Claudette Colbert: STAR; Oscar Winner; Fashion Hall Of Fame(1958)----

The famous leg

 

It Happened One Night (1934-Oscar) Colbert (Oscar), Clark Gable (Oscar). Reporter gets on a bus and gets into a fuss with a clueless young woman. As they travel down the highway, he discovers she is an heiress running away from her father. who is trying to have her runaway marriage annulled. He decides to help her get away IF he can have her story exclusive. Both stars are very likable here and very pretty, but both had to be talked into doing it. Clark took off his shirt and sales of men's undershirts took a nosedive, because he wasn't wearing one. Claudette didn't want to do the scene showing her leg, so director Capra (Oscar) shot it with a double. But when she saw the rushes, she decided it wouldn't look right without her doing it - and it is the most frequently shown scene from the film.    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/

The Fallen Idol, a true classic; Dance, Girl Dance, Lucy as a louse!----

The following films I have seen over he last 10 days:

On TCM:  first viewing
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) Maureen O'Hara, Lucille Ball, Ralph Bellamy, Louis Hayward, Virginia Field. Innocent young woman(O'Hara) who is studying ballet, goes to big city and gets a job as a stooge for the star of the burlesque show (Lucy). She has tried to get in to see the producer of a Broadway show but been rejected. After many mixups and close calls, she finally is discovered and all is as it should be by the fadeout. Good cast makes film interesting for classis film fans. 7/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032376/

The Fallen Idol (1948) Ralph Richardson, Bobby Henrey, Michelle Morgan, Sonia Dresdel. ---is a film I relish and have since first seeing it in 1948-49. Great atmosphere, performances and the little boy is wonderful.

A butler, Baines, in a foreign embassy in London is idolized by the lonely little son of the Ambassador, and his wife, who spends much of the time away on missions. He tells the boy fanciful stories of his life and the boy believes it all. The butler and his wife have a frosty marriage, and a new employee at the embassy and he have managed to fall in love. The boy figures in to the wife discovering the romance and when she confronts her husband there is a terrible accident. The last half of the film is the police unraveling the web of deceipt and finding the truth. An amazing performance by Henrey as the boy; Richardson is perfect as the butler Baines; the ladies Morgan and Dresdel are good/ and evil personified. Familiar faces on the police also. 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040338/

Cocktail (1988) Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elizabeth Shue. Veteran Brian goes to college during the day and supports himself as a bartender at night. Doug, his boss, teaches him how to be theatrical and together they are so spectacular, they become famous and draw huge crowds to the bar. Then things get complicated when Doug makes Brian so angry he leaves and goes to Jaimaca. There he meets artist Jordan, also from NYC and on holiday, and they fall in love. Again Doug shows up and dares Brian to hit on an older rich woman, and when Jordan sees the two leaving the bar together, she is outta there. How Brian gets his life back togther is the last third of the film. For a hot summer afternoon in an air-conditioned room with cold drinks, this wasn't bad. Young Tom was a smasher! 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094889/

Never Let Me Go (2010) Kiera Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield. Awful story about cloning and harvesting organs. Had to quit watching half way through, it was so disturbing to me. At 79 I cannot imagine wanting to have a clone that I can canibalize so I could live to over 100. Sickening. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/

Anns - Sothern & Sheridan; Viviene Leigh, Sandra Bullock----

---are the ladies of the films I watched recently:

Walking On Air (1936) Ann Sothern, Gene Raymond. Slight comedy about a guy who is trying to get an audition to sing on the radio, getting mixed up with a rich deb who is trying to run away with a male gold digger. Papa doesn't approve. Hires our guy to impersonate a rich count - you get the picture. Lots of mix-ups. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028479/

Maisie Was A Lady (1941) Ann Sothern, Lew Ayers, Margaret O'Sullivan. One of the best of the Maisie series. Ann Sothern her usual spunky, brassy, no-nonsense dame. I remember seeing this one as a kid and loving her to death. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033867/

The Unfaithful (1947) Ann Sheridan, Zachary Scott, Lew Ayers. A sort of remake of "The Letter(1940)" reworked to make it up to date after the war. Instead of 1920s Indonesia, we have Los Angeles. The woman stabs a man who attacks her as she arrives home late at night. Her husband is a returned WWII serviceman, now a builder of housing additions. Her attorney friend takes over her defense when she is arrested for murdering the man and eventually finds out the truth about his client. Not nearly as good nor fraught with mystery as the Bette Davis version. I think the script and direction let the cast down. They are all good and interesting actors most of the time. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039937/

An Ideal Husband (1947) Paulette Goddard, Michael Wilding, Glynis Johns, Diana Wynyard, Hugh Williams, C, Aubrey Smith. Great cast does justice to Oscar Wilde's story of mores and manners of Victorian England. Filmed in color, with the composition of some shots like paintings, It is a treat to the eyes. The Wilde bon mots are delivered by a stellar cast and the story of the virtuous being infected by the demi monde, is entertaining. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039485/

Caesar & Cleopatra (1947) Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains, Stewart Granger, Flora Robson, Basil Sydney, Cecil Parker. A regular in my rotation of "classic films" to rewatch. First saw it on its' first run in a Kansas City, MO. movie palace, and I was enthralled to see Scarlett as Cleo. And the gorgeous Granger in his Greek God costume. Magnificent. But Rains and Leigh are so charming and the sets so enthralling, I have loved every minute for 60 some years. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038390/

The Music Man (1962) Robert Preston, Shirley Jones. "76 trombones led the big parade....."
"Oh, We got trouble - right here in River City"...
Iowa was lots of fun back then. 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056262/

Hotel (1967) Rod Taylor, Merle Oberon, Michael Rennie, Catherine Spaake, Melvyn Douglas. I still don't get the appeal of Taylor, so that takes away some of the appeal of the film as a whole. Oberon and Rennie's story in interesting and she can still hold the screen in her scenes. Spaake is bland. Douglas has his craggy old guy down pat. Old buildings can be rehabbed, but only by gutting the whole insides and saving what woodwork can be reused, because with asbestos everywhere, it is dangerous otherwise. I kept thinking - tear it out and do it over. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061786/

Patriot Games (1992) Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Sean Bean. Ford is Jack Ryan, former C.I.A. operative/analyst. When his daughter and wife as targeted by IRA extremists, and seriously hurt, Jack goes into action, finding where they are and striking back. But the main one gets away and comes after he and his family at their coastal home. Exciting finale on two power boats. 20 years and still a nail biting finish. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105112/

The Net (1995) Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northern, Dennis Miller, Diane Baker. Computer nerd, Bullock, fixes flawed programs for games. She works from home, rarely goes outside - her neighbor lady has only seen her a couple of times in several years. When she accidentally records a code on one of the game program Cd's, she suddenly discovers she has become a non-person. All records of her name with her picture have been erased from computers everywhere. More apropos now than when it first came out. Computers have only gotten more powerful and more of our lives are exposed to hacking attacks. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113957/

Taken (2008) Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen. Favorite action film along with the Bourne trilogy. Have to watch every so often. Neeson is so good as the father who will find his daughter - in 96 hours. Wow! 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/

Tenderness (2009) Russell Crowe, Jon Foster, Sophie Traub. Story of a teen-age killer of his family who is finally let out of detention, when he reaches 18. Detective who was assigned the case follows up and keeps tabs on him as he comes into society. Very disjointed. Foster has no personality. Traub is overpowering. Crowe just too muted. Story has no 'there' there. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0494864/

The Town (2010) Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall. Preface to film says the neighborhood in film has had more bank robbers put in prison than all the rest of Boston. This story is about one gang and the jobs they do for a powerful fence. Interesting story about the leader of the unit and his gradual romance with one of the bank employees from their last job. Very good and pacing fine up until the last gun fight and chase. Ran on too long. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361/

On to the the Dog Days of August. Long hot summer. Hmmmm----may have to drag out my copy and watch Paul and Joan sizzle. Haha....

Mogambo, Ava vs. Grace ETC---

I recently watched these films:

New to me:
Off  TCM:
Song Of The Gringo (1936) Tex Ritter, Joan Woodbury, Fuzzy Knight. Tex Ritter was good looking but was no actor and not much of a singer but back in the '30's my Dad would have loved this film and when we got our first TV in 1952, would have been riveted to his chair as long as they showed any western. Acting laurels go to Woodbury and Fuzzy. Both were competent. I had to laugh at the way the director framed the raining scenes with just a vine across the frame blowing in the wind and lots of rain and thunder. I'm sure kids in the audience didn't give a hoot and my Dad wouldn't either. I rate it a 5/10. And that's being generous.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028283/

HBO:
Edge Of Darkness (2010) Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone. Fairly good suspense film about a homicide detective whose daughter becomes involved in activist activies that get her killed. He goes rogue and digs through layers of corruption finding out who did what. Not original but keeps your interest so I give it a - 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226273/


DO-Overs:

TCM:
Mogambo (1953) Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly. In the early 1950s, Hollywood was trying to find some formula to get people out of their living rooms watching TV and back to the theater, so took their top stars to Africa on safari. That'll show those upstarts! This was a big hit and is one of the better uses of the great grasslands, and uplands, of Africa and the animals who live there. The gorilla scenes are marvelous too, but the attitude that shooting animals and/or catching them for display in zoos, is backward. Gardner steals the film from goody two shoes Grace. Grace may have gotten a prince in real life, but Ava got 'The King' of films in this movie and, according to bios, in real life. There is no music score. Only the chants and sounds of Africa. So effective and one of the first films to use the system. Remake of Red Dust which also starred Gable with the blond bombshell - Jean Harlow. Earlier film was fun, but this safari is for me. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046085/

HBO:
Regarding Henry (1991) Harrison Ford, Annette Benning, Mikki Allen, Bill Nunn. One of the better films about overcoming a disability and what it takes. A successful, hard charging attorney goes out for a pack of cigarettes and is shot by a robber at the store. After months in the hospital regaining consciousness, more months in rehab learning to speak and walk, he returns to his home and then his office. Each step takes him to seeing a new person that he was and now must find how to make it himself again. Mikki, as his daughter, is wonderful. As is his physical therapist played by Nunn. Benning is the one false note. She is too intense and as one of her early frantic performances, i see where it all began. She still is giving her all with her neck tendons tense and ready to ping if touched. Ford and Mikki are great together. She never makes another film, I see, on her IMDb profile. We'll always have this nice film to remember what a sweet child she was. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102768/

Robin Hood (2010) Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, William Hurt. Like it better on rewatching. Guess I had to get used to the drab costumes and houses. Upgrade from 6 to 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0955308/

HOT! in the old town these days.  Thanks be for air-conditioning!

From Brother Orchid; The Birdcage; & Dear Frankie --

--revisiting favorites the hottest week so far this summer.

NEVER SEEN BEFORE:


On HBO:

Cellular(2004) Kim Basinger, Chris Evans. All the rotten things I heard and read about this film are a bit much. It is a typical suspense story about a woman who is in danger trying to get someone to help her. She has only a cell phone and it can only be heard by a young guy in a service van. He doesn't believe what he is hearing and the film continues to make us root for her getting him to understand her plight and help her and her husband and child, being held also by thugs. Kept my interest and Evans was very entertaining. Kim was okay, but an actress can only do so much with the helpless victim role. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337921/

REPEATS:

On TCM:

It's Love I'm After (1937) Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland. Fluff. The troop tries but can't make this work. Famous acting couple, playing Romeo & Juliet, fight like snarling cats and dogs. Silly young woman in a box at the theater falls madly in love and makes a nuisance of herself. Her fiance and father think it a good idea to have Romeo come to the country estate and make her fall out of her nuttiness. Wife thinks all are mad. Wasn't as charming or funny this time around. Maybe my mood. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029058/

Brother Orchid (1940) Edward G Robinson, Ann Sothern, Ralph Bellamy, Humphrey Bogart. Edward G. is just wonderful as a mobster who has it all - lots of money, great fiance, his mob under his thumb. Decides to get some culture and goes to Europe for a few years. When all his money is gone to high living and at the casinos, he heads back to pick up where he left off. Too late. His mob has a new leader who has 'the boys' take him out to the country to rub him out. He gets shot but starts running through the woods and is found by a monk at a monastery. Then comes the real fun as he learns their ways and teaches them a thing or two. Ann S. as his true blue gal is fun as always. Bogie is good as the bad guy. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032285/

HBO:

The Birdcage (1996) Robin Williams, Nathan Lane. Funniest couple in a film. Just enjoy the remarkable performances. A favorite. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115685/

IFC:

Dear Frankie (2005) Emily Mortimer, Gerard Butler, Jack McElhone. One of Gerry Butlers films I keep in rotation to see at least once a year. Little boy who is deaf and is Mother and Grandmother move to a new town and take a flat near the sea. His Dad supposedly is a sailor on a ship called the Accra. He gets letters from and sends answers to a person he thinks is his father. In reality, it is his Mother who has managed a deception so she can "hear his voice" through the letters he writes back. When she is trapped into hiring a man to act as the Dad, our Stranger (Butler) appears, in a scene that is stunning. The Stranger sits down and all the air is sucked out of the room. Beautiful. The quiet performance is so strong, we have no doubt this man could change all their lives. Mortimer is perfect as is the boy McElhone. In fact, there is not a false note or performance in the film. A real gem. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377752/

Heat and summer rains make soupy air.  Mornings are the only time to be out and about.  Watching old favorites and some of the lighter fare from the last few years, is all one can do to cope.  LOL

A classic B plus -----

----films from the last 40 years.   Since my last posting, I have seen:

New old film:


Beg, Borrow or Steal (1937) Frank Morgan, Florence Rice, John Beal. MGM b-picture - only 72 minutes long. Morgan is a rogue and with his 5 accomplices con rich people out of money and whatever they can get away with. Enter Morgans ex-wife and grown daughter who Mama wants to marry off in a lavish wedding at an estate, to impress. Morgan and cronies find one - which just happens to belong to the latest member of the group, a 'real' swell, unbeknowest to the others - and the nuptials are set. Of course, he falls for daughter dear. The usual mixups and dire straights ensue, but Papa gets through all without losing too much dignity. Would that TV comedies had as much wit and great ensemble acting as the B units at MGM and other classic studios. And Frank Morgan is a jewel. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028616/

Replays:

The Big Chill (1983) Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Meg Tilly, Mary Kay Place, Jeff Goldblum, JoBeth Williams, Tom Berenger. Love the ensemble cast, the music, and the weekend the characters spend together at the South Carolina antebellum home of the doctor(Close) and businessman(Kline). These flower children have all learned about the real world and lost their idealized fantasies. Except for the suicide victim, which is why they got together again. And then Hurt the druggie, who almost gets arrested on his friends property. And then the lady lawyer, who gave up defending scum(her words) and is now a corporate hire who only wants a child. As in every group, things change, and you sink or swim. A favorite to revisit now and then. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085244/

Other Peoples Money (1991) Penelope Ann Miller, Danny DeVito, Gregory Peck, Piper Laurie, Dean Jones. A favorite about companies, lawyers, and corporate raiders. Twenty years have passed since this came out, and the speech Peck makes about "nothing is made in the country anymore" and DeVitos about moving on to a profitable enterprise and not being "the best darn buggy whip maker" in a dying market, is as relevant today and it was then. The scenes of Larry and Kate one-upping each other and using whatever it takes to get the upper hand, is fun to watch. BUT. It forgets the real people and lives that are ruined so they can have their game. All the actors are spot on. Miller is great as the "broad who did you in" and DeVito has never been better. When he plays the violin and sings "I'm in the Mood For Love" over the phone, and Miller laughs, delighted, I always do too. Great scene played perfectly. I love it. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102609/

The Hurt Locker (2008) Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty. A squad that goes out every day defusing bombs in Iraq, and then having fist fights at night to let off tension, is the focus of this well-done film. Renner, Mackie and Geraghty are simply perfect as a specialist who seemingly knows no fear, and the other two guys in the squad who are just counting down the days left on their deployment, so they can leave the 'h--- hole.' The scenes of the squad doing their routine daily mission of going out and looking for IUDs is harrowing. The tension builds and it is a relief when the tour is over and they can go home. But Renners Sgt. is so messed up he only feels alive when he is in danger. So we see he is back with an elite squad at the end, back on the front line. Well done and suspenseful. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/

NEW films off HBO:

The Time Travelers Wife (2009) Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana. Fantasy, nicely done. Although this is a genre I don't always love, this was a sweet story. The main actors did well. Bana looked great! I don't think I understood what the main theme was, and it was not clear what we are supposed to 'get'. But it was shot beautifully and I enjoyed it so---- 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/

Inception (2010) Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy. SciFi Fantasy. Confused. I was not amused or intrigued and did not care for the actors soooo---- 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/


WE are having lovely weather to spend outdoors, so movies have given way to watching bikers and walkers on the trail, birds at the feeders, and the wind in the wil---, wait, I mean elms and sycamores.