TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[Milburn Stone]

Assuming there's a point in writing a popular opinion, I love the movie.

I'll mention just two things that stand out in my memory this morning.

1) I happened to see just a portion of the movie last night "by accident"--the "Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam" number. It struck me that I might be seeing the very finest dancing that Astaire ever did on film. (There's a lot of competition for this honor, and show me another clip of another number and I might change my mind, but that's how I felt.)

2) The orchestration of the finale by Conrad Salinger just might be the most glorious work for orchestra and chorus ever committed to film. (Again, a lot of competition--but that's my opinion of the moment.)

[Rinaldo]

9 hours ago, ruby24 said:

I watched Easter Parade (1948) again tonight, since it was on, and you know, I have to say, this one remains not one of my faves. Many people love it and think it's one of Astaire and Garland's best movies, but I don't know what it is with this one that just doesn't connect with me. I think I just don't see much chemistry btw Fred and Judy, tbh. 

I also don't think it has any of Fred's best dance numbers or Judy's best songs. I guess I'm the odd one out on this one.

@ruby24, I think that, far from being "odd one out," you're in a large majority on this one. This is a widely held opinion as far as I can tell from my reading, and conversations over the years, and I share it too. I adore both Garland and Astaire, but they're not really a great match: their voices don't pair up satisfyingly, and their dance styles don't combine interestingly. (Whereas with Gene Kelly, who was to have been Garland's partner here till he was injured and asked Astaire to come out of "retirement" to replace him, the opposite is true -- their qualities did indeed "go together.") On a personal level, I have an irrational aversion to the sort of dirty-face makeup they used in "A Couple of Swells." I too find none of the numbers among the top ones for either performer.

The Garland-Astaire pairing was never repeated, but a rematch was in fact planned: she was to have been his partner in The Barkleys of Broadway. But this time it was she who became unavailable, and it turned into a reunion with Ginger Rogers instead. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

I watched Paper Moon Saturday night.  I'm old fashioned, and I still enjoy "appointment" TV.

Good lord, Tatum O'Neal was incredible.  "I. want. my. two. hundred. dollars." 

They had a Skype(?) interview with Bogdanovich before and after.  He looked like hell.  Did anyone else see it?  There seemed to be something seriously wrong with his left eye (right, as you look at him), and I thought the lens in that side of his glasses was purposely translucent to hid the grotesqueness, but it might also have been some weird polarization on the lens that was catching light funny.  Whatever--he looked like the poster boy for 80 is the new 90.

I don't know if the Skype was corona-specific, but I'll be very happy when we get back to visuals that look like they have actual production values instead of just random cell-phone footage.

Noir Alley was on after that and I watched the introduction.  Eddie Muller is funny.  And I remembered that a couple of years ago, I went to a double-feature at the Castro in San Francisco that was part of some film noir festival, and the person who introduced the movie was some sort of hero.  I think it must have been Eddie Muller.

 

[Milburn Stone]

31 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Noir Alley was on after that and I watched the introduction.  Eddie Muller is funny. 

I always DVR Noir Alley, even though sometimes within ten minutes I realize the movie isn't worth it and I bail. But his intros and outros always are.

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I watched Paper Moon Saturday night.  I'm old fashioned, and I still enjoy "appointment" TV.

Good lord, Tatum O'Neal was incredible.  "I. want. my. two. hundred. dollars."

 

She's amazing. There are takes that last five minutes. Madeline Kahn is hilarious.Her falling down on the hill and her cursing was an accident but they kept it in.

[ruby24]

I love Eddie Muller! He's the best TCM host by far, imo. He sounds so engaged with what he's talking about and so into it. He's the kind of person who can make you want to listen to him even if you've never heard of the topic. I wish he could intro everything. 

I think Alicia Malone and Dave Karger are very bland and have the kind of style/inflection that makes you want to tune out or fast-forward. And I've never liked Ben Mankewicz either (although he sounds a little more engaged than the other two).

But Muller is the best for sure.

[ruby24]

Watched The Naked City (1948) last night. Really good. Can see the influence on practically every cop show that came after this of course.

