The BellGab Classic Movie Playhouse

[TigerLily]

I just borrowed 1960s Bullitt on  DVD, going to watch it for the first time  when I get a few hours during the week.

Best car chase scene. Ever.  My nomination anyway. That's an idea. Nominations for best scenes in classic films.  How about best come on scene? Gotta be Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not". Screen sizzle

https://youtu.be/30DSfAA0brs

[GravitySucks]

Best car chase scene. Ever.  My nomination anyway. That's an idea. Nominations for best scenes in classic films.  How about best come on scene? Gotta be Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not". Screen sizzle

https://youtu.be/30DSfAA0brs

I think I just found read something about then finding the original green mustang in Mexico.

[21st Century Man]

The first transgender movie character.  Not kidding.  The character, played mostly by Billie Thomas, was originally a female and later in the Our Gang run became a male.

[Rix Gins]

The first transgender movie character.  Not kidding.  The character, played mostly by Billie Thomas, was originally a female and later in the Our Gang run became a male.

Ha, now that's a cool fact.  Remember Froggy from Our Gang?  Honest to God, whenever I saw Janet Reno, she reminded me of Froggy.

 

[Dr. MD MD]

The first transgender movie character.  Not kidding.  The character, played mostly by Billie Thomas, was originally a female and later in the Our Gang run became a male.

Because he was unce, tice...fee tines a mady. 

[21st Century Man]

Ha, now that's a cool fact.  Remember Froggy from Our Gang?  Honest to God, whenever I saw Janet Reno, she reminded me of Froggy.

 

Because he was unce, tice...fee tines a mady. 

ROTF!!!!

[albrecht]

To all, apparently TCM this month is featuring "creature features" every Thursday. Not always the best films but opportunities to see many character actors and pre-CGI stuff like stop motion, background screens, etc. Basically a kid with an iPhone app can make these days but still fun movies. Right now the future Paul Drake is a scientist trying to figure out a way to stop an Arctic giant Praying Mantis (who was awoken by nuclear tests.) The special host, at least this night, is Dennis Miller. He pointed out that the military was involved in the film and that is why there is, as I would put it, almost school film-strip explanations of our radar and plane defense systems in the movie. Apparently they wanted to make people feel safe.

[albrecht]

Alert: "Smokey and The Bandit" 40th anniversary, don't you feel old, and they are releasing it to some big screens again. I know everyone has seen it many times, especially if you had the TBS channel but a great movie, great soundtrack, and hilarious. So get 'East Bound and Down' and truck over to the theater and see it in all its glory!
https://www.cinemark.com/smokey-and-the-bandit

[Dr. MD MD]

Alert: "Smokey and The Bandit" 40th anniversary, don't you feel old, and they are releasing it to some big screens again. I know everyone has seen it many times, especially if you had the TBS channel but a great movie, great soundtrack, and hilarious. So get 'East Bound and Down' and truck over to the theater and see it in all its glory!
https://www.cinemark.com/smokey-and-the-bandit

Wow! Star Wars and Smokey and Annie Hall are all 40 this year. Classics all!

[coaster]

Alert: "Smokey and The Bandit" 40th anniversary, don't you feel old, and they are releasing it to some big screens again. I know everyone has seen it many times, especially if you had the TBS channel but a great movie, great soundtrack, and hilarious. So get 'East Bound and Down' and truck over to the theater and see it in all its glory!
https://www.cinemark.com/smokey-and-the-bandit

I wish I could go to an old timely drive in and watch that. That would be a lot of fun.

[Dr. MD MD]

I wish I could go to an old timely drive in and watch that. That would be a lot of fun.

Drive-ins were great. I feel sorry that not many experience them anymore. I have lots of great drive-in memories. Did you ever do the sneek in the trunk trick when you were a teenager? 

[albrecht]

I wish I could go to an old timely drive in and watch that. That would be a lot of fun.

That would be awesome! People could bring their babies and projects- my neighbor has a Smokey and the Bandit T/A he bought at a Mecum auction. So far it is only being released at Cinemarks, though they have remodeled those (at least here) so you have lounge chairs and can buy beer (not Coors though.  ) They have opened up several new drive-ins down here but I have yet to go. One shows more cult films but the others show the mainstream stuff. Not sure how the technology etc works these days. Alamo Drafthouse also sometimes does cool outdoor shows. Like they show "Jaws" at the local pool or lake and you float around on tubes, drink beer, and watch. Good time.

[ItsOver]

To all, apparently TCM this month is featuring "creature features" every Thursday. Not always the best films but opportunities to see many character actors and pre-CGI stuff like stop motion, background screens, etc. Basically a kid with an iPhone app can make these days but still fun movies. Right now the future Paul Drake is a scientist trying to figure out a way to stop an Arctic giant Praying Mantis (who was awoken by nuclear tests.) The special host, at least this night, is Dennis Miller. He pointed out that the military was involved in the film and that is why there is, as I would put it, almost school film-strip explanations of our radar and plane defense systems in the movie. Apparently they wanted to make people feel safe.

