MUSINGS, PONDERINGS, RUMINATIONS AND FANCIES

[Hibi]

Andree, I think the only Fassbinder movie I've seen is ALI but do not remember it very well.

Oy, WHAT A WAY TO GO -- a real '60's mess. Gene Kelly is fairly amusing as an egoistic movie idol but that's not saying much. Shirley wears all these "fab" outfits but overall I found it a painful slog.

Ed Wood, bless his heart. GLEN OR GLENDA is another winner.

THE OSCAR co-stars Tony Bennett as Hymie Kelly, whose words of wisdom ring through the ages: "Lie down with pigs and you wake up smellin' like gaaabaaage!"

Speaking of painful slogs, try getting through Woody Allen's ANOTHER WOMAN. Just try.

DAMN! I missed my chance to record/watch THE OSCAR! I remember seeing it on the schedule and checking now it was on MONDAY MORNING! Who knows when they'll run it again (Paramount). Bad Movie Nirvana. P-SSED! Maybe it'll pop up somewhere else (with commercials) this month.

THE OSCAR is available on Watch TCM through March 13th.

Thanks. But my cable doesn't provide that.

[dianedebuda]

I think ketchup may have Asian Indian roots.

I bought a banana sauce once then found out it was a popular Philippine sweet catsup made from bananas. They even make spaghetti with it.

[Andree]

Andree, I think the only Fassbinder movie I've seen is ALI but do not remember it very well.

Oy, WHAT A WAY TO GO -- a real '60's mess. Gene Kelly is fairly amusing as an egoistic movie idol but that's not saying much. Shirley wears all these "fab" outfits but overall I found it a painful slog.

Ed Wood, bless his heart. GLEN OR GLENDA is another winner.

THE OSCAR co-stars Tony Bennett as Hymie Kelly, whose words of wisdom ring through the ages: "Lie down with pigs and you wake up smellin' like gaaabaaage!"

Speaking of painful slogs, try getting through Woody Allen's ANOTHER WOMAN. Just try.

I think Ali is one of his best flicks, it's about the relationship of an older German woman with a much younger
Turkish resident and all the angst that it leads to. There are some Fassbinder films on YT, but it's hard to get English
subtitles. I'm trying to work my way through Mother Kusters' Trip to Heaven. The English subtitles aren't always
100% accurate, but they're good enough to make sense of the movie.

I will reserve judgement on WAWTG until it comes on FX again. I was looking at their morning/early afternoon schedule
for Friday and The House on Telegraph Hill will be on from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Being a 20th Century Fox film, I can't
remember the last time it was on TCM.

I thought pigs were actually very clean animals. Anyway, I like the old standby Lie down with dogs and get up with
fleas. Whatever.

I saw Another Woman a long time ago. It wasn't too bad, kind of typical Woody and it's only 77 minutes long.
I think by cranking out a movie every year, Woody may be making a mistake. Leave that kind of thing to Fassbinder.

Aren't anchovies teeny tiny fish? Yuck. Being a finnicky eater, I only like a plain cheese pizza without all the toppings.
A bit healthier too.

[Masha]

[...]
I thought pigs were actually very clean animals. Anyway, I like the old standby Lie down with dogs and get up with
fleas. Whatever.

One evening in October, when I was one-third sober,
An’ taking home a load’ with manly pride;
My poor feet began to stutter, so I lay down in the gutter,
And a pig came up an’ lay down by my side;
Then we sang ‘It’s all fair weather when good fellows get together,’
Till a lady passing by was heard to say:
‘You can tell a man who “boozes” by the company he chooses’
And the pig got up and slowly walked away.
- Clarke Van Ness

[Andree]

I believe that humorous verse hints at a more serious conclusion--oinks oinks are clean in both body and mind.

