MUSINGS, PONDERINGS, RUMINATIONS AND FANCIES

[HoldenIsHere]

I thought Rowlands gave an excellent performance, although the screenplay left me shaking my head a bit. She's on the run for a good three days and the police never show up anywhere?

They're never there when you need 'em! Hopefully Gloria will be shown at year's end when they salute those who have died. It's probably the easiest film of hers to rent. I haven't seen the film in a long time. I thought at the time when it was released there where flaws in the story, but her performance is so mesmerizing you over look them.

Gena Rowlands performance in GLORIA is one of the greatest captured on film.

I totally get why Sissy Spacek was awarded the Best Actress Oscar for her work in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, but among the performances nominated that year I would have chosen the one Gena Rowlands gave in GLORIA.

We're visiting the sweetie's grandmother on Labor Day. I think I'll bring GLORIA to share with her.

This is a great trailer by the way . . .

[Fedya]

If not Sissy Spacek, I think I'd have to go with Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People.

(The other two nominees were Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, and Ellen Burstyn in Resurrection, movie I haven't seen yet.)

[Bronxgirl48]

Why is it that boarding/rooming house landladies of the 1930's, 1940's and even the 1950's never allowed tenants (who ostensibly paid their rent on time every month) to entertain the opposite sex? "This is a respectable establishment!" Did they really have the legal right to throw out, say, Jimmy Stewart in REAR WINDOW if he and Grace Kelly were doing more than merely peering through binoculars at the neighbors? He tells her "You'll have to clear that with my landlady..."

[txfilmfan]

Why is it that boarding/rooming house landladies of the 1930's, 1940's and even the 1950's never allowed tenants (who ostensibly paid their rent on time every month) to entertain the opposite sex? "This is a respectable establishment!" Did they really have the legal right to throw out, say, Jimmy Stewart in REAR WINDOW if he and Grace Kelly were doing more than merely peering through binoculars at the neighbors? He tells her "You'll have to clear that with my landlady..."

Many states had laws against what was defined as fornication and/or adultery (the definitions vary by state), but basically relations between people who are not married to each other were illegal. Some states still have these on the books, but they were struck down by Lawrence v Texas (2003), the same Supreme Court ruling that struck down sodomy laws, on the premise that the right to personal privacy prevails over society's interest in policing sex acts between consenting adults. If that ever gets overturned (Clarence Thomas says the court should take another look at the decision, in the wake of the Roe v. Wade overturn), the laws still on the books become enforceable again.

Of course, this was laughable, as pre- and extra-marital sex was going on all the time (unwed mothers giving birth tripled between 1940 and 1965), despite the laws, and it was rare that charges would be brought unless associated with divorce cases. But technically, a law was likely being broken, depending on jurisdiction.

So, probably, yes, the landlord/lady could give the tenant the old heave-ho, as most leases give them an out if the tenant is found to be committing crime. But still very unlikely.

[Swithin]

Even the sweetest landlady of all, Lillian Gish as Miss Susie in Miss Susie Slagle's (1946) had only two rules for her boys: no smoking in bed, and no girls. (Also she expected them not to fail their exams: they were medical students.)




But Billy De Wolfe camped it up a bit.

[Dargo2]

Many states had laws against what was defined as fornication and/or adultery (the definitions vary by state), but basically relations between people who are not married to each other were illegal. Some states still have these on the books, but they were struck down by Lawrence v Texas (2003), the same Supreme Court ruling that struck down sodomy laws, on the premise that the right to personal privacy prevails over society's interest in policing sex acts between consenting adults. If that ever gets overturned (Clarence Thomas says the court should take another look at the decision, in the wake of the Roe v. Wade overturn), the laws still on the books become enforceable again.

Eeh! I wouldn't worry too much about Clarence Thomas here, Tex.

Nope, ya see, all I'd think you'd have to do is give the guy and his wife a free all expenses paid vacation to some tropical location, and he might THEN forget this whole thing!

