MUSINGS, PONDERINGS, RUMINATIONS AND FANCIES

[txfilmfan]

I always got the feeling Hitch encouraged/pressured the writers to pruriently hammer home the fact in NOTORIOUS that Alicia had to sleep with Rains, or at least physically arouse his already lustful desires, before they got married, and then, when they did, to make real sure the audience knew it was basically distasteful to her even though she's supposed to be this international playgirl. The script beefs all this up with Grant's dialogue: "You just chalked up another boyfriend" "Your husband is very romantic, I'm sure he'll want to take an extended honeymoon", etc.

There's also the dialogue just before the "boyfriend" line at the racetrack, where Alicia Huberman tells Devlin "Nothing important. Just a minor item that you may want for the record... You can add Sebastian's name to my list of playmates." Devlin replies with "Pretty fast work." to which Alicia takes exception with "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

I'm a bit surprised this frank (for 1940s Hollywood films) discussion of sexual liaisons was allowed by production code.

Thank you txfilmfan!! Your memory is better than mine!

LOL. Not really. I watched it twice in the past week, so I remembered the gist of the conversation. Had to pull it up on my Youtube DVR to get the quotes.

[Bronxgirl48]

Speaking of Claude Rains, check out 1943's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA later this evening. I give this version a heads-up for the color and Suzanne Foster's lovely appearance and voice (singing the beautiful "Lullaby of the Bells" which I can never stop humming afterwards) There's a lot of music (Nelson Eddy!) which for me doesn't really distract from the storyline. Rains plays the classic Lon Chaney title character.

[Dargo]

...The Peck-Bergman romance in the second one is
pretty corny, so I was more into the murder mystery aspect of the movie, which is moderately interesting.
The funniest part was the head shrinkers trying to pass of their psychoanalysis as science. I wonder
if five psychoanalysts were told he same dream they'd all come up with the same answer.

So Andree. I assume you know the answer to that corny old joke: How many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

But, just in case you don't, the answer is: Only one...but the light bulb first has to want to change.

(...I've always loved this one...gee, I wonder what a shrink might think this says about me?!!!...well, other than I like corny jokes, that is)

[Masha]

How many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

Only one...but the light bulb first has to want to change.

How many Magicians does it take to change a light bulb?


Only one: it is a trick question.

[Andree]

I always got the feeling Hitch encouraged/pressured the writers to pruriently hammer home the fact in NOTORIOUS that Alicia had to sleep with Rains, or at least physically arouse his already lustful desires, before they got married, and then, when they did, to make real sure the audience knew it was basically distasteful to her even though she's supposed to be this international playgirl. The script beefs all this up with Grant's dialogue: "You just chalked up another boyfriend" "Your husband is very romantic, I'm sure he'll want to take an extended honeymoon", etc.

Now that we know more about parts of Hitchcock's private life, it might be imagined the old
boy got a kick out of the situation. It has always had a yuck factor for me. A one-night stand
wouldn't be too bad, but to be married to the guy. And then there is his control freak mama
to deal with.

The Paradine Case was on YT a few years ago, likely is gone by now.
Hey, what do you know, it's still available on YT in a couple of different
uploads.

[Andree]

So Andree. I assume you know the answer to that corny old joke: How many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

But, just in case you don't, the answer is: Only one...but the light bulb first has to want to change.

(...I've always loved this one...gee, I wonder what a shrink might think this says about me?!!!...well, other than I like corny jokes, that is)

That is pretty good. It's likely one of those jokes I heard as a teenager and have forgotten.
I'm sure Groucho had a few wisecracks about head shrinkers in movies or his TV show.

[Dargo]

So Andree. I assume you know the answer to that corny old joke: How many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

But, just in case you don't, the answer is: Only one...but the light bulb first has to want to change.

(...I've always loved this one...gee, I wonder what a shrink might think this says about me?!!!...well, other than I like corny jokes, that is)

That is pretty good. It's likely one of those jokes I heard as a teenager and have forgotten.
I'm sure Groucho had a few wisecracks about head shrinkers in movies or his TV show.

Yeah, you would think so, wouldn't ya. However, first, nothing immediately has come to my mind in this regard, and secondly and after doing a quick internet search I was unable to find anything Groucho might have said about this subject.

Maybe someone reading this might recall something memorable he might've said about this in one of his movies or on his old quiz show?

I did though find the following clip of a YBYL episode in which he has what could be described as a respectful exchange with a contestant who happened to be a psychiatrist...

[laffite]

Wow, that was nice. The ladies were charming. That second one should have been an actress. She would make a good Olive Oyl. Thanks, Dargo.

[Hibi]

Hibi, guess what?? I just checked the schedule and SPELLBOUND is coming up later this evening (Eastern Standard Time) at 10:30 p.m.!!! Man oh man, TCM is knocking it out of the park with these little-seen Hitchcocks!!! First they surprised us with NOTORIOUS, followed that up with REBECCA for Valentine's Day (ha!), and now SPELLBOUND, which I haven't seen in decades. So excited!!

