TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[Crs97]

Absolutely love The Ghost and Mrs. Muir!  I haven't seen it forever, but I wore out my videotape of it back in the day!

 

I finally saw Love Affair in its entirety.  Charles Boyer was wonderful, as always, but I think I might like Cary Grant a little better in the role.  I will say that as Charles was coming down the stairs I was thinking he wouldn't affect me as much as Cary does; I am happy to say I was completely wrong.  However, in the final scene Cary had a little more bitterness in his comments before he realized Terry's situation; Cary's "waiting" was so perfect that it makes the scene.  I know; I'm weird.

 

I don't know that I have seen Irene Dunne at her finest.  Love Affair wasn't it for me.  Deborah Kerr is Terry McCay for me!

[Pickles Aplenty]

I had never heard of Gene Tierney, but after looking her up on IMDB, I can see what you're talking about when it comes to her beauty.  She was stunning, and not in that obvious, Marilyn way...there is something mysterious about her, something you can't quite put your finger on.  I would love to see her in action, so to speak.

[Bastet]

I would love to see her in action, so to speak.

 

You can't really go wrong with Leave Her to Heaven. 

[monakane]

To the fans of Gene Tierney, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir will be on TCM, Sunday at 8 p.m.

[elle]

You can't really go wrong with Leave Her to Heaven. 

Speaking of creepy!

 

To the fans of Gene Tierney, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir will be on TCM, Sunday at 8 p.m.

Thanks for the alert!

[Rick Kitchen]

Gene Tierney had an affair with JFK, so the story goes, but she dumped him when he wouldn't marry her because she was a divorcee and he had political ambitions.  She had been married and divorced from Oleg Cassini.

[aradia22]

I decided to start watching Georgy Girl because... why not. Sometimes I don't know what I'm in the mood for. It didn't feel like a musical day or a rom-com day and I didn't think I was up to watching Svengali or The Ghost and Mrs. Muir so Georgy Girl it was. I'm generally not that into black-and-white movies after the 1940's. I don't know. It doesn't always feel like a purposeful artistic decision and I miss the beauty of the way those earlier movies were shot. The opening number was fun and a little surreal with the song being so closely aligned with what the character was doing almost like a Greek chorus or a one-sided conversation. It was an interesting little movie with people cracking jokes constantly. I was never quite sure what everyone was actually feeling. It was a little creepy at times. A little ridiculous. I wished at times that it had been in color so I could have gotten a better idea of the fashion and the hair and the general environment but I got used to the black and white pretty quickly, at least by the 30 minute mark.

 

I'm an hour in. I'll try and finish tomorrow.

[voiceover]

Ahhhh, Airport....even though Dean Martin's character is dickish, I still love it when he barks, "Tell him [burt Lancaster] to get his penguin butt out there..."

The 70s = last era of "grown-up" films.  

Edited March 6, 2015 by voiceover

[elle]

Ahhhh, Airport....even though Dean Martin's character is dickish, I still love it when he barks, "Tell him [burt Lancaster] to get his penguin butt out there..."

The 70s = last era of "grown-up" films.  

Still my choice for Big Name disaster films.  Well deserved Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role to Helen Hayes!

 

As much as I love this film, and still do in many ways, simply because that is the the field and terminal scenes were filmed entirely at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, hometown pride!; I find myself cringing at Dean Martin's arrogant pilot routine.   I try to skip ahead to when they are landing.

 

Favorite quote: Joe Patroni: That's one nice thing about the 707. It can do everything BUT read.

[Bastet]

I have a major soft spot for '70s disaster films, so it is no surprise that I love Airport, but I seriously love Airport.

[WendyCR72]

I have a major soft spot for '70s disaster films, so it is no surprise that I love Airport, but I seriously love Airport.

 

I believe that (and other such disaster movies) is what Airplane! so hilariously spoofed.

[Bastet]

Yep, and I love that one, too.

[elle]

 

I believe that (and other such disaster movies) is what Airplane! so hilariously spoofed.

As you probably already know, but in case you or others do not, the dialog and plot are almost exactly the same as the Dana Andrews movie Zero Hour! (1957).

[ennui]

I have a major soft spot for '70s disaster films, so it is no surprise that I love Airport, but I seriously love Airport.

