Coming Up on TCM

[JackFavell]

I have to agree with Ollie. The Sanders ones are the most enjoyable to me, with the exception of the last one.

[movieman1957]

Friday (Saturday) 4:30am is Frank Sinatra's Suddenly.

Interesting film of group who come to small town to assassinate the president. It has received more air play on TCM in the past few years but seems to have had a history where more people know about it than have seen it.

I think Sinatra had it pulled after the Kennedy assassination in much the same way "The Manchurian Candidate" was. James Gleason gives a good turn as man caught up in it all.

Sunday at 11:45pm(before Judith's "Too Many Husbands") a pleasant little comedy called If Only You Could Cook. Jean Arthur stars with an unusual comedic turn from Herbert Marshall.

Times are EDT.

[jdb1]

I'm sorry that I neglected to remind everyone that last night was Sabu Night on TCM. There's no question that for me, in terms of "favorite" actor as opposed to "most talented" actor, Sabu is No. 1 on my list. Did anyone catch any of his movies last night?

I missed RO's intro to Thief of Bagdad. Was it the newly restored print that was broadcast? It certainly was gorgeous, and with my newly acquired hi-def TV capacity, it was really something to see.

To my mind, Sabu is one of the most endearing of screen personalities, and he really could act, only he almost never got a decent role, save for Black Narcissus. I always say that if he had come to prominence in this era, he would have been a big star. He held your attention when he was on the screen, he performed with absolute conviction, he was beautiful to look at, and gosh darn it, people liked him.

I've never seen The End of the River, which I recorded last night for later viewing. I have my doubts that it's much of a movie, but Sabby is always worth watching.

[JackFavell]

I completely agree, Sabu was great... and his changing expressions are so much fun to watch. I missed almost everything last night unfortunately.

[jdb1]

Hey, all. September is halfway gone, and TCM has given us some pretty nice movies to watch so far. I'd like to remind you of a few others yet to come this month:

The very charming Janie is on tomorrow, 9/15, at 8:30 AM. This is essentially a teen movie about being nice to the troops before they go off to WWII, but it's one of the betters ones I've seen.

Has everyone seen Gable and his girlfriend Crawford in Strange Cargo? It's being shown on 9/18 at 6 PM, and although it may be minor (and pretty strange, actually) in the body of work of both stars, I think they are really good in it, as is Ian Hunter.

On 9/23, the lovely The Human Comedy is on at 6:10 AM. Wonderful story of the homefront during WWII, with exceptional performances by all concerned. Young Mickey Rooney stars.

On 9/25 we will see an evening salute to noir director Phil Karlson, including Scandal Sheet, and his most famous work The Phenix City Story, as well as The Brothers Rico and Ladies of the Chorus. I saw Scandal Sheet a few months ago, and thought Broderick Crawford was really good. Ladies was Marilyn Monroe's first starring role.

There is a salute to Natalie Wood on 9/27, and one of the films shown will be Our Very Own at 10 PM, which stars Ann Blyth as an adoptee searching for and finding her birth mother. This is an example of a well-made and satisfying "women's picture."

On 9/28 there will be an evening of the movies of Mia Farrow, one of those interesting actors who is usually much better than the material she gets. She fared slightly better in terms of roles once she met Wood Allen, but look how that turned out. Mia is like Jean Seberg, but with talent.

On 9/29 there is an evening salute to the music of Bernard Hermann, and the first offering, at 8 PM, is Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black.

The last night of the Claude Rains tribute, 9/30, gives us the scorching courtroom drama They Won't Forget, at 8 PM.

[klondike]

I found Strange Cargo to be, in a word, strange . . offbeat, in the truest sense of the word, as in everything feeling a beat late - dialogue, reactions, replies, physical responses . . .
It's also the warmest-hued-looking b&w film I think I've ever seen, which lends well to the fever-dream quality of the plot, so much so that even without much of a plotline tip-off, few viewers are surprised when the eerie, otherworldly subplot begins to emerge.
I've also heard it described as having a quiet sort of counterpoint euphoria to the film's climax, as if everyone had just finished having the same sinus headache, and I guess that makes sense . .
Heck, ya just need to see it yourself, if you haven't already . . . and no reading spoilers!

[jdb1]

I found Strange Cargo to be, in a word, strange . . offbeat, in the truest sense of the word, as in everything feeling a beat late - dialogue, reactions, replies, physical responses . . .
It's also the warmest-hued-looking b&w film I think I've ever seen, which lends well to the fever-dream quality of the plot, so much so that even without much of a plotline tip-off, few viewers are surprised when the eerie, otherworldly subplot begins to emerge.
I've also heard it described as having a quiet sort of counterpoint euphoria to the film's climax, as if everyone had just finished having the same sinus headache, and I guess that makes sense . .
Heck, ya just need to see it yourself, if you haven't already . . . and no reading spoilers!

That's for sure. Actually, I really didn't know anything about this one, the title of which I somehow confused with Red Dust. It was a revelatory film experience, not least for Gable's excellent performance, as cynical as I've ever seen him (but still charming and sexy, of course). I thought Crawford gave an uncharacteristically relaxed reading as the floozy in love, and Ian Hunter was nifty as . . . . . well, I can't tell you if you haven't seen it.

Not at all what I was expecting, and a nice surprise.

[jdb1]

Hello, All. (Say, did anyone besides me have trouble accessing the site over the past few days?)

