TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks, @Milburn Stone.  I'm not a good one to ask about Prada.  I worked in magazines for 16 years.  I even worked at Conde Nast for a while.  I can't stand the whole movie and Streep's performance.  It's like doctors watching medical shows or lawyers watching courtroom dramas. 

[Suzn]

I'm surprised at the criticism  of Merle Streep's acting.  I thought she was much more highly regarded.  I think she was really outstanding in some things - Sophie's Choice and wonderful as Julia Child for just a couple of examples.  The only major complaints I have are her choices of material and mannerisms that are used for absolutely every character.  I doubt she gets offered much that I would rate as good.  So some it seems like the dreck that Diane Keaton gets. 

Edited August 15 by Suzn

[Wiendish Fitch]

On one hand, I love Pauline Kael, but on the other, I can't really rush to her defense when others criticize her. Heck, sometimes even I find myself thinking, "Damn, woman, don't you like anyone or anything??".

One author (I THINK it was John DiLeo) observed that Kael hated both Meryl Streep and Greer Garson (though poor Garson doesn't seem to be anyone's favorite), and he noted the physical similarities between the two women. Maybe that was why? Who knows...

[Rinaldo]

6 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

It's like doctors watching medical shows or lawyers watching courtroom dramas. 

I do understand about this sort of situation. When a movie or TV show features a situation where teachers are trying to do good work but are constantly hampered or defeated by needless funding shortfalls, inane administrative decisions, or buzzwords of the moment, I just can't watch it -- it's too real, and I lived with that world for decades. Many of my friends have recommended Abbott Elementary to me as a good current comedy series, but I couldn't last more than 20 minutes for just this reason. (On the other hand, I can be philosophical or even amused when movies get my area of teaching -- music -- wrong, because it happens so often, it's more the rule than not.)

5 hours ago, Suzn said:

I'm surprised at the criticism  of Merle Streep's acting.   I thought she was much more highly regarded.  

I wouldn't read too much into the interchanges of a half dozen contributors here, me included. In the world at large I think it's fair to say that she is highly regarded, and even some (not all!) of us with reservations admire and enjoy a substantial number of her performances enormously. Me again included. 

4 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

On one hand, I love Pauline Kael, but on the other, I can't really rush to her defense when others criticize her. Heck, sometimes even I find myself thinking, "Damn, woman, don't you like anyone or anything??".

I own all Kael's books and read her obsessively when she was at The New Yorker. I would still say I'm a fan, but I've come to a more measured appreciation since her retirement, and can certainly see her vulnerable spots. Not the ones that are sometimes wrongly used to attack her, like Renata Adler saying she liked only violence etc., or Stuart Byron deciding she was homophobic (completely without foundation). But the way she would go off on a long binge that could seem only distantly related to her ostensible subject. Contrary to your quote about not liking anything -- yes she did have her dislikes (Greer Garson indeed, or musicals that were insufficiently fluffy and unpretentious), but I'd say she was much more prone to pages of praise. Sometimes (Nashville) I absolutely agreed with her; other times (Brian De Palma, and read her laudatory reaction to his The Fury sometime) I was bewildered as to what she was seeing. But really, I don't look to a critic for consumer advice, I want her to make me a better more receptive moviegoer, and she could be a wizard at that.

My thanks to @Charlie Baker for the recommendation of The Man with a Cloak. Lots of fun to watch, and I think it'll stick in memory -- it's unlike other movies of its time. I'll have to check to see if I have the Carr story somewhere in the house, I don't remember it but I do have a whole shelf of Carr. And the Raksin music lived up to the advance description. Unlike other movie scores, by him or anyone else.

[EtheltoTillie]

22 hours ago, Suzn said:

I'm surprised at the criticism  of Merle Streep's acting.  I thought she was much more highly regarded.  I think she was really outstanding in some things - Sophie's Choice and wonderful as Julia Child for just a couple of examples.  The only major complaints I have are her choices of material and mannerisms that are used for absolutely every character.  I doubt she gets offered much that I would rate as good.  So some it seems like the dreck that Diane Keaton gets. 