(...oh, and a nice fur coat for his wife probably wouldn't hurt EITHER ya know)

LOL

[Dargo2]

And HERE Ladies and Gentlemen is your classic example of a "Sonny Tuffs Sighting"!

(...I dunno...this just sounded funny to me, that's all)

[jamesjazzguitar]

And HERE Ladies and Gentlemen is your classic example of a "Sonny Tuffs Sighting"!

(...I dunno...this just sounded funny to me, that's all)

I'm surprised James Craig didn't play one of the sons. Tuffs wouldn't have to worry about being overshadowed!

[HoldenIsHere]

If not Sissy Spacek, I think I'd have to go with Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People.

(The other two nominees were Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, and Ellen Burstyn in Resurrection, movie I haven't seen yet.)

I'm actually surprised Mary Tyler Moore did not receive the most votes from the Academy that year & receive the Best Actress Oscar.
Her ORDINARY PEOPLE co-star Timothy Hutton received the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year even though he had more screen time than her (or any other actor in the movie), so technically her performance was the supporting one of the two.

It was nice to see a comic performance like Goldie Hawn's in PRIVATE BENJAMIN receive a nomination since comic performances are unfairly overlooked in my opinion.

The only one of the five nominated performance that I haven't seen are Ellen Burstyn's in RESURRECTION. TO be honest I'm not sure why. Ellen Burstyn is one of my favorite movie actors (male or female).

But based on the performance I have seen, my first choice would be Gena Rowlands in GLORIA, followed closely by Sissy Spacek in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER.

[CinemaInternational]

If not Sissy Spacek, I think I'd have to go with Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People.

(The other two nominees were Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, and Ellen Burstyn in Resurrection, movie I haven't seen yet.)

I'm actually surprised Mary Tyler Moore did not receive the most votes from the Academy that year & receive the Best Actress Oscar.
Her ORDINARY PEOPLE co-star Timothy Hutton received the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year even though he had more screen time than her (or any other actor in the movie), so technically her performance was the supporting one of the two.

It was nice to see a comic performance like Goldie Hawn's in PRIVATE BENJAMIN receive a nomination since comic performances are unfairly overlooked in my opinion.

The only one of the five nominated performance that I haven't seen are Ellen Burstyn's in RESURRECTION. TO be honest I'm not sure why. Ellen Burstyn is one of my favorite movie actors (male or female).

But based on the performance I have seen, my first choice would be Gena Rowlands in GLORIA, followed closely by Sissy Spacek in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER.

I have a feeling that MTM had gone supporting, she would have won easily.

[TikiSoo]

Even the sweetest landlady of all, Lillian Gish as Miss Susie in Miss Susie Slagle's (1946) had only two rules for her boys: no smoking in bed, and no girls.

“…who needs GIRLS?”

I also think if you had a boarding house and guys regularly “visited” a girl then left, it could be reported/misconstrued as a bordello.
THEN the landlady could get in trouble with the law.
That’s why gentleman callers had to visit the girl publicly, usually in the parlor.

[Hibi]

Even the sweetest landlady of all, Lillian Gish as Miss Susie in Miss Susie Slagle's (1946) had only two rules for her boys: no smoking in bed, and no girls. (Also she expected them not to fail their exams: they were medical students.)




But Billy De Wolfe camped it up a bit.

LOL!

[Bronxgirl48]

Thanks, guys!

Of course by 1960 in THE APARTMENT, C.C. Baxter's landlady Mrs. Lieberman didn't know about the goings-on, mainly because Dr. Dreyfuss and his wife were pretty tolerant and kept quiet.

[Bronxgirl48]

One thing I noticed about The Nutty Professor (1963) was the character of the Mr. Hyde type Buddy Love. Many think it was a parody of Jerry Lewis' former partner Dean Martin, though Lewis has denied this. To me Buddy seemed to be more like the real life "serious" Jerry Lewis, the one we used to see on the telethon and talk shows. Throughout the late 60s and 70s, he kept the greasy hair style he had as Buddy and was also always chain smoking. He often seemed bitter and angry in interviews, the only thing he didn't have in common with Buddy was the hipster dialogue.