But one of my favorite things about it was how you can really see what NYC looked like in 1948, which you mostly can't in movies from this era, which are mostly all in studio. Loved that.

[Rinaldo]

59 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

But one of my favorite things about it was how you can really see what NYC looked like in 1948, which you mostly can't in movies from this era, which are mostly all in studio. Loved that.

Yes, that's always a great pleasure when films of the period make it possible. One that I love partly for that reason (though for others too) is Sweet Smell of Success (1957), which gives a picture of the gaudy Times Square culture of its time (newspaper offices, the flourishing nightclubs). That's almost the end of the era when filming on location in NYC was rare -- maybe Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) marks the start of the era when it was normal.

One of the month's themes is "movies filmed in NYC in the 1970s," certainly a rich vein of possibility. But there was a period of maybe a year (around 1971) when a crew union strike made filming there impossible and shooting was relocated elsewhere, either a city attempting to pass for the real thing, or frankly rewritten to take place in another city. Two examples of the latter are Play It Again Sam and Butterflies Are Free; both plays are New York stories, but the movies happen in San Francisco. Obviously all this was resolved in time for The Godfather.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I'm going to be helplessly and hopelessly vague about this, but a year or so ago I watched an older movie on TCM that was touted as having a chase scene through the real streets of New York City, all empty.  Or maybe just a long scene of driving through the city?  Dang, I can't remember, but it was great. 

I'll watch anything that has lots of shots of NYC.  Even Panic in Needle Park.  (But not Kids; I draw the line at Kids, which surely will never show up on TCM to test my resolve.)

 

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, ruby24 said:

Watched The Naked City (1948) last night. Really good. Can see the influence on practically every cop show that came after this of course.

But one of my favorite things about it was how you can really see what NYC looked like in 1948, which you mostly can't in movies from this era, which are mostly all in studio. Loved that.

 

46 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Yes, that's always a great pleasure when films of the period make it possible. One that I love partly for that reason (though for others too) is Sweet Smell of Success (1957), which gives a picture of the gaudy Times Square culture of its time (newspaper offices, the flourishing nightclubs). That's almost the end of the era when filming on location in NYC was rare -- maybe Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) marks the start of the era when it was normal.

One of the month's themes is "movies filmed in NYC in the 1970s," certainly a rich vein of possibility. But there was a period of maybe a year (around 1971) when a crew union strike made filming there impossible and shooting was relocated elsewhere, either a city attempting to pass for the real thing, or frankly rewritten to take place in another city. Two examples of the latter are Play It Again Sam and Butterflies Are Free; both plays are New York stories, but the movies happen in San Francisco. Obviously all this was resolved in time for The Godfather.

Hell, just the opening credits of North By Northwest gives a great glimpse of NYC in the late 50s. 

My favorite New York movie from the 70s is the original Taking of Pelham 1, 2 and 3. Not as scary as Taxi Driver but not as romanticized as Woody Allen movies of the time like Annie Hall.

[GreekGeek]

From the TCM web page:

Quote

The 11th TCM Classic Film Festival, originally scheduled for this month, was canceled due to growing concerns around public health that is currently affecting the world. But the Festival spirit continues, and the show must go on! This month, we invite you to celebrate at home with four days of film screenings and special coverage from previous years of our Festival, along with some that had been scheduled to screen at this year's 2020 event.

Tonight they showed "Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story," from their 2016 festival. The title couple are Harold and Lillian Michelson. Harold was a storyboard artist and Lillian a film researcher. They worked on films from the Fifties through the early 2000's. It was a fascinating look behind the scenes of moviemaking.

Fun trivia fact: King Harold and Queen Lillian, Fiona's parents in the Shrek movies, were named for them. 

Edited April 18, 2020 by GreekGeek

[StrictTime]

12 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

From the TCM web page:

Tonight they showed "Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story," from their 2016 festival. The title couple are Harold and Lillian Michelson. Harold was a storyboard artist and Lillian a film researcher. They worked on films from the Fifties through the early 2000's. It was a fascinating look behind the scenes of moviemaking.

