TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[Ashforth]

8 minutes ago, Crisopera said:

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

I just started watching Breakfast at Tiffany's and I had forgotten (or in my ignorance when I first saw this movie so many years ago, not even realized) how incredibly offensive Mickey Rooney's "yellowface" turn in this flick is. It's awful. Horrific. 

[Milburn Stone]

The "TCM Remembers" that aired a few minutes ago included Penny Marshall, in the penultimate spot before Burt Reynolds.

[voiceover]

A Penny Marshall sighting!!  The "TCM Remembers" ran right after tonight's screening of The Way We Were, and there she was: the penultimate shot, right before Burt.

A moment of "Wow, didn't know [he] was in that movie..."  George Gaynes, who was the memorably lecherous soap actor John Van Horn in Tootsie, is also the El Morocco captain who tangles with Streisand over the GIs during the pre-credit sequence of Way We Were.

(Hey Milburn beat me on the PM sighting because I just had to cram in the George Gaynes sighting.)

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

The "TCM Remembers" that aired a few minutes ago included Penny Marshall, in the penultimate spot before Burt Reynolds.

They got on it pretty quickly; I haven't checked again to see if the version on their YouTube channel is updated yet (it hadn't been as of yesterday), but the TCM website boasted the updated version Wednesday, and it's airing on the network at least as early as today.  Let's hope there's no need for additional entries in 2018.

[Rinaldo]

8 hours ago, voiceover said:

George Gaynes, who was the memorably lecherous soap actor John Van Horn in Tootsie, is also the El Morocco captain who tangles with Streisand over the GIs during the pre-credit sequence of Way We Were.

George Gaynes had an impressive career, and indeed life -- as an archivist of musical theater, I've had occasion to look him up in the past. Born in Finland of a Russian mother and Dutch father, he served in the Royal Netherlands Navy in WWII (his fluency in 5 languages made him useful as an interpreter), coming to the US in the late 40s. He was a leading baritone on Broadway in the 1950s, starring in the original cast of Wonderful Town. His TV and movie career are perhaps more familiar, and he died two years ago at 98.

[Charlie Baker]

And of course as Rinaldo surely knows, George Gaynes was married to Allyn Ann McLerie for 60 plus years. She had a similarly long career in theater, TV, and movies.  Her most notable film credits would be Calamity Jane with Doris Day and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?  And she is in The Way We Were, too. She passed away last spring.

I don't have a lot of these moments, but it did give me pause to recognize The Way We Were was released forty-five years agp. Tempus fugit,

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

And of course as Rinaldo surely knows, George Gaynes was married to Allyn Ann McLerie for 60 plus years.

Oh boy do I know it! I'm devoted to Allyn Ann McLerie, and I forcibly stopped myself from mentioning her, only because I recognize my tendency to go off on tangents, and I could talk about her all day.

I'll talk about her for one paragraph at least. She was part of that 1940s wave of people who moved from ballet (it was then at a high point of national popularity) into acting -- others were James Mitchell, Bambi Lynn, Joan McCracken. She was in the dance ensembles of the original On the Town and One Touch of Venus and then got bigger roles in stage musicals, notably Amy in Where's Charley?, which she repeated in the movie. (Now there's a movie that needs to be seen again; could you manage to break the barrier, TCM?) Along with occasional movie appearances over the years, starting in the 1970s she became familiar on TV: as Tony Randall's acerbic secretary in his sitcom where he played a judge, as Mrs. Carlson on WKRP, and then playing mother to a new generation of TV stars on Trapper John MD, Lou Grant, and The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.

[Charlie Baker]

Two Barbara Stanwyck Christmas movies scheduled tonight:  first, what has become my favorite, Remember the Night., then Christmas in Connecticut.

[Crisopera]

Nobody, but nobody, cried like Barbara Stanwyck.  

[EtheltoTillie]

I recorded this wacky Twilight Zone/telefilm mashup called A Carol For Another Christmas, with Sterling Hayden as "Scrooge."  WTF?  Anyone ever see this before? 

