tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69692358513841021622024-03-15T21:09:15.788-04:00ClassicBecky's Brain FoodClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-15063891488847840242018-01-14T03:38:00.000-05:002018-01-14T03:38:08.452-05:00Save Room For Dessert!Have you ever had a meal so good and filling that you actually turned down the climactic finish of cherries jubilee, baked Alaska or strawberry cheesecake? Well, if a person could be dessert, it would be Marilyn Monroe as pictured below, and there isn't a man alive who could resist her. Marilyn is always beautiful, but in this costume she is positively packed with sugar and spice and everything nice. I ran across this amazing picture, and just had to do a little tribute to share with my dear Readers. Is she magnificent or what?<br />
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ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-86916211280838648622017-12-31T23:30:00.000-05:002018-01-01T00:22:29.670-05:00I Barely Made It!I promised myself I would re-design my blog and get a post up so that I could say I did something in 2017. Well, dear readers, this is it. I'm cheating, I know, but it <i>is </i>a post, as pitiful as can be. 2018 will find me back at the blog again, and I want to wish a Happy 2018 to everyone! Enjoy the drinks, but don't go quite as overboard as Bugs!<br />
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"I can feel a crying jag coming on......and what's up with you, Doc?"</div>
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-52669768277919776422016-02-28T18:17:00.001-05:002016-02-28T18:17:30.286-05:00One Last Kiss -- Errol and OliviaOn Valentine's Day, the talented writer of Second Sight Cinema hosted a blogathon called "A Kiss Is Just A Kiss." I was not able to participate, but I'd like to offer a belated article about one of the most sensuous and touching kisses in the classic era. (Don't miss the other wonderful articles in the blogathon by clicking here: <a href="http://secondsightcinema.com/happy-valentines-day-weekend-welcome-to-the-you-must-remember-this-a-kiss-is-just-a-kiss-blogathon/">http://secondsightcinema.com/happy-valentines-day-weekend-welcome-to-the-you-must-remember-this-a-kiss-is-just-a-kiss-blogathon/</a>.)<br />
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Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland were one of the most famous movie couples. They were a match made in heaven, and were together in several films. Of course there was plenty of kissing, but the sweetest, most genuine kiss was in "They Died With Their Boots On." This 1941 Warner Brothers production was, as were most of the historical films of the period, full of inaccuracies and made-up Hollywood stories. We may know more now than at that time, but it doesn't change the excitement of the movie at all. The relationship between George Armstrong Custer and his wife, Libby Bacon, was pretty close to the truth, at least in the love they had for each other. The movie portrayed this beautifully. Toward the end, Custer prepares for what would be the battle of the Little Big Horn, and the scene of their parting is, to me, their best. It never fails to bring a tear. As a woman, it rings true, as it must for men from their point of view. <br />
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Olivia and Errol likely did not know that this would be their last film together. The scene is all the more poignant to us now. Enjoy a wonderful piece of film, and a wonderful kiss.<br />
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<strike></strike><br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-44065343112707141342015-12-03T04:00:00.000-05:002018-01-01T06:44:28.545-05:00The House Of Usher -- Vincent Price At His Best<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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ClassicBecky's Brain Food turned 6 years old in September (as I usually end up doing with friends, this a belated birthday card)! It's hard for me to believe I've been around that long. I started out with a small group of wonderful people, guided by our Fearless Leader of the Classic Movie Blog Association, Rick Armstrong, and eventually branched off to my own blog. To celebrate my birthday, I'd like to spotlight a post I did back in 2011, one of my personal favorites, about the fabulous Vincent Price in one of the best Edgar Allan Poe movies done by director Roger Corman. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(*Alert -- It’s just about impossible to write about this movie without spoilers*)</strong></span><br />
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I would<em> love</em> to seat Roger Corman and Edgar Allen Poe together at a dinner party. The grim and tragic Poe is certainly not known for a great sense of humor, and Corman’s respect for literature usually takes a back seat to the chance to use any story as he sees fit to make good box office. Many of Corman’s Poe Cycle films take enormous liberties with Poe’s work, often add campy humor, and some practically ignore everything but the title. That doesn’t make me love them any less, but then I didn’t slave over the originals like Poe. Yet, I think both men would agree that <em>The House of Usher</em> (1960) is just fantastic. (The movie was also released as <em>The Fall of the House of Usher</em>, Poe's original title.) I have always considered it the best of the Corman Poe films, and it definitely ranked high with the National Film Registry -- in 2006, the Registry chose <em>The House of Usher</em> as 1 of 25 films of significance to be preserved by the Library of Congress.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home sweet home!</td></tr>
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<em>The House of Usher</em> was the first of Corman’s series based on Poe. Corman was asked by American International Pictures to make 2 black and white cheapies to be released as a double bill. He countered with his desire to make one bigger budget movie using color and Cinemascope. This movie was <em>The House of Usher.</em> Now, Corman’s idea of a bigger budget was probably $500 dollars instead of $250, but boy could he do a lot with a tight purse! Corman was famous for using whatever was available and practically free – he filmed a burning barn that had been slated to be burned down anyway, and that footage was so good he used it in several other films. For his scene of the bleak, lifeless landscape around the Usher castle, Corman heard of a wildfire that had burned out nearby land. He took his camera crew to the site the very next day, and filmed the ashen area. I wish I could make my budget stretch so creatively.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vincent with white-blonde hair, no moustache-- love the dressing gown!</td></tr>
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Corman took with him cinematographer Floyd Crosby and set designer Daniel Haller, both of whom worked on all of Corman’s Poe movies. The<em> marvelous</em> look of these movies, the wonderful sets, eerie lighting, particularly the dominant, atmospheric black, blues and greens with jarring splashes of wine red costuming for The House of Usher, are due to the talents of these men.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Price and Myrna Fahey -- American Gothic (without the pitchfork) German style</td></tr>
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Roderick Usher (Price) is a man beset by horrors. He and his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) are the last of the Usher line, an old family rotten with insanity and sordidly cruel lives, and Roderick is determined that the line end with them. He sees in himself and Madeline certain developing traits of the Ushers. Both brother and sister are plagued by a strange malady: <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> “Madeline and I are like figures of fine glass. The slightest touch and we may shatter. Both of us suffer from a morbid acuteness of the senses."<br />
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Somehow, Madeline had managed to visit London and have some fun, although<em> how</em> she did it with those problems is a mystery, and she even became engaged to dashing Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon). When Philip makes an unannounced visit to the Usher castle, he finds a crumbling monstrosity with a fissure opening up in the stones, built on top of a swamp to boot (doesn’t sound up to code, does it?). He finds Roderick to be a less-than-welcoming, chillingly morbid man who insists that his sister Madeline is too ill to be disturbed. <br />
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Philip refuses to leave, and Roderick gives him a tour of the castle, probably hoping that this alone will send Philip packing. The house was brought to its present location stone by stone from the old country, bringing its evil within the very walls. He points out paintings of the Usher ancestors, downright hair-raising, particularly with Roderick’s description of each one (Aunt Bertha, prostitute and poisoner -- Uncle Bob, pirate and murderer – you get the drift). The wonderful paintings were done by artist Burt Schoenberg, and frankly they are excellent works of impressionist art. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Uncle Arthur"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mom!"</td></tr>
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Roderick insists that Madeline cannot marry or have children, and that she is dying. Despite Roderick’s constant croakings of doom, Philip doesn’t believe him. For a girl who is supposed to be a figure of fine glass and at death’s door, Fahey is <em>much </em>too buxom and healthy, a bit of miscasting on Corman’s part. She does walk around with a rather tired, worried look on her face, but most people look like that every day after work.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'm feeling much better."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, guess not!</td></tr>
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Suddenly one night, we hear Madeline scream and die for some vague reason. Heartbroken, Philip goes with Roderick and the lone family servant (Harry Ellerbe) to the family crypt (no castle is complete without dead relatives in the basement), and place Madeline in her coffin. After the grieving men go upstairs, we hear a gasp from the coffin, then a bloodcurdling scream. I don’t know why they didn’t<em> hear</em> it. They weren’t that far away, and it was really <em>loud</em>. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Are you DEAF?!! Look at my nails!"</td></tr>
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Although it’s kind of hard to tell considering his usual demeanor, Roderick does act strangely, and Philip has a terrible dream of the Usher family. This dream sequence is beautifully done and scared me silly as a kid. Roderick eventually admits to Philip that Madeline suffers from cataleptic fits, and he knowingly buried her alive during one of these episodes to keep her from leaving to marry and propagate the Usher genes. His acute sense of hearing has made him suffer for many days because he could hear her screams and scratching on the inside lid of the coffin. <strong>He </strong>suffered<strong>?!! </strong>(I personally think my brother loves me, but I’m a little reluctant now to let him plan my funeral.) Finding the coffin empty, Roderick informs Philip that Madeline has now inherited the family madness (Oh <em>really</em>? I think she <em>earned</em> it!). There are some very frightening scenes as we see glimpses of Madeline in her white burial dress, scuttling around doorways, leaving bloody drops from her mangled fingernails. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjLGsRbHsFtRLhm9b7fvAaI97ysoZm4dj64_wxU3mR2vxshMgnNUYd_IcO2VjTGYZQs7AufFjjzUXWfT_2PoD3eHlA2z8EfQBv4hKVxwnmh1VdZ4fRlp6kuVpxX7ynXwx0fUQuismx0eq/s1600/usher+DREAM+sequence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" i="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjLGsRbHsFtRLhm9b7fvAaI97ysoZm4dj64_wxU3mR2vxshMgnNUYd_IcO2VjTGYZQs7AufFjjzUXWfT_2PoD3eHlA2z8EfQBv4hKVxwnmh1VdZ4fRlp6kuVpxX7ynXwx0fUQuismx0eq/s400/usher+DREAM+sequence.jpg" true="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Welcome to your dream...come and meet the folks..."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAoenIPi9CVH6kSdztS_TWOG9ik28lF_ACE5YQTC1f_s26_FqHoIJvnYIApVhgwj_7t03mO3_keG_H4VMGxwqSAXfMcdboddTEUuA8MZu7-GNK1WYrMRyePpT7VsdZgwP_HBa9Tpd6-UQ/s1600/usher+fahey+strangling+price.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAoenIPi9CVH6kSdztS_TWOG9ik28lF_ACE5YQTC1f_s26_FqHoIJvnYIApVhgwj_7t03mO3_keG_H4VMGxwqSAXfMcdboddTEUuA8MZu7-GNK1WYrMRyePpT7VsdZgwP_HBa9Tpd6-UQ/s400/usher+fahey+strangling+price.jpg" true="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mom always liked you <strong>better</strong>!"</td></tr>
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Finally, the now-insane Madeline corners her brother and with the strength of a mad woman, strangles him as a fallen candle lights the room on fire, and soon the ceiling crashes down on brother and sister. Philip escapes the castle, and looks back to see it blazing against the grim landscape and sinking into the swamp. The last line of Poe’s story appears on the screen:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> “…and the deep and dark tarn at my feet closed sullenly and silently<br />
over the fragments of the House of Usher.”<br />
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Corman’s Poe period (well, Picasso had a blue period and Van Gogh had a dark period!) was also Vincent Price’s heyday as a movie star. Price was already an accomplished actor, having ventured into the horror genre, particularly with a favorite of mine, <em>The House of Wax</em> (1953), followed by the always entertaining movies of William Castle, such as <em>The Tingler</em> and <em>House on Haunted Hill</em>. With Corman, Price found the niche that made him the undisputed master of the macabre. His very presence lent a valuable dignity to Corman’s films. Price was tall and imposing, handsome, with his marvelous voice and expressive face, and most of all his unique talent for blending true fright with sly humor and just the right touch of hammy acting. For instance, at one point in this ghastly story, Roderick turns to the butler and says with a little wave “See to the crypt, will you?” – (he might have been saying “Pick up a six-pack at the store, will you?” in the same manner).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aMyWHrdyetoJNXTI0rjKpNu93Mcs5axDkU85BeCCN4IFjVRi-9MZxfVci2C3pU0V-cCmdsFCTtc3xl23Dz447TJ2a9JuZ5GLmPC1_zTpSN8__7IipgvuydWzrZboKXrqzv718twNs0_q/s1600/usher+paintings+corman+and+price+and+painter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" i="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aMyWHrdyetoJNXTI0rjKpNu93Mcs5axDkU85BeCCN4IFjVRi-9MZxfVci2C3pU0V-cCmdsFCTtc3xl23Dz447TJ2a9JuZ5GLmPC1_zTpSN8__7IipgvuydWzrZboKXrqzv718twNs0_q/s320/usher+paintings+corman+and+price+and+painter.jpg" true="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Price, Corman, and an unidentified man who may be Schoenberg</td></tr>
