Bad Movies You Love

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

Post by Bronxgirl48 »

Lurv Kingrat's review, moira! (wow, subtext, lol) Where is yours? I tried finding it but got sidetracked by your delightful commentary on ROME ADVENTURE. I was also disconcerted by those Al Hirt moments. We were supposed to believe vanilla Troy was so Experienced in Life that not only did he have carnal knowledge of Angie Dickinson, but also knew someone like volatile, jealous, hulking Al and his "Apache-dance"-ish knife-wielding girlfriend, ha! And I remember thinking that if Burl Ives and Orson Welles were out of commission for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and THE LONG HOT SUMMER, Al would have fit in perfectly as Big Daddy or Will Varner. "I wanna see some procreatin' going on here!"
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moira finnie
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

Post by moira finnie »

I thought of you the other night when I got sucked into The Long Hot Summer (1958), Bronxie!

Our mutual fave, Anthony Franciosa, really earned his stripes in that one with his corn pone accent and Freudian angst on full display. Holy cats, Orson Welles really must have needed money, but in a few scenes when he stopped bellowing about "procreatin'" he was a lot easier to believe and occasionally touching. You should ask our guest author this weekend, Al Doshna, about the experience of Richard Anderson working with Orson Welles on that movie. The legendary actor-filmmaker tried to "throw" his co-star, who played Joanne Woodward's decent if too refined suitor in an impressive, minimalist style.

I think I have spouted off about the hilarity of Ice Follies of 1939 in several places on this site, but I'll look around.
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Thanks re: ICE FOLLIES, moira.

THE LONG HOT SUMMER, one of my guilty pleasures, although I think Tony (when he's not racheting up that corn pone) and especially Joanne give pleasantly nuanced performances. I'm fascinated by Paul's line readings, the way he emphasizes certain key words -- "You won't hate me, you'll MISS me"; "Well, you couldn't tame me, but you TAUGHT me", etc. As for Orson, lol, my favorite scene is when Will Varner is telling, not asking, daughter Clara that he wants grandchildren by hook or crook, "with Alan or that stud bull Quick, yes ma'am, I aim to accomplish that!" Agree that when he's not throwing his, uh, weight around Welles has some genuinely tender moments with Woodward as he's talking about his late wife. Lee Remick doesn't have much do, but that's o.k.; she's warming up for her fantastic turn in ANATOMY OF A MURDER.
I'm wondering if Angela Lansbury's "Minnie" was originally supposed to run a brothel, not a boarding house. Yes, I'd like to know what Richard Anderson went through!
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moira finnie
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Re: The Long, Hot Summer Family Dynamic

Well, I sure don't blame Tony Franciosa for trying to immolate his pappy--what a horrible relationship the pair portrayed. I was just appalled that he left the horsies in there for any of that scene. What do you suppose happened after everyone kissed and made up after The End?


Re: Paul Newman's line readings

I like and admire his character, his cool, and his blue eyes, but to be honest, ol' Paul never impressed me as an actor until he was an old guy. Maybe his eccentric line readings revealed his character's unlettered background and inner insecurities (why else strut around like a rooster on steroids all the time?), but sometimes I wonder if The Method or a not so veiled critique of the script might have been behind the oddball line readings in his early movies. Two roles played in the last years of his career as the narrator in Our Town on PBS and his overlooked but excellent characterization in Mr. & Mrs. Bridge of a Midwestern lawyer just slayed me. He just seemed so much more real and less movie starish by then.

Upcoming Bad Movies to Love:

I know many members are night owls, so The Manitou and Trog on the TCM schedule on June 14th starting at 2am (ET) this Sunday morning is a must-see double feature of unfortunate but strangely hypnotic moviemaking.
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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moira, I share your opinions of Paul being more interesting in the latter stages of his career. He's terrific in MR. AND MRS. BRIDGES.

I didn't even realize that WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES was on during the "Southern Movie" segments. Heck, I never even heard of it before. So imagine my unfettered delight when I turned on TCM and there was not only Gypsy Rose Lee and Christopher Plummer sharing screen time (how often does that happen?) but BURL IVES showed up as "Cottonmouth", the leader of a redneck pack of swamp rats (including a barely recognizable Peter Falk) who relish their freedom above bad ole gov'ment-sponsored conservation efforts. Burl loves to fondle his, er, snake (no, a real one) he nicknames Curly-Cue, and resists Plummer's attempts to enlighten the group on environmental issues. Hoping I can find this in its entirety on YouTube. Budd Schulberg??

