The Silver Screen Oasis

I hear you, sisters. By comparison, those actresses cited in that study were a healthier image of the human female than is foisted on kids today, who seem to be expected to cope with far more than their experiences could prepare them for--and to look "hot" but skinny by the standards of the moment.

Here's a bit of Gardner McKay for you, Christy below. He reminds me of a beefier Louis Jourdan and a first cousin to Tom Tryon (though it looks as though McKay may have had a more mobile face than Tom. Did you know that there are lots of Adventures in Paradise episodes on youtube?
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Reckon he would ever have named a boat for me? Guess I'm going to hide out on YouTube for the next coupla days...

He was soooooo adorable.... I think my Mom had a bit of a crush on him, because we saw quite a few episodes of Adventures in Paradise!

In doing a bit of research about him, I found out that he was the drama critic for the L.A. Herald Examiner in the late 70's/early 80's, and he was
discovered by Dominique Dunne...

So not only was he great eye candy, he was literate, too!...
OOoooohhh, riding along on his catamaran, and having him read me poetry, while taking in 6'4" of that beautiful scenery!!!

OK, you've lost me for awhile....I am shutting down now, Hal....I mean Moira and Miss G....

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Well, now that you've torn apart the entire Warner Bros. male and female paddock of young actors who thrilled us in the late 50's and early 60's with their female beauty and male physiques, you have to admit watching those soap opera type dazzling color movies still give you a good feeling. That feeling comes especially when you see something that makes you remember when you wore your hair that very same way, or had a slack outfit just like so and so is wearing. They're bound to put you on the remembrance road to those happy carefree times when no matter what we were doing, we had the whole world ahead of us to do whatever we wanted to with it.
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Everything I've seen must be ok because other than 2 or 3 I have no idea what everyone is talking about. I must not be trying.

Chris and Miss G, the Gardner McKay video was about some Ensenada/Newport Regatta from '63 where the man himself was discussing preparations for the race that he wasn't yet entered in. But I just wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying...because...it was Gardner McKay from "Adventures in Paradise", the James Michener inspired television series from the early sixties...

And Mrsl, if Gardner McKay is still in my future, I hope I make it to that island. I just don't want to see Bob Denver there if I've been promised GARDNER MCKAY!

And Chris, I'm tattling.....Moira likes to torture me with these YouTube videos....

But I like to think I am up to the challenge!

A mix of old and not so old:

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension: "Well, hey there, Monkey-Boy!" From John Lithgow as the crazed Dr. Lizardo to Peter Weller as the handsome Buckaroo to Clancy Brown in his early days as a hunky Reno and Lewis Smith (whatever happened to him??) as the aptly named Perfect Tommy, this film should have had everything going for it. With a nod to to Orson Welles, the Mercury Players and aliens (John Bigboote, anyone), it was supposed to be the first of series of film. Unfortunately, it bombed at the box office but I will stop and watch Buckaroo and the Hong Kong Cavaliers (and Dr. Lizardo) any time, any where.

A Summer Place Constance Ford as one of the scariest mothers ever to grace the silver screen. Great photography, great locations, the lovely Dorothy McGuire and Richard Egan are all terrific and even Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue are good but no one stands a chance once Constance Ford sets her sights on her scenes with anyone.

Eddie and the Cruisers Michael Pare as a 1950s rocker who wants to do more than rock-n-roll, he wants to do a concept album called "Season in Hell" (sounds like a best seller). Co-starring Tom Berenger, Ellen Barkin (she had a couple of bad movies on her way to The Big Easy and Sea of Love), Helen Schneider and Joe Pantoliano. A mystery to say the least. Was supposed to have a soundtrack by Bruce Springsteen but the Boss must have been the only one to read the script. He said no and John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band took his place. Yeah, I know, Who?

Speaking of Michael Pare, Streets of Fire. It's not really a bad movie but a major guilty pleasure of mine. The Prom Queen is kidnapped by the Leader of the Pack and Soldier Boy comes to her rescue. Co-stars Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, Rick Thomas, Deborah Von Valkenburgh (whatever happened to her???) and Amy Madigan as the best bad-a** sidekick a guy could want. Early role for Bill Paxton, too. Great atmosphere and photography all done under tarps on the Universal backlot except for the theater interiors at the end, those were done at the LA landmark, the Wiltern. There was supposed to be a sequel. Because tonight is what it means to be young.

Speaking of Tom Berenger, Major League. Co-stars Corbin Benson, Charlie Sheen (before the rest of his life took a wrong turn), Wesley Snipes (before his life took a bad turn) and the wonderful James Gammon. Wild Thing by X during the big moment is inspired.

Sue Sue Applegate wrote: And Mrsl, if Gardner McKay is still in my future, I hope I make it to that island. I just don't want to see Bob Denver there if I've been promised GARDNER MCKAY!

