MUSINGS, PONDERINGS, RUMINATIONS AND FANCIES

[CinemaInternational]

I did see a chilly one this afternoon -- DEAD OF WINTER. (Mary Steenburgen's apt. must be one of the ugliest ever shown on screen) Jan Rubes and Roddy McDowell are an outstandingly creepy pair. Lots of snow!

I remember that one. One of the latter day MGM films that's actually pretty solid, a loose remake of My Name is Julia Ross, the 1944 Nina Foch film. That said, I recall that the "bodies" they showed at some points looked as though they were very unlifelike, and directly imported from Madame Tussauds.

[Hibi]

I havent seen that film in a long time. I only vaguely remember it. Did TCM show it? (Dead of Winter).

[Bronxgirl48]

MISERY was another. Poor James Caan, tortured by one's ultimate psycho philistine fan.

I wonder if Olivia De Havilland had anything to do with that. Karma, for Lady in a Cage!

LOL

Would you rather be Sonny dispatched quickly on that causeway or held hostage at the mercy of Annie Wilkes?

[Bronxgirl48]

I did see a chilly one this afternoon -- DEAD OF WINTER. (Mary Steenburgen's apt. must be one of the ugliest ever shown on screen) Jan Rubes and Roddy McDowell are an outstandingly creepy pair. Lots of snow!

I remember that one. One of the latter day MGM films that's actually pretty solid, a loose remake of My Name is Julia Ross, the 1944 Nina Foch film. That said, I recall that the "bodies" they showed at some points looked as though they were very unlifelike, and directly imported from Madame Tussauds.

Yeah, they call the character "Julie Rose". Jan and Roddy, though, are infinitely more sinister than Dame May and Georgie. Agree about those waxy "facsimiles".

[Bronxgirl48]

I havent seen that film in a long time. I only vaguely remember it. Did TCM show it? (Dead of Winter).

As far as I recollect, never.

If you get ScreenPix, it shows up frequently. Jan Rubes especially will give you nightmares!

[jamesjazzguitar]

MISERY was another. Poor James Caan, tortured by one's ultimate psycho philistine fan.

I wonder if Olivia De Havilland had anything to do with that. Karma, for Lady in a Cage!

LOL

Would you rather be Sonny dispatched quickly on that causeway or held hostage at the mercy of Annie Wilkes?

Sonny: By the time he realized what was happening he was dead.

[Bronxgirl48]

Barzini ought to have visited Annie and put her out of her, er, misery.

[Bronxgirl48]

Rosalind Russell had very long arms, almost down to the ground. I noticed this years ago along with Bing Crosby's abbreviated left arm.

It surprises me that possibly my favorite scenes in moviedom are from the classic 1931 THE PUBLIC ENEMY. It just might be the almost carefree, "hip" (for lack of a more appropriate word) "modern" approach Wild Bill Wellman takes when depicting what happens to Putty Nose as Tom and Matt follow him home. Before "the boys" appear we see a black cat suddenly cross Putty Nose's path before the literal final moments upstairs. I am always weirdly "satisfied" by this entire directorial set-up.

Isabel Jewell always gave 100 per cent in every role, however minor.

I used to get the titles and plots of THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS, FROM THE TERRACE and 10 NORTH FREDERICK mixed up but now have them thankfully differentiated.

I'm an animal lover but that pet dog in OBSESSION ruined everything, and not just for Robert Newton. "Monty" the pupper, who even has his own theme music much like that cute but silly bunny in TWO ON A GUILLOTIINE, really changes the tone of the film as it swings wildly from mildly lurid thriller to tepid domestic melodramatics. Naunton Wayne's Scotland Yard inspector (sort of a Columbo forerunner) comes to some wildly improbable deductions that miraculously solve the case. Stupid ending.

[Bronxgirl48]

You got that right, kingrat.

And when Robert Newton is the bad guy we certainly don't want any halfway measures, lol.

[CinemaInternational]

I had the misfortune of looking at 1966's An American Dream on demand on the TV. Such a bizarre, uncomfortable film, with more bitter hatred and sadism in its first half hour than most films had had up to that time (OK, Lady in a Cage had more, but still), followed by 75 minutes of torpor. But I'm bringing it up because Eleanor Parker has one of the most thankless roles of all time here and one of the nastiest death scenes I've ever seen. Not only does she plummet from a high rise; a split second after her body hits the ground, she's plowed into by a car. Ugly, ugly, ugly. (Also, even though it was only for a frame or two, I think she had the first topless scene in an American studio film)


It must be a week for bad falls though. I also saw 1981's vastly disappointing Ghost Story, and Craig Wasson's stark naked full-frontal fall was remarkably ridiculous.

[Bronxgirl48]

Craig Wasson and Bill Maher: separated at birth

[Fedya]

I had the misfortune of looking at 1966's An American Dream on demand on the TV. Such a bizarre, uncomfortable film, with more bitter hatred and sadism in its first half hour than most films had had up to that time (OK, Lady in a Cage had more, but still), followed by 75 minutes of torpor. But I'm bringing it up because Eleanor Parker has one of the most thankless roles of all time here and one of the nastiest death scenes I've ever seen. Not only does she plummet from a high rise; a split second after her body hits the ground, she's plowed into by a car. Ugly, ugly, ugly. (Also, even though it was only for a frame or two, I think she had the first topless scene in an American studio film)

As I wrote about Eleanor Parker's fall when I blogged about An American Dream, "Up to this point, An American Dream has been spectularly, hilarity-inducingly awful. Unfortunately once Deborah falls off the balcony the movie switches to being just tediously bad."

And you can see about a half-second of Jean Harlow boobage in Red-Headed Woman, when she takes off a garment to give to roommate Una Merkel. She's not wearing a bra. (And then there's James Cagney looking at Joan Blondell's brassiere in Blonde Crazy.)

[TikiSoo]

She's not wearing a bra

Omigod-my EYES!
(I can't believe any grown adult man cares about seeing bras/bewbs in a movie)

[Hibi]

I had the misfortune of looking at 1966's An American Dream on demand on the TV. Such a bizarre, uncomfortable film, with more bitter hatred and sadism in its first half hour than most films had had up to that time (OK, Lady in a Cage had more, but still), followed by 75 minutes of torpor. But I'm bringing it up because Eleanor Parker has one of the most thankless roles of all time here and one of the nastiest death scenes I've ever seen. Not only does she plummet from a high rise; a split second after her body hits the ground, she's plowed into by a car. Ugly, ugly, ugly. (Also, even though it was only for a frame or two, I think she had the first topless scene in an American studio film)


It must be a week for bad falls though. I also saw 1981's vastly disappointing Ghost Story, and Craig Wasson's stark naked full-frontal fall was remarkably ridiculous.

I've always wondered what Mailer's book was like compared to the movie. Parker's segment feels like it's from another film entirely. I remember when the film came out it was in and out of theaters in a week or so and often on double bills. Parker really chews the scenery, the rest of the film is just flat. It did produce a good song though (Oscar nominated) and "sung" (dubbed) by Janet Leigh.