The Silver Screen Oasis

It made me smile that they renamed Vile Bodies to Bright Young Things, perhaps they thought that the later title might bring people to the film who were expecting a gruesome whodunit or horror movie. I haven't seen it though and I must.

Thank you for welcoming me back, I'm glad to be back, I've not being firing on all cylinders, I've been through a tricky spell of ill health and I'm quite a bit better now, not perfect but gosh, I'VE MISSED YOU GUYS

And we've missed you SO MUCH, Alison. It hasn't been the same without you. Glad you are back, but take all the time you need to recuperate.

Maven, That production with Rick Lenz and Jane Wyatt was just great, if depressing.... after all, it WAS based on a play written by Dorothy Parker. The cast also included Cloris Leachman, Mike Farrell, Zohra Lampert (another fave), Pat Hitchcock, Mabel Albertson, Barbara Baxley, Neva Patterson and Dick Van Patten! I only wish I could find a copy. Jane Wyatt still scares the crap out of me when I think about the evil, wheelchair-bound nutjob of a mother she played.

I totally see the Rick Lenz/Jimmy Stewart comparison.

Today I watched "Night Nurse" (1931) directed by William Wellman.

There is some great stuff in this movie, like the opening shot of an ambulance rushing to a hospital. The failed operation is also very tense and scary. I enjoyed the chemistry between Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Blondell.

But the plot seemed jerrybuilt to get the film to 71 minutes. The film could have been a couple of short subjects about nurses stitched together. Worse, the old housekeeper switched from being one of the bad guys to being a good guy just like that.

It was fun seeing Clark Gable as a bad guy, but he was so convincing that he made the climax (when the utterly gormless good guy got the drop on him) seem utterly preposterous. I half expected Gable to beat the stuffing out of the good guy, even if the good guy had a gun and Gable didn't.

What really interested me from "Night Nurse" was how closely the Bob Clampett-directed Daffy Duck cartoon "The Daffy Doc" (1938 or so) copied some of the scenes, such as the ambulance and the operating theater.

[u]JackFavell[/u] wrote:Maven, That production with Rick Lenz and Jane Wyatt was just great, if depressing.... after all, it WAS based on a play written by Dorothy Parker. The cast also included Cloris Leachman, Mike Farrell, Zohra Lampert (another fave), Pat Hitchcock, Mabel Albertson, Barbara Baxley, Neva Patterson and Dick Van Patten! I only wish I could find a copy. Jane Wyatt still scares the crap out of me when I think about the evil, wheelchair-bound nutjob of a mother she played. I totally see the Rick Lenz/Jimmy Stewart comparison.

WHAT A CAST!!! Remember when plays had actors in 'em? < Sigh!!! > ( Lovin' Zohra. ) And don't think of Wyatt as nutsy; remember her wonderful quiet performance in "Pitfall." Glad you see my Rick / Jimmy. Sometimes I think I'm crazy...

Sometimes I know it.

Remember: Being right doesn't mean you're not crazy!

Mike, I've been meaning to watch NIGHT NURSE for years.

This afternoon I watched "Billy Elliot" (2000) directed by Stephen Daldry.

I wasn't too keen on watching it, partly because I have no interest in ballet, and it didn't really sound like my kind of film. But I had read about it fairly recently, so I gave it a try.

I really liked it. I really got interested in this kid's attempt to follow his passion even if it looked silly to the people around him. And Julie Walters was refreshingly tart as the dance instructor who helped fan his enthusiasm. The dad and the older brother were also well portrayed. There turned out to be more to them than what we originally suspected.

I think this is one of the better films about growing up that I have seen in recent years. Very well done.

Watching old films has become exciting for me now. in my 12' x 12' viewing room I have installed a 51" Plasma flat screen TV and hooked up three DVD players with 12 playback sources. My collection of 700 classic movies keeps me busy every night. That giant screen gives me a theater like presentation. Tonight I watched "You Were Never Lovelier" (the Roberta story) with Katharine Grayson and Howard Keel. What a beautiful big screen event. I even enjoy the B/W movies too. I encourage everyone to get a giant screen for great movie watching.

Hi Uncle Stevie, Lovely To Look At is also one of my favorites. I also watched it some months ago in the projection room of the building I live in and it's a grand experience. The score is unbeatable.

It sounds like heaven, having that big screen TV! I know when we got our larger TV (nowhere near 51 inches, more like 36) we were surprised at how big a difference it made in our viewing pleasure. I still like seeing movies on that bigger screen.

I remember liking Billy Elliot quite a lot when it came out. How many of us would do something even if we felt goofy or were made fun of for doing it?

I have a confession to make. My favorite way to watch videos is a portable DVD player! Not the 7 inch. But 9 or 10? Just fine! Yes, it's small. But it's right in your lap. You have stereo via the earphones. And the sharpest picture I've ever seen. It's wonderful! Until now, that is. They don't seem to make them as well as before. I've recently purchased three, and returned them all. The picture is dull and murky. End of an era? I don't know. It was fun while it lasted!

On the reccomendation of this thread, I watched pre-code nurse in training Stanwyck in NIGHT NURSE. Loved it! Not that it's a fantastic movie. It's just another melodrama. But what fascinating film history. I love the direct, unpretentious way stories were told at that time. An opening shot of a moving ambulance, from the driver's point of view, tells you just what kind of movie you're about to see. The fact that the medium wasn't real sophisticated is a plus. It's more interesting, more creative than the high tech fare we get today.

As I was in a Forbidden Hollywood state of mind, I also picked up BABY FACE. Ms. Stanwyck again, billed over such youngsters as John Wayne and George Brent! Girl from the slums takes advice of a Nietsche quoting neighbor and sleeps her way to the top of the banking industry. (Not sure if the philosopher actually said this!) Shocking even today, was it more or less so in 1933? Barb's rise to the top is more interesting than her efforts to stay there. The drama that follows, while not bad, is pretty standard.

I loved seeing young Wayne working in an office! John Wayne sitting behind a desk? "John Wayne's office. How may I help you?" This, in itself, tells us we're in a long ago world. This, in itself, makes Forbidden Hollywood worth watching!

I have a confession to make. My favorite way to watch videos is a portable DVD player! Not the 7 inch. But 9 or 10? Just fine! Yes, it's small. But it's right in your lap. You have stereo via the earphones. And the sharpest picture I've ever seen. It's wonderful! Until now, that is. They don't seem to make them as well as before. I've recently purchased three, and returned them all. The picture is dull and murky. End of an era? I don't know. It was fun while it lasted!

That's too bad, red. My recorder is the last of it's kind, with a hard drive in it, so when it's dead, that's it, like your portable dvd player. I'll never be able to find another like it for a reasonable price, or with the amount of room on the hard drive.

I wish my computer was a little more portable. I like being able to watch things on it, but it's uncomfortable sitting at my desk to see a whole movie. I'd like to be able to use it on the couch.

I love Baby Face. And I'm a big fan of Wellman so I should like Night Nurse. I love the way you describe the beginning of the film... Wellman's shorthand to get us into the story is always so good. Not crazy about the story itself...but I love Stany. I watched Wellman's Midnight Mary again recently and was just blown away by his set ups, the way we got into the meat and potatoes of the story within about 2 minutes. He's brilliant at those beginnings and gets right to the point. How else are you going to direct a movie that's only 72 minutes long?

Thanks so much, Masha! I will check it out. We could use another player/recorder anyway, since our other one bit the dust.