TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[Charlie Baker]

I agree about Harry and Tonto capturing a real feel of the 70s.  It's a typically fine piece of work (human-scaled, funny, touching) from writer/director Paul Mazursky.  And Art Carney is really excellent in the kind of film role people weren't expecting him to get at that stage of his career. (He was considerably younger than Harry but it had been a while since his peak TV days and he had been working in the theater, most notably originating the role of Felix in The Odd Couple. ) He'd go on to another great movie part, in The Late Show.  I know there has been grousing over his Oscar win over some true heavyweights (Finney, Hoffman, Nicholson, Pacino!) but his performance was more than deserving IMO. 

[Rinaldo]

I agree about Harry and Tonto, and how it typifies the good work Paul Mazursky did as a director.

4 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

human-scaled, funny, touching

are exactly the words. My favorite of his is Next Stop, Greenwich Village, just two years later, but I loved H&T too. (Incidentally, when I told my DVR to look for Mazursky, it dug up some of his early acting work too, in Gunsmoke and other classic series. He continued to do cameo roles in his own and others' movies in the 1970s, but I hadn't realized how much acting was the mainstay of his early career.)

4 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

I know there has been grousing over his Oscar win over some true heavyweights (Finney, Hoffman, Nicholson, Pacino!) but his performance was more than deserving IMO. 

I remember watching the Oscars that year, and thinking that, although I was most fond of his performance, he seemed unlikely to win against four hot (and of course excellent) current favorites. But he did, and deservedly.

Edited September 20, 2020 by Rinaldo

[GreekGeek]

Yes, it's sad to see Carney's win turn up year after year on those "worst Oscar choices" lists. I did not realize Carney was nearly two decades younger than his character--he was only 54! And he carried the whole film, something you can't say about Pacino in Godfather II, Nicholson in Chinatown, and especially Finney in Murder on the Orient Express, excellent though they were.

Edited September 20, 2020 by GreekGeek

[Rinaldo]

47 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I did not realize Carney was nearly two decades younger than his character--he was only 54!

Especially as one of the memorable sentences in his acceptance speech was "I want to thank my agent for saying, 'Take the part, Art -- you are old'."

[freddi]

I know that "Postcards from the Edge" will never be on a "Best" list for Meryl Streep, but I was so delighted and surprised to see it on TCM last night.   The scenes with Shirley MacLaine and Streep are such a perfect balance of humor and deep strife, and the small roles are so perfectly cast.  My utterly favorite scene, which I caught just in time last night, is the stroll and conversation of Streep and Annette Bening.   A scene of two characters in completely opposite modes:  one disgusted and one delighted, one police officer and one cheesy hooker:  what a world of contrasts.   "Geeze, I thought for a minute you were part of a celebrity AIDS notification program."  "Endolphins."  And that scene where Streep in a calm three minutes transforms MacLaine from a frightened, intimidated, eyebrowless gnome into a swaggering star:  so deeply touching and mesmerizing.   Richard Dreyfuss.  Gene Hackman.   All gems.  

Edited September 23, 2020 by freddi

[StatisticalOutlier]

I watched Swing Shift yesterday, for the first time.  I've never been a huge Kurt Russell fan, or a fan of dimples, but he was adorable.

I've always had a dream of having a small apartment complex arranged around a courtyard where my friends and I can all live, in our separate units.  Complexes like I'm thinking of are all over southern California, and the one in Swing Shift is lovely. 

https://hookedonhouses.net/2010/07/05/goldie-hawns-1940s-bungalow-in-swing-shift/

Also, do any other oldsters remember the Sears catalog from many years ago that allegedly had a man's penis poking out from the hem of the boxer shorts he was modeling?  I had a similar "is that what I think it is?" moment in Swing Shift, right at the beginning when Ed Harris is wearing only a towel around his waist and plops down in a chair.  Thanks to modern technology, I was able to rewind it and yes indeed, it was what I thought it was.  Yikes.