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Corman always struck me as two men in one body. One personality excelled at scandalous, roughly filmed exploitation movies like <em>The Wild Angels</em> and <em>G-a-s-s-s,</em> as well as some of the best really terrible scifi movies like my personal favorite, <em>Wasp Woman</em>, featuring some of the cheesiest monsters in B movie history. The other Corman persona created the Poe Cycle, beautiful to look at, eerie, scary, and with a crafty dark humor that makes you snicker as you look at the screen through your fingers. Many Corman fans love both sides of the legendary producer/director. Others choose sides and have very definite preferences for one or the other. Personally, I am a Poe/Corman groupie<br />
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Fun Fact: Three in One!<br />
*The Haunted Palace is a Corman movie that has nothing whatsoever to do with Poe except the title.<br />
*Poe wrote a poem titled The Haunted Palace, and infers in The House of Usher that Roderick is the author.<br />
*The famous last stanza of the same poem appears on screen at the end of another Corman/Poe movie, <br />
The Masque of the Red Death:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> “…And travelers now within that valley,<br />
Through the red-litten windows, see<br />
Vast forms that move fantastically<br />
To a discordant melody;<br />
While, like a rapid ghastly river,<br />
Through the pale door,<br />
A hideous throng rush out forever,<br />
And laugh – but smile no more.”<br />
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(Wow, shivery good stuff!)<br />
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Crafty Corman! Maybe at that dinner party, Edgar would have been justified in slapping Corman with a glove and calling him out for a duel at dawn!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaLYgN3_xRvzlxj0X4O1iIeXbZ9dhaVGWEAh2nvT-Qsl3djGUT6VJa9QeqD9i8e5cU4rfFlSHLLKwgGzHfj4sOCBEf5Ke0eLWTktba6nn4vq6cN0arT01X93Hwz4guRB-PED6VAE7CfA7/s1600/usher+poe+and+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" i="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaLYgN3_xRvzlxj0X4O1iIeXbZ9dhaVGWEAh2nvT-Qsl3djGUT6VJa9QeqD9i8e5cU4rfFlSHLLKwgGzHfj4sOCBEf5Ke0eLWTktba6nn4vq6cN0arT01X93Hwz4guRB-PED6VAE7CfA7/s400/usher+poe+and+book+cover.jpg" true="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The man himself...</td></tr>
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ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-64423270390854656992015-10-24T22:13:00.004-04:002016-04-18T13:29:10.422-04:00Airplane! ...and don't call me Shirley!<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This article is my contribution to the Classic Movie Blog Association's Blogathon, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Click here to find all the wonderful bloggers and their articles! </span><a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/2015/10/its-time-for-cmba-fall-blogathon-trains.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://clamba.blogspot.com/2015/10/its-time-for-cmba-fall-blogathon-trains.html</span></a><br />
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Sitting in the audience for the 1980 premiere of <i>Airplane</i>, waves of laughter began with the first few seconds and continued throughout the whole movie.<br />
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(I didn't realize until my second viewing that the jet airliner was making propeller noises!)<br />
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<i>Airplane</i> is one of the best comedy films ever made -- every one of us at that premiere laughed so hard we all had sore throats at the end ... those of us who stayed through the credits got even more laughs, particularly with the ending threats of penalites of prison and all that, which ends with "So There!"<br />
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<i>Airplane </i>was a first of its kind -- the types of jokes and slapstick comedy it created have been copied many times over the years. I wonder if it isn't rather difficult for generations of kids since that time to understand just how funny this movie was. A great deal of it is dated with references to politics and culture of the time, which subsequent generations would probably not understand unless they had a mother like me who raised my kids with the classics and the best of the modern. Another huge part of the film's comedy which younger audiences would not understand, was seeing previously famous leading men and women, none of whom had ever done comedy, appear in these roles. A particular favorite of mine is Robert Stack, one of the most straight-backed, monotonal, stiff upper lip actors ever. I loved him as Eliot Ness on TV, and he was always a straight drama man. It took just a few seconds to change his persona forever with one of the biggest laughs for me....<br />
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<b>Robert Stack</b><br />
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The handsome, straight-laced,<b> Leslie Nielsen</b> found a new and prolific career simply by appearing in Airplane. He went on to do <i>Naked Gun</i>, <i>Dracula Dead and Loving It,</i> and many more comedies.....<br />
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<b>Peter Graves</b>, another actor who had never done comedy, had made his mark also hosting TV series. It was such a fabulously funny shock to see him play the role of Captain Oveur....<br />
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<b>Lloyd Bridges</b>, father of Beau and Jeff, known to TV audiences from <i>Sea Hunt</i>, with a prolific film career behind him, all drama, was another wonderful pick....<br />
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<b>The jive guys and Barbara Billingsley</b>--June Cleaver, the Beaver's mother! Who knew? Another huge laugh...<b></b><br />
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<b>Kareem Abdul Jabbar</b> -- sports fans everywhere still know about this one!<b></b><b></b><br />
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And a very, very special appearance by the fabulous <b>Ethel Merman</b>! What a treat!<br />
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To end this tribute to a wonderful movie, here's a shout-out to the relatively unknown young stars, Julie Hagerty and Roberts Hays, performing one of the best known scenes -- disco love in a sleazy waterfront bar!<br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com229tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-90939980474627322652015-10-05T03:00:00.000-04:002015-10-05T03:00:00.186-04:00Bride of Frankenstein ... 'Til Death Do Us Part<span style="color: black;">To kick off the month of Halloween ghosties and ghoulies, I want to re-introduce my take on </span><i><span style="color: black;">Bride of Frankenstein</span></i><span style="color: black;">. It was originally posted in 2010, when I had about 4 followers. I'm pretty sure I have a few more now, and I hope you enjoy it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12lHcJR6V2Gg0NwUz5hJMiWNcsZUiGM5CkzU2XJHjNesJZcEl4MFMN375Zu5a7L1jEZP0RpUS5wTM-vC1bdwT3KB17JHPWkUSI6c5PrxBIbYbebApaQ5oPCZGtSmOCHk2r_ioe4b6ISmf/s1600/Bride+closeup+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12lHcJR6V2Gg0NwUz5hJMiWNcsZUiGM5CkzU2XJHjNesJZcEl4MFMN375Zu5a7L1jEZP0RpUS5wTM-vC1bdwT3KB17JHPWkUSI6c5PrxBIbYbebApaQ5oPCZGtSmOCHk2r_ioe4b6ISmf/s320/Bride+closeup+good.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Elsa Lanchester of t he big eyes, cupid's bow mouth</div>
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and the ultimate bouffant hairdo.</div>
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Since 1931, when director James Whale brought his own unique film-making vision to Mary Shelley's novel, <i>Frankenstein</i> has spawned many, many remakes, sequels, mini-series and comedies. Everyone wants to put their own personal stamp on this seminal horror story, some quite good, a lot just plain awful. <i>Bride of Frankenstein</i> is different. There has only been one<i></i> attempt of which I am aware at re-making it, a really dreadful movie called <i>The Bride</i>, with Sting and Jennifer Beals. (Mystery Science Theatre 3000 would have had a hey-day with that one!) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJoX81wCTF-De7czNWRJjtVPsX6JN8cFIQ1hjH76pQVc4t27VXEEWIvQ5Xa7NWylHgrZ54SRudieBvBHvTo3dplOdmWOwAc3Cv7_yWwruRgDOxlDDtqtw8kkaJmIvhV57rvA7lb04x7-7/s1600/Bride+and+Frank+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJoX81wCTF-De7czNWRJjtVPsX6JN8cFIQ1hjH76pQVc4t27VXEEWIvQ5Xa7NWylHgrZ54SRudieBvBHvTo3dplOdmWOwAc3Cv7_yWwruRgDOxlDDtqtw8kkaJmIvhV57rvA7lb04x7-7/s320/Bride+and+Frank+good.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lanchester with her iconic highlights, and Boris Karloff as the monster.</td></tr>
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I think it would be impossible to re-capture in a remake the wonderful dark humor infused into the original bride story that was mostly responsible, in my opinion, for its unique nature.<i> Bride of Frankenstein</i> was born in the mind of director James Whale and his brand of side-glancing, off-beat humor which was his personal stamp. When I was a kid, I thought the story was deadly serious, and believed I should see it that way. After I had a few years under my belt, I realized how really funny this movie is. It still has the pathos of the poor monster’s loneliness and solitude, it has the wonderful eerie atmosphere of light and shadow, that fabulous laboratory, and lots of lightning. But it also has Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Praetorious with his little human menagerie, the violin-playing blind hermit, and of course Elsa Lanchester with the hair! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k0dqMTG3vmH7qYSguM-7hcvJJyg8vq-dpte9Wr3Bqm1VffrKzKgmScoyFmo2m4mnx7042ZEvIZPo_ya9JWXe2RbBQhAZUrlBvYYUNZDxCYWmkxPfszJugN4SDE3qrnuvXncOrlfVYm0D/s1600/bride+frank+and+hermit+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k0dqMTG3vmH7qYSguM-7hcvJJyg8vq-dpte9Wr3Bqm1VffrKzKgmScoyFmo2m4mnx7042ZEvIZPo_ya9JWXe2RbBQhAZUrlBvYYUNZDxCYWmkxPfszJugN4SDE3qrnuvXncOrlfVYm0D/s320/bride+frank+and+hermit+good.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O.P. Heggie as the Hermit</td></tr>
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As for the storyline, the monster is back on the rampage, frightening people everywhere, being misunderstood in his intentions, and longing for someone like himself to be his friend. He comes upon a hut in the woods and hears the music of a violin. The hut is inhabited by a blind man who welcomes the monster without fear since he can’t see him. The monster has learned to talk in rudimentary language, and the two men sit down together to eat dinner. When the blind man strikes a match to light a cigar, the monster screams because of his fear of fire. The blind man explains to him that fire is good, and offers him a cigar. “Smoke is good!” the blind man says, and the monster inhales and says “Smoke….good.” (In these days of political correctness, we may yet see this scene cut out, although the rampaging and killing will of course be left in.) The two are happy to be friends, but of course the villagers that populate every <i>Frankenstein</i> movie break up the friendship. Some men stop by the hut and since they are not blind, they panic and attack the monster. To the hermit's dismay, his new friend leaves and the villagers burn his house down accidentally. Oh yes, they were a <em>big</em> help.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeADFbZJT6v6sZSZL1AkRLdo5MwasuaN4T_oAT9V1OaWo6_rVdVGVbOfl2A_N9Ey6Gqp8pXp1TjR9i3aPOqKF06hU12GCKLrSXGypTi0Sg8JRs8HSkqo5cdWJJjd15nqFkKo7PoJyjSCu4/s1600/Bride+Ernest+Thesiger+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeADFbZJT6v6sZSZL1AkRLdo5MwasuaN4T_oAT9V1OaWo6_rVdVGVbOfl2A_N9Ey6Gqp8pXp1TjR9i3aPOqKF06hU12GCKLrSXGypTi0Sg8JRs8HSkqo5cdWJJjd15nqFkKo7PoJyjSCu4/s320/Bride+Ernest+Thesiger+good.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wonderful Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Praetorius</td></tr>
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Meanwhile, Praetorius is insinuating himself into Dr. Frankenstein’s life (Colin Clive reprises his role, looking a bit the worse for wear since the original Frankenstein). Ernest Thesiger is wonderful as the mad Praetorius, with his long, skeletal face and clipped British accent. He plays Praetorious in a threatening but gleeful way, prancing at times and clapping his hands together. Dr. Frankenstein is not interested in trying to re-animate dead tissue anymore, but Praetorius piques his interest by showing him his new brand of re-animation, or rather, creation of life. Praetorius displays his collection of tiny people kept in glass jars, a king, a queen, a bishop, a ballerina, alive and well and playing pranks. When the tiny people speak, it is with tiny squeaks like cartoon mice. Dr. Frankenstein is horrified, but interested. At one point, the monster finds Praetorius sitting in what looks like an open-air crypt, drinking gin and relaxing. When the monster realizes that it would be possible for Dr. Frankenstein to create a female, he hounds and threatens, with the help of Praetorius, until the doctor agrees. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAbAgey1mqG8v1MnpRXIIJga7OdlKhidkNBT2feE-fstvyYUK_evPQTbLWD1wLCyjsAhPvgsmj60IVmTbXlg34k_8TGRpgtP1JQ0GHz2KPj9MvIHAzeIXPL8RYLiOf7kLipUS38nNIOet/s1600/bride+ensemble+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAbAgey1mqG8v1MnpRXIIJga7OdlKhidkNBT2feE-fstvyYUK_evPQTbLWD1wLCyjsAhPvgsmj60IVmTbXlg34k_8TGRpgtP1JQ0GHz2KPj9MvIHAzeIXPL8RYLiOf7kLipUS38nNIOet/s320/bride+ensemble+good.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
The gang is all here ... Colin Clive, Elsa Lanchester,</div>
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Boris Karloff and Ernest Thesiger</div>
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The female is created in the same laboratory (that’s pronounced laBORatory) where the monster was brought to life. Her shroud is much more stylish, though, well-fitted and displaying a fine figure. She opens her eyes – the next scene shows her standing, dressed in a widely-shaped, floor-length, long-sleeved white dress. Her hair is done up in a very chic updo, dark with lightning-shaped white hair on either side. She sees Dr. Frankenstein and likes him, sees the monster and hates him, and utters a few creepy, distinctive echoing cries. The monster sees that she refuses his overtures, and decides he has had enough rejection in his life. He grabs a lever. Praetorius cries “Don’t touch that lever. You’ll blow us all to atoms!” Why such a lever would be installed in the first place is never explained. The monster, in an unusual mood of love for his creator, tells him to leave – “You live! We belong dead!” Then of course, he pulls the lever, and Praetorius’ warning comes true.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosalind Ayres as the Bride and Ian McKellan as Dr. Frankenstein</td></tr>
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I cannot write about<i> Bride of Frankenstein</i> without paying tribute to two movies where it plays major roles. The first is<i> Gods and Monsters</i> starring Ian McKellan as James Whale. In a flashback for Whale, we see him shooting the bride's creation scene. The actor who plays Praetorius turns to Whale and says “Are Colin and I supposed to have done her hair?” <i>Gods and Monsters</i> is a tremendous movie and you shouldn’t miss it.<br />