[Milburn Stone]

1 hour ago, GussieK said:

I recorded this wacky Twilight Zone/telefilm mashup called A Carol For Another Christmas, with Sterling Hayden as "Scrooge."  WTF?  Anyone ever see this before? 

They (or somebody) ran it a year or two ago.

My main reaction: "This guy wrote some of the most renowned teleplays of the Golden Age of Television?"

[freddi]

I am watching "All Mine to Give" (1957) for the first time, and in looking up the real story behind the movie (and short story that inspired it), I found this chatty version of the pioneer children's story, linked below -- not eloquently written, but does give a lot of factual information about the family and what happened to the children when they grew up.  The co-author of the short story that inspired the film (Dale Eunson) was the son of the oldest child left orphaned (Robbie Eunson) -- and Robbie's own first wife died when the child Dale was a baby, resulting in him also being placed in a foster home until his father remarried years later:    http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/03/the-day-they-gave-babies-away.html 

The Scottish pioneer mother role is unlike the Glynnis Johns roles I have seen in other films! 

TCM has a good holiday schedule this year -- I really wanted to see "The Bishop's Wife", so am delighted it will air on Christmas Eve.

[freddi]

On ‎12‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 11:03 AM, Rinaldo said:

Oh boy do I know it! I'm devoted to Allyn Ann McLerie, and I forcibly stopped myself from mentioning her, only because I recognize my tendency to go off on tangents, and I could talk about her all day.

I'll talk about her for one paragraph at least. She was part of that 1940s wave of people who moved from ballet (it was then at a high point of national popularity) into acting -- others were James Mitchell, Bambi Lynn, Joan McCracken. She was in the dance ensembles of the original On the Town and One Touch of Venus and then got bigger roles in stage musicals, notably Amy in Where's Charley?, which she repeated in the movie. (Now there's a movie that needs to be seen again; could you manage to break the barrier, TCM?) Along with occasional movie appearances over the years, starting in the 1970s she became familiar on TV: as Tony Randall's acerbic secretary in his sitcom where he played a judge, as Mrs. Carlson on WKRP, and then playing mother to a new generation of TV stars on Trapper John MD, Lou Grant, and The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.

Oh, I thought it was just me!  I think I first saw her on Lou Grant, and later saw some of her earlier film/television appearances.  I will always go out of my way to watch anything where she had a role.  I see she died only seven months ago.   Thanks for the reminder about her. 

Oh, and she had been living less than an hour from my home in Seattle for the past three years, with her daughter and their family:  http://www.valleyrecord.com/obituaries/allyn-ann-mclerie-gaynes/ 

And this obituary has a wonderful picture of her with Ray Bolger in 1948, in the "Where's Charley" role you mentioned, Rinaldo:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/obituaries/allyn-ann-mclerie-veteran-of-broadway-tv-and-film-dies-at-91.html

Edited December 23, 2018 by freddi

[voiceover]

Wishing my fellow TWoP-TCMers a Merry Christmas!

And encouraging you to watch the greatest Scrooge of all time (sadly on FXM; TCM did screen it on the 23rd).  Yay for Alastair Sim! who, upon hearing the Ghost Of Christmas Past boast that the miser  "[had] never seen the likes of me!"  snarked right back: "...I wish that pleasure had been indefinitely postponed."

I will never not adore him.

[freddi]

1 hour ago, voiceover said:

Wishing my fellow TWoP-TCMers a Merry Christmas!

And encouraging you to watch the greatest Scrooge of all time (sadly on FXM; TCM did screen it on the 23rd).  Yay for Alastair Sim! who, upon hearing the Ghost Of Christmas Past boast that the miser  "[had] never seen the likes of me!"  snarked right back: "...I wish that pleasure had been indefinitely postponed."

I will never not adore him.

I literally read this post less than thirty seconds after hearing that line!  Just watched the Reginald Owens version on TCM, and had to see the Sim version tonight.  Very glad to find it on a nearby channel!  I don’t see the Sim version on TCM On Demand, too bad.  I’ll bet TCM had a better print than I am seeing on FXM. Merry Christmas to all who want it!  

