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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 11, 2015 23:32:50 GMT -5
So do we have any Norma Shearer fans around here?
I've loved her ever since I saw Private Lives more than 25 years ago. Since then I've seen about ten of her movies. I'm a little leery of her early talkies because - aside from Private Lives - they are a little stiff and tend to drag a bit. Don't get me wrong, I do like parts of A Free Soul and The Divorcee, and Norma is very good and, at times, great in both of them. (And A Free Soul has Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable!)
TCM had a Norma Shearer marathon yesterday and I DVRed all three of the films I hadn't seen, all from the early talkie period. I bit the bullet and watched The Last of Mrs. Cheyney this morning ... and I was completely delighted!
Norma Shearer is magnificent, beautiful, witty and charming. Leading man Basil Rathbone is a bit of a cad but not enough of a cad to be unredeemable at the end. The entire cast is full of great characters fleshed out by the right gestures and the exact right words, even several roles with only a few lines of dialogue. It might be a bit stagey for modern tastes, but for people who appreciate the early talkies (I mean the really early talkies! 1929 and (maybe) 1930. Cinema changed so much in about two years!), The Last of Mrs. Cheyney is a wonderful example of what Hollywood was capable of in 1929. The script is a wonderful balancing act of wit, charm, suspense and even a hint of a morality play.
Also, the silence! There are scenes in the dark house at night where there is no sound except very light footsteps and breathing. It would have been boring if this had been a trend in movies for a long time, but it's kind of nice to see it in some of these early talkies, especially when it works.
I won't even explain the plot. Part of my enjoyment came from being surprised as often as I was.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 11, 2015 23:46:38 GMT -5
I think I've only seen 2 Norma Shearer films Idiots Delight with Clark Gable and The Women. I'm sure I'll encounter her again soon
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 11, 2015 23:51:03 GMT -5
See He Who Gets Slapped (one of my Top Five Silent Films!), Private Lives, Romeo and Juliet (with John Barrymore as a 60-year-old Mercutio! He's fabulous!) and Marie Antoinette.
The Women is one of the three or four (or five) movies tied for first place (for me) for Best Movie of 1939.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 12, 2015 13:56:48 GMT -5
Scaramouche (1952) Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Mel Ferrer, Janet Leigh
Noel, a marquis in pre-revolutionary France, is the best swordsman, arrogant and a real bully. He kills Andre Moreau's best friend. Moreau swears to train to swordfight and gain revenge. He assumes the identity of stage comedian Scaramouche to hide in plain sight
Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the fandango Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me
Great swordplay finale that goes on for about 10 minutes. The women are gorgeous too. But every time I see Stewart Granger here I keep picturing a younger Mel Gibson. The resemblance sometimes is astounding. Pretty good, Technicolor but not widescreen. Good humorous pieces too
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 12, 2015 14:01:27 GMT -5
Man On The Flying Trapeze (1935) W.C. Fields
Its Field's in his hen pecked husband role. Burglars in his basement. Lying to his boss about a mother-in-laws' death to get the afternoon off and attend a wrestling match.
I have no idea what is the significance of the title top this movie. However I'll be very sorry when I run out of W.C. Fields films to watch. They are all great
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 12, 2015 16:23:32 GMT -5
Man On The Flying Trapeze (1935) W.C. FieldsIts Field's in his hen pecked husband role. Burglars in his basement. Lying to his boss about a mother-in-laws' death to get the afternoon off and attend a wrestling match. I have no idea what is the significance of the title top this movie. However I'll be very sorry when I run out of W.C. Fields films to watch. They are all great Did you notice that one of the burglars was Walter Brennan? This movie is non-stop hilarious. But I always think of that hilarious bit where the wife is reading something out of the newspaper. I think the name of the writer is Gertrude Smoon, and it's a Gertrude Stein parody. I love Gertrude Stein but I could see why Fields would want to make fun of her and the result is hilarious, especially with Kathleen Howard reading it.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 9:38:17 GMT -5
Man On The Flying Trapeze (1935) W.C. FieldsIt would be in my top 5 W.C. Fields films ...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 13:23:33 GMT -5
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) is on tonight on Turner Classic Movies and I will be watching tonight and I just find this movie one of the best comedies of all times. It's on Prime Time Television and I just can't believe it is on tonight!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 13, 2015 14:15:53 GMT -5
Poppy (1936) W.C.Fields, Rochelle Hudson
Fields in his carnival barker, huckster role trying to convince folks that his daughter is an heir to a family fortune
Poppy is a bit poopy. My least favorite of the Field films. It was a Broadway play and a silent film feature. Both had W.C. Fields cast in it. But at the time of this filming, Fields was not in good health, having suffered a broken vertebrae during the shoot. His stunt double was used more than any other film and the film focused way to much on the boring romance between Field's daughter and her beau. The songs she sings doesn't help either. W.C. Fields and his talking dog scam is great. Its always great when Fields is on screen
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 13, 2015 14:22:24 GMT -5
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965) Richard Burton, Clair Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter Van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker
Adaptation of the John Le Carre bestseller. British agent Alec Leamas pretends to be a disgruntled long time spy willing to inform on his agency to the East Germans
A downbeat spy film, much more realistic than the action filmed Bond films of its time. Deals more with deception than anything else. The cast is wonderful, the location shots of Berlin are a standout. Bleak permeates the movie. The finale trial scene and the always excellent Peter Van Eyck both stand out
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 13, 2015 14:34:18 GMT -5
Man On The Flying Trapeze (1935) W.C. FieldsIt would be in my top 5 W.C. Fields films ... Two lesser-known W.C. Fields films are International House and Six of a Kind. International House also features Burns and Allen and Bela Lugosi! That's right! W.C. Fields and Bela Lugosi in the same film! It's a parody of Grand Hotel but only marginally so. It's very funny at times. (I hate to say it but Gracie Allen has the funniest scenes. What a scene-stealer!) It gets a lot of points for being WEIRD. Yeah, it's pretty weird. One pf those 1930s movies that makes you go "Did I really just see that?" Like the "tribute to beer" number in Dancing Lady or the Three Stooges playing the music for Joan Crawford's audition, also in Dancing Lady. Or Frank McHugh showing the performers how to dance like a cat in Footlight Parade (or anything else in Footlight Parade). That kind of weird. Six of a Kind also stars Burns and Allen, along with Charles Ruggles, Mary Boland and Alison Skipworth. (And W.C Fields of course.) Fields isn't in it until the last third. (This film includes one of his trick pool table routines.) Charles Ruggles and Mary Boland (both are hilarious) are planning a cross-country auto trip for a second honeymoon and they advertise for a couple to go with them to help with the cost. George and Gracie show up. The trip is a bit of a horror show. As far as I'm concerned, this is George and Gracie's best movie. I think Gracie may have been a little too good! This is one of the few films where George and Gracie are main characters instead of just walking on for several comedy routines. Gracie isn't the charming naif of most of her other pictures. She is completely clueless and self-absorbed and the results are disastrous and life-threatening a lot of the time. I think it's hilarious and a lot of people agree with me. But I've read some commentary that a lot of people don't like it now, and a lot of people didn't like it then. Gracie's character was modified a bit for their future appearances, and I've heard that they decided that Gracie was better (or more acceptable to audiences) in small doses. I disagree. I think Six of A Kind is an obscure 1930s comedy classic.