Fun trivia fact: King Harold and Queen Lillian, Fiona's parents in the Shrek movies, were named for them. 

I just finished watching this on the app—such a great story! I’m really glad that Danny Devito and others felt compelled to honor the work of this couple in a way that would introduce non-insiders to the incredible contributions that their work was. Two ordinary people who lived ordinary (and extraordinary) lives!

Edited April 18, 2020 by StrictTime

[AuntiePam]

I watched Harold and Lillian too.  What a special couple of people!  Harold's greeting cards and poetry, so witty and smart, and Lillian's ability to paint a word picture -- it was a pleasure listening to both of them.  I loved those drawings of Harold and Lillian's life and thought all the way through that they were Harold's work, but nope. 

And how generous of Danny DeVito to produce this film -- it's so rare to see celebrities (or anyone) give credit where credit is due.

Something I thought was cute -- when Lillian talked about visiting Harold on the Bodega Bay location of The Birds, and said that she had to alert Harold that someone had sent up some prostitutes.  I think Harold knew.  The expression on Harold's face in the group photo at the conclusion of that segment was very much "cat that ate the canary".  I'm not insinuating that he participated, but he certainly knew about the hookers.  And maybe Lillian did too.  There were times when she seemed a bit naive, ingenuous. 

[VCRTracking]

Watching Casablanca for the umpteenth time. The thing I love most about it is the atmosphere of Rick's Cafe and the colorful characters. Countless TV shows and movies have been inspired by it.

 

[Milburn Stone]

8 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

Watching Casablanca for the umpteenth time. The thing I love most about it is the atmosphere of Rick's Cafe and the colorful characters. Countless TV shows and movies have been inspired by it.

 

I saw the first part of it last night. The thing I never remember about this movie--but am delighted by every time I see it--is how much time it spends at the beginning setting up the milieu of Casablanca in the period. Lots of vignettes, lots of "atmosphere" characters, etc. Then the same inside Rick's Cafe Americain. All before we ever get our first glimpse of Bogart, in an iconic moment of introduction. I didn't notice how many minutes into the film it is before we meet Bogart, but it's a lot of minutes.

[VCRTracking]

2 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

I saw the first part of it last night. The thing I never remember about this movie--but am delighted by every time I see it--is how much time it spends at the beginning setting up the milieu of Casablanca in the period. Lots of vignettes, lots of "atmosphere" characters, etc. Then the same inside Rick's Cafe Americain. All before we ever get our first glimpse of Bogart, in an iconic moment of introduction. I didn't notice how many minutes into the film it is before we meet Bogart, but it's a lot of minutes.

I was surprised when I found out there were TWO short lived attempts at making a Casablanca series on TV,  one in the 50s and one in the early 80s, the latter with David Soul as Rick, Scatman Crothers as Sam, and Hector Elizondo as Louis! Thinking about it though you could tell all kinds of stories in that setting. Different refugees coming in, lots of intrigue. 

[Rinaldo]

I think Casablanca is surpassed only by Hamlet in terms of the number of phrases it has introduced into the language -- that is, ways of expressing a thought that people will use without imagining that they're quoting anything. Just as people will say things like "method in my madness," "brevity is the soul of wit," and so on, without thinking of Hamlet, they'll say "of all the gin joints (etc.)," "round up the usual suspects," "I am shocked, shocked I tell you," or "beginning of a beautiful friendship" without necessarily having Casablanca in mind. Plus, in both cases, there are the actual famous quotations as well.

[VCRTracking]

One of my favorite lines is Sydney Greenstreet saying "It would take a miracle to leave Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles."

[ruby24]

I watched Safe in Hell (1931) the other day. Very dark, weird stuff. What I love about pre-code is seeing all the things they could say, do and show that they would never be able to again until decades later. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

I keep a sharp eye on TCM's schedule on Sunday nights because they often have foreign films.  So I'm looking a couple of weeks ahead and there's one called Wajda by Wajda, which I've never heard of but I have the feeling, just from the name, that it's probably a documentary about some Polish director.  