[LiamCasey]

One evening in October, when I was one-third sober,
An’ taking home a load’ with manly pride;
My poor feet began to stutter, so I lay down in the gutter,
And a pig came up an’ lay down by my side;
Then we sang ‘It’s all fair weather when good fellows get together,’
Till a lady passing by was heard to say:
‘You can tell a man who “boozes” by the company he chooses’
And the pig got up and slowly walked away.
- Clarke Van Ness

My dad used to recite a variation on that particular poem way back in the day. Thanks for the memory.

[CinemaInternational]

Mmm... anchovies.

I like them too, but all the pizza parlors around here stopped offering them as a topping option, so I have to buy a tin or small jar just to have them on top of pizza.

[CinemaInternational]

Speaking of painful slogs, try getting through Woody Allen's ANOTHER WOMAN. Just try.

I saw that one through ...twice. I thought it was very powerful and extremely well acted, but then again I liked a lot of Woody Allen's films, although the last section of his directorial period has been hit and miss.

[Intrepid37]

Mmm... anchovies.

I like them too, but all the pizza parlors around here stopped offering them as a topping option, so I have to buy a tin or small jar just to have them on top of pizza.

That's terrible. Thankfully, the pizza around where I live still offers them. It's important that they be baked on - adding them after the fact just isn't the same.

[Andree]

I was disappointed in the character of Lola, the nightclub hostess in an early episode of Perry Mason. She was a
chocolate candy fancier and was especially enamored of the high end chocolatier Andrei's. After a tough day of
hostessing she was leaving the nightclub when the cigarette girl handed her a box of Andrei's chocolates given by an
anonymous admirer. Lola opened the box and did she even think of offering the cigarette girl one piece of candy? Heck
no. She just waltzed off with the whole box of candy. Downright rude and mean. It should come as no surprise that
at the end of the episode she turned out to be a murderess. No doubt there is a link between being stingy with candy
and an instinct for homicide. One point in Lola's favor is that she took being arrested with calm, unlike those killers
who go all hysterical when their crime is uncovered by Perry. The old time noir henchman Dan Seymour was also in the
episode. He went around reminding everybody that despite being just a big slob, he liked flowers, especially orchids.
We get it, Dan.

[HoldenIsHere]

DAMN! I missed my chance to record/watch THE OSCAR! I remember seeing it on the schedule and checking now it was on MONDAY MORNING! Who knows when they'll run it again (Paramount). Bad Movie Nirvana. P-SSED! Maybe it'll pop up somewhere else (with commercials) this month.

THE OSCAR is available on Watch TCM through March 13th.

Thanks. But my cable doesn't provide that.

The sweetie and I watched THE OSCAR on Watch TCM last night/early morning. It was in pan-and-scan (UGH!!!), but I guess that's the only print available.
It was enjoyable camp. Steven Boyd's character was a psychopath! His impromptu "audition" for Eleanor Parker's character in the restaurant where he feigns remorse for treating Elke Sommer's character like sh** was an early hint. The character's name was Frankie Fane!

*****SPOILER******

The part at the Academy Awards ceremony where Frankie Fane stands up because he thought he won the Oscar but then starts applauding when he discovers his mistake (to make people think he was giving the actual winner a standing ovation) made me think about what supposedly happened in real life when Rosalind Russell stood up because she thought she won Best Actress but then started applauding when she realized the winner was actually Loretta Young.

[LawrenceA]

The part at the Academy Awards ceremony where Frankie Fane stands up because he thought he won the Oscar but then starts applauding when he discovers his mistake (to make people think he was giving the actual winner a standing ovation) made me think about what supposedly happened in real life when Rosalind Russell stood up because she thought she won Best Actress but then started applauding when she realized the winner was actually Loretta Young.

You probably know this, but that moment was supposedly inspired by the 1934 Oscars when Will Rogers revealed the Best Director winner by shouting, "Come and get it, Frank!". Frank Capra, nominated for Lady for a Day, leapt up and started heading to the stage, when Rogers clarified by saying, "Frank Lloyd, for Cavalcade". George Cukor, nominated for Little Women, was then also asked to come up, so that all the nominees were on stage and the scene became a bit less awkward. Capra was still supposedly humiliated, but things took a better turn for him the following year.