I watched part of it but couldn't stay up to finish it. Wish I'd recorded it. Hopefully these seldom seen Hitch films will turn up again and aren't one offs. The psychology angle is pretty laughable today, but the film's 2 leads and that wonderful score-Spellbinding!

I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed because the print they aired was not the most pristine; still, I enjoyed it even though I think it's second-tier Hitch. I'd forgotten how lame the psychological "reveal" is. Greg looks so skinny, lol. Ingrid with that movie spinster wardrobe -- glasses, hair pulled back, severe wardrobe, etc., like Donna Reed as a (gasp!) unmarried librarian in the Pottersville section of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

She doesn't seem to need her glasses either for much of the film (She wears glasses, so we know she's intelligent!)

[Detective Jim McLeod]

Raquel Welch in A Swingin Summer (1965)

[Bronxgirl48]

I always got the feeling Hitch encouraged/pressured the writers to pruriently hammer home the fact in NOTORIOUS that Alicia had to sleep with Rains, or at least physically arouse his already lustful desires, before they got married, and then, when they did, to make real sure the audience knew it was basically distasteful to her even though she's supposed to be this international playgirl. The script beefs all this up with Grant's dialogue: "You just chalked up another boyfriend" "Your husband is very romantic, I'm sure he'll want to take an extended honeymoon", etc.

Now that we know more about parts of Hitchcock's private life, it might be imagined the old
boy got a kick out of the situation. It has always had a yuck factor for me. A one-night stand
wouldn't be too bad, but to be married to the guy. And then there is his control freak mama
to deal with.

The Paradine Case was on YT a few years ago, likely is gone by now.
Hey, what do you know, it's still available on YT in a couple of different
uploads.

As great a filmmaker as Hitch was, there's a lot of "yuck" factor for me in most of his movies -- he just loved showing women in humiliating/dangerous situations. Quite sadistic actually. I could list many examples but don't want to bore you with the sad roll call...

That Madame Konstantin or whatever her name is -- such a deliciously creepy performance as Sebastian's mother. My favorite line of hers to Claude: "For now we are protected by the enormity of your stupidity"

Thanks re: THE PARADINE CASE. I think I'll just be patient and wait for it to pop up on the channel.

[Dargo]

Hey, Dargo, there are better lightbulb jokes than that one. First, since you live in California:
Q: How many Californians does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Two. One to change the lightbulb and one to share the experience.

Lived in California, actually KR. Have resided in Sedona AZ for over a dozen years now.

I did like this one too though, and considering my present location is quite well known as being one supposedly containing metaphysical properties and which draws millions of visitors with "New Age" notions every year because of this, I'd say this joke would be as appropriate to it as it was using the idea of the stereotypical Californian.

(...and maybe even more so)

[Andree]

Yeah, you would think so, wouldn't ya. However, first, nothing immediately has come to my mind in this regard, and secondly and after doing a quick internet search I was unable to find anything Groucho might have said about this subject.

Maybe someone reading this might recall something memorable he might've said about this in one of his movies or on his old quiz show?

I did though find the following clip of a YBYL episode in which he has what could be described as a respectful exchange with a contestant who happened to be a psychiatrist...

One would think so. I can't recall any either, which doesn't mean very much. And there are too many
episodes of YBYL to search through. I saw many of the TBYL episodes when they were on CBN late
at night many moons ago. Very funny, even if some of the "ad libs" weren't actually ad libs.

[Andree]

As great a filmmaker as Hitch was, there's a lot of "yuck" factor for me in most of his movies -- he just loved showing women in humiliating/dangerous situations. Quite sadistic actually. I could list many examples but don't want to bore you with the sad roll call...

That Madame Konstantin or whatever her name is -- such a deliciously creepy performance as Sebastian's mother. My favorite line of hers to Claude: "For now we are protected by the enormity of your stupidity"

Thanks re: THE PARADINE CASE. I think I'll just be patient and wait for it to pop up on the channel.

I think there was a kink in his hose somewhere along the way. I've never read any of the biographies
of Hitchcock so I don't know what is true and what is rumor or gossip, but it seems there was some
fire behind the smoke. Certainly he is seen differently now than when he was still alive. I do
recall one semi-risque remark he made in his interview with Truffaut about Grace Kelly wearing a
gold lame dress and Hitch saying Thar's hills in them thar gold. Pretty adolescent. Of course in his
chosen genre there are more opportunities to humiliate women in a more serious way than in a comedy.

Gee Mom, thanks a lot. She was more of a Nazi than the men.

I think of The Paradine Case as mid-level Hitch. It has many interesting components but for whatever
reason it doesn't seem to completely hold together. But that's just my opinion.