So I click on it to get more info.  Turns out I was right, but that's not what TCM would have me believe; its synopsis starts with this:

Quote

For over 30 years, Fred Rogers, an unassuming minister, puppeteer, writer and producer was beamed daily into homes across America. In his beloved television program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Fred and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about some of life's weightiest issues, in a simple, direct fashion.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2159133/Wajda-by-Wajda/

How in the world does something like this happen?  I get it when two movies have identical, or maybe even similar names.  But this?

[bmoore4026]

Not much of a Jane Russell fan except for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  Her acting like Marilyn Monroe was a hoot.  But these other movies of her just stink, I'm sorry to say.

[VCRTracking]

38 minutes ago, bmoore4026 said:

Not much of a Jane Russell fan except for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  Her acting like Marilyn Monroe was a hoot.  But these other movies of her just stink, I'm sorry to say.

I like Paleface and Son of Paleface with Bob Hope. She plays off Hope's coward persona well.

[Rinaldo]

8 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

How in the world does something like this happen?  I get it when two movies have identical, or maybe even similar names.  But this?

I understand it all too well, alas, from having to put together so many syllabuses and reading lists over the years. You get the general format in place by copying one entry multiple times so that the fonts and paragraphs look right, and then you go through item by item to correct them to the actual desired contents. And if there are hundreds of entries, it's sadly easy to skip one.

In this case, if it's a couple of weeks ahead, it's quite possible it'll be corrected before it actually happens. I've sometimes looked at the TCM advance schedule guide for weeks from now, and then seen it revised/corrected before it happens.

[ratgirlagogo]

11 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

Not much of a Jane Russell fan except for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  Her acting like Marilyn Monroe was a hoot.  But these other movies of her just stink, I'm sorry to say.

I know what you mean, although I'm really a fan.  She's not just strong in charisma, she looks physically strong as well - she reminds me of Maureen O'Hara.  She looks as though if she ever found the need to stop melting in Robert Mitchum's arms that she'd be more than capable of kicking the living shit out of him.  

[freddi]

I had never even heard of Julie (Doris Day, Louis Jourdan, 1956), and came in halfway through today, but what a damsel in distress, with Day being realistically jittery.  (I read afterward that it hit close to home in terms of her first two marriages.). And the plane landing was beautifully filmed by interior and exterior shots. 

Airplane windows with little print curtains was an elegant touch on a commercial flight.  

[Rinaldo]

I caught Julie last time around on TCM, partly thanks to its inclusion among "10 Favorite Movies" in a friend's blog. He loves it in a camp sense, as the epitome of a certain kind of lady-in-peril movie, combining the secretly-creepy-husband premise with she-has-to-land-the-plane-without-training (which, as noted, eventually achieved "immortality" in Airport 1975). 

I recall two things about it especially. One, that it's surely one of the more inappropriate instances of "hit title song warbled over the main titles by the star" (producers were always trying for this, hoping for more revenue, but often directors managed to thwart them; not this time). Two, it was genuinely educational for me, on the subject of "non-scheduled flights." I'd never heard of the "non-skeds" they referred to so casually, and it took a dive into a Wikipedia article to learn about the existence of this phenomenon through the 1950s.

I recorded The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown, which I'd never heard of, and have watched about half of it. It interested me as a Jane Russell movie co-starring her with Keenan Wynn and Ralph Meeker, and as another in the genre of "kidnap victim who insists on being kidnapped longer" stories -- in this case, a movie star who insists she's being undervalued, and is also seeing her career imperiled by the public perception that this is a publicity stunt. So far, it doesn't really work, and this was also the unusually frank and perceptive evaluation given by Ms. Russell in her autobiography: she thought it should have been either a glossy Technicolor romp (with Dean Martin in the Meeker role, which was the plan at one point) or a gritty B&W drama. Instead it hovered between the two, and thus offered the pleasures of neither. Well said, Jane.

[Charlie Baker]

The New York Times theater critic on All About Eve

[Chaos Theory]

I have Caged (1950). On my DVR and I watch it every so often and I never get tired of it.   The only thing that confuses me is Marie Allen’s sudden change of heart at swing the young woman standing outside the jail bars.   Is she supposed to mean something that I missed or was she in a scene that got cut?     Other then that I adore the utterly cynical nature of the almost entirely female driven movie.  

