Phil!
I was just falling asleep last night, thinking about cabbages & kings & what Hans Conried's favorite ice cream flavor was, and how long the neolithic Inuit hunted mastodons with Malamutes, and suddenly I recalled a weird little 50's noir where Jack Palance played identical brothers (not exactly twins, I don't believe) who engineered a long, involved prison break by swapping places, inside & out.
Pretty sure it was called House of Numbers.
Double roles
Re: Double roles
Klonnie, 2 words: Tylenol PMI was just falling asleep last night, thinking about cabbages & kings & what Hans Conried's favorite ice cream flavor was, and how long the neolithic Inuit hunted mastodons with Malamutes,
Re: Double roles
I've thought of another one. The British war film, I Was Monty's Double, was based on real events where, on the instructions of MI5, a look-a-like actor impersonated General Montgomery, who was off in secret doing something else to aid the war effort (I forget the details, it's a long time since I've seen it.)
Later, this actor - M. E. Clifton James, wrote a book about his experiences. This was filmed in 1958 and Clifton James was cast as himself, General Montgomery, and himself playing General Montgomery.
Later, this actor - M. E. Clifton James, wrote a book about his experiences. This was filmed in 1958 and Clifton James was cast as himself, General Montgomery, and himself playing General Montgomery.
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klondike
Re: Double roles
Nancy, 3 words back at ya: diabetic meds conflict.knitwit45 wrote:
Klonnie, 2 words: Tylenol PM
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klondike
Re: Double roles
Taffeta, Pal . . taffeta.Ollie wrote:Are we playing Sed-A-Give? I'm just too slow to ever win at these games...
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moira finnie
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Re: Double roles
I saw another double role movie this week for the first time very early on TCM:
Lady of the Night (1926, Monta Bell):
Norma Shearer plays a spit-curled dance hall girl with that proverbial heart of gold, as well as an oh-so-sweet society lass who both fall in love with a square-jawed inventor, (a rather dull Malcolm McGregor), who invents--get this!--a machine that can open any safe! Dang, who needs Jimmy Valentine when you have this contraption? The two separate but not so socially equal ladies meet briefly but no one ever seems to notice their resemblance, though there is an element of poignancy to their scenes and the double-exposure special effect is really neat, (with one sisterly hug between the two inside a car that is technically exceptional for that period).
While nimbly played, the plot is pretty creaky. However, Shearer's not-so-bad but realistic hustler is played with a great deal of genuine sympathy for her plight and respect for her strength of character and moxie. There are also, thankfully, some unexpectedly comic and yet sensual moments, such as one when Norma, as the smitten good time gal assuages her longing for the hunk while waiting for his return to his apartment. Sitting on the inventor's bed and musing on her hopeless desire, she distractedly starts eating crackers while sitting on the sheets, which she caresses idly. We later see our clueless hero unwittingly waking up in the middle of the night alone in bed, sweeping the irritating crumbs from his sheets.
There are a few nicely poetic touches here too. When a working class suitor (a character played by George K. Arthur and named "Chunky" for no obvious reason) for the lower class Norma feels that she is slipping out of his reach, the director conveys this notion by having him touch a beam of sunlight that comes through a hole in a shade landing on a table. It doesn't sound particularly important, but it is such a gentle touch that made me stay with this movie. Norma Shearer--for those who may not like her--yes, Judith--is again very winning in a silent role. I hope that this is on again soon.
Norma as the "bad" girl, looking like a candidate for "What Not to Wear"
Our SSO former visiting guest, Mick LaSalle wrote very highly of this movie in his book, "Complicated Women" and you can see an article about the movie's considerable backstory here on the TCM site.
Lady of the Night (1926, Monta Bell):
Norma Shearer plays a spit-curled dance hall girl with that proverbial heart of gold, as well as an oh-so-sweet society lass who both fall in love with a square-jawed inventor, (a rather dull Malcolm McGregor), who invents--get this!--a machine that can open any safe! Dang, who needs Jimmy Valentine when you have this contraption? The two separate but not so socially equal ladies meet briefly but no one ever seems to notice their resemblance, though there is an element of poignancy to their scenes and the double-exposure special effect is really neat, (with one sisterly hug between the two inside a car that is technically exceptional for that period).
While nimbly played, the plot is pretty creaky. However, Shearer's not-so-bad but realistic hustler is played with a great deal of genuine sympathy for her plight and respect for her strength of character and moxie. There are also, thankfully, some unexpectedly comic and yet sensual moments, such as one when Norma, as the smitten good time gal assuages her longing for the hunk while waiting for his return to his apartment. Sitting on the inventor's bed and musing on her hopeless desire, she distractedly starts eating crackers while sitting on the sheets, which she caresses idly. We later see our clueless hero unwittingly waking up in the middle of the night alone in bed, sweeping the irritating crumbs from his sheets.
There are a few nicely poetic touches here too. When a working class suitor (a character played by George K. Arthur and named "Chunky" for no obvious reason) for the lower class Norma feels that she is slipping out of his reach, the director conveys this notion by having him touch a beam of sunlight that comes through a hole in a shade landing on a table. It doesn't sound particularly important, but it is such a gentle touch that made me stay with this movie. Norma Shearer--for those who may not like her--yes, Judith--is again very winning in a silent role. I hope that this is on again soon.
Norma as the "bad" girl, looking like a candidate for "What Not to Wear"
Our SSO former visiting guest, Mick LaSalle wrote very highly of this movie in his book, "Complicated Women" and you can see an article about the movie's considerable backstory here on the TCM site.
Re: Double roles
That car-hug scene is technically exceptional even by today's standards. This is another one I have been voting for TCM to re-broadcast sooner than later. "Spit curled" - what a phrase.
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moira finnie
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Re: Double roles
I came across a scholarly article about Robert Siodmak's The Dark Mirror (1946) recently with this intriguing graphic accompaniment, taken from the press book for the movie with a note about the split screen technique. I thought it might interest those of us who've enjoyed this thread. Which Olivia de Havilland is the good twin and which is the bad?:
