What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Fading Fast]

I wish someone had said that to my mother in 1958.

Do you think it would have changed her mind?

 

[scotrace]

I think they played it once, a long time ago. It was a Paramount film, but has since become public domain, so there's a lot of raggedy versions floating around, including one on YouTube that's so dark and foggy it's like watching the movie thru smoked glass. But there's also a restored DVD out there that has a pretty decent picture. Here's a clip:

Eagels was a superb actress on Broadway and in silent pictures during the twenties, but she was one of the many stars of that period who couldn't stay away from drugs. She was a heroin addict and an alcoholic, and that's what killed her -- a great loss to both stage and screen.

She's certainly better than him! "And eye geeve yo meye nem! Eye Wukked and SLEEVED for yo..."
"Yawre going to stay right heahr! In this huyse! With your mammeries!"

And there's the big flower arrangement on the table, hiding the mic and keeping them from moving much.

 

[Fading Fast]

I think they played it once, a long time ago. It was a Paramount film, but has since become public domain, so there's a lot of raggedy versions floating around, including one on YouTube that's so dark and foggy it's like watching the movie thru smoked glass. But there's also a restored DVD out there that has a pretty decent picture. Here's a clip:

Eagels was a superb actress on Broadway and in silent pictures during the twenties, but she was one of the many stars of that period who couldn't stay away from drugs. She was a heroin addict and an alcoholic, and that's what killed her -- a great loss to both stage and screen.

And another example of a '20s small-breasted women as star (connecting to a serious not lascivious discussion in another thread) versus today's obsession-leading-to-surgery craziness.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Do you think it would have changed her mind?

A nickel for every poor woman who thought that she could "change" some boorish, violent, narcissistic lout or superannuated mama's boy (the latter who will never find a woman in this world who'll live up to his unrealistic image of dear Ol' Ma).

Heck, I'll take that nickel for every woman who just had to date a "bad boy" in high school because he was "cool," ended up marrying him, and then called me up ten years later asking for the name of a good divorce lawyer.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The fellow in that 1929 clip is Reginald Owen, who would pop up several years later as MGM's idea of Ebenezer Scrooge. BAHW HUMBORG.

Herbert Marshall had the distinction of appearing in both the 1929 and 1940 versions, and was his usual fine self in both.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Do you think it would have changed her mind?

Probably not in 1958, given her "You're Not The Boss Of Me" attitude. But she didn't need any convincing in 1967.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And another example of a '20s small-breasted women as star (connecting to a serious not lascivious discussion in another thread) versus today's obsession-leading-to-surgey craziness.

I've often pointed out the existing home-movie footage of some of the topless acts appearing at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Not an excessive bosom in the bunch. I think the modern fixation on big boobies is definitely a thing of the Postwar Era. It appeared right around the time the first generation of bottle babies was coming to maturity, so you can draw your own conclusions.

 

[Harp]

A nickel for every poor woman who thought that she could "change" some boorish, violent, narcissistic lout or superannuated mama's boy (the latter who will never find a woman in this world who'll live up to his unrealistic image of dear Ol' Ma).

Heck, I'll take that nickel for every woman who just had to date a "bad boy" in high school because he was "cool," ended up marrying him, and then called me up ten years later asking for the name of a good divorce lawyer.

Whenever I have been asked by a woman for legal advice regarding said personal relations
my words always seem to fall upon deaf ears, often repeatedly spoken following added solicit.
Court orders, alimony, child custody, other issues amidst adult childishness and vindictive foolish behavior.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Whenever I have been asked by a woman for legal advice regarding said personal relations
my words always seem to fall upon deaf ears, often repeatedly spoken following added solicit.
Court orders, alimony, child custody, other issues amidst adult childishness and vindictive foolish behavior.

Exactly why I gave up private practice, which became primarily domestic relations cases before I took inactive status. Male or female, the clients were not into solving their problem by applying rationally based legal solutions proffered by hard working counsel. Or resolving conflict in a manner that would allow both parties to keep some of their assets and self respect, and then go on with their lives.

Oh no. It was always about one upsmanship with the ex, and it could become a never ending song. The worst was when some little kid was the pawn in this sad game.

I'd rather represent defendants in criminal cases but- alas- they rarely can pay a decent fee. Maybe that's why they're out stealing.

 

[HanauMan]

Watched an old favorite movie (with a message) of mine on TV, Handgun made in 1984. It stars a young Karen Young (!) and is basically a revenge flick. The film combines, for me, one of the better actresses of the 1980s (Young in her debut film) and one of my favorite handguns, though not one I ever actually owned, a 4" Colt Python .357. A movie just can't get better than that, plus an old fashioned western shootout at the end as an added bonus.

 

[2jakes]

The Good,the Bad & the Ugly
TCM restored version.

Tuco

Angel Eyes

These scenes were not shown in the original release which I
first saw in California back in
the late ‘60s.

I’ve seen the European version
and though I understand the language, it was distracting to
hear Eastwood, Wallach and
Van Cleef in a foreign tongue
which sounded nothing like
the actors.

I can tolerate the US version
since I’m not familiar with the
Italian actors whose voices were dubbed to English.

Btw:
I found out last night what the chorus chants in the theme song (which is mostly instrumental)
in the second Leone/Eastwood
trilogy...

 

[HanauMan]

I’ve seen the European version
and though I understand the language, it was distracting to
hear Eastwood, Wallach and
Van Cleef in a foreign tongue
which sounded nothing like
the actors.

