The Silver Screen Oasis

Why do I get the feeling that if there were no plots connecting the dances, folks would complain about their being no plots to connect the dances.

My thoughts exactly. It's easy to criticize something, but I would imagine no one here could duplicate the magic!

I dunno. I can do a little soft shoe...

Some how, soft shoe against Fred and Ginger......nope, it may be nice, but it ain't MAGIC....

knitwit45 wrote:that dress she was wearing was very very heavy,and Fred was black and blue after the routine was done. It not only smacked him in the face, it continuously hit his legs. OUCH. Ginger was forever nicknamed Feathers by Fred after another of her dresses, loaded with feathers, 'molted' during that particular dance routine...

I knew he called her Feathers, she did like to design her own outfits, some more style than substance shall we say, I didn't quite realise how scarred he was from that routine, Ginger does look gorgeous though, perhaps her best look. There has been a lot said about what they felt about one another but the rate of output of their movies and the complexity of their dances were such that there was bound to be a bit of tension, I don't believe that it was as bad as some have made out.

I like Ginger in STAGE DOOR. Anybody who can steal the show from Katharine Hepburn...

I knew he called her Feathers, she did like to design her own outfits, some more style than substance shall we say, I didn't quite realise how scarred he was from that routine, Ginger does look gorgeous though, perhaps her best look. There has been a lot said about what they felt about one another but the rate of output of their movies and the complexity of their dances were such that there was bound to be a bit of tension, I don't believe that it was as bad as some have made out.

I saw an interview with her, probably on TCM, and she talked about what a taskmaster he was, and how it resulted in beautiful dance. In Swingtime, the "big" number at the end of the movie involved a huge staircase that they had to go up and down and back up again. She said if you look closely, you can see the blood coming out of her shoes....yikes. She was very complimentary of him in spite of those times he literally danced her feet off. She said if he hadn't, and she hadn't also asked for more practice, the magic on screen wouldn't have happened.

Their movies ARE magic...almost eighty years later. Can you see a movie star today bleeding for the good of a picture. I doubt we will remember some of today's movies five years from now. ( Okay Knitty...I'll put my soft shoe back in the closet )

naw, just keep practicing...you never know......

Anchorman was part of my viewing on vacation because several people in my life and at least one political commentator think it is among the funniest things ever done. Upon my review that it may be among the dumbest movies I have ever seen i was questioned as to whether I had had my sense of humor surgically removed. There may have been a line or two that was funny (thank you Fred Willard) and a delightful rendition of "Afternoon Delight" but beyond that I just couldn't get into it.

My daughter showed me "Hot Fuzz." A 2007 British comedy about a London police man (and SWAT team member) who is shipped off to the country. His dedication to procedure and the town's force lack of it clash. Along the way they manage to meet somewhere in the middle and manage a machine gun battle with the most unlikely characters you might imagine. Too long by at least 20 minutes and has the deft British style of comedy coupled with some outrageous settings that make it fun. It is violent but not grossly so. It might be a bit unexpected for a comedy. I certainly had a better time with this one than Anchorman.

Regardless of one's comedy tastes, nobody plays a jackass better than Will Ferrell.

knitwit45 wrote:

I knew he called her Feathers, she did like to design her own outfits, some more style than substance shall we say, I didn't quite realise how scarred he was from that routine, Ginger does look gorgeous though, perhaps her best look. There has been a lot said about what they felt about one another but the rate of output of their movies and the complexity of their dances were such that there was bound to be a bit of tension, I don't believe that it was as bad as some have made out.

I saw an interview with her, probably on TCM, and she talked about what a taskmaster he was, and how it resulted in beautiful dance. In Swingtime, the "big" number at the end of the movie involved a huge staircase that they had to go up and down and back up again. She said if you look closely, you can see the blood coming out of her shoes....yikes. She was very complimentary of him in spite of those times he literally danced her feet off. She said if he hadn't, and she hadn't also asked for more practice, the magic on screen wouldn't have happened.

That's what it was magic. I've a real hankering to watch all the movies again, looks like I'll be dusting off the box set and watching them again soon.

I have been watching Lightining Strikes Twice with Richard Todd, Mercedes MacCambridge and Ruth Roman, an interesting who dunnit story about a English accented man in the middle of the American desert, it's explained, Todd's character had been convicted of murder then appealed and released, he's understandably withdrawn, Roman's character comes along and tries to solve the case discovering just about everyone has a hand in it. It is ably directed by King Vidor. Zachary Scott takes a secondary role as the convicted killer's friend.

Upon Astaire's death, one of the networks ended their news broadcast with the expected tribute. The final moment was Fred singing "They Can't Take That Away From Me." Not as long as we have classic movies.

We are so lucky to be left with all those wonderful dances, Fred was one talented choreographer.

I watched The Bad Seed today, perhaps I should have posted this under the horror thread, I'm not sure quite how to classify it, it's different from any other movie I've seen from the major studios, it felt like it was made for TV but was a little more glossy, it definetly had the feeling of a filmed play when some of the smaller characters were on the screen, Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormack are absolutely brilliant, as the little Rhoda, Patty was terrific, so scary, the felt like they deserved to be on the big screen. I liked the character of Leroy, the mother I sympathised with but the story was a little too unwieldy, Claude's mother a bit too drunk. Interestingly the ending had to be changed because in the ending the mother dies and the daughter survives, for once I think this was a better idea, Patty was so bad as Rhoda that she just had to meet her final end. A bit of fun, a bit overlong, I can imagine it's haunted some in it's time.

I remember Claude's drunk mother, played by Eileen Heckart. A bit too drunk? I dunno. She walked a razor's edge of drunkenness, sarcasm and inconsolable grief...all at once, that it was a painful performance to watch. I wouldn't have wanted to be in her shoes.