[ruby24]

Watched No Way Out (1950) and Emma (1932). Really liked them both.

[AuntiePam]

Saw my first Miss Marple, Margaret Rutherford in Murder, She Said.  I guessed the killer but then second-guessed myself and ended up surprised. 

I liked it a lot.  She's a doughty old gal, independent, smart.  I liked the other characters too, especially her special friend, and the crotchety old man who asked her to marry him.  He reminded me of Peter Ustinov. 

I won't pass up any more of these Marples.

[Dancingjaneway]

After watching Singin' in the Rain I did a little reading up on Gene Kelly. I had no idea that he directed Flower Drum Song(one of my all time favorites) & Hello, Dolly! What's even more interesting is that he turned down directing The Sound of Music. Supposedly he called it a piece of shit. 

[VCRTracking]

26 minutes ago, Dancingjaneway said:

After watching Singin' in the Rain I did a little reading up on Gene Kelly. I had no idea that he directed Flower Drum Song(one of my all time favorites) & Hello, Dolly! What's even more interesting is that he turned down directing The Sound of Music. Supposedly he called it a piece of shit. 

It's not an impressive theatrical experience compared with most Broadway. Onstage you get this:

It's okay but it's not blowing my socks off. On film however:

https://youtu.be/5fH2FOn1V5g

Edited April 24, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Milburn Stone]

On 4/20/2020 at 12:31 AM, VCRTracking said:

One of my favorite lines is Sydney Greenstreet saying "It would take a miracle to leave Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles."

Two of my favorite lines (even though the only ones who quote them are I and my friends):

"I was misinformed."

"Are my eyes really brown?"

[Rinaldo]

10 hours ago, Dancingjaneway said:

After watching Singin' in the Rain I did a little reading up on Gene Kelly. I had no idea that he directed Flower Drum Song(one of my all time favorites) & Hello, Dolly! What's even more interesting is that he turned down directing The Sound of Music. Supposedly he called it a piece of shit. 

To keep the record straight, it should be clarified that Gene Kelly directed the original stage production of Flower Drum Song, not the movie. He did direct the movie of Hello, Dolly! (to mixed result). 

The less-than-enthusiastic opinion of The Sound of Music based on its stage history wasn't an exceptional one at the time among those in show business. Both Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews, in their respective memoirs, have confessed that they weren't crazy about it when they signed their contracts: she in fact had publicly mocked it in her televised concert with Carol Burnett. (They also both say that it was much improved as a film, and they're proud to have been in it.)

[Milburn Stone]

33 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

He did direct the movie of Hello, Dolly! (to mixed result). 

There are three sequences in that movie that work for me as film-musical moments. One is the very first thing that happens--Barbra's rendition of the song Herman wrote for the movie, "Just Leave Everything to Me." A magical confluence of songwriting, character, performer, and performer's presumed private personality, expertly directed. (Following, in spades, Hammerstein's dictum to Sondheim, "write for the performer.") The second is the "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" number, also well-staged. The third is "It Only Takes a Moment," a song so good you would have to work hard to sabotage it. The rest I can do without.

[Charlie Baker]

I know it's gratuitous (only there because of his hit recording) but I do find Louis Armstrong's appearance in the title number pretty irresistible.  Also the movie was my introduction to Ms. S. in  my hometown movie theater, as I hadn't seen Funny Girl, and I was blown away, even if I knew her casting was questionable.

[Rinaldo]

21 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

I know it's gratuitous (only there because of his hit recording) but I do find Louis Armstrong's appearance in the title number pretty irresistible.  

Me too, @Charlie Baker. And I also agree with your point about the star herself. In fact I would say that her songs and scenes are what make it enjoyable periodically. If any whippersnapper were to wonder why Streisand was a star, I would point to this movie: she's completely miscast, and yet she keeps bringing it to exciting life single-handed. (Meanwhile Marianne McAndrew and Michael Crawford keep sinking it deeper every time they show up; I blame Gene Kelly, as Crawford needn't be as obnoxious as he is here. I used to want to step into the lobby during their numbers, now I just FF.) 