We lived in Europe when I was a teen and only had the local national TV stations to watch. I watched many overdubbed American films on TV and in many cases the same person would overdub a particular actor. They sounded nothing like the American actors but at least you had some continuity going on with that deal. I used to hate, however, if a different person overdubbed a certain film actor and you had to get used to another voice all over again! Hated that!

 

[2jakes]

We lived in Europe when I was a teen and only had the local national TV stations to watch. I watched many overdubbed American films on TV and in many cases the same person would overdub a particular actor. They sounded nothing like the American actors but at least you had some continuity going on with that deal. I used to hate, however, if a different person overdubbed a certain film actor and you had to get used to another voice all over again! Hated that!

Radio!
Listening to a favorite program over the years and later to see the faces was somewhat disappointing since in my mind, I had given the characters
a certain look.

 

[Benzadmiral]

. . .

As to love in a flash in movies (then and now), it drives my girlfriend and me nuts. It happens so often in movies that you almost have to let it go, but it is still irksome. At least in the old movies (and with the code enforced), they weren't having out-of-wedlock sex (in real life, sure they were, but not in movies of the era), so, in movies, you didn't have the normal "process" (have a lot of sex) to figure out the "is it love or lust" test?

. . .
And to Lizzie's point - Ginger was a real actress who could give as good (or better) than she got when the studio and code let her. Some of her pre-code and, even, not-with-Astaire code-era movies show her more than able to take care of herself. . . .

"Love in a flash" -- maybe that's why I don't care overmuch for modern rom-coms, even aside from their limp boring dialogue. Exceptions, of course, there are: I love You've Got Mail and its direct ancestor The Shop Around the Corner, partly because of snappy or well-done dialogue, partly because (for a change) it's the guy who finally gets the couple together.

Ginger? I haven't seen any of her dramatic roles, but her comic turn in Monkey Business with Cary Grant tells me she had a lot more going on than dance moves.

 

[Benzadmiral]

My grandparents were long gone before I entered the picture. And I can't recall ever going to see a movie in a theater with my parents. Dad was always working, either at his job or around the house, and the few times I can remember him taking the time to watch television it was a golf tournament, USC vs. UCLA football (a friendly rivalry between dad and my older brother), or the occasional Super Bowl. Otherwise, his preferred form of recreation was listening to the baseball games on the radio in the garage. And mom preferred to stay home and watch television. Nope, not a lot of family outings when I was growing up.

But I can remember the first movie I saw in a theater: Bonnie and Clyde (1967) starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. I have no idea who I went with, but it was probably one of my babysitters because I was only six years old. Heck of an introduction to cinema, and it's still one of my favorite movies.

My mother took my brother and me, and sometimes just me as I was the elder brother, to various films in my childhood. We were never on time for the showing -- we always seemed to miss the first 5-10 minutes of every movie. Apparently she realized this. When she took us to True Grit in '69, though, she hustled us out of the house way early, so that we sat downstairs in the little visitors' lounge of the Saenger Theatre for about ten minutes, until the current showing was over; then we went upstairs.

As for TV, Mom was charmed by Bewitched and The Dick van Dyke Show, fascinated by David Janssen and The Fugitive, but was bored by The Man from U.N.C.L.E. -- odd, as she was a big fan of the James Bond novels.

 

[Fading Fast]

"Love in a flash" -- maybe that's why I don't care overmuch for modern rom-coms, even aside from their limp boring dialogue. Exceptions, of course, there are: I love You've Got Mail and its direct ancestor The Shop Around the Corner, partly because of snappy or well-done dialogue, partly because (for a change) it's the guy who finally gets the couple together.

Ginger? I haven't seen any of her dramatic roles, but her comic turn in Monkey Business with Cary Grant tells me she had a lot more going on than dance moves.

"Shop Around the Corner" is so good that I can't really enjoy either remake, "In the Good Old Summertime" or "You've Got Mail."

A few good non-dance / non-Astaire Ginger movies that show her acting chops - and that play on TCM now and again - are "Bachelor Mother," "Stage Door" and "Rafter Romance." All three are also good movies with "Stage Door" being an outstanding one and David Niven kicking "Bachelor Mother" up a notch - he had great chemistry with Ginger.

 

[Julian Shellhammer]

On a whim, The Circle. Was not engaged with plot or characters. Not bad, just not good. FL'ers with better insight could perhaps explain what was going on.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ms. Rogers was wonderful in a weird little film called "We're Not Married," which followed the travails of several embittered married couples who learned thru a legal glitch that their marriages were not legitimate. Rogers was paired with radio comedian Fred Allen, and they played one of those Dorothy-and-Dick sweetie-pie early morning radio talk-show couples. Part of the film was derived from Allen's classic radio sketch originally performed with Tallulah Bankhead, and it's astounding how easily Ginger fits into that part. The film was structured as distinct stories for each couple, and here's a piece of theirs, cut down to a half-hour-sized segment:

 

[2jakes]

Non dancing Ginger!

You really have to suspend your disbelief when it comes to mistaking Ginger Rogers for a pre-teen girl.

 

[Fading Fast]

Non dancing Ginger!
View attachment 122692
You really have to suspend your disbelief when it comes to mistaking Ginger Rogers for a pre-teen girl.

That is an odd movie. I guess I like it because of the stars, but in truth, it's a hot mess of a silly idea that doesn't really work.