TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[HyeChaps]

That's what squicks me out about Daddy Long Legs

[Rinaldo]

I don't have problems with romances involving an age gap in real life as long as both parties are adults -- in fact I was once part of one. But its ubiquity in popular entertainment, particularly movies, always with the man the older one, does become tiresome, and eventually after enough of them pile up, disturbing.

[Crisopera]

Susan Slept Here is particularly disturbing because, in real life, Dick Powell was 50 years old (and looked every minute of it) and Debbie Reynolds was 22, a 28 year difference.  And it doesn't help that it's a pretty awful movie.  Somehow Fred Astaire seems ageless to me in his movies with much younger co-stars (which after all were most of them - even Ginger was 12 years his junior) - Dick Powell just looks weary.

[Padma]

On ‎12‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 5:49 AM, Rinaldo said:

I've now caught up with the Reginald Owen Christmas Carol as well. It's all too easy to mock it for its family-entertainment "Hollywood" look and qualities, in comparison to other film versions, so I'm going to avoid that route and emphasize that it tells the story effectively and touchingly, and thereby did its job well. It must have been on the airwaves a lot in my youth, because I found one or two scenes stirring up distant memories -- like Ann Rutherford's Christmas Past with  prettily embroidered cap-crown and a bouncing star atop it.

While I'm acting like I said I wouldn't, I'll spare an indulgent smile for the pristine freshly painted streets of London, ready to be visited as "Dickensland." With lots of jolly sliding on ice and happy landing in snowdrifts. And lots of Fred, who's engaged in this version and who stops by the Cratchits' Christmas dinner for the final scene, as does a gift-laden Scrooge, so we can sign off on "God bless us, every one" as yet another carol is rendered by invisible choir. No failed romance in Scrooge's past in this version, no Ignorance and Want, no scavengers picking over his possessions. On the other hand, Bob actually gets fired on Christmas Eve in this one. I wouldn't put this in the very top echelon, but the many who saw it over the years got a good effective rendering of the story.

Your post about Sim's post-ghost transformation got me reflecting on it anew and I went to see it on TCM ON Demand.  That's how I wound up seeing Owens (interesting per Mankiewicz  was Barrymore's first choice since he couldn't do it). He was fine, and I like your restrained commentary on its flaws. ITA way too "Merry" in old Dickens England and  much too much Fred, although it probably made it more watchable.  I know it was made for theaters but seemed like a good staple for tv, being more generally cheery, but as you say,still good. I still teared up in parts, familiar as it is.  It would be good to re-read the novella as I can't remember what's "movie invention" and "Dickens" anymore.

re: Holiday Inn it's on TCM Jan 1 at 8:30 am. EST.   Watching White Christmas the other day, I was trying to imagine Fred in the part. I know he turned it down after reading the script, but if he'd done it, I imagine a lot would have been rewritten anyway.  Crosby was good clowning around in "Sisters" but I have trouble imagining Astaire in the Kaye part.   It would have been interesting with Donald O'Connor, the producer's second choice.  I know WC is the better film, better script, but I look forward to Holiday more because of the dancing and the Crosby-Astaire pairing.

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, Padma said:

It would be good to re-read the novella as I can't remember what's "movie invention" and "Dickens" anymore.

It does get hard to sort it out, doesn't it? Anyway, I just reread the novella myself, in an online reproduction of a 1914 facsimile of the original 1843 edition. (And a very attractive job the publisher made of it.) It's worth rediscovering how genuinely strange some of it is. Scrooge himself is constantly snarky (that, at least, tends to get picked up in the movies), we get a thorough description of where he lives (down a side street, in the only remaining flat in what has become an office building). and I'm always rediscovering how specific and almost science-fiction-ish the description of Christmas Past is: androgynous, looking both old and young, with long white hair, with muscular bare limbs (bare feet too, as with Christmas Present -- I wonder what that detail signified to Dickens), wearing only a belted tunic decorated with flowers, holding a holly sprig. Light streams from its head, for the extinguishing of which it carries a giant conical extinguisher. Plus (this is the SF part) the view keeps shifting; head and limbs come and go in bewildering numbers (suggesting a shifting section of a multidimensional being, though Dickens didn't have that terminology to use). Most films just give up on this and do something else. (The Scott version tries for some of it (and Scrooge does end the visit by using the extinguisher), but she's definitely female.) Anyway, it's absolutely worth rereading. 

