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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 24, 2016 10:03:26 GMT -5
I love the MOVIES! channel so much sometimes. They show a lot of movies that don't show up on TCM that much, and I love scrolling along the MOVIES! schedule and trying to decide between two or three movies that look interesting. That's how I ended up DVRing Queen Bee (1955) with Joan Crawford, Barry Sullivan, John Ireland and Fay Wray. Joan Crawford is the queen bee in a Southern manor, and she seems quite devoted to making everyone around her miserable. Oh, she's polite and charming ... most of the time! Her young cousin (played by Lucy Marlow) comes for an extended stay after graduating college and doesn't understand why everyone hates Joan so much. But she'll learn. One of the miserable relatives is played by Betsy Palmer, an actress I never heard of before. She's very good! Eventually, the men-folk decide to take the bull by the horns and stop queen bee's reign of terror. The ending might seem a little drastic if you haven't seen the whole movie. I'll watch anything with Joan Crawford. Queen Bee is a seoond-rate Mildred Pierce, but that's nothing to be ashamed of.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 25, 2016 0:10:29 GMT -5
A Classic Film Noir and Wonky As It Ever Could Get City That Never Sleeps (1953) Gig Young, Edward Arnold, Marie Windsor, Mala Powers, Chill Wills, William Talman You know this is gonna be crazy when the opening narration is done by the city of Chicago Gig Young is a cop who hates his job and he's cheating on his wife with a stripper from the local girly house. That's the hero of this story. Mobster Edward Arnold pays Gig Young $5,000 to arrest a crime rival telling him when and where to be to catch him in the act Edward Arnold's wife Marie Windsor double crosses her husband by giving that rival a heads up The whole story takes place over a single night Now get this: The local girly show has a man dressed like a robot in the front showcase window moving mechanically. This is to attract customers.Not the hope of seeing naked women, but to find out about the robot. Wonky I tells ya Chicago is very underutilized in film-making so that's another draw to this film. It's got everything a film noir needs. Flawed hero, beautiful but treacherous dames, dark and shadowy scenery and sadistic killers. It chugs along quickly and has a great chase finale on the elevated trains of The Loop. And you get Tom Poston in a dramatic role
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 25, 2016 13:25:51 GMT -5
I watched Mogambo (1953) last night. Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly star in this movie made during Hollywood's 1950s Africa craze. They're all on a scientific expedition studying gorillas. Passions go unchecked as Grace contemplates leaving her scientist husband to run off with Clark, and Ava isn't really happy about being second in Clark's affections. I found it fun and entertaining. Lots of great shots of African scenery and wildlife. The main reason I watched this is kind of weird, but fans of the old EC series Panic might understand. In three of the four stories in Panic #1, they make Mogambo jokes. The main character in "Come Back, Little Streetcar!" wants to take the streetcar to see Mogambo. A tiger in another story turns out to be Gable in a tiger suit. I forget the other one. I've been curious about Mogambo for years because of reading a reprint of Panic #1. Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly are both sizzling, each in her own special way. I was hoping they'd abandon the men and run off together and become jungle girls.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 26, 2016 3:05:07 GMT -5
Elizabeth Taylor's Husbands Conrad Nicky Hilton-Heir the Hilton hotel chain. Married when she was 18. Lasted 1 year Michael Wilding-British actor. His career went downhill as her's soared. Lasted 5 years Michael Todd-Successful film producer. Died in a plane crash 1 year into the marriage Eddie Fisher-Singer who divorced Debbie Reynolds for the widow Taylor. Lasted 5 years Richard Burton-Married and divorced, re-married and re-divorced, 12 years total John Warner-Republican senator 6 years Larry Fortensky-met at rehab clinic.A construction worker. 5 years Some good guys and some bad guys. But the worst was actor Robert Taylor...a Communist traitor!!!!!! Conspirator (1949) Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Honor Blackman, Wilfred Hyde-White You see, Liz was vacationing in England at the tender age of 17 when she immediately fell in love with the gallant, dashing and 15 year older Robert Taylor who at that time was serving in the British intelligence corps. Having the same last name, Liz thought it was destiny to quickly get married. But Robert would mysteriously disappear from time to time and get caught in little lies. Then when searching his pants pockets for some money, she finds incriminating evidence that he is working for the Communist Party Fortunately a film crew was on hand, recording the whole marriage due to Liz's popularity with the public with her first love, Lassie. When this scandal became noticed, a movie deal was quickly arranged instead of the planned TV reality show. Liz then went on to marry Conrad Hilton
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 26, 2016 8:17:05 GMT -5
Reports on the quality of this movie have been greatly exaggerated. Last night I watched The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) with Frederic March as Mark Twain and Alexis Smith as Mrs. Mark Twain. Also along for the ride on this riverboat of a movie are Alan Hale, John Carradine, Percy Klbride and C. Aubrey Smith. The first thing you'll notice is that poor Alexis Smith is in yet another rather average (at best) movie. Every time I see Alexis Smith in the credits, my heart sinks a little. She's so pretty and not at all a bad actress, but I've only seen her in movies that aren't really that great. They're not generally bad, just not particularly exciting or innovative or noteworthy. There are no movies like Mildred Pierce or Jezebel or To Have and Have Not in her filmography. (Unless you REALLY REALLY love The Two Mrs. Carrolls or Conflict. The Two Mrs. Carrolls is pretty good. But it barely cracks the Top Twenty for either of the two stars, Humphrey Bogart and Barbara Stanwyck.) Poor Alexis Smith! The Adventures of Mark Twain isn't a bad movie. I found it mostly entertaining as it dramatizes events from the life of Samuel Clemens. I don't know enough about the details of Mark Twain's life to vouch for its accuracy, but they got the names of the books right. It goes on a bit. This movie isn't nearly good enough to be 130 minutes! Directed by Irving Rapper. I was expecting a lot more from the guy who directed Deception!
