I Just Watched...

[kingrat]

Though One Is a Lonely Number is no great shakes and hardly a cinematic landmark, it accurately captures the mood and manners of its time. It also has a more honest resolution than the fantasy ending of An Unmarried Woman. I knew several women whose marriages broke up in the 1970s. Most never re-married, and the subsequent men in their lives were much more like Monte Markham than like Alan Bates.

[Hibi]

Ladies and gentlemen, submitted for your bad movie approval -- ONE IS A LONELY NUMBER. Kindly ignore imdb comments along the lines of "this is groundbreaking in terms of feminist cinema". Well, you know what I say to that? Horse manure!!

1972, Trish Van Devere is left high and dry by English professor hubby who takes it on the lam with a 19 year old blonde. Trish's character is a ripe 27. She seeks solace from a withered-looking Janet Leigh, a cheerfully cynical survivor of divorce who offers some eloquent advice: "When your old man leaves, you gotta get laid!" Janet also exclaims "men are sh*t!" You go, girl. Melvyn Douglas (my uncle Louie from Queens lookalike) as an elderly fruit-and-vegetable shop owner offers his own brand of comfort to Trish: "There's a performance of King Lear in the park. There's nothing better for an evening". Sure. Meanwhile, Trish has to find work so she high-tails it to an employment agency where the sleazy male counselor tries to make his moves and later corners the poor girl in the locker room. She then meets a seemingly normal Monte Markham (remember him?) at an outdoor art event (this story takes place in hippie-ish San Francisco, and believe me, I was there at that time) and the two hit it off. So far, so good. Or so it seems. Poor Trish can't catch a break. Without a man in the house she can't fix the plumbing and is spooked by strange noises in the night.

Trish's job as a lifeguard at the neighborhood city pool is emotionally if not monetarily rewarding, so is open to her lawyer's suggestion about taking the hubby for all he's worth. Will she emerge an independent woman? We wait with bated breath for the totally expected ending, complete with freeze frame.

I saw it several years ago, and I have to confess I liked it. Nothing major, but I thought it was a good little film. I really thought Melvin Douglas was very good in it, and it was interesting to see Janet Leigh in such a brassy role. Trish Van Devere was up for a golden Globe for it. But it does look like something done for TV (likely due to MGM's severe budget caps on most films at the time).

Yes, it definitely has a tv movie feel (except for Leigh's character).

[Andree]

Well Andy got out of trouble in Strangers 7A. The bank robbers who took over an apartment
in his building were killed or captured. It seems Ida forgave Andy for picking up the young
lady. It didn't mean that much as Andy never got past first base. All's well that ends well.
There was one funny scene. Like many would be heroes Andy tells the head bank robber
he'd teach him a lesson if he was alone with him for a few minutes. So the guy takes Andy
up on it and they go into a room and he beats the crap out of Andy. Be careful what you ask for.

[Bronxgirl48]

I've never seen THE STRANGERS IN 7A. Trying to wrap my head around Andy Griffith and Ida Lupino as a couple.

Thanks guys for all your ONE IS A LONELY NUMBER input. It did look like a tv movie of the era -- I forgot to state that.

As for Spike Lee during the FACE IN A CROWD intro, he oddly repeated himself with certain comments but I attributed that as more nervousness (after all, he was talking with Hollywood Royalty, lol) than anything else.

[Bronxgirl48]

Ladies and gentlemen, submitted for your bad movie approval -- ONE IS A LONELY NUMBER. Kindly ignore imdb comments along the lines of "this is groundbreaking in terms of feminist cinema". Well, you know what I say to that? Horse manure!!

1972, Trish Van Devere is left high and dry by English professor hubby who takes it on the lam with a 19 year old blonde. Trish's character is a ripe 27. She seeks solace from a withered-looking Janet Leigh, a cheerfully cynical survivor of divorce who offers some eloquent advice: "When your old man leaves, you gotta get laid!" Janet also exclaims "men are sh*t!" You go, girl. Melvyn Douglas (my uncle Louie from Queens lookalike) as an elderly fruit-and-vegetable shop owner offers his own brand of comfort to Trish: "There's a performance of King Lear in the park. There's nothing better for an evening". Sure. Meanwhile, Trish has to find work so she high-tails it to an employment agency where the sleazy male counselor tries to make his moves and later corners the poor girl in the locker room. She then meets a seemingly normal Monte Markham (remember him?) at an outdoor art event (this story takes place in hippie-ish San Francisco, and believe me, I was there at that time) and the two hit it off. So far, so good. Or so it seems. Poor Trish can't catch a break. Without a man in the house she can't fix the plumbing and is spooked by strange noises in the night.

Trish's job as a lifeguard at the neighborhood city pool is emotionally if not monetarily rewarding, so is open to her lawyer's suggestion about taking the hubby for all he's worth. Will she emerge an independent woman? We wait with bated breath for the totally expected ending, complete with freeze frame.

I saw it several years ago, and I have to confess I liked it. Nothing major, but I thought it was a good little film. I really thought Melvin Douglas was very good in it, and it was interesting to see Janet Leigh in such a brassy role. Trish Van Devere was up for a golden Globe for it. But it does look like something done for TV (likely due to MGM's severe budget caps on most films at the time).

She probably would have had better luck with Mr. Provo (Melyvn Douglas) than those other losers.

[Fedya]

UEFA Champions League Semifinal Second Leg: Real Madrid v. Bayern München (2024)

Sport often offers more real drama than anything a Hollywood movie can make. 8/10 if you're a neutral; 0/10 if you're a fan of the team I am.

[Andree]

I've never seen THE STRANGERS IN 7A. Trying to wrap my head around Andy Griffith and Ida Lupino as a couple.

Thanks guys for all your ONE IS A LONELY NUMBER input. It did look like a tv movie of the era -- I forgot to state that.

As for Spike Lee during the FACE IN A CROWD intro, he oddly repeated himself with certain comments but I interpretated that as more nervousness (after all, he was talking with Hollywood Royalty, lol) than anything else.

I just happened to see it on the YT sidebar and what the heck. A TV movie that
looks like....a TV movie. Ida had to go to frumpville for this one. Andy is a super
who doesn't make much money and has kind of a crummy apartment. He also has
a lot more screen time than she does. But it mostly works.

[Allhallowsday]

Though One Is a Lonely Number is no great shakes and hardly a cinematic landmark, it accurately captures the mood and manners of its time. It also has a more honest resolution than the fantasy ending of An Unmarried Woman. I knew several women whose marriages broke up in the 1970s. Most never re-married, and the subsequent men in their lives were much more like Monte Markham than like Alan Bates.

You make good points. Nonetheless, I love AN UNMARRIED WOMAN which is remarkable for more reasons than ONE IS A LONELY NUMBER. First off, let's start with the title...
The ending of AN UNMARRIED WOMAN is a "fantasy", unclear, struggling to balance an enormous canvas... it certainly strove to be more of a "movie".

[Lorna]

sorry to have been away, I've been working on a project that is consuming my time.

I have watched A LOT OF STUFF, but first and foremost, I finished a FRANK BORZAGE film from 1934 called NO GREATER GLORY this morning (I started it a few Days back and watched in installments, sue me, I have ADD)

OH MY GOD, what a piece of CLAPTRAP- well-intentioned CLAPTRAP, but JESUS ALMIGHTY, so HAM-FISTED in that DEEPLY EARNEST AND UNIQUE way that misguided SOCIAL ISSUE PICTURES OF THE 1930S tend to be, I think the poster art will give you some idea of the level of pretension on display:

(also, that macrame blanket is HIDEOUS)


THIS MOVIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SHORT instead it is a verrrry long hour and some change (45 minutes?)

the entire plot is a clumsy ANTIWAR allegory about man's tendency to be territorial and want conflict, rendered into a story of gangs of 8-14 year boys who are fighting over a vacant lot and eventually have a DRAMATIC BATTLE AT THE CLIMAX- the story is SO PREACHY and SLOOOOWLY PACED AND HEAVY HANDED AND OVERWROUGHT, while the the 9(ish?) MINUTE BATTLE SEQUENCE so masterfully shot and- frankly- FUN AS HELL, that ANY CHILD SITTING THROUGH THIS MOUND OF HOOEY WHO WAS STILL AWAKE AT THE MOMENT THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE CHILD GANGS (FINALLY) ERUPTS, WOULD 110% IMMEDIATELY SEEK OUT THE CLOSEST VACANT LOT TO GO TO WAR OVER. They even give you MAGUYVER-LIKE TECHNIQUES ON MAKING YOUR OWN BOOBY TRAPS AND FLOUR BOMBS!!!!