[Rinaldo]

Wednesday is another Disney Evening on TCM. It kicks off with one I'd been hoping they'd get to: The Story of Robin Hood, to my mind the best of the half-dozen live-action sagas the studio made in England with British actors for a decade or so. No doubt the Errol Flynn telling of the the story will remain the classic, but this one is awfully good. It's full of color and action and fun, with a good cast (Richard Todd is Robin, Joan Rice is Marian, Peter Finch is the Duke of Nottingham). High recommendation.

After that, we have The Sign of Zorro (edited from TV episodes), Toby Tyler, a "Disneyland" episode, and Pete's Dragon, 

[voiceover]

On 12/15/2017 at 6:15 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

 Sim [editing out the brief denigration of my guy] has a glorious moment (that's not in the book) when Scrooge, while in the past, hears his sister's dying wish for him to look after her son (that he apparently missed at the time), and look at his face: he's thunderstruck and completely devastated. He then weeps, "Forgive me, Fan! Forgive me!" It's such an emotional gut punch, because Scrooge adored his sister, and not only did he let her down by neglecting Fred, he's wasted an opportunity to bond with literally the only family he has left. 

That's why my absolute favorite moment in the film is his gentle shrug, and then apology, to Fred's wife: "Can you forgive a blind, pigheaded old fool, for having no eyes to see, nor ears to hear, all these years?" 

In that moment, she is herself; but she is also Fan, his sister; and she is Alice, his great love.  And her loving embrace is his benediction & grace.

Ah, Rinaldo!  Happy to welcome you to the "Sim is the Best Scrooge" Club.  You're right about the '51 version giving Scrooge motivation, vis-a-vis the Jack Warner sleazeball businessman character.  Nowadays I roll my eyes at "origin/redemption" stories (why can't a bad guy, just be a bad guy??), but it works marvelously here, and lends credence to the Overnight Redemption angle of the tale.

[Rinaldo]

8 hours ago, voiceover said:

Ah, Rinaldo!  Happy to welcome you to the "Sim is the Best Scrooge" Club.

Not quite what I said, just to keep the record straight. But it's always nice to be welcomed, and Sim is certainly in my top level now, if not "the best."

Edited December 19, 2017 by Rinaldo

[voiceover]

6 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Not quite what I said, just to keep the record straight. But it's always nice to be welcomed, and Sim is certainly in my top level now, if not "the best."

Fine.  I take it back.  

[natalie wood]

On 12/17/2017 at 3:10 PM, jjj said:

I love The Bishop's Wife, and only got to see part of it when TCM aired it a few weeks ago. Now that they have aired it again, I'm hoping they will put it online so I can watch from start to end in HD.  It might seem too saccharine to some viewers, but the themes are still so fresh:  frustrated ambition colliding with family attention, donors wanting control over their gifts, and the kind connections of the main characters, professor, and down to the cab driver.  It always slays me when books or films set up the idea of:  you will see magic and a glimpse of eternity, but we need to wipe your memory clean afterward.  Seems no harm in a bishop *knowing* there are angels at work instead of *believing* there are angels!  

I don’t think I’ve posted in this thread here. I did quite a bit at TWoP and I’m still reading all the posts. I saw this post and had to respond. I love this movie. My husband and I will watch it any time it’s playing. I, too, love all the themes. I am very partial to the skating scene, the harp scene with Gladys Cooper, and the tree decorating. Just love it. Gladys Cooper is so good at mean and selfish. Just watched Now, Voyager and I so dislike her. Mean and selfish describe her to a T. More importantly I love Cary Grant because Cary Grant. Does anyone really need another reason?

Edited December 19, 2017 by natalie wood

[Padma]

1 hour ago, natalie wood said:

I don’t think I’ve posted in this thread here. I did quite a bit at TWoP and I’m still reading all the posts. I saw this post and had to respond. I love this movie. My husband and I will watch it any time it’s playing. I, too, love all the themes. I am very partial to the skating scene, the harp scene with Gladys Cooper, and the tree decorating. Just love it. Gladys Cooper is so good at mean and selfish. Just watched Now, Voyager and I so dislike her. Mean and selfish describe her to a T. More importantly I love Cary Grant because Cary Grant. Does anyone really need another reason?

