WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[Gary J.]

The "box office poison" label had nothing to do with the studios. It was a movie publication's 1938 survey among theater exhibitors over which top stars do not draw at the box office. Hepburn had not had a hit since ALICE ADAMS (35). BRINGING UP BABY (38) bombed horribly when it was first released and both Hawks and Hepburn were shown the door at RKO (One of the reasons why Hawks didn't get to direct GUNGA DIN). And it wasn't just Kate. The list also tarnished Garbo, Mae West (who had been losing ground since the code was enforced) and even Astaire. While his series with Rogers was still popular, his box office pull peaked in 1936 with SWINGTIME and had been slowly eroding ever since - plus the fact that his recent solo film sans Rogers, DAMSEL IN DISTRESS (37) , tanked badly (which is the reason why Rogers was not on the list. Her films sans Astaire were all very popular).

[JackFavell]

Thanks for the info, Gary. Funny how almost everyone on the poison list turned out to have great staying power and are considered classic film stars now.

[CineMaven]

During June, July and August 2011, I saw many films of which I kept a record and now wrote small opinions of what I remember upong seeing them, here they are:

Feaito...you have just given me a full course Thanxxxgiving meal to eat...and I ate every bit of it. Made a glutton of myself, actually. It was a wonderful read full of admiration and passion for 'old movies.' And if I were to make a very superficial judgment of your list...you seem to like romance and musicals. Your wife must be the luckiest gal this side of the Amazon. A lot of husbands (if they even like the classics) probably like a lot of war movies. (I'm being stereotypically facetious about men here...so, no cards or letters, guys!)

Seems like you've watched about 11,000 movies this summer. < ( Sigh! ) > What a way to recuperate. Again, I loved your list and your pithy reviews!!

Can't wait to see your Autumn list.

[feaito]

Thanks Theresa for your words, I'm honored; I do like dramas, period films, musicals, thrillers, gangster films....and some horror, war and western films....it depends on my mood....i.e. now there is an amount of Noirs and Westerns to be seen, but my wife does not like westerns, she loves Noir and Gangster films though. What I generally do not watch is contemporary films.

And Kingme, every time Edith Head is listed on the credits of a film I do notice (she was a household name) and my wife too...she loves Edith Head's designs

[Rita Hayworth]

And Kingme, every time Edith Head is listed on the credits of a film I do notice (she was a household name) and my wife too...she loves Edith Head's designs

Thanks for sharing this information to me today. I appreciate that.

[feaito]

Welcome!

[RedRiver]

my wife does not like westerns

The woman who likes cowboy movies is a rare catch indeed!

[feaito]

I agree RedRiver, every once in a while I try to make her watch one...I think she did enjoy "The Furies", "Pursued", "The Searchers", "Red River"....but others like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "Shane", "The Big Trail" or "Winchester 73", I've watched alone...

[MikeBSG]

I watched "You Were Never Lovelier" (1942) on Wednesday. I had never seen it before and liked it a bunch, up until the last ten minutes or so.

I thought Astaire's "audition" dance through Menjou's office was utterly terrific. It is one of my favorite Astaire routines.

The antagonism between Astaire and Menjou gave this film a lot of spark. It provided a lot of humor, which I enjoyed. I also got a big kick out of the dopey sisters. (Was there a Cinderella echo going on there?)

Hayworth was lovely. I loved the scene where she danced through the garden with Astaire, then they entered the house and shut the double doors with their feet. Just wonderful.

I know that the plots of musicals are, shall we say, not known for being particularly well-constructed. However, the ending of this movie, Hayworth makes up with Astaire because he rides up to her house in a suit of armor and falls off his horse, struck me as really ludicrous. If the actors had just stepped out of character and said "Well, folks, we're running out of film and have to stop now," it would have been a better ending.

So "You Were Never Lovelier" is good, but not great. I think "Cover Girl" is much, much better.

[movieman1957]

"Whirlpool" (1934) is an odd little picture of father who while spending 20 years in jail frees up wife and soon-to-be-born daughter by faking his death. Much later daughter, Jean Arthur, finds him and they spend a fine time getting to know each other until his made up life catches up with him.

Plot line is a little hard to swallow but it is worth watching just to watch Jean with her dad (Jack Holt.) All else is standard fare.

[Gary J.]

I thought Astaire's "audition" dance through Menjou's office was utterly terrific. It is one of my favorite Astaire routines.

Supposedly on one of the takes Astaire got a little too enthusiastic pretending to rap his cane off of Menjou's noggin and almost knocked him out.

[CineMaven]

The woman who likes cowboy movies is a rare catch indeed!

Well...you've got some great catches over here at the ol' SSO Corral because I know at least four ladies who post here, who like any one of these western heroes...and are big western fans:




I know...I know. Which one of these things are not like the others.

RE-POSTED DUE TO DO TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES A BABY BOOMER IS STRUGGLING TO OVERCOME.

[knitwit45]

well, it's anybody's guess, since all the photos were deleted......

ah, I just knew Ben was there.....

[RedRiver]

All the trash on the internet, and we can't post cowboy pictures!

[Rita Hayworth]

I watched "You Were Never Lovelier" (1942) on Wednesday. I had never seen it before and liked it a bunch, up until the last ten minutes or so.

I thought Astaire's "audition" dance through Menjou's office was utterly terrific. It is one of my favorite Astaire routines.

The antagonism between Astaire and Menjou gave this film a lot of spark. It provided a lot of humor, which I enjoyed. I also got a big kick out of the dopey sisters. (Was there a Cinderella echo going on there?)

Hayworth was lovely. I loved the scene where she danced through the garden with Astaire, then they entered the house and shut the double doors with their feet. Just wonderful.

I know that the plots of musicals are, shall we say, not known for being particularly well-constructed. However, the ending of this movie, Hayworth makes up with Astaire because he rides up to her house in a suit of armor and falls off his horse, struck me as really ludicrous. If the actors had just stepped out of character and said "Well, folks, we're running out of film and have to stop now," it would have been a better ending.

So "You Were Never Lovelier" is good, but not great. I think "Cover Girl" is much, much better.

Just for the record; The two films that Rita Hayworth did with Fred Astaire ... Rita told the world that the two movies with Fred Astaire were the "Crown Jewels" of her career. She had heartaches and headaches doing "Cover Girl" with Gene Kelly. Just to let you know Mike.