That's the one where the paintings kept changing, right?Originally Posted by ronmac
That's the one where the paintings kept changing, right?
The older I get, the better I was.
Yeah, I remember Earthquake with Heston and Towering Inferno with everyone in the movie business in it.
The older I get, the better I was.
^ And at least a couple of "Airport" movies too.
Funny what sticks in memory, although I think you're stickier than most. I'm fine with El Dorado and Rio Bravo , but with Rio Lobo , I'm sure I must have seen it, I cant remember anything about it. Also good with Local Sheriff/Gunfighter . Sheriff is the better of the 2 IMO. Jeff Daniels can be decent , Pulman is almost always bland.Well, yes and no. I am blessed with a great memory but I remember certain things because of associations that get stuck in my head; e.g. my brother & I had to spend the night at our grandmother's one time and she was a Mickey Rooney fan. So we watched that movie, altho I only vaguely remember it... and we had Cap'n Crunch for breakfast the next morning. But mostly, in this case, I recently saw a reference to Sean Astin, whose parents are Patty Duke and John Astin, which led me to reading up on John Astin (on Wikipedia), who you'll recall was Gomez in The Addams Family. So, it was fresh in my memory.
But some of the things I remember are weird, like Carol Lynley being Darren McGavin's girlfriend in The Night Stalker. And I remember that because she was also in an episode of Night Gallery around the same time and was then the love interest of Roddy MacDowall in The Poseidon Adventure, who just happened to be in the pilot of Night Gallery, which was hosted by Rod Serling who went to Antioch College, which is about 12 miles from my home, and whose first president was Horace Mann, which was also the name of my elementary school.
Shit, man, I still remember all the presidents that I had to learn for 8th grade American History.
OTOH, I still sometimes confuse Jeff Daniels and Bill Pullman. And I can't ever remember the differences between El Dorado, Rio Bravo, and Rio Lobo, which were all Howard Hawks/John Wayne movies. And Support Your Local Sheriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter throw me off, too.
So I stick by my earlier statement, you're good!
Yep
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Carol Lynley was the singer of the band that performed during the New Year's eve party. Her brother(?) was the keyboard player who got killed. Roddy was the one who kept helping her while they escaped. In fact, later in the movie Shelley Winters told Roddy how cute a couple they made (or something like that). I saw it when it first came out but also on TCM, I think, around the time the remake was released. Leslie Nielson played the captain, Gene Hackman was the minister having the crisis of faith, Shelley Winters was the former swimming champion, Jack Albertson was her husband, Roddy MacDowall was a waiter, Ernest Borgnine was a fat loudmouth, and his seasick wife was played by Stella Stevens. I almost forgot: Red Buttons was in it, too, as a fitness buff. Shit, now that I think about it, it was Red Buttons who was always helping Carol Lynley and had the little romance thing, wasn't it? I must have been remembering that wrong all this time.
Wasn't Airport the first disaster movie? The one with Dean Martin and George Kennedy.
I know Irwin Allen produced almost all of those disaster movies. He was also either the creator or producer of a popular TV show in the '60s. I wanna say it was Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea but I'm not sure. I just checked and it was. He also created Lost in Space.
Yeah. In the painting you see the dead grandfather rise from the grave and walk to the front door of the mansion, almost as if the painting was a TV. My brother and I thought that was just about the coolest spooky thing we'd ever seen. But I guess I'd forgotten the actual ending. Years later, I saw it again and it turned out the butler, I think, had a bunch of paintings that he kept swapping out trying to drive Roddy MacDowall crazy. I liked it better when it seemed the painting had come to life.
What I remember best about the Towering Inferno was actually the spoof of it in Mad or Cracked magazine. The three jokes I still remember were...
- OJ Simpson saving the cat and dropping it out of a window saying something like, "he'll be fine. Cats always land on their feet." Then there's the sound bubble that reads, "Splat!" And then he says, "...except when they're 90 floors up."
- Another was Steve McQueen asking Paul Newman for a flashlight and a mirror. When Newman asks why, McQueen says, "I want to see whose eyes are bluer - yours or mine."
- Steve McQueen riding in the elevator and at the top floor the display reads, "Heaven."
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
You're giving me too much credit. But thanks.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
Re Poseidon Adventure, yep it was Red Buttons who was always helping Lynley, but I don't think as a love interest due to age--there was no "romance" I was aware of, I think he was consoling her re the loss of her brother. He was a lifelong bachelor and haberdasher. I always thought the implication was he was gay.
I remember all the little silly subplots that created those kind of Love Boat story lines (wonder if that series was inspired by the movie). The Pamela Sue Martin character was fascinated with the older preacher Hackman. Hackman seemed to be interested in the ex hooker Stella Stevens (who was worried that some of her former customers were on the ship). They had Stella walk around in her panties for some titillation factor (what a body even at that age). There was that power struggle between Hackman and Borgnine on all the choices they had to make.
