TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[GreekGeek]

Curious if anyone watched The Seven Year Itch this afternoon, and if so, what you thought of it. I wondered if anyone else found it horribly dated and unfunny, or if I'm just in a bad mood. There were a few cute bits of satire, like the sensationalized book covers and the toothpaste ad. The rest was tedious. Other than the iconic "subway grate" scene, it was very stage-bound also. And it bugged that Marilyn Monroe's character didn't even have a name, but was just "The Girl."

One thing I found interesting was that in the original play, the husband did end up cheating with The Girl. A few of the viewer-reviewers on the TCM site suggested that Tom Ewell was miscast, and the movie would have been better with Jack Lemmon or Walter Matthau in the lead.

[Rinaldo]

19 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

Curious if anyone watched The Seven Year Itch this afternoon, and if so, what you thought of it. I wondered if anyone else found it horribly dated and unfunny

I tend to be indulgent about sex comedies of the 1950s and 60s -- I was a little too young to be allowed to watch them at the time, so they had the lure of the forbidden or unseen to me -- but I checked this out on TCM a couple of years ago, and have to agree. "Dated and unfunny" are exactly the words. I can forgive a lot if a movie evokes some genuine laughs from me, but watching this, I could only summon up a strained "I guess I see how that bit was meant to be funny once... maybe?" Most of it seemed sweaty and smarmy and uncomfortable, and about all that I genuinely enjoyed was that subway grating scene, not for any prurient reason (it doesn't do much that way for an old gay dude like me) but because it created a moment of (seeming) spontaneity, and it is, after all, one of film history's iconic [hard to get away from that overused word!] scenes. And I can see how Marilyn Monroe brought in an audience for it; like her or not, she was something that hadn't happened quite that way in movies before.

It's hard to say that Tom Ewell was miscast, though, as he had originated his role on the stage (replacements included Eddie Albert and Eddie Bracken). TCM viewer comments tend to be about that insightful. And I don't think Jack Lemmon or Walter Matthau would have made it a bit less dated. A different director might have helped more, but on the whole I think this one is best left alone.

[Milburn Stone]

I feel differently about TSYI, but I can't say it's because I find it that funny. What I do find it is interesting, as an amateur anthropologist. Film makes anthropologists of us all, and the view this movie gives us into the mores and manners of the 1950s urban middle class is enough to keep me engaged. Its datedness works for it, in other words. And I would be less than honest if I didn't add that as an old straight dude, I identify with Tom Ewell's thirst.

[Rinaldo]

Actually, I quite agree about that point of view, @Milburn Stone. I guess I felt too put off by the minute-by-minute experience of T7YI to get much from it that way, but I certainly have with other such items from that and slightly later eras, many of which tend to turn up on TCM from time to time. Sunday in New York: obsessed with being "virtuous" (a word it overuses) while visiting NYC, in the face of the feeling that attitudes are changing. Guide for the Married Man: Walter Matthau, instead of thanking his lucky stars he has Inger Stevens for a wife, desperately wants to cheat on her but doesn't know how (and in the end, of course, chickens out). And so on. Fascinating in their way, if not that palatable as entertainment. Plus, I'm fascinated in any period by the deals and compromises that must have been made to contain all this implied lust within the strictures of the Production Code.

Edited September 5, 2020 by Rinaldo

[ruby24]

I watched Murmur of the Heart (1971) tonight. I could tell it was headed in "that" direction after a certain point, but I still didn't want it to. I can see that Malle was intending for it to be seen as some sort of natural thing to happen, but I just can't with that stuff. Anything sexually inappropriate involving kids is just a no-no for me (I squirmed through his Pretty Baby too a few years ago- that movie made my skin crawl).

Funnily enough, I think those movies are both considered tame today, but the whole incest thing is just too much to treat as this casual, almost comic situation.

[Milburn Stone]

11 hours ago, ruby24 said:

I watched Murmur of the Heart (1971) tonight. I could tell it was headed in "that" direction after a certain point, but I still didn't want it to. I can see that Malle was intending for it to be seen as some sort of natural thing to happen, but I just can't with that stuff.

Yeah, the anthropology thing is very case by case, and also very person by person. I'd offer up The Graduate as a movie I can watch with pleasure--despite that the relationship between Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson is incestuous, though not actual incest.

On the other hand, I won't watch Gone With the Wind again. Not because of the atrocity of slavery it depicts, but because of the thirties middlebrow attitude toward that atrocity that it reveals.

[VCRTracking]

On 9/4/2020 at 4:43 PM, Milburn Stone said:

I feel differently about TSYI, but I can't say it's because I find it that funny. What I do find it is interesting, as an amateur anthropologist. Film makes anthropologists of us all, and the view this movie gives us into the mores and manners of the 1950s urban middle class is enough to keep me engaged. Its datedness works for it, in other words. And I would be less than honest if I didn't add that as an old straight dude, I identify with Tom Ewell's thirst.

I do love that it makes fun of the old trope when a woman takes off her glasses and undoes her hair she's suddenly beautiful!

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/2/2020 at 4:30 PM, MissAlmond said:

Sorry to interrupt but I have an urgent question regarding The Snake Pit.  I know TCM didn't recently re-aired it (FXM did and I recorded it) but it's been shown on TCM enough times, I feel this is the board that would know the answer.  