Me, too. But I have a thing for Burt Lancaster, anyway. Other disaster films I love are Earthquake! and Towering Inferno. Some of those disaster films had great casts.

[voiceover]

LOVE Patroni, and his  affectionate slap on the tail of the damaged plane.

[elle]

LOVE Patroni, and his  affectionate slap on the tail of the damaged plane.

Patroni: You know they don't call the emergencies anymore, they call them" Patronis".

 

I have grown to appreciate the other disaster movies of the 70s, like Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno.  I still find Earthquake too cheesy.  But, as mentioned, Airport will be my favorite, despite Dean Martin.

 

Did anyone catch The King's Speech on TCM the other night?  I'm curious if there was a disclaimer before the movie since it much of the dialogue is "blue".

[Julia]

Did anyone catch The King's Speech on TCM the other night?  I'm curious if there was a disclaimer before the movie since it much of the dialogue is "blue".

 

I didn't notice one. I did think, though, that there was an unusually good plot-driven reason for the profanity in that movie. 

[aradia22]

I finished up Georgy Girl. It was a good watch. Not super challenging or bright and earnest. I think the movie might have cut off early. It was just after the wedding and Georgy was yelling to her mother for Sara and then my recording cut straight to Ben wrapping up at the end. I haven't settled into my feelings yet. At first I found Georgy talking about her looks and such a bit too obvious. It was very blunt for a straightforward movie like this. She seemed quite domestic but looking back, I'm not really sure what she wanted out of life and why she ultimately decided to marry James Mason. Meredith was also depicted a bit too harshly. Reading into it I can understand her a little but given the way the other characters were depicted she was a bit too much of a caricature. I could have used more from Georgy's parents at the end.

[aradia22]

In what order would you recommend watching Irma La Douce, Sweet Charity, and Nights of Cabiria?

[Julia]

Either 3,2,1 or 3,1,2, depending how you feel about Bob Fosse. Both 1 and 2 are kind of artifacts of their day, with 1 redeemed by the actors and 2 redeemed by the dance numbers (JMO).

Personally, Sammy Davis' Rhythm of Life (featuring very young Ben Vereen) wins it for Sweet Charity, just for me.

[elle]

I didn't notice one. I did think, though, that there was an unusually good plot-driven reason for the profanity in that movie. 

I agree, for that movie, there was an unusually good reason for the profanity.  Since I enjoying hearing the clever dialog found in so many TCM movies, where not every other word is profane, I wondered if they would mention anything.  Of course, I would be much more willing to let my daughter watch that movie than Psycho or any other horror movie! (apples and oranges, I know)

 

Either 3,2,1 or 3,1,2, depending how you feel about Bob Fosse. Both 1 and 2 are kind of artifacts of their day, with 1 redeemed by the actors and 2 redeemed by the dance numbers (JMO).

Personally, Sammy Davis' Rhythm of Life (featuring very young Ben Vereen) wins it for Sweet Charity, just for me.

I love that song/dance! Second would be the dance on the rooftoop with Paula Kelly and Chita Rivera and then followed up closely by whatever the dance is called in the very exclusive club, also with a very young Ben Vereen).

 

I'd say Cabria, Charity, Irma -- sad to sad/bittersweet to whimsical.

[Rinaldo]

Second would be the dance on the rooftop with Paula Kelly and Chita Rivera

"There's Gotta Be Something Better than This."

and then followed up closely by whatever the dance is called in the very exclusive club, also with a very young Ben Vereen).

"The Rich Man's Frug." (In three parts, labeled onscreen: The Aloof, The Heavyweight, and The Big Finish.) This whole number is my own first choice. One of my favorite movie dances of all time, in fact.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Rinaldo

[elle]

Thanks, Rinaldo, for the song titles!  Do you know if that is the only time Paula Kelly and/or Chita Rivera are dancing on film, not TV, but in a movie?  

 

And isn't that Ann Reinking as the girl with the long ponytail in the club?

 

I have to say years ago, when "Gap" was promoting their khakis with song and dance commercials, I actually shrieked in happiness to hear "The Rich Man's Fug" and see those dance steps in their commercial.

