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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 20, 2016 22:00:53 GMT -5
A Little Dab Of Personality Could Have Gone A Long Way The Hired Gun (1957) Rory Calhoun, Anne Francis, Chuck Connor, Vince Edwards Anne Francis is set to be hung for the murder of her husband. Chuck Conner breaks her out of jail and sneaks her out of Texas. Anne's bereaved father-in-law hires a gunslinger, Rory Calhoun, to track down Anne and get her back for the execution A great cast with Rory side by side with Honey West, The Rifleman and Ben Casey. And at only 63 minutes, it doesn't mosey around. It also boasts some excellent western landscapes. Alas, it's strictly by the books. No personality imbued upon the participants. No surprise plot twist or clever dialogue. An average western. There are far worse and far better. Fair-to-middlin' is the best you can say. A shame with that cast, gad-nab-it
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 21, 2016 1:38:08 GMT -5
Landmark Film Home Of The Brave (1949) James Edwards, Lloyd Bridges, Frank Lovejoy, Steve Brodie, Douglas Dick Five soldiers volunteer, or rather are coerced, to sneak onto a Japanese controlled island during WWII to survey for an upcoming invasion. One soldier is black and tensions arise Check out the year this was made and understand it's the first film dealing with racial issues with an educated black man on an equal rank with his protagonists, not a menial laborer,servant or entertainer. James Edwards plays Pvt Moss who has dealt with taunting and beating his whole life and now faces it as the only available map surveyor and therefore the mission becomes integrated. The movie theme is dealt with rather honestly and does not hold back on language It's based on an original play that dealt with antisemitism . But since Gentleman's Agreement and Crossfire were recent releases, the movie version was changed to reflect black-white relationships. There were concerns on how the movie would be received in the South but no incidents or protests were reported. Hard-hitting, well acted and sure to keep your attention throughout it's 86 minute run time
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 21, 2016 3:13:59 GMT -5
If you recall, I mentioned how impressed I was with the episodes of Studio One that were written by Reginald Rose for it's originalities and dramatic bravura. A name I was unfamiliar with.I feel very sheepish about that. I just watched another episode tonight and here he was back with a script written exclusively for that show. Only turns out to be one of the greatest scripts ever written Twelve Angry Men-Robert Cummings, Edward Arnold, Norman Fell, Franchot Tone It's all here. Yes, the Sidney Lumet theatrical version is superior, made a few years later with Henry Fonda playing the Robert Cummings role. But all the basics were first seen on the Studio One presentation. I can just imagine the water-cooler conversations the next day at work between people who watched this 50 minute episode the night before. Twelve Angry Men is without doubt one of my favorite all time movies and I should have recognized writer Reginald Rose's name. Reginald Rose later went on to create and write many episodes for the early 60s TV show, The Defenders, with E.G. Marshall. That show won many Emmys and is also held to high esteem. I hear-tell that the first season of that show was recently released on DVD. Another item I must watch before I fade away
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 21, 2016 9:58:54 GMT -5
If you recall, I mentioned how impressed I was with the episodes of Studio One that were written by Reginald Rose for it's originalities and dramatic bravura. A name I was unfamiliar with.I feel very sheepish about that. I just watched another episode tonight and here he was back with a script written exclusively for that show. Only turns out to be one of the greatest scripts ever written Twelve Angry Men-Robert Cummings, Edward Arnold, Norman Fell, Franchot Tone That is a great cast! Wow! A few more names like that and it would be as prestigious as the movie. Art Carney? Don Rickles? Morey Amsterdam? Dennis Weaver? Milburn Stone?
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 21, 2016 10:10:45 GMT -5
I didn't watch a movie Monday night because the third season of Gotham started! But last night I watched the 2010 version of True Grit. I saw it when it came out and then saw it again six months later when I rented it from Netflix, and it seems to me to be a movie that holds up really well for repeat viewing. I've seen major sections of it on cable over the last few years. It's really easy to get sucked in because it's a very well-made film, and the principal actors - Bridges, Damon and Steinfeld - are all great! I've been wanting to see the whole thing for a whole now. (And I know that it's not ten years old yet. But I've given it "instant classic" status, so it's appropriate for this forum.) A lot of great supporting players too. Especially Josh Brolin and the guy playing Ned Pepper. I much prefer the 2010 version to the John Wayne version. As much as I love his films overall, the 1969 version of True Grit is not one of his better movies. It's OK, I enjoyed it as a kid and I enjoyed it when I watched it a few weeks after I saw the 2010 version. But John Wayne made a lot of better movies. The Coen Brothers version is a wonder from start to finish. One of the best westerns of the 21st century. (Another one I like is The Assassination of Jesses James by the Coward Robert Ford. Which is almost old enough for this forum even without an "instant classic" award.)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2016 10:27:56 GMT -5
I love Chatterbox today on TCM ... stayed home from Water Polo because of the scheduling goof. Great Movie and very charming, delightful, and it's has a nice charm of it's own. I like the cast and it's was an excellent comedy that really shines Anne Shirley's talents and I loved the photography, the wonderful script, and most of all it was treat for me to watch.