[EP Millstone]

The sweetie and I watched THE OSCAR on Watch TCM last night/early morning . . . It was enjoyable camp.

Agreed!

I watched The Oscar -- for probably the third time -- a couple of nights ago and enjoyed it.

To me, it's not "so bad it's good," "unwatchable," "the greatest terrible movie of all time," and "trash." Anything that continues to inspire and generate as much journalistic, quasi-journalistic, and psuedo-journalistic attention and schadenfreude as The Oscar has can't be that bad, I think.

Setting the tone of the plot and maintaining the fever pitch of the screenplay, a ferocious Stephen Boyd voraciously tore into the role of Frankie Fane and chewed up the scenery, spit it out, then chewed it up again. Fane is a human piranha and the high-voltage dynamo boosting the power and energy in the amped-up, melodramatic script co-written by Harlan Ellison (whose personality and temperament was similarly and astringently intense).

As Fane's sad sack-factotum, Tony Bennett, IMO, did a credible job, unworthy of the mocking ridicule he routinely gets from snide critics. I can see the commitment and earnestness in his performance as Hymie Kelly.

Among the star-studded cast, Edie Adams struck the right notes as the canny Trina Yale, who is not as ditzy as she pretends to be. As her untrustworthy husband, Ernest Borgnine reliably delivered the goods, deftly making Barney Yale both comedic and intimidating. Peter Lawford, as has-been Steve Marks, effectively tapped into the poignancy of his character. As did Eleanor Parker, who portrayed the tragic, lovelorn Sophie Cantaro who is initially seduced and aroused by Fane's magnetic machismo, ultimately to be wounded by his misogynistic cruelty. Milton Berle, as agent Alfred "Kappy" Kappstetter, commendably distinguished himself in a dramatic role. Elke Sommer -- who apparently did not receive the memo that she appeared in a hilarious turkey -- rightly does not seem to be embarrassed by her performance or the movie, listing it on her website.

For me, The Oscar succeeds as enjoyable entertainment -- that's all I ask from a movie. Don't make me regret investing my time watching it
(The Oscar doesn't!). Don't bore me (it doesn't!). Don't be a chore to watch (it isn't!). Momentarily distract me from my cares, woes, and miseries with interesting characters, a captivating story, quotable dialogue, memorable moments, dynamic performances, and artistic integrity* (it does!).

For those not inconsiderable achievements, the Oscar (for A Good Time at the Movies) goes to The Oscar, as far as I'm concerned.

* i.e., the filmmakers and cast are committed to the production, don't have their tongues in their cheeks, and aren't playing the audience cheap.

[Thompson]

The sweetie and I watched THE OSCAR on Watch TCM last night/early morning . . . It was enjoyable camp.

Agreed!

I watched The Oscar -- for probably the third time -- a coupo and enjoyed it.

To me, it's not "so bad it's good," "unwatchable," "the greatest terrible movie of all time," and "trash." Anything that continues to inspire and generate as much journalistic, quasi-journalistic, and psuedo-journalistic attention and schadenfreude as The Oscar has can't be that bad, I think.

Setting the tone of the plot and maintaining the fever pitch of the screenplay, a ferocious Stephen Boyd voraciously tore into the role of Frankie Fane and chewed up the scenery, spit it out, then chewed it up again. Fane is a human piranha and the high-voltage dynamo boosting the power and energy in the amped-up script co-written by Harlan Ellison (whose personality and temperament was similarly and astringently intense).

As Fane's sad sack-factotum, Tony Bennett, IMO, did a credible job, unworthy of the mocking ridicule he routinely gets from snide critics. I can see the commitment and earnestness in his performance as Hymie Kelly.