She is highly regarded by most.  I'm in the Emperor's New Clothes school in regard to Streep.  There are a few of us out there. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks to everyone who recommended The Man with a Cloak.  It was great fun.  Now it makes me want to track down more stories by Carr.  I  missed the chance to guess the ending, as it was spoiled for me in something I read. 

Spoiler

There's a giant avian clue

.  Barbara Stanwyck was good in a nasty role.  As was Cagney's mom from White Heat. 

This movie reminded me of another TCM classic, Kind Lady, with Ethel Barrymore.  Also about an elderly person trapped in a townhouse.  Angela Lansbury plays one of her mean girl roles. 

 

Edited August 16 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

I’d never seen The Outlaw. It’s like an Ed Wood movie. I’m not going to stick with the whole thing. 

[Charlie Baker]

Tomorrow's Katharine Hepburn Day has A Delicate Balance at 3:30pm ET. It's one of the American Film Theatre play-to-movie adaptations from the 70s.  The Edward Albee play is challenging, some might say impenetrable, but there was a great Broadway revival in the 90s, along with a more recent one I didn't see.  I saw this movie way back when and was impressed--I can't say I know how it will hold up.  But the cast is very noteworthy.

There's also another play adaptation at 2am Monday morning, The Madwoman of Chaillot, which I've never seen, and wasn't well received at its release. It also has a starry cast.  On the fence on whether to check that one out or not.

[Rinaldo]

@Charlie Baker, I saw many of the American Film Theatre releases as they happened, but I skipped A Delicate Balance, because I (despite being a fan of other Albee) couldn't make sense of the play, either on the page or in the one local (albeit professional) production I'd seen, and Hepburn didn't seem the sort of performer who would help with that. I was wrong. When I finally caught up with it (on TCM) a few years ago, I was impressed by how well it all worked and "held." Credit to the tactful direction of Tony Richardson, and to the cast including Joseph Cotten and Lee Remick,* but most especially Paul Scofield and Katharine Hepburn, if only through sheer technique and star assurance. It's been pointed out (e.g. by Dan Callahan in his book about American film acting) that whereas many of the studio actresses of Hepburn's generation ended their careers in minor, sometimes cringeworthy movies, Hepburn never stopped taking on classic challenges like Mary in Long Day's Journey Into Night, Hecuba in The Trojan Women, and this.

As to The Madwoman of Chaillot: it's a play I know pretty well (I acted in it in high school), and it's a movie that... I guess everyone should decide for themselves.

(*Incidental fact about ADB that I doubt will get mentioned: The showy role of Claire, the alcoholic sister and a showcase for vivid actresses like Elaine Stritch and Maggie Smith, was initially cast with the legendary stage actress Kim Stanley. But when at the first rehearsal she went all Actors Studio, improvising and adding lines and noises instead of sticking to the script, Hepburn was so put off she was going to withdraw. So the part was recast with Kate Reid.)

[Palimelon]

Katharine Hepburn is probably one of my favorite actresses of all time. Definitely Top 3 at least.

[Bastet]

On 8/12/2024 at 8:23 PM, Charlie Baker said:

Dancing at Lughnasa is a solid adaptation of a strong play.  It's a true ensemble piece, and MS didn't seem to blend in with the cast at first,  but she soon did, IMO.

I haven't seen it since I rented it when it came out, but that's my recollection -- at first I was distracted by her, as she seemed out of place in the cast, but that didn't last long and I got caught up in the film.  I may give it another look via Watch TCM.

[mariah23]

TCM Remembers Alain Delon who passed away at age 88.

[EtheltoTillie]

Wow, watch The Tattered Dress.  How had this never been shown on Noir Alley?  

[mariah23]

54 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Wow, watch The Tattered Dress.  How had this never been shown on Noir Alley?  

It was blocked on my service.  Having to watch it on YouTube.

[EtheltoTillie]

39 minutes ago, mariah23 said:

It was blocked on my service.  Having to watch it on YouTube.