Welcome! Another TWOP veteran here, although I never knew there was a TCM forum until PTV. (I wish it wasn't buried in a non-tv section, but that's another story...) Also another who enjoys "The Bishop's Wife". Gladys Cooper is always excellent and the way her backstory came out with Cary was nice.  I also appreciated that this is the only Christmas movie I can think of (with a Bishop and angel no less) that actually includes a sympathetic atheist in Monte Woolley. I enjoyed Ben M's intro because I didn't know that Grant was cast as the bishop but made it clear he'd rather be Dudley. Watching it, it's obviously the much better role. I also didn't realize that as filming got underway, Grant was very concerned about the script, as was the director. Or that they brought in Wilder and Brackett for a major rewrite mid-filming.  He had such good judgment in movies (well, except for turning down Bridge on the River Kwai.)

[MisterBluxom]

I recently found a wonderful documentary that documents the life of Roger Ebert.

I never had any idea that he was such a brilliant writer. His writing skills were just phenomenal.  I would guess most people would have thought he was a kind of nerd or geek who loved movies and struggled to explain his opinions about them. But, No! He was much more than that. If you have ever had as much interest in RE awa Gene Siskel, I would like to recommend this film to you. It is great entertainment and I would expect that you will definitely learn some very valuable lessons about Roger Ebert (the man) as well as the workings of the TV show featuring Ebert and Siskel.  I would also guess you will have a good time learning that stuff from this film:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2382298/

It was rated 7.8 on IMDB which is an excellent rating.

 

I just hope that no one else has ever made a post recommending this film. Good luck, y'all!

Edited December 19, 2017 by MissBluxom

[natalie wood]

7 hours ago, Padma said:

  He had such good judgment in movies (well, except for turning down Bridge on the River Kwai.)

My choice would be Grant turning down the role of Linus in Sabrina. I have such a hard time seeing Audrey/Sabrina choose Bogart’s Linus over Holden’s David. I would have zero problems had Cary been Linus. Every time I watch it I wish I was watching Cary instead of Bogart. Holden was so good in Bridge on the River Kwai. Now, if your talking dramatic quality/Academy Award I see your point.

Edited December 20, 2017 by natalie wood
add reasoning

[ratgirlagogo]

6 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

I recently found a wonderful documentary that documents the life of Roger Ebert......... just hope that no one else has ever made a post recommending this film.

I agree that this is a wonderful film - honestly I don't remember if it came up on this board in this past, but whether it did or didn't I'd hope everyone here would check it out.

[mariah23]

17 hours ago, Padma said:

Welcome! Another TWOP veteran here, although I never knew there was a TCM forum until PTV. (I wish it wasn't buried in a non-tv section, but that's another story...) Also another who enjoys "The Bishop's Wife". Gladys Cooper is always excellent and the way her backstory came out with Cary was nice.  I also appreciated that this is the only Christmas movie I can think of (with a Bishop and angel no less) that actually includes a sympathetic atheist in Monte Woolley. I enjoyed Ben M's intro because I didn't know that Grant was cast as the bishop but made it clear he'd rather be Dudley. Watching it, it's obviously the much better role. I also didn't realize that as filming got underway, Grant was very concerned about the script, as was the director. Or that they brought in Wilder and Brackett for a major rewrite mid-filming.  He had such good judgment in movies (well, except for turning down Bridge on the River Kwai.)

I guess you haven’t seen The Pride and the Passion. He should have turned that down HARD.

[Rinaldo]

When I was an infant whippersnapper, I was resentful any week the "Disneyland" show was devoted to some live-action adventure -- I wanted cartoons, darn it. I've long since realized what an idiot I was then: those movies shot in England by a Disney subunit are terrific entertainment. The Treasure Island is pretty well remembered, and rightly, but The Story of Robin Hood is just as good, and comparable with the other film retellings of this classic tale. I like the cast, the pace, and the imagination that went into the script. The familiar episodes are configured in unexpected ways: the archery contest comes quite early, Robin's various names in the various origins are ingeniously reconciled, and Marian herself is a lively delight. Everyone should know this one.

[Amello]

Cain and Mabel (1936) - Why was Clark Gabel in this movie that feels less than a B picture? Marion Davies is quite wretched in it.

[Silver Raven]

10 minutes ago, Amello said:

Cain and Mabel (1936) - Why was Clark Gabel in this movie that feels less than a B picture? Marion Davies is quite wretched in it.

Hearst pulled in a favor from Jack Warner.  Gable was under contract and had to do it.

