The Silver Screen Oasis

RedRiver wrote:I've seen several parts of Flesh and liked what I saw

Does that sound odd, or is it just you?

No, it's you!

Great insights, Miss G. Thanks for your thoughtful remarks.

I see what you mean about Colbert becoming a bit more independent as she learned from Edna May Oliver's example, though I don't feel that is as strongly delineated in the story as it ought to have been. Oliver's outstanding humor and pure courage as Mrs. McKlennar made her far more vivid than Lana for me--but perhaps because of my own limited sympathy for the Colbert character's whining tendencies.

You're right about Nancy Kelly--at least in The Bad Seed--what a five hankie weeper. Perhaps the front office (meaning Zanuck, of course) did not care for the Blue Back action. I liked him, but wished the character had more of an inner spark of his own. Some of his scenes make me cringe.

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On another Fordian note, did you know that a slew of John Ford and many John Wayne items of equal interest are on the block over at Heritage Auctions this month?

Wayne's bib-front shirt from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, some very rare John Ford posters and even a beautifully preserved Fox exhibitor book from the '20s is set to be sold. You can see more here. Below is a thumbnail glimpse of one part of this advertisement, which you can expand. What amount of effort went into this!:

Edna Mae steals the show, for sure, she's a real Yankee pioneer woman if ever there was one. I love her scenes with Bond and the cartoon spoof made of her, I think in Looney Tunes. Ford wanted to revisit the period very much, but again, he'd probably have emphasized daily community life, what it was like back then, rather than elevate any single performance. As for Blue Back, it's interesting that Chief Big Tree may have been originally from the area not far from where the story is supposed to take place. I wonder what he thought of all that movie nonsense.

Chief Big Tree also appears as Pony That Walks in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

I love Pony That Walks!

Chief Big Tree goes all the way back to 1919 with John Ford and Harry Carey, and even a little before that. He was one of three men who posed for the model of the Indian head nickel, the other two being Chief Iron Tail and Chief Two Moons.

He appeared in John Ford's 1919 film A Fight for Love... he also appeared in The Iron Horse, Harry Carey's version of The Last of the Mohicans (1932), Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail, Lost Horizon (!), Stagecoach, Girl of the Golden West, Susannah of the Mounties, Destry Rides Again and many other films in between. His last appearance was as Thundercloud in Devil's Doorway. Most of his appearances were uncredited.

Wow, Lost Horizon. Don't tell me he's a Sherpa!

I'm not sure. He's listed as Porter at IMDB, but it's capitalized. Either he was a porter, and it's a mistake on IMDB's part, or there is a character named Porter who I can't remember, because it's been a long time since I've seen the film.

That's fascinating about the nickel!

Isn't it? I thought it was most interesting.





Chief Big Tree



Chief Iron Tail



Chief Two Moons

And there's the one who appeared on BATMAN. Chief O'Hara!

RedRiver wrote:And there's the one who appeared on BATMAN. Chief O'Hara!

I'm familiar with BATMAN TV SHOW, and I just don't follow you at all Red River? ... I'm puzzled/perplexed about what you've posted here?

I was kidding. Chief O'Hara was the police chief, working with Commissioner Gordon!

The Bride kids about stuff like that as well. The end credits always have a "Chief Something" and she always says that there were no Indians in that movie. I tell her it's not funny anymore.