So true, Detective Jim. At first like many others I too thought it was Jerry's passive-aggressive, conflicted feelings about Dean that produced Buddy Love but I later came to believe this monster might indeed be Martin himself. Jerry was a workaholic drama queen who always wanted to be naturally cool, calm and suave like Dino (even though ironically this was a facade by Martin in order to hide his own insecurities) and so took on this persona (filtered through Jerry's traumatic childhood -- his father was jealous of the son's success -- Jerry certainly did not have a loving and supporting family like Dean)

There is one very memorably human moment however, in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR which whenever I see it always allows me to cut Jerry some slack -- it's when Buddy is "flattering" Del Moore by throwing out increasingly cruel and humiliating "compliments". I read that they had to do numerous takes because the two were laughing so hard, the result being that the normally Type A Jerry gave up trying to perfect that scene, so that we actually hear him chuckling in the movie. Exit Buddy Love, Enter Joseph Levitch, and I love it.

[AnnMargretFan]

Sean Moorehead -
The Foster Son Of Actress Agnes Moorehead

I discovered this today... quite an interesting story.

Just when you think that you are done with twists and turns and loop the loops you crash headlong into new information. So here goes.

The Tip of the Iceberg

A while back I mentioned in an update that I had found Sean Moorehead. I did but I made one small mistake. I assumed that he was still alive. Newsflash, he is no longer living. The man the world knows as Sean Moorehead died at the age of 48 in 1996. He did come from an extremely large family and they were not incredibly well off but there were never 6 or 7 siblings as Agnes said. As far as I can tell, there were two who were fostered out... Sean and a younger sister. I have found no evidence that Sean was frail, ill and hospitalized at the time he was fostered. His family did have relatives in California though and that may be how this all came to pass. His father was a construction worker and the family often moved with him as he went from job to job. In 1963 Sean ran away from Agnes' home for 3 weeks. Everybody assumed he ran to San Francisco but what if he ran to his birth home. The family was living in the upper midwest at the time.

A Ticket To Die For

One of the things that often gets mentioned in biographies about Agnes is that in 1967 she had a massive blow out with Sean. Sean had a dismantled gun in a drawer in his room. Agnes found it and immediately demanded Sean leave her home. He obliged and that would be the end of that. Once Sean had departed Agnes learned that he had a warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear in traffic court and failure to have a driver's license. I found an article that correlates to this identifying him by his birth name because it happened where his family lived. He ran a red light then backed up through the red light and had no driver's license. He was charged with careless driving and assessed a fine of $166.00 in October of 1966. That's a steep fine for the time. Perhaps Sean went back to Beverly Hills to escape what had happened.

Enlistment

One of the things Sean wanted to do before graduating from high school was to enlist in the military. In 1968 he did just that under his birth name. He served in the Army for two years. His enlistment actually proves his lungs were fine despite what we were led to believe or he would not have made the medical cut. He also did not wear glasses and his eyes appeared to be just fine.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Sean died at the age of 48 of a cardiopulmonary arrest, pericarditis, and renal disease. He was a 2 pack a day smoker as well as a truck driver. He did reunite with his family. His heritage was Scottish and French Canadian. He married twice and I am unaware of any children. I have opted not to release his birth name because the majority of his siblings are still very much alive and it would be incredibly unfair to do so. His name wasn't Sean or Eric but he did travel under the name Sean Moorehead when he went abroad. However, he was never legally adopted nor does it appear he ever legally change his name so this was long before you had to ante up mega identification in order to obtain a passport to board a plane. Since he enlisted on July 24, 1968, we now know he remained in Europe until 1968.

Sean was troubled and when compared to his siblings he definitely lived a colorful life. In the end, it's enough for me to know he's no longer with us and to hope that by the time he left this planet he found peace

https://aggiespicturepalace.blogspot.co ... a.html?m=1