I Just Watched...

[Bronxgirl48]

I'm afraid I sounded like an old sobersides in my IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH AVENUE post, lol. I always enjoy Victor Moore. The script tries to have it both ways; his character, wise and loveable though he may be -- thinks it's his right to just barge into Ruggle's mansion(s) like an entitlement, yet treats the places (on Fifth Avenue and their Virginia abode) with kid gloves. Yeah I know, Victor is making it an example to the rich man of what a home really is and all that, but it still annoys me! Agree about Charles Lane.

[Dargo]

I know what you mean about the pastel colors but I missed the deeper, jewel tones of the more "traditional" 1950's Tashlin comedies for Martin and Lewis, Bob Hope, SUSAN SLEPT HERE and others of that period. THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT was made in 1966 and to me it tries to be hip, happening and clever but, well, fails as far as I'm concerned. It seems to straddle the pre-Beatles, more conservative atmosphere while straining to embrace burgeoning counterculture irreverence.

Nicely put here, Bronxie.

And so in essence, pretty much the very same zeitgeist that one senses while watching any of those AIP Beach Party movies made at about the same time, right?!

(...yeah yeah, doncha just love that German word up there?!...ya know, whenever ya use it, people will think your I.Q. is ten points higher than it actually is!)

Thanks, Dargo but when I re-read what I wrote it just sounds pretentious.

I like that word "zeitgeist". In fact I always use it when trying to understand why Ginger Rogers won the Oscar for KITTY FOYLE.

Nah, I don't think that that sounded "pretentious" at all! Nope, I thought you explained very well the era presented in that Doris Day movie, Bronxie!

(...yep and in fact, MY "zeitgeist" is almost OVERFLOWING at the moment!!!)

LOL

[Bronxgirl48]

Well, thank you Dargo.

Are you taking anything for the overflow?

[TikiSoo]

I just watched JOURNAL OF A CRIME '34 recorded off TCM months ago- starring Ruth Chatterton, Claire Dodd & Adolph Menjou.

The movie was directed by William Keighley, notable because it's both his storytelling talent & the principle actors talent that elevates this outdated trope to even watchable.

The movie begins with Chatterton's charactor spying on her cheating husband...


...finding him with flashy Claire Dodd...


Personally, I never saw Menjou as desirable and find him cold & cartoonish looking. The two gals were lovely & boy-did I love their clothing!

Poor Chatterton believes her entire life/survival depends on Menjou and she chooses to "get rid" of the other woman.
Her stupid action relinquishes even more control to her husband and he condemns her to a life of (self) guilt, guilt, GUILT!

And after years of enduring a bleak non-existence, an accident causes the wife's complete amnesia.
All is forgotten & forgiven.
The End.

[laffite]

I remember this from awhile back and thought that just seeing Ruth Chatterton was enough. Is it not true that a certain number of women dread losing their husband?

[jamesjazzguitar]

I remember this from awhile back and thought that just seeing Ruth Chatterton was enough. Is it not true that a certain number of women dreads losing their husband?

The theme of a partner (woman or man) that dreads losing an undeserving mate, is fairly common in literature\plays\movies\TV shows. This includes the focus by the partner on the other-woman\other-man, instead of the underserving mate. From a logical POV this makes little sense, by the heart isn't a logical organ.

A Free Soul (1931) would be a pre-code where the man (Leslie Howard) is the partner, and the woman (Norma Shearer), the undeserving mate.

[CinemaInternational]

I know what you mean about the pastel colors but I missed the deeper, jewel tones of the more "traditional" 1950's Tashlin comedies for Martin and Lewis, Bob Hope, SUSAN SLEPT HERE and others of that period. THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT was made in 1966 and to me it tries to be hip, happening and clever but, well, fails as far as I'm concerned. It seems to straddle the pre-Beatles, more conservative atmosphere while straining to embrace burgeoning counterculture irreverence.

Nicely put here, Bronxie.

And so in essence, pretty much the very same zeitgeist that one senses while watching any of those AIP Beach Party movies made at about the same time, right?!