I mean it, the 8 minutes of battle are a blast- FRANKLY, this is as successful a PRO-WAR FILM as I have ever seen.

FRANKIE DARRO is in this and I don't wanna get in trouble FOR SAYING THIS as I think he was only 14 or so, but he is really really cute and totally gives off STAR VIBES, CHRISTIAN RUB who voiced and modeled for GEPETTO IN DISNEY'S PINNOCHIO plays the watchman of the lot (fun fact: CHRISTIAN RUB was very pro-NAZI and used to go on and on about how much he admired HITLER to the DISNEY animators) a young man named JIMMIE BUTLER gives the best performance in the movie, and ironically he and another cast member were later killed in WWII

THis is also one of those 1930s films that is set in in MITTELEUROPE and everyone has very eastern names and the clothes and locations and signage are all foreign- but ALL THE ACTORS, with only a couple exceptions SPEAK WITH THE MOST AMERICAN ACCENTS EVER.

[Lorna]

watching NO GREATER GLORY, I was OFT-REMINDED of the following SONG AND VIDEO which is truly AN ALL TIME FAVORITE OF MINE:


(CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES A DAY I SING IT TO MYSELF)

[Lorna]

I also have THIS COMPULSION where, even though I own them all on DVD- whenever any of the UNIVERSAL MONSTER FILMS become available on any format I have access to- I WILL WATCH.

I dunno WHY but DRACULA (31), FRANKENSTEIN (31), THE WOLF MAN, THE INVISIBLE MAN and THE MUMMY (1933) are all on youtube (like, officially sanctioned, not as bootlegs)- and in their PRISTINE RESTORATIONS (FRANKENSTEIN in particular GLOWS now) and I've watched them all for the kajillionth time each. i have youtube premium so i watches without commercials- no LUME LADY to interrupt one moment of MARIA OUSPENSKAYA'S SCREEN TIME.

my only takeaway this time involves THE MUMMY, which is a film that is visually interesting as Hell- camera movements, sets. costumes, lighting etc.- but DULL AS DISHWATER in the story and ACTING DEPARTMENTS- even KARLOFF THE UNCANNY doesn't seem to be able to UNCAN much or infuse his lines with much inflection, maybe it's all the ELMER'S GLUE slathered in his face. he and ZITA JOHANN have this wild final scene together where it's like they're trying to out-not-act each another and I honestly can't say who the winner is.

THIS MOVIE TRIES SO HARD TO BE DRACULA AND DAMNED IF I KNOW WHY. DAVID MANNERS is supercute though, his strong powerbottom energy radiates from the screen after all these decades still.

I will note that ZITA JOHANN'S character passes out in the presence of KARLOFF (THE TITULAR MUMMY, AKA ARDATH BAY) wearing a simple day frock and wakes up dressed like this in the Cairo Museum:



which means- one is left to assume- that BORIS did her hair and make-up and put her in this kiki little ensemble.

i wonder if he put the fingerwave ringlets in the wig, and while I salute embracing a flat chest, those two paisley whales slapped over her sternum do NOTHING for ZITA.

[Allhallowsday]

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED - I poked around and found a review I wrote over 15 years ago (the movie is even worse than I remembered) :

Title: THE EAGLE HAS LANDED ~ DUMB FILM Post by: Allhallowsday on June 03, 2008, 08:44:56 PM

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED (1976) is the latest dumb film that I sweated through. I call this one dumb, but not so much for the quality of the film, there are great sets, costumes and big name actors... but it all seems to be pointless. We know where it's headed, and I avoid spoilers, but the idea is to kidnap Winston Churchill when a set of circumstances offers an opportunity, a plan including spies and airdrops. I think we know this story would not work if they succeeded.

MICHAEL CAINE (the English actor) portrays Oberst Kurt Steiner who doesn’t bother with affecting a German accent, but in the English village and in disguise, he readily shows his skill doing a Toff English officer… Near the beginning of the film, and after not-really saving a Jewish girl's life, he proclaims his indignation at a General involved with transporting Jews to concentration camps and states: "I have nothing for or against the Jews..." presumably to make this nearly sympathetic character one of the good guys...??

ROBERT DUVAL (the American actor) portrays Oberst Radl complete with eye patch and cigarette, slipping in and out of his “German” accent with quite a helpful sidekick who is here primarily to lend credibility to an absurd performance that seems more informed by reruns of "Hogans Heroes" than commitment.