At one point in The Snake Pit we learn a former nurse at the sanitarium is now a patient.  It's not the nurse who is unkind to Olivia de Havilland, it's another one.   From the dialogue, I've always surmised this nurse is in the background earlier before we see her later as a patient.  However, try as I might, I can't find in an earlier scene. I've even concentrated on the background actors hoping to spot her, but nothing.  Now I'm wondering if it's a "given" she was one of many nurses who eventually has her own breakdown. 

Do any of you good TCM people know the answer?  Is this nurse there previously or not?  If she is, please tell me which scene to pause to find her!   If she's not, I can finally let searching for her go.   Thanks in advance.   

I watched it the other day and remember that I thought we "knew" the nurse, but I can't remember the details (I'm horrible at remembering plot details).  However, the IMDb discussion message boards are archived at moviechat.org (THANK GOD!), and somebody asks your question and a person responds that there was a scene or two with a functioning Miss Somerville.

https://moviechat.org/tt0040806/The-Snake-Pit/58c704364e1cf308b93560d4/Possible-Spoiler-Miss-Somerville-Question

But no specifics, but there's a user review at IMDb that says: "Jacqueline deWit was another memorable role as Ms. Sommerville, the kind nurse who loses her mind and becomes a patient in the institution herself."

So maybe you can look for a scene with a kind nurse?

But a pox on you for making me remember that the IMDb message boards are defunct.  I'm still pissed off.  It was one of the few things that actually worked well on the internet, and ... poof!

On a cheerier note, I'm digging TCM's end-of-summer concert series.  Monday they're showing A Hard Day's Night, which is a fun little romp, and it gives insight into the Beatles' charm and appeal when they burst onto the scene, as well as a look into what it was like to be them. 

[Mindthinkr]

I watched their movies last night on the group the Who and Shine A Light which was about The Rolling Stones directed by Martin Scorsese. Tonight they are doing The Song Remains the Same about Led Zeppelin and then at 10:30 EST a biopic about Jimi Hendrix. I’ll get through the Zeppelin one tonight, but won’t be up late enough to watch the one on Hendrix. Anyone else watching these? 

[BooksRule]

I skipped most of the Charlton Heston movies the other day, but I did record 'Soylent Green' and 'The Omega Man' for later viewing.  I watched 'The Omega Man' this morning and realized that I probably hadn't seen it since just a few years after it was released (probably on a TV airing, I don't think I saw it in the theater).  I don't think I've ever seen other versions of the story (even the one with  Vincent Price and I'm a huge Price fan), but it defintely wasn't much like the novel. If the brief scenes of nudity were removed, it was almost like watching a made-for-TV movie of the '70s. I'm glad I watched it again even though it didn't live up to the 'scary' movie I remembered from when I was much younger. I kind of liked the soundtrack, though. I'll save my re-watch of 'Soylent Green' for another day.  

Both of those movies are reminding me that I need to re-read the original source novels again. A couple of years ago, I added some science fiction titles to my library's collection (that's the fun part of my job) and focused on authors whose works had been made into films (we have a film studies program).  I added most of Richard Matheson's works, and it looks like we also have a book about his novels being translated into film versions.

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

I watched their movies last night on the group the Who and Shine A Light which was about The Rolling Stones directed by Martin Scorsese. Tonight they are doing The Song Remains the Same about Led Zeppelin and then at 10:30 EST a biopic about Jimi Hendrix. I’ll get through the Zeppelin one tonight, but won’t be up late enough to watch the one on Hendrix. Anyone else watching these? 

I am!  I've seen a lot of them before, including Shine A Light in an IMAX theater, and I'm telling you, Keith Richards in a closeup on a screen six stories high is scary.  That was back when it first came out, and it turns out that I am currently the age that Mick Jagger's was when they filmed the concert (63), and as I was watching it last night, I was amazed at the shape he was in.  A man that age rocking those little bitty hip huggers, and not looking the least bit like a fool. 

For anybody who sees the movie, I'll point out two not-very-noticeable things.  Near the end, there's a shot of Keith Richards gallantly offering a hand to help Charlie Watts down from his drum stand, and it's beyond charming.  They look so happy.  And watch the backup singer Lisa Fischer during the third song, "She Was Hot."  She's really bringing it, and then toward the end of the song, when Mick Jagger has gone out toward the audience and comes back and faces the backup singers, she does a shimmy and then some dancing that might be the most joyful thing I've ever seen.

I'm recording almost everything on Sunday night (no Jay-Z, thanks).  On Monday...recording all the obscure stuff in the morning.  Later on, I've seen Festival and Monterey Pop before, and Woodstock I don't know how many times.  But I'll probably watch them again.  I enjoy the performances, love the behind-the-scenes footage, but most of all, I'm fascinated by the audiences--the mix between kids with short hair (boys) or flip hairdos (girls), and hippies.  It was such an interesting time.

But the movies make me sad because there's no way you could duplicate these events these days, even without COVID.  Everything would be more like Altamont.

[MissAlmond]

15 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But no specifics, but there's a user review at IMDb that says: "Jacqueline deWit was another memorable role as Ms. Sommerville, the kind nurse who loses her mind and becomes a patient in the institution herself."

So maybe you can look for a scene with a kind nurse?

THANK YOU, I will.  

15 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But a pox on you for making me remember that the IMDb message boards are defunct.  I'm still pissed off.  It was one of the few things that actually worked well on the internet, and ... poof!

