A day of Essentials

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mrsl
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A day of Essentials

Post by mrsl »

Today seems to be a day for repeating Essential movies starting with Mildred Pierce and continuing on all day.

This is fine and a good 'catch up day' for those who haven't seen or recorded them previously, especially here around Chicago, for three days we've had sunshine, and short sleeve weather, then today we woke up to rain and gloom. A great day for romantic drama.

Mildred Pierce as usual was an interesting and exciting view. Thank goodness for Eve Arden and her wisecracks specifically when you're ready to belt Ann Blythe.

After numerous viewings of Now Voyager, I'm still trying to find the 'great love story' in it. To me it's a selfish cad finding a shrinking violet and taking great advantage of her. Of course she fell in love with him - he was the first man who ever saw and treated her like a woman, and he was a slime for making use of her need, especially when he learned her past on their second meeting. His long 'soulless' speech about her not wasting her time on him was another example of his manipulation methods. He knew she couldn't break away without some support and should have encouraged her to play the field more, or stick with the doctor. Too bad she didn't have the sense to confide in Mary Wickes - Mary would have told her to tell him to go 'climb a rope'.

Now Random Harvest is on with lovely Greer Garson and Ronald Colman, what a terrific pairing! I love this one and here we do see an example of true self-lessness.

There's nothing more to add to 'Best Years' coming later. Wonderful, movie, wonderful cast, and great story.

Off of essentials, I hope they re-run the Interns and the New Interns sometime soon. I would like to take a count of how many cigarettes are offered and lit in those two movies. It seemed as if anytime anyone had a conversation with someone else, they had to have a cig in their hand.

Anne
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Moraldo Rubini
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Heart Pirate?

Post by Moraldo Rubini »

Glad to hear your views on Now Voyager, Anne. Last fall I wrote in the TCM forum:
I've always wanted to see Now Voyager from the viewpoint of Jerry's wife. Something tells me there's more to the story. I've always suspected he's had a series of wives that he blames while wooing the next victim on board ship...
Yes, I've always been suspicious of Jerry too. I think there's a whole other movie waiting to be made -- from Jerry's wife's perspective...
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

Now, Voyager has always been for me the movie that teaches women that their proper role in life isn't as the subservient masochist, willingly receiving a tyranical parent's bullying, it's as the doormat backstreet wife, who not only loves and lets herself be used occasionally by the selfish married man, but takes care of his mentally troubled children, too. I find no romance at all in this film, and can stand it only because of Davis and Rains.
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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

Wow, I always thought that Now, Voyager was rife with romance: the romance of self-discovery and the deeply sublimated one between Charlotte Vale(Bette Davis) and Dr. Jacquith (Claude Rains). Jerry had little or nothing to do with any of the real romance in the film.
I hope they re-run the Interns and the New Interns sometime soon. I would like to take a count of how many cigarettes are offered and lit in those two movies. It seemed as if anytime anyone had a conversation with someone else, they had to have a cig in their hand.


Boy, Anne, if you thought they were human chimneys in those flicks, you should've seen Ben Gazzara puffing away in The Young Doctors, which followed these films. He and Fredric March smoked like fiends, even in the allegedly "sterile" conditions of the pathology lab. I was surprised that Aline MacMahon didn't start lighting up in surgery! Definitely films from the relatively guilt-free days before the Surgeon General's Report in 1964.
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Moraldo Rubini
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Smokin'

Post by Moraldo Rubini »

Anne & Moira on smoking:
Boy, Anne, if you thought they were human chimneys in those flicks, you should've seen Ben Gazzara puffing away in The Young Doctors, which followed these films. He and Fredric March smoked like fiends, even in the allegedly "sterile" conditions of the pathology lab. I was surprised that Aline MacMahon didn't start lighting up in surgery! Definitely films from the relatively guilt-free days before the Surgeon General's Report in 1964.
Funny to see this today, as just this morning I caught the beginning of the Lionel Barrymore picture, One Man's Journey. As one scene opens, Barrymore is making breakfast for his son. He's smoking while preparing the meal, with ashes precariously positioned over the open pot of farina. There's a knock on the door. Someone needs his assistance, so Barrymore throws the cigarette on the floor of his living room, and heads out the door! Did I mention he was playing a physician?![/u]
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Re: Smokin'

Post by SSO Admins »

Moraldo Rubini wrote:Someone needs his assistance, so Barrymore throws the cigarette on the floor of his living room, and heads out the door! Did I mention he was playing a physician?![/u]
You see that a lot in old movies and TV shows. I've been watching Get Smart on DVD, and Max smokes like a chimney.

It's one of those things that's a bit jarring. Old technology like record players and dial phones I can take in stride without really thinking about it too much, but seeing people smoking in bank lines, hospitals and airports always makes me notice, especially when they go tossing their cigarette butts all over the place.
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Jon:

That's one thing that always got to me. I lived through the smoking era, saw my Dad, all my uncles, cousins, friends, doctors, and everyone else smoking both in public and private homes, yet in all those years, with all those people, I never saw a single one toss a cigarette down inside a building. Even if they tossed it outside in the open, whether on concrete or in a field, they stepped forward and stepped on it. Why they put that in movies and on TV, I'll never understand. It was completely unreasonable and unreal. Bogey was good for tossing cigs al the time.

Anne
bradtexasranger
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Re: A day of Essentials

Post by bradtexasranger »

After numerous viewings of Now Voyager, I'm still trying to find the 'great love story' in it. To me it's a selfish cad finding a shrinking violet and taking great advantage of her. Of course she fell in love with him - he was the first man who ever saw and treated her like a woman, and he was a slime for making use of her need, especially when he learned her past on their second meeting. His long 'soulless' speech about her not wasting her time on him was another example of his manipulation methods. He knew she couldn't break away without some support and should have encouraged her to play the field more, or stick with the doctor. Too bad she didn't have the sense to confide in Mary Wickes - Mary would have told her to tell him to go 'climb a rope'.

Anne,

You're one of my favorite people on this and the other board, but I have to say I'm shocked with your take on Now, Voyager. I've never seen it as him taking advantage of her, but as his love filling her with the confidence she needed. I've always found it romantic and moving. I respect your opinion though, and the other viewpoint. It's food for thought, I'll have to give it some more thought from your point of view.
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Boy Brad, You're really doing some catchup aren't you? I had to go back and read my original post to know exactly what this was about. As you know, when I watch TV, I'm generally crocheting, cross-stitching, or some other thing, but I recall actually sitting for hours that day and just watching the movies for various reasons. Mainly to see if I could see something that would change my opinions about some scenes. But I do stand firm on Now Voyager especially, he was a slime.

Have fun reading!!!

Anne
Anne


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bradtexasranger
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Post by bradtexasranger »

[quote="mrsl"]Boy Brad, You're really doing some catchup aren't you? I had to go back and read my original post to know exactly what this was about.

Yes, I am, LOL, and I still have a lot more to do, as my time online is still limited. So forgive me if I keep bringing up old stuff :?
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