Edited December 25, 2018 by freddi

[Wiendish Fitch]

Sim definitely lives up to the hype as one of the greatest Scrooges, if not the greatest. While some may be quick to dismiss his acting as "stylized" or "theatrical" (i.e., pre-Brando, therefore bad, ugh), I'd like to argue that Sim's performance contains way more nuance than even his fans give credit for. For instance, early on when Fred finally leaves his office and Scrooge barks out "Humbug", note his body language: his hands are shaking, his eyes are full of uncertainty. For all of his antisocial bluster, there is a small but noticeable part of Scrooge that feels conflicted and uneasy about being such a jerk to Fred, but he's suppressed it for so long, it surprises when it emerges.

Then, in my favorite addition to the movie, Scrooge is forced to re-visit the memory of his sister Fan on her deathbed and he learns, for the first time, that her dying words were a plea for him to take care of Fred. Scrooge is thunderstruck at this revelation, and utterly devastated. I think the most underrated, undiscussed aspect of Scrooge's character is his love for Fan. Scrooge adored his sister, so her death obviously hit him hard, and by denying himself a relationship with Fred (literally the only family he has left), he has wasted an opportunity of keeping his sister's memory alive (not to mention he let Fan down). It's an emotional gut punch of a scene, and Sim makes you feel it when he weeps, "Forgive me, Fan!"

[HyeChaps]

“No bread”

[voiceover]

There's all manner of bits & pieces of subtle, refined work in Sim's performance.  He's never playing Scrooge as one-note.  I agree with Danny Peary on this one -- should've won the Oscar.

Even when he's at his miserly-est, he's a little bit smarter and/or a little bit funnier than anyone else in that scene: to the businessmen requesting the charitable donation, when he asks after the prisons and workhouses ("Are they still in order?"); to the man who begs him for time to pay off the loan, using his wife as the excuse ("What does your wife have to do with it?"); to the vulture-like undertaker ("You don't believe in letting the grass grow!"); to his dying partner Marley ("We've been no worse [than other men]...(ruefully)nor better if it comes to that!"); the gentle mocking of his housekeeper's fear for his sanity("I am not mad! [rumpling his hair] Even if I were..."); the utter collapse into giggling at Cratchit's disbelief (I haven't taken leave of my senses, Bob; I've come to them!").

And the best moment of all: when he looks down at the lovely, uncertain face of Fred's wife, and with a rueful lifting of his shoulders and a smile, he melts her heart.  And ours ("Can you forgive a pig-headed old fool...?").

*A shoutout to the Cratchit children. They're cheerful, polite, not above teasing each other -- or their father.  An endearing bunch.  Featuring the only Tiny Tim in film history who makes you understand Scrooge's immediate attachment. 

[rmontro]

I just wanted to add that the Alistair Sim version of Scrooge has always been my favorite also.  There are some aspects of the more recent Patrick Stewart version that I like better, but no one can beat Sim's portrayal IMO.  The scene at the end where he says "I don't deserve to be so happy, but I just can't help it", the way he throws his quill pen behind him is such a nice touch.  This movie also delves deeper into Marley and Scrooge's business dealings than most.

It's interesting that the maid that he scares at the end was originally Marley's maid.  She was the one who came to the office to try to get Scrooge to come see Marley before he died.  Then Scrooge took over Marley's house, and apparently she came along with it.

[rmontro]

By the way, I caught "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" the other night.  I had never seen this movie until a friend of mine said it was his favorite Christmas movie.  I've been watching it every year since.  There's one thing that bugs me about it:

SPOILER AHEAD

Spoiler

At the end, Mr. O'Conner asks his wife to remind him to have the loose board nailed up, because McKeever would be coming in the front door next winter.  I've always wondered why O'Conner didn't tell him who he really was if his intention was to let him use his house every winter.  If he doesn't let him know who he is, how does he intend to get the message to McKeever that he can stay in the house?  It's not like he's going to try the front door if the back board is nailed up, he'd likely just go to one of the other houses.  He's going to have to get the message to him (and probably a key) at some point, why not do it now?