So I consulted IMDb and others have noticed it, as well.  The thing is, I'm reliant on captions and often miss visual details because I'm reading, but I somehow caught this.  😮

[caracas1914]

On 9/19/2020 at 9:45 AM, freddi said:

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.  

What hits me in the early scenes  is the unvarnished  NY city of the film, and the messy lives of his three grown children.  Nothing catastrophic with the kids portrayed, just bruised adults navigating life.   Loved that about the film.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Art Carney's Oscar win was probably the equivalent of Marisa Tomei's win from the '90s, but I strongly believe they both earned them.

[ruby24]

Watched Possessed (1931) the other day. I heard it was one of the better Crawford/Gable movies, but I thought it was kind of minor. I usually like my pre-Code movies to be even racier, lol. 

I thought she was good though. She's always believable as this tough gal who doesn't take shit from anyone. There's this scene near the end when she's confessing to the guy from back home just how she got her money and he grabs her arm as he's insulting her, and the look she gives him. Just perfect. 

[Charlie Baker]

The Mankiewicz brothers (Josh and our own Ben) discuss their family, among other things.

Josh M and Ben M

 

 

 

[Rinaldo]

On 9/22/2020 at 4:40 PM, freddi said:

I know that "Postcards from the Edge" will never be on a "Best" list for Meryl Streep

It's one of the best movies ever for actor-spotting, though, if one is into that (as I am). Mike Nichols was in a position to secure substantial people for even the smallest roles (Annette Bening, already mentioned, is a prime example with her one scene), and I always delight in noticing CCH Pounder, Anthony Heald, Michael Ontkean, JD Souther, Dana Ivey, Robin Bartlett, Oliver Platt, et al in their relatively brief moments. Simon Callow, who plays the director within the movie, wrote in his memoir how surreal it seemed to him, in no way a huge Hollywood name, to be sitting at an early table read with Streep, MacLaine, Gene Hackman, Dennis Quaid, Mary Wickes, plus screenwriter Carrie Fisher nervously clutching his arm.

[meowmommy]

5 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

It's one of the best movies ever for actor-spotting, though, if one is into that (as I am).

I'll see you one "Postcards" and raise you one "The Player."

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

'll see you one "Postcards" and raise you one "The Player."

Well, that's hardly fair, hitting me with the all-time champ like that. 🙂🙂🙂   

Yes, clearly The Player retains its record for casting big actors in small parts. The ones with cameos are all playing themselves, too, which is appropriate to this sort of inside-Hollywood story but creates a few little stylistic hiccups: when new fictional characters are introduced relatively late in the film, we've been taught to react "oh look! Whoopi Goldberg, Lyle Lovett!" when they are in fact not being used as show-biz in-jokes but are actually being actors playing characters. It's not a huge problem, of course. I still adore the movie. 

[caracas1914]

On 9/22/2020 at 1:40 PM, freddi said:

I know that "Postcards from the Edge" will never be on a "Best" list for Meryl Streep, but I was so delighted and surprised to see it on TCM last night.   The scenes with Shirley MacLaine and Streep are such a perfect balance of humor and deep strife, and the small roles are so perfectly cast.  My utterly favorite scene, which I caught just in time last night, is the stroll and conversation of Streep and Annette Bening.   A scene of two characters in completely opposite modes:  one disgusted and one delighted, one police officer and one cheesy hooker:  what a world of contrasts.   "Geeze, I thought for a minute you were part of a celebrity AIDS notification program."  "Endolphins."  And that scene where Streep in a calm three minutes transforms MacLaine from a frightened, intimidated, eyebrowless gnome into a swaggering star:  so deeply touching and mesmerizing.   Richard Dreyfuss.  Gene Hackman.   All gems.  

 

The movies is in many ways "dated" but that doesn't necessarily mean it's all for the bad, more that it was emblematic of it's time.  The paterfamilias role of Gene Hackman as the director I could have done without his homilies at the end, but dang, he's such a good actor.  And Annette Bening just jumps off the screen.  