The whole reason the cruise ship tipped over was kind of silly--the Greek owner of the ship didn't let Captain Neilsen take on more ballast because he was in a hurry to complete the trip, and they apparently didn't anticipate and react quick enough to the huge wave that would be caused by an earthquake at sea.
I always remember the line when the annoying kid kept telling Borgnine that the thinnest part of the hull was near the propeller shaft (because he had toured the boat with the crew), and Borgnine mockingly says "kid, do you know how thick one inch of steel is!?" , and Hackman says "it's one inch less than 2 inches". I also remember how they kind of portrayed the Carpenters like band Lynley was the singer of as a hippie rock band (singing There's Got to be a Morning After) and the old waiter mocking the music as some kind of obnoxious radical noise, and says "give me a Strauss waltz" any day.
And yeah, I think Airport was the first of those disaster movies but then they all came in quick succession--Poseidon, Towering Inferno, Earthquake, The Hindenburg, Rollercoaster etc.
Last edited by DocProgger; 12-13-2018 at 12:06 AM. Reason: confused Linda Dey and Pamela Sue Martin
Ahh, but, you're forgetting the ending. Yes, it was the butler who was switching paintings to drive Roddy insane. But, then after he got the inheritance, the painting DID come to life and changed right before the butler's eyes. The story ends with his screams.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
FYI, "Christmas in Connecticut" is on TCM on Christmas Eve at 4:00 pm.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Going back to the original Poseidon Adventure, I had to Google this because I always mistakenly thought Susan Dey was in it. But Pamela Sue Martin and a frequently seen (at the time) child actor named Eric Shea were in it, as brother and sister. I can't remember if they were in the whole sequence of events in the movie. Probably - they must have survived!
In doing this Googling, I also was reminded of the 1972 disaster movie "Skyjacked." Susan Dey was in it, as was Charlton Heston. I know I saw it back then, but I think I have some of that and the first "Airport" movie mixed up.
I remember that so well - when "skyjackings" were in the news so frequently.
Sorry to continue the non-B/W content!
"Last edited by DocProgger; 9 Hours Ago at 01:06 AM. Reason: confused Linda Dey and Pamela Sue Martin"
File under "women I would have happily slept with in the 80s". Actually, with Susan, it goes all the way back to 1972.confused Linda Dey and Pamela Sue Martin
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I used to drool at Pamela Sue Martin.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
As a young teen I was smitten with Peggy Lipton (Mod Squad) around that time in the early 70s.
Last edited by DocProgger; 12-13-2018 at 11:52 AM.
There's got to be a morning after...
Film magazine , Sight And Sound , ranked Hitchcock's Vertigo as the #1 movie of all time. Personally its not even my favorite Hitch , much less best of all time . I always thought of Vertigo as plodding and a bit boring. There's an article on the film in todays NYT . As its a Hitchcock movie ,its better than a lot of its non Hitch completion , but IMO even in the Hitch cannon , not deserving of a title #1.
Wow. Even after seeing it kinda recently I didn't get the impression Buttons' character was supposed to be gay.
Yeah, they always do that stupid shit in those kinds of movies. The most ridiculous thing, tho, imo was as the wave comes in Nielson puts his arm up to shield himself.The whole reason the cruise ship tipped over was kind of silly--the Greek owner of the ship didn't let Captain Neilsen take on more ballast because he was in a hurry to complete the trip, and they apparently didn't anticipate and react quick enough to the huge wave that would be caused by an earthquake at sea.
Yeah, well, it was 1972 and for a lot of older people, back then, any guy with long hair was a dirty, commie hippie and their music was noise. They couldn't seem to differentiate between pop and rock. You remember TV shows (and some movies) from back then when they had "rock" music playing in the background? It sounded like it was composed by some 50 year old who thought he knew what rock music was. Either that or they were trying to hit a sweet spot between what young people would accept as rock and what older people would think is garbage.I also remember how they kind of portrayed the Carpenters like band Lynley was the singer of as a hippie rock band (singing There's Got to be a Morning After) and the old waiter mocking the music as some kind of obnoxious radical noise, and says "give me a Strauss waltz" any day.
No shit? Wow. I don't remember that at all.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
I remember a Styx concert review from Rolling Stone and they said JY's stage moves were so cliched he looked like he belonged in one of those bands you saw playing in the a bar in an episode of Mannix. That's a pretty good burn.Yeah, well, it was 1972 and for a lot of older people, back then, any guy with long hair was a dirty, commie hippie and their music was noise. They couldn't seem to differentiate between pop and rock. You remember TV shows (and some movies) from back then when they had "rock" music playing in the background? It sounded like it was composed by some 50 year old who thought he knew what rock music was. Either that or they were trying to hit a sweet spot between what young people would accept as rock and what older people would think is garbage.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
My son just texted me and asked "What's that old movie where a couple has to build themselves a home in the country?" I answered "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House." It was that he's watching "His Girl Friday," and recognized Cary Grant but wasn't entirely sure where from. I remember when he had no interest in black & white movies - it's been nice to see it blossom recently. The last movie I watched with him, over Thanksgiving weekend, was "La Dolce Vita," which he was watching before I entered the room. I'm just happy for him that he's developed a love of old movies.