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What a fabulous bunch ... Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman,</div>
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Terry Garr, Peter Boyle and Madeline Kahn.</div>
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The second movie is, of course, <i>Young Frankenstein</i>. For any lover of the Frankenstein movies, this is a must. It takes elements from<i> Frankenstein</i>, <i>Bride of Frankenstein</i> and <i>Son of Frankenstein</i>. It is one of the greatest comedy films I have ever seen. The wonderful Madeline Kahn plays the woman who becomes the bride, and the scene where she comes out of the bathroom to her new husband, with her hair in that style, is not to be missed. Frankly, I can never watch any of the Frankenstein movies anymore without the hilarious<i> Young Frankenstein</i> always in my mind. Create a really fun, binge-watching October weekend for yourself – watch the aforementioned original Frankenstein trio. Then watch <i>Young Frankenstein</i> and <i>Gods and Monsters</i>. It will be an experience you won’t forget!<br />
<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-52968657006143326142015-07-12T11:43:00.001-04:002015-07-12T11:49:25.201-04:00The Mockingbird Will Never Die<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Dear Readers, it's no secret that I'm an avid classic movie lover as well as an avid reader of great books. </span><i style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">To Kill A Mockingbird,</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> movie and book, have a permanent place in my mind and heart. I had to make a decision for myself about all the hoopla with the publication of Harper Lee's first draft idea for </span><i style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Mockingbird</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">. In my opinion, about which I don't really feel humble, is that it was irresponsible and unethical to make money by outing "Go Set a Watchman," Harper Lee's first draft idea.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span><i style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Mockingbird</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> is a superb book that inspired a superb movie, a treasure for both movie lovers and lovers of literature who know greatness when they see it. Harper Lee's first story idea was bad, as they so often are. Her publisher suggested something different, as they so often do. So she eventually wrote a great book; maybe then was when she got some help from her friend Truman Capote. I've never believed the old rumor that he actually wrote it. It's not his style at all. He may have given valuable advice, but if I had such a writer for a friend and I was stuck on my writing, I would welcome his help too.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't know all the facts about how "Watchman" came to be published; I don't know what Harper Lee had to do with it or what advice she was given. With the greatest respect, Miss Lee is a very old lady, eccentric in many ways, and someone should have had the heart to squelch the idea of publishing that draft, which was squelched in the first place because it was bad. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I would die if anybody saw some of the first drafts I've written! Most writers would. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I'm sure many of you know more about the events leading up to the "Watchman" release, and I'm not averse to learning facts. I guess after I first read some of the articles about it and got a look at the story, I was just suspicious about Miss Lee's involvement and, frankly, just didn't care about the draft. It was just that ... a draft. Now so many people are terribly upset, re-thinking the real <i>Mockingbird</i>, and that is very sad. It's especially sad for the generations of kids who will get to know this novel and book that Oprah Winfrey called our national book. It is likely that their experience will be tinged by knowing from the start about the backlash against the idea of Atticus Finch being a racist, the most important issue being discussed. That word, used however carefully or with whatever back-pedaling, is immediate cultural death to anyone or anything involved. That would indeed be a tragedy, one which is up to us to avert by teaching our children and grandchildren how to understand and what to ignore in the case of <i>Mockingbird</i>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">For us, Atticus Finch will always be a loving father and decent, caring and educated man, in a time and place in which some of those virtues were not prevalent. That is how Harper Lee offered him to us. That is who he is. <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i> will never disappear as long as we adults make a firm decision to teach our children just as Atticus taught his own.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A decent man and the innocence of children change, for<br />
a moment, their corner of the world.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This will never be goodbye, Atticus ... it will always be our tribute.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-50210889006725396302015-07-08T00:33:00.000-04:002015-10-17T14:23:31.296-04:00Teresa Wright -- Quietly Unforgettable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa Wright</td></tr>
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When I was a teenager, I wanted to be Rita Hayworth or Vivien Leigh. The sheer beauty of these women was intoxicating, and at that age I thought that was the be all and the end all for a woman. When I got a little older, I came to realize that even great beauty just wouldn't do. I began to notice other qualities of women I admired, particularly my mother. I became acquainted with the movies of Teresa Wright, and ever since then have felt that if I were not myself, I would like to be her. It wasn't just her looks or talent -- she was certainly lovely and a wonderful actress. She was not glamorous and did not want to be. Teresa's prime movie career was set in a time I have always loved. She was in her 20's during the 1940's. I had always felt I would been better suited there than in my own time. The 40's, even though stricken by war, seemed a wonderful time to be a young woman living in a medium-sized town where decent people lived ordinary lives (eg. <i>Shadow of a Doubt</i>); where modesty, love, and the importance of fidelity were desirable virtues (eg.<i> The Best Years of Our Lives</i>); where love of country and responsibility for it were commonplace (eg. <i>Mrs. Miniver</i>). The most famous movies in which Teresa appeared, added to the three already mentioned, were <i>The Little Foxes</i> and <i>Pride of the Yankees</i>. These films spanned the years of 1941 to 1946. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa and Dame May Whitty in <i>Mrs. Miniver</i></td></tr>
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Lest I be dismissed as a rose-colored glasses type, I certainly know that those years, the towns portrayed, the stories themselves also held behind closed doors the fear, unhappiness and difficulties with life as in any era. In fact, each of the five movies has Teresa starting out as an innocent girl, only to be forced to deal with disappointment, sorrow and sometimes just plain evil -- a beloved, yet murderous, Uncle Charlie in <i>Shadow;</i> post-war mental and social damage, divorce and physical disability in <i>Best Years</i>; the effect of war on an ordinary English family, and death that comes as never expected in<i> Mrs. Miniver</i>; greed and evil in a young girl's mother and uncles in <i>Foxes</i>; and deep sorrow for a wife with her husband's illness in <i>Pride</i>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa in <i>The Best Years of Our Lives</i></td></tr>
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Teresa's movie career began to decline after 1946, although she made several, none of which ever reached the the level of importance of the first five. Teresa then became a prolific actress on television, with a few occasional movies, and worked until she was 78 years old. She died in 2005.<br />
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So why do I feel so akin to a decade that ended before I was born? I like what I've seen and heard about the cultural attitudes, the social aspect of relationships and other heavy issues. But right now, I'm thinking about the fabulous big band music, the way that men dressed in suits and fedoras, and the women's clothes that looked like ball gowns compared to the way we appear in public these days. One of the fun things about Teresa for me is her clothes. In every movie she is dressed in beautiful, simple day wear, tailored just to her. You can imagine yourself in clothes like that, as opposed to period costumes or mink-laden outfits for the rich. Teresa always looked great, cool and womanly. I liked her hair too. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa and Greer Garson in <i>Mrs. Miniver</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa and detective in <i>Shadow of a Doubt</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGXoWnC1Gr97wqrlVvzXlTSKFAateVSsUnmAJtZVdsuTlinrv4klB96DcufbtBK3BWwMc4d0mnZXI6fdlB4PaCerub6Hk7aO2Xi9M8JFLrRhNONPQMLDNU5PV0uSpo6PjP1fuAW4a8wg/s1600/teresa+wide+white+collar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGXoWnC1Gr97wqrlVvzXlTSKFAateVSsUnmAJtZVdsuTlinrv4klB96DcufbtBK3BWwMc4d0mnZXI6fdlB4PaCerub6Hk7aO2Xi9M8JFLrRhNONPQMLDNU5PV0uSpo6PjP1fuAW4a8wg/s1600/teresa+wide+white+collar.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa, Joseph Cotton and a cop in <i>Shadow of a Doubt</i></td></tr>
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It's hard to believe that Teresa Wright could fall under the category of forgotten stars, but I bet not many people other than us have any idea who she is. That's such a shame. She made important, great movies, and neither she nor they should be forgotten.<br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-90755032645073389412015-05-15T23:09:00.004-04:002015-05-15T23:56:30.328-04:00National Classic Movie Day -- "Going My Way"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5ohZHDmvY45HQngZfGK1TGIQlZoFfsrYD5f9PlH00L4gVK2fBolNRsWFNAEY43joYGqcQYKJ7fqq3tvXRPMyCKpQmh0CpI0wi_QmdbM8fxc3ctNkVW2XyivSdGou6PdZ63P3bsDHI2E/s1600/going+my+way+good+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5ohZHDmvY45HQngZfGK1TGIQlZoFfsrYD5f9PlH00L4gVK2fBolNRsWFNAEY43joYGqcQYKJ7fqq3tvXRPMyCKpQmh0CpI0wi_QmdbM8fxc3ctNkVW2XyivSdGou6PdZ63P3bsDHI2E/s400/going+my+way+good+poster.jpg" width="400" yr="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a movie ... what a cast!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is my contribution to National Classic Movie Day, arranged by Rick of Classic Film and TV Cafe. Click <a href="http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2015/03/a-blogathon-in-celebration-of-inaugural.html"><b>here</b></a> to find all of the contributors.</span><br />
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In May of 1944 the United States was embroiled in the dark days of World War II. After 2 ½ years of war, grief and fear of the future, American audiences chose as their favorite movie a little film which helped them remember what life is ultimately about -- love of God, love of people, humor in the midst of difficulty, ordinary human beings living each day as it comes. <i>Going My Way </i>was a Paramount film directed by Leo McCarey. McCarey was known mostly for his comedies before the 1940’s, working with such greats as the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields and Mae West. During the 40’s, McCarey became increasingly concerned about the needs of people struggling with wartime difficulties, as well as social injustice of the economically disadvantaged.</div>
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<i>Going My Way</i> is the story of two Catholic priests at St. Dominic parish in a poor neighborhood. Fr. O’Malley (Bing Crosby) arrives at the parish supposedly to assist the aging pastor, Fr. Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald). In point of fact, the Bishop has plans to eventually replace Fr. Fitzgibbon, who is now in his 70’s and is reluctant to retire. Fr. Fitzgibbon has been a priest for 45 years, and it has been that long since he has seen Ireland or his now extremely elderly mother. Fr. O’Malley’s modern, easy-style personality rubs the fiery old pastor the wrong way, and Fr. O’Malley is kind to him, always careful to show respect and patience in their relationship. Throughout the movie, we meet people who cross paths with Fr. O’Malley – Carol (Jean Heather), a runaway whose future causes no end of concern for the priest; Ted Harris Jr. (James Brown), whose interest in Carol is a further cause for concern; Genevieve (Rise Stevens), whom Fr. O’Malley once loved; and a gang of neighborhood boys led by Tony Scaponi (Stanley Clements). (You have to love that name, Tony Scaponi!) A third priest, Fr. O’Dowd (Frank McHugh), the same age and modern outlook as Fr. O’Malley, turns up to be another thorn in the old pastor’s side. Fr. O’Malley deals with each person in the same spiritually dedicated, yet firm feet-on-the-ground attitude which characterizes his moral makeup. There is great humor in this story, sorrow, and an ending that is quiet and intensely moving. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazicdBzjZiTMiIiJho6_n9jcEAy5LFZc0687cI-ht-R6bfP6tznbVxPlKdQbY21wu8QJpPhkPvKaGG3afaeRubWKKwM6rdW46hweQptkPGKXJM1iXmCsACeA8wSOKAqcbEwoEOigWRQY/s1600/going+my+way+crosby+fitz+ok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazicdBzjZiTMiIiJho6_n9jcEAy5LFZc0687cI-ht-R6bfP6tznbVxPlKdQbY21wu8QJpPhkPvKaGG3afaeRubWKKwM6rdW46hweQptkPGKXJM1iXmCsACeA8wSOKAqcbEwoEOigWRQY/s320/going+my+way+crosby+fitz+ok.jpg" width="320" yr="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald</td></tr>
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<i>Going My Way</i> is a slice-of-life movie, simply portraying the life of a church parish day to day. There is no hurry to McCarey’s direction, allowing each scene to unfold with rich personality and character-driven plot. The audience feels as if they know the people in this film, as proven by the fact that this was the highest-grossing film of 1944. In those days, without television or re-runs, that meant that there was a lot of repeat viewing and thus more theatre tickets sold. <i>Going My Way</i> swept the Oscars that year, winning best picture, best director, best actor for Crosby, best supporting actor for Fitzgerald, best screenplay, best song for “Swinging On A Star” written by Van Huesen and Burke. This was in a year where competition was stiff and the movie was up against such films as Cary Grant’s <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i>, Olivier’s <i>Henry V</i>, Garland’s <i>Meet Me In St. Louis</i> and Ingrid Bergman’s<i> Gaslight</i>. Interestingly, Fitzgerald and Crosby were both nominated for best actor, as well as Fitzgerald’s nomination for best supporting actor, a double-nominee practice that was later disallowed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic79EJsu9DRu00yfISY10sZ5wIi9eMWallRvyMTuHZMptVPNcVM6Yx8It_JWcWFNAFMNriZKySq7dMzbbK4tuD34uIcG1WloknPenq56Dya6i2lDC58UD7pSc2uVg8quhkrbgGaomiJCA/s1600/going+my+way+crosby+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic79EJsu9DRu00yfISY10sZ5wIi9eMWallRvyMTuHZMptVPNcVM6Yx8It_JWcWFNAFMNriZKySq7dMzbbK4tuD34uIcG1WloknPenq56Dya6i2lDC58UD7pSc2uVg8quhkrbgGaomiJCA/s400/going+my+way+crosby+boys.jpg" width="400" yr="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bing and the gang</td></tr>