The best thing is the chemistry of Streep and McClaine, which  is palpable, and I loved the bit where McClaine is making a "healthy" smoothie when she suddenly pours  some gin/vodka to cap off the drink.   Priceless.

The  one thing about Meryl Streep,  I have to say her singing really bugs me in this film.   I get that in her first number she's still a bit hesitant and cowed.   However she doesn't inhabit physically when she sings , even in her last song in her triumphal moment, Streep's technically proficient but I never believed she was a singer. (And yes, I know she has a long musical background ).  

[freddi]

9 hours ago, caracas1914 said:

The  one thing about Meryl Streep,  I have to say her singing really bugs me in this film.   I get that in her first number she's still a bit hesitant and cowed.   However she doesn't inhabit physically when she sings , even in her last song in her triumphal moment, Streep's technically proficient but I never believed she was a singer. (And yes, I know she has a long musical background ).  

As I said above, I am entranced with so much about this film, and I will watch it from the start before it goes off "On Demand" next week.  But I never have watched the final song scene after the first time I saw the movie; it is literally a false note in an otherwise perfectly tuned film.  

[Charlie Baker]

"I'm Checkin' Out" is a great song,  and if I'm remembering accurately, Reba McIntire performed it at the Oscars and surpassed Meryl Streep's rendition in the movie.  Still it works for me within the movie's context.   So of course mileage varies. Overall, I think Postcards is an underrated movie.

Last night's Noir Alley was a compelling one for me.   I rarely stay up for the Saturday night airing, but I did for this. They Won't Believe Me has Robert Young, cast somewhat out of type, as a slacker who basically wrecks the lives of three different women, possibly without committing any crime. (A Zachary Scott part.)  Though he does pay for it, in a twist ending.  The three are secretary Susan Hayward, who despite getting top billing, has maybe the smallest of the three roles, Rita Johnson as the one Young is married to, and Jane Greer as a journalist he romances.  Ms. Greer is especially good.  It's not the noirest of noirs, and it might be unevenly convincing in plot and dialogue, but it's worth the ride.  It's of interest, too, because it was produced by Joan Harrison, who is the subject of a new biography; it's called Phantom Lady: The Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock.  The author of the book, Christina Lane, was Eddie Muller's guest on the host segments.  Ms. Harrison worked with Hitchcock on film and TV, and also produced films on her own, including They Won't Believe Me and another, The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry,  which EM announced Noir Alley would air in 2021, with Ms. Lane joining him again.  I am always interested in seeing figures from the Hollywood heyday, particularly women, get the kind of attention they haven't yet received.  

[magicdog]

On 9/19/2020 at 7:38 PM, Rinaldo said:

I told my DVR to look for Mazursky, it dug up some of his early acting work too, in Gunsmoke and other classic series. He continued to do cameo roles in his own and others' movies in the 1970s, but I hadn't realized how much acting was the mainstay of his early career.)

He also appeared in the original pilot for The Monkees TV series.  He played a "man on the street" reporter interviewing people, including his writing partner, Larry Tucker.  Both of them wrote the pilot as well.

[Luckylyn]

On 9/14/2020 at 11:29 PM, VCRTracking said:

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

 

 

Have any of you seen Space Station 76 which uses the 70s aesthetic?  I thought it was just going to be a spoof of 70s sci-fi and it was promoted like a comedy.   It’s more drama than comedy but I enjoyed it despite how heartbreaking some aspects were.  The parts that are funny are hilarious.  Any scene of Misty and the robot therapist is comedy gold.