If you spot the huge, remaining foot of a broken statue near the beach, with only four toes, start paddling the other way - fast !!

Lzcutter - I was going to mention Buckaroo Banzai, but wasn't sure I could own up to liking the movie. At a certain time in my life, I loved it, maybe not for what it was, but what it tried to be. My only excuse is that I was partaking in certain substances back then.

I love Peyton Place.

I love The Bad and the Beautiful.

I love The Beast with Five Fingers, which I saw yesterday.

I love Rome Adventure.

I love Theatre of Blood.

I love Cold Turkey.

I love What a Way to Go! and Woman Times Seven.

Are any of these bad movies? I don't think so, but they are kind of schlocky. Except for Buckaroo...I think that one is bad. But god help me, I still love it!

The Stranger and The Gunfighter.

One of the earliest and most ambitious of the naughty-sly chop-socky westerns that likely captivated Tarantino & his ilk; everytime headliner Lee Van Cleef walks into a new scene, he looks like he's just recovered from a teary-eyed laughing fit.

I love the idea for this thread, MissG! I know I have more "bad movies I like" in me.

Great additions! Mz. Cutter, didn't Streets of Fire also give us a big hit song from its soundtrack? I am trying to remember which it was; I never saw the movie but I remember there was a top 40 song always playing...

Ms. G,

Yes, there was! I Can Dream About You, I think, is the song you are remembering!

Lzcutter wrote:

Great additions! Mz. Cutter, didn't Streets of Fire also give us a big hit song from its soundtrack? I am trying to remember which it was; I never saw the movie but I remember there was a top 40 song always playing...

Ms. G,

Yes, there was! I Can Dream About You, I think, is the song you are remembering!

Lynn, you're spot on; and though it was only a lip-synch performance, that tune's crossover success sure helped show-off Robert Townsend, whom, I believe, used his SOF paycheck to help finance his auteur comedy opus Hollywood Shuffle.

Noticed some lovable bad movies that you might wish to pencil in on your schedule in the next week. A few of the movies that we have been discussing are showing up on the schedule.:

Monday Jan. 24th

1:00 PM
The Cardinal (1963)
A Boston priest deals with illicit love, racism and war as he rises in the church. Cast: Tom Tryon, John Huston, Carol Lynley. Dir: Otto Preminger. C-175 mins,

Poor Tom Tryon. He later said he quit acting in large part due to his experience on this movie. Poor Romy Schneider, she was way too good for Hollywood in the '60s. Sad to see Preminger losing it right in front of you.

4:00 PM
Backfire (1950)
A veteran tries to clear an old friend of a murder charge. Cast: Gordon MacRae, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien. Dir: Vincent Sherman. BW-91 mins,

See Eddie O'Brien. See Eddie sweat. See Eddie sweat because he knows he's a better actor than Gordon MacCrae, but the tide of movie history was still in Gordo's favor. At least for a few years.

Tuesday, Jan. 25th:

Oooh, it's a Susan Hayward trifecta! If only they could have thrown in Woman Obsessed (1959) with crazy Stephen Boyd and the great outdoors conspiring against her happiness. P.S. My Foolish Heart (1949), which is almost a good movie from a J.D. Salinger story, precedes these movies at 8:45am. There's something about Dana Andrews and Robert Keith that I really like in this one.

I thank a fool for this programming block!

10:30 AM
I Thank A Fool (1962)
A woman once convicted of euthanasia gets a job caring for her prosecutor's wife. Cast: Susan Hayward, Peter Finch, Diane Cilento. Dir: Robert Stevens. C-100 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

Diane Cilento and the cinematography steal the show, even if I couldn't figure out what happened between Cilento and Cyril Cusack, who oozes Celtic seediness.

2:00 PM
Stolen Hours (1963)
An American heiress with an incurable disease falls in love with her surgeon. Cast: Susan Hayward, Michael Craig, Diane Baker. Dir: Daniel Petrie. C-97 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

A less nuanced but more colorful version of Dark Victory. Makes me miss Bogie and his broth of a brogue as Michael, the Stable Mate!

3:45 PM
Where Love Has Gone (1964)
Family secrets come to light when a teen-ager murders her mother's lover. Cast: Susan Hayward, Bette Davis, Michael Connors. Dir: Edward Dmytryk. C-114 mins, TV-PG

Poor Mike Connors! Joey Heatherton is in the house!

Sat., Jan. 29th:

3:45 AM
Night Of The Lepus (1972)
Husband-and-wife scientists unwittingly unleash a horde of giant man-eating rabbits. Cast: Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun. Dir: William F. Claxton. C-89 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format

Stuart. Janet. Giant, pink-eyed bunny rabbits. Need I say more?