Weird and Forgotten Movies

["Doc" Devereux]

From 1976 I bring you 'Murder by Death'. Directed by Robert Moore, written by Neil Simon, and starring Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, David Niven, and Peter Sellers.

Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) invites the world's five greatest detectives (all of whom will be recognisable to patrons of the Lounge) to "dinner and a murder," complete with a blind butler, a deaf-mute maid, screams, spinning rooms, secret passages, false identities, and enough plot turns and twists to leave you very dizzy indeed. What get me about this movie is that while it's most certainly a parody, none of the laughs are forced. The cast are able to work with the excellent script that it all just flows together nicely and there's even a pretty good detective story in there as well.


And how can you not love a movies that has lines like this:
"The last time that I trusted a dame was in Paris in 1940. She said she was going out to get a bottle of wine. Two hours later, the Germans marched into France."

 

[Senator Jack]

Reading through this thread, one realizes what a difference of fifteen to twenty years makes. When I was a kid in the 70s, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Thing were considered to be not only unforgotten but unforgettable. In the early 80s, you couldn't get through college without seeing Eraserhead. And as for Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Ouch! My age is catching up with me.

Speaking of Snatchers - they're having a Don Siegal (director) retrospective at the Film Forum here in the city. This weekend they're showing a new print of Snatchers. But one of my favorites from him is the 60s version of 'The Killers' with Lee Marvin and Ronald Reagan. Marvin, in his sharp gunman's clothes, delivers the great line, 'Lady, I just haven't got the time.'

Two screwball baseball comedies I'd like to see again are Rhubarb with Ray Milland and Kill the Umpire with William Bendix. Again, neither is available through Netflix. :cry:

Anyone recall The Horn Blows at Midnight with Jack Benny? Channel 5 used to show this every New Year's Eve when I was a kid. I remember there being a lot of scenes of grand old metropolitan New York in it.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[K.D. Lightner]

There was a movie back in the early 50's called Scaramouche. It starred Stewart Granger and the villain was Basil Rathbone. There was a fencing scene in it that was incredible, if not very realistic. I would love to see that old film again just to see the fencing.

Another film that was ahead of its time, and I believe it came out in the late 40's or early 50's, was Pinky. A good film on race and racism, it starred Jeanne Crain and two of my favorite character actors of all time, the great Ethels of stage and screen: Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore.

karol

 

[John in Covina]

Two screwball baseball comedies I'd like to see again are Rhubarb with Ray Milland and Kill the Umpire with William Bendix. Again, neither is available through Netflix. :cry:

Anyone recall The Horn Blows at Midnight with Jack Benny? Channel 5 used to show this every New Year's Eve when I was a kid. I remember there being a lot of scenes of grand old metropolitan New York in it. Senator Jack

********
You should try to find the book "Rhubarb" it is a great read. As for "the the Horn Blows at Midnight" - Hillarious. Jack Benny in 'To Be or Not To Be' was pretty good too.

A favorite old movie is "Topper" with the scene in front of the Judge and Toppers hair and tie seem to straighten themselves. (The Dagwood actor is the bell boy.)

A strange film is Marty Feldman's "Yellowbeard" especially the James mason charector with Mr. Prostitute, the "I am smoking a cigar" scene. My favorite line is Feldman shouting 'Where's my pirating outfit?!'

Sincerely

 

[Magus]

I have seen The Duellists. I liked a lot. I'm also a big sword play fan.
I believe the sword choreographer also worked on the new The Count of Monte Cristo.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

Yes I believe he did...and the Director of the Count got his fight inspiration from The Duelists. If I recall corectly...gotta dig out the Special Edition DVD of it again...

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Reading through this thread, one realizes what a difference of fifteen to twenty years makes. When I was a kid in the 70s, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Thing were considered to be not only unforgotten but unforgettable. In the early 80s, you couldn't get through college without seeing Eraserhead. And as for Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Ouch! My age is catching up with me.

That's for sure, they used to show those all the time. Now that there is no "B Movie Theater" on the weekends anymore these movies must seem like a great discovery to anyone under 30. My favorite was every Sunday morning was watching "Kung Foo Theater". Man, these kids don't know what they're missing.

 

[Mr_Misanthropy]

Yes I believe he did...and the Director of the Count got his fight inspiration from The Duelists. If I recall corectly...gotta dig out the Special Edition DVD of it again...