Agreed! I do not understand the love for Vertigo. IMO, Hitch's creative peak ran from Dial M for Murder through The Birds. But during that time came a couple of years and three movies that didn't fulfill my expectations: The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man, and Vertigo.
But I'm glad you brought that up. I've often thought there should be a venue for discussing something like this but thought the other movie thread wasn't appropriate.
I've looked at all of S&S's decennial polls and often used them for inspiration, both for movies I should see and for my own top 10 list. It annoys me that S&S's website removed the links for the decennial polls and now just has the top 50 poll. It annoys me because it became too international. It also annoys me because there were links for each movie and you could see who voted for it as well as links for each pollster to find out what their top 10 was (I recall Roger Corman's was surprisingly cerebral). The decennial polls started in 1952. They were conducted every 10 years and listed the ten best films chosen by critics. Starting in 1992, they began polling directors, too. The polls, now, are on Wikipedia: Sight & Sound.
For my top ten, I actually made two lists first. One where I tried to be as objective as possible (i.e. treating "films as art"). The second is much more subjective. My final list is a combination of the two.
My top 10 (B&W movies are in italics):
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
3. The 400 Blows
4. Blood Simple
5. Lost Highway
6. 12 Angry Men
7. Casablanca
8. Tie: Harvey/Shane/Night of the Hunter/Psycho
Yeah, I cheated by having that tie. Sue me. Besides, those last 4 shift around a lot.
The honorable mention: Unsere Afrikareise (Our Trip to Africa). It's available on YouTube and is only 12 minutes long. I encourage everyone to watch it, tho with a warning: it can be a little disturbing in spots.
If this post seems to be a bit off topic, you may notice that 7 movies are B&W.
But if I had to make a list of only B&W movies, it would also include Scrooge, It's a Wonderful Life, and Eraserhead.
If anyone cares, here are my first two lists (again, B&W movies in italics).
My objective list:
Eraserhead (1977). David Lynch
Last Year at Marienbad (1961). Alain Resnais
Lost Highway (1997). David Lynch
M (1931). Fritz Lang
Maltese Falcon (1941). John Huston
Persona (1966). Ingmar Bergman
Pi (1998). Darren Aronofsky (in many ways, Black Swan is actually a better film but Pi is such a amazing work of art... in glorious B&W, no less)
Psycho (1960). Alfred Hitchcock
The Seventh Seal (1957). Ingmar Bergman
Taxi Driver (1976). Martin Scorsese
12 Angry Men (1957). Sidney Lumet
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Stanley Kubrick
Unsere Afrikareise (Our Trip to Africa) (1965). Peter Kubelka (this is actually a short avant-garde film but is so brilliant I had to include it)
My subjective list:
A Clockwork Orange (1971). Kubrick
Blood Simple (1984). Coen Bros
Blue Velvet (1986). David Lynch
Casablanca (1942). Michael Curtiz
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Kubrick
The 400 Blows (1959). François Truffaut
Harvey (1950). Henry Koster
It's A Wonderful Life (1946). Frank Capra
Night of the Hunter (1955). Charles Laughton
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). Coen Bros
Rear Window (1957). Hitch
Scrooge (1951). Brian Desmond Hurst
Se7en (1995). David Fincher
Shane (1953). George Stevens
The Shining (1980). Kubrick
Stalag 17 (1953). Billy Wilder
Umberto D (1952). Vittorio de Sica
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
Yesterday I watched on TCM the b&w movie Patterns from 1955, which Rod Serling wrote. Never saw it before, and I was mesmerized. A junior exec, Van Heflin, is hired to replace an older worker, Ed Begley. At the beginning neither realizes what's happening, but the audience clearly sees that the company is trying to get Begley to quit. His once-friend, the chairman of the company, ridicules him in front of others and his reports are dismissed and nit-picked. Once he realizes what is happening, he refuses to quit, works even harder, takes work home, ignores his family, and starts to second-guess himself. It ends badly. I was enthralled because this is what happened to me at my last company, which was small when I started and was big 13 years later when I was finally given the heave. Same thing, a friend who became my boss turned on me, I worked harder and longer, I spoke up, and refused to quit when someone told me what was going on. Wow. Rod Serling predicted my story when I was in diapers.
Last edited by Lopez; 12-17-2018 at 08:33 AM.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
OMG, that's funny.
Wow. La Dolce Vita? How old is he?
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
He's 19. But I realized I was mistaken, the movie was La Strada. But he asked for La Dolce Vida on Blu-Ray as a Christmas gift. Criterion is having another half-price sale!
I watched most of The Asphalt Jungle on TCM today. That was pretty harrowing! They've got a noir thing going today.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks