I Just Watched...

[Lorna]

...I always wanted to see Bela Lugosi naked, although not in 1945's THE BODY SNATCHER which by the way I just might put (well, this week) at the top of the Best Lewton list.

MARK ROBSON! The other great director working for VAL LEWTON! That is a very good movie.
THE SEVENTH VICTIM remains entrancing, but a major downer.

Didn't Robson also direct VALLEY OF THE DOLLS? Oh well they can't all knock them out of the park, lol.

BELA LUGOSI was SERIOUSLY HOT when he was younger. There is a pic of him as - I kid you not- JESUS and he SMOLDERS. Also, I think he played a shirtless "Native" in an early silent film and I recall being surprised by how ripped he was.

MARK ROBSON did also diret VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and was, according to the late MISS PATTY DUKE "the meanest sonofabitch I ever met."

He also directed EARTHQUAKE, some of which I caught recently for the first time in FOREVER and I had forgotten how ENTRANCINGLY BAD it is- especially ANY SCENE WITH AVA GARDNER, who was serving GRIZZLED LIZ TAYLOR HARD.

[Lorna]

Lorna it is so terrific seeing you back here!!

I agree with you about ONIBABA and read somewhere that William Friedkin admired it so much, he used the demon mask images in THE EXORCIST.

!
I've always thought those were just clips of MERCEDES MACAMBRIDGE recording her lines!
Clutch the pearls, what a sneaky thing to do!

[Lorna]

Today, I saw part of THE McCONNELL STORY, a film which dares to ask the question: Can Alan Ladd survive being married to June Allyson?

DICK POWELL did, but just barely.
JIMMY STEWART though...

Growing up in the 80s and having seen the commercials for HILSHIRE FARMS and DEPENDS so often- I used to confuse JUNE ALLYSON with DINAH SHORE, and to be honest, all these years later, I'm not enitrely sure there wasn't some sort of NUTTY PROFESSOR "BUDDY LOVE" kinda thing goin on with those two.

(you never saw them together!)

[Lorna]

First: I want to say how fantastic it is to have your commentaries on movies again!


Now, for THE HIDDEN FORTRESS and STAR WARS connection:

According to Toshiro Mifune's daughter, George Lucas approached Mifune about playing Ob-Wan Kenobi, but the Japanese actor turned down the role because he was concerned that a sci-fi movie would cheapen the image of the samurai. Ob-Wan was ultimately played by veteran English actor Alec Guinness, who (unfortunately OR perhaps fortunately) did not bare his quads in the role.

STAR WARS also borrows the "princess in danger" element from THE HIDDEN FORTRESS. And Princess Leia Organa in STAR WARS in the leader of a rebellion just as Princess Yuki is in THE HIDDEN FORTESS. Lucas would also use a plot point from THE HIDDEN FORTRESS in the first STAR WARS prequel THE PHANTOM MENANCE. In THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, a slave girl acts as a decoy for Princess Yuki. In THE PHANTOM MENANCE, a handmaiden acts a decoy for Leia's mother Padmé Amidala (who is a queen).

Oh yeah . . . the wipe transitions that Lucas used in STAR WARS were taken from the wipes in THE HIDDEN FORTRESS and other Akira Kurosawa movies.








I APOLOGIZE IF I BUTCHERED YOUR POST IN QUOTING IT, JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT CERTAIN BITS- LHF

(thank you!)

That MIFUNE'S GENERAL was the basis for OBI WAN TOTALLY CLICKS NOW THAT YOU POINT IT OUT. For some reason, I kinda saw THE GENERAL as being THE HAN SOLO FIGURE, but no, no- okay, yeah, I get that.

OH WOW, AS MUCH AS I LOVE "GENUINE CLASS", IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO COOL TO HAVE SEEN TOSHIRO MIFUNE AS OBI WAN!!!!

Except with TOSHIRO as JEDI MASTER, THE REBELLION against THE EMPIRE would be over in TEN MINUTES MAMA.

Also- yes, THE WIPES, which are kinda like THE (sliding) POCKET DOORS of JAPANESE DOJOS- I forgot those. And in STAR WARS, they seem almost like those automatic doors.

I was gonna make a joke that ALEC GUINESS had totally ripped quads IRL, but being British, he probably had some lily-white chicken drums.

I need to figure out how to post images so I can share TOSHIRO MIFUNE'S THIGHS in THE HIDDEN FORTRESS with all of you.

[Lorna]

[STILL FIGURING OUT THE QUOTING SYSTEM]

[Lorna]

There is a terrific scene at the end of THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (no spoilers) where PRINCES YUKI tells THE GENERAL what an absolute blast this whole experience of risking their lives and tramping cross-country among "real people" has been for her and how she's learned from it and it has forever changed her as a person that just HAD to be inspired by IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT.

if anyone is interested, RAN (1985) is on AMAZON PRIME (free to subscribers) and AKIRA KUROSAWA'S DREAMS (aka AKIRA KUROSAWA'S MOLASSES IN JANUARY) is on TUBI, but THE ADS on TUBI have gotten to be too much.

I recall thinking that RAN was very much like a retelling of SNOW WHITE.

[Lorna]

I love AKIRA, but that INTERMINABLE goddamn blizzard scene in DREAMS broke me.

[Lorna]

I did recently rewatch multiple parts of THE BODY SNATCHER (1946) and there is a scene where- as a priggish, insensitve Doctor- HENRY DANIELL starts yelling "YOU CAN'T!!! YOU CAN'T!!!" at a LITTLE WHEELCHAIR-BOUND GIRL and with his affected BRITISH PRONUNCIATION it REALLY SOUNDS like he's calling her a very rude name.

He is supposed to be A SCOTSMAN though...

[Hibi]

Lorna, so happy that you are back and posting!

Today, I saw part of THE McCONNELL STORY, a film which dares to ask the questions:

1. Can Alan Ladd survive the Korean War?
2. Can Alan Ladd survive as a test pilot?
3. Can Alan Ladd survive being married to June Allyson?

I had it on, but was only barely watching. I'm not sure about question ONE, but a resounding NO to the last two!!!

After reading up on it on imdb, the answer to Question One was YES!!!!

[Detective Jim McLeod]

The Golden Age Of Comedy TCM-7/10

A collection of clips of silent film comedians.

This was an entertaining look at some greats like Laurel & Hardy, Harry Langdon, Ben Turpin, Will Rogers. L&H were the best. It has their pie fight from The Battle Of The Century (1927). Also some of the funniest scenes from We Faw Down (1928) although the narration calls it "We Slip Up".

The narration was pretty good when he gave some information on the comedians such as lesser known ones like Billy Bevan and Charles Murray. The narration was not so good when he tried to be funny.

[Lorna]

I checked out OTHER MEN'S WOMEN, a 1931 WARNER BROS VITAPHONE PRECODE directed by WILLIAM WELLMAN starring an impossibly young MARY ASTOR as the wife of a railroad engineer (REGIS TOOMEY) who "strays" with a coworker of his played by GRANT WITHERS [SYNTAX CLARIFICATION: MARY ASTOR strays with WITHERS, not WITHERS with TOOMEY- which would've made for a less aptly titled but helluva lot more interesting film. AND WHEN i SAY "STRAYS"- i mean she develops feelings for him and they kiss, that's it. even for 1931, kinda tepid)

Like a lot of PRECODES, the parts were greater than the whole- there was a bit used throughout where the train conductors hop off their slow moving trains as they pass through stops and have quick bite at various diners and are regaled by various diner waitresses- one of whom is [JOAN BLONDELL who is AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT and WAY OUT OF THE LEAGUE OF EITHER TOOMEY or WITHERS.

spolier kinda sorta but not really,

in the end, we;re supposed to sort of "root for" ASTOR AND WITHERS to get together, which is notsomuch problematic for the casual adultery it advocates as it is because WITHER'S CHARACTER is a lunkish, unlikelable, alcoholic dickhead.