[Rinaldo]

I can't say for sure about Paula Kelly -- she was in a fair number of movies. At least one (Lost in the Stars) is a musical, but I don't know if she had any singing in it. And I don't know if she played a singer/dancer in any of the action movies she did in the 1970s.

 

Chita Rivera, amazingly, has almost no movie career. Aside from Sweet Charity, there are only a couple of blink-and-you-missed-her cameos, in Sgt. Pepper and Chicago. (She did get to be a regular on a sitcom for one season -- she and Richard Deacon played the neighbors on the last season of The New Dick Van Dyke Show.)

 

No, that's not Ann Reinking, who would have been 19 at the time and had yet to meet Bob Fosse (she first turned up in the ensemble of Pippin, a couple of years later). The lead dancer is Suzanne Charney, who had also done the role on Broadway. (And yes, Ben Vereen is clearly noticeable several times.)

[elle]

Thank you again, Rinaldo!

 

I can't believe I forgot to mention Stubby Kaye and the song "I Love to Cry at Weddings"!  For a bittersweet movie, many of the songs are upbeat and hopeful.

 

In what order would you recommend watching Irma La Douce, Sweet Charity, and Nights of Cabiria?

aradia22, did you know that Irma la Douce was originally a musical?  Shirley McLaine is quoted as saying she regretted that they did not keep the songs in the film version.  Only a bit of one I think called "Dis-Donc" is heard when Nestor is made ""king" and Irma is dancing on the pool table.

 

Bit Part Alerts:  Keep an eye out for Bill Bixby as one of Irma's customers, and (my favorite)Grace Lee Whitney (aka Janice Rand from "Star Trek") and Joan Shawlee (Buddy's wife Pickles from "The Dick Van Dyke Show") as two of the girls.  They also appear with Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot, Joan as "Sweet Sue" the band leader and Grace Lee as one of the band members.

[Rinaldo]

Irma la Douce was originally a musical

As with the film of Fanny from the same decade, what had been a musical onstage became a nonmusical film. Fanny used the music of the songs as the background score, at least; Irma had a new score by André Previn, through his use of one of the stage songs as a theme ("The Language of Love") qualified it for the Adaptation/Treament category (as opposed to Original Score) which it in fact won.

[aradia22]

I decided to put on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir since I've been staying away from the posts on this board about it to avoid ruining anything for myself. I'm not too precious about spoilers but one never knows what could affect one's enjoyment of a movie. I was very scared of the music at first. It seemed to be setting the tone for another type of movie and quite obtrusive. I was thankful when it died down when the dialogue started. I did continue to find it annoying throughout the movie though it helped when then "horror/thriller" sound gave way to more the haunting, romantic sound. Gene Tierney's face seemed quite angular at first but also doll-like in a kind of pinched way with her small mouth and upturned nose. She was gorgeous at the cottage though. I love the glow-y lighting in black and white movies. There's nothing like it in modern movies. I like the script and the banter between Gene and Rex Harrison. I was a little disappointed that baby Natalie Wood and that adorable dog disappeared for a lot of the movie. He's not quite up there with my favorite leading men but there was something very sexy about Rex Harrison in this movie. Sometime around the middle of the movie, maybe when her in-laws visited, Gene Tierney's character became disappointingly quiet, and confused, and subservient. George Sanders was super rape-y and stalker-y. Especially since for all he knew she was married during the majority of his flirting. He didn't get much less rape-y and stalker-y, visiting her uninvited, smelling her handkerchief like a creeper. 

 

I'm up to the part of the movie where he's painting. I feel like I've seen this part of the movie before. The remote has been taken from me so I'll fill you in on my thoughts when I have a chance to finish the movie.

I'm worried about starting with Nights of Cabiria because I think I'll be bored. In spite of my highfalutin interests, even I have my limits. ;)

[Bastet]

I was very scared of the music at first. It seemed to be setting the tone for another type of movie and quite obtrusive. I was thankful when it died down when the dialogue started. I did continue to find it annoying throughout the movie though it helped when then "horror/thriller" sound gave way to more the haunting, romantic sound.

 

I've read that Bernard Herrmann considered the Ghost and Mrs. Muir score one of the best of his career.

[elle]

Oh it must be fun to watch these movies for the first  time!