I recorded it and thinking of watching it again this weekend.
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 21, 2016 11:30:22 GMT -5
I love Chatterbox today on TCM ... stayed home from Water Polo because of the scheduling goof. Great Movie and very charming, delightful, and it's has a nice charm of it's own. I like the cast and it's was an excellent comedy that really shines Anne Shirley's talents and I loved the photography, the wonderful script, and most of all it was treat for me to watch. I recorded it and thinking of watching it again this weekend. I haven't seen it yet. I was thinking of saving it for the weekend but I tend to watch short movies (it's less than 70 minutes) very soon after I record them. I'm glad you liked it! I was joking when I recommended it. I've never seen it. But Anne Shirley is one of my favorite obscure actresses. Love her to pieces! I still have no idea what it's about. I don't know anything about it except that it has Anne Shirley, it's short and it's from the 1930s. But that's enough! Your enthusiasm is making me look forward to it! If I have a spare 70 minutes this afternoon, I'll probably watch it. And I might save it to watch it again over the weekend.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 21, 2016 22:44:37 GMT -5
Reginald Rose Strikes Again with a Rod Serling Twilight Zone-Type Morality Play From The Studio One Anthology- An Almanac Of Liberty (1954)
A man is beaten in the streets one evening by a dozen men The next day, the people of a small community arrive at the town hall at 10:24 in the morning No one remembers who told them to come. The man who was beaten the previous night is there at well. Confused and impatient, the citizens get ready to leave. Before they do, the sky blackens and there's a tremendous store which keeps them in place. Then it is noticed-It's still 10:24. All watches show this. They wait a few minutes and phone for the time. The recorded message says it's 10: 24 exactly. One gentleman asks why the citizens beat a total stranger the night before. All the other men reply that they didn't like his type, he said un- american things, they'd do it again. One man does strike the stranger in the face All watches now say 10:23 Looking out the window, they can see a few people further away in the storm. They are unmoving-frozen I won't say any more about this episode in case it's available to you on YouTube or archives.org or the DVD box set. But it is certainly a morality play that Serling could have used. It gets preachy at the end but remember the times. Cold War commie jitters, blacklisting, McCarthyism, heavy handed censorship, book-burnings and bannings, Jim Crow enforced laws etc. Many writers felt a need to speak out and fantasy was the safest and still an effective way to deliver the message. I don't cheat by looking ahead at what is in this collection. 3 more episodes left and hoping a Rose will bloom Oh-nobody I recognized were among the cast in case you're wondering. And it was a fairly large group of actors And now here's Betty Furness to tell you about Westinghouse refrigerators
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 22, 2016 9:00:11 GMT -5
I watched Chatterbox (1936) last night and I loved it, but I couldn't even begin to summarize it in a way that would make most people want to watch it. I was saying to myself "Why would you make a movie about this?" the whole time, but I enjoyed it anyway. It's definitely a unique movie experience. The main draw is Anne Shirley. She's amazing in this movie! She just jumps right in with the chatterbox character and you're on the edge of your seat wondering if she's going to take a breath before she passes out. And she is totally hilarious in every scene where she thinks she's a great actress and is performing the lines from the play "Virtue's Reward." Margaret Hamilton is great as the thoughtful and helpful, if a bit grumpy, landlady. And Lucille Ball makes the most of her small part as the professional actress that Anne Shirley replaces in the play. It's only 68 minutes! So it's worth a look if you like Anne Shirley and/or Margaret Hamilton and/or weird 1930s movies in general.