[Crisopera]

Thanks for the Robin Hood recommendations, all.  It's on my vcr for weekend viewing. Otherwise I would have skipped it.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Crisopera

[Milburn Stone]

Starting watching 1939's Confessions of a Nazi Spy (which I'd DVR'ed), and was struck by its not having any opening credits--just the Warner Brothers shield, followed by big 3-D block letters proclaiming the title, then right into the story by way of an on-camera "radio" narrator. The credits--lead actors, supporting actors, writer, director, various other crafts--were all contained at the end of the movie. This sort of thing became common starting in the 80s and 90s, but I was surprised to see a film from 1939 doing it. I suppose the idea was to create a sense of journalistic reality around the story, a ripped-from-the-headlines docudrama sort of feel, which maybe they felt would be impaired by a traditional main-title sequence. Citizen Kane would do it two years later, but is this the earliest example of a zero-credits opening, or had other movies done it before?

Edited December 22, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[Padma]

On ‎12‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 6:50 AM, mariah23 said:

I guess you haven’t seen The Pride and the Passion. He should have turned that down HARD.

True, but that was different. I think that choice was for love.

On ‎12‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 8:24 PM, natalie wood said:

My choice would be Grant turning down the role of Linus in Sabrina. I have such a hard time seeing Audrey/Sabrina choose Bogart’s Linus over Holden’s David. I would have zero problems had Cary been Linus. Every time I watch it I wish I was watching Cary instead of Bogart. Holden was so good in Bridge on the River Kwai. Now, if your talking dramatic quality/Academy Award I see your point.

I can't imagine anyone better than Holden in "Bridge"; I just meant it was a great part that Grant passed on. As for "Sabrina" I couldn't agree more. I'm sure Billy Wilder wanted a greater contrast between David and Linus, but it was too much for me. I might have liked it--and believed there was a chance for happiness at the end, if Bogart had been asked to play it more like Rick or Sam Spade, who could seem kind of serious and overly focused, but also had some charisma and a little humor.  Even if they'd reduced a lot of the latter two, Linus seemed like the direction was "stolid, all about money and boring".  His attitude alone made him seem far too old for Sabrina.   Grant would have had no problem playing the button-down businessman who finds love and it changes him.  I would have enjoyed the movie that way instead of finding it largely unwatchable.

[elle]

On 12/15/2017 at 0:29 AM, Padma said:

Re: Christmas Carol. I had great hopes for Stewart, esp. since he's so fond of the story, but unfortunately, he just wasn't mean and bitter and gruff enough for me. Sim and Scott are both fantastic, with such different interpretations of the character but equally believable and affecting.  (Clive Donner was the editor for Sim's film and then was the director for Scott's 30 years later.)

I had the opposite problem with Stewart's Scrooge, I thought he was too bitter, even cynical.  I saw no change in him after the visit of the ghosts, there was no mirth.  In the scene with the boy he sends to the butcher, the little asides of wonderful boy, delightful boy are all never said, it is as if he just ordering the boy to get the turkey.  I was very disappointed.

On 12/16/2017 at 5:51 AM, Rinaldo said:

As for Patrick Stewart: Inasmuch as his version turned out not to be that special, I wish he could have just been allowed to film his one-man reading of the novella, which had been such a success onstage for him. THAT would have been a distinctive and valuable contribution to the Christmas Carol filmography. I know one-actor shows are considered a hard sell on film and TV, but Stewart's name and beloved presence would have been able to sell it, if anybody could. People would tune in just for the "how does he do it?" curiosity value. All water under the bridge now, of course.

It would have been a more interesting contribution.

 

On 12/18/2017 at 10:30 PM, voiceover said:

That's why my absolute favorite moment in the film is his gentle shrug, and then apology, to Fred's wife: "Can you forgive a blind, pigheaded old fool, for having no eyes to see, nor ears to hear, all these years?" In that moment, she is herself; but she is also Fan, his sister; and she is Alice, his great love.  And her loving embrace is his benediction & grace..

The emotional payoff scene for me, one just wants to hug him too.  My favorite scene though, the one I wait for every year, is the interaction between Sim/Scrooge and his housekeeper on Christmas morning.  I laugh out loud every time, Sim looks like he is having such fun.

While the Sim's Scrooge is my favorite, my father's favorite is the Albert Finney version, with the lovely Sir Alec Guinness as Jacob Marley's ghost.  I do enjoy it too.  I try to keep an eye out for it and let him know when it is on.  It has been shown on TNT in the past, did anyone see it this year?