I've seen bits and pieces, so to speak, of THE MANITOU. I reviewed TROG several years ago at our other home base, but don't remember what I wrote, lol.
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Bronxie, TROG is fun (heck, the second paring of a not-too-sober Joan and Michael Gough) but THE MANITOU fails in its potential with that goofy STAR WARS-wannabe wrap-up that seems as far out of left field as Tony Curtis appearing in the movie in the first place.
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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I like young Paul Newman. He's wicked, rebellious; pretty much Brando light. But more charming than the real thing! As for snakes in The Everglades, I guess it's true that enough people have released their pet pythons into the wild that now there are jungle snakes in North America! I didn't want to believe this, but it seems to be confirmed. Alaska is looking better all the time!
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Red,
You make me realize I should amend my previous comment a bit. Newman was at his youthful best in The Hustler (1961), which I saw again recently after a few decades. Great story with a helluva ensemble under Robert Rossen's direction. Newman was more than fine, but his later work really appealed to me more.


Bronxgirl,
At 3am the other night I was praying you also had insomnia and were all abuzz over The Swarm (1978) and it's all-star cast....well, at least they were stars before...when appearing in this they were just working actors looking for a project and a paycheck. Sad that this was Henry Fonda and Fred MacMurray's last film but pretty funny when Richard Widmark barks at the television showing the bees and when he picks up the flamethrower...well, not as funny as when more than one former Oscar nominee was in the train wreck (literally, not figuratively).
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Well, Moira, if one was suffering from insomnia THE SWARM was a pretty effective sleep-inducer. Saw the movie (with great anticipation) during its initial theatrical run - having read the Herzog novel, excited by the cast, and up to that point Irwin Allen's disaster movies hadn't yet struck out. Terrible film on almost every level from cornball dialogue to ridiculous special effects (no wonder the Medved boys dissed it in their "Worst Films" book), and my biggest movie disappointment since that awful 70's remake of KING KONG.

Sad that so many talented actors were sucked into this cinematic debacle (though poor Henry didn't fond much better when he agreed to appear in TENTACLES). Thing is, I can't decide where Irwin and his all-star cast fared worse: THE SWARM or WHEN TIME RAN OUT. And not to forget BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE.
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Newman was at his youthful best in The Hustler

His finest hour. And one of the best ensembles I've seen.
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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R.R. I agree. But don't overlook COOL HAND LUKE.

Or else what we got here's a failure to communicate . . .
RedRiver
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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"Luke" was the movie that made me a Newman fan. In fact, as a teen, it was my favorite movie!
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Bronxgirl48
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

Post by Bronxgirl48 »

moira, I missed THE SWARM this time around -- I know, hard to believe, lol, but I conked out on the couch unfortunately. Saw it a couple of years ago and did a review of sorts at our other Home, but, my memory being the sorry thing it is, don't remember in what forum or anything else.

I just love the screaming matches between Michael Caine and Richard Widmark.



Western Guy, it's pretty bizarre seeing Tony Curtis in THE MANITOU, but at least he's not playing the title role.
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Bronxie, I remember when THE MANITOU was released, Tony Curtis appeared to promote the movie on - I believe - it was The Mike Douglas Show, and he seemed to appear a leetle bit uncomfortable talking about his participation in the pic, almost cringing to say something positive along the lines that if the film was not horrifying it certainly was horrific. The Masterson book is pretty good and Michael Ansara (looking a bit like Jay Silverheels) adds some dignity to the proceedings, but as far as Tony is concerned, it was the beginning of his downward career spiral.

Bill Holden also made a television appearance when DAMIEN: OMEN II came out. He was a bit more cool, saying that he'd always wanted to appear in a horror film. Yet in the Bob Thomas biography, it was written that Holden turned down the role that Greg Peck played in the original THE OMEN, being quoted as saying: "I'm not going to appear in any picture where a wolf (sic) is the mother of a child." And apparently that decision cost Holden over a million dollars in salary and profit participation. Holden's earnings for the sequel were somewhat less impressive.
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Re: Bad Movies You Love

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Western Guy, I wonder if YouTube has any clips of Tony Curtis talking about THE MANITOU on the old Mike Douglas show, lol. As for Bill Holden, he could have helped his wildlife conservaton interests with all the money from the horror stuff, ha!

moira, I recorded VALENTINO. Heaven only knows what madness this Ken Russell outing will be -- Huntz Hall plays Jesse Lasky.
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