The Silver Screen Oasis

I like Tuesday Weld in general but cannot imagine her in that kind of role.

So for better or worse re: camp and star value, Aldrich's instincts were more on point, lol.

Bronxgirl48 wrote: ↑March 18th, 2023, 12:19 pm Oh my God, lol, is that an actual quote or is that some of your creative genius, Millstone? Does he actually mention Kim Novak?

Bronxgirl48,

That's my transcript of the actual dialogue spoken by Alfred Drake who (as Louis Zakin) indeed mentions Kim Novak . . . five years before the movie adaptation starring Novak.

I'll be darned!

Alfred Drake sounds like he would have been much more believable than Peter Finch. In this casting decision I think Aldrich was off base. Finch is always too much the gentleman, and without a dominating screen presence. (although he is a fine actor)

Bronxgirl48 wrote: ↑March 18th, 2023, 12:41 pm . . . Alfred Drake sounds like he would have been much more believable than Peter Finch. In this casting decision I think Aldrich was off base. Finch is always too much the gentleman, and without a dominating screen presence. (although he is a fine actor)

I intend to check out the 1968 adaptation tonight, so I'll see how Peter Finch compares to Alfred Drake whose dynamic performance as the Pygmalion-like Zakin was, IMO, outstanding.

The DuPont Show of the Week production was my introduction to Drake, whom I was familiar with only from caricatures of him by Al Hirschfeld. Broadway star Drake appeared in only two movies: Trading Places and the 1946 musical-comedy Tars and Spars.

I always used to confuse Drake with Alfred Lunt.

Intrepid37 wrote: ↑March 18th, 2023, 10:41 am

An older guy saying he likes pretty girls is what I think we were talking about.

I was just wondering if that's allowed anymore. I think it's illegal in England now - and maybe Australia too.

I can't vouch for other countries, but I think here it would be okay, as long as
the guy doesn't have his tongue out halfway down to the ground.

Woah, that'd be a long tongue, huh.

That's the power of excessive lust for the barely post-pubescent--it has the ability to change anatomy.

I've been dissing poor Sam Jaffe for his role as a dirty old man that it's time to show him
in a more respectful light. Going from eyeing young lovelies to trying to ensure universal peace.

And then of course, those of us of a certain age (as they say) probably had our first exposure to Sam Jaffe while watching the 'Ben Casey' TV series back in the day.



And I assume many of us here are of this same "certain age", aren't we.

(...btw...Vince Edwards...was this guy hirsuite or WHAT?!...Henry Fonda had nothin' on this guy when it came to this sort'a thing, Bronxie!)

CinemaInternational wrote: ↑March 11th, 2023, 12:10 pm

Bronxgirl48 wrote: ↑March 9th, 2023, 11:52 am

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.

I also like ANOTHER WOMAN. I've only seen it once, but I would watch it again.

I saw it for the first time in the early months of the pandemic, and I found myself thinking about it for days and feeling a bit depressed about the story. So, yes, I agree that is a very powerful movie.

I was particularly impressed by Sandy Dennis's performance as the former friend of Gena Rowlands's character.

EP Millstone wrote: ↑March 18th, 2023, 1:23 pm . . . I intend to check out the 1968 adaptation tonight, so I'll see how Peter Finch compares to Alfred Drake whose dynamic performance as the Pygmalion-like Zakin was, IMO, outstanding . . .

I watched the 1968 version of The Legend of Lylah Clare, which I thought was just meh.

By virtue of its time restriction, The DuPont Show of the Week episode is, IMO, the superior presentation. Its swifter, more compact pacing and fewer players spare the small screen Lylah from the bloat and tedium that burden the big screen rendition. To me, there is no "camp" quality about the 1963 production -- the teleplay by Edward DeBlasio and Robert Thom is a serious psychological drama (with a supernatural undertone) that is more efficiently constructed and more concisely focused on the two protagonists: Louis Zakin and Elsie Brinkmann/Lylah Clare.

I dig Peter Finch. But, for me, his interpretation of Lewis Zarken lacked the "demonic" intensity and dramatic fire of Alfred Drake's performance as Louis Zakin. As far as I'm concerned, neither Tuesday Weld nor Kim Novak had the acting chops to pull off the role of Lylah Clare. But, I'll award Weld the edge over Novak, whose performance was, to me, severely curtailed by the dubbing of her voice.

Among the supporting cast in the 1968 movie, I found the performances of Milton Selzer and Ernest Borgnine superior to, and more memorable than, the characterizations of their TV counterparts: respectively, Johnny Baymer (Haymer) and Sorrell Booke. New characters (not in the '63 story) colorfully played by Coral Browne, Valentina Cortese (who always struck me as being off-kilter), and Rossella Falk definitely and significantly contributed to the wacky eccentricity of the remake. Michael Murphy exuded slightly more charisma as Mark Peter Sheean than did Michael Tolan as his TV parallel, Welles Resnick.

The two versions of The Legend of Lylah Clare are sufficiently different in tone and style to be watched back to back. If you're looking for Bad Movies You Love "camp" entertainment in the original, I think that you will be disappointed.

Here's one of my favorite scenes from THE LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE:

Let me get this straight, Sammy. Frank was asleep behind home plate, Dino was running
around drunk in the outfield, and Lawford was pitching. Man, Lawford's English, what
does he know about baseball? Dumb move, Sam. Thank goodness he didn't hit the glass
one or you would have been in big trouble. Now take your ball and go home.

Hairy Vince Edwards, what more proof does one want of the theory of evolution. I never
watched Casey or Kildare as a kid because I've never like hospital shows. Still don't.