it.  Another is that she was being too eccentric and method-y in her first readings, and somebody got spooked that she wasn't going to be funny. Another is that she was hoping to be released so she could do Blazing Saddles. Pay yer money and take yer choice....

Edited October 29, 2021 by Rinaldo

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/27/2021 at 2:28 PM, tennisgurl said:

A lot of good Halloween movies coming up this week,

I'm looking forward to Frankenstein.  A nearby small-town downtown theater recently showed some old horror movies, waiting for more content to be released, and showed Bride of Frankenstein.  I'm not sure I've ever seen Frankenstein, but will remedy that shortly because TCM is showing it tonight, with Young Frankenstein right after it.  I've seen Young Frankenstein several times but when I was watching Bride of Frankenstein, I was realizing I probably missed a lot of the references.

Earlier this week, TCM had a documentary about Carl Laemmle.  I'm no historian, and knew the name only from the Laemmle chain of movie theaters in Los Angeles.  His life is super interesting, being an immigrant who found his passion at 40, tussled mightily with Thomas Edison, and was the first person to put actors' names on the screen. 

One story is that he was in New York and wanted to find his brother who lived in Chicago, and someone suggested that he write a letter to a newspaper in Chicago and ask if they knew his brother.  So he did, and the person at the newspaper who opened the letter was his brother!  (I find this a lot more charming than Facebook bots serving up suggested friends.)

A highlight (for me) was this photo of Boris Karloff and James Whale taking a break (it's a picture of my TV--pardon the quality):

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by StatisticalOutlier

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 10/29/2021 at 11:36 AM, GussieK said:

The "Mame" song is meant to be another titular showstopper like the "Hello, Dolly" song.  It seems too dull here. 

I can hear the similarities to Hello, Dolly! for sure. I agree that the staging in the movie is very static -- I think there was more dancing in the stage show. I know it is the music that I am responding to most strongly -- the tune is beautiful. The level of adulation in the lyrics is ridiculous and I'm sure meant to be exaggerated. And since as part of the plot Mame is explicitly anti-bigotry I have to assume that the fetishization of the South was supposed to add flavour and not to hint at white supremacy (unless there is something about Beauregard that I am not remembering.)

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I can hear the similarities to Hello, Dolly! for sure. I agree that the staging in the movie is very static -- I think there was more dancing in the stage show. I know it is the music that I am responding to most strongly -- the tune is beautiful. The level of adulation in the lyrics is ridiculous and I'm sure meant to be exaggerated. And since as part of the plot Mame is explicitly anti-bigotry I have to assume that the fetishization of the South was supposed to add flavour and not to hint at white supremacy (unless there is something about Beauregard that I am not remembering.)

In case anyone doesn’t realize, it’s the same composer for both. Jerry Herman. 

[Milburn Stone]

2 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

The level of adulation in the lyrics is ridiculous and I'm sure meant to be exaggerated.

I've never taken it that way. I mean, the adulation is off the charts, but--with the character as played by Angela Lansbury on Broadway or Celeste Holm in the national company, every bit of it felt earned!

[EtheltoTillie]

Six Degrees roundup. So I started thinking about Angela Lansbury and Mame, of course, which brought me to Sweeney Todd, in light of last week’s discussion of irredeemable characters in Carousel. I’ve always considered ST a strange choice for a musical, and I’m really not a fan. But I understand why people love it, oops no pun intended!  I really liked the Broadway musical of American Psycho.  

Edited October 30, 2021 by GussieK

[EtheltoTillie]

  Earworm alert:  Last week it was “My Boy Bill.”  This week I’m stuck between “Mame” and “We Need a Little Christmas.”  

[Rinaldo]

4 hours ago, GussieK said:

Six Degrees roundup. So I started thinking about Angela Lansbury and Mame, of course, which brought me to Sweeney Todd, in light of last week’s discussion of irredeemable characters in Carousel. I’ve always considered ST a strange choice for a musical, and I’m really not a fan. ...