 

Quote

  Nowadays I roll my eyes at "origin/redemption" stories (why can't a bad guy, just be a bad guy??)

Oh, my bête noire, do not get me started!

 

On 12/19/2017 at 3:01 PM, MissBluxom said:

I recently found a wonderful documentary that documents the life of Roger Ebert.

Thanks for the recommendation!

 

52 minutes ago, Padma said:

(The Pride and the Passion) True, but that was different. I think that choice was for love.

I can't imagine anyone better than Holden in "Bridge"; I just meant it was a great part that Grant passed on. As for "Sabrina" I couldn't agree more. I'm sure Billy Wilder wanted a greater contrast between David and Linus, but it was too much for me. I might have liked it--and believed there was a chance for happiness at the end, if Bogart had been asked to play it more like Rick or Sam Spade, who could seem kind of serious and overly focused, but also had some charisma and a little humor.  Even if they'd reduced a lot of the latter two, Linus seemed like the direction was "stolid, all about money and boring".  His attitude alone made him seem far too old for Sabrina.   Grant would have had no problem playing the button-down businessman who finds love and it changes him.  I would have enjoyed the movie that way instead of finding it largely unwatchable.

Frank Sinatra should have stayed away from The Pride and The Passion too.

I still wish that Holden had the Linus role and they found someone younger like Paul Newman for the Dennis role.

 I think Bogart could have played the role better, what I mean is he was capable of showing that charisma and humor.  We see it in Casablanca and The African Queen of course, but also you can see it We're no Angels from 1955, a year after Sabrina in 1954.  The story that is usually spun about his attitude during Sabrina was that he was unhappy that Lauren Bacall had not been cast, he thought Audrey Hepburn was inexperienced, and did not like Holden or Wilder.  He is supposed to have later apologized to Wilder for his behavior on-set.  One wonders how his health was at that time, his death was only three years later in 1957.

A "thank you" shout out to Stanley Donan for getting Cary and Audrey together for cinema posterity in Charade!

[voiceover]

Ah, hell.

I was making it through TCM Remembers just fine, until that very last one.

Now I'm weeping.

How I do miss that man!

Edited December 22, 2017 by voiceover
link fixed

[Stuffy]

Gordon Macrae and Doris Day have such smooth voices. You really don't hear voices like theirs anymore. Unless those kind of voices are on Broadway, which I'm not getting to see here in Oklahoma. 

[Charlie Baker]

@Stuffy -- those kinds of voices are growing rarer on Broadway.

My go to Christmas movie is on tonight's schedule at 10 EST, for those who didn't know.  Remember the Night--Stanwyck and MacMurray wonderful in a script by Preston Sturges, directed by Mitchell Leisen.  Enough to get a Grinch/Scrooge such as myself into the spirit.

And a wonderful holiday season to all you TCMers.

[prican58]

On 12/22/2017 at 4:38 PM, Charlie Baker said:

@Stuffy -- those kinds of voices are growing rarer on Broadway.

My go to Christmas movie is on tonight's schedule at 10 EST, for those who didn't know.  Remember the Night--Stanwyck and MacMurray wonderful in a script by Preston Sturges, directed by Mitchell Leisen.  Enough to get a Grinch/Scrooge such as myself into the spirit.

And a wonderful holiday season to all you TCMers.

I watched it with my mom last night..she had never seen it. I love everything about Stanwyck in this. She showed all the sides of the character..the tough street wise dame, the little girl shoved away by her own mom, etc. Convincing performance all around. And gee, Fred was so adorable! 

Beulah Bondi is just one one of my favorite actresses. Lucy and Ricky's neighbor Mrs Trumbull is always a nice presence.

[bmoore4026]

On tonight's TCM Underground is the cult/camp classic Xanadu.  Really, there are only two real great things about this movie - the opening and the final sequence.

 

 

Other than those two things, and the amazing soundtrack, the movie is extremely forgettable.  But does anyone here actually like it unironically or in an uncamp fashion?

Oh, and the now cult classic short A Visit To Santa, with the incoherent children and the elf child in bare legs and way too short a tunic and a Santa that inspires more holiday depression than cheer and "Santa's magic helicopter" and it all turns into a glorified advertisement for a department store, will also be shone at 4:45 AM Central

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, bmoore4026 said:

But does anyone here actually like it unironically or in an uncamp fashion?