 

 

 He's not quite up there with my favorite leading men but there was something very sexy about Rex Harrison in this movie.

Oh my yes!

 

I love the glow-y lighting in black and white movies. There's nothing like it in modern movies.

Preaching to the choir here! :0)  Even in modern black and white movies, it just doesn't have the same feeling.

 

Going back to handsome men, Roman Holiday was the movie for "The Essentials" last night with Sally Field.  At the end when they were discussing the movie she made a comment how looking at Gregory Peck's face, seeing him knowing Audrey wasn't coming back, we knew she would not.  To which, Robert Osborne responded, in fact, "yes, but you are hoping for him that she will".  I thought that was sweet.  (And I love the ending as is)

 

ETA: COINCIDENCE!  The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is on right now!  I am going to pay particular attention to the music this viewing.

Edited March 9, 2015 by elle

[Rinaldo]

Roman Holiday is such a treat! More than one actress has mentioned her undeniable envy at not getting that kind of glamorous introduction for a first starring role: a princess in Rome with Gregory Peck. But of course there's only one Audrey Hepburn. There's a story (maybe they mentioned it on the air this time) that she was supposed to get lesser billing in the main titles and posters, as she was basically unknown to the public at the time, and it was Peck who went to the producers and said, "You'd better give her star billing alongside me or we're going to look like an ignorant bunch of fools who don't know star quality when we see it."

[aradia22]

Finishing up The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I think the inclusion of George Sanders as the second love interest was a mistake. It made me look less favorably on her relationship with Daniel. Now, I have a picture of this woman who at 17 ran off with basically the first man who kissed her. Then fell for the next man to show interest in her after she was widowed. And then went for the next man to show interest in her when she ventured out of the house (other than the real estate broker). He's real? For God's sake, go out and meet someone normal. Also, things like Lucy/Lucia cemented the point about her really losing her personality in that middle section where she became so subservient and rather charming/blasted struck a warning note about how she tends to adapt to the man in her life. She wasn't really getting stronger by living on her own by the sea because she was still under the influence of another person.

 

They totally Wuthering Heights it at the end. Yes, I want to make that a verb. 

 

I didn't pay too much attention to the old age makeup but I thought it was reasonably well done without being too realistic and losing the beauty. Let's be honest, they weren't going to age her that much. The second half did feel very rushed with them speeding up the timeline.

[aradia22]

 

Daniel left after the first year and didn't return until Lucy died.  How was she "under his influence"?

I meant while he was there. From the first confrontation in the kitchen you can see how her personality is slowly overtaken by his. It would be fine if he just gave her a pet name and she started adopting his vocabulary from long acquaintance but it's not a two way street. He doesn't pick up anything from her. 

 

Its important to remember that things were vastly different when this was written, when the movie was made and when it is set.  They don't think like we do.

Sorry, but that's not a terribly convincing argument. The movie is supposedly set in the early 1900's. There are countless novels written before then that show both men and women not subscribing to those ideas. Plus, it's at odds with the character we were shown in the beginning, the Lucy who wanted to escape from being under the thumb of her in laws and become her own person. 

 

I do wonder if like Wuthering Heights, a lot was lost in the translation from novel to film.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I'm worried about starting with Nights of Cabiria because I think I'll be bored.

If you are bored  by Nights of Cabiria I will begin, truly, to worry about you.  The one non-spoiler thing I will say that much more than any of Fellini's movies the whole thing is leading up to the last five minutes.  One of the greatest endings in the history of the movies.  Seriously.

[aradia22]

Well, I tried to watch The Diary of a Pregnant Woman today and only made it through 7 minutes (some of that was the intro from Ben). 

[Milburn Stone]

Its important to remember that things were vastly different when this was written, when the movie was made and when it is set.  They don't think like we do.

 

And yet the amazing thing is that when they did it right, it works for all time.

[ennui]

I love the glow-y lighting in black and white movies. There's nothing like it in modern movies.

I believe that glow has a lot to do with the equipment, and the filters used on the camera lenses.

Tallulah Bankhead said, "They used to photograph Shirley Temple through gauze. They should photograph me through linoleum."