You know.. I OWN the Duellists, and i've had it for probably two or three years now, I bought it on a whim having never seen it.. and I still haven't! I've seen like, the first few minutes of it a couple times, and that's IT! I'm missing out, i'll watch it ASAP...

 

[Lincsong]

Ronnies last film

Speaking of Snatchers - they're having a Don Siegal (director) retrospective at the Film Forum here in the city. This weekend they're showing a new print of Snatchers. But one of my favorites from him is the 60s version of 'The Killers' with Lee Marvin and Ronald Reagan. Marvin, in his sharp gunman's clothes, delivers the great line, 'Lady, I just haven't got the time.'

This was a made for tv film then he ran for governor in 1966. I haven't seen the original with Burt Lancaster (1948) where he was a boxer. Critics panned this film. It was the only film where Reagan played the heavy. He played it pretty well too. Lee Marvin; was excellant as he hired gun. Angie Dickinson looked great when she was young. I taped it from AMC about 12 years ago.

 

[Lincsong]

Come blow your horn

With Frank Sinatra and Lee J. Cobb. Frankie played the flamboyant son, (although he was 6 years younger than Cobb) Cobb, the lound father who wants him to get married. And Tony Bill as Frankie's little brother, (he was 17 years younger than Sinatra), Jill St. John looking good. Then there's the sequence where Sinatra takes Tony shopping to turn him into a hip cat like him.lol

 

[Senator Jack]

Along with Pal Joey, Come Blow Your Horn is the other Sinatra film I have to see again, Lincsong. The only bits I remember is where the younger brother emulates Sinatra and the mother is trying to find a pencil in his groovy pad. Once again, neither is available at Netflix.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Lincsong]

What about Ethel Merman?

A good film on race and racism, it starred Jeanne Crain and two of my favorite character actors of all time, the great Ethels of stage and screen: Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore.

What a set of lungs on her.:eusa_clap

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Talking Sinatra. One of the few of his films i can bear to watch:

The Man With the Golden Arm

Don't know if it's forgotten or not. He plays a drummer with a junk addiction. Very fine movie.

bk

 

[John in Covina]

Very weird. Z A R D O Z !

ZARDOZ! I saw bits and pieces of this a looong time ago, I think Sean Connery was in it.

The title is a contraction of the wiZARD of OZ = Zardoz.

It was very strange.[huh]

 

[Quigley Brown]

ZARDOZ! I saw bits and pieces of this a looong time ago, I think Sean Connery was in it.

The title is a contraction of the wiZARD of OZ = Zardoz.

It was very strange.[huh]

While I was out at Borders Books on Sunday I looked to see if they had it on DVD....found one copy for seven bucks. I just had to add it to my library.

 

[Slate Shannon]

My favorite was every Sunday morning was watching "Kung Foo Theater". Man, these kids don't know what they're missing.

I remember watching that. Those Chinese movies, with their English dubbing and crazy sound effects, were hilarious.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I remember Hong Kong movies exploiting the Bruce Lee mania. They had actors "named" Bruce Li, Bruce Ly, and my personal favorite: BLUCE REE !

 

[BellyTank]

I remember watching that. Those Chinese movies, with their English dubbing and crazy sound effects, were hilarious.

I saw one a while back, which had a scene with an old Honda reversing at great speed- the sound track had it changing gear twice!

B
T

 

[Feraud]

I remember Hong Kong movies exploiting the Bruce Lee mania. They had actors "named" Bruce Li, Bruce Ly, and my personal favorite: BLUCE REE !

Very subtle huh? lol I remember one film called "They Call Me Bruce?"!! :eusa_doh: lol
When I was growing up, Saturday at 3p.m. was the Drive-in Theater Kung-Fu movies! My brothers and I were at that t.v. every weekend.

 

[Hondo]

I remember Hong Kong movies exploiting the Bruce Lee mania. They had actors "named" Bruce Li, Bruce Ly, and my personal favorite: BLUCE REE !

My all time favorite was " Bruise Knee " lol

On the serious side, Bruce Lee was a great guy, lots of talent, saddly missed by many, even today they still exploit his legend, style.
Being from San Francisco, I used to visit Chinese theaters and watch Kung Fu flicks with english subtitles, some were cheesy, you know the style, but I had a great time.
I remember when Bruce died and local theaters had Bruce Lee films, and you don't see this todday at the movies, audiences would actually cheer Bruce, remember "The Game of Death"? You knew the fake Bruce Lee, and the theater was silent but when the real Bruce appeared, they cheered him, it was awesome, lots of funlol

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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