[Sharpie66]

On 12/26/2018 at 6:00 AM, rmontro said:

I just wanted to add that the Alistair Sim version of Scrooge has always been my favorite also.  There are some aspects of the more recent Patrick Stewart version that I like better, but no one can beat Sim's portrayal IMO.  The scene at the end where he says "I don't deserve to be so happy, but I just can't help it", the way he throws his quill pen behind him is such a nice touch.  This movie also delves deeper into Marley and Scrooge's business dealings than most.

I prefer Stewart’s audio recording, apparently a reproduction of his one-man play, over the TV movie. His narration is fantastic—I just love his rendition, from the opening: “Marley was dead, to begin with,” to the end, his voice is just perfect.

[Charlie Baker]

I've always felt it was a missed opportunity not to record on video Stewart's one man version.  You'd think he would be enough of name to warrant it. I saw it on stage and it was masterful. 

RIP Norman Gimbel, lyricist to some well-known movie and TV songs, as well as a huge pop hit.

Norman Gimbel

I didn't intend to merge these posts, but there they are.

Edited December 29, 2018 by Charlie Baker

[Rinaldo]

33 minutes ago, Charlie Baker said:

I've always felt it was a missed opportunity not to record on video Stewart's one man version.  

Me too. He's a great and commanding actor, so he's still a good Scrooge in the version they did film; but a film/video of his famous one-man rendition would have been unlike any other, and self-recommending as unique.

I've tried to see as many versions of A Christmas Carol as possible over the years, as the varied approaches are usually of interest, and you never know -- even in an otherwise negligible film, some detail from Dickens may be rendered better than in any other. The Sim is indeed wonderfully satisfying, for his marvelous performance and for the many vivid inventions contributed by screenwriter Noel Langley (Scrooge's additional sarcastic rejoinders already mentioned; a hugely expanded significance for his sister, who is mentioned in only the brief schoolroom scene in the book; the depiction of the process by which Scrooge became his present-day self). I also like the George C. Scott telefilm, to which he contributes a nicely detached dry wit (amused with himself at the expense of others) and which is unusually faithful to Dickens's dialogue and has splendid supporting players (Frank Finlay, Susannah York, David Warner, Edward Woodward, Roger Rees).

And there are gratifying elements in the animated versions starring Mr. Magoo and Scrooge McDuck, and even the slicked-up Hollywood version with Reginald Owen gets the story across effectively. I see that Amazon Prime is streaming a 1954 hourlong TV musical starring Frederic March and Basil Rathbone, so I have to look into that.

I hope the next version (for there will surely be more) tries hard to give us the uncanny Ghost of Christmas Past described by Dickens: androgynous, ageless, multi-dimensional in a way suggestive of later SF, with the oddly mundane detail that it carries a flame-extinguisher under its arm. Movies generally make it female, whether nubile (Owen) or elderly (Finney) and miss the weirdness.

Edited December 29, 2018 by Rinaldo

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

I've always felt it was a missed opportunity not to record on video Stewart's one man version.  You'd think he would be enough of name to warrant it. I saw it on stage and it was masterful. 

That must have been fantastic to see.  Stewart does a great Scrooge.  I like the part in the movie where he he starts laughing but he has to choke it up, because he probably hasn't cracked a smile in decades.

Kudos also to Charles Dickens, he wrote a story that has such primal, universal appeal.  I've always related to the Scrooge character.  I think this story rings more true than It's a Wonderful Life, for instance, although that's great too.

[Sharpie66]

The George C. Scott Christmas Carol is okay—his Scrooge is better in his more curmudgeonly moments, imo. I first watched it because young Scrooge is played by Mark Strickson, whom I knew because he was Turlogh, a companion to the Fifth Doctor. 

