dual personalities

Tag: TCM

November 20, 2015

Hello, Friday!

by chuckofish

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This is one of those event-packed Fridays when I think, if I can just get through today, I’m going to take it easy this weekend! That is my plan.

In the meantime, here are some postcards from my week.

St. Louis keeps watch over Art Hill.IMG_1466

The Ginko trees at my flyover university are awesome.
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The Christmas cactus is blooming right on schedule!

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And someone brought me cookies at work! 420 calories per 3-bite serving! Oh mein Gott!

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And one reminder! Turner Classic Movies: TCM has revised its schedule to showcase a 24-hour tribute to Maureen O’Hara starting today, Friday, November 20. The 12-movie marathon begins at 6 am ET.

Now feel free to

Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honor everyone; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.’ (from the service for Remembrance Sunday SPCK)

8 Comments
September 24, 2015

“Oh he’s real abstract. He’s…different.”*

by chuckofish

Tomorrow (Friday) is James Dean day on TCM–so set your DVR! And wait–they aren’t showing the usual three movies–the only ones he made before dying at age 24. They are  presenting a selection of performances that he gave on live television that are rarely seen. All the programs are TCM premieres.

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Born in Indiana, Dean moved to New York City in 1951 to study at the Actors Studio. While in NYC he performed in stage and TV dramas, and these are the roles to be showcased. They include a thief who finds redemption in Something for an Empty Briefcase (1953) for NBC’s “Campbell Soundstage”; an accused murderer in Sentence of Death (1953) for CBS’s “Studio One”; an ex-convict struggling for a new life in the Rod Serling teleplay, A Long Time Till Dawn (1953) for NBC’s “Kraft Theatre”; the restless son of a farm couple (Dorothy Gish and Ed Begley) in Harvest (1953) for NBC’s “Robert Montgomery Presents”; a waiter suspected of stealing in Run Like a Thief (1954) for NBC’s “The Philco-Goodyear Playhouse”; a lovestruck stable boy in Sherwood Anderson’s I’m a Fool(1954), with Natalie Wood, for CBS’s “General Electric Theater”; a “hepcat” killer in The Dark, Dark Hours (1954), with Ronald Reagan, for the “General Electric Theater”; and a wealthy man accused of robbing his family in The Thief (1955), with Diana Lynn and Mary Astor, for the ABC “United States Steel Hour.”

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait! (My apologies and regrets to those of you who do not get TCM or have DVR capabilities. So it goes. Why not watch Rebel Without a Cause–always a fine idea!)

*Buzz Gunderson in Rebel Without a Cause

3 Comments
August 19, 2015

“Yes, ma’am, just as hard as I could.”*

by chuckofish

John Wayne and some old coots in "Tall in the Saddle"

John Wayne and some old coots in “Tall in the Saddle”

Well, the films of John Wayne are featured on TCM all day today, so set your DVR!

I am especially looking forward to Tall in the Saddle (1944) which I have not seen in quite a while.

My mother always liked Tall in the Saddle, because she liked Ella Raines who plays the female lead. I think she thought she was more “normal” looking than a lot of the stars of the 1940s–i.e. pretty without the need for elaborate hair, extensive makeup and penciled on eyebrows.

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She also has a good part to play in this western–a tomboy who gets to ride around on horseback and kick symbolic dust at the goody-two-shoes who is competition for John Wayne’s affection, Audrey Long.

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The reviewer for the New York Times called the film “a regulation rough-and-tumble Western”, complete with a thundering stage coach ride through sagebrush country, fist fights, shootings, and “the customary romantic clinch”. The reviewer acknowledged that Wayne saves the film from its predictability:

Mr. Wayne has to fight his way through every inch of this film, against toughies like Ward Bond, a crooked judge; Harry Woods, a no-account rustler, and Russell Wade, a weakling gun-happy young rancher. Even Ella Raines sends some bullets whizzing perilously close to our hero’s head … Mr. Wayne walks into a mess of trouble in Red Rock, but in eighty-seven noisy minutes he bowls over the opposition, turns up the murderer of his cousin and has Miss Raines purring in his arms. Just take Tall in the Saddle for what it is, a rousing old-fashioned Western, and you won’t go wrong.

Yes, Mr. Wayne saves the day and the movie.

All the movies showing today are worth viewing for their star. That cannot be said for a lot of the movies shown this month on TCM’s Summer Under the Stars.

Anyway, The Quiet Man (1955) is on tonight, followed by The Searchers (1956) and Rio Bravo (1959). So enjoy!

Here is the schedule.

*John Wayne in response to the statement, “I saw you hit that poor man!”

5 Comments
July 7, 2015

Note to self

by chuckofish

Today we are reminded again how tempus, indeed, fugits! TCM is celebrating the 100th anniversary of a company whose technology defined the look of movie color for decades. Technicolor™ was incorporated in 1915 by Herbert T. Kalmus, Daniel F. Comstock and W. Burton Wescott and offered the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952.

The 48-hour salute includes the greatest of all technicolor films, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), which will be shown today at 4:30 p.m. and again on August 2 at 8 p.m. so set your DVR.

