Henry Fonda

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
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movieman1957
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Henry Fonda

Post by movieman1957 »

I saw the SOTM promo for him lovingly done by Peter and Jane. (It's a rather long promo and available on the TCM media section.) It covered a wide range of movies and I thought the children spoke honestly of him. (Jane at one point seems to become quite emotional.)

They mentioned how he was such good friends with Davis and Stanwyck but don't mention Stewart.

Looking forward to some films I haven't seen in 25 years.

October should be good.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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MissGoddess
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Post by MissGoddess »

I was half asleep when I heard, rather than saw, that promo this morning. So it is a new one, I wasn't sure. I'm not a huge fan of Fonda, but I do have a great deal of admiration for his abilities and he was in many of my favorite films.

I guess if I had to name one favorite, it would be Young Mr Linoln. It's a testament to his abilities that I was able to not only accept him as my beloved Abe, but to see only Abe, not the actor at all, in the movie.
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Post by pktrekgirl »

You know, I have never been able to warm up to Henry Fonda...and I'm hoping October will change that.

I think it's because I've seen him play so many weenies. That character he played in THE BIG STREET? ACK! I just wanted to slap him. :lol: What a wuss! :roll:

And his characters in THE MAD MISS MANTON and JEZEBEL weren't exactly tough guys either, IIRC.

From what I can tell, I guess he must have saved his tough guy persona for westerns...because while I have not seen the entire thing, the parts that I have seen of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST seem to indicate that he was NOT a nice guy in that film. :lol:

I did like him in ON GOLDEN POND - I'll give him that. He did crotchety quite well. :)

Anyway, I'm hoping my image of him will be revised by the end of the month.
My wife said she'd help young people, ... That's what I'd do. Help young people, then buy a big motor home and get out of town.
~ Gary Cooper
feaito

Post by feaito »

My favorite role of his must be in Sturges' masterpiece "The Lady Eve". He's very funny in it. And as for dramatic roles, I liked him very much as the idealist in "Blockade". His closing speech reminded me of Chaplin's in "The Great Dictator". Truly moving.
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Post by MissGoddess »

Hi Beda---I know what you mean, I think I am the only person on the face of the earth who dislikes him in The Lady Eve. To me, the tricks Stanwyck's character plays on him are too much like shooting fish in a barrel.
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Post by movieman1957 »

I was thinking the same thing about "The Lady Eve." I'm a fan of Preston Sturges but I found Fonda's character a bit too much a sucker for his own good.
Chris

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Post by pktrekgirl »

MissGoddess wrote:Hi Beda---I know what you mean, I think I am the only person on the face of the earth who dislikes him in The Lady Eve. To me, the tricks Stanwyck's character plays on him are too much like shooting fish in a barrel.
Yes! Exactly! Actually, I think he was even more of a wuss in THE LADY EVE than in THE MAD MISS MANTON, come to think of it. So no...you are NOT the only one who thinks that. I'm right there with you!

Actually, (and I'm sure you can appreciate this) while watching both of those two films, I spent more time thinking about how much better (and less wussy) Gary Cooper would have been in those roles than anything else! He NEVER would have allowed himself to look weenie-fied like that! Maybe cute and shy...but cute and shy do not necessarily have to spell 'wuss' - as Coop clearly demonstrated on a number of occasions.

Referencing the other discussion you and I are having.`..Henry Fonda is sorta the anti-Gable. He doesn't handle women - women handle HIM.

Bleh! :P

I'm REALLY hoping I get to the end of this month with a better impression. Because weenies don't impress me. Not in movies, anyway!
My wife said she'd help young people, ... That's what I'd do. Help young people, then buy a big motor home and get out of town.
~ Gary Cooper
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Post by mrsl »

PK girl and Miss Goddess:

HOLD on a minute. The most 'wuss-y' Henry Fonda ever was, was in The Big Street with Lucy, but before you exterminate him like the bug he is in all the movies you mentioned, you have to see him in things like The Best Man, Fail Safe, Spencers Mountain, and 12 Angry Men. In those movies, among many others, he is much more manly. In fact Warlock is another great example. You two just happened onto a couple of his early films where he was trying to become someone. Once he made it, he no longer played the wuss. Since he will be featured in October, you'll see.

Anne
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pktrekgirl
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Post by pktrekgirl »

^ Anne, I certainly hope you're right! :) I really do.

I think I'll just have to pick my films carefully this month, because I really would like to get past this. But wow...a couple of those films we were discussing made me crazy! :lol:
My wife said she'd help young people, ... That's what I'd do. Help young people, then buy a big motor home and get out of town.
~ Gary Cooper
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Post by mrsl »

Okay,

Just for you two lovelies, I went over there and looked up the four Thursday nights in October to see what's playing. This Thursday is one of the better ones with three of the movies I recommended previously. The 11th and 18th, I can't say much because I haven't really seen those movies much. I've seen them all but only once each. The last week, the 25th, have films that show Henry's light side both as a modern father of 10, and a father in the 30's or 40's struggling to give his family better than he had.

It's a shame TCM is not showing my two real favorite Henry films. Both show his all around talents in comedy, drama, and pathos - Mr. Roberts, and Drums Along the Mohawk. It's really too bad you ever saw any of his others before seeing these two because they make you fall in love with old Hank as they did to me. In fact, I'll go so far as to suggest you go and rent both of them and watch some time this month, preferably before watching the 11th and 18th offerings.

Anne
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Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Personally I don't know how anyone can view The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and find Henry Fonda a poor actor. While I'm not a huge fan of the film (prefer the book) Fonda is a credible Tom Joad. Other Fonda performances I like:

You Only Live Once (1937)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
The Return of Frank James (1940)
The Lady Eve (1941)
The Oxbow Incident (1943)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
12 Angry Men (1957)
The Tin Star (1957)
Firecreek (1968)
Madigan (1968)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1969)
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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

It's not much of a film but if you want some fun and you like Fonda and Stewart see "The Cheyenne Social Club." Just watching them together is fun. Not many comedies end up in a shootout.

Another quirk is it's directed by Gene Kelly.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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Post by mongoII »

The actor was flawless as Tom Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath", and should have won the Oscar. Eventual winner James Stewart said that Fonda was gypped.
He may have been a wuss in "The Big Street", but being in love tends to do that to a person. In that movie I thought of Pinks as being a swell guy.
No doubt that Fonda has turned out many fine performances during his career.
Joseph Goodheart
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Post by MissGoddess »

pktrekgirl wrote: Yes! Exactly! Actually, I think he was even more of a wuss in THE LADY EVE than in THE MAD MISS MANTON, come to think of it. So no...you are NOT the only one who thinks that. I'm right there with you!

Actually, (and I'm sure you can appreciate this) while watching both of those two films, I spent more time thinking about how much better (and less wussy) Gary Cooper would have been in those roles than anything else! He NEVER would have allowed himself to look weenie-fied like that! Maybe cute and shy...but cute and shy do not necessarily have to spell 'wuss' - as Coop clearly demonstrated on a number of occasions.

Referencing the other discussion you and I are having.`..Henry Fonda is sorta the anti-Gable. He doesn't handle women - women handle HIM.

Bleh! :P

I'm REALLY hoping I get to the end of this month with a better impression. Because weenies don't impress me. Not in movies, anyway!
LOL!! I'm not much on weenies either, except under a clump of sauerkraut. :P

Actually, do see him in Young Mr Lincoln and My Darling Clementine, you don't have to be a fan of either Abe or the west to marvel at those extraordinarily crafted movies, and I doubt either will be part of the TCM line-up because they are Fox films.
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