Not I. But I find, a bit to my own surprise, that I do have to speak up for this scene:

 

It isn't particularly well shot, not by the standards of the classic musicals, and the moments where we're supposed to think she's a tapper... well, never mind. It's still a lovely couple of minutes (certainly a better finale for Kelly's musical career than his scenes in The Demoiselles of Rochefort or his interstitials in That's Entertainment II), with a quite appealing song; and Olivia Newton-John's pleasure at being given this experience is infectious.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Rinaldo

[Luckylyn]

11 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

On tonight's TCM Underground is the cult/camp classic Xanadu.  Really, there are only two real great things about this movie - the opening and the final sequence.

 

 

 

 

Other than those two things, and the amazing soundtrack, the movie is extremely forgettable.  But does anyone here actually like it unironically or in an uncamp fashion?

Oh, and the now cult classic short A Visit To Santa, with the incoherent children and the elf child in bare legs and way too short a tunic and a Santa that inspires more holiday depression than cheer and "Santa's magic helicopter" and it all turns into a glorified advertisement for a department store, will also be shone at 4:45 AM Central

Xanadu is not a good movie, but I adore it.  There a couple of sequences you highlight that are great to watch and the soundtrack is wonderful.  I love ELO.  Yet, there is so much to nitpick about it.   It's so dated and very much a product of it's time.  It's very watchable even if you hate it because it's fun to poke at.   My sister took me to see the Broadway version as a Christmas gift years ago, and the cast had a lot of fun mocking the story on stage.

Friends and Xanadu

[Rinaldo]

Lest it be assumed otherwise, nobody bought Xanadu at the time it was made, either. It was a big flop (though the soundtrack album did well).

[Morrigan2575]

I was a kid first time I watched Xanadu, I loved it. Sadly, i watched it as an adult and holy crap it's bad. I still loved the music though.

[Milburn Stone]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

Lest it be assumed otherwise, nobody bought Xanadu at the time it was made, either. It was a big flop (though the soundtrack album did well).

John Farrar (O. N-J.'s "house" songsmith) was (is?) a very good songwriter. From Xanadu, I love his "Magic" and "Suddenly" (especially "Suddenly"), and "Whenever You're Away From Me" ain't half-bad, either. The soundtrack album doing well wasn't just a case of successful cross-promotion. (You're not saying it was, but it so often is the case.)

Edited December 24, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[Padma]

Note re: "A Christmas Carol".  The Reginald Owen one is on tonight at 11 p.m. PST (may still be On Demand). And the George C. Scott one is on AMC at 7:30 PST

[ratgirlagogo]

10 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Lest it be assumed otherwise, nobody bought Xanadu at the time it was made, either. It was a big flop (though the soundtrack album did well).

Jeff Lynne's later re-recording of the title song in a new arrangement with ELO is one of my favorite songs, ever.  It's on the Flashback anthology and I suppose on all the download platforms.

Edited December 25, 2017 by ratgirlagogo

[MisterBluxom]

On 12/22/2017 at 2:19 AM, elle said:

Thanks for the recommendation!

 

Arghhh! I can't seem to get the "quote" function working properly again.  But Elle thanked me for recommending a wonderful documentary film about the life of Roger Ebert and I just want to make the following point.

 

I want to say that it feels to me as if it's actually kind of rare that people thank others for making a recommendation. I could be wrong about that but I want to say thanks to Elle and I also want to say it feels very nice to be thanked when I make a recommendation.  I know that it looks kind of childish to try and tell other people how they should behave on the internet. But some of the very finest films I have seen are those films recommended to me by members of this forum. In general, I find that I enjoy those films more than films recommended to me by advertisers or other professional services (I suppose that must be obvious, but it took me many years to figure that out).

I also want to say that if anyone reading this has any interest in modern Rock & Roll one of the greatest films of all is, "The History of the Eagles" 2013.

Season's Greetings to everyone!

Edited December 25, 2017 by MissBluxom

[ratgirlagogo]

Nothing to see here.

Edited December 26, 2017 by ratgirlagogo
Apologies, I wrote something petty, which would have been OK if I had also been amusing.

[Robert Lynch]

19 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

Xanadu is not a good movie, but I adore it.  There a couple of sequences you highlight that are great to watch and the soundtrack is wonderful.  I love ELO.  Yet, there is so much to nitpick about it.   It's so dated and very much a product of it's time.  It's very watchable even if you hate it because it's fun to poke at.   My sister took me to see the Broadway version as a Christmas gift years ago, and the cast had a lot of fun mocking the story on stage.