I miss the IMDb boards, but sadly I knew they would come to an end.  Message boards for modern movies/TV shows had already turned into troll heaven but the boards for older and more obscure films/TV shows remained safe.  However, the day I went to read opinions on George Washington Slept Here and found it littered with comments theorizing on Jack Benny's sex life, I knew total board shut down was coming.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Yeah, the IMDb message boards were fun most of the time, but I don't miss them, because there are trolls, and then there are the rapacious, shadow-lurking freaks that those message boards attracted. Yeesh.

 

 

[Milburn Stone]

On 9/4/2020 at 6:43 PM, Milburn Stone said:

I feel differently about TSYI, but I can't say it's because I find it that funny. What I do find it is interesting, as an amateur anthropologist...

I have to partially revise my opinion. I watched roughly the first 15 minutes on WatchTCM last night and I did find it funny. Anthropologically, great chunks of the movie could be discussed in the "Well, That Wouldn't Work Now" topic, starting with the very first scene, which depicts the island of Manhattan 500 years ago, with a tribe of Indians sending their wives and kids off for the summer. Every single Indian husband is played by a white person in redface, and so is the sexy squaw they pursue as soon as the wives are upriver. From there, the movie is actually quite honest about suppressed and unsuppressed male lust. And since the old adage "It's funny because it's true" is as true as it ever was, it's funny.

Loved the Saul Bass main titles, too. Clearly designed for the Cinemascope theatrical screen, because the typography of the credits, viewed on a reasonably big-screen HDTV, is so small as to be nearly unreadable. I'm pretty sure old movies on TV was a thing by 1955, so hats off to Saul for not giving a rat's ass about the design working on television someday. 

[VCRTracking]

15 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I watched their movies last night on the group the Who and Shine A Light which was about The Rolling Stones directed by Martin Scorsese. Tonight they are doing The Song Remains the Same about Led Zeppelin and then at 10:30 EST a biopic about Jimi Hendrix. I’ll get through the Zeppelin one tonight, but won’t be up late enough to watch the one on Hendrix. Anyone else watching these? 

I have The Song Remains the Same on DVD. I used to wish the fantasy stuff was cut out but now I think it would be just another concert film. Besides it's time to admit that yes Led Zeppelin was one of the greatest bands of all time but they were also kind of dorks like kids who play D&D! 

Edited September 7, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Luckylyn]

On 9/6/2020 at 11:05 AM, VCRTracking said:

I do love that it makes fun of the old trope when a woman takes off her glasses and undoes her hair she's suddenly beautiful!

I love the scene in a Doris Day movie, I think That Touch of Mink, when one character asks his secretary to remove her glasses and is surprised she doesn’t suddenly become gorgeous.  Mocking that trope is fun.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Yeah, the IMDb message boards were fun most of the time, but I don't miss them, because there are trolls, and then there are the rapacious, shadow-lurking freaks that those message boards attracted. Yeesh.

I found them useful, and not very trolly, even at the very end.  I'm sure it had to do with which movies I was reading about.  If I needed a question answered about Star Wars, I could ask Mr. Outlier.  😀

There was one guy who was obviously intentionally provocative and used annoying language (like "da" instead of "the") but it was easy to recognize his handle and avoid him.  But he was actually interesting because it was clear he'd seen the movies he was talking about, which included mainstream movies but also many foreign/independent movies that were playing only in select art theaters.  He saw an astonishing number of movies.  Every once in a while some newbie would take the bait, but I think because his style was so recognizable, most people knew to ignore him, so it never got out of hand.  At least on the ones for foreign/independent movies--I didn't spend much time on the ones for mainstream movies.

Those boards were the only place I've ever found where you could ask a specific question about a plot point and if it's an old movie it might take years, but usually someone would eventually answer it.  That, to me, is what the internet did best, and it's gone.

I have TCM on in the background and one of segments with all the hosts talking came on.  They apparently have a series of them--this was the second I'd seen.  The question was what movie ending always makes you cry.  Ben Karger said it's Children of a Lesser God, when William Hurt and Marlee Matlin see each other for the first time in a while because they'd had a fight.  They showed it, and the camera cuts from one to the other, seeing each other across the room, but they don't approach each other and you see William Hurt turning around and walking away.  Just that little bit with no buildup had me crying.  

Jacqueline Stewart chose the end of Sounder, and somebody remarked that it was one of the two greatest hugs in movies, and I muttered "Reds" and one of them said, "Reds."  Great minds.

Eddie Muller of course said that he resists when he sees the manipulation coming.  That guy.

[Mindthinkr]

@StatisticalOutlier I couldn’t have put that more eloquently. I noticed the same things that you did! 

