Category Archives: summer under the stars

Blogathons, baby, blogathons!

Posