You Only Live Once (1937)

[MissGoddess]

My first viewing of You Only Live Once was on the big screen at the Film Forum, paired with another Sylvia Sydney movie, You and Me (also about an ex-con but this time it's Sylvia) with George Raft. I enjoyed both films quite a lot, the Lang one being the better. I am in the minority in that I am no fan of either Gun Crazy and will never watch Bonnie and Clyde since I have a huge aversion to Warren Beatty and don't care much for Faye Dunnaway, either.

I thought Fonda was excellent at conveying the frustrations of his character, the "you can't win" of their situation.

[clore]

My first viewing of You Only Live Once was on the big screen at the Film Forum, paired with another Sylvia Sydney movie, You and Me (also about an ex-con but this time it's Sylvia) with George Raft. I enjoyed both films quite a lot, the Lang one being the better. I am in the minority in that I am no fan of either Gun Crazy and will never watch Bonnie and Clyde since I have a huge aversion to Warren Beatty and don't care much for Faye Dunnaway, either.

I thought Fonda was excellent at conveying the frustrations of his character, the "you can't win" of their situation.

Well, guess what - you can like the two Sydney movies equally if you like Lang as he directed both of them. I haven't seen You and Me since the early 80s, but I recall liking it overall.

I don't mind Gun Crazy, although I'm not as high on it as most seem to be. I'm with you on Bonnie and Clyde, a film that I didn't like in 1967 nor in the times that I've tried to re-evaluate it since. Maybe every ten years I've tried to give it a chance, and I can even set aside my own aversion to Beatty for things such as the Richard Brooks film $ as well as Pakula's The Parallax View. But Penn's gangster saga annoys me just as much as his Billy the Kid film with Paul Newman. In fact, while I've seen just about all of Penn's films, only The Miracle Worker and Night Moves managed a spot in my collection.

I did see Wait Until Dark on Broadway which Penn directed and that was superior to the film which is quite a compliment as I'm fond of the movie.

[JackFavell]

Wait Until Dark should be seen in the theatre at least once. My first time was in high school when my mom took me to see it. I thought I would jump out of my skin! That last scene with the fridge and the lights is so very much more frightening and effective in person than it ever could be on a screen. Once I saw it with a friend in the Alan Arkin role, and I was still scared out of my wits!

That being said, it's pretty effective on screen.

[CineMaven]

The very first Broadway play I saw was "WAIT UNTIL DARK." Lee Remick was the star. My aunt and uncle took me as my junior high school graduation present. We also went to a restaurant where I had ham with a slice of pineapple on top. I admit freely, the ham was a very diiiistant second to seeing Lee Remick in person. And yes, jumping out of the darkness was frightening!!

[clore]

WAIT UNTIL DARK was my first dramatic play, previously I had seen a couple of musicals. Although there's two years between us, my sister and I attended the same high school, Grover Cleveland. One day in October 1966, I came home to tell her that my English teacher singled me out since he knew I was a movie fan, and offered me his comp ticket for the play.

In a bizarre coincidence, my sister, who was a senior and had a different teacher, was given a ticket under the same circumstances. So, we saw it together and neither of us were prepared for the great Robert Duvall jump scene. A few years later, she and I saw the film version with my best friend. We knew what was coming, so this time we were ready. I think when the big scare scene happened, he leaped a few feet and she and I were laughing,much to the concern of the rest of the audience.

[RedRiver]

This is fascinating! I've never seen the play on stage, though I like the movie. I guess I didn't know Arthur Penn had a theatre background, but then, I never thought about it. This is why plays are plays and movies are movies. Not saying they can't be both. But seeing a good play in its natural habitat...what an experience!

THE VERY FIRST professional show I ever saw was DEATH OF A SALESMAN. A touring company came to my hometown. I saw it twice. Once at the public performance. The next day, they performed it at school! Now our local community theatre is gearing up for MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (During a Zombie Apocalypse). Don't ask!

the ham was a very diiiistant second

That must have been a good day. As second place goes, you can't beat a good ham! I'm a man who LOVES a good slab of meat. God love the vegans. I tip my hat. Now bring me a big-ass steak!

[CineMaven]

WAIT UNTIL DARK was my first dramatic play, previously I had seen a couple of musicals. Although there's two years between us, my sister and I attended the same high school, Grover Cleveland. One day in October 1966, I came home to tell her that my English teacher singled me out since he knew I was a movie fan, and offered me his comp ticket for the play.

Ya gotta love English teachers! They're the best. It's soooo good she gave you that ticket. My English teacher in tenth grade, who also our Journalism teacher, let me be the reporter to go to the movies to see "Support Your Local Sheriff" which was being shown to high school kids all over NYC. And James Garner was there after the screening and I got to meet him. She also gave me a school book ( actual school property ) "My Antonia" because she knew I wound up loving the story so much.

* * *

...That must have been a good day. As second place goes, you can't beat a good ham! I'm a man who LOVES a good slab of meat. God love the vegans. I tip my hat. Now bring me a big-ass steak!

HA!!! Oh lord. You, you carnivore!!!

As a matter of fact, it was a good day. It was a fancy schmancy Broadway restaurant and they treated me like a grown-up not like the fourteen year old I was.

[RedRiver]

James Garner was there after the screening and I got to meet him.

Cine-Maverick!

[CineMaven]

HA!!!

[Sue Sue Applegate]

James Garner was there after the screening and I got to meet him.

Cine-Maverick!

That's it!!!!!!!! CINE-MAVERICK!


You know, it's funny how you can know someone online for awhile and never find out that SHE MET JAMES GARNER IN HIGH SCHOOL!

[JackFavell]

Hey! Guess what? You and I have both met James Garner! What is that? Like, Six Degrees of Separation from EACH OTHER???? SPOOKY.

I met Garner when I was five at the Norman,Okla. country club where my friend Adrian Agar's family took me (John Agar's grand-daughter, no, I never met HIM) because we never had a membership at such an exclusive place. All I remember was this very VERY tall guy leaning over me (it seemed to take forever for this massive man to stoop down to my size), and then a massive hand reached out and took my little weenie hand in his. I swear his hand was about 8 times as big as mine. I honestly didn't remember his face, just a shock of dark hair over that crouching huge body and then he left to talk to the grown ups.

[CineMaven]

You know, it's funny how you can know someone online for awhile and never find out that SHE MET JAMES GARNER IN HIGH SCHOOL!

I'm revealing my secrets here. Watch This Space.

* * *

Hey! Guess what? You and I have both met James Garner! What is that? Like, Six Degrees of Separation from EACH OTHER???? SPOOKY. I met Garner when I was five at the Norman,Okla. country club where my friend Adrian Agar's family took me...

I love your story Wendy, and the way you told it from the perspective of being such a wee little girl. Awwww. And lets lessen those degrees of separation.

Hiiiii - hooooh CineMaverick...away!

[JackFavell]

Okie Dokie! When are you up for another visit?

I really have only those memories of Garner. I totally remember the meeting, but I think I must have been too shy to look at his face. I do know that I knew it was a BIG deal, to meet this guy, or even to go to the country club. It must have been because I never got to go again.

[RedRiver]

I wonder how tall Garner is. At your young age, Wendy, I'm sure he looked nine feet tall! But that's an odd thing about movies and TV. We have no idea how big these people really are!

[JackFavell]

That's so true. red. The stars I've seen as a grownup seem a lot smaller than I think they would be. Sean Connery looked great, but he's not this massive giant of a man like I thought. He's actually human scale.