[Charlie Baker]

Another of the concert tour movies which I caught up with was The T.A.M.I Show, a completely different set of goods from the ones mentioned here, even if the Rolling Stones turn up. Sort of a feature length Hullabaloo/Shindig show (Boy, am I dating myself with that! But I was a wee tot at the time.), shot with TV equipment but shown in movie theaters. An overstuffed line-up of 60s pop, all performed live in front of a mostly screaming audience. The sound quality was not very good, but most of the performers manage to make strong impressions.  And the audience response is just as strong for the lesser ones.  It's got an energy, an early 60s combo of innocence and hedonism.  Those numerous oldies cavalcades PBS uses for fund-raising took their cue from this (and live concert tours of that time) but this is the real thing, of its moment, not about nostalgia, more like a time capsule.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Charlie Baker

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, Charlie Baker said:

Another of the concert tour movies which I caught up with was The T.A.M.I Show, a completely different set of goods from the ones mentioned here, even if the Rolling Stones turn up. Sort of a feature length Hullabaloo/Shindig show (Boy, am I dating myself with that! But I was a wee tot at the time.), shot with TV equipment but shown in movie theaters. An overstuffed line-up of 60s pop, all performed live in front of a mostly screaming audience. The sound quality was not very good, but most of the performers manage to make strong impressions.  And the audience response is just as strong for the lesser ones.  It's got an energy, an early 60s combo of innocence and hedonism.  Those numerous oldies cavalcades PBS uses for fund-raising took their cue from this (and live concert tours of that time) but this is the real thing, of its moment, not about nostalgia, more like a time capsule.

Original SNL cast member Laraine Newman just tweeted about watching TAMI show in a movie theater where it was broadcast two days ago

The process was called "Electronovision" which was hi-def video that they kinescoped on film to show in theaters later. It's why it looks better than regular kinescoped shows.

Other hings I learned about the TAMI Show:

Teri Garr is one of the dancers. 

The girls went crazy for Dennis Wilson.

The biggest star on the bill at the time was actually Leslie Gore.

The highlight is James Brown's performance. In the DVD commentary the director of the show said in rehearsal during the third time James threw off the cape right away but during the live performance he paused for another bar. To this day the director was so grateful something told him to stay on that close up of him and not cut away!

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by VCRTracking

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

The biggest star on the bill at the time was actually Leslie Gore.

According to data on IMDb, Lesley Gore was 18.  She looked much older than that to me.  I'm sure the suit contributed to it--she looked like she was interviewing for a secretary job--but something about her face, too.

[Miss Anne Thrope]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

Other hings I learned about the TAMI Show:

Teri Garr is one of the dancers. 

The girls went crazy for Dennis Wilson.

The biggest star on the bill at the time was actually Leslie Gore.

The highlight is James Brown's performance. In the DVD commentary the director of the show said in rehearsal during the third time James threw off the cape right away but during the live performance he paused for another bar. To this day the director was so grateful something told him to stay on that close up of him and not cut away!

 

 

 

15 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

According to data on IMDb, Lesley Gore was 18.  She looked much older than that to me.  I'm sure the suit contributed to it--she looked like she was interviewing for a secretary job--but something about her face, too.

 

I watched this, but am very tempted to rewatch and look for Ms. Garr.  I knew she was a dancer for shows like this but it just didn't occur to me this time.

I was shocked that Lesley Gore got four songs!  So yeah, apparently she was the big act.  My main frame of reference to Ms. Gore previously was her guest shot on Batman, where she played a henchperson to Catwoman.  It was three years after The TAMI Show, and her face was much rounder and younger-looking.  The magic of bangs?  I dunno. But I too was struck by how old she looked in the movie.

 

ETA: Fun fact - Lesley was the neice of Howie Horwitz, producer of Batman.

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Miss Anne Thrope

[VCRTracking]

21 minutes ago, Miss Anne Thrope said:

 

 

I watched this, but am very tempted to rewatch and look for Ms. Garr.  I knew she was a dancer for shows like this but it just didn't occur to me this time.

I was shocked that Lesley Gore got four songs!  So yeah, apparently she was the big act.  My main frame of reference to Ms. Gore previously was her guest shot on Batman, where she played a henchperson to Catwoman.  It was three years after The TAMI Show, and her face was much rounder and younger-looking.  The magic of bangs?  I dunno. But I too was struck by how old she looked in the movie.

 

ETA: Fun fact - Lesley was the neice of Howie Horwitz, producer of Batman.

 

The director on the commentary said he was surprised when he found out Quincy Jones produced all of Lesley Gore's hits. Me too!

Edited September 7, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Miss Anne Thrope]

Oh, awesome -- thanks for the screencap!  I was also surprised to learn about Quincy Jones.

[bmoore4026]

Woodstock: The Director's Cut is on.  Pray that I get through this because I usually get tired of it around the skinny dipping sequence. 

EDIT 9/8/2020 12:13 AM - I DID IT!!  I watched the whole thing!  And I liked it!

Edited September 8, 2020 by bmoore4026

[MissAlmond]

21 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Those boards were the only place I've ever found where you could ask a specific question about a plot point and if it's an old movie it might take years, but usually someone would eventually answer it.  That, to me, is what the internet did best, and it's gone.

Yes.  When done right, those boards were great for discussing older movies.  I remember a lively conversation following one of TCM's airings of  Giant when Robert Osborne commented Grace Kelly would have been a better casting choice than Elizabeth Taylor.  Most of the posts were like "I love you Robert, but no" and I agreed with them.  At the moment, I wish it was around because I still can't find Miss Somerville in spite of pausing scenes centered on Ward One!  

[VCRTracking]

16 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

Woodstock: The Director's Cut is on.  Pray that I get through this because I usually get tired of it around the skinny dipping sequence. 

EDIT 9/8/2020 12:13 AM - I DID IT!!  I watched the whole thing!  And I liked it!

My absolute favorite part is Santana's "Soul Sacrifice". Not only is it a mind boggling great performance but the camera work and the editing is incredible All the split screens and shots in the audience perfectly synched.