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)–which I watched this past weekend–is on tomorrow night at 8 p.m.–don’t miss it! The color cinematography in this movie is fantastic. Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963), a landmark of Italian cinema, is also on tomorrow at 3:30 a.m. Any movie with Claudia Cardinale is worth watching if you ask me.

We must also note that 600 years ago yesterday (July 6, 1415) Jan Hus was burned at the stake for heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. Hus was a Czech priest, philosopher, early Christian reformer and Master at Charles University in Prague. He dared to preach in Czech and tried to reform the Church by calling out the moral failings of clergy, bishops, and even the papacy from his pulpit. In 1999 Pope John Paul II expressed regret for his death. Well.

The monument in Konstanz, where reformer Jan Hus was executed (1862)

The monument in Konstanz, where reformer Jan Hus was executed (1862)

Hus is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church.

Faithful God, who didst give Jan Hus the courage to confess thy truth and recall thy Church to the image of Christ: Enable us, inspired by his example, to bear witness against corruption and never cease to pray for our enemies, that we may prove faithful followers of our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

On Sunday the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, conducted the baptism of Princess Charlotte at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham.

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Pretty darn cute.

And FYI: the Archbishop of Canterbury has a blog. You go, Glenn Coco.

3 Comments
April 2, 2015

“I am ignorant, but I read books. You won’t believe it, everything is useful… “*

by chuckofish

A new month–April already. Did you turn over your calendar? I always forget. Well.

There is a new Star of the Month on TCM: Anthony Quinn. Funnily enough, I was just watching They Died With Their Boots On (1941)–Errol Flynn as Custer–and I commented to the OM, “Boy, Anthony Quinn makes a really good Crazy Horse!”

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He really does, right? Well, you can watch Quinn all month on TCM. Not that I am a great fan of is, but he did make some good (and a few great) movies in his long, illustrious career.

I waited for years to see Viva Zapata (1952). It was unavailable on Netflix (or DVD) for forever, but now it is on TCM. I remember seeing John McCain being interviewed when he was running for president and when he was asked “What is your favorite movie?”, he never hesitated, but launched into an enthusiastic lovesong to Viva Zapata. I thought it was very endearing and I like a guy who feels strongly about a movie, and it made me want to see the movie. But I have to say, having finally seen it, Viva Zapata is not on my list of favorites. It has a screenplay by John Steinbeck (!) and Marlon Brando gives a great performance in the early days of his career, but still, it’s not my cup of tea. The Mexicans are all so needy–they want someone to save them, to lead them (Zapata). They seem so unable to help themselves or to even think of doing so as an option. But the film won a supporting-actor Academy Award for Quinn, nominations for Steinbeck, Brando, composer Alex North, and the art directors and set decorators, plus a best-actor prize for Brando at the Cannes film festival, among other honors.

Quinn also stars in La Strada (1954) which is undeniably one of the great movies of all time. Directed by Federico Fellini and starring the wonderful Giulietta Masina as Gelsomina, it is an unforgettable work of art.

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Richard Basehart also has a part in the movie, playing the Fool. Around this same time he appeared as Ishmael in Moby Dick (1956).

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He was such a hot commodity in the mid-1950s! I always think of him in made-for-tv  movies in the 1970s. Anyway, La Strada won over 50 international awards, including a Best Foreign Language Oscar in 1957. Set your DVR for April 8 at 8 pm EST!

Of course, I always liked Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and my DP and I enjoyed imitating his pronunciation of the name as children.

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His mantra, “I am a river to my people,” has always been mine as well.

So which is your favorite Anthony Quinn movie? Discuss among yourselves.

*The Fool in La Strada

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December 3, 2014

“Who Sir? Me sir?”*

by chuckofish

I have been very busy at work since Thanksgiving and yesterday I had an allergy attack that sent me into a tailspin of sneezing and nose-blowing. Zut alors! And I had two meetings off-campus. It was not pretty.

So, as you may have noticed, my blogposts are somewhat lacking in content this week. Today I will just note that the TCM star of the month is Cary Grant! So go crazy setting your DVR in December.

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They will be showing a few of my favorites: Gunga Din (1939), The Awful Truth (1937), The Philadelphia Story (1940) and Houseboat (1958).

I’m not sure why they don’t seem to be showing one of the best Christmas movies ever, which also happens to star old Cary Grant: The Bishop’s Wife (1947)–but you can be sure I’ll be watching it sometime this month.

What is your favorite Cary Grant movie?

*Cary Grant in Houseboat

5 Comments
August 29, 2014

When the light is changing

by chuckofish

I deserved a treat, so I ordered Mary Chapin Carpenter’s 2010 CD The Age of Miracles.

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I am one of her oldest fans (and I mean that both ways)–although we are contemporaries after all, so never mind. Anyway, she never disappoints. It is a very good album and there is one song which really spoke to me. Listen, fellow introverts, and enjoy!

 

And, oh boy, the weekend is upon us once again! The painting in my bathroom is finished (thank you, Gary!) and so my project is to put the room back together.