Are you in Canada?  Some films were apparently blocked in Canada. Good to know it’s on YouTube. 

[mariah23]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Are you in Canada?  Some films were apparently blocked in Canada. Good to know it’s on YouTube. 

No but I my service is Hulu Live.

[voiceover]

Spent some more time musing over Shanghai Express, one of those movies I’ll watch anytime it’s on, then spend hours after, worrying over it like a dog with a bone.

This time I finally let go my obsession over recasting the Dr Harvey role with anyone, *anyone, other than Clive Brook.  I’d previously considered Robert Donat (such great chem with Dietrich in Knight Without Armour), or Ronald Colman (who’d play her lover years later in Kismet)…either would be more believable, I thought, than Brook — whose Dr Harvey had a pole so far up his ass, it was amazing he could manage to sit down.  How on earth could such a man fascinate (for he clearly does) such a woman?

But somehow this time around, I saw it.  His medical man is so deeply in love with his ex, even after all these years, that he can’t hide it — he admits as much in their first scene alone together.  He might avoid her in public, but in private he’s helplessly confessing his pain and regret over ending their relationship.  And, my dear! what woman could resist such desperate devotion? Certainly not Shanghai Lily.  And she doesn’t even try.  He even recognizes, there at the end, how close he came to blowing it again.  And he kisses her so ardently in that train station that you’re just waiting for someone (probably the gambler) to walk by and say, “Hey! get a room!”  Clive is perfect for this and in this.

Then of course there’s Anna May Wong, who steals every scene she’s in, just by sulking through them. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot only had one line, but the subtext was always different.  Hui Fei has several lines, but the subtext is always the same: “Kiss my ass.”

[Palimelon]

Sternberg and Dietrich were always a good director/actress combo.

[Charlie Baker]

An item I copied from a Hollywood Reporter news round-up:

Carol Burnett, 90, Proves You’re Never Too Old to Pitch

At the Paley Center premiere of the Bob Mackie bio-doc Naked Illusion in May, TCM host Dave Karger was minding his own business when Carol Burnett decided to hold an impromptu pitch meeting. “She came up to me to tell me how much she loved TCM,” Karger tells THR. “She was so sweet. But then, the next words out of her mouth were, ‘I have an idea for something I would like to do on TCM.’ She said that between movies, we should show skits from her show that were spoofs of old films.” Burnett, of course, frequently satirized Hollywood classics on her 1967-78 CBS sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show — her sendups of Gone With the Wind and Mildred Pierce are classics in their own right — so Karger took the idea to his TCM bosses. Not surprisingly, they loved the concept, and plans are being ironed out not only to show some of Burnett’s vintage movie takeoffs between feature presentations but for the legend to appear on the channel to introduce them. TCM says the spoofs could start appearing as soon as December.

Edited August 21 by Charlie Baker

[jah1986]

On 8/20/2024 at 9:28 PM, mariah23 said:

It was blocked on my service.  Having to watch it on YouTube.

I really wanted to see The Tattered Dress but it was blocked on YouTubeTV as well. Evidently it's one of those movies not licensed to show through streaming services. I'll have to look for it elsewhere.

[Tom Holmberg]

On Jose Ferrer day they showed "I Accuse" and "Moulin Rouge", both somewhat typical subject matter in the 1950s and early 1960s, but would probably never be made today.

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, jah1986 said:

I really wanted to see The Tattered Dress but it was blocked on YouTubeTV as well. Evidently it's one of those movies not licensed to show through streaming services. I'll have to look for it elsewhere.

Try this youtube link. It's still working (regular Youtube--not Youtube TV).  Watch before someone takes it down.  I had recorded it on DVR just in case they wouldn't show it on Watch TCM. 

 

This movie is a must for noir/crime film fans. 

 

Edited August 23 by EtheltoTillie

[Charlie Baker]

Another Hollywood Reporter article on a new TCM series starting soon:

Significant Political Films

[Rinaldo]

I'm a bit embarrassed to bring this up, as it's totally insignificant, but here goes:

On Tuesday, Ossie Davis Day, TCM is showing the 1979 movie Hot Stuff at 10:15 am ET. I remember watching it more than once in the early 1980s, partly because HBO ran it constantly in those relatively early days of cable networks, partly because the script was cowritten by my favorite comedic suspense writer, Donald E. Westlake. A group of Miami undercover police (Jerry Reed, Suzanne Pleshette, Dom DeLuise, Luis Avalos, with Davis as their captain) set up a pawnshop as a long-term sting. From there it plays out like an extra-long TV episode, with laughs and jeopardy and all, and a bit of a family feeling (DeLuise directed and used his actual family as his onscreen family, Reed wrote and performed the theme song, etc.). Like I said, of no importance, and probably not even "good" in any serious aesthetic sense, but you might find it a diverting 90 minutes if it fits your taste, and I doubt it'll come around on TCM again.

[chessiegal]

Thanks @Rinaldo. I can use an amusing diversion tomorrow.

[EtheltoTillie]

As @Rinaldo suggests, some of the SUTS selections may be trifles. Others have featured the day's nominal star in only a small role.  Still, they've been worth watching.

Here are my picks in that category:

1) Cookie:  Small role for Jerry Lewis.  Enjoyable 80s flashback by Susan Seidelman, Desperately Seeking Susan crossed with The Godfather.  Features Peter Falk as the mafia dad.  Also Michael Gazzo, otherwise known as Frankie Five Angels from The Godfather Part II.  Emily Lloyd as Falk's daughter is so compelling.  Unfortunately, she later developed mental illness issues that stalled her career. 

2) Petulia:  Small role for Joseph Cotten, but a chilling one.  This film is a real 60s throwback.  Your opinion will vary between thinking it's the most brilliant thing ever or the most pretentious.  There are flashbacks that you must follow carefully to make sense of the story.  I confess I was getting confused, so I looked at some summaries while watching and then it made sense.  I really liked it.  Julie Christie, George C. Scott and Richard Chamberlain, as Cotten's son, married to Julie.

3) Fourteen Hours:  Small role for Grace Kelly.  She looked gorgeous!  Despondent man decides to jump out of hotel window.  Remains on ledge for, well, fourteen hours.  Grace is an incidental bystander in her lawyer's office across the street.  This is quite a compelling story.  The man's horrible parents come and try to talk him out of it.  Agnes Moorhead great as the mother.  Paul Douglas the compassionate policeman trying to help. 

I'd love to hear anyone's reactions to these films, all of which were new to me.

Then there was The Little Foxes, wow, what a great film. Can't believe I hadn't seen it before, as it's such a classic.  I really loved Herbert Marshall.  Now I've seen him three times recently--in this and the two versions of The Letter.  He is so real.  He exudes some kind of humanity.  I also just learned about the loss of his leg in WWI. 

 

Edited August 26 by EtheltoTillie

[SusieQ]

10 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

I'm a bit embarrassed to bring this up, as it's totally insignificant, but here goes:

On Tuesday, Ossie Davis Day, TCM is showing the 1979 movie Hot Stuff at 10:15 am ET. I remember watching it more than once in the early 1980s, partly because HBO ran it constantly in those relatively early days of cable networks, partly because the script was cowritten by my favorite comedic suspense writer, Donald E. Westlake. A group of Miami undercover police (Jerry Reed, Suzanne Pleshette, Dom DeLuise, Luis Avalos, with Davis as their captain) set up a pawnshop as a long-term sting. From there it plays out like an extra-long TV episode, with laughs and jeopardy and all, and a bit of a family feeling (DeLuise directed and used his actual family as his onscreen family, Reed wrote and performed the theme song, etc.). Like I said, of no importance, and probably not even "good" in any serious aesthetic sense, but you might find it a diverting 90 minutes if it fits your taste, and I doubt it'll come around on TCM again.