Friends and Xanadu

 

And the male leads who were suppose to play Sonny were John Travolta and Andy Gibb. How bizarre is that? I don't think Michael Beck had a good experience on Xanadu. He never had to audition because of his Warrior film fame. Well, that was short.

[MisterBluxom]

On 12/3/2017 at 11:27 AM, Rinaldo said:

Not I. I don't want to see her in anything. She singlehandedly gets me to stop watching TV series I otherwise enjoy.

Well, that was negative and unhelpful, wasn't it? Sorry. To try to be more constructive, Megan Hilty has some of the right qualities, though physically problematic (there's no delicate way to say this, but is there any way to disguise that degree of bustiness?). My own suggestion is someone with major stage credibility but only minimal presence onscreen so far: Kelli O'Hara. She has actually played a Judy Holliday role (in Bells Are Ringing at Encores!); superb actress, great singer (too good for JH really, but that can easily be toned down), and as she has too rarely been able to show in her roles, she can be a wonderfully funny goofball. 

Oh Thank Goodness that I finally saw someone who said this about Kristen Schaal (on the previous page if  your screen is similar in size to mine).

I tried to say that a few times. But every time I looked at the post, I just cringed. I figured that many people would gang up on me and call me bad names for being mean to KS. I'm not sure why. It's not like she is developmentally disabled or anything similar to that. I just don't know why I feel the way that I do about her. But after a few minutes of watching her on my screen, I just cringe and feel compelled to change the channel.

Edited December 26, 2017 by MissBluxom

[Milburn Stone]

Not that I need to defend my suggestion of Kristen Schaal--I'm happy to let other people have their opinions, even if that means they're utterly repelled by mine--but my thought on her for Judy Holliday is based on my supposition that the more exaggerated aspects of Schaal's "act" are just that, an act. In my imagination, the Schaal you'd encounter in a pre-pro meeting has a more modulated voice, with less tendency to stare wide-eyed (or bug-eyed), and that she's an actress capable of range. And that the Schaal we know is a function of what she found worked for her as a standup, and became her "brand," and what producers keep casting her for, but is not her whole bag of tricks. Kind of like I bet Virginia O'Brien actually was capable of having an emotion, even though her shtick depended on never letting us see one. I could be wrong, of course.

Edited December 25, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[voiceover]

On 12/24/2017 at 3:42 PM, Padma said:

Note re: "A Christmas Carol".  The Reginald Owen one is on tonight at 11 p.m. PST (may still be On Demand). And the George C. Scott one is on AMC at 7:30 PST

And the Hicks version was earlier today.

TCM, via its hosts (Robert and Ben) and its website, has admitted general consensus as re: the Sim Christmas Carol.  Yet TCM only ran it once, and FXM & AMC, not at all this year.

Humbug.

[Milburn Stone]

Speaking of FXM (or as we oldsters call it, "NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies Redux"), it is at last in HD, on DirecTV. (It may have possibly been in HD on Comcast or other cable services already, I don't know.) Which makes it, at last, a viewing option. For years I'd look at the grid and say, "You know, I'd watch that if it weren't in disgusting, unwatchable, nauseating, completely intolerable SD." Now that it's in HD, I've actually set the DVR to record a couple things.

[elle]

I've been fortunate in discovering a channel named MVIES that fills my need for TCM, albeit with commercials and not cool intros, but I do get to see things like the 1958 movie The Matchmaker with Shirley Booth and Anthony Perkins.

It was the classic TV channel MeTV that gave me a Christmas Eve gift to give my dad, the musical Scrooge with Albert Finney.  Never would have thought to look there for a movie, it happened to be a fluke that I was looking at the schedule at all.

Today (12/27) is Marlene Dietrich's birthday!  The Google Doodle is dedicated to her today, Clicking on the doodle on Google's main page leads you to interesting articles about her life, her art, her humanitarian efforts during the war,she did it all!  For someone new to her movies, I would suggest Blonde Venus and The Shanghai Express for the full Dietrich glamour.  To see more of her range and her humor, I would say Golden Earrings or Destry Rides Again.  And here I will add in my true surprise at learning that she was not the lead, though certainly the star, in Stage Fright, that title belonged to humanitarian Jane Wyman.

Favorite Dietrich movies?

[Rinaldo]

6 hours ago, elle said:

I do get to see things like the 1958 movie The Matchmaker with Shirley Booth and Anthony Perkins.

Isn't that a joy? After years of waiting for it to show up anywhere on my TV channels, I gave up and bought the DVD, and I'm glad I did. Shirley Booth is a warm, homey mensch of a matchmaker, a different image of Dolly Levi from most that we get to see (though Donny Murphy, the wonderful alternate Dolly in the current Broadway production, reminded me of her more than she did any other Dolly). And Anthony Perkins is just utterly charming and lovable as Cornelius; it's clear why he became a star at such a young age.

[CherryMalotte]

Quote

Favorite Dietrich movies?

The Spoilers, and The Scarlet Empress, with Destry Rides Again as a lot of fun.  Always wanted to know what those boys in the back room were really having.

Anybody that liked the Roger Ebert documentary should check out Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession or Visions Of Light, two great docs about film, and specifically cinematography for Visions.    

[Charlie Baker]

Re Ms. Dietrich:  I also endorse Destry.  I love A Foreign Affair.  She's also noteworthy in Witness for the Prosecution and Touch of Evil.

[Padma]

10 hours ago, elle said:

I've been fortunate in discovering a channel named MVIES that fills my need for TCM, albeit with commercials and not cool intros, but I do get to see things like the 1958 movie The Matchmaker with Shirley Booth and Anthony Perkins.

It was the classic TV channel MeTV that gave me a Christmas Eve gift to give my dad, the musical Scrooge with Albert Finney.  Never would have thought to look there for a movie, it happened to be a fluke that I was looking at the schedule at all.

Today (12/27) is Marlene Dietrich's birthday!  The Google Doodle is dedicated to her today, Clicking on the doodle on Google's main page leads you to interesting articles about her life, her art, her humanitarian efforts during the war,she did it all!  For someone new to her movies, I would suggest Blonde Venus and The Shanghai Express for the full Dietrich glamour.  To see more of her range and her humor, I would say Golden Earrings or Destry Rides Again.  And here I will add in my true surprise at learning that she was not the lead, though certainly the star, in Stage Fright, that title belonged to humanitarian Jane Wyman.

Favorite Dietrich movies?

Favorite Dietrich movie, far and away, is "Witness for the Prosecution". It's also just one of my favorite movies as it has everything (excellent script, cast, direction) and is imo the best Agatha Christie mystery on film.  Unrelated note, I never understood why "Marlene singing" was a thing that she even had a Las Vegas showcase for it, but I guess it's about the sex appeal/performance glamour more than the voice.

[prican58]

http://missrosemarie.com/biography.htm

 

Rose Marie passed away. Man! She was so very talented which I think many have forgotten or never realized it. Her website plays some of her performances on each page. Nice voice.

[Padma]

4 hours ago, prican58 said:

http://missrosemarie.com/biography.htm

 

Rose Marie passed away. Man! She was so very talented which I think many have forgotten or never realized it. Her website plays some of her performances on each page. Nice voice.

She was  wonderful as Sally Rogers, a top comedy writer, on "The Dick Van Dyke Show".  They say she was modeled on comedienne Selma Diamond who was one of that famous group who wrote for Sid Caesar.  There aren't many who made it on television or movies after being big child stars on radio.

[Milburn Stone]

8 hours ago, Padma said:

She was  wonderful as Sally Rogers, a top comedy writer, on "The Dick Van Dyke Show".  They say she was modeled on comedienne Selma Diamond who was one of that famous group who wrote for Sid Caesar.  There aren't many who made it on television or movies after being big child stars on radio.

It's hard to imagine The Dick Van Dyke Show without her. I just read that her role was played in the original pilot by Sylvia Miles. (The show was titled Head of the Family then, with Carl Reiner himself in the Rob Petrie role.) Miles was certainly a better match ethnically for Selma Diamond, but Rose Marie made the character indelible. 

For comparison's sake, here's a portion of the original pilot. Miles' first scene occurs at about 10:43.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[Crisopera]

I really enjoy Marlene Dietrich.  Most of my favorites have already been mentioned but I love (almost) all of her Von Sternberg oeuvre, particularly Shanghai Express ("It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily") and Scarlet Empress.  Blonde Venus is not such a great movie (the plot is plenty ridiculous) but it does have that jaw-dropping number "Hot Voodoo", which involves a gorilla suit and a huge blonde afro.