Shane
Shane
I was never a great Alan Ladd fan, not that I disliked him I was just indifferent. That being said " Shane ", IMHO is a great Western with a wonderful supporting cast, I would have preferred John Qualen, in the Douglas Spencer role, and an excellent score by Victor Young.
"Shane" is great. The fight scenes look like they actually hurt, and the movie does a fine job of creating a "child's eye" view of the west. Emile Meyer is superb as the cattle baron, and his speech about how he won the country and is now being displaced is marvelous.
Jack Palance was justly praised for his villainous gunfighter, but Ben Johnson does a fine job as the cowboy who is disgusted by Palance's villainy. I also like Edgar Buchanan as the whiny sodbuster. He adds a dash of humor to the story.
And, of course, the final "ride into the mountains" scene with Joey's voice ringing in the background is just unforgettable.
Jack Palance was justly praised for his villainous gunfighter, but Ben Johnson does a fine job as the cowboy who is disgusted by Palance's villainy. I also like Edgar Buchanan as the whiny sodbuster. He adds a dash of humor to the story.
And, of course, the final "ride into the mountains" scene with Joey's voice ringing in the background is just unforgettable.
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feaito
I taped "Shane" and have yet to watch it and this happens to me with most of the Westerns I have either on VHS or DVD, because my wife doesn't like them and I mostly watch films on the big TV we have in our bedroom 
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Last year I finally could watch Alan Ladd in "The Great Gatsby" and I was impressed by his performance. He was good in it. It should be put on DVD along with the 1926 and 1974 versions for comparison.
Last night I saw "Thunder in the East" with Mr. Ladd playing an anti-hero who is redeemed at the end. The cast is full of talented players (Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer, John Williams, Corinne Calvet, Cecil Kellaway) but is a rather routine adventure drama. What surprised me was to read in Beverly Linet's biography of Alan Ladd, that it was actually filmed in 1949 or 1950, but only released by Paramount in 1953. Anyone knows why this films was shelved for so long?
.Last year I finally could watch Alan Ladd in "The Great Gatsby" and I was impressed by his performance. He was good in it. It should be put on DVD along with the 1926 and 1974 versions for comparison.
Last night I saw "Thunder in the East" with Mr. Ladd playing an anti-hero who is redeemed at the end. The cast is full of talented players (Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer, John Williams, Corinne Calvet, Cecil Kellaway) but is a rather routine adventure drama. What surprised me was to read in Beverly Linet's biography of Alan Ladd, that it was actually filmed in 1949 or 1950, but only released by Paramount in 1953. Anyone knows why this films was shelved for so long?
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MissGoddess
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I hope you get to sneak a peak at Shane one night, maybe when your wife has fallen asleep.
I have long wanted to see Alan Ladd's "The Great Gatsby"---it's never shown up here in the States and to my knowledge not available on dvd. I've heard good things about it, though.
I would recommend you also see his movies with Veronica Lake: This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key and The Blue Dahlia. I also think he was terrific in The Proud Rebel with Olivia de Havilland.
I have long wanted to see Alan Ladd's "The Great Gatsby"---it's never shown up here in the States and to my knowledge not available on dvd. I've heard good things about it, though.
I would recommend you also see his movies with Veronica Lake: This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key and The Blue Dahlia. I also think he was terrific in The Proud Rebel with Olivia de Havilland.
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feaito
Thanks for the recommendations MissG!
I have seen "This Gun for Hire" (I bought the DVD while on visit to Raleigh, NC) Good Noir!. I have both "The Glass Key" and "The Blue Dahlia" on tape ready to watch. I saw "The Proud Rebel" twice as a teenager. An excellent movie.
It's strange that Ladd's "The Great Gatsby" has been aired here in Latin American Countries and not in the United States, since the Premium Cable Channel which showed it is American (aimed at Spanish Speaking audiences with Spanish Subtitles). I remember offering to an American Ladd fan to make a copy for him but he declined due to the subtitles; he did not like that -I've been so very used to subtitles since I was kid, that it does not bother me.
I have seen "This Gun for Hire" (I bought the DVD while on visit to Raleigh, NC) Good Noir!. I have both "The Glass Key" and "The Blue Dahlia" on tape ready to watch. I saw "The Proud Rebel" twice as a teenager. An excellent movie.
It's strange that Ladd's "The Great Gatsby" has been aired here in Latin American Countries and not in the United States, since the Premium Cable Channel which showed it is American (aimed at Spanish Speaking audiences with Spanish Subtitles). I remember offering to an American Ladd fan to make a copy for him but he declined due to the subtitles; he did not like that -I've been so very used to subtitles since I was kid, that it does not bother me.
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MissGoddess
- Posts: 5072
- Joined: April 17th, 2007, 10:01 am
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One of my dearest friends is from Ecuador and is currently paying me a visit. She sees the old movies I play on TCM and always tells me she saw them all in Ecuador because all they play on TV is old movies. Ha ha! She likes to joke it's because that's all they can afford. 
I tell her all the time that I am going to move there. By the way, she and another friend and I may make a trip to Chile next year. I can't wait! 
I tell her all the time that I am going to move there. By the way, she and another friend and I may make a trip to Chile next year. I can't wait! 
I've been on this Alan Ladd "kick" lately. I think it's because he so often plays the man who loves the girl but doesn't get her, so he gets to make with the yearnful looks (another theme in Shane), and he's good at those. Loved him in Whispering Smith, so I promptly checked out This Gun for Hire. He and Lake burn up the screen in that one, and they barely touch each other. I look forward to seeing The Glass Key and The Blue Dahlia--I've seen them both, but it has been many years. Got a bootleg copy of Saigon that is in such dreadful shape that it's hard to watch the movie. Chemistry's still there, though.
I also just read Linet's bio of Ladd. Such a sad, sad story. He burned out way too fast.
Short but sweet.
I also just read Linet's bio of Ladd. Such a sad, sad story. He burned out way too fast.
Short but sweet.
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feaito
I would be great if you visited Chile! I have never actually met any of the people I've known through the years on these wonderful Classic Cinema related Boards. It would be thrilling!MissGoddess wrote:One of my dearest friends is from Ecuador and is currently paying me a visit. She sees the old movies I play on TCM and always tells me she saw them all in Ecuador because all they play on TV is old movies. Ha ha! She likes to joke it's because that's all they can afford.
In any case, sadly, TCM Latin does not hold a candle to TCM USA, because the former plays the same films over and over, and almost never any Pre-Code or Silent. Besides the prints are not the pristine, clear ones aired by TCM USA. Some of them are those old colorized versions from the 1980s (when Turner colorized many Classics, remember?) and all the Widescreen films are presented in Pan-Scan format. Most of the color films are showed with faded, washed-out colors.