Westlake is one of my favorite writers, too. 

and it must be said, Robert Redford was totally miscast as John Dortmund in The HotRock. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

10 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

 

Then there was The Little Foxes, wow, what a great film. Can't believe I hadn't seen it before, as it's such a classic.  I really loved Herbert Marshall.  Now I've seen him three times recently--in this and the two versions of The Letter.  He is so real.  He exudes some kind of humanity.  I also just learned about the loss of his leg in WWI. 

 

I love Herbert Marshall for all the reasons you stated. He was a wonderful actor, and had such a remarkable life story. I love him so much in The Little Foxes. He's also fun in The Good Fairy or, as I like to call it, Amelie 66 Years Early.

[Rinaldo]

12 hours ago, SusieQ said:

Robert Redford was totally miscast as John Dortmund in The HotRock. 

He was, but who would have been better at that date? John Dortmunder is an easy person to visualize, but hard to cast. The later Dortmunders (George C. Scott, Paul Le Mat, Christopher Lambert, and yes Martin Lawrence) came no closer. At least one thing can be said in favor of The Hot Rock as a film: George Segal was dead-on perfect casting as Andy Kelp. When I reread any of the books, Segal is always who I'm picturing.

[SusieQ]

2 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

He was, but who would have been better at that date? John Dortmunder is an easy person to visualize, but hard to cast. The later Dortmunders (George C. Scott, Paul Le Mat, Christopher Lambert, and yes Martin Lawrence) came no closer. At least one thing can be said in favor of The Hot Rock as a film: George Segal was dead-on perfect casting as Andy Kelp. When I reread any of the books, Segal is always who I'm picturing.

I wrote a long response but it disappeared. This has happened many times to me. I do appreciate the discussio ns but am sad that I can't participate more

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, SusieQ said:

I wrote a long response but it disappeared. This has happened many times to me. I do appreciate the discussio ns but am sad that I can't participate more

FWIW, this happens to me sometimes, and the response remains in the response box waiting for you, and it can still be posted.  Sometimes it says "your content has been restored."  As if the program has deleted it and put it back. 

14 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I love Herbert Marshall for all the reasons you stated. He was a wonderful actor, and had such a remarkable life story. I love him so much in The Little Foxes. He's also fun in The Good Fairy or, as I like to call it, Amelie 66 Years Early.

The Good Fairy is hard to find.  I ordered a DVD on Ebay.  I see that Sullavan was briefly married to the director, William Wyler, during or right after the making of the film.  After Henry Fonda.  Before Leland Hayward. . . . and so on. 

Same with The Hot Rock.  I haven't seen it either, so I also ordered a DVD from Ebay.

It may seem to participants in this forum that I have no life other than watching classic films. 

Edited August 27 by EtheltoTillie

[Suzn]

On 8/26/2024 at 12:39 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

Then there was The Little Foxes, wow, what a great film. Can't believe I hadn't seen it before, as it's such a classic.  I really loved Herbert Marshall.  Now I've seen him three times recently--in this and the two versions of The Letter.  He is so real.  He exudes some kind of humanity.  I also just learned about the loss of his leg in WWI. 

 

 

13 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I love Herbert Marshall for all the reasons you stated. He was a wonderful actor, and had such a remarkable life story. I love him so much in The Little Foxes. He's also fun in The Good Fairy or, as I like to call it, Amelie 66 Years Early.

I love The Little Foxes. So many amazing performances and the casting completely hit the  mark. Bette Davis' character was so awful and yet, I found some degree of sympathy for her.  You are right about Herbert Marshall; he was an incredible actor.  He made that role so much more than a sad victim.  I love  Teresa Wright; she was superb in this and Shadow of a Doubt and a few other notable movies of that period and I have always wondered why she didn't have a bigger career.   I could go on about the great casting and performances, but I'll spare you.  I'll just add that if you have not seen the movie, please look for it. 

[Palimelon]

Quote

It may seem to participants in this forum that I have no life other than watching classic films. 

Nothing wrong with the classics, if that's your thing.