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Post by brutalis on Sept 26, 2016 8:54:48 GMT -5
Watched my DVD of Genghis Khan with Omar Sharif on Sunday. Oh the joys found in watching old time Hollywood historical epics. Such a fun visual romp of spectacle and adventure. Certainly historically inaccurate yet a pleasure to behold. Such inappropriately cast stars as Telly Savalas, Stephen Boyd, James Mason, Eli Wallach and Robert Morley and Woody Strode fill the screen in all their legendary glory.
They don't make movies like this anymore. Whether that is good or bad i leave to your own judgement but i certainly love these oldies like Khartoum, El Cid, The Vikings, Taras Bulba and Kings of the Sun. They may not all be great but they are great fun to watch and relive when movies were epic in scale not cost and done all in CGI.
Along the same lines: after this i was still in adventure mood so put on my DVD of the Sword and the Sorcerer. Ahhh such good bad B-movie pleasure. It has the feel of the old 60's Italian sword and sandal epics with Hollywood glamour and lines meant to evoke the glory of Errol Flynn. To many probably a dumb movie yet a guilty fun pleasure from my teen age years. This with both of the Conan movies and the Beastmaster movie was the return of fantasy movie joy at the movie theater for me for a few summers.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 26, 2016 10:56:22 GMT -5
Reports on the quality of this movie have been greatly exaggerated. At first glance I thought that was Uncle Tonoose from Make Room For Daddy (Hans Conried)
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 27, 2016 17:19:26 GMT -5
I'm watching Three Men on a Horse (1936), one of those weird 1930s movies that I love so much. I saw about 25 minutes before something came up (I volunteer for an animal rescue organization and I was called on to transport some sweet kittens) and I love it so far. I especially love Joan Blondell's weird accent. She's hilarious. Also, an uncredited appearance by Edgar Kennedy as a bartender.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 27, 2016 21:52:31 GMT -5
I'm watching Three Men on a Horse (1936), one of those weird 1930s movies that I love so much. I saw about 25 minutes before something came up (I volunteer for an animal rescue organization and I was called on to transport some sweet kittens) and I love it so far. I especially love Joan Blondell's weird accent. She's hilarious. Also, an uncredited appearance by Edgar Kennedy as a bartender. I think that's the first movie I saw on Atlanta's Superstation WTBS when my cable system picked up that channel around 1980.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 27, 2016 22:22:15 GMT -5
Audie Murphy was supposedly the most decorated U.S. soldier in WWII including the Medal Of Honor
He was able to parlay that acclaim by becoming a starring actor for roughly 20 years and appearing in close to 50 movies
I watched his mediocre western last night, Cast A Long Shadow (1959) and once again I was not impressed by his acting skills
But that made me think. Has there ever been any other movie star who used their popularity outside the entertainment business to launch their Hollywood career to the level as Audie Murphy attained? As I said, outside the entertainment business, so that does not include singers, stage actors etc.
I guess from the world of sports, O.J. Simpson was on the top of the list
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Post by berkley on Sept 28, 2016 1:02:03 GMT -5
Johnny Weismuller and Buster Crabbe come to mind, but I don't know if either one ever branched out much from their signature roles as Tarzan and Flash Gordon, respectively.
Remember Gymkata? I never did see the movie and I forget the guy's name, but I always thought that was a great idea: those gymnasts have incredible skills and there should be a way to exploit them (the skills, I mean, not the gymnasts) for the big screen.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 28, 2016 1:49:40 GMT -5
Johnny Weismuller and Buster Crabbe come to mind, but I don't know if either one ever branched out much from their signature roles as Tarzan and Flash Gordon, respectively. Remember Gymkata? I never did see the movie and I forget the guy's name, but I always thought that was a great idea: those gymnasts have incredible skills and there should be a way to exploit them (the skills, I mean, not the gymnasts) for the big screen. Good Ones Mr.B I guess the world of sports would be the likeliest for well known personalities to graduate into movie stardom. I thought of another, probably the biggest. That would be Arnold Schwarzenegger who was a very well known bodybuilder, was crowned Mr. Olympia and featured in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron (1977) Famous fashion models would be another area I guess but I can't think of anyone off hand who was a famous model and then had a long movie career
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 28, 2016 3:20:17 GMT -5
A quickie countdown of movies I've seen the past week. No time to go into detail. I'll use a 4 star rating for each
Captain Newman M.D. (1964) Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Bobby Darin It's 1944 at am Arizona Army hospital and Peck is in charge of the mental case unit. Sorta like M.A.S.H. but without an anti-war vibe. Teeters between comedy and pathos 3 stars
Charley's Aunt (1941) Jack Benny Before Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire, Benny's in drag 2 1/2 stars
Circus Of Fear (1966) Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski Thought this would be a horror flick but instead it;s a rather bad crime film. The DVD print from Alpha Video is atrocious as well 1 star
City Beneath The Sea (1971) Stuart Whitman,Robert Wagner, those 2 guys from The Time Tunnel Irwin Allen made-for-TV pilot of underworld city in the near future. Not that good 2 stars
Come Live With Me (1941) James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr Hedy will be deported unless she quickly marries an American. She grabs a stranger (Stewart) and pays him very Funny 3 stars
Court-Martial Of Billy Mitchell (1955) Gary Cooper,Ralph Bellamy, Fred Clarke, Rod Steiger, Elizabeth Montgomery Based on real life incident of General Mitchell in 1922 bad-mouthing the army to the press for allowing the air force to fall in disrepair. Excellent military court room scenes and Steiger is a bulldog prosecutor 3 1/2 stars
Hellraiser (1987) Written and Directed by Clive Barker Great makeup effects, terrible alien creature puppets. It's held up these past years 3 stars
Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) Johnny Depp's movie debut, Robert Englund This one has not held up as well. Later entries in this series got better and more imaginative 2 stars
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 28, 2016 8:41:15 GMT -5
Absolutely delightful! Obscure gems like this are why I DVR movies on a whim based on the summary on the TV box. Irwin (Frank McHugh) lives in the suburbs with his sexy but silly wife and he takes the bus to the city where he writes poems for a greeting-card company. To pass the time, he looks at racing forms and picks which horses will win. He ALWAYS picks the winner. His system is that good. But he doesn't bet, because then it wouldn't be fun anymore and he thinks the pressure would ruin the system. But the world is bearing down on poor Irwin. He has a loud-mouthed, bullying brother-in-law and the wife won't stand up to him and defend Irwin. The wife spends too much money on clothes. His boss (Guy Kibbee) is overbearing and rude. So one morning, he stops at a bar and has a beer before work. And before he knows it, he's in the basement bar at a fleabag hotel where the customers are three Damon Runyon-type lowlifes who make their living betting on the horses. (Edgar Kennedy is hilarious as the bartender. Also, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson makes the most of his small role as the elevator operator.) Irwin overhears them and drunkenly and politely tries to tell them to bet on "Semester." They humor him a bit and he goes to the bathroom. Joan Blondell shows up. She's the leader's girlfriend and she's just pawned her best dress for $8. Her New York accent is HILARIOUS. It makes me think the whole thing is intentionally a Damon Runyon parody. They get the race results and they've lost, but they realize that the funny little drunk they just blew off had picked the right horse. And so it goes. I was grinning the whole time and frequently laughing out loud. McHugh and Blondell could do no wrong in the 1930s, and that's why I picked this film to record despite knowing nothing about it. It was a great choice!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 28, 2016 12:08:06 GMT -5
Attention Classic Movie Fans
Coming up soon, Very Very soon, is my next box set extravaganza. This is a 7 movie collection. And since it's such a mind-bending series, I cannot with good reason watch all 7 back-to-back. I don't think the human race has evolved to that point yet. But it most likely will be one per day. Fair notice has now been given. And I thank you in advance for your prayers
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