Trivia:

It was their big debut. Their first album hadn't come out yet. The show and later the movie put them on the map.

Drummer Michael Shrieve had just joined the band and this was his debut he was only 20 years old.

The band was still tripping on mescaline Jerry Garcia gave them earlier when they performed:

New York Times

______________________________

 New York Times: Lots of groups had long delays before their sets. But Santana was rushed onto the stage, right?

Carlos Santana: When we landed, the first person I saw was my brother and friend Jerry Garcia. He looked like one of those yogis in a cave in the Himalayas. He had that beatific, everything is all right already look. For me, he was like assurance, confidence and a sanctuary.

They’d told us we were going on two bands after the Grateful Dead. He goes, “Well man, you better get comfortable because apparently, we’re not going on until one o’clock in the morning. It’s a mess here. And by the way, would you like to take some of this?” It was mescaline. And I was like, “Let’s see, it’s 12:30 in the afternoon. By two o’clock in the morning, I’ll be all right.” I used to take LSD and mescaline a lot, so I knew the timing. After eight or 10 hours, you’re into what we call the amoeba state. Your thoughts become very galactic and universal and microscoped.

Two hours after I took it, there was a face in my face that said, “You need to go on right now, otherwise you’re not going to play.” By this time I was really, really on it, you know? I just held on to my faith, and what my mom taught me. I asked, over and over, “Just help me stay in tune and on time.”

NYT: When you were onstage at Woodstock, were you hallucinating?

CS: Oh totally. You can tell by my body language. I’m wrestling with the guitar — not wrestling in conflict, but like a surfer, wrestling to maintain and sustain a balance. That’s the key to everything in life. Whether you’re straight or on mescaline, maintain your composure and your balance.

NYT: Everyone now says it was a great set. But in the moment, what kind of reaction did you get?

CS: It was the same as seeing black and brown kids and poor white kids in Harlem River Drive on the hottest day in the summer, and somebody opens up a fire hydrant with cold water. It was just glee!

We came on full on with congas and the audience was like, “Oh, this is like being at Hippie Hill or at the [Central Park] fountain in New York.” And you get to smoke weed and you get to hear congas, and music that makes you celebrate, not think about fear or Vietnam or Nixon or whatever.

That was a beautiful thing that I’ll hold true till the day I leave this planet. I witnessed, with my own eyes and my heart, that people can get along, with unity and harmony. No fights. Share granola or a blanket or whatever. I got to see that humans are capable to coexist with benevolence. That’s why we’re still talking about Woodstock, man.

____________________________

Edited September 8, 2020 by VCRTracking

[EtheltoTillie]

This is a fun thread on concert movies. I caught up with The Divine Miss M, and I was underwhelmed. I made it only about 20 minutes in. I’ve enjoyed Bette Midler in some movies but I’ve never been crazy about her singing. The comedy was kind of rim shot worthy. The comedy writing was by Bruce Vilanch, supposedly the genius behind all the Oscar telecasts. Eh. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by GussieK

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Yes.  When done right, those boards were great for discussing older movies.  I remember a lively conversation following one of TCM's airings of  Giant when Robert Osborne commented Grace Kelly would have been a better casting choice than Elizabeth Taylor.  Most of the posts were like "I love you Robert, but no" and I agreed with them.  At the moment, I wish it was around because I still can't find Miss Somerville in spite of pausing scenes centered on Ward One!  

You will be happy to know that the boards are archived at MovieChat.org. Some amazing group got together and did this!  I still check them when it’s a movie I’m seeing for a first time. You can still find some of those trivia answers. Moreover there are still new posts although not too many because people don’t Know about it. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 9/7/2020 at 4:04 PM, VCRTracking said:

Original SNL cast member Laraine Newman just tweeted about watching TAMI show in a movie theater where it was broadcast two days ago

The process was called "Electronovision" which was hi-def video that they kinescoped on film to show in theaters later. It's why it looks better than regular kinescoped shows.

Other hings I learned about the TAMI Show:

Teri Garr is one of the dancers. 

The girls went crazy for Dennis Wilson.

The biggest star on the bill at the time was actually Leslie Gore.

The highlight is James Brown's performance. In the DVD commentary the director of the show said in rehearsal during the third time James threw off the cape right away but during the live performance he paused for another bar. To this day the director was so grateful something told him to stay on that close up of him and not cut away!

 

Wow, that James Brown segment really made my day.  I remember seeing those cape routines on TV when I was a kid.  I appreciate it more now.

There was such an amazing control of the tension in the music as he crescendoed and then collapsed, then got up again.  

On 9/7/2020 at 1:05 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I found them useful, and not very trolly, even at the very end.  I'm sure it had to do with which movies I was reading about.  If I needed a question answered about Star Wars, I could ask Mr. Outlier.  😀

There was one guy who was obviously intentionally provocative and used annoying language (like "da" instead of "the") but it was easy to recognize his handle and avoid him.  But he was actually interesting because it was clear he'd seen the movies he was talking about, which included mainstream movies but also many foreign/independent movies that were playing only in select art theaters.  He saw an astonishing number of movies.  Every once in a while some newbie would take the bait, but I think because his style was so recognizable, most people knew to ignore him, so it never got out of hand.  At least on the ones for foreign/independent movies--I didn't spend much time on the ones for mainstream movies.

Those boards were the only place I've ever found where you could ask a specific question about a plot point and if it's an old movie it might take years, but usually someone would eventually answer it.  That, to me, is what the internet did best, and it's gone.

I have TCM on in the background and one of segments with all the hosts talking came on.  They apparently have a series of them--this was the second I'd seen.  The question was what movie ending always makes you cry.  Ben Karger said it's Children of a Lesser God, when William Hurt and Marlee Matlin see each other for the first time in a while because they'd had a fight.  They showed it, and the camera cuts from one to the other, seeing each other across the room, but they don't approach each other and you see William Hurt turning around and walking away.  Just that little bit with no buildup had me crying.  

Jacqueline Stewart chose the end of Sounder, and somebody remarked that it was one of the two greatest hugs in movies, and I muttered "Reds" and one of them said, "Reds."  Great minds.

Eddie Muller of course said that he resists when he sees the manipulation coming.  That guy.

@StatisticalOutlier  be sure to see my post about the archives of the IMDB chats.

[Jan Spears]

On 8/12/2020 at 3:22 PM, VCRTracking said:

Her pre-code work was definitely her best.

Norma Shearer's best period was 1930-31 when the Code wasn't being enforced and she turned out Pre-Code classics like The Divorcee (especially) and A Free Soul. Full enforcement of the Code forced her into "prestige picture" territory playing historical/literary characters such as Elizabeth Browning, Juliet and Marie Antoinette, which didn't play to her strengths.

After Irving Thalberg died, Shearer had a hard time picking the right scripts and she made some errors in judgment. For instance, she turned down Susan and God (1940) because she didn't want to be seen playing the mother of a teenage daughter. Joan Crawford jumped at the chance to play the part, wisecracking: "I'd  play Wally Beery's grandmother if it's a good part!" (Crawford later credited this movie and others such as Strange Cargo [1940] and A Woman's Face [1941] with helping Hollywood to see her in a different light and paving the way for the Oscar win for Mildred Pierce [1945].)

Perhaps Shearer's most lasting achievement is her collaboration with legendary photographer George Hurrell. In 16 distinct sittings between 1929 and 1936, the two of them produced a series of stunning images. Said Hurrell: "Each time, she seemed a different personality or presented me with a different side of her personality. She was never static. Never let herself stagnate. She was always thinking ahead." 

 

[Charlie Baker]

Entertainment Weekly on TCM's Women Make Film

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/8/2020 at 3:37 PM, GussieK said:

@StatisticalOutlier  be sure to see my post about the archives of the IMDB chats.

I gave a link to the IMDb discussion archives upthread, in trying to help poor @MissAlmond find Miss Somerville.

[bmoore4026]

Ursula Andress movies are on tonight, namely She, Clash of the Titans (which I don't remember her being in), and the original Casino Royal.

Also, tonight's TCM Underground will feature schlock classics Plan 9 from Outer Space and Reefer Madness.  I will probably be asleep by then.

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

Ursula Andress movies are on tonight... Clash of the Titans (which I don't remember her being in)

The name of her son Dimitri Hamlin helps me remember that.

[bmoore4026]

One thing I don't get about Clash of the Titans is why Danae (Perseus' mother) doesn't have a bigger role.  In the myth, Perseus goes on his journey in order to save his mother from marrying an unworthy man.  I hate that she gets shafted in the film.  Perseus grows up and then we never here from her again.

Also, I love seeing Maggie Smith playing a villain.  She's so deliciously wicked.

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, bmoore4026 said:

Also, I love seeing Maggie Smith playing a villain.  She's so deliciously wicked.

Her Downton Abbey co-star Elizabeth McGovern was in the 2010 remake as Perseus' adoptive mother.

 

[Rinaldo]

8 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

One thing I don't get about Clash of the Titans is why Danae (Perseus' mother) doesn't have a bigger role

I don't like that either, but I got it in the sense that it was pretty clear to me early on that they didn't care at all about being true to the myth. Elements were combined with other stories, other elements omitted, new characters added, and Thetis somehow promoted to the top pantheon of goddesses (she's actually a relatively minor nymph, famous mostly as the mother of Achilles) just because they needed a role for Maggie Smith, who was a bankable name and the screenwriter's wife.

[VCRTracking]

On 9/12/2020 at 4:06 AM, Rinaldo said:

I don't like that either, but I got it in the sense that it was pretty clear to me early on that they didn't care at all about being true to the myth. 

Youre telling me a mechanical, beeping owl isn't part of Greek Mythology? You lied to me Harryhausen!!!

[VCRTracking]

Discovered this and decided to post it here because they show enough 70s movies on TCM that it would be appreciated:

 

 

[MissAlmond]

On 9/11/2020 at 5:15 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I gave a link to the IMDb discussion archives upthread, in trying to help poor @MissAlmond find Miss Somerville.

And I never did find her!  Alas, previously watched DVR recordings needed to be cleared out due to space.  But when TCM re-airs The Snake Pit (and they will) I'll be back with new glasses (LOL) and hopefully additional help from this board, looking for her again.

Edited September 15, 2020 by MissAlmond

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/15/2020 at 5:25 AM, MissAlmond said:

And I never did find her!  Alas, previously watched DVR recordings needed to be cleared out due to space.  But when TCM re-airs The Snake Pit (and they will) I'll be back with new glasses (LOL) and hopefully additional help from this board, looking for her again.

It was on FXM this morning, and I was able to watch the last 45 minutes or so.  I previously said I thought we "knew" Miss Sommerville as a nurse, but now I'm not so sure.  When Virginia is getting checked into Ward 1, a nice nurse is telling her to do what Miss Davis says, and Virginia asks if Miss Davis is the head nurse.  The nice nurse says, "Yeah, she took over when Miss Sommerville..." and trails off.  I think I may have conflated the nice nurse and Miss Sommerville into one person, when it was a nice nurse mentioning Miss Sommerville.  But that may be why I thought we knew Miss Sommerville as a nurse.

And later, Virginia says, "Miss Sommerville? Wasn't she the head nurse in one before I was there?"  If that's the case, I'm not sure how Virginia would have encountered Miss Sommerville when Miss Sommerville was a nurse, since the wards were separate.  Maybe in an all-hands-on-deck situation, or maybe in a lobby?

Anyway, I'm thinking that maybe we don't actually see her as a nurse.  We definitely get all the drift from these two scenes.

The IMDb comment I linked to is from eight years ago.  That's about when the internet really started going south when it comes to people making a real effort at being accurate.  If the comment had been posted 15 years ago, I'd be more inclined to take it to the bank.  And remember, the poster said "a scene or two," and your sleuthing hasn't uncovered even one. 

[caracas1914]

On 8/15/2020 at 6:53 AM, StrictTime said:

My take on Norma Shearer is that she was great in silents, but the transition to talkies was tough on her. Not because her voice wasn’t pleasant, but because, especially in her early talkies, her gestures (facial and hands) are still over-emphatic, as they had to be in the silent films. I noticed it particularly in Private Lives, which seemed really rushed and frantic overall. 

Love Norma, but damn she could have really bad “silent movie” hands throughout her talkies, straight out of a melodrama. Clutching them , covering her face in horror, stretched out in happiness, etc, etc.

She was supposedly offered Norma Desmond in “ Sunset Boulevard”.  While I can’t see her improving on Gloria Swanson , would have loved to see Norma’s take on Norma ( pun intended)

[ruby24]

I watched To Each His Own (1946) tonight. I really liked it and Olivia was great, as usual. But I was surprised, because I feel like this movie was a lot more blunt about the situation she was in than most movies I see from this era that are dealing with pregnancy and being unmarried.

For example, in Miracle of Morgan's Creek, I remember what they obviously wanted to happen was for her to basically get drunk and have a one night stand with a guy she can't remember, resulting in her getting pregnant. But to get around the production code Preston Sturges had to concoct this whole thing where she hit her head, blacked out and married a guy she can't remember, so that at least her one night was with her "husband." And in Mildred Pierce there was a similar thing, where they had Veda briefly marry that guy so she could fake being pregnant, whereas in the book she just faked the pregnancy without marrying him- so the movie had to have her be married first.

So I was under the impression that you really couldn't even hint at sex in the 40's outside the confines of marriage, no matter how convoluted a plot twist you had to come up with to get marriage in there.

But this movie didn't do that. Olivia de Havilland really does meet this guy, know him for a couple of hours and sleep with him without getting married, and then she's having his baby and he's dead. Are there other movies from this era that so frankly acknowledge that? Was it because she basically suffers the rest of the movie by having to give him up? Because even in the movie, she doesn't believe she deserves to suffer, she's pretty much constantly trying to get him back. I thought it was refreshingly matter of fact about the whole thing.

[MissAlmond]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:50 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

And later, Virginia says, "Miss Sommerville? Wasn't she the head nurse in one before I was there?"  If that's the case, I'm not sure how Virginia would have encountered Miss Sommerville when Miss Sommerville was a nurse, since the wards were separate.  Maybe in an all-hands-on-deck situation, or maybe in a lobby?

I actually could believe Miss Sommerville wasn't shown previously if not for this scene.  It's not just Virginia's words. It's how the camera slowly pans to reveal Miss Sommerville's face.  IMO, it gives the impression the viewer should be shocked to see her.  It also just occurred to me there's still another explanation: Miss Sommerville's earlier scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. 

Hopefully TCM (not FXM) will re-air The Snake Pit again so others can join in the Hunt for Miss Sommerville.  Thanks for your help!  

 

[Rinaldo]

8 hours ago, ruby24 said:

I watched To Each His Own (1946) tonight. I really liked it and Olivia was great, as usual. But I was surprised, because I feel like this movie was a lot more blunt about the situation she was in than most movies I see from this era that are dealing with pregnancy and being unmarried... Olivia de Havilland really does meet this guy, know him for a couple of hours and sleep with him without getting married, and then she's having his baby and he's dead. Are there other movies from this era that so frankly acknowledge that? Was it because she basically suffers the rest of the movie by having to give him up? Because even in the movie, she doesn't believe she deserves to suffer, she's pretty much constantly trying to get him back. I thought it was refreshingly matter of fact about the whole thing.

I agree on that last point. Even further, she goes into the one-night stand with her eyes open -- she's rejected the nice safe hometown boy, she knows the risks of having sex with this exciting guy she's never seen before, but she wants to do it, and does it. As I recall the book about director Mitchell Leisen, they had various negotiations about what could be said and shown (instead of "bastard" they had to say "little boy who has no father," etc.), but the overall story wasn't in jeopardy. Other versions of this "Madame X" scenario were filmed over the years, so maybe, as you suggested, the fact that she suffered afterward counted as retribution. I'll track the book down (it's somewhere in the house) and report back if I find anything.

In any case, I agree that this is a very superior example of this story premise -- best of its kind. The script is meticulous in setting up character points that pay off later, and the art direction is also meticulous: the flashbacks seem unusually convincing in period detail (loved that pharmacy). The double casting of John Lund as father and son works out wonderfully; not only Jody, but we the audience, know instantly who the kid must be when he shows up. And the movie also broke with Hollywood tradition by not making the parent of an adult ridiculously ancient. They realized that the CEO of a cosmetics company would be in a position to look her best, so no white hair or wrinkles -- they just gave her a less glamorous hair style, and a slightly stouter figure. 

[jah1986]

2 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

I agree on that last point. Even further, she goes into the one-night stand with her eyes open -- she's rejected the nice safe hometown boy, she knows the risks of having sex with this exciting guy she's never seen before, but she wants to do it, and does it. As I recall the book about director Mitchell Leisen, they had various negotiations about what could be said and shown (instead of "bastard" they had to say "little boy who has no father," etc.), but the overall story wasn't in jeopardy. Other versions of this "Madame X" scenario were filmed over the years, so maybe, as you suggested, the fact that she suffered afterward counted as retribution. I'll track the book down (it's somewhere in the house) and report back if I find anything.

In any case, I agree that this is a very superior example of this story premise -- best of its kind. The script is meticulous in setting up character points that pay off later, and the art direction is also meticulous: the flashbacks seem unusually convincing in period detail (loved that pharmacy). The double casting of John Lund as father and son works out wonderfully; not only Jody, but we the audience, know instantly who the kid must be when he shows up. And the movie also broke with Hollywood tradition by not making the parent of an adult ridiculously ancient. They realized that the CEO of a cosmetics company would be in a position to look her best, so no white hair or wrinkles -- they just gave her a less glamorous hair style, and a slightly stouter figure. 

 

8 hours ago, ruby24 said:

I watched To Each His Own (1946) tonight. I really liked it and Olivia was great, as usual. But I was surprised, because I feel like this movie was a lot more blunt about the situation she was in than most movies I see from this era that are dealing with pregnancy and being unmarried.

So I was under the impression that you really couldn't even hint at sex in the 40's outside the confines of marriage, no matter how convoluted a plot twist you had to come up with to get marriage in there.

But this movie didn't do that. Olivia de Havilland really does meet this guy, know him for a couple of hours and sleep with him without getting married, and then she's having his baby and he's dead. Are there other movies from this era that so frankly acknowledge that? Was it because she basically suffers the rest of the movie by having to give him up? Because even in the movie, she doesn't believe she deserves to suffer, she's pretty much constantly trying to get him back. I thought it was refreshingly matter of fact about the whole thing.

I just saw this movie for the first time a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I too was surprised by how open they were with her having a one night stand and resulting pregnancy. The only real concern she had was from her father. I think part of what made it acceptable was that the father died in combat, so she "suffered" and she didn't get to raise the child even if she did get her happy ending when he finally figured out she was his birth mother.

A similar movie, though not as good in my opinion, was My Foolish Heart with Susan Hayward and Dana Andrews. It wasn't a one night stand but a relationship over a period of weeks. You weren't sure the two had actually slept together until she found out she was pregnant. She chose not to tell the father because she didn't want him to marry her just because she was pregnant.  I was surprised by how matter of fact the movie was about it all considering the year (1949).

[caracas1914]

5 hours ago, jah1986 said:

 

I just saw this movie for the first time a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I too was surprised by how open they were with her having a one night stand and resulting pregnancy. The only real concern she had was from her father. I think part of what made it acceptable was that the father died in combat, so she "suffered" and she didn't get to raise the child even if she did get her happy ending when he finally figured out she was his birth mother.

A similar movie, though not as good in my opinion, was My Foolish Heart with Susan Hayward and Dana Andrews. It wasn't a one night stand but a relationship over a period of weeks. You weren't sure the two had actually slept together until she found out she was pregnant. She chose not to tell the father because she didn't want him to marry her just because she was pregnant.  I was surprised by how matter of fact the movie was about it all considering the year (1949).

To show you how much Hollywood mangled storylines because of the Production Code, I didn't realize until years later that "My Foolish Heart" was based on one of my favorite short stories from JD Salinger, "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut".    I guess the movie fills in the background story of an earlier affair  referenced by an older and jaded  female character later in life.   The movie is so removed from Salinger's tone.    Reportedly Salinger  was so pissed on how they bastardized the  story that he never gave permission for another adaptation of his work.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2020 by caracas1914

[Rinaldo]

17 hours ago, caracas1914 said:

Reportedly Salinger  was so pissed on how they bastardized the  story that he never gave permission for another adaptation of his work.

That seems to be confirmed as true. Many authors have said such things after an early bad adaptation, but unlike others, Salinger actually stuck to it. Otherwise we would surely have had a movie of such a popular book as The Catcher in the Rye.

[freddi]

I love "Harry and Tonto," but the realism is just so raw for me.  It certainly captured the feel of the early 1970s, just by pointing the camera.   My first cat had the exact same color/markings and happily walked on a leash and lived 20 years (walking a quarter mile many days).   I usually stop watching about five minutes before the end.  

Edited September 19, 2020 by freddi