[Rinaldo]

This Sunday is another Disney Night on TCM, co-hosted by Leonard Maltin. This is the schedule, with his comments from his blog:

 

 8:00 PM      Darby O’Gill and the Little People

 9:45 PM      I Captured the King of the Leprechauns

10:45 PM     Babes in the Woods (Silly Symphony about elves – closest I could get to Leprechauns)

11:00 PM     The Story of the Animated Drawing (great history of animation)

12:00 AM     The Three Caballeros (animated classic not often seen)

  1:30 AM     Walt & El Grupo (documentary about Walt’s trip to South America)

  3:15 AM     The Fighting Prince of Donegal (back to the Irish theme to end the night)

 

The second item is the "Disneyland" show promotional hour for the first, which is a hoot if you've never seen it: Sean Connery, pre-Bond and pre-fame, as a young musical-comedy leading man. I'm also a fan of The Three Caballeros, which has some psychedelic animated effects along with some very pleasant Latin American music of the period. And The Fighting Prince of Donegal is one of the live-action adventures filmed in the UK for Disney. This one, being mid-60s comes a decade after most of the others. I've never seen it, but I think the Treasure Island and Robin Hood from the 1950s are both terrific, and this cast seems promising.

[ruby24]

I personally think that should Robert Osborne retire, Leonard Maltin ought to be the one to take over in the primary host position. He's a film historian, he's written those movie guides for years, he has so much more "cred" in regards to classic films. I would so much rather watch somebody like him than Ben Mankiewicz on TCM all the time.

[LuciaMia]

Good Lord, how many 'Maisie' (Ann Southern was set for life!) movies did they make back then?  Whenever I see one of them on the TCM schedule, you know that's it for the next day.  Anybody who complains about today's Hollywood sequels should check those out.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Good Lord, how many 'Maisie' (Ann Southern was set for life!) movies did they make back then?

Hey, I really dig Maisie. Totally hot and totally tough.   For annoying I'd pick Blondie.

[elle]

Hey, I really dig Maisie. Totally hot and totally tough.   For annoying I'd pick Blondie.

The Maisie movies are fun.  They remind me of the "series movies" that were made at that time such as "The Falcon" or much later the "Carry On" movies.

 

This Sunday is another Disney Night on TCM, co-hosted by Leonard Maltin. This is the schedule, with his comments from his blog:

Thanks for the programming alert!  I'm trying to figure out how long it has been since I have seen "The Three Caballeros" in its entirety.

[Aethera]

Man, Darby O'Gill scared the pants off me as a small child.  I was just talking about it with my dad (a complete and total TCM addict; he watches it pretty much 24/7) just yesterday, and how I haven't seen it since I was about 12, but it's still seared in my brain all these years later.  That banshee, the death carriage, so terrifying. 

[aradia22]

 

I personally think that should Robert Osborne retire, Leonard Maltin ought to be the one to take over in the primary host position. He's a film historian, he's written those movie guides for years, he has so much more "cred" in regards to classic films. I would so much rather watch somebody like him than Ben Mankiewicz on TCM all the time.

Ben is fine to me. He's almost like a neutral entity. He doesn't show a ton of personality but then I can't remember him ever saying anything that annoyed me. I watched Leonard Maltin's review show briefly. I think his presentation is fine but I don't agree with a lot of his opinions on movies and the little blurbs he writes for the website are nigh well useless.

[ruby24]

I've seen Ben make a reference to the Kardashians on two separate intros, and it annoyed me. Plus I much prefer the idea of a real film historian being the face of TCM, even if it makes me something of an elitist I guess.

[Sharpie66]

As an overall movie critic, I have real issues with Maltin. But, as a Disney expert, I give him major props--his book on the subject was a real education for me when I was in junior high.

[elle]

Adding my vote for Ben Mankiewicz as host for TCM.  I like his laid back style and the sense of history he brings to his descriptions.  If he referred to the Kardashians, then it must have been a recent intro.  I don't like them, but I don't fault him for using them to make a connection to the movie. (or I might if I had seen it too).

 

I meant while he was there. From the first confrontation in the kitchen you can see how her personality is slowly overtaken by his. It would be fine if he just gave her a pet name and she started adopting his vocabulary from long acquaintance but it's not a two way street. He doesn't pick up anything from her. 