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The cast of <i>Going My Way</i> is one that shines in its individual parts. Bing Crosby is perfection as the younger priest who sings and plays piano, just as comfortable with boogie woogie as spiritual songs. His work with the neighborhood boys in turning them into a choir is beautifully portrayed. (One of the boys is Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer who we remember from Our Gang serials.) They truly sing like angels when they perform the title song with real-life opera great Rise Stevens. But it’s their performance with the song “Swinging On A Star” that audiences really loved. The part of the old pastor, Fr. Fitzgibbon, seemed tailor made for Barry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was 56 at the time, only 15 years older than Crosby, yet he seemed and looked very old, a testament to his acting and good makeup. He is funny and sweet in his part, and you can’t help but love him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtXxphn0XtJGMTNZwEeb9pDZOSKQiE_9zXNCyPm5nFOowhosV6Bzy_NX6675zORO6eVrpgLiQRhV0cNt2gcqQPETgb4lFm_ccEF0f-9f6roqHWKXhRHVd5ofwfzlQIy8U1LDp7ILkvyM/s1600/going+my+way+mchugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtXxphn0XtJGMTNZwEeb9pDZOSKQiE_9zXNCyPm5nFOowhosV6Bzy_NX6675zORO6eVrpgLiQRhV0cNt2gcqQPETgb4lFm_ccEF0f-9f6roqHWKXhRHVd5ofwfzlQIy8U1LDp7ILkvyM/s200/going+my+way+mchugh.jpg" width="200" yr="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank McHugh</td></tr>
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Wonderful Frank McHugh as Fr. O’Dowd is the perfect comic relief with his distinctive way of speaking and his famous high breathy laugh. McHugh was a member of the Irish Mafia, a spoof name for a group of actors, mostly Irish, who met fairly regularly which included James Cagney, Spencer Tracy and Pat O’Brien. Stanley Clements (Tony Scaponi) eventually replaced Leo Gorcey in the Bowery Boys last seven movies. You may recognize James Brown as Ted Haines -- he starred in the Rin Tin Tin television series. The rest of the supporting cast round out this wonderful ensemble with solid performances.<br />
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In the following year, 1945, Bing Crosby reprised his role as Fr. O'Malley in <i>The Bells of St. Mary's</i>, starring Ingrid Bergman as the Mother Superior. It was also a huge hit, and in my opinion, Bergman still holds the gold medal for best and most beautiful nun in films.<br />
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Director McCarey and Bing Crosby were both devout Catholics and that shows in their dedication to the film and their love for the ideals of the Church. After the war, Crosby obtained permission to screen the movie for Pope Pius XII and meet with him personally. Some, particularly in our own time, pronounce this movie as saccharine and idealistic. I disagree completely. It set forth ideals and the efforts of ordinary people to live up to them. Now, when scandal has marred the image of the Catholic Church, this little movie is a timely reminder that the same ideals are still there, and that 99.9% of priests are as good and dedicated as Fr. O’Malley (although not many of them sing as well). That is a living legacy from Leo McCarey and Bing Crosby.ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com29Indianapolis, IN, USA39.768403 -86.15806800000001439.377911 -86.803515000000019 40.158895 -85.51262100000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-81747029255663993392015-04-27T22:35:00.002-04:002015-04-28T12:18:16.496-04:00The Evolution of Tod Browning's Freaks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKyK9aG_5rQFJfmH5wro2-XKyPhM9qVV_ut-zd3EelaHf8MACKXPEO5ubzyU6nwvzoUg9zVSRc2FVuOZFERl1LhSDQsIyFyNAFJWkletfxLnjzAAXn3bMzuuvEcfDWw3XRcvIhi4Fgkw/s1600/freaks+movie+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKyK9aG_5rQFJfmH5wro2-XKyPhM9qVV_ut-zd3EelaHf8MACKXPEO5ubzyU6nwvzoUg9zVSRc2FVuOZFERl1LhSDQsIyFyNAFJWkletfxLnjzAAXn3bMzuuvEcfDWw3XRcvIhi4Fgkw/s1600/freaks+movie+poster.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">European poster for <i>Freaks</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This article is my contribution to the Classic Movie Blog Association's Spring Blogathon, Fabulous Films of of the 1930's. Click here to find all the wonderful bloggers who are participating: <a href="http://www.clamba.blogspot.com/2015/04/cmba-spring-blogathon-fabulous-films-of.html">http://www.clamba.blogspot.com/2015/04/cmba-spring-blogathon-fabulous-films-of.html</a></span><br />
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Tod Browning's 1932 film <i>Freaks</i> has been analyzed, reviewed, hated, admired, recommended and shunned since its first screening 83 years ago. My interest is in one aspect of this movie's impact upon audiences -- the evolution of its acceptance. In his production, Browning filmed this fictional story of circus freaks using not actors, but real men and women who had been born with deformities and made their living traveling the sideshow circuit. In many ways, the movie was a source of pride for most of its stars. They had lived their lives being stared at and vilified, and made their living in the only way open to them -- as circus attractions. The idea of being wanted for a mainstream Hollywood movie appealed to most of those who appeared in <i>Freaks</i>. Browning himself believed not only in the monetary interests of a shock value movie, but also in spotlighting the fact that these are human beings with the same feelings as anyone else, kindness, love, anger, bitterness and rage. His intentions met with complete failure in 1932. Stories abounded of people fainting and running screaming up the aisles during the first few minutes of the movie. <i>Freaks </i>was considered so disgusting that theatres throughout the country pulled it and refused to show it. It was definitely a box office dud, and only decades later was it met with interest and perceptive observation.<br />
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The aspect of <i>Freaks</i> that interests me for the purpose of this article is simple -- we are not as dramatically affected by <i>Freaks </i>now as people were in 1932. We certainly have a better understanding of medical anomalies. Deformities are no longer seen as a curse or an evil as in the past. The development of babies in the womb is an open book because of prenatal imagery, and we have reached a point in medical involvement in which some problems can actually be fixed in utero. Deformities certainly still occur, but for us in a country rich in medical breakthroughs and treatments, the same anomalies as seen in <i>Freaks</i> are very rare, if not completely eradicated. Even the crude terms used for deformities have evolved ... pinheads are microcephalics, Siamese twins are conjoined siblings, midgets and dwarves are little people ... names can indeed hurt, and our modern terminology helps to make that a thing of the past.<br />
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We now have television shows that spotlight people who are different. <i>Little People, Big World </i>is very popular, showing a family who is really like any other family, with the exception of certain special needs. However, it is my observation that most families require special needs of many types, even though these may be invisible. The problem of the "dysfunctional family" has become so widespread that functional families seem to be a rarity. There are a great many TV shows about fat people, strange obsessions, odd-looking people who are that way either by birth or choice of tattooing and piercing. There isn't a whole lot that we <i>don't </i>see anymore. The people of under-developed countries particularly suffer from terrible deformities and diseases, and now remarkable doctors, plastic surgeons and nurses give of their time and skill to travel around the world to help them without charge. <br />
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We still stare ... there is no denying that ... but most of us try not to and are embarrassed when we do, a far cry from years past. I remember shopping for groceries and turning the corner of an aisle to be confronted by a man with an advanced case of neurofibromatosis, which used to be called Elephant Man's disease. I couldn't help being shocked, but I managed to quell the instinctive gasp we do when surprised in that way. He just gave me a smile, and I smiled back with a little shake of the head at myself. It turned out he was the produce man, and I will never forget his gracious behavior and the courage he must have had to just be living a normal life with a normal job. Would I have screamed and run in 1932? I am glad I live in a world where an unintentional surprise was all that I experienced and all that this gentleman had to endure. There are still people who rudely snap pictures on their cell phones of those who are different, but media attention to these insensitive jerks prove them to be undeserving of any respect, an opinion shared by the majority of Americans.<br />
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Sometimes it seems that nothing ever really changes, and we see that opinion manifested every day in the news. Various ethnic groups, religious groups, political groups, all cry out that bigotry is still the same as years past. I do not believe that. Certainly there are people who have not changed, who still live by the code of discrimination, but I see that more people have evolved than not. Such issues are now discussed openly, and people who suffer bigotry have more ways to address and punish the haters than ever before. That is because there are more of us who want to do what is right than ever before. Just this one small example shows that ... at least for the cast of <i>Freaks</i> we know things have evolved -- the very word itself, <u>freaks</u>, is no longer tolerated.<br />
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Here is a little pictorial of some of the performers we were introduced to in <i>Freaks</i>. All were very well known in their day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU3KTQBs3AkDhyAf_HFNajUQjS53vTNNBqqY657rlDkqWolCaELAnSXPzlrBTXqa70lZBZ7BEhkzGXpfOx4J2amDNizj4pV7LOExjwSgJxDAVlqGfes30pi3cOEAtwf-3eFQk85Z9jCg/s1600/freaks+schlitzie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU3KTQBs3AkDhyAf_HFNajUQjS53vTNNBqqY657rlDkqWolCaELAnSXPzlrBTXqa70lZBZ7BEhkzGXpfOx4J2amDNizj4pV7LOExjwSgJxDAVlqGfes30pi3cOEAtwf-3eFQk85Z9jCg/s1600/freaks+schlitzie.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schlitze<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSM5gCKFXCVlqNvvU8EjBn9ofIbrv0em7PLXdPYdSV9eHjvO1f36T0XH_HGIaWAIkZxcjRnOgPic35npa_KixXM1t5psyQKg6XVhLr6B0FFJPY5QMgxd-VAm55mwF1COF3OQPy11ct7Q/s1600/freaks+johnny+eck+and+prince+randian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSM5gCKFXCVlqNvvU8EjBn9ofIbrv0em7PLXdPYdSV9eHjvO1f36T0XH_HGIaWAIkZxcjRnOgPic35npa_KixXM1t5psyQKg6XVhLr6B0FFJPY5QMgxd-VAm55mwF1COF3OQPy11ct7Q/s1600/freaks+johnny+eck+and+prince+randian.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnny Eck, the Half Boy and Prince Randian, the Living Torso<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother and sister act Harry and Daisy Earles<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9dly23jyoiHJ6zTQWyLY_pX0OA3I2blRtbkEbDa5CWPB7WSI-nw8dbFwb0RHiQbxpgRq5Q52W_qXXO02sL3Kz6gngYY165sb15MbKYVAfyZjUbwhpOCgFClEUq6N1KeD-y1PwgzBQmQ/s1600/freaks+madame+in+woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9dly23jyoiHJ6zTQWyLY_pX0OA3I2blRtbkEbDa5CWPB7WSI-nw8dbFwb0RHiQbxpgRq5Q52W_qXXO02sL3Kz6gngYY165sb15MbKYVAfyZjUbwhpOCgFClEUq6N1KeD-y1PwgzBQmQ/s1600/freaks+madame+in+woods.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actress Rose Dione with Schlitze, Zip and Pip,<br />
and a little person who I believe to be Angeleno<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet and Daisy Hilton (with actors portraying their husbands)</td></tr>
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-2306195308095954832015-03-02T23:14:00.003-05:002015-07-07T22:34:51.880-04:00The Big Blogathon About The Big Picture<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>You could do a great line-up with Cinemascope! Roman soldiers everywhere!<br />(A scene from <i>The Robe</i>, the<u> first </u>movie released in Cinemascope)</b></span></td></tr>
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It's March 13, the first day of the Cinemascope blogathon ... set aside some time March 13th through 16th to enjoy the bloggers who will be presenting their work on the best movies in Cinemascope as well as the process itself. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bloggers: Check your blog link below and let me know if there are any errors.</span><br />
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<u><b>March 13th</b></u><br />
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<i>How To Marry A Millionaire</i>: by <a href="http://www.margaretperry.org/">www.margaretperry.org</a><br />
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<i>The Long Hot Summer</i>: by <a href="http://www.thevintagecameo.com/">www.thevintagecameo.com</a><br />
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<i>The Innocents</i> / <i>The Lady and the Tramp</i>: by <a href="http://wolffianclassicmoviesdigest.wordpress.com/">www.wolffianclassicmoviesdigest.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>Gunmans Walk</i>: by <a href="http://www.caftanwoman.com/">www.caftanwoman.com</a><br />
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<i>Love Me Or Leave Me: </i>by <a href="http://aurorasginjoint.com/">www.aurorasginjoint.com</a><br />
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<i>Our Man Flint:</i> by <a href="http://www.widescreenworld.blogspot.com/">www.widescreenworld.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<i>The Great Locomotive Chase</i>: by <a href="http://www.silverscenesblog.blogspot.com/">www.silverscenesblog.blogspot.com </a></div>
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<i>Ride the High Country</i>: by <a href="http://thestopbutton.com/2015/03/13/ride-high-country-1962">http://thestopbutton.com/2015/03/13/ride-high-country-1962</a><br />
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<u><b>March 14</b></u><br />
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<i>Move Over Darling</i>: by <a href="http://flickchick1953.blogspot.com/">www.flickchick1953.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<i>Peyton Place</i>: by <a href="http://www.debravega.wordpress.com/">www.debravega.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>Three Coins in the Fountain</i>: by <a href="http://www.movieclassics.wordpress.com/">www.movieclassics.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>The Inn of the Sixth Happiness:</i> by <a href="http://www.portraitsbyjenni.wordpress.com/">www.portraitsbyjenni.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>Retrospective of Cinemascope</i>: by Scenes from the Morgue: <a href="http://www.scenesfromthemorgue.wordpress.com/">www.scenesfromthemorgue.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>A Bad Day at Black Rock</i>: by <a href="http://microbrewreviews.blogspot.com/">http://microbrewreviews.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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<i>Cinerama!</i> by <a href="http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/">www.classicfilmtvcafe.com</a><br />
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<i>Tammy and the Bachelor</i>: by <a href="http://www.phyllislovesclassicmovies.blogspot.com/">www.phyllislovesclassicmovies.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<u><b>March 15</b></u><br />
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<i>My 10 Favorite Cinemascope Films:</i> by <a href="http://www.allthingskevyn.com/">www.allthingsKevyn.com</a><br />
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<i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i>: by <a href="http://www.moviemovieblogblog.wordpress.com/">www.moviemovieblogblog.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>Silk Stockings</i>: by <a href="http://www.criticaretro.blogspot.com/">www.criticaretro.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<i>Snow White and the Three Stooges</i>: by <a href="http://forgottenfilmcast.wordpress.com/">forgottenfilmcast.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>Daddy Long Legs</i>: by <a href="http://www.puregoldenclassics1951.blogspot.com/">www.puregoldenclassics1951.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<i>The Alligator People</i>: by <a href="http://www.lifebetweenframes.blogspot.com/">www.lifebetweenframes.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<i>Blood Alley</i>: by <a href="http://www.crystallkalyna.wordpress.com/">www.crystallkalyna.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>There's No Business Like Show Business</i>: by <a href="http://www.girlsdofilm.wordpress.com/">www.girlsdofilm.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<b><u>March 16</u></b><br />
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<i>Seven Brides for Seven Brothers</i>: by <a href="http://www.jessycap.wordpress.com/"> www.jessycap.wordpress.com</a><br />
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<i>Black Widow</i>: by <a href="http://www.stars-are-ageless.blogspot.com.au/">www.stars-are-ageless.blogspot.com.au</a><br />
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<i>House of Bamboo / Lola Montez</i>: <a href="http://www.randompicturesblog.net/">www.randompicturesblog.net</a><br />
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<i>The Girl Can't Help It / Jailhouse Rock / Les Girls</i>: by <a href="http://www.secondsightcinema.com/">www.secondsightcinema.com</a><br />
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<i>Brigadoon</i>: by <a href="http://www.journeysinclassicfilm.com/">www.journeysinclassicfilm.com</a></div>
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<i>The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit</i>: by <a href="http://silverscreenings.org/">http://silverscreenings.org/</a></div>
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ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-74564494815286606482015-01-21T11:11:00.003-05:002015-02-16T22:50:13.976-05:00Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Let Us Rope You Into Another Fun Blogathon!My buddy Rich (of <a href="http://widescreenworld.blogspot.com/2015/01/open-curtains-on-cinemascope-blogathon.html">Wide Screen World</a>) and I will be hosting a blogathon about the wonders of Cinemascope and the blockbuster movies that were presented in movie theatre screens bigger than ever. Head on over to Rich's <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://widescreenworld.blogspot.com/2015/01/open-curtains-on-cinemascope-blogathon.html">blog</a> </span>to read all about it! He has made some great banners -- my favorite is Fantastic Voyage, with the little submarine moving through a vein. In Cinemascope, even the corpuscles were big!ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-25061739925626477422014-12-05T00:45:00.000-05:002014-12-05T12:46:52.253-05:00Sorry Peter, But I Have To Pan You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is a given that the new NBC live <i>Peter Pan </i>which aired tonight will be compared to the original version, also NBC, in 1960. It starred Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard, Broadway veterans with powerful voices and sly, sarcastic delivery of humor. I loved it. Tonight, I really did sit down to watch with high hopes. I don't know Alison Williams at all, but I love Christopher Walken. I worried a bit about his laid-back style, but hoped he would step it up as the evil, hilarious Captain Hook. I hoped that the funniest bits were be left in and that it would not be ultra-modernized. </div>
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Christopher Walken's first appearance as Captain Hook, sans hat, reminded me of Fu Manchu. I love the guy, I really do, but his dry, quiet humor just doesn't fit this part at all. It needs flamboyance and high humor, which Cyril Ritchard gave it in the 1960 live TV version. A new (generic and forgettable) song for the initial pirate appearance was pretty flat, with Walken languishing in his chair looking a little stoned (which is pretty much what he always looks like ... it's part of his charm ... just not for Hook). He was funny at times, but all in all, his performance was not up to par.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BhRb4P7Y2L4LDPRnc6voZGLEYMAThhnPd0R3v0G7SiD0bbnZ51yYthau9RR-w1cAL-MDWykHTJsQIg8y6rqLlQsfOGDjS3_MjLSzsWX2f4wbnm7qU2k0WD4w6-V8RJiRqkqxQ1a0sEs/s1600/pan+hook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BhRb4P7Y2L4LDPRnc6voZGLEYMAThhnPd0R3v0G7SiD0bbnZ51yYthau9RR-w1cAL-MDWykHTJsQIg8y6rqLlQsfOGDjS3_MjLSzsWX2f4wbnm7qU2k0WD4w6-V8RJiRqkqxQ1a0sEs/s1600/pan+hook.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyril Ritchard (1960 live TV version)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Martin (1960 live TV version)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alison Williams</td></tr>
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Alison Williams has a nice enough voice, but it is very thin and exudes very little emotion of any kind. She is rather flat in her performance, and there is no zap to her acting or singing. In every department, Mary Martin blew Williams out of the water. I thought she was a disappointment.<br />
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Wendy, Peter and Michael are .... well, just like all of the Wendys, Peters and Michaels in other versions. They and the Lost Boys were cute and did an adequate job.<br />
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I did notice a technical problem that was surprising, considering the first-class treatment of this show. During a couple of William's and Walken's songs, the orchestra was easier to hear than their singing. Chorales were no problem, but solo singers were not loud enough. Of course, Walken and Williams have similar voices -- too thin and without power. I also read on the internet a criticism that the flying gear looked just the same as it did 54 years ago. That didn't bother me -- how else can you do it on live TV without wires? It's not like a movie where they can hide such things.<br />
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I loved the pirates ... funny, wonderful dancers and singers. In contrast to the pirates' singing, Walken often sounded like he was whispering.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sondra Lee (1960 live TV version)</td></tr>
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In what I figured would be a controversial issue, Indian Queen Tiger Lily and her tribe were replaced by a gorgeous native Princess, played by Alanna Saunders, and her curiously naked-looking male tribe. The Princess has a feather on front of her forehead, where Tiger Lily had one on the back of her head. The Princess also has a better designer. The new look is apparently considered more respectful -- the credits showed a Native American consultant, so I guess he knows. However, I don't think a real native Princess would have access to shiny, metallic fabric made into a dress with only straps covering important places. The original song, "Ugg uh Wugg", was cut out for modern sensitivities, but it was lots of fun. I've always remembered how the dancers positioned themselves in a V and leaned from side to side until you were sure they were going to fall over. The replacement song is tepid and not likely to be something you will hum or remember the lyrics. The original Tiger Lily herself, Sondra Lee, gave an interview about this new version of <i>Peter Pan</i>. She wishes them luck; however:<br />
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"Lee says that while she won't be watching the new version, she's read about it -- and she's not happy the producers have cut Tiger Lily's big song "Ugg-a-Wugg." It's been replaced by "True Blood Brothers," a new song ... whose composer consulted Native Americans to make sure the song is more authentic than, say, the Land O'Lakes Lady. Lee thinks that's silly. "There was no such thing as political correctness when we did the show. The song is about word games, and kids play word games all the time ... People come up to me all the time and say "Ugg-a-Wugg"! They love it. If you have a classic, don't mess with it..."<br />
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I enjoy writing about movies I love more than movies I don't like, so I'll never be a true critic. But, in this case, I think a wonderful musical was not given the proper cast or new treatment, and that's a shame.<br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-29969295802642898872014-11-03T22:32:00.000-05:002015-10-17T14:27:45.624-04:00Charlie Chan's Cure For Insomnia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last few months have brought with them some stressful events, and one side-effect was an unrelenting insomnia that didn't respond well even to sleeping pills. I would get about 3-4 hours of comatose sleep and then wake right up again. Reading doesn't work well with tired eyes, and you have to be careful what you watch on TV at 2 a.m. Action shows or thriller movies just wake you up more. Great classic movies aren't usually a good idea because your mind insists on staying awake to experience them. Finally, I settled upon the perfect thing to enjoy and yet settle the brain down to eventual sleep ... Charlie Chan.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warner Oland</td></tr>
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I just love Charlie Chan movies, always have. My high school steady boyfriend fell in love with me when I was able to name the three famous Chan actors, Warner Oland, Sidney Toler and Roland Winters. (I knew we were a match made in Heaven when he started quoting W.C. Fields and the Marx Brothers.) I never liked Roland Winters, but I love Oland and Toler. Oland seemed to me the more sophisticated Charlie Chan, with a bit of polite menace in his countenance. Toler is the friendlier father type of Charlie Chan, always ready with Confucius humor. There is a Charlie Chan for any mood.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidney Toler</td></tr>
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I know it isn't correct anymore to love the two best Charlies ... Oland was Swedish and Toler was from Missouri ... but I can't help it. I didn't know they were a stereotype when I was a kid watching them on TV. I just thought they were always smarter than anybody else at solving mysteries, and they always had a superior smile in answer to any insults they might receive. I felt the same way about Mantan Moreland ... my favorite Toler movies are the ones in which Mantan appears as Birmingham Brown. Again, my child self was not aware that these movie roles were hurtful to black people. I just thought Mantan was so funny, and was the only one who seemed smart enough to know when he was in a dangerous situation. Willie Best appeared in one Chan film as Chattanooga Brown, Birmingham's cousin, and I remember wishing I had a cool nickname like those. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mantan Moreland and one of Charlie's sons<br />
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The Charlie Chan movies are fun, not very long, pretty quiet actually ... when insomnia kept me from sleeping, I began to stretch out on the recliner, turn off all the lights, keep the volume low, and play some on a loop that included Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum, Murder at Midnight, Charlie Chan in Egypt. The background scores are soothing, the pace is not hurried, and eventually I was usually out like a light. The loop would keep playing until it turned itself off, and I was blissfully asleep. So thanks, Charlie ... you cured me.<br />
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I found a clip on Youtube of Mantan Moreland and his vaudeville partner, Ben Carter, doing their famous "interrupted sentence" routine in some of the Chan movies. (The clip names it "incomplete sentence" routine, but that's wrong.) They are so good at it, and it always tickles me.<br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-28968261460264039872014-09-02T23:22:00.003-04:002014-09-02T23:22:42.843-04:00What Day Is It?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Holiday weekends always throw me off. I never know what day it is. I planned to post an article on Monday, which I thought was today but was actually yesterday. My brain, like my purse, is a bottomless pit ... a lot of things just get lost down there.<br />
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My youngest son, Greg, is getting married Saturday. I am so happy for him, and I love his fiancee. I'm also a nervous wreck ... did this get done, did I forget something, oh my God I didn't hem my outfit, should I just attend by webcam and then I won't have to worry about how anything looks except from the neck up ... you know what I mean. <br />
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So, I'm not going to do an extensive article because I wouldn't do it well anyway. After Saturday, the panic will have disappeared and my mind will be free.<br />
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I have some great ideas for the Brain Food. I'd like to do another entry to my <i>Overlooked At The Oscars</i> series. Of course, I am joining the Forgotten Stars Blogathon, and looking forward to it. I'm also in the mood to spoof a Vincent Price movie ... love that man! I am looking forward to visiting blogs and seeing what good stuff I have missed.<br />
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So long for now, kids. I'll be working on something good ... but then, you will be the judges of that!<br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-90033718039195881672014-06-22T01:03:00.001-04:002014-06-22T01:03:10.840-04:00The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This article is my contribution to the <b>Billy Wilder Blogathon</b>, hosted by Aurora at <i>Once Upon A Screen</i> (<a href="http://aurorasginjoint.com/">aurorasginjoint.com</a>) and Kellee of <i>Outspoken and Freckled</i> (<a href="http://kelleepratt.com/">kelleepratt.com</a>). Click on those links to find the list of contributors to this event. </span><br />
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The film I have chosen to highlight of all the works of Billy Wilder is probably the one of which he was most disappointed, most loved by him, didn't make much money, and was not a hit at the box office. Wilder was a prolific director and writer, one of the best. His movies always carried the Wilder touch of humor, sharp dialogue and human pathos. <i>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (</i>hereafter referred to as<i> Private Life), </i>released in 1970,<i> </i>contains all of those, plus the added touch of the love Wilder felt for the great detective. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Stephens as Holmes</td></tr>
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Wilder had a dream about creating a film dedicated to Holmes as not just the razor-sharp consulting detective, but also a man with a private life, feelings and emotions. Arthur Conan Doyle did not create emotions for the great detective since those human reactions get in the way of logic and deduction, something Holmes would never allow. However, it was Wilder's intention to create what the lovers of Holmes had never seen -- the life he and his friend Dr. Watson shared in between the great cases they solved. Wilder and his long-time collaborator I.A.L. Diamond worked assiduously on a script that became the building block for a three-hour movie. (Diamond also co-wrote Wilder's<i> The Apartment</i>, one of my top 10 favorite films.) The two men wrote an episodic film which told the stories of four particularly strange cases (one of which had the very interesting name of<i> The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners</i>). Originally, Holmes and Watson were to have been played by Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers, respectively. Much as I love both of them, <i>Private Life</i> would have suffered. Wilder also believed that lesser-known actors would better showcase the story he wanted to tell.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely as Dr. Watson</td></tr>
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Sadly, the real 'dreadful business' affecting<i> Private Life </i>was the reluctance of United Artists to release such an epic-length movie. UA had just lost a great deal of money on <i>Hello, Dolly </i>and a couple of other blockbuster flops. Wilder was forced to agree to an unbelievable cutting of half the original running time. The episodic format made it a little easier to cut because the studio just cut out two of the cases, but Wilder was devastated: "... when I came back [from Paris], it was an absolute disaster, the way it was cut. The whole prologue was cut, a half-sequence was cut. I had tears in my eyes as I looked at the thing ... It was the most elegant picture I've ever shot." <i>Private Life</i> was left with basically two primary stories to tell, one of a beautiful woman, Gabrielle (Genevieve Page) in which a missing husband and six midgets play a part, and one that involved the Loch Ness monster and the royal family. There is also a very funny episode in which Holmes is forced to intimate that he and Watson are gay lovers, in order to fend off a determined Russian ballerina. Of interest to classic movie fans are two cameo appearances: Christopher Lee appears as Sherlock's brother Mycroft; and the part of a gravedigger is played by Stanley Holloway, a tribute to the wonderful character actor who had also played the part of the gravedigger in Olivier's <i>Hamlet</i> 22 years before.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Stephens</td></tr>
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However, no matter what was done to the movie, I completely agree with Wilder ... it is a wonderfully elegant picture. The two paramount reasons for this are the incredible music by Miklos Rozsa and the prodigious talents of British actor Robert Stephens as Holmes. Stephens was a classically trained actor, described as on a par with Laurence Olivier. Stephens' own private life was rocky, with failed marriages and a drinking problem to contend with, but his professional life of acting primarily on stage, with a few films to his credit, was indeed tour de force. He brought to his depiction of Holmes a wonderfully effete air and nasal British accent that was haughty enough for the top of London society. He was pencil-thin (which Wilder insisted upon), and kept a nose-in-the-air attitude that just fit perfectly with the humor that Wilder and Diamond had written for him. Of particular note is his annoyance with Watson (Colin Blakely) because of his description of Holmes wearing a deerstalker cap and cape, which Holmes had never worn and only did so because the public expected it of him. Holmes disagreed vehemently with other descriptions made by Watson:<br />
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Holmes: "I don't dislike women, I merely distrust them. The twinkle in the eye and the arsenic in the soup."<br />
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Holmes: "You've painted me as a hopeless drug addict just because I occasionally take a five-percent solution of cocaine."<br />
Watson: "A seven-percent solution."<br />
Holmes. "Five percent. Don't you think I am aware you've been diluting it behind my back?"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Stephens and Genevieve Page as Gabrielle ('the woman')</td></tr>
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Stephens was wonderful in the humorous parts, but particularly striking in the portrayal of Holmes with regard to 'the woman' and his feelings and relationship with her, and a core of loneliness that was Wilder's creation. After I saw <i>Private Life</i> for the first time, I believed that Stephens was one of the best Holmes in movie adaptations. Stephens had a lot to work with in Wilder and Diamond's spot-on writing. Another important aspect of the film is the music of Miklos Rozsa.<br />
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Rozsa's music had graced many films, including<i> Ben Hur </i>and <i>Lust for Life</i>. He was at the top of his game with<i> Private Life</i>. I've always believed that music can make or break a movie, and great music can play as important a part as any star or director. Rozsa created a score that included his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 24, which is highlighted in the opening titles. I found the opening truly haunting -- a mysterious box being opened to reveal possessions of Holmes and Watson, with a manuscript that had never been read. Rozsa's accompanying music, particularly when it segues into the concerto, is ravishing to the ear. If you have not seen <i>Private Life</i>, make an effort to do so, if only to relish Billy Wilder's writing and direction, Robert Stephens' marvelous performance, and the music of Miklos Rozsa.<br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-81808381747547488492014-03-03T06:13:00.003-05:002015-05-15T22:54:43.758-04:00Beauty and the Hollywood Beast - The 2014 Oscars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kim Novak </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Liza Minnelli</b></td></tr>
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After last year's Oscar ceremony, a shameful debacle of the lowest common denominator headed by Seth Macfarlane, I thought this year would be at best tasteful, at worst boring. Ellen DeGeneres as host turned out to be light and funny for the most part, a few zings here and there for fun, and I've always liked her. That is why I was really shocked when she was so mean to Liza Minnelli. Ellen thought it was funny to tell Liza in front of millions of people that she looked like a male impersonator. Such remarks are funny only when they aren't true. Unfortunately, at this point, Liza does look like an impersonation of herself, so it isn't funny at all. Liza suffers from mental and physical disabilities, as did her dear mother, Judy Garland, and it takes a pretty hard heart to ignore that for the sake of a 20 second laugh. It was plain that Liza was flustered, and I'm sure she was very hurt and embarrassed, the kind of hurt that takes a while to sink in and then stays with you forever. Shame on Ellen for throwing a cruel spotlight on a troubled and unguarded person.</div>
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That opening salvo of uncharitable behavior was topped later by the treatment that Kim Novak received, from her ignominious arrival on the stage to the behavior of the audience of supposed peers. Kim Novak was a big star of a bygone era. What on earth possessed the director to just send her out with no announcement, as if she were just another presenter? She deserved at least a special word from the host, but received none. Worse yet, the audience of actors and movie-makers practically sat on their hands. Oh there was applause, but nothing special at all. It was the worst case of Hollywood with its virtual head up its virtual rear end. I'm pretty sure it was all because Kim took the unfortunate step of plastic surgery which turned out badly. She does not look recognizable anymore, she was plainly nervous and overwhelmed, and probably embarrassed that she did not evoke any special recognition from the audience. <br />
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All of that could have been avoided by a director who was professional enough to see a potential problem with just bringing her out cold, or a host with enough sense to prepare the audience who may not recognize her fast enough. All it would have taken was "Ladies and gentleman, we are privileged to have with us tonight a Hollywood legend -- Kim Novak." I'm sure the reaction would have been different, some real applause and recognition. What a simple thing to have done, which was apparently beyond the ability of the show's planners. It would also have been nice if somebody had said how great it was to see Kim Novak. It's hard to believe that nobody thought to render that little kindness. Only one person helped Kim, her fellow presenter, Matthew McConaughey. He put his arm around her, and it was clear that he saw her tentative behavior, her obvious nervousness. His behavior was that of a gentleman and a caring human being.<br />
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Now she is no longer young and beautiful, and has bravely revealed the severe problems that being manic-depressive have meant to her life. Hell, I could say the exact same thing about myself. And despite a bad surgery job, she doesn't look anywhere near 80 as a whole! When you get older you lose the pretty face of youth, and lifelong mental disabilities can make you more frail in dealing with the cold, cruel world, not necessarily stronger. Kim has spoken about herself and revealed a woman with great strengths, but also difficulty with public appearance. It takes a society of compassion to deal with sick people, shy people, nervous people -- it takes individuals with some sense of empathy to see and divert such people from hurt. There was only one person in that crowd of people, and thank goodness for him.<br />
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I always loved Kim Novak. She could hold her own on screen, and it was her incredible beauty and air of wistful vulnerability that made her a star. I am reminded of a wonderful line from My Favorite Year, a movie about an aging matinee idol who said of himself, "I'm not an actor, I'm a movie star!" In the movies, it is no shame to be popular because of looks. Even one of the oldest songs about Hollywood says "...any office boy or young mechanic can be a panic with just a good looking pan." She always lit up the screen with her presence and I always felt the star quality that made her a pleasure to watch. The problem is that youth and beauty are transitory, time is relentless, and human beings don't always make the best judgments under pressure.<br />
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Hollywood is hard on people without a tough skin. Modern Hollywood is especially obsessed with looks and youth. It is the utmost hypocrisy to insist that actresses have those qualities, and then laugh at someone who is insecure and desperate enough to undergo plastic surgery to reach for what is past. The young women working in movies are going to lose their looks eventually too. It appears that they won't have a clue about the feelings of disconnect and disrespect which that obsession can mean to one of their own profession until it happens to them. ( I don't include the men, who are allowed to be old, wrinkled and sagging and still be accepted as desirable.) Hollywood isn't the only source of meanness -- the multitude of nasty twitter posts about Kim's altered face, as well as Liza's appearance, made me feel a little sick. They are being quoted all over the internet, and I feel awful that the women will certainly see them and be hurt all over again.<br />
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Kim, I wish you could know tonight that many fans love you, remember your beauty, admire the woman that you are now, and don't give a damn about your outward appearance. Liza, you were once a striking girl with youthful exuberance, and you now are a woman contending with age and illness, and the same feelings apply to you. Countering the smirking laughter, there is also a lot of outrage that you were both treated badly. Kindness is the best of human virtues -- you should have received at least that from your own people.<br />
<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-27256810587713020982014-01-09T16:04:00.001-05:002014-01-09T16:11:35.461-05:00Captain Hook and Cyril Ritchard -- A Fond Tribute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are old enough to remember the wonderful 1960 television production of <i>Peter Pan </i>with Mary Martin as Peter and the fabulous Cyril Ritchard as Captain Hook, you have probably remembered Cyril with great fondness. Or perhaps you have been lucky enough to see the show some time over the years. Cyril stole the show as the rather hapless leader of the dumbest bunch of pirates ever gathered. He was flamboyant, funny as hell, and made his mark on my whole generation. I ran across this picture of his wedding to his wife Madge in 1935. I just had to share it. Is Madge's dress magnificent or what? And Cyril is the epitome of the dapper English gentleman. The picture is a little bit fuzzy, but I just had to make it big enough to really showcase its beauty.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">Cyril was an immensely popular and prolific stage star of musical comedies. Because of the TV production of <i>Peter Pan</i>, the whole country was able to experience his charisma and great talent. He was also the good friend of another figure who made his mark on my childhood, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. Many may remember Bishop Sheen's popular TV show, which was top in the ratings for many years. When Cyril died December 18, 1977 at age 80, Bishop Sheen celebrated his funeral Mass.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">If you haven't seen him perform, I found one of his funniest numbers in <i>Peter Pan</i> to post here. Whenever Captain Hook needed to think, he called his pirate band to inspire him with music. They would ask: "What tempo, Captain?" He would reply: "Tempo, Tempo, Tempo!" and decide. This one is his ultimate, the hilarious waltz. I hope it makes you laugh as much as I do, no matter how many times I see it. My favorite line is Hook's angry response to disrespect: "NO! BI-CARBONATE OF SODA, NO!"</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><b>Cyril Ritchard -- nobody could top him as Captain Hook!</b></span></span></span><br />