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 13, 2015 14:39:01 GMT -5
Poppy (1936) W.C.Fields, Rochelle Hudson Fields in his carnival barker, huckster role trying to convince folks that his daughter is an heir to a family fortune Poppy is a bit poopy. My least favorite of the Field films. It was a Broadway play and a silent film feature. Both had W.C. Fields cast in it. But at the time of this filming, Fields was not in good health, having suffered a broken vertebrae during the shoot. His stunt double was used more than any other film and the film focused way to much on the boring romance between Field's daughter and her beau. The songs she sings doesn't help either. W.C. Fields and his talking dog scam is great. Its always great when Fields is on screen It's not one of my favorites, but I rather like Poppy, as well as the silent version, Sally of the Sawdust. Rochelle Hudson is stunning! I don't find her scenes boring at all. (Years later, she would play Natalie Wood's mother in Rebel without a Cause. Her best movie is probably Mr. Moto Takes a Chance, my favorite of the Mr. Moto movies. I suspect her character is based on Amelia Earhart.)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 14:58:22 GMT -5
Man On The Flying Trapeze (1935) W.C. FieldsIt would be in my top 5 W.C. Fields films ... Two lesser-known W.C. Fields films are International House and Six of a Kind. International House also features Burns and Allen and Bela Lugosi! That's right! W.C. Fields and Bela Lugosi in the same film! It's a parody of Grand Hotel but only marginally so. It's very funny at times. (I hate to say it but Gracie Allen has the funniest scenes. What a scene-stealer!) It gets a lot of points for being WEIRD. Yeah, it's pretty weird. One pf those 1930s movies that makes you go "Did I really just see that?" Like the "tribute to beer" number in Dancing Lady or the Three Stooges playing the music for Joan Crawford's audition, also in Dancing Lady. Or Frank McHugh showing the performers how to dance like a cat in Footlight Parade (or anything else in Footlight Parade). That kind of weird. Six of a Kind also stars Burns and Allen, along with Charles Ruggles, Mary Boland and Alison Skipworth. (And W.C Fields of course.) Fields isn't in it until the last third. (This film includes one of his trick pool table routines.) Charles Ruggles and Mary Boland (both are hilarious) are planning a cross-country auto trip for a second honeymoon and they advertise for a couple to go with them to help with the cost. George and Gracie show up. The trip is a bit of a horror show. As far as I'm concerned, this is George and Gracie's best movie. I think Gracie may have been a little too good! This is one of the few films where George and Gracie are main characters instead of just walking on for several comedy routines. Gracie isn't the charming naif of most of her other pictures. She is completely clueless and self-absorbed and the results are disastrous and life-threatening a lot of the time. I think it's hilarious and a lot of people agree with me. But I've read some commentary that a lot of people don't like it now, and a lot of people didn't like it then. Gracie's character was modified a bit for their future appearances, and I've heard that they decided that Gracie was better (or more acceptable to audiences) in small doses. I disagree. I think Six of A Kind is an obscure 1930s comedy classic. I seen all of these movies except International House and I hope to see it soon. Thanks for sharing this information to me. I do love Dancing Lady and Six of A Kind too. I also seen Grand Hotel and that's one of my favorites as well. I just loved Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, and Wallace Beery in this movie back in 1932.
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Post by Rob Allen on Nov 13, 2015 16:14:28 GMT -5
I think Gracie may have been a little too good! [...] Gracie's character was modified a bit for their future appearances, and I've heard that they decided that Gracie was better (or more acceptable to audiences) in small doses. Apropos of the current news - if Gracie were around to do this today, she'd probably get more votes than she did then: georgegracie.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/gracie-for-president-1940/
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 13, 2015 16:20:27 GMT -5
I think Gracie may have been a little too good! [...] Gracie's character was modified a bit for their future appearances, and I've heard that they decided that Gracie was better (or more acceptable to audiences) in small doses. Apropos of the current news - if Gracie were around to do this today, she'd probably get more votes than she did then: georgegracie.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/gracie-for-president-1940/I would like to see her debate Ben Carson.
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