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 23, 2016 8:43:06 GMT -5
Last night, I watched Samurai Rebellion (1967), directed by Masaki Kibayashi (who directed Harakiri) and starring Toshiro Mufune. It's not what I expected from a movie called Samurai Rebellion. It's a lot more low-key than I expected. And there isn't any action until the last thirty minutes or so. But I loved it anyway! This movie wants you to understand, to the tiniest detail, why the samurais rebelled! If you ever decide to watch it (and you should! especially if you like Japanese cinema), don't miss a single sub-title!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 23, 2016 12:25:05 GMT -5
Last night, I watched Samurai Rebellion (1967), directed by Masaki Kibayashi (who directed Harakiri) and starring Toshiro Mufune. It's not what I expected from a movie called Samurai Rebellion. It's a lot more low-key than I expected. And there isn't any action until the last thirty minutes or so. But I loved it anyway! This movie wants you to understand, to the tiniest detail, why the samurais rebelled! If you ever decide to watch it (and you should! especially if you like Japanese cinema), don't miss a single sub-title! You might think I'd seen this already, being a long-time Criterion release and a Mifune fan, but no, not yet. I have plenty of opportunities though since many libraries in NYC have a copy available. In fact, even though I still have so many more unwatched DVDs at home to watch (probably a majority are movies I have seen many years ago before DVDs existed) , I have started to rent DVDs from the library more than ever. These would be classics released the past 2-3 years after I stopped purchasing DVDs or ones I initially skipped over. Might as well grab them because you never know if they'll disappear. So expect some movie reviews of mine to get a bit funkier going forward
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 23, 2016 23:43:08 GMT -5
Another 2 episodes from the Studio One Anthology
Summer Pavilion-Miriam Hopkins, Elizabeth Montgomery Original Screenplay-Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal writes a southern gothic Tennessee Williams type story.A controlling Southern matron (Hopkins) is forced to sell the furniture of the family estate to survive. Only her daughter (Montgomery) seems to understand that the old ways are coming to an end. Hopkins does everything in her power to prevent the daughter from marrying a northern construction worker, and failing that, change the husband -to-be into the sort of man she believes is worthy of the daughter
Splendid acting from both Hopkins and Montgomery
Dino-Sal Mineo, Ralph Meeker Original Screenplay by Reginald Rose (He's Back Again)
Sal Mineo has served 4 years in a juvenile facility after taking part in a murder when he was 12 years old. He's now released and seeing a social worker (Meeker). His father is still abusive, his little brother belongs in a gang and wants Mineo to join. Will anything change?
Sal Mineo puts on a spellbinding performance. After a similar role in Rebel Without A Cause, he was forever typecast as a young JD. This is another episode that was later translated to a full length movie, in 1957, also starring Sal Mineo under the same title. Have not seen that film yet.
And the blurb for the next week's episode of this series was for The Talented Mr. Ripley. How about that?
One more episode to go. It's not The Talented Mr. Ripley
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Post by berkley on Sept 24, 2016 0:33:01 GMT -5
There actually was a Twilight Zone episode something like that Almanac of Liberty wasn't there?
I had to look it up to get the right title, but I'm thinking of The Monsters are Due on Maple Street.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 24, 2016 2:40:35 GMT -5
There actually was a Twilight Zone episode something like that Almanac of Liberty wasn't there? I had to look it up to get the right title, but I'm thinking of The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street is about a typical suburban street of average folk panicked when the power fails and car engines fail to start. A rumour begins that it's the beginning of an alien takeover. When one house's power comes back on, the neighbors think he's the alien. Fights break out between the various neighbors, each thinking the other is behind what's happening Some marginal similarities but not quite and the endings are completely different. Anyways, the Studio One episode preceded Twilight Zone
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 24, 2016 6:30:06 GMT -5
The Final Studio One Anthology Episode
The Arena-Wendell Corey, Chester Morris Written By Rod Serling
Junior Senator James Norton is a new arrival to the senate floor. His father was a senator as well and had an arch-rival in Senator Rogers. Now Norton plans to avenge his father's reputation against the veteran Senator at every opportunity. However he can't match the skill in parliamentary procedures the senior senator wields and is soon perceived as a laughingstock. Until he get's information about a radical group the senior senator joined as a young man 25 years before. Will Senator Norton use it to discredit Rogers?
Rod Serling crafts a similar story that years later would appear in the movie The Best Man by Gore Vidal. I have no doubts Trump or Hillary or stoop to playing this type of political game, either personally or through a subordinate. But Rod Serling might have wished for higher standards amongst the folks we select for high office. Or is that naive?
Anyway, we went through this boxset much quicker than I anticipated. Beside those first 2 episodes this was quite an enjoyable excursion through the Golden Age of Live Drama Television.
I failed to mention many of these shows were directed by Franklin Schaffner who later went on to direct Patton, Planet Of The Apes, Papillon,Boys From Brazil and more.
A quick glance at YouTube finds a few dozen Studio One shows available-some from this boxset as well as others that star folks like James Dean and Charlton Heston.
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