Still a fun little black and white slice of life from back when they didn't have to worry about "good morals" and not showing toilets.

[Bronxgirl48]

I did recently rewatch multiple parts of THE BODY SNATCHER (1946) and there is a scene where- as a priggish, insensitve Doctor- HENRY DANIELL starts yelling "YOU CAN'T!!! YOU CAN'T!!!" at a LITTLE WHEELCHAIR-BOUND GIRL and with his affected BRITISH PRONUNCIATION it REALLY SOUNDS like he's calling her a very rude name.

He is supposed to be A SCOTSMAN though...

THE BODY SNATCHER is the only movie where I find the usually reptilian-looking Henry Daniell even remotely sexy.

[Bronxgirl48]

MARK ROBSON! The other great director working for VAL LEWTON! That is a very good movie.
THE SEVENTH VICTIM remains entrancing, but a major downer.

Didn't Robson also direct VALLEY OF THE DOLLS? Oh well they can't all knock them out of the park, lol.

BELA LUGOSI was SERIOUSLY HOT when he was younger. There is a pic of him as - I kid you not- JESUS and he SMOLDERS. Also, I think he played a shirtless "Native" in an early silent film and I recall being surprised by how ripped he was.

MARK ROBSON did also diret VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and was, according to the late MISS PATTY DUKE "the meanest sonofabitch I ever met."

He also directed EARTHQUAKE, some of which I caught recently for the first time in FOREVER and I had forgotten how ENTRANCINGLY BAD it is- especially ANY SCENE WITH AVA GARDNER, who was serving GRIZZLED LIZ TAYLOR HARD.

Oh believe me Lorna, I certainly do know all about Bela's hotness! I had a Lugosi photo collection of his early European silent movies and you can be sure he had a rockin' body! And yes, Bela played a native American in the German version of THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

Wonder what Robson did to Patty to make her say that? Maybe he was trying to bring out the best (i.e. the worst) of her Neely O'Hara character, lol. Haven't seen EARTHQUAKE in a while....

[Bronxgirl48]

...I'm feeling less excited these days about THE SEVENTH VICTIM, mainly because I'm so confused by the relationship between Dr. Judd and that obnoxiously pretentious character of the writer. And don't get me started on Hugh Beaumont, lol.

Truly a "B". And I would add that KIM HUNTER will always be Zira as far as any impact made early on. Yes. Zira's much later.
It's the look of THE SEVENTH VICTIM that exemplifies trashy Horror comic urban menace. TOM CONWAY always helps. LEWTON films often have the expedient including "problematic" scripts.

Tom Conway as Dr. Judd, mysteriously living on after CAT PEOPLE, lol.

For me Kim Hunter will always be "STELLA!!!" in Streetcar but of course even more memorable as Zira. A pop cultural icon!

[Detective Jim McLeod]

Didn't Robson also direct VALLEY OF THE DOLLS? Oh well they can't all knock them out of the park, lol.

BELA LUGOSI was SERIOUSLY HOT when he was younger. There is a pic of him as - I kid you not- JESUS and he SMOLDERS. Also, I think he played a shirtless "Native" in an early silent film and I recall being surprised by how ripped he was.

MARK ROBSON did also diret VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and was, according to the late MISS PATTY DUKE "the meanest sonofabitch I ever met."

He also directed EARTHQUAKE, some of which I caught recently for the first time in FOREVER and I had forgotten how ENTRANCINGLY BAD it is- especially ANY SCENE WITH AVA GARDNER, who was serving GRIZZLED LIZ TAYLOR HARD.

Oh believe me Lorna, I certainly do know all about Bela's hotness! I had a Lugosi photo collection of his early European silent movies and you can be sure he had a rockin' body! And yes, Bela played a native American in the German version of THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

Wonder what Robson did to Patty to make her say that? Maybe he was trying to bring out the best (i.e. the worst) of her Neely O'Hara character, lol. Haven't seen EARTHQUAKE in a while....

The last image got deleted, here is another of Bela as Jesus