Wanted to alert you that on Oct. 13 there will be two movies shown in the afternoon featuring the je-ne-sais-quoi appeal of the luminous Jean Seberg. At noon, Bonjour, Tristesse (1957), and at 5:30 PM Robert Parrish's In The French Style (1963). I can't remember if I've ever seen In the French Style, but I'm willing to watch it if Seberg's in it. There's just something about her on the screen that I find magentic. By 1963, Seberg was already in mental and physical decline. Wonder if it shows.

If anyone does catch these movies, won't you let me know what you think of Seberg vis-a-vis Mia Farrow's similar, fragile yet strong screen presence?

[JackFavell]

I saw In the French Style last time it was on, and saw no trace of mental instability or decline in Seberg. I thought it was quite a good performance.

And as far as comparing Seberg to Farrow, I can only say, "eeeewwwww", because I really don't like Mia Farrow at all. I have a hard time dealing with her shaky, flat nasal voice and pinched expressions. Seberg is easier for me to watch because I think she actually has some talent.

I do like two of Farrow's movies, One of which fits her personality and vocal inflections like a glove - The Purple Rose of Cairo, which I would recommend to anyone as a really great movie. Farrow plays a mousy housewife in the middle of the depression and she does a great job of it, but the framework of the film is so strong that I would have loved it had a dog starred in that role. The other I like for the same reasons - Radio Days.

[jdb1]

Despite the hardly wonderful quality of many of her movies, I think Seberg was always good, even in her earliest, most amateurish days. She was, after all the leading light of her high school drama society. She had "It," and I think she could have been a contender, as they say, in the film world, but I don't think she really had the necessary ambition/ego.

I've always thought that Farrow's extra-short haircut in the 1960s was because she, or someone advising her, thought it would make her more Seberg-like. I have mixed feelings about Farrow, although I generally like most of her performances. But I don't think she has the commanding screen presence of Seberg. When Seberg is on the screen, you look at her, no matter who are her co-stars.

[sandykaypax]

I missed In the French Style the last time it was on TCM, so I've got it set on the dvr today! Looking forward to seeing it.

I LOVE Bonjour, Tristesse! I borrowed the dvd from the library. I've put it on my Christmas list this year. Along with tons of other dvds, lol!
Sandy K

[ChiO]

Did anyone else catch the two Jacques Tourneur shorts on TCM at 4:30am (CST) today? THE JONKER DIAMOND (1936) is a recreation of the discovery, sale and cutting of the largest diamond that had ever been found up to that time. Routine narrative, but it did have some visual interest. KILLER-DOG (1936), however, looked like a warm-up for his features at RKO. A simple story, but with the spirit of noir from start to finish in the narrative, characterizations and visuals. Both were made at M-G-M and appear to be his first and fourth turns as a director after his return from France.

Tonight: Is anyone familiar with THE MAN WITH A CLOAK (Fletcher Markle, 1951)? Worth a disc?

[moira finnie]

Did anyone else catch the two Jacques Tourneur shorts on TCM at 4:30am (CST) today? THE JONKER DIAMOND (1936) is a recreation of the discovery, sale and cutting of the largest diamond that had ever been found up to that time. Routine narrative, but it did have some visual interest.

This short was on Time Warner On Demand within the last month. (I'd look to see if it was still available, but I'm not at home now). I thought that it had some signature Tourneur moments such as the scene showing the poor Jonker family on guard--including the haggard, haunted looking mother--while waiting to move the goose egg their son had found to more secure surroundings. There was also considerable suspense as well as information conveyed in the moments leading up to the cutting of the diamond.

KILLER-DOG (1936), however, looked like a warm-up for his features at RKO. A simple story, but with the spirit of noir from start to finish in the narrative, characterizations and visuals. Both were made at M-G-M and appear to be his first and fourth turns as a director after his return from France.

This well done short was also on demand earlier this month. I liked the night scenes best, but it got me thinking how interesting it would have been if MGM could have had the talents of Tourneur behind the camera for one of their Lassie movies.

I'd like to see a block of programming devoted to Tourneur as well as Zinnemann's shorts on TCM. It would be even more interesting if these shorts could be shown in chronological order, leading up to some of these directors early features too.

Tonight: Is anyone familiar with THE MAN WITH A CLOAK (Fletcher Markle, 1951)? Worth a disc?

I liked it for Joseph Cotten's elegantly dissipated Edgar Alan Poe-like character and Barbara Stanwyck's patented hardness as the mysteriously powerful companion of a rich old crock, played by Louis Calhern, who deserved better. The plot, related to latter day Napoleonic era politics, is poorly presented and a bit unconvincing, though there are some touches of atmosphere. Even with the good actors in the cast, the story never gripped me. This is not one of Leslie Caron's better roles (it's only her second film), but she is appealing as a wide-eyed innocent. If you've never seen it and like these actors, maybe you would enjoy this. Fletcher Markle's first movie, the made-on-a-shoetring, Jigsaw (1949), btw, is a bit more interesting, as it toys with the idea of fascist forces active in American life after WWII, just as HUAC was feeling its oats. Jigsaw can be seen in its entirety on the Internet Archive, here.

[ChiO]

Thank you, Moira. I have JIGSAW, which is why this movie -- I'll admit it, Markle is not a director I actively seek out -- caught my eye. That and Stanwyck.