I am, but the stage show rather than the movie. I've gotten into relatively heated "discussions" with friends who think Burton's ST is a model of how to make a Sondheim movie. (For me, it's more Into the Woods, which itself makes lots of changes but to me they're all justifiable.) For me, leaving out the choral-narrative frame around it makes a huge difference, and so does stripping out all the humor.

But I recall seeing Sweeney Todd very early in its Broadway run. Many people in the audience HAATED it. Constant walkouts, sometimes accompanied by "tut-tut"s or invective directed at the stage. Then I found myself in NYC the following summer, and went again. Now it was culturally approved: the critical consensus had settled on positive, it had won a bunch of Tony awards including best musical, the cast recording had come out and been heard... it wasn't any better a show, but audiences had been told it was OK to like it.

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

it wasn't any better a show, but audiences had been told it was OK to like it.

Or it had had the publicity to locate the audience that could appreciate it and discourage the set that wouldn't. 

 

6 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

I've never taken it that way. I mean, the adulation is off the charts, but--with the character as played by Angela Lansbury on Broadway or Celeste Holm in the national company, every bit of it felt earned!

Sure -- and Mame exists in a heightened reality where it is not out of place. 

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

I am, but the stage show rather than the movie. I've gotten into relatively heated "discussions" with friends who think Burton's ST is a model of how to make a Sondheim movie. (For me, it's more Into the Woods, which itself makes lots of changes but to me they're all justifiable.) For me, leaving out the choral-narrative frame around it makes a huge difference, and so does stripping out all the humor.

But I recall seeing Sweeney Todd very early in its Broadway run. Many people in the audience HAATED it. Constant walkouts, sometimes accompanied by "tut-tut"s or invective directed at the stage. Then I found myself in NYC the following summer, and went again. Now it was culturally approved: the critical consensus had settled on positive, it had won a bunch of Tony awards including best musical, the cast recording had come out and been heard... it wasn't any better a show, but audiences had been told it was OK to like it.

I remember some of that too. Plus the relentless TV advertising. Here’s the Times review from back then, which sets out some of the contradictory feelings. For me, I appreciate the artistry but I still find it something to just sit through. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/07/19/specials/sondheim-sweeney.html

Edited October 31, 2021 by GussieK

[voiceover]

We are the Emperors now, and we are the Czars...

Though I love every! Single! Song! in Fame, that last number has always been like putting my hand out and grabbing lightning.  I bolt straight up.

At the time of its release, I was the age...ish of the film’s characters, though I never identified* with one of them specifically — it was more a recognition of tribe, as Adam Shankman told Dave Karger last night.  (Further proof that, to “see” yourself in a character, you only ever need to see they share your heart.)

(*eh.  Maybe with Doris’s furious “I must remember this feeling and use it in my acting!” reax to Ralph’s vulgarity.  Alba, my hs best friend, laughed uproariously in the theater and elbowed me with a delighted ”Christ that is so YOU”)

What a film.  As fresh to me now as it was opening weekend: from Leroy’s scene-stealing audition routine, to Bruno & Coco and their nerdy musician/cool girl love story, to the dance teacher’s unexpected reaction after kicking Lisa out of the program, to the joyous street choreography exploding while Irene Cara begged “Remember my name!” from the speakers, to Montgomery’s wise words that reminded a disillusioned Ralph: “All anyone ever promised you were seven classes a day and a hot lunch!”

Edited November 3, 2021 by voiceover

[Charlie Baker]

The song that really floored me on first viewing was "Out Here on My Own". It completely spoke to where I was at the time.   And yes, finding one's tribe, essential, even if you don't know it's happening while you're discovering it. 

[Tom Holmberg]

I noticed TCM has a day of Blondie movies coming up.  I always wished they'd do Blondie movies in their Saturday morning spot where the do a film in a series every week.  Somehow 8 hours straight of Blondie might be overload.

Looking again, it's only three movies for 4 hours.  Playing this Saturday, Nov. 6.  (Still wish they'd do the whole series on Sat. mornings.)