Ah, yes.  I caught some of last Thursday's.  Miller was still hosting and did a decent job.  I hadn't seen "Them!" in awhile, so it was enjoyable.  Good to see James Arness as somebody other than Matt Dillon.

Also caught some of "20 Million Miles to Earth" on TCM this afternoon.  It's always good to catch some Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation.  I'd much rather have the old stop-motion over most of today's CGI, although it looks good at times.  Unfortunately, CGI is just way overused and usually looks too cartoonish to me.  An interesting bit of trivia, apparently Rome was chosen as the location for filming because Harryhausen wanted to vacation there. 


WTF?  I just tuned into TCM for "Gilda" and David Letterman is hosting, alongside Alex "Yes, I am jackass" Baldwin.  Fortunately, Baldwin is subdued but what's with the Santa Claus beard on Letterman?  I didn't even recognize him at first.  Not that I really want to.

[albrecht]

Ah, yes.  I caught some of last Thursday's.  Miller was still hosting and did a decent job.  I hadn't seen "Them!" in awhile, so it was enjoyable.  Good to see James Arness as somebody other than Matt Dillon.

Also caught some of "20 Million Miles to Earth" on TCM this afternoon.  It's always good to catch some Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation.  I'd much rather have the old stop-motion over most of today's CGI, although it looks good at times.  Unfortunately, CGI is just way overused and usually looks too cartoonish to me.  An interesting bit of trivia, apparently Rome was chosen as the location for filming because Harryhausen wanted to vacation there. 


WTF?  I just tuned into TCM for "Gilda" and David Letterman is hosting, alongside Alex "Yes, I am jackass" Baldwin.  Fortunately, Baldwin is subdued but what's with the Santa Claus beard on Letterman?  I didn't even recognize him at first.  Not that I really want to.

The fight "20 Million Miles to Earth" between the monster and the elephant is awesome work. And always fun to see Paul Drake  in other roles.

ps: I knew someone who worked with a certain Hollywood actor who got into some trouble from the IRS for stuff like this. Using his 'company' for personal travel for 'location scouting'', expenses, food, his plane, etc.

[ItsOver]

The fight "20 Million Miles to Earth" between the monster and the elephant is awesome work. And always fun to see Paul Drake  in other roles.

ps: I knew someone who worked with a certain Hollywood actor who got into some trouble from the IRS for stuff like this. Using his 'company' for personal travel for 'location scouting'', expenses, food, his plane, etc.

Ha!  Paul gets around more than I thought.  No wonder he wasn't always by Perry's side. 

It would have been fun to see Harry do a stop-action creature chasing after some IRS agents.

[albrecht]

Ha!  Paul gets around more than I thought.  No wonder he wasn't always by Perry's side. 

It would have been fun to see Harry do a stop-action creature chasing after some IRS agents.

Even better have Paul get the truth of the IRS scandals. I'm sure he has some "operatives" in DC that he could've called to look into it before he can fly over and sweet talk the secretaries to get the information.

[Rix Gins]

Even better have Paul get the truth of the IRS scandals. I'm sure he has some "operatives" in DC that he could've called to look into it before he can fly over and sweet talk the secretaries to get the information.

Paul is too busy at the moment.  Perry wants him to check out the guy on the right.  Something about a missing herd of cattle.

[albrecht]

Paul is too busy at the moment.  Perry wants him to check out the guy on the right.  Something about a missing herd of cattle.

I'm sure Paul's agency has some "operatives" on the trail that could sort that situation out. He can multitask, one call to a phone booth on the Goodnight-Loving Trail will reach an "operative" and Paul can be back on the IRS case, sitting on a desk and chatting up a pretty secretary to get to the facts!

[coaster]

Drive-ins were great. I feel sorry that not many experience them anymore. I have lots of great drive-in memories. Did you ever do the sneek in the trunk trick when you were a teenager? 

We all did. I grew up in farm towns. Oh yeah, I got some drive in stories.

[coaster]

That would be awesome! People could bring their babies and projects- my neighbor has a Smokey and the Bandit T/A he bought at a Mecum auction. So far it is only being released at Cinemarks, though they have remodeled those (at least here) so you have lounge chairs and can buy beer (not Coors though.  ) They have opened up several new drive-ins down here but I have yet to go. One shows more cult films but the others show the mainstream stuff. Not sure how the technology etc works these days. Alamo Drafthouse also sometimes does cool outdoor shows. Like they show "Jaws" at the local pool or lake and you float around on tubes, drink beer, and watch. Good time.

I want so bad to buy you a beer right now. You are alright.

[albrecht]

I want so bad to buy you a beer right now. You are alright.

Thanks. I was thinking of something when you brought up drive-ins, once they were dying the only remaining one here showed slasher type of movies and then out-right "adult" movies. "Rebel Drive-In" as I recall? Decades ago shut down and only recently have some new ones built. Not sure how they got away with that considering a screen size and possible viewing, if motivated, from the nonepaying, or underage, general public? I forget the set-up. The location was pretty flat and while sorta outside of town still relatively close to major roads. And being in the Bible Belt- though Austin is an outlier even then!  And also this was before the Gore/Messe stuff with obscenity crackdowns in music and movies and probably some local corruption who would 'look the other way?'

[Zetaspeak]

Best car chase scene. Ever.  My nomination anyway. That's an idea. Nominations for best scenes in classic films.  How about best come on scene? Gotta be Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not". Screen sizzle

I finally got to watch it last week. You were not exaggerating, fantastic chase scene.

[TigerLily]

I finally got to watch it last week. You were not exaggerating, fantastic chase scene.

I'm glad you thought so


DVR'd a couple of movies this weekend. Next up Eraserhead and It's Alive!. Mankiewicz is taking TCM to the hipsters instead of just the hip-breakers

[21st Century Man]

I've watched a number of films recently.  I'll try to comment briefly on them.  First, I watched two silent movies last night.  Cecil B. DeMille's The Captive (1915) and Garbo'sTorrent (1926).


      The Captive takes place during the 1913 war between the Balkan League, 4 small countries including Montenegro, and The Ottoman Turks.  A Montenegran peasant woman (Blanche Sweet) is given a Turkish POW (House Peters) to till the fields for her since she is unmarried with only a little brother.  The POW is a Turkish noble and he is attracted to her.  When Turks capture the Montenegran town and try to rape the woman, the POW fights against the Turks to save her. When Balkan League troops recapture the town and win the war,  the noble is sent home.  It doesn't end there as his fellow Turks are unhappy with him.   This is a short film at 51 minutes that marks the beginning of a partnership between Cecil B. DeMille and Jeanie MacPherson.  The print I watched was beautiful with tints included.  It is rather predictable but at 51 minutes, there is only time to tell the basic story. It does explore a little-known war that preceded WWI and gives one some idea of the climate in southern Europe at the time. Recommended. 3.5 stars for The Captive.



        Torrent was Garbo's first American picture.  She is breathtakingly beautiful in this.  I had previously seen an earlier film of hers from Europe, The Saga of Gosta Berling, and I have to say I wasn't impressed with her in that film.  She was rather plump and dowdy with nary a hint of the elegance she would bring to films within 2 short years.  In Torrent, she plays a Spanish peasant girl, Leonora, who has an initial fling with Don Rafael Brull (Ricardo Cortez).  His mother tells him Garbo is not good enough for him so he rejects her and she leaves Spain to pursue a musical career.  She achieves success using the stage name, La Brunna.  Longing for home and her first true love, she goes back home and the affair with Brull resumes after he tries to save her from a flood.  However, Brull breaks off the affair after mommy interferes.  He marries and encounters La Brunna when he is middle aged and not looking so hot.  As elegant and beautiful as ever, La Brunna rejects Brull's advances, getting the last laugh.









    Garbo is exquisite in this and Monta Bell's direction is perfect.  There is a flood and the special effects are decent for their time, relying on miniatures for the most part.  Special kudos to Cortez for allowing himself to appear frumpy and overweight near the end of the film.  He did a wonderful job.  Incidentally, Ricardo Cortez's initial stardom was in response to Valentino and studio execs christened Viennese-born Jacob Krantz with his stage name.  He didn't buy into his Latin lover image but went along with it and did well for himself for about 20 years before his career petered out.  His brother is famed cinematographer, Stanley Cortez, who also did well. An exceptional picture  that I highly recommend. 4 stars for Torrent.

[albrecht]

"Sergeant York" on TCM now. One of my favorites. And, basically, a true story. Gary Cooper is great in this. Basic training marksmanship scene on now. And very patriotic, in a good way. Great movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034167/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_York

[GravitySucks]

"Sergeant York" on TCM now. One of my favorites. And, basically, a true story. Gary Cooper is great in this. Basic training marksmanship scene on now. And very patriotic, in a good way. Great movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034167/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_York

Great movie at the right time. It was playing at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor and was played as patriotic film for most, if not all of, World War II.

[21st Century Man]

Watched a trio of old films last night.  One was fluff, another a very compact Western based on O. Henry, and the other one was by one of the great directors.



  First up, Gypsy Wildcat (1944) with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Douglas Dumbrille, Leo Carillo, Nigel Bruce and Gale Sondergaard.  Formulaic story about a gypsy(Montez) who falls for dashing man (Hall) accused of killing a local count by a power-hungry baron (Dumbrille).  Unbeknownst to her and many of those around her, she is the offspring of the dead count's wife.  What I find hard to believe is this script was mostly penned by the great James M. Cain, he of the noir mystery novels like Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce and The Postman Always Ring Twice.  Why he collaborated on this, I haven't a clue.   Who cares about the script though when you have Montez to look at in lusciously beautiful Technicolor.  Simply a beautiful film to view and it clocks in at a short 77 minutes.  My hats off to the 2 cinematographers, W. H. Greene and George Robinson.  I also have to credit Roy William Neill who directed the film.  He kept it interesting.  Neill is one of the excellent unheralded directors of the golden age.  He was responsible for most of the Rathbone-Bruce Holmes films and directed two films that I highly recommend, The Black Room with Boris Karloff and Black Moon, a voodoo piece with Fay Wray. 



   As in the Holmes films, Bruce provides comedy relief for the last 15 minutes of the film.  Not a great film but decent enough and fantastic eye candy. 2.75 stars out of  5.



Up next, O. Henry's  The Cisco Kid (1931), a sequel to one of the early sound films, In Old Arizona (1928), with much of the original cast including Warner Baxter as Cisco and Edmund Lowe as Sgt. Mickey Dunn.  This  is a snappy short film of only 60 minutes and I enjoyed it much more than the first film.  Initially Raoul Walsh was set to play Cisco in the first film but had an accident when a jackrabbit jumped in front of him when he was driving and a shard of glass struck him in the eye, ending his days as a  leading man though he had been directing for some time. I can sympathize.  I had  a similar incident with a rabbit but I managed not to damage my eyes. Anyway, the first film has not held up very well.  It is creaky and marked by the limitations that early sound films had. Dialogue is hard to hear at times and the camera's mobility is limited plus it dragged.   Not so with the sequel.  This film moves at a fast pace and Baxter acquits himself well.  Special note goes to the Hispanic beauty who graced the film.  Conchita Montenegro could give Dolores Del Rio a run for her money.  What a beautiful woman and she should have been in more films.  After spending a number of years in Hollywood in the 30's, she ended her career in Europe during the early 40''s with a production of Lola Montes as the lead.  She married, left the film industry and died in 2007 at 95. 3.5 stars.







Finally, the last film I watched was the first version of The Dawn Patrol (1930), directed by Howard Hawks.  What a terrific film.  Richard Barthelmess, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Neil Hamilton acquit themselves well in this version.  The story is about a couple of buddies who are aerial pilots in World War I. This is one of the best films nobody has seen.  Classic film lovers are more familiar with the 1938 film with Errol Flynn, David Niven and Basil Rathbone.  While yes, that version of the film may be a bit more polished and I like it as well, this earlier version holds up great and did not appeared hampered by the cumbersome process of early sound films.  The dogfight sequences are better in Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels but the drama of this film is better.  I think this version is a bit more grittier than the remake but I really haven't seen the Flynn version in a long, long time.  Of all the films I've seen with Neil Hamilton when he was a young man, this is probably his best performance as the camp commander.  Fairbanks Jr.  shows a bit of the dash that would later become so characteristic of the man.  Barthelmess is no Flynn but I enjoyed his performance.  Easily the best performance I have seen from him though I've only seen a handful of his films. As much a classic as it is remake. Of note,  Howard Hawks played the German ace pilot, Von Richter .  4.5 stars out of 5.

[WOTR]

This is just too good not to post somewhere on Bellgab- and this seems like the thread most likely to appreciate the genius...  When I first watched it I thought of 21C...

***BTW, if anybody knows what the clip from 4:07, 4:27 and 4:36 is from, please let me know.  Most of the ones that I know I have seen, I can recall what it was from- that one I just cannot recall and it is driving me insane... I get the feeling they performed at one of the early NYC clubs and that I read about them in the past, finding that performance.  But I cannot recall exactly...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1F0lBnsnkE&list=RDB0GWCk9wnak&index=8

[Rix Gins]

This is just too good not to post somewhere on Bellgab- and this seems like the thread most likely to appreciate the genius...  When I first watched it I thought of 21C...

***BTW, if anybody knows what the clip from 4:07, 4:27 and 4:36 is from, please let me know.  Most of the ones that I know I have seen, I can recall what it was from- that one I just cannot recall and it is driving me insane... I get the feeling they performed at one of the early NYC clubs and that I read about them in the past, finding that performance.  But I cannot recall exactly...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1F0lBnsnkE&list=RDB0GWCk9wnak&index=8

That's the Nicholas Brothers in the movie Stormy Weather.

https://youtu.be/fNKRm6H-qOU

[WOTR]

That's the Nicholas Brothers in the movie Stormy Weather.

https://youtu.be/fNKRm6H-qOU

Of course... Thanks.  I think I ran across that when I was looking at Cab Calloway. Cool to see it again.