 

  
 

[EtheltoTillie]

Why look for the imitation when you could have the real thing?  Did anyone catch CC and Company with Joe Namath and Ann-Margret?  Written by AM’s real life husband. Namath, fresh on the heels of his Super Bowl victory, was touted as an actor. I for one remember when he posed in pantyhose. Anyway, here he plays a motorcycle mechanic who gets sucked into motorcycle gang life until he is saved by and saves AM. The scene where the girl gang members talk film esoterica to distract a security guard is a gem. Like those girls would know cinema verite!  One says “It’s a cross between Antonioni and AIP!”   A great line. Shades of Faster Pussycat Kill Kill. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by GussieK

[GreekGeek]

Did anyone catch Executive Suite today? I'd never heard of it and I'm glad I watched it. A stellar cast--William Holden, Fredric March, Walter Pidgeon, Barbara Stanwyck, Louis Calhern, June Allyson, Shelley Winters, and others. It's a power struggle among executives when the chairman of the board suddenly dies. The central conflict is between excellence and profit, still timely, even though the executives are all Older White Guys, the relatively youthful Holden being the exception. He makes a wonderfully stirring speech at the end about the soul-destroying power of greed. 

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, GreekGeek said:

Did anyone catch Executive Suite today? I'd never heard of it and I'm glad I watched it. A stellar cast--William Holden, Fredric March, Walter Pidgeon, Barbara Stanwyck, Louis Calhern, June Allyson, Shelley Winters, and others. It's a power struggle among executives when the chairman of the board suddenly dies. The central conflict is between excellence and profit, still timely, even though the executives are all Older White Guys, the relatively youthful Holden being the exception. He makes a wonderfully stirring speech at the end about the soul-destroying power of greed. 

I saw it years ago. Sounds like it’s worth a revisit.

Edited September 28, 2020 by GussieK

[VCRTracking]

13 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

Did anyone catch Executive Suite today? I'd never heard of it and I'm glad I watched it. A stellar cast--William Holden, Fredric March, Walter Pidgeon, Barbara Stanwyck, Louis Calhern, June Allyson, Shelley Winters, and others. It's a power struggle among executives when the chairman of the board suddenly dies. The central conflict is between excellence and profit, still timely, even though the executives are all Older White Guys, the relatively youthful Holden being the exception. He makes a wonderfully stirring speech at the end about the soul-destroying power of greed. 

I saw it years ago and liked it. It plays like a modern day version of the story of what happens to kingdom when the king dies.

[Milburn Stone]

8 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I saw it years ago and liked it. It plays like a modern day version of the story of what happens to kingdom when the king dies.

This reminds me of the Ethan Hawke version of Hamlet. They set it in modern-day Manhattan but used Shakespeare's dialogue verbatim (although abridged). Sounds like a crazy combo but I thought it was terrific. Absolutely faithful to the ideas in the play, and making them mean something more to a contemporary audience than they otherwise might. Hamlet's dad was CEO of The Denmark Corporation.

[caracas1914]

OMG, It had been ages since I had seen "The Fountainhead"(Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey) , and to my delight it's still as batshit crazy a movie as I remember.

They Ayn Rand dialogue is something to behold,  and I can't get over how Gary Cooper designs a housing project for the poor and damn if their needs not be addressed over his individual rights.    The closing speech by Gary Cooper to the jury goes on and on and one.... It's hilarious.

OF course THE  scene of the  drill being used by Gary Cooper at the quarry  that Patricia Neal dreams about afterwards.....best phallic symbol imagery in a Production Code film ever.....

 

[Wiendish Fitch]

14 minutes ago, caracas1914 said:

OMG, It had been ages since I had seen "The Fountainhead"(Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey) , and to my delight it's still as batshit crazy a movie as I remember.

They Ayn Rand dialogue is something to behold,  and I can't get over how Gary Cooper designs a housing project for the poor and damn if their needs not be addressed over his individual rights.    The closing speech by Gary Cooper to the jury goes on and on and one.... It's hilarious.

OF course THE  scene of the  drill being used by Gary Cooper at the quarry  that Patricia Neal dreams about afterwards.....best phallic symbol imagery in a Production Code film ever.....

 

Good lord, that movie is a sight to behold (and not in a good way). I love how Gary Cooper is, oh, a quarter of a century too old to play Howard Roark, and that speech to the jury? Really look at Cooper's eyes, you can tell he can't believe the crap coming out of his mouth, either. 