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ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-87483004377094286982014-01-07T20:57:00.003-05:002014-01-07T21:03:38.783-05:00And You Thought YOUR Boyfriend Was Bad!Everybody has had one ... the boyfriend who turns out to be the biggest four-flushing, dirt-eating, woman-ogling, foul-mouthed, eats-with-his-mouth-open, bullying maroon who breaks up with you the day before Valentine's and then wants to get back together the next day. Gentlemen readers, you are free to substitute the feminine gender and any similar characteristics ... it's only fair. The movies are chock full of nasty boyfriends, so count yourselves lucky, girls, that you didn't try to date any of these guys. <br />
<span style="color: blue;">(Spoilers are par for the course here, so continue at your own risk.)</span><br />
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Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson in <i>Key Largo</i>, 1948).<br />
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The ultimate gangster, Rocco has no conscience or love at all for the woman who has stuck with him for many years. Gaye Dawn (Claire Trevor) is now an aging, alcoholic, former nightclub singer. She is pitiful, an abused woman who keeps coming back for more. Rocco enjoys it a lot. Oh, that horrendous scene in which Rocco forces her to stand and sing for her liquor! Anybody with a heart can't watch that without wincing and feeling sick for this woman. And then he welshes on his promise and won't give her a drink. Thank heaven for Bogart, who not only gives Gaye her drink, but gives Rocco a bullet in the end.<br />
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Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift in <i>The Heiress</i>, 1949).<br />
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Every time I see this movie, my mind keeps repeating "How could he? How could he?!" Gorgeous, charming Morris, who makes rich, homely Catherine (Olivia de Havilland) blossom like a flower because she believes he loves her ... who can forget Catherine sitting in the parlor with her bags packed, waiting for Morris to come and get her so they can elope? And he never comes ... her hopeful, loving face wilts and part of her dies forever.<br />
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Morris returns after Catherine inherits her money, with excuses and "the same old lies" says Catherine, after telling Morris to return that night and elope with her. He returns, and in one of the most powerful endings ever, he hammers desperately at the bolted door while Catherine, now a strong woman, climbs the stairs and leaves him behind. What woman wouldn't give her right middle finger to get that chance! There are two separate camps of opinion about Morris. Some believe he really did want to protect her from angering her father with an elopement and possibly losing her inheritance. Others believe he was just a complete rat. I'm with the rat pack.<br />
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Danny (Robert Montgomery in<i> Night Must Fall</i>, 1937).<br />
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Definitely cute, Danny may not seem to fit the category of boyfriend to Olivia (Rosalind Russell), but the chemistry is there and the sparks fly throughout this story of a pathological killer. Charm exudes from Danny and everybody loves him ... except Olivia, who feels that Danny is a dangerous man even while she is attracted to him. Robert Montgomery is just wonderful in this part, quite a departure at the time from his usual light comedy fare. This guy is scary!<br />
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Mrs. Bramson (Dame May Whitty) is an annoying bully of a woman, but she believes Danny is like a son to her. She doesn't deserve her fate at the hands of the sweet young man who comes home to finds her alone and scared, and seems to be comforting her with brandy and sweet talk. She doesn't know that a pillow and Danny's strong hands will follow that drink.<br />
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Tom Stevens (Hugh Marlowe in <i>The Day The Earth Stood Still</i>, 1951).<br />
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The ultimate wormy guy, Tom somehow wriggled his way into Helen Benson's (Patricia Neal) life as her boyfriend. Nothing really untoward had happened yet, although there were signs of jealous pique and controlling behavior. However, when Klaatu and Gort arrived from space, Tom was unconcerned that he might be bringing doom to the planet Earth. All he could think of was being a big man. Helen pleads with him not to betray Klaatu, but all Tom could say is "You'll feel differently when you see my name in the papers." "I feel differently now," she says. Smart woman.<br />
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Obviously Klaatu (dreamy perfectly tailored Michael Rennie) would be a fabulous boyfriend, but even Gort would have been a better catch than Tom.<br />
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Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard in <i>Gone With The Wind</i>, 1939).<br />
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I hope I don't get too much hate mail for this one, but I've always thought Ashley was a major wimp and quite a tease to Scarlett. She always gets the blame, but Ashley kept stringing her along all through the movie. (He counts as a boyfriend since he squired Scarlett around before his marriage and didn't give up the job completely after that.) Rhett was so right ... Ashley couldn't go all out one way or the other. It's a good thing for him Melanie was so kind and understanding, or he would have had the door slammed in his face pretty quick. I would have had more respect for him if he had just thrown Scarlett down in the mud at war-torn Tara and had his way with her. They would both have gotten it out of their system and life could go on...<br />
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Man up, Mr. Wilkes! Do it, or don't do it, but bring it to <i>some</i> kind of climax already!<br />
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Bluto (<i>Popeye</i> cartoons, beginning 1933)<br />
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Everybody's favorite big bully, Bluto courted and abused Olive Oyl at every opportunity. Popeye was always there to save her, but wait a minute ... is it possible that Olive was responsible to some degree?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWHZtHBOjiU3kbN68yicx0F_6rqbkT7EaxOJ0z9QxnGPM8xRwGp0yXXXfOVz8kS2vLj0st8S2KUJ-GayO7PHdVl4wzT2wKFVy9Dg32xIsWSlhFDsSZOYJU-2KEF8Q82fcT8aCAZYfYLI/s1600/bluto+and+olive+flirting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWHZtHBOjiU3kbN68yicx0F_6rqbkT7EaxOJ0z9QxnGPM8xRwGp0yXXXfOVz8kS2vLj0st8S2KUJ-GayO7PHdVl4wzT2wKFVy9Dg32xIsWSlhFDsSZOYJU-2KEF8Q82fcT8aCAZYfYLI/s1600/bluto+and+olive+flirting.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yep, there's old Olive fawning and simpering over big bad Bluto. I just can't feel sorry for her ... in her case, she really asks for it!<br />
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The moral of all this is: Listen to your Mom and Dad when they beg you to dump that guy!<br />
<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-87696371231068393202014-01-04T13:22:00.007-05:002014-01-04T13:22:59.975-05:00Welcome To My Polar PadWhat movies shall I watch while Indianapolis temperatures dip to 15 below (real temperature!) and we get 10 feet of snow (well, one foot anyway)? I can think of a few.....<br />
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This will be home sweet home for me ... I won't have gorgeous <i>Dr. Zhivago</i> to cuddle with, but my kitty Harriet loves to sit in my lap, so at least that will be warm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wS3gwsb33Wh74VZXSsXmNfudoLGMBW9JJo0msWbpn_4fEhq5PfA20OgVh4RMqGMkEJGgC6FqUMta5zoz5alHHstpvGsLWY4FbKrCrN-Z_ByUhz3oVRqZYdSUqqWFUKVN7hW1cilV1hg/s1600/march+of+the+penguins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wS3gwsb33Wh74VZXSsXmNfudoLGMBW9JJo0msWbpn_4fEhq5PfA20OgVh4RMqGMkEJGgC6FqUMta5zoz5alHHstpvGsLWY4FbKrCrN-Z_ByUhz3oVRqZYdSUqqWFUKVN7hW1cilV1hg/s400/march+of+the+penguins.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I had to get candles and flashlight batteries -- so did everybody else in town. We were all making the<i> March of the Penguins </i>to the drugstore. Of course, if the power really does go out, so does the heat ... then my eyelids will freeze shut and candles and flashlights won't be any help.<br />
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Dive! Dive! Not a good time to come up! (<i>Ice Station Zebra</i>) Hey, I bet my car will look like that!<br />
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<i>Jaws</i> took a swim too far north...(I'll watch that one to remember summer heat).<br />
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<i>The Thing</i> of it is, I should have installed indoor plumbing...<br />
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I'll end with something really beautiful.. <i>The Snowman</i> makes cold and snow look fun. And the superb song "Walking in the Air" always makes me feel fabulous, no matter what the weather. Sung by England's St. Paul Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty with a piercing sweetness.<br />
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Happy shivering, everybody!<br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-46480721134434550702013-12-30T23:30:00.001-05:002013-12-30T23:49:13.218-05:00Overlooked at the Oscars (Well, Underlooked Anyway) Part 3From the time I first loved movies, the musical scores have always played a large part in my admiration for a film. Over the years I kept a mental list of the scores I loved the best, music that moved and thrilled me. Eventually, when I became interested enough in what went on behind the camera to see who did what, I had a revelation -- every single one of my favorites were written by Bernard Herrmann. I also love Elmer Bernstein, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Miklos Rosza and other greats. But there was always something about Herrmann that caught at my heart and mind before I even knew who he was. He was the ultimate romantic, his music lush and gorgeous.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZndTDwpcBzp2TaMkCbCyX4MO-kDExpCKkEPr2svA1fyHZ9qE32jPGlkNKUChWc5CVXbLfL755HWoJthwwsmbLT6VrgIQ3kb7_0XZXoGjtuZ3EtIFZuisXrfZJVXXddOraCXhSFizQZc/s1600/Bernard+Herrmann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZndTDwpcBzp2TaMkCbCyX4MO-kDExpCKkEPr2svA1fyHZ9qE32jPGlkNKUChWc5CVXbLfL755HWoJthwwsmbLT6VrgIQ3kb7_0XZXoGjtuZ3EtIFZuisXrfZJVXXddOraCXhSFizQZc/s1600/Bernard+Herrmann.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture of Herrmann is taken from his cameo in Hitchcock's <i>The Man Who Knew Too Much</i>.</td></tr>
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He did win one Oscar in 1942, for <i>The Devil and Daniel Webster</i>. It was a good score, but after that, Herrmann never won another Oscar. This is the man who composed incredible music for so many great and popular movies, much of it music that is well-known -- <i>Psycho</i>, <i>Vertigo</i>, <i>North by Northwest</i>, <i>Citizen Kane</i>, <i>The Day the Earth Stood Still</i>, <i>Fahrenheit 451</i>, <i>Jane Eyre</i>, <i>The Ghost and Mrs. Muir</i> (Herrmann's personal favorite), and many more. Herrmann was a ground-breaker as well as a classical composer. <i>The Day the Earth Stood Still </i>stands out with instruments and sounds that became standard for science fiction movies. At the end of his career, Herrmann composed a marvelous, jazzy, dark score for <i>Taxi Driver</i>, music quite different from his previous work, and it was perfect for that movie. He died right after he recorded the soundtrack for the studio.<br />
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So, I suppose he was not totally overlooked at the Oscars, but I think he should have won enough Oscars to cover every coffee table in his home. I will never understand the thinking of the voters during his career. Herrmann was a giant in the movie industry, and was treated like Tom Thumb by the Oscars. I thought some of my readers might enjoy hearing some of my favorites by Herrmann, so I have posted some really good pieces, most of which are 2-3 minutes long. Wonderful stuff...<br />
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<i><b>Fahrenheit 451</b></i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/36_zm6JkIJI" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<i><b>Jane Eyre</b></i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HUZ0A479pYg" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<i><b>Citizen Kane</b></i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eP0O1BKu3zk" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<i><b>The Ghost and Mrs. Muir</b></i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EY_NHddQNLc" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<i><b>The Day the Earth Stood Still</b></i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3ULhiVqeF5U" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<i><b>Taxi Driver</b></i><br />
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<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-63870839706816837632013-12-23T10:37:00.005-05:002013-12-23T10:40:02.199-05:00Happy Christmas, Everybody<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19th Century Spanish Nativity </td></tr>
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Classic Becky's Brain Food has been sadly inactive the past few months, mainly because Classic Becky's brain has not received enough nourishment to feed it ... well, health problems aside, it is my hope that this Christmas season will see some activity emerging on my blog. Since its beginning, I have had the good luck to be associated with the wonderful people of the Classic Movie Blog Association, as well as other followers whom I treasure. I wish for all of you a joyful Christmas!<br />
<br />ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-27791309471642271032013-10-23T11:55:00.000-04:002013-10-23T12:17:25.254-04:00The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love a classy piece of art, don't you?</td></tr>
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The terror of all that is human? A shock-test for your scare endurance? Hmmm....... Now who would guess that a movie by that name, advertised with a schlock poster like that, would turn out to be a wonderful little film, literate and thoughtful, that would find a special place in my movie-lovin' heart? I wouldn't have expected it ... but it did. Hammer Studios released <i>The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas</i> in October, 1957. It is not one of Hammer's better-known releases, boasts no big production values, did not receive very good reviews upon release ... yet I believe it is one of the best of the Hammer lineup.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><u>FYI: There is a spoiler regarding the end of this movie</u>.</span><br />