Edited November 3, 2021 by Tom Holmberg

[Milburn Stone]

On 10/30/2021 at 8:03 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

Sure -- and Mame exists in a heightened reality where it is not out of place. 

I wouldn't call it exaggeration, though. I think it's more a matter of metaphor. When the southern aristocrats sing "You make the old magnolia tree blossom at the mention of your name," they're not exaggerating how much joy she brings--they're finding a poetic way to express the exact amount of joy she brings.

[ratgirlagogo]

On 11/3/2021 at 2:18 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

I noticed TCM has a day of Blondie movies coming up.  I always wished they'd do Blondie movies in their Saturday morning spot where the do a film in a series every week.  Somehow 8 hours straight of Blondie might be overload.

Looking again, it's only three movies for 4 hours.  Playing this Saturday, Nov. 6.  (Still wish they'd do the whole series on Sat. mornings.)

The MOVIES! channel runs Blondie movies every Saturday at 9:30 AM or so, after Hopalong Cassidy and Laurel and Hardy.

[Tom Holmberg]

4 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

The MOVIES! channel runs Blondie movies every Saturday at 9:30 AM or so, after Hopalong Cassidy and Laurel and Hardy.

AT&T doesn't carry that.  TCM has repeated some of the Saturday series, and they ran an endless stretch of Dead End Kids movies, so they could at least do Blondie.

[graybrown bird]

It's funny how the older I get, the more I appreciate the character actors rather than the movie's romantic leads.  Case in point,  Charles Bickford and Burl Ives as feuding pig-headed old ranchers in the 1950s Western "The Big Country." While Gregory Peck and Jean Simmons are competent and attractive leads, I really enjoy those two old buzzards tearing up the screen now that I'm an old buzzard myself.

[Rinaldo]

The New Yorker review agreed with you, @graybrown bird, as it said 

Quote

Of those involved in this massive enterprise, Mr. Bickford and Mr. Ives are the most commendable as they whoop and snort about the sagebrush.

In fact, Burl Ives won a Supporting Actor Academy Award for this role, rather than being nominated for (as people rather expected) his role in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that same year.

My own focus when I see The Big Country is similarly away from the story and stars: It's Jerome Moross's score, one of the handful that set the standard for what a "Western" score is supposed to sound like.

[Pickles Aplenty]

I watched It's A Wonderful Life in its entirety for the first time yesterday.  I'm an early Christmas person, and I have never sat down and watched this movie from beginning to the end, I'd only seen parts here and there on TV.  

I thought it was okay.

I liked the story, and I liked the acting, but something about it didn't quite gel for me, and I'm not sure what it is.  Maybe it's because I have seen this movie be parodied so much over the years?  The story was heartwarming, but it didn't hit me as much as I expected it to.  And I was surprised to see how little time is spent in the alternate reality where George was never born.  It was very short, and I thought it would take up more of the movie.

Oh, and I chose the black and white version, even though I had a choice to watched the colorized version.  It just didn't seem right to watch it in color.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Pickles Aplenty

[Sarah 103]

On 10/23/2021 at 3:40 PM, Suzn said:

I haven't reached that point with Gone With the Wind quite yet, but it takes weighing various parts and characters against each other.  For example, I think I will always admire Melanie and she outweighs what Scarlett becomes.

Melanie has hidden depths of awesome that it took me awhile to appreciate. She can think on her feet. The first instance is when they kill the soldier about to steal at Tara. She not only invents a cover story/lie about accidently shooting the gun, but also comes up with the idea to go through his pockets. Later, Melanie hears Rhett singing and knows exactly what to do. She starts talking about him showing up drunk again, and is the perfect improv partner.    

[Wiendish Fitch]

14 hours ago, Pickles Aplenty said:

I watched It's A Wonderful Life in its entirety for the first time yesterday.  I'm an early Christmas person, and I have never sat down and watched this movie from beginning to the end, I'd only seen parts here and there on TV.  

I thought it was okay.

I liked the story, and I liked the acting, but something about it didn't quite gel for me, and I'm not sure what it is.  Maybe it's because I have seen this movie be parodied so much over the years?  The story was heartwarming, but it didn't hit me as much as I expected it to.  And I was surprised to see how little time is spent in the alternate reality where George was never born.  It was very short, and I thought it would take up more of the movie.

Oh, and I chose the black and white version, even though I had a choice to watched the colorized version.  It just didn't seem right to watch it in color.

I personally find colorized versions of B&W films eye-gougingly tacky. I think you made the right call.

I happen to dislike It's a Wonderful Life, but I've griped about that enough in the past, I don't need to dredge it all up again now (though maybe later).

[Tom Holmberg]

On 11/3/2021 at 1:18 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

I noticed TCM has a day of Blondie movies coming up.  I always wished they'd do Blondie movies in their Saturday morning spot where the do a film in a series every week. 

They mentioned that this was the first time these "Blondie" movies were shown on TCM.  Hard to believe, but I guess they aren't in TCM's film library.

4 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I happen to dislike It's a Wonderful Life, but I've griped about that enough in the past, I don't need to dredge it all up again now (though maybe later).

The endless showings in the 70s and 80s sort of killed that movie for me. 

[Pickles Aplenty]

5 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I happen to dislike It's a Wonderful Life, but I've griped about that enough in the past, I don't need to dredge it all up again now (though maybe later).

Oh, I would love to hear it, lol.

[Fool to cry]

On 11/6/2021 at 5:13 PM, Rinaldo said:

The New Yorker review agreed with you, @graybrown bird, as it said 

In fact, Burl Ives won a Supporting Actor Academy Award for this role, rather than being nominated for (as people rather expected) his role in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that same year.

My own focus when I see The Big Country is similarly away from the story and stars: It's Jerome Moross's score, one of the handful that set the standard for what a "Western" score is supposed to sound like.

Charlton Heston originally didn't want to do the movie because it was a supporting role and by then he had played Moses and was now a leading man but William Wyler talked him into it. I think he was the right person because you needed someone the audience could accept would fight Gregory Peck to a draw and all the other male actors who fit the bill were too established for that part.

I think of Gone With the Wind as the tragic story of a woman who realized too late that her only truest friend that she didn't appreciate because she was so narcissistic.

It's a Wonderful Life would've been better if you didn't have the two twinkling stars representing angels narrating George Bailey's life. You introduce Clarence later and you're not sure he's really an angel or just nuts.

 

[Wiendish Fitch]

30 minutes ago, Fool to cry said:

It's a Wonderful Life would've been better if you didn't have the two twinkling stars representing angels narrating George Bailey's life. You introduce Clarence later and you're not sure he's really an angel or just nuts.

And would it have killed those grasping parasites of Bedford Falls to donate a little extra cash to send George on that trip he always wanted?! 

Huh, maybe it would have. Never mind.

[Charlie Baker]

A producer of many classic films turns 100.

Walter Mirisch

[mariah23]

TCM Remembers Dean Stockwell who died Sunday at age 85.

[EtheltoTillie]

It’s Dog Movie Day. First up is It’s a Dog’s Life, with Vic Morrow doing the pup’s voiceover, sounding like Frank Sinatra. I saw this once years ago. I’m a sucker for anything dog. Picture of Trixie for tax.

Edited November 9, 2021 by GussieK

[Rinaldo]

Early Saturday morning: Watch out for two Inadvertent Camp Classics of the late 1960s: Skidoo and The Big Cube. Both of them dealing with "oh dear, what are these kids up to these days?" with surpassing ineptitude.

Skidoo, a big Otto Preminger extravaganza that disappeared instantly (and everyone agreed to speak of it no more), starring Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, and Frankie Avalon. And Groucho Marx as God. And hippies and Transcendental Meditation.

The Big Cube, already seen from time to time on TCM, gives us late Lana Turner as an esteemed great lady of the theater, with a rebellious daughter who's somehow Swedish and who's mixed up with drug pusher George Chakiris. And mostly Mexican cast and locations (finances, y'know). And psychological illness overcome. And we are left in no doubt that LSD is Evil.

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Skidoo, a big Otto Preminger extravaganza that disappeared instantly (and everyone agreed to speak of it no more), starring Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, and Frankie Avalon. And Groucho Marx as God. And hippies and Transcendental Meditation.

I tried to watch this once, and just couldn't bear it after ten minutes. Godspeed to any of you who make it through!

Edited November 9, 2021 by Milburn Stone

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks, @Rinaldo.  I love these strange recommendations.  

[Charlie Baker]

I have watched all of Skidoo and it is a prime example of not being able to look away from a trainwreck filmmaking.  I salute you, @Milburn Stone, for being able to abandon it. 

Haven't seen The Big Cube. How could I not be intrigued?

[Rinaldo]

31 minutes ago, GussieK said:

Thanks, @Rinaldo.  I love these strange recommendations.  

Well, "recommendations" in a very specialized sense, but... you get it.

I have never had the chance to see Skidoo myself. I have set the DVR and am determined to see it through. (I have seen The Big Cube though. I look out for George Chakiris movies. It remains mysterious to me that after the Academy Award for West Side Story, he didn't flourish more. He himself has said that he had a knack for picking the wrong roles.)

If you added The Cool Ones to this lineup, it would be the perfect triple bill of late-60s "not getting it" bombs.

[EtheltoTillie]

4 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Well, "recommendations" in a very specialized sense, but... you get it.

I have never had the chance to see Skidoo myself. I have set the DVR and am determined to see it through. (I have seen The Big Cube though. I look out for George Chakiris movies. It remains mysterious to me that after the Academy Award for West Side Story, he didn't flourish more. He himself has said that he had a knack for picking the wrong roles.)

If you added The Cool Ones to this lineup, it would be the perfect triple bill of late-60s "not getting it" bombs.

"Inadvertent Camp Classics" is a good category name.

Or as my husband and I call them:  Golden Turkey Award winners (remember that?) or potential nominees. 

[Suzn]

On 10/30/2021 at 11:01 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I'm looking forward to Frankenstein.  A nearby small-town downtown theater recently showed some old horror movies, waiting for more content to be released, and showed Bride of Frankenstein.  I'm not sure I've ever seen Frankenstein, but will remedy that shortly because TCM is showing it tonight, with Young Frankenstein right after it.  I've seen Young Frankenstein several times but when I was watching Bride of Frankenstein, I was realizing I probably missed a lot of the references.

I'm very, very late to the discussion of Frankenstein!  I've seen Young Frankenstein literally dozens of times and the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein many times too and recently saw Son of Frankenstein for the first time.  I was surprised to see that it was the source of a number of number of elements in Young Frankenstein.  The Inspector with the wooden arm and the game of darts was straight from Son of Frankenstein and was barely more exaggerated than the source.

On 11/7/2021 at 2:01 PM, Pickles Aplenty said:

I watched It's A Wonderful Life in its entirety for the first time yesterday.  I'm an early Christmas person, and I have never sat down and watched this movie from beginning to the end, I'd only seen parts here and there on TV.  

I thought it was okay.

I liked the story, and I liked the acting, but something about it didn't quite gel for me, and I'm not sure what it is.  

 

On 11/8/2021 at 4:15 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I happen to dislike It's a Wonderful Life, but I've griped about that enough in the past, I don't need to dredge it all up again now (though maybe later).

I think It's a Wonderful Life is terribly over-rated.  It always bothered me that the welfare and happiness of an entire town depended on George sacrificing his dream.

On 11/8/2021 at 1:34 PM, Fool to cry said:

I think of Gone With the Wind as the tragic story of a woman who realized too late that her only truest friend that she didn't appreciate because she was so narcissistic.

Perfect!