[Rinaldo]

And on another topic: Right now, TCM is showing Ride the High Country, one of the very few Westerns I actually enjoy (the only others I can think of are McCabe and Mrs. Miller and the miniseries Lonesome Dove). A stirring, subtle story, directed with sensitivity by Sam Peckinpah, with beautiful location work (not Monument Valley, this time), touching leading performances from Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea, and "introducing" luminous young Mariette Hartley.

[ratgirlagogo]

Happy New Year to you all.  Was I the only one who was a little disappointed that they showed the That's Entertainment films around the turn of New Year's Eve, instead of the Thin Man films?  Yes, I know they did do them earlier in the day, and thank god - I DVRd them and watched The Thin Man at midnight.

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Was I the only one who was a little disappointed that they showed the That's Entertainment films around the turn of New Year's Eve, instead of the Thin Man films? 

Not at all.  I know they don't always do a Thin Man marathon on New Year's Eve - and I have the boxed set of all six films, so I can have my own marathon whenever I want - but it's a recurring tradition, so to air the films during the afternoon and then take up the prime time/overnight slot with That's Entertainment was particularly disappointing.  At least do a marathon of something else - another franchise, an actor, films set on New Year's Eve, whatever.

[Charlie Baker]

Though it's always nice to see the That's Entertainment series, particularly Part III, which I haven't seen as often as the others, of course as a die hard Powell/Loy fan, I like the NYE's showing of Thin Mans as a tradition, even if I don't watch the whole thing.

Edited January 2, 2019 by Charlie Baker

[Milburn Stone]

6 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

Though it's always nice to see the That's Entertainment series, particularly Part III, which I haven't seen as often as the others...

I enjoyed the banter between the four TCM hosts, and whoever it was among them who said they liked Part III the best, I initially scoffed but then ended up agreeing. Well, not actually agreeing that it is better than the original, but agreeing insofar as realizing that I have severely underrated it in my memory. Besides the unseen treasures that it unearths, it is extremely well and intelligently edited, and would be so even if it didn't contain never-before-seen footage. After the hot mess that was Part II (which I miss at every opportunity), I've held it in my mind that Part III was an even hotter mess, but that's just wrong.

[Sharpie66]

Part III is excellent-I always watch that one! 

I remember NYE and NY Day movie marathons that my local channels would have in the ‘70s and early ‘80s (pre-cable and VCR years). NYE was reliable for Astaire/Rogers films all night long (excellent for high school aged babysitters like me!), and in a post-VCR year (so, mid-‘80s for us), we recorded the Cary Grant festival on WGN. 

[Suzn]

I watched the That's Entertainment movies to bring in the new year and as much as I enjoy most of the song and dance clips, I am left frustrated. too.  Of course the movies are all about MGM musicals but if you don't know better, you'd be under the impression that MGM was responsible for the most musicals and certainly the best.  I emphatically disagree with that.  I would put South Pacific, Oklahoma, Carousel, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, The King and I, Cabaret and many others up against the best MGM had to offer. The only Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies they can mention is The Barkleys of Broadway which does have some good stuff, but it's not the magic of the earlier movies by RKO. So, I guess I'm saying that I wish a comparable movie or two could be made drawing on some of these other wonderful movies.

[voiceover]

On 1/1/2019 at 10:04 PM, Bastet said:

At least do a marathon of something else - another franchise, an actor, films set on New Year's Eve, whatever.

<rushes in> Did somebody ask for...a list??? 

But they *must be movies one can enjoy with a good cocktail: Kay Francis & Powell in One Way Passage, followed by the Merle Oberon/George Brent cover ('Til We Meet Again); maybe conclude with Dunne & Boyer's Love Affair (b&w films only pls).

I'd be down with the Bulldog Drummond series, but that might be more fitting the early afternoon.

[tennisgurl]

On 12/28/2018 at 5:47 AM, rmontro said:

By the way, I caught "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" the other night.  I had never seen this movie until a friend of mine said it was his favorite Christmas movie.  I've been watching it every year since.  There's one thing that bugs me about it:

 

I always love It Happened on Fifth Avenue, its a really underrated Christmas movie. Its just so fun and wacky and so many life lessons are taught. I love a good farce, although I agree, that ending is really weird. Like, after all that, just ask, it would would probably be totally fine!

[rmontro]

21 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I always love It Happened on Fifth Avenue, its a really underrated Christmas movie. Its just so fun and wacky and so many life lessons are taught. I love a good farce, although I agree, that ending is really weird. Like, after all that, just ask, it would would probably be totally fine!

Thanks for responding, I was beginning to think I was the only person who had seen that movie (aside from the friend that recommended it to me). 

The only thing I could come up with was maybe he didn't think McKeever would believe who he was (the other guys didn't at first), or that maybe it would cause him some embarrassment.

In my mind, what happens is that while he is spending the summer in O'Conner's Virginia home, he sends him a message somehow to the effect of:

"I know you have been staying in my houses while I am away, and I want you to know I am fine with it.  In fact, I appreciate you watching the places while I am away.

Here is a key to my mansion on 5th Avenue, please use the front door from now on.  I have informed my guards you will be staying there".

[tennisgurl]

49 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Thanks for responding, I was beginning to think I was the only person who had seen that movie (aside from the friend that recommended it to me). 

 

There are dozens of us! Dozens! :) 

[Crisopera]

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

Edited January 3, 2019 by Crisopera

[Suzn]

5 hours ago, Crisopera said:

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

Thanks for pointing that out!  I haven't seen That's Dancing for many years and didn't remember that it sampled from other studios than MGM.  I will check it out.

[Rinaldo]

On 1/2/2019 at 3:51 PM, Milburn Stone said:

Part II (which I miss at every opportunity)...

I can't disagree on its merits, but I will always take a look at its opening titles, which are a hilarious series of vignettes giving us all the corny (but fun) ways old movies would give us their opening credits: a book, a scroll, a branding iron, petals in the pond, letters in the sky, etc. Then I turn it off.

On 1/3/2019 at 1:45 AM, Suzn said:

I watched the That's Entertainment movies to bring in the new year... The only Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies they can mention is The Barkleys of Broadway which does have some good stuff, but it's not the magic of the earlier movies by RKO. 

For a boy who grew up in Chicago, this summons up fond memories of New Years Eve programming on WGN (before it became a superstation): always 3 of the Rogers/Astaire RKO movies in a row. They stuck to the best ones, too: no Rio or Castles or Carefree. (No Roberta either, as I recall, which is too bad.) Just the magic pair at their magic best.

[Sharpie66]

Rinaldo, yup yup yup! 

13 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

For a boy who grew up in Chicago, this summons up fond memories of New Years Eve programming on WGN (before it became a superstation): always 3 of the Rogers/Astaire RKO movies in a row. They stuck to the best ones, too: no Rio or Castles or Carefree. (No Roberta either, as I recall, which is too bad.) Just the magic pair at their magic best.

WGN on NYE in the late ‘70s was how I saw The Gay Divorcee, Swing Time, and others. Between that and Family Classics, I saw a lot of great films on WGN growing up. 

[Rinaldo]

Coming up on Friday, another "cute" theme. In order:

One Way Passage

Two on a Guillotine

Three Daring Daughters

Four's a Crowd

Five Came Back

Six Gun Gold

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

8 1/2

Then we hit primetime and a different theme: Young Mr. Lincoln, Young Winston, Young Tom Edison.

[ratgirlagogo]

I actually was coming here to recommend One Way Passage, which I saw about a year ago when it was a viewer choice. It would have made a great film for New Year's Eve.   It's not just that they don't  make romances like this any more - for the most part even back then,  they never did.  Thank god they made this one.  Watch it, and get ready to laugh and cry.  William Powell, Kay Francis, Frank McHugh, Aline McMahon. Essential, and I'm still trying to figure out what's in a Paradise Cocktail.

Edited January 7, 2019 by ratgirlagogo

[j5cochran]

20 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Coming up on Friday, another "cute" theme. In order:

One Way Passage

Two on a Guillotine

Three Daring Daughters

Four's a Crowd

Five Came Back

Six Gun Gold

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

8 1/2

Then we hit primetime and a different theme: Young Mr. Lincoln, Young Winston, Young Tom Edison.

I love trying to figure out the themes that TCM is using. So often, the daylight films will have a theme but it won't be listed on the website.

[PaulaO]

Another Chicago person who remembers ringing in the New Year with Fred and Ginger, although I swore it was WTTW not WGN.  Tonight is a Laurel and Hardy marathon.  My dad did the best Laurel imitation.  I will think of dad while watching The Music Box.

[tennisgurl]

Picking the TCM themes must be so much fun. 

Woman of the Year was on tonight, and oh my goodness, Spencer Tracey and Katharine Hepburn really did just shine on screen together. 

[rmontro]

I saw the Autopsy episode on Judy Garland's death the other day.  They talked about how MGM studios treated their young stars - it isn't really new info but I thought it was interesting.  They said they gave Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney amphetamines so they would have more energy on screen then gave them barbiturates so they could sleep at night.  In addition, to keep Garland slim they would give her broth to eat for lunch while others were getting a real meal.  You can imagine how that kind of a diet plus the pills and alcohol could affect somebody's body after awhile.  Sad story.

They show a lot of Garland, Rooney, and MGM movies on TCM so I figured this would be on topic here.

[voiceover]

Carol Channing died.

A friend knew her (played piano for her), and shared his thoughts.  This struck me:

"She was like Wonder Woman.  Carol Channing’s character was so righteous and her presence so overwhelming... Her voice made everything sound like lines."

He also talked about her attachment to eating healthy, before it was ever a "thing".  She carried specialty foods around with her in the hatbox that also contained her wiglet.  

I knew about her hairpiece from a chapter in George Burns's Living it Up.  When she washed it, it shrank! and he had to help stretch it to fit her.  When they let it go, and it snapped into place, George said those big eyes of hers actually got bigger.

Edited January 16, 2019 by voiceover
I confused the title of his first memoir with one of his movies

[elle]

6 hours ago, voiceover said:

Carol Channing died.

A friend knew her (played piano for her), and shared his thoughts.  This struck me:

"She was like Wonder Woman.  Carol Channing’s character was so righteous and her presence so overwhelming... Her voice made everything sound like lines."

He also talked about her attachment to eating healthy, before it was ever a "thing".  She carried specialty foods around with her in the hatbox that also contained her wiglet.  

I knew about her hairpiece from a chapter in George Burns's Going in Style.  When she washed it, it shrank! and he had to help stretch it to fit her.  When they let it go, and it snapped into place, George said those big eyes of hers actually got bigger.

I loved her in "Thoroughly Modern Millie".  Thank goodness we have the Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and all those variety shows on which she appeared.  We get to see the wonderful talent that she was.

[Charlie Baker]

I caught two of Carol Channing's rare film outings on TCM.

The infamous bomb Skidoo, which is almost fascinating it's so weird, and which CC disavowed or never discussed, with a cast that included Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, and Groucho Marx, among others.

The western musical comedy The First Traveling Saleslady, which is strange, if not quite as strange as Skidoo. CC played second lead to Ginger Rogers, had a number about corsets,  and was romantically teamed with young Clint Eastwood.  I read somewhere she claimed their love scene was cut from the movie because it wasn't convincing. 

I agree with elle that her television appearances let so many of us see her unique qualities, but she really was the definition of a creature of the theater. 

[Rinaldo]

Carol Channing was also offered another second-lead role in a movie musical, The Girl Most Likely (a remake of Tom, Dick and Harry, and the last movie for both RKO Studios and director Mitchell Leisen). Her response was that Jane Powell wasn't a big enough star for her to play second banana to. So Kaye Ballard got the part instead.

1 hour ago, Charlie Baker said:

she really was the definition of a creature of the theater. 

I have to agree. Luckily I did see her onstage as Dolly Levi, as she played the national tour in Chicago.