The Silver Screen Oasis

I have trouble getting Seniors, Boomers, Adults, and young adults to even consider watching classics with me. They make fun of my passion for the old movies. I love musicals and their female stars. I get ribbed and scoffed by my friends and family. I have 368 movies, old and newer but have to watch them all alone. My wife seldom will consent to watch with me.

Do you have my problem also?


Uncle Stevie

YEP, that's mainly why I'm on this board. I don't mind watching the movies alone, but I get tired of talking to myself about them! I can occasionally con the kids into watching one. I have one patron at work who likes 30s movies so we have a chat every couple of weeks. That's pretty much it.

Yes, I watch alone, sometimes I'm lucky and hubby will watch one with me. No musicals, foreign or silent movies will he watch and no precodes either. Like Birdy I come here to chat about films along with people who are interested.

I think my daughter has potential for some films as she gets older, both kids love Laurel and Hardy and Chaplin.

I sometimes wear a "Deanna Durbin" T Shirt in public and get laughed at by my friends and family but most startling is very few passerbys ever heard of her. I live in my own little world. I also like some Operas and so many others don't.

My complaint is I do not like rock or punk or wrap music of today. In fact most of today's music does not appeal to me. Also many if not most of the popular rock singers of today can't hold a tune. In fact they mostly do not sing but rather scream. There are some Broadway show type people who save the day not to mention a few crooners still around but mostly I change radio stations too often. I keep a 12 disc CD changer in my car with music more to my liking.

Do I sound like Scrooge?


Uncle Stevie

Heavens no. Nothing wrong with watching and listening to what you want.

I have had a fairly easy time getting others to watch things. I do have several friends that like old movies but even the ones who don't may have heard of someone and they are willing to give it a go. My kids often enjoy watching them. My bride, though not the fan I am, is always game for another classic, especially if someone on the boards suggested it.

Yes -- but I'm not sure whose fault that is. Most of my friends in casual conversation would categorize themselves as lovers of classic movies, but what does that mean? Classics: All eras? Only certain types or genres? Love: Enjoy? Passionate about? Or, as MrsChiO would say, obsessed with?

After all, how many people can one expect to have as friends who anxiously await watching with me a B-Western because John Alton was the cinematographer or watching three different versions of TOUCH OF EVIL so we can talk about the differences with Welles' vision or watching a raggedy copy of QUEEN KELLY so we can discuss the tragedy of Stroheim's directing career?

Perhaps I have met the enemy and he is me.

Now, back to watching a William Beaudine classic. Alone.

I have a friend who will watch Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe but it's as far as it goes, they are watching only for the personality. Hubby does appreciate some cinema so I try to leave the movies he would appreciate until night time and watch the others when he's out or I'll watch through my headphones.

I don't so much mind watching the movies alone as much as not having anyone to discuss them with. That's why I'm here everyday, I have to tell someone what I've watched and I'm glad it can be you guys. I also like to learn about movies and who better to learn from.

Hubby is patient with regards to movies but please no Cary Grant, he can't stand him.

That's funny about his not liking Grant. Of my friends he seems to be the one they like the most.

My earliest exposure to Cary Grant was "One Night Of Love" (1937) starring Grace Moore. I loved the part he played and i discovered then that Cary Grant is Cary Grant in all of his movies. He is handsome, appealing and a decent actor but he is the same charactor since the film I first saw him in. Did you know he made 20 movies from 1932 to 1937? In fact when he started he made 8 movies, all in 1932 alone. Wow was he busy. He made 91 films in all.

movieman1957 wrote:That's funny about his not liking Grant. Of my friends he seems to be the one they like the most.

I think part of the problem is that I really like Cary Grant, another problem is he hates screwball comedy, his opinion of it is like mine about comedy that's plagued with swear words, it's just not funny to him. Whe Grant gets into his later period he can take him but not without telling me he looks a strange shade of orange, which he does.

Others he would rather me not put on, Gene Kelly, another favorite for me, Fred Astaire, in fact any musical, he's a very sensible type and finds the concept of people breaking into song or dance very strange and unwatchable.

He likes Charlie Chaplin but not Buster Keaton.

Yet he will suffer Charles Boyer, Fredric March and Montgomery Clift other favorites of mine.

On the plus side, he loves Natalie Wood, Gina Lollibrigida, Jane Fonda, Anita Ekberg and Claudia Cardinale.

charliechaplinfan wrote: On the plus side, he loves Natalie Wood, Gina Lollibrigida, Jane Fonda, Anita Ekberg and Claudia Cardinale.

Hmmm, beautiful and mostly voluptuous. That makes sense but not to like Keaton....

I have trouble getting Seniors, Boomers, Adults, and young adults to even consider watching classics with me. They make fun of my passion for the old movies. I love musicals and their female stars. I get ribbed and scoffed by my friends and family. I have 368 movies, old and newer but have to watch them all alone. My wife seldom will consent to watch with me.

Do you have my problem also?

I often watch alone too, but find that occasionally I can get another person to enjoy something with me. It does help to have the internet to share our enthusiasms for classic films. Sometimes people will surprise you with the amount of interest they can show if they stumble upon an old movie and realize the charm, depth of storytelling and acting skill of the movies of the studio era or get caught up in a film that (horrors!!) had subtitles

I gave up on actually trying to interest others around me in films from the past some time ago, but everyone always wants me on their team for games of Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit. I bet you guys have similar experiences. Wonder why?

movieman1957 wrote:

charliechaplinfan wrote: On the plus side, he loves Natalie Wood, Gina Lollibrigida, Jane Fonda, Anita Ekberg and Claudia Cardinale.

Hmmm, beautiful and mostly voluptuous. That makes sense but not to like Keaton....

I know, not to like Keaton, I'll never understand it. I can see why he likes these women.

Moira, I know what you mean about Trivial Pursuit. Not only do I know actors and films, but I also know lots of other weird facts and trivia from watching movies set in so many places and periods. Does this happen to you: People call you to settle arguments about who was in what movie?
B

I get that all the time. Our close group of friends call us to settle disputes about people and or songs in movies all the time. My wife is an ex Teacher and a grammar aficionado so she gets those phone calls. In fact my wife enters stores to inform the management they misspelled words on "sale signs". My wife's Brother (now deceased) was a professor at Purdue University and had a reputation for traveling with a "brown Magic Marker" and whenever he visited any restaurant he would peruse the menu and make spelling corrections. When you would visit the same eatery it was often heard - "Professor Hollander was here".


Uncle Stevie