[VCRTracking]

The dialogue is hilarious:

 

So apparently Howard Roark went up to this guy to apply for a job who looked over his plans but didn't ask his name first? 

I love that in the world of the novel/movie architecture critics are not only evil but incredibly powerful and influencial!

[Milburn Stone]

14 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

The dialogue is hilarious:

 

So apparently Howard Roark went up to this guy to apply for a job who looked over his plans but didn't ask his name first? 

I love that in the world of the novel/movie architecture critics are not only evil but incredibly powerful and influencial!

Boy, does that clip ever owe a debt to Citizen Kane!

[caracas1914]

It doesn't get any better than this....

 

[Milburn Stone]

Loved Noir Alley's screening of They Didn't Believe Me. Really interesting plot line, great dialogue, great casting. Joan Harrison arguably the "auteur" of it. Bonus was Eddie's intro and outro interview of Christina Lane, author of the first biography of Harrison, titled Phantom Lady. (After one of her films.) I happen to be reading it now and it's quite good.

[VCRTracking]

Dang, who knew tiny June Allyson could slap you into next week?

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

Well, shit.  They redesigned the TCM online schedule.  The text is vastly larger than it used to be, and half of the vertical space is taken up by fixed things, so the actual schedule is only half the screen, plus there's no "expand all" option, so all you see is titles unless you click on each individual movie title (and that's all it shows--the title and year).  And no more Leonard Maltin star ratings to be a quick indication that it's something I might should watch.  And no more categories, like "suspense" or "comedy," never mind color codes.

Plus when you click on a date, it takes a LOT longer to bring up the schedule for that date than it used to, no doubt because of all the graphics and photos that are there now. 

The old one was nice and compact, so you could see almost a whole day's schedule even in expanded mode.  The new format provides zero additional information, but makes you work a lot harder for it, and it all takes up vastly more space on the screen than before.

Actually, the new one does provide additional information, in the form of one still from the movie.  Spare me.

This might work for people who know what every movie is by name, but I don't.  There have been a lot of them that I've watched just because a description popped out at me while I was scanning.  No more of that. 

The only good thing I can say about it is that it really is a daily schedule, as in starting at midnight.  But that's the ONLY thing.

ETA: I just went to my bank's website and it says, "A new logon experience is coming, October 2020. We are improving how you access usaa.com to make it faster and more secure."  I'm sensing a staged rollout of "improvements" to every site I use, specifically designed to ruin my life. 

Edited October 1, 2020 by StatisticalOutlier

[vb68]

On 10/1/2020 at 4:24 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Well, shit.  They redesigned the TCM online schedule.  The text is vastly larger than it used to be, and half of the vertical space is taken up by fixed things, so the actual schedule is only half the screen, plus there's no "expand all" option, so all you see is titles unless you click on each individual movie title (and that's all it shows--the title and year).  And no more Leonard Maltin star ratings to be a quick indication that it's something I might should watch.  And no more categories, like "suspense" or "comedy," never mind color codes.

 

I was just coming here to say how much I hate the new website design, especially the schedule. I always loved going through the schedule and looking at all the nightly themes for a month. Now you don't even see a nightly theme.   And yeah, no Leonard Maltin reviews. There really is a lot less information.

Edited October 3, 2020 by vb68

[Milburn Stone]

17 hours ago, vb68 said:

I was just coming here to say how much I hate the new website design, especially the schedule. I always loved going through the schedule and looking at all the themes for a movie. Now you don't even see a nightly theme.   And yeah, no Leonard Maltin reviews. There really is a lot less information.

I guess WarnerMax is exerting more control over TCM--with decisions being made by people freshly brought in who care nothing about the channel's culture.