I will also be readying the house for daughter # 1 who arrives home in a week for a birthday visit. Lots to do–but all fun stuff.

Hope your weekend is full of fun stuff too!

P.S. Today is Joseph Cotton day on TCM–so nothing thrilling to report there. He was in some classic movies, including Citizen Kane and The Third Man, but I am not a big fan of his. With a few notable exceptions like Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (1943), he made a career of playing the second lead, the good guy who is kind of boring and makes the lead look sexy and dangerous in comparison. In that genre, TCM will be showing Duel in the Sun (1947) which, even though it stars a hot young Gregory Peck playing Cotton’s bad younger brother, is a pretty terrible movie. I liked it as a child though, mostly because of the ethereal Lillian Gish who plays  the aging southern belle who had a thing a long time ago for her reckless creole cousin and so takes in his half-breed daughter, played by the terrible actress Jennifer Jones.  Whenever Gish is in a scene,  “Beautiful Dreamer” plays in the background and follows her around eerily. I’m sure I had no idea what was actually going on, i.e. rape, wreckage and ruin. King Vidor directed it all with a heavy hand, but it does have a rousing musical score by Dimitri Tiomkin.

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So watch it if you’re in the mood for a bad melodramatic western–and I’ll admit, sometimes I am. But I really don’t like Gregory Peck as a bad guy.

5 Comments
August 22, 2014

“You know what’s wrong with you, Miss Whoever-you-are? “*

by chuckofish

Today is Audrey Hepburn day on TCM. Here is the schedule. I can’t say they are showing my absolute favorites, but there are actually a few I haven’t seen. So the DVR will be doing its job today.

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I must say I have loved old Audrey for a long, long time–long before she was a pop culture “icon” and her face was all over everything. Our mother was a fan and loved Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). It really surprised me to find out that it was not a big hit when it came out in 1961 and it wasn’t nominated for many Oscars. It has “Best Picture” written all over it, if you ask me. It is definitely one of my Top Five of all time movies.

Audrey is the real deal: beautiful, smart, brunette. And she can act.

Anyway, an Audrey Hepburn movie fest seems like a terrific idea for this Friday. Which movie(s) will you pick?

John Huston's "The Unforgiven" (1960)

John Huston’s “The Unforgiven” (1960) with Burt Lancaster

William Wyler's "Roman Holiday" (1951) with Gregory Peck

William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday” (1953) with Gregory Peck

"Wait Until Dark" (1967)

“Wait Until Dark” (1967)

Billy Wilder's "Sabrina" (1954) with Bogart and Holden

Billy Wilder’s “Sabrina” (1954) with Bogart and Holden

Stanley Donen's "Charade" (1963) with Cary Grant

Stanley Donen’s “Charade” (1963) with Cary Grant

So many good/great ones to choose from!

*Paul Varjak

5 Comments
June 12, 2014

“I’ve had hangovers before, but this time, even my hair hurts.”*

by chuckofish

Here’s some good news: Rock Hudson is the Star of the Month on TCM in June!

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Every Thursday TCM will show a fabulous line-up of Rock’s greatest films. Most of them are eminently watchable. Here are the movies that will be shown this month.

Our mother was a fan of Rock Hudson and so I grew up watching his movies on television. My all-time favorite, of course, is Pillow Talk (1959), his first pairing with Doris Day.

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It airs Thursday, June 19 at 8:00 (EST) p.m. Doris Day was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar and Thelma Ritter, who plays her hard-drinking housekeeper, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. As I have said before, both ladies were robbed. Rock may have lost the title role in Ben-Hur that year, but he was a huge hit in this best of all rom-coms. His career got a big boost and took a new and very popular direction.

Send Me No Flowers (1964) will also be shown that night. It is also wonderful and, like Pillow Talk, stars Tony Randall as well as Doris.

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I am not such a big fan of Rock’s overblown 1950’s soap operas, such as Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows and Giant–which are all on tonight–but he is stalwart and handsome in all of them. And they are certainly better than most offerings on summer television!

So mark your calendar and/or set your DVRs for Rock Hudson.

*Brad Allen in Pillow Talk (1959)

4 Comments
October 4, 2013

Tout va bien

by chuckofish

It is October!

A new calendar page. Those pumpkins are sparkly!

A new calendar page. Those pumpkins are sparkly!

I love October, although this year so far it has been an extension of summer. It was 90 degrees for the Playoff opener yesterday! But the weather will change; it always does.

There is a lot to be done in October.

It is time to buy pumpkins.

And get my black tights out.

It is time to take longer walks and to leave the windows open at night.

And, oh, Vincent Price–flyover hometowner–is the Star of the Month on TCM.

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Last night I DVR’d The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), a Warner Brothers classic starring Bette Davis and Errol FLynn, directed by the fabulous Michael Curtiz and based on a play by Maxwell Anderson. It also stars Olivia de Haviland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, and Price as Sir Walter Raleigh. So check out Thursday nights on TCM for lots of VIncent Price.

And hopefully we’ll see a lot more of this guy.

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Go, Cards!

7 Comments