Among the star-studded cast, Edie Adams struck the right notes as the canny Trina Yale, who is not as ditzy as she pretends to be. As her untrustworthy husband, Ernest Borgnine reliably delivered the goods, deftly making Barney Yale both comedic and intimidating. Peter Lawford, as has-been Steve Marks, effectively tapped into the poignancy of his character. As did Eleanor Parker, who portrayed the tragic, lovelorn Sophie Cantaro who is initially seduced and aroused by Fane's magnetic machismo, ultimately to be wounded by his misogynistic cruelty. Milton Berle, as agent Alfred "Kappy" Kappstetter, commendably distinguished himself in a dramatic role. Elke Sommer -- who apparently did not receive the memo that she appeared in a hilarious turkey -- rightly does not seem to be embarrassed by her performance or the movie, listing it on her website.

For me, The Oscar succeeds as enjoyable entertainment -- that's all I ask from a movie. Don't make me regret investing my time watching it
(The Oscar doesn't!). Don't bore me (it doesn't!). Don't be a chore to watch (it isn't!). Momentarily distract me from my cares, woes, and miseries with interesting characters, a captivating story, quotable dialogue, memorable moments, dynamic performances, and artistic integrity* (it does!).

For those not inconsiderable achievements, the Oscar (for A Good Time at the Movies) goes to The Oscar, as far as I'm concerned.

* i.e., the filmmakers and cast are committed to the production, don't have their tongues in their cheeks, and aren't playing the audience cheap.

[Thompson]

The sweetie and I watched THE OSCAR on Watch TCM last night/early morning . . . It was enjoyable camp.

Agreed!

I watched The Oscar -- for probably the third time -- a coupo and enjoyed it.

To me, it's not "so bad it's good," "unwatchable," "the greatest terrible movie of all time," and "trash." Anything that continues to inspire and generate as much journalistic, quasi-journalistic, and psuedo-journalistic attention and schadenfreude as The Oscar has can't be that bad, I think.

Setting the tone of the plot and maintaining the fever pitch of the screenplay, a ferocious Stephen Boyd voraciously tore into the role of Frankie Fane and chewed up the scenery, spit it out, then chewed it up again. Fane is a human piranha and the high-voltage dynamo boosting the power and energy in the amped-up script co-written by Harlan Ellison (whose personality and temperament was similarly and astringently intense).

As Fane's sad sack-factotum, Tony Bennett, IMO, did a credible job, unworthy of the mocking ridicule he routinely gets from snide critics. I can see the commitment and earnestness in his performance as Hymie Kelly.

Among the star-studded cast, Edie Adams struck the right notes as the canny Trina Yale, who is not as ditzy as she pretends to be. As her untrustworthy husband, Ernest Borgnine reliably delivered the goods, deftly making Barney Yale both comedic and intimidating. Peter Lawford, as has-been Steve Marks, effectively tapped into the poignancy of his character. As did Eleanor Parker, who portrayed the tragic, lovelorn Sophie Cantaro who is initially seduced and aroused by Fane's magnetic machismo, ultimately to be wounded by his misogynistic cruelty. Milton Berle, as agent Alfred "Kappy" Kappstetter, commendably distinguished himself in a dramatic role. Elke Sommer -- who apparently did not receive the memo that she appeared in a hilarious turkey -- rightly does not seem to be embarrassed by her performance or the movie, listing it on her website.

For me, The Oscar succeeds as enjoyable entertainment -- that's all I ask from a movie. Don't make me regret investing my time watching it
(The Oscar doesn't!). Don't bore me (it doesn't!). Don't be a chore to watch (it isn't!). Momentarily distract me from my cares, woes, and miseries with interesting characters, a captivating story, quotable dialogue, memorable moments, dynamic performances, and artistic integrity* (it does!).

For those not inconsiderable achievements, the Oscar (for A Good Time at the Movies) goes to The Oscar, as far as I'm concerned.

* i.e., the filmmakers and cast are committed to the production, don't have their tongues in their cheeks, and aren't playing the audience cheap.