Edited August 27 by Palimelon

[fairffaxx]

 

9 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I see that Sullivan was briefly married to the director, William Wyler, during or right after the making of the film.  After Henry Fonda.  Before Leland Hayward. . . . and so on. 

You're referring to Margaret SullAvan -- Ogden Nash wrote a poem about her, which ends:  "The fairest of sights in twinkling lights / Is Sullavan with an a".

[EtheltoTillie]

26 minutes ago, fairffaxx said:

 

You're referring to Margaret SullAvan -- Ogden Nash wrote a poem about her, which ends:  "The fairest of sights in twinkling lights / Is Sullavan with an a".

Yes, thank you.  I know better. 

43 minutes ago, Palimelon said:

Nothing wrong with the classics, if that's your thing.

Ha ha.  It's more the no life thing. 

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Suzn said:

I love  Teresa Wright; she was superb in this and Shadow of a Doubt and a few other notable movies of that period and I have always wondered why she didn't have a bigger career.

She negotiated it into her MGM contract that she didn't have to do publicity and could return to the theatre at least once a year; they gave her good roles but didn't renew her contract, so I wonder if they got pissy about her daring to demand to have a say in her career.  The films in which she appeared after that weren't very good, but she transitioned to a combination of stage and TV, working steadily until she was about 80.

[Tom Holmberg]

22 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

He was, but who would have been better at that date? John Dortmunder is an easy person to visualize, but hard to cast. The later Dortmunders (George C. Scott, Paul Le Mat, Christopher Lambert, and yes Martin Lawrence) came no closer. At least one thing can be said in favor of The Hot Rock as a film: George Segal was dead-on perfect casting as Andy Kelp. When I reread any of the books, Segal is always who I'm picturing.

I recommend Donald Westlake's books, esp. the Dortmunder books, and also "Help I Am Being Held Prisoner".

[EtheltoTillie]

39 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I recommend Donald Westlake's books, esp. the Dortmunder books, and also "Help I Am Being Held Prisoner".

I never read Westlake, so I downloaded The Hot Rock from the library. Might as well start at the beginning.  It’s fun so far. 

Speaking of Herbert Marshall, he’s in three of the Dietrich films!  I’m recording them. 

[Charlie Baker]

The American Masters documentary on Blake Edwards is well-made and worthwhile.  It's laudatory, but does not neglect the career ups and downs and his struggles with anxiety and depression, nor the present-day problems with some of the movies' humor.  Good interviews with filmmakers who love his work, and Julie Andrews is as gracious as ever.  On the PBS website, I'm sure for a limited time, and maybe on TV providers' On Demand, though not on mine as yet. And given the differences in scheduling among PBS channels, it could turn up again on broadcast. 

I'm sorry Ossie Davis Day didn't include Gone Are the Days, aka Purlie Victorious,, based on the play he wrote and starred in.  I'd see it out of curiosity, given the recent Broadway stage revival. Lo and behold, it seems to be available on You Tube.

Fourteen Hours is indeed compelling and Richard Basehart and Paul Douglas are very good.

 

 

 

[SusieQ]

59 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I never read Westlake, so I downloaded The Hot Rock from the library. Might as well start at the beginning.  It’s fun so far. 

Speaking of Herbert Marshall, he’s in three of the Dietrich films!  I’m recording them. 

You will love them. Just remember they were written 30/40 years ago so sometimes not very PC. My favorites are Drowned Hopes and Good Behavior

Hey, this message didn't disappear.

[Tom Holmberg]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I never read Westlake, so I downloaded The Hot Rock from the library. Might as well start at the beginning.  It’s fun so far. 

Westlake also wrote a series of hard-boiled crime novels featuring the character "Parker" under the pseudonym of Richard Stark.  These have also been made into movies, the best being, IMO, "Point Blank" (1967) with Lee Marvin.

https://violentworldofparker.com/

[Tom Holmberg]

Thursday, September 26

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE: DONALD SUTHERLAND
M*A*S*H (1970)
Ordinary People (1980)
Klute (1971)
Kelly's Heroes (1970

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm really enjoying Weekend at the Waldorf.  It's funny, unlike precursor Grand Hotel , which is kind of sad. 

