The Silver Screen Oasis

Loved what I saw of Dillinger--especially when Lawrence Tierney wore sunglasses as he sat in the dark at night in the movie theater chuckling at Mickey Mouse (he wasn't the the least bit conspicuous, was he?). Monogram really knocked it out of the park with this one. Edmund Lowe and Elisha Cook, Jr. also made this movie a joy.

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond was a movie I hadn't seen since I was a kid. I can't say that I found the psychological portrait created by Boetticher and the sublimely oily lounge lizard, Ray Danton, made too much narrative sense, though I liked the episodic nature of the movie, especially when Legs seems to vacillate between the manipulative and the mean so often. Karen Steele sure played a gal who was as dumb as a box of rocks all too convincingly. Also, how could Warren Oates and Ray have been the spawn of the same parents? I know, I'm being nitpicky.

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This movie made me long for the upcoming airing of Too Much, Too Soon on TCM 0n Tuesday, July 10 @ 04:00 PM (ET) when we can all see Ray leaving a trail of slime behind him once again.

Steiger really was hitting his stride as a player who could carry a movie with his performance as Al Capone (1959). I found it to be great fun whenever James Gregory showed up as his nemesis.

One question:

Were these movies produced because of the unexpected and controversial success of The Untouchables series on television between 1959-1963? I've recently caught many episodes and many of them are as good if not better than these films (even when they rely so clearly on Warner Brothers stock footage from the classic gangster movies of the '30s).

Some really good stuff coming up, with a day of Stanwyck and a night of Dorthy Dandridge. McCrea films will also be showing, but perhaps the sleeper of the week is The Crime Doctor series starring Warner Baxter. These little B-films are a lot of fun and some of them have unique camera work and interesting twists. High art it ain't, but if you're looking for a little relaxing entertainment, put yourself in the hands of the Crime Doctor Thursday morning.

I love The Crime Doctor movies!

MissGoddess wrote:I love The Crime Doctor movies!

Crime Docs are great fun. I really like the ones that have Warner Baxter using psychology to solve the mysteries. Has anyone seen the informative bunch of articles about these programmers over at Immortal Ephemera?

Miss G--were you perhaps inspired by reading Spencer Tracy: A Biography by James Curtis to choose that Katharine Houghton & Kate avatar? Ms. Houghton's even-handed observations of both her aunt and Tracy were wonderful additions to this book, (I loved it, even if it broke my heart as many times as it made me laugh).

Ms. G, your avatar is wonderful. I remember reading a book by Garson Kanin many years ago, he and wife Ruth Gordon were very close to Kate and Spence, but after this book came out (Tracy and Hepburn) it caused a severe strain on their friendship. At that time, K & S were still pretty much under the radar, and they both felt betrayed by this book. I don't know if that friendship ever was repaired.

Miss G, I, too, am a great fan of that fun Kanin read, as well as your new avatar!

Moira, I hope to read that Tracy bio by James Curtis.

I read the book too, way back, and I understand the rift, but it didn't diminish my respect for both Kate and Spence, on the contrary.

[u]MOIRA FINNIE[/u] wrote:Okay, I know that there is something wrong with me, but...I have watched Niagara (1953-Henry Hathaway) a few times for cinematographer Joe MacDonald's whirlpool of vivid, almost lurid colors used by Hathaway...For several reasons, Marilyn Monroe always makes me sad as she sashays around exuding the obvious, especially in this movie...

Nah, there’s nothing wrong with you...and you gave good reasons to watch “NIAGARA” (I also like the pretty colors; I swoon at lurid cinematography i.e. “WRITTEN ON THE WIND” and ”LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN.”) As for Marilyn, I view her differently. Maybe it’s just a case of the glass half-empty/the glass half-full. Why? Well...

Theresa, Who's the actress on your avatar? She resembles a blond Maureen O'Hara, but I bet she's not.

Hola! Why, that blonde is the lovely JANIS CARTER Fernando. And I took Moira up on her suggestion of an avatar.

Janis an attention-getter...but no Lizard in a Woman's Skin, I'm afraid. (Hi, Mr. A.).

Today, Tuesday May 29th, at 3:45 ET, His Brother's Wife is on TCM. It's part of Barbara Stanwyck day, and in this one Barbara falls in love with husband John Eldredge's brother, ROBERT TAYLOR. WHa?

My Man Joseph Calleia plays "Fish-eye".

I can't wait.

Also, on Thursday night, Dog Day Afternoon is playing at midnight ET, I believe. A really great movie, probably my favorite drama from the seventies.

CineMaven wrote:Hola! Why, that blonde is the lovely JANIS CARTER Fernando. And I took Moira up on her suggestion of an avatar.

Janis an attention-getter...but no Lizard in a Woman's Skin, I'm afraid. (Hi, Mr. A.).

Thanks for the prompt info.

kingrat, it's one of the few movies I can recommend without making any qualifying statements.

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorites from the seventies?