Edited April 25, 2020 by Rinaldo

[EtheltoTillie]

On 4/25/2020 at 9:03 AM, Rinaldo said:

Me too, @Charlie Baker. And I also agree with your point about the star herself. In fact I would say that her songs and scenes are what make it enjoyable periodically. If any whippersnapper were to wonder why Streisand was a star, I would point to this movie: she's completely miscast, and yet she keeps bringing it to exciting life single-handed. (Meanwhile Marianne McAndrew and Michael Crawford keep sinking it deeper every time they show up; I blame Gene Kelly, as Crawford needn't be as obnoxious as he is here. I used to want to step into the lobby during their numbers, now I just FF.) 

Also, let's not forget Walter Matthau.  I love Walter Matthau. 

On 4/23/2020 at 7:35 PM, ruby24 said:

Watched No Way Out (1950) and Emma (1932). Really liked them both.

I've never heard of this Emma (obviously not Jane Austen . . .).  I'll have to check it out.  Sounds interesting. 

[ruby24]

16 minutes ago, GussieK said:

Also, let's not forget Walter Matthau.  I love Walter Matthau. 

I've never heard of this Emma (obviously not Jane Austen . . .).  I'll have to check it out.  Sounds interesting. 

Yeah, it was with Marie Dressler and I hadn't seen her in anything yet. It was good, the story didn't go where I was expecting it to.

[Rinaldo]

Today seems to be Eve Arden Day (always welcome in my house), and one of the items was one I've been curious about for some time. It was supposedly shown under a reissue title, One for the Book, but when I actually started watching, it was the original title after all: The Voice of the Turtle, the same as the very long-running Broadway hit it was based on. (Even now, it ranks 55th, just ahead of the musicals Matilda and Waitress, and if we restrict the list to straight plays, it's 9th.) Items like that, once widely popular and now forgotten, always intrigue me.

I've recently managed to read the play, which left me slightly puzzled: three actors, one set, taking place over one weekend during WWII (it opened in 1943 and was still running when the film premiered in 1947), mostly quiet and conversational. Why the huge success? Partly, no doubt, the magnetism of its beloved original star, Margaret Sullavan; and partly, maybe, because it felt ever-so-slightly daring to audiences of the time, with its clear statement that even "good girls" will have a certain amount of premarital sex. (It's hard to be sure about audience expectations at this remove in time, especially as movies were so much more restrictive.)

In any case, the movie cleans it up, of course. The GI (Ronald Reagan) on weekend leave does not sleep with Sally (Eleanor Parker) on one day's acquaintance. Still, there's some interesting implications around the edges, like her having a pair of men's pajamas on hand that she was going to give her ex-boyfriend for a special gift. (On the other hand, one needs to remember that "making love" didn't mean then what it has meant from the 1960s onward.) Eve Arden functions as wisecracking best friend, disappointed in love herself. It's not much of a movie, really, but it's a pleasant little genre piece, and it has its points of interest. One is that they felt compelled to coif and dress Ms. Parker exactly like Margaret Sullavan, and have her adopt the same breathy, semi-neurotic, fey mannerisms. It was hard to remember who I was really watching!

[Charlie Baker]

Today's line-up was Tennessee Williams-themed and I saw a good portion of Night of the Iguana.  I haven't seen or read the play (I do know there are some significant differences), and I hadn't seen the movie in quite some time.  I definitely got caught up in it.  Particularly grabbed by the performance of Ava Gardner--maybe her best? And of course Richard Burton and Deborah Kerr are expert. And I can't omit Cyril Delevanti as the senile poet grandfather of DK's character--his final scene is quite something.  All involved handle Williams' tricky dialogue beautifully.  Plus there's a pretty potent atmosphere for the play to unfold. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Charlie Baker

[EtheltoTillie]

On 4/19/2020 at 11:20 PM, Rinaldo said:

I think Casablanca is surpassed only by Hamlet in terms of the number of phrases it has introduced into the language -- that is, ways of expressing a thought that people will use without imagining that they're quoting anything. Just as people will say things like "method in my madness," "brevity is the soul of wit," and so on, without thinking of Hamlet, they'll say "of all the gin joints (etc.)," "round up the usual suspects," "I am shocked, shocked I tell you," or "beginning of a beautiful friendship" without necessarily having Casablanca in mind. Plus, in both cases, there are the actual famous quotations as well.