Edited August 31 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

I had to take a comedy break from The Hill, which is scarily sadistic.  I will return to it.  (Ossie Davis Day, also starring Sean Connery.)

I highly recommend Trouble Along the Way, which I watched last week.  It's Kramer v. Kramer crossed with Paper Moon.  John Wayne is the single dad/down on his luck football coach.  Marie Windsor the nasty ex-wife.  It was Donna Reed Day, so she plays the social worker.  Sherry Jackson was the young child actress, and she does a terrific job.  Charles Coburn is an added bonus, as the Catholic priest who recruits Wayne to turn around his college football program. 

The thing that really grabbed me is the writing, such crisp, witty dialog.  The writers worked on a lot of good comedy/drama mixes; they also wrote gags for Bob Hope's Academy Awards hosting appearances.  It doesn't hurt to have a director like Michael Curtiz. 

Edited August 31 by EtheltoTillie

[Palimelon]

Quote

I'm really enjoying Weekend at the Waldorf.  It's funny, unlike Grand Hotel, which is kind of sad. 

Well, they are both based on the same novel/play-based-on-the-novel. They just chose to have Grand Hotel just be a straight up drama.

[EtheltoTillie]

42 minutes ago, Palimelon said:

Well, they are both based on the same novel/play-based-on-the-novel. They just chose to have Grand Hotel just be a straight up drama.

Yes, I was aware of that.  I will edit my comment slightly to make that clearer.  The role of old Lionel Barrymore was rewritten for a young man played by Van Johnson. 

Edited August 31 by EtheltoTillie

[Fool to cry]

On 8/27/2024 at 4:02 PM, Bastet said:

She negotiated it into her MGM contract that she didn't have to do publicity and could return to the theatre at least once a year; they gave her good roles but didn't renew her contract, so I wonder if they got pissy about her daring to demand to have a say in her career.  The films in which she appeared after that weren't very good, but she transitioned to a combination of stage and TV, working steadily until she was about 80.

She had a nice little role in her final movie, John Grisham's The Rainmaker(1997) directed by Francis Ford Coppola. 

[mariah23]

2 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

She had a nice little role in her final movie, John Grisham's The Rainmaker(1997) directed by Francis Ford Coppola. 

You have got to read Wright’s contract with Samuel Goldwyn:

“The aforementioned Teresa Wright shall not be required to pose for photographs in a bathing suit unless she is in the water. Neither may she be photographed running on the beach with her hair flying in the wind. Nor may she pose in any of the following situations: In shorts, playing with a cocker spaniel; digging in a garden; whipping up a meal; attired in firecrackers and holding skyrockets for the Fourth of July; looking insinuatingly at a turkey for Thanksgiving; wearing a bunny cap with long ears for Easter; twinkling on prop snow in a skiing outfit while a fan blows her scarf; assuming an athletic stance while pretending to hit something with a bow and arrow.”

Edited August 31 by mariah23

[Tom Holmberg]

30 minutes ago, mariah23 said:

“The aforementioned Teresa Wright shall not be required to pose for photographs in a bathing suit unless she is in the water. Neither may she be photographed running on the beach with her hair flying in the wind. Nor may she pose in any of the following situations: In shorts, playing with a cocker spaniel; digging in a garden; whipping up a meal; attired in firecrackers and holding skyrockets for the Fourth of July; looking insinuatingly at a turkey for Thanksgiving; wearing a bunny cap with long ears for Easter; twinkling on prop snow in a skiing outfit while a fan blows her scarf; assuming an athletic stance while pretending to hit something with a bow and arrow.”

Did Sheldon Cooper write the contract?

[mariah23]

46 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Did Sheldon Cooper write the contract?

To be fair I have seen some starlets (okay a lot of them) posing with a bow and arrow, making a meal, etc.  I’m off to look for some pictures.

Found some:

 

 

From top to bottom: Jane Russell, Piper Laurie, Jeanne Crain

Edited August 31 by mariah23