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I really love Hammer's Dracula, Frankenstein and Mummy movies, and never miss them when I get the chance to see them. Still, I guess my favorites are the stories that rely more on psychological fear, particularly <i>Five Million Years To Earth</i> (aka <i>Quatermass and the Pit</i>), <i>The Gorgon</i>, and <i>The Abominable Snowman</i>. Writer Nigel Neale must appeal to me, because he created two of those, <i>Five Million Years to Earth</i> and <i>The Abominable Snowman</i>. Director Val Guest was also responsible for another good Hammer production, The Quatermas Xperiment, as well as a non-Hammer film that is in my top 10 sci-fi list, <i>The Day The Earth Caught Fire</i>. Even <i>The Abominable Snowman'</i>s music appeals to me ... it just sounds Tibetan and mountainous, as silly as that may sound, with its gongs and soaring strings. The composer for the soundtrack was Humphrey Searle, who, although I don't recognize most of the movies he wrote for, did the wonderfully eerie music for the best scary movie ever made, 1963's <i>The Haunting</i>. <i>The Abominable Snowman</i> has a great deal of solid talent behind it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2a8d0GWO005Qr0Tv2l4RZagop-3xt7dn__J6jR0pWq6LV1brY6kiOxxXPvmz9ji3PcsiJO_9oA21n-XUfOwRPdgA6h7aQHwtZYhts-Xv_CpaT319AvoY_AIrrDxcPb4FQualoeH0fpk/s1600/abominable+snowman+vast+snows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2a8d0GWO005Qr0Tv2l4RZagop-3xt7dn__J6jR0pWq6LV1brY6kiOxxXPvmz9ji3PcsiJO_9oA21n-XUfOwRPdgA6h7aQHwtZYhts-Xv_CpaT319AvoY_AIrrDxcPb4FQualoeH0fpk/s400/abominable+snowman+vast+snows.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The overwhelming vastness of the Himalayas is captured cleverly by cinematographer Arthur Grant, using several different techniques, including cable cars. The film makers used the Pyrenees mountains in France during winter to double for the long shots of the mountain range. Production designer Bernard Robinson, well-known for his ability to create sets for Hammer that were used for many different productions, smoothly blended the real location shots with wonderfully seamless studio sets. The mountains are like a living entity in this film. We are inexorably drawn into the feeling of howling winds, cold, exhaustion and fear of the climbing group's trek into what seem to be the mountains of the moon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. John Rollason and the Lhama </td></tr>
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Peter Cushing stars as Dr. John Rollason, a British botanist sent to Tibet to study rare plants. However, it is a legendary creature in which his interests really lie, what the Tibetans call the Yeti. Neither beast nor man, the Yeti are believed to live in the highest peaks of the frozen Himalayan mountains. Huge footsteps are the only evidence ever seen by man. Rollason believes that the Yeti may be a third branch of the great evolutionary split between ape and man. Arnold Marle appears as the Lhama of the Buddhist lamasery from which the expedition commences. He is mysterious, cunning and other-worldly, possessed with strange powers of knowledge. He is aware of Rollason's obsessive desire before Rollason himself makes the final decision to join a climbing expedition for the search. Maureen Connell, as Rollason's wife Helen, is the voice of his conscience and inner doubts, fearful of what she sees as a doomed expedition.<br />
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The other members of the expedition have their own unique reasons for searching for the Yeti. Forrest Tucker is Tom Friend, a domineering carnival barker-type of man whose interest in the Yeti is far from scientific. We watch Friend evolve during the film from a greedy, bullying "fairground trickster", in the words of Dr. Rollason, who puts his own friend's life in danger to get what he wants, to a man who realizes his failings and eventual destiny. (Critics almost unanimously panned Tucker's performance, but I completely disagree. I think he did a fine job.) Ed Shelley, played by Robert Brown, is Friend’s companion, a blustering man of little imagination and less class, but real loyalty to Friend. Scottish actor Michael Brill is McNee, gentle, quiet, whose fearful search for the Yeti is a personal quest. In the course of the expedition, each man finds himself faced with the deepest, sometimes primitive, parts of his psyche.<br />
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The one great arrogance that all members of the party bring with them, even Rollason, is the belief that the Yeti is something to be hunted, in one way or another. Rollason believes his own particular hunt is for science, Friend for profit, but all feel justified in pursuing the Yeti. Rollason himself is perhaps the more culpable, as he believes the Yeti may be more than an animal, where Friend sees it as something that belongs in a zoo. Perhaps it is in Kusang (Wolfe Morris), the climbing party's guide, that we see the dual nature of man's ability to think one way and do another. Kusang is perfectly willing to go along with Friend's desire for profit in treating the expedition as an animal hunt, even going so far as identifying an obvious mountain monkey as the abominable snowman. However, when Kusang unexpectedly runs into the object of their search, he cries in terror "You make me see <b>true</b> Yeti!" It is obvious that he has believed all along in a real living presence that deserved respect. Although Rollason and McNee at least had some realization that this was the case, their personal desires overcame that very important consideration.<br />
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Rollason, when at last faced by the Yeti, sees humanity and wisdom in the haunting eyes. We as the audience see the same. We might initially have expected to see a monster, but we have met a fellow thinking creature. I found this movie to be quite poetic and haunting in nature. I know that those eyes and the quiet music that accompanied that shot stayed with me ... perhaps you will feel the same.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This post is part of the <b><i>Hammer Halloween Blogathon</i></b><i> hosted by the Classic Film and TV Café. <a href="http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2013/09/coming-this-october-hammer-halloween.html">For the complete list of blogathon entries, click here:</a></i></span><br />
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ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-61245822404110617742013-07-28T22:21:00.001-04:002013-07-28T22:35:38.251-04:00It's Alive! It's Alive! ... I Mean ... I'm Alive! I'm Alive!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know this one ... I know I know it!<br />
It's ... wait a minute ... it's ... what is it?"</td></tr>
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It's been a while since I've posted anything here, six months to be exact, and returning to writing is proving to be a daunting task. I've managed to procrastinate <i>somewhat </i>creatively -- I changed the color palette on the blog a little and moved things around -- I've always said that the wealthy buy new mansions, the middle class redecorates, and the poor rearrange. The most significant change is my blog description. It is made up of famous classic movie quotes. They are not obscure, and not meant to be. I decided to just highlight the ones that popped up in my mind first. I think it would be fun to see who can identify them.<br />
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Now I have movie-lovin' friends who will be able to name each movie from which the quotes come, as well as the actors who spoke them, the year the movie came out, and the cinematographer who shot the scene. I know some pretty smart people. To them I say, control yourself ... maybe don't give them all away with the first comment. It will be hard, but grit your teeth, gird your loins, and remember the most important lesson of kindergarten -- share with others. To the others, I hope you have fun figuring out the origins of the quotes. I'll watch the comments, of course, and fill in the information on any quotes that may go unrecognized.</div>
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I've sure missed all of you, and I'm glad to be back.</div>
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ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969235851384102162.post-10258381883400931002013-01-15T21:49:00.001-05:002013-01-16T05:06:17.713-05:00Darwin Was Right -- Everything Evolves, Even The Ritz!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not puttin' you on ... (sorry, I couldn't stop myself) ... Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On The Ritz" made a startling evolution in lyrics and meaning from the time it was first written until Fred Astaire's famous film version. I think most people would be very surprised (I was) to find that the original lyrics and dance milieu in the 1930 film below portrayed the top-hat-and-tails crowd going to Harlem to watch black people dress and dance in the stereotypically offensive way of days gone by. Even the set is racist. As always with classic films, we have to remember the era in which movies and songs were created and see them as such. Actually, I think it is not a bad idea to be reminded not only of history, which cannot be changed, but of the enormous evolution of thinking in our culture, by all except the most dim-bulbed Americans. Even by the time Astaire's number came along in 1946, the lyrics had been changed, all of the black American reference removed, and the song had become much more sophisticated as well.<br />
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I've found four completely different, completely original versions of "Puttin' On The Ritz" that range from 1930 to 2012. I had never seen <u>No.1 </u>before, and I doubt if many have. It incorporates the original lyrics, and I have printed those below it. <u>No.2</u>, the Astaire film version, is spotlighted in a video created by someone who is not only very clever, but also who, I would bet good money, is a classic movie fanatic! This one, as we know, uses the changed lyrics that we all know today, which are also printed below it. <u>No 3</u> is a version that Irving Berlin would never have dreamed of! <u>No.4</u> is one that takes the song and puts it to use celebrating youth and happiness, and I just love it.<br />
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<b>No. 1: Harry Richman in <i>Puttin' On The Ritz</i>, 1930, original lyrics printed below.</b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pQxLMWhb_Ww?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Have you seen the well-to-do; Upon Lennox Avenue; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On that famous thoroughfare; With their noses in the air.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">High hats and narrow collars; White spats and fifteen dollars; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Spending every dime; For a wonderful time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're blue; And you don't know where to go to; Why don't you go where Harlem flits; Puttin' on the Ritz</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Spangled gowns upon the bevy; Of high browns from down the levy; All misfits; Puttin' on the Ritz.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">That's where each and every lulu-belle goes; Every Thursday evening with her swell beaus; Rubbin' elbows.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Come with me, we'll attend their jubilee; And seen them spend their last two bits; Puttin' on the Ritz.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(Instrumental break -- (Boys, look at dat man puttin' on dat Ritz; You look at him; I can't.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're blue; And you don't know where to go to; Why don't you go where Harlem flits; Puttin' on the Ritz.</span><br />
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<b>No. 2: Fred Astaire in Blue Skies, 1946, (with a difference), and lyrics we all know today.</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Have you seen the well-to-do, up and down Park Avenue,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On that famous thoroughfare, with their noses in the air;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">High hats and Arrowed collars, white spats and lots of dollars,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Spending every dime, for a wonderful time</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
If you're blue and you don't know where to go to,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Why don't you go where fashion sits, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Puttin' on the Ritz.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Different types who wear a daycoat, pants with stripes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And cut away coat, perfect fits, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Puttin' on the Ritz.</span><br />
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Dressed up like a million dollar trouper,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper (super duper.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Come let's mix where Rockefellers walk with sticks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Or umbrellas in their mitts,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Puttin' on the Ritz.</span><br />
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<b>No. 3: Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle in <i>Young Frankenstein</i>, 1974.</b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/co6-tYS9k1U?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics don't even matter with Wilder and Boyle!</span><br />
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<b>No. 4: The Moscow Flash Mob, 2012, one of my<i> favorite</i> favorites!</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">That is <i>some</i> wedding gift</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FFUe2MQEWE&feature=share&list=PL15569DC1A6CBC2B7">As a special bonus, click here to see a really funny version where the only things that dance are the upper keys on a musical instrument of complete gorgeosity (my Dad made up that word)!</a><br />
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<b>Boy, after all this, If I had some Ritz to put on right now, I would go out on the town!</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This all started because I had a yen to watch Astaire/ Rogers numbers on Youtube. I'm just in a musical mood, I guess, something that my friend and fellow CMBA member <a href="http://www.myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/">Page</a> experiences all the time with her great love of musicals.</i></span><br />
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ClassicBeckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.com29