(...yeah yeah, doncha just love that German word up there?!...ya know, whenever ya use it, people will think your I.Q. is ten points higher than it actually is!)

Thanks, Dargo but when I re-read what I wrote it just sounds pretentious.

I like that word "zeitgeist". In fact I always use it when trying to understand why Ginger Rogers won the Oscar for KITTY FOYLE.

I assume Ginger won that year because she was at the height of her stardom, and the vote might have been split between Katharine Hepburn and Joan Fontaine, thus leading to Ginger surging from behind. I love Ginger, like her in the film, but am puzzled by it being her only Oscar nomination. None for Stage Door!

[CinemaInternational]

“Plus no one ever explained just why THE HELL they left the g**d***ed cake out in the g**d***ed rain!!!!”

My late grandfather, God rest his soul, always hated that song. Whenever he would hear about that cake, he would go "What kind of idiot would leave a cake out in the rain? Cake's expensive!"

[Allhallowsday]

WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954) Also every year on DVD. It is no wonder why FRED ASTAIRE passed. Dreadful script. DEAN JAGGER deserves a lot of credit for soldiering through. Ridiculous, implausible, tedious, it sure looks great. Lots to like. Very well directed slop.

[jamesjazzguitar]

“Plus no one ever explained just why THE HELL they left the g**d***ed cake out in the g**d***ed rain!!!!”

My late grandfather, God rest his soul, always hated that song. Whenever he would hear about that cake, he would go "What kind of idiot would leave a cake out in the rain? Cake's expensive!"

As for Ginger and Stage Door. As you know this is an ensemble cast film. While Ginger did give a very good performance, the same can be said for many other of her roommate actresses in the film. Other than Hepburn, could any of the others be considered best actress nominees? (e.g. enough screen time)? More like best supporting actress IMO. (And Andrea Leeds got that nomination). If one feels both Hepburn and Rogers qualified as leading actresses, RKO had to decide which one to promote. (back then, studios put forth their nominees). Bottom line: hard to get recognition in an ensemble cast film, especially one with so much high-quality female talent.

As for Rogers' Kitty Foyle nomination. I understand why this happened. RKO really promoted the film and Rogers since the film was their biggest money maker of 1940. I can see why Davis didn't win for The Letter (the old, what, yet again!!), but I feel she gave the best performance.
As for Hepburn and The Philadelphia Story: this was her first film for MGM and they didn't promote her since she just joined the studio, and they were still concerned if the RKO box-office poison BS was going to stick. As for Martha Scott: Our Town was her first film. RKO promoted Joan Fontaine for Rebecca (RKO didn't want Hepburn to win after their feud), and I'm surprised she didn't get more votes than Rogers. Maybe it was because voters wanted to honor Rogers for all of her fine 30s work? As for Joan, she did win the next year for Suspision, so she didn't have to wait long.

[Allhallowsday]

CLOVERFIELD (2008)

[Lorna]

“Plus no one ever explained just why THE HELL they left the g**d***ed cake out in the g**d***ed rain!!!!”

My late grandfather, God rest his soul, always hated that song. Whenever he would hear about that cake, he would go "What kind of idiot would leave a cake out in the rain? Cake's expensive!"

I have Sirius satellite radio in my car which is nice because there are no commercials and minimal interruptions and they also play a lot of esoteric and lesser known songs from all the different genres and decades.

I was listening to the 1960s station and what should come on but the original MACARTHUR PARK recorded by none other than Dumbledore himself, Sir Richard Harris.

None of this may be news to you, but if it is, I urge you to Google it just prove I’m not lying. Because I’m not. And I know it seems like this can’t be true.

But it is.

And it’s wild too.

Very SHATNERIAN delivery, and Richard certainly doesn’t let the fact that he can’t sing for s*** get in the way of his impassioned delivery- I mean you can absolutely FEEL his anguish over that cake out in the rain- and as someone without a single ounce of musical talent myself, I can’t help but respect it.

[Lorna]

[dianedebuda]

Thanks for posting that, Lorna. Agree that Harris is not a singer, but was better than I expected in this.