Sorry, but that's not a terribly convincing argument. The movie is supposedly set in the early 1900's. There are countless novels written before then that show both men and women not subscribing to those ideas. Plus, it's at odds with the character we were shown in the beginning, the Lucy who wanted to escape from being under the thumb of her in laws and become her own person. 

I think that the Captain did change upon his acquaintance with Lucy.  She was afraid of him but wouldn't be bullied by him.  He had at first a begrudging respect for her that grew into fondness.  He seemed to be more in love with her than she with him.  The fly in the ointment, so to speak, was Uncle Neddy who treated Lucy as she would expected or hoped to be treated; the protective and flattering man, add to the removal of the Captain's showing her a different way to interact and she fell back into her old ways.

 

I do wonder if like Wuthering Heights, a lot was lost in the translation from novel to film.

I laughed when I read this because I read this in high school.  We had a really cool teacher who actually encouraged us to check out the Cliff Notes of the book for help translating Joseph's broad Yorkshire accent.  In addition to that, we would be treated with seeing the movie of the book we just read.  The whole class laughed out loud at the scene where Cathy (Merle) is attacked by the Lintons' dogs.  In the movie, the dogs are Great Danes, in the book, they are most certainly are not Great Danes!

 

And yet the amazing thing is that when they did it right, it works for all time.

This is in reference to "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"; but this is how I feel about the original "The Philadelphia Story".  The last time I was watching it, I was thinking how well this movie still plays today.  There are very few cues to distract one as to take one out of the scene and think -oh this is set in this time and place-

 

And speaking of original movies, I did not realize that the Bergman/Boyer "Gaslight" was the second adaptation of the play.  The first was released in America as "Angel Street".  I had a hard time watching it when it was on the other night, since I am so accustomed to the second version.  I do wonder, and ask, if anyone saw the movie to the end.  I have always found the ending with Bergman and Cotten abrupt with Dame May Whitty arriving to find them on the roof and saying "WELL!"

 

Is this different in either the British version or the play?

[ratgirlagogo]

 

As an overall movie critic, I have real issues with Maltin. But, as a Disney expert, I give him major props--his book on the subject was a real education for me when I was in junior high.

And his book on the Little Rascals and the one on the history of animation.  Also really appreciate his book on the history of American network radio drama, which basically he was able to do because unlike almost any interviewer of the period, he was aware of radio history.  So, whenever he interviewed a movie or TV performer who was old enough to have done radio, he asked them about it. Then he assembled all those interviews into the book.  By the way, because of that book, he did the fan convention tour that year (1999, I think?) and at the Friends of Old Time Radio Convention in Newark I got to see that most rare of all things - a critic performing in a play.  He played a sniveling coward in an episode of The Cisco Kid, opposite the great Jackson Beck, and you know, he wasn't bad.

Edited March 13, 2015 by ratgirlagogo

[Rinaldo]

I concur about Maltin's value as a film historian -- not just the aforementioned books, but (for instance) his active share in getting the Disney Treasury DVD boxes/cases on the market so that we can now see the Silly Symphonies, the other shorts, the WWII work, and the complete Mickey/Donald/Goofy shorts in integral form (with even the "embarrassing" ones included).  I also have no issue with him as a critic; a critic's value is not in "agreeing" with someone else's views but in getting a knowledgeable perspective as a start toward forming my own opinion. (I still get endless pleasure from rereading Pauline Kael despite agreeing with her 50% of the time at most.) His capsule comments on films for TCM are similar to (possibly identical to, I haven't compared) the ones in his published collections. They're intended as quick intros for possibly unfamiliar items and useful as such. (They're also the sort of thing that's quite hard to write in such compact form, as I've found from personal experience.)

[Milburn Stone]

Agree with everything Rinaldo just wrote. (Although I do like Ben as well. Saw him in person doing Q & A's at a few events at the first TCM Film Festival, and was more impressed with his film knowledge, demeanor and humor than I had been from watching him on TCM.) Maltin is no lightweight.

[Crisopera]

I was watching The Big Clock this morning (a terrific thriller), and it tickled me (as it always does) that none of the people who are describing Ray Milland's character say anything like, "And he has this plummy British accent."  The Big Clock is so much better than its remake, No Way Out (1987) - at least it doesn't have that ridiculous Russian spy plot.