Well, after watching some of The Godfather last night (just caught the last half hour) I am reminded of how many phrases it contributed. Make him an offer he can’t refuse. Leave the gun, take the cannoli.  But people who quote these know they are quoting The Godfather.  

Edited May 2, 2020 by GussieK

[EtheltoTillie]

On 5/1/2020 at 5:19 PM, Charlie Baker said:

Today's line-up was Tennessee Williams-themed and I saw a good portion of Night of the Iguana.  I haven't seen or read the play (I do know there are some significant differences), and I hadn't seen the movie in quite some time.  I definitely got caught up in it.  Particularly grabbed by the performance of Ava Gardner--maybe her best? And of course Richard Burton and Deborah Kerr are expert. And I can't omit Cyril Delevanti as the senile poet grandfather of DK's character--his final scene is quite something.  All involved handle Williams' tricky dialogue beautifully.  Plus there's a pretty potent atmosphere for the play to unfold. 

I tried watching Sweet Bird of Youth, but it was too over the top. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by GussieK

[EtheltoTillie]

I watched Fallen Angel.  So many great stars, such a problematic story line. 

[EtheltoTillie]

We tried watching Saint Jack last night.  It was one of the featured movies.  Could not stick with it as we got tired of the repetitive sequences of poor deluded Ben Gazzara making his way through Singapore's underbelly.  I did not feel I was missing much by not sitting through the whole thing.  Worth a look for completism.

[Milburn Stone]

19 minutes ago, GussieK said:

I watched Fallen Angel.  So many great stars, such a problematic story line. 

It's been a while since I watched it. I'm just curious, do you mean problematic in the sense of not well-constructed, not plausible; or problematic in its more contemporary meaning of not in accordance with present-day attitudes?

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

It's been a while since I watched it. I'm just curious, do you mean problematic in the sense of not well-constructed, not plausible; or problematic in its more contemporary meaning of not in accordance with present-day attitudes?

Poorly constructed.  I didn't believe he'd really end up with the rich girl. 

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, GussieK said:

Poorly constructed.  I didn't believe he'd really end up with the rich girl. 

Watched it tonight. I agree. They didn't plausibly establish why Alice Faye would be drawn to Dana Andrews in the first place.  Maybe we were meant to sense some "core of decency" in his grifter character, which she and she alone of all the characters could see, but I don't think the audience could see it! 

[AuntiePam]

The Silver Cord, a pre-Code movie with Joel McCrea and Irene Dunne, and Laura Hope Crews as the domineering, needy mother of two sons.  Boy howdy but I enjoyed this one. 

I wondered why it was on TCM's pre-Code list.  An over-protective mother -- how violent or sexy could it be?  Well, it was pretty sexy, and open about the mother's unhealthy feelings toward her sons. 

Crews was excellent.  She had the very best lines, including "I'll never forgive you for making me do something so unthinkable in my own house!" 

My only complaint was that Joel McCrea gives no hint that he's going to do the right thing at the end.  How hard is to do a look of dawning realization, recognizing the truth about his mother?  I see it all the time, everywhere, that look.  Like when I tell my husband I don't feel like cooking.  He knows he's gonna need to go get some take-out -- it shows on his face -- he doesn't need to say anything.

Also watched a couple from the SF evening -- Cocoon, which I'd seen years ago but didn't remember, and It Came From Outer Space, also a re-watch.  Cocoon was charming if a bit long in spots.  It was just as boring as it was 50+ years ago.  Yeah, it showed us that aliens might not all be wanting to kill us, but it was still hokey.  2001 is on the DVR -- have only seen snippets of that one.

[VCRTracking]