I Just Watched...

[Hibi]

Back to Perry Mason. Bette was on last night pinch hitting for Perry defending Michael Parks. (Does anyone know what his operation was about when he was out of the show for awhile? It's not a very good episode (I'd seen it before). It must've been shot around the time of Dead Ringer as she's wearing the same styled wig as she wore in that film.

[Detective Jim McLeod]

Assorted notes....



Desperate Characters (1971) is a deeply melancholic film about bruised, unhappy lives in Brooklyn. It's a very bleak affair, with no relief from the gloom and likely stands as one of the grimmest Hollywood films I can recall seeing, but it is very astutely written both in character details and in the feeling of introverts facing a world that they no longer understand that is falling apart at the seams. Shirley MacLaine is remarkable in an atypically low-key performance.

The 1970s was a grim decade for New York and New Yorkers, and some of the films reflect that. High crime, racial tension, political unrest. Even Neil Simon's comedies are now darker than they were in the heyday of Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple.

That is very true, two of them during this time were The Out Of Towners (1970) and The Prisoner Of Second Avenue (1975) which I think are two of Simon's funniest. Jack Lemmon is in both. The films show in a humorous way, the frustration with urban crime and city living.

[laffite]

John Garfield was sensationally understated, he was there to be Harry Morgan and without any frills or excessive show. Garfield, despite his already successful career, was just getting started. Woe to the world that he should pass so untimely early.

I think he was Tennessee Williams's original choice for Stanley in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. I know that a contract had already been drawn up by the producers of the play for Garfield to sign. But he turned it down. I think the deal fell through because Garfield wanted Stanley to be the focus of the play rather than Blanche.

I have not seen 'Streetcar' for while but I do recall Brando much more than Leigh. Brando's performance is a landmark in movies, I can't think of any performance in close to that prior. This is not meant as a tribute to the Method, rather to the talent of Marlon Brando. That Garfield was considered for the role of is Stanley (thanks!) is especially interesting to me to now know because I have had always in my mind that Garfield was a sort of prototype of the type of acting that Brando exhibited later on.

[txfilmfan]

Back to Perry Mason. Bette was on last night pinch hitting for Perry defending Michael Parks. (Does anyone know what his operation was about when he was out of the show for awhile? It's not a very good episode (I'd seen it before). It must've been shot around the time of Dead Ringer as she's wearing the same styled wig as she wore in that film.

It's like that old Tootsie Pop commercial: "The world may never know." Burr, who famously fudged his personal life details for decades, never really explained it. Burr supposedly said afterwards in a talk show that he had a non-serious physical condition that prohibited him from being able to stand or move comfortably. Clears things up...

Media at the time said it was some kind of intestinal surgery. Some stated it was for polyp removal. Whether it was cancerous or not is up for debate, as sources at the time said both. Other sources said he was in for dental surgery.

Bette Davis on a TV show is somewhat jarring, to me. Last night on MeTV, I caught the last 5 minutes of an Alfred Hitchcock episode that she was in. Never knew she did that show. When the credits rolled, the director of that episode was Paul Henreid! Never knew he directed any TV shows, but in looking it up this morning I see he has numerous TV directing credits on ImDB (including 28 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents) .

Do you think he lit a cigarette for her on set?

[jimimac71]

I have none of those services. Just straight cable tv. But MSW is on 3 or 4 channels.

I only pay for cable TV as well. The above channels are free.
You would need a streaming device and you have Internet.
My Xfinity/Comcast TV box has a select amount of Internet services. Nothing to directly compete with them.
I am experimenting with streaming to learn and hopeful dump cable television.
I become infuriated when TV channels override news programming for sports.
Last Sunday, my local Fox affiliate had zero news all day or night.
I can watch network news on a streaming service from all of the networks.
On a side note, except for Major League Baseball and TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES!, I could stream almost everything we need on a daily basis for $25/month using Philo. I could stream Minor League Baseball for cheap! That leaves TCM!
All they have to do is sell me Watch TCM and I can save a lot on television.
The other option is to be dishonest and use someone's credentials for Watch TCM.
Of the 3 channels, Pluto TV is probably available if your cable box has streaming.
In my case, Internet and TV both come from Xfinity/Comcast. The TV box is already connected to my Wi-Fi .

I don't have internet and my cable doesn't have streaming (probably does if I pay more, but I'm not going to). I hate that too. Local stations are constantly preempting over weather events. (most of the time not affecting our metro area.)

So Hibi, how do you access the forum without Internet?
I feel the Internet is a must have.
I have TV and Internet with Xfinity/Comcast.
It costs $232/month.
I could save money with streaming but cable has everything in one place. I grew up with cable and most of my family has been employed by cable television.
I do my best to avoid Perry Mason. Matlock is much better for me.
You can watch Perry Mason then Matlock on MeTV.
For me it's on in the morning, starting at 9AM (California).
CBS is still planning on the "New" Matlock.
A reboot of The Hollywood Squares with Drew Barrymore in the center square.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/cbs-r ... r-AA1o3cq7

[CinemaInternational]

Two more....

The Pleasure Garden (1925) is the earliest feature film credit for Alfred Hitchcock, and while this film does have the charm that is inherent to silent films, the saga of two showgirls and their melodramatic entanglements causing one of them to grow bitter and jaded seems like bizarre material for the future great. Frankly if his name wasn't on it, the film would likely be very obscure.


Class of '44 (1973) is a sequel of Summer of '42, although in spite of having the same young lead (Gary Grimes), the echos of the earlier film are faint indeed. It is best to approach this film as a saga of a young man adjusting to college, a young romance, bizarre fraternity practices, issues of mortality, and sundry other coming-of-age issues. In the typical 70s way, details of some of those fraternity issues (lorded over by William Atherson as the sadistic fraternity president) and some sexual talk is very blunt and it kind of cuts against the film's best trait, the painstaking recreation of the world of 1944, which feels pretty much ideal. Still, it is a likable film, even if nothing major.

[cmovieviewer]

Secrets (1933), on TCM.

I've noticed a disturbing trend in a few of the movies shown on TCM lately - the adoption of a 'widescreen' stretch for what should be Academy aspect ratio films. Secrets (1933) last night is an example.

What was shown:



What it is supposed to look like:



You know you're in trouble when the MGM Lion logo is not a circle:



Instead of this:



I would think TCM/WBD would have full control over the early MGM library so there is no excuse.

[CinemaInternational]

Secrets (1933), on TCM.

I've noticed a disturbing trend in a few of the movies shown on TCM lately - the adoption of a 'widescreen' stretch for what should be Academy aspect ratio films. Secrets (1933) last night is an example.

What was shown:



What it is supposed to look like:



You know you're in trouble when the MGM Lion logo is not a circle:



Instead of this:



I would think TCM/WBD would have full control over the early MGM library so there is no excuse.

This was a United Artist title which the modern-day MGM still has the rights to, so WB does not own this title, rather Amazon, MGM's current owner holds the right so the mistake is on their end.

[cmovieviewer]

This was a United Artist title which the modern-day MGM still has the rights to, so WB does not own this title, rather Amazon, MGM's current owner holds the right so the mistake is on their end.

Thanks, TCM does have an excuse. Disappointing nonetheless.

[jimimac71]

I've owned my favorite flick, Victor/Victoria, on every format but video cassette.
I seem to recall the UA logo in addition to MGM on the video discs.
Both the CED and LaserVision discs were pan and scan.
Then again our TV was a CRT "square" TV as well.
Our flat/widescreen TV is about 8 years old and we watched Victor/Victoria in the proper aspect ratio on, you guessed it, TCM.
It is annoying how Amazon almost owns the planet.
It is also frustrating how CD/DVD/Blu-ray is fading away.

[kingrat]

We just watched "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee" on Perry Mason. Season 4, Episode 1. William Talman is back as Hamilton Burger, so the team is reunited. And who is that handsome young man playing the no-good stepson? Why, none other than Robert Redford. What a treat.

[ziggy6708a]

anyone who's trying to watch "DEAD MEN...." on TCM....
I'M SEEING THE END OF ''CARNIVAL' which shoulda ended over an hour ago??????
(I'M watching with DTV)

[cmovieviewer]

anyone who's trying to watch "DEAD MEN...." on TCM....
I'M SEEING THE END OF ''CARNIVAL' which shoulda ended over an hour ago??????
(I'M watching with DTV)

Something happened with Dead Men - they had 9 minutes of blank screen before Ben's wrap-up. Then they started showing Carnival Story again to fill the time before the next film (hopefully the premiere of Dirty Rotten...)

[ziggy6708a]

show a bunch of posts in their FB page...so it's NOT the provider, it's TCM's screw-up
too bad...was looking forward to that one
hopefully it'll show up on watch TCM ........maybe

[ziggy6708a]