DONALD SUTHERLAND (the Canadian actor) portrays Liam Devlin, IRA rep to the Nazis, as a caricature of the over-grand Irish ne'er-do-well vagabond with an accent that can only be described as blarney... we do see him imbibing quite often, though. :drink: :lookingup: Didn't we sort of see this goof before in KELLY'S HEROES or was it THE DIRTY DOZEN...? Lovely JENNY AGUTTER gets to fall in love with and murder for this turd (don't worry, she gets away with it...)

LARRY HAGMAN is here, primarily for comic relief, as cartoon southerner Col. Pitts, the typical Hollywood version of Army br' Ass (HAGMAN was born in Texas which makes his moronic portrayal all the more ironic and puzzling.) Col. Pitts meets traitor Joanna Gray (JEAN MARSH) only briefly... :lookingup: ...in a jaw-droppingly pointed scene, that though violent, must have been played for larfs.

With all the real historic battlefields in Europe, this flick gives us a battle in an English village with quite a number of explosions, battle fire, and honorable German paratroopers who don't shoot hostages but do play the pipe organ, give their lives to save little girls, and don't hesitate to alter plans to include assasination... The cast also includes DONALD PLEASANCE (perhaps the best casting as Himmler) ANTHONY QUAYLE (who as ever looks ruddily tweaked, English, burdened and annoyed, playing a German admiral) and TREAT WILLIAMS (reliably American; very lucky guy).
I think the “shocker” of an ending is there to cover up a fluke, and apparently no real twist. Probably was a fast page-turner... I can imagine this all worked well in JACK HIGGINS' novel. On screen, however, who cares? We want LARRY HAGMAN to kick some ass!!!

[Hibi]

I also have THIS COMPULSION where, even though I own them all on DVD- whenever any of the UNIVERSAL MONSTER FILMS become available on any format I have access to- I WILL WATCH.

I dunno WHY but DRACULA (31), FRANKENSTEIN (31), THE WOLF MAN, THE INVISIBLE MAN and THE MUMMY (1933) are all on youtube (like, officially sanctioned, not as bootlegs)- and in their PRISTINE RESTORATIONS (FRANKENSTEIN in particular GLOWS now) and I've watched them all for the kajillionth time each. i have youtube premium so i watches without commercials- no LUME LADY to interrupt one moment of MARIA OUSPENSKAYA'S SCREEN TIME.

my only takeaway this time involves THE MUMMY, which is a film that is visually interesting as Hell- camera movements, sets. costumes, lighting etc.- but DULL AS DISHWATER in the story and ACTING DEPARTMENTS- even KARLOFF THE UNCANNY doesn't seem to be able to UNCAN much or infuse his lines with much inflection, maybe it's all the ELMER'S GLUE slathered in his face. he and ZITA JOHANN have this wild final scene together where it's like they're trying to out-not-act each another and I honestly can't say who the winner is.

THIS MOVIE TRIES SO HARD TO BE DRACULA AND DAMNED IF I KNOW WHY. DAVID MANNERS is supercute though, his strong powerbottom energy radiates from the screen after all these decades still.

I will note that ZITA JOHANN'S character passes out in the presence of KARLOFF (THE TITULAR MUMMY, AKA ARDATH BAY) wearing a simple day frock and wakes up dressed like this in the Cairo Museum:



which means- one is left to assume- that BORIS did her hair and make-up and put her in this kiki little ensemble.

i wonder if he put the fingerwave ringlets in the wig, and while I salute embracing a flat chest, those two paisley whales slapped over her sternum do NOTHING for ZITA.

David Manners, POWER BOTTOM! WHO KNEW????? LMREO!

[Allhallowsday]

I also have THIS COMPULSION where, even though I own them all on DVD- whenever any of the UNIVERSAL MONSTER FILMS become available on any format I have access to- I WILL WATCH.
;;;
THIS MOVIE TRIES SO HARD TO BE DRACULA AND DAMNED IF I KNOW WHY. DAVID MANNERS is supercute though, his strong powerbottom energy radiates from the screen after all these decades still...

THE MUMMY is notoriously dull as dishwated indeed... "powerbottom energy" ...?

[Hibi]

David Manners was an interesting person. He left Hollywood in the 30s and never looked back. He became an author in his later years and lived to be 97!

I disagree about The Mummy. I like it a lot.