[Rinaldo]

Time Without Pity was shown because of Peter Cushing (whose emergence as a horror star it immediately preceded), but it could equally well have fit into Noir Alley (British division) or the UK wave of Angry Young Men films (which it foreshadows) or adaptations of plays of suspense. This 1957 movie, directed by Joseph Losey, has elements of all of those, as it shows us recovering-alcoholic father (Michael Redgrave) returning to London after to try to find evidence that will exonerate his son (Alec McCowen), about to be excited for the murder of his girlfriend.

The limited time available before the execution adds to the pressure, and we get strong support from Leo McKern, Ann Todd, Cushing, and Paul Daneman (a superb, seldom-seen actor -- catch his Richard III on the series An Age of Kings), with vivid cameos from Renée Houston, Joan Plowright (as the showgirl sister of the deceased), and Lois Maxwell, shortly before she became immortal as Miss Moneypenny. It's a sharp, memorable piece of moviemaking that should be better known, and it confirms that Michael Redgrave left a legacy of extraordinary performances on film.

[EtheltoTillie]

6 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Time Without Pity was shown because of Peter Cushing (whose emergence as a horror star it immediately preceded), but it could equally well have fit into Noir Alley (British division) or the UK wave of Angry Young Men films (which it foreshadows) or adaptations of plays of suspense. This 1957 movie, directed by Joseph Losey, has elements of all of those, as it shows us recovering-alcoholic father (Michael Redgrave) returning to London after to try to find evidence that will exonerate his son (Alec McCowen), about to be excited for the murder of his girlfriend.

The limited time available before the execution adds to the pressure, and we get strong support from Leo McKern, Ann Todd, Cushing, and Paul Daneman (a superb, seldom-seen actor -- catch his Richard III on the series An Age of Kings), with vivid cameos from Renée Houston, Joan Plowright (as the showgirl sister of the deceased), and Lois Maxwell, shortly before she became immortal as Miss Moneypenny. It's a sharp, memorable piece of moviemaking that should be better known, and it confirms that Michael Redgrave left a legacy of extraordinary performances on film.

I saw this some months ago and liked it very much.

[EtheltoTillie]

I started watching Million Dollar Baby, which is sort of a second rate Devil and Miss Jones.   I don't think I can sit through all of it, though I liked Priscilla Lane as the poor girl and Mae Robson as the dowager.  The real revelation is--wait for it--Ronald Reagan.  He seemed so natural and endearing.  This is particularly poignant now in this crazy election season, remembering the strange unreality of Reagan's ascendancy in 1980. 

[Charlie Baker]

Saddened to learn of the passing of the great dancer Tommy Rall.

 

[LilWharveyGal]

11 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

...about to be excited for the murder of his girlfriend.

I have to admit, this typo gave me a chuckle.

[EtheltoTillie]

Today was apparently Jean Harlow Day.   The best thing was the Cagney showcase Public Enemy, which I hadn't seen since the 70s, when I thought it was just outdated nostalgia with that famous grapefruit scene.  No, it's deep. A  brilliant portrait of a psychopath. 

Edited October 9, 2020 by GussieK

[voiceover]

What is there about shipboard romances and unforgettable intros?  The all-timer is One Way Passage, but I'll give Love Affair and Irene Dunne's "It'll never replace baseball" a solid second place.   Turns the concept of "meet cute" into the sappy eye-rolling cliche it deserves to be.

[Rinaldo]

On 10/7/2020 at 7:52 PM, Charlie Baker said:

Saddened to learn of the passing of the great dancer Tommy Rall.

Oh, this saddens me so much. I had been keeping an eye on him (from a respectful distance) for decades now, wondering how he was doing and hoping he would write his memoirs (a possibility now closed, unless there's a surprise coming that his obituaries didn't mention...). For one thing, starting in the 1960s there would be long gaps between his known credits, and I always wonder how a performer stays solvent in such cases. (I know he was enjoying his painting, but that's not lucrative; I recall some online bio mentioning an office job in later years -- banking? though that seems unlikely -- but I can't locate it now.)

He was a triple threat on a grand scale, employable in each specialty on its own: he acted in straight drama films, danced with a ballet company, and sang leading tenor roles in opera. His wonderful dancing in movies needs no hype: just watch him in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kiss Me Kate, My Sister Eileen (e.g. the challenge duet with Bob Fosse linked above). As he moved toward the stage, he would do stage musicals that called for singing, without any dancing, and then he actually performed leading roles in opera (mostly in Boston), like those in Our Lady's Juggler, Lulu, Carmen, and Tosca. (I'd love to find a tape of one of those.) And then he faded out of sight, with decades of life still ahead of him. Someone should still write his biography -- maybe the same author who wrote such an exceptional book about Joan McCracken. Anyway, Tommy Rall should be remembered with honor as long as people watch musical films.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Rinaldo

[voiceover]

Hadn't seen it in ages, so I'd forgotten how much I love the last moment in Sounder.  Funny how when Paul Winfield bursts into laughter, I burst into tears.

One of the best "Dad" films ever.

[BooksRule]

I've been recording and gradually watching some of the old 'cheesier' sci-fi and horror movies that TCM is showing during October.  I had never seen some of them, particularly some of the 'made in Italy' 1960s movies about the perils of living on a space station in the future (Gamma One!).  The sets were so 1960s Star Trek-y 'mod', that I expected to see Capt. Kirk appear around the corner at any time.  After the second one, I realized that they all had a connection, and read that they were all filmed close together so that they could use the same sets and were supposed to originally be a TV series or something. Lots of fun cheese!  

On the other hand, I've enjoyed watching a few films I hadn't seen in a while, especially 'Village of the Damned' (the first of the 'evil/creepy children' movies, I think).  Not too bad, but if you've never read the original novel by John Wyndham ('The Midwich Cuckoos') I recommend it.  (He also wrote 'Day of the Triffids' and another book that I don't think has ever been turned into a movie-- 'Out of the Deeps'.)

[ruby24]

Watched The Devil-Doll (1936). I liked it! Something about Lionel Barrymore being in disguise as an old woman most of the movie combined with watching the tiny people being used as assassins was campy and funny and yet the movie is still entertaining and effective as a kind of mad scientist revenge story. Not exactly horror, but you can tell there was some Bride of Frankenstein influence in here (which makes sense, since that came out the year before).

[Robert Lynch]

55 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

Watched The Devil-Doll (1936). I liked it! Something about Lionel Barrymore being in disguise as an old woman most of the movie combined with watching the tiny people being used as assassins was campy and funny and yet the movie is still entertaining and effective as a kind of mad scientist revenge story. Not exactly horror, but you can tell there was some Bride of Frankenstein influence in here (which makes sense, since that came out the year before).

You need to watch John Barrymore in Svengeli! Those blank eyes are the stuff of nightmares. It's frightening how effective these old 1930s movies were. John use to scare me in that scene. I think Rob Zombie and the enemy boss Mendez from Resident 4 are definitely influenced by him. John did it before them. Think about that!

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Robert Lynch

[mariah23]

Another one for TCM Remembers: Rhonda Fleming died Wednesday at age 97.

[Robert Lynch]

15 minutes ago, mariah23 said:

Another one for TCM Remembers: Rhonda Fleming died Wednesday at age 97.

She was one attractive lady in the 40s and 50s.

[Charlie Baker]

Ben M with Elliott Gould

His latest for CBS Sunday Morning.

[voiceover]

This is the life!  Exotic loungewear, French perfume, and Italian crystal: iced & brimming with Paradise Cocktail ("Always the most precious, the last few drops!").  Now I'm ready for a late-night viewing of One Way Passage.

The shipboard romance features Kay Francis in the best performance, and wardrobe, of her career (It's why I always dress up before I watch).  She's matched by William Powell's elegant, sensitive fugitive and Aline MacMahon's fabulous turn as a fake Countess.  

This was also one of Robert Osborne's favorites.  Another reason -- as if I needed it -- to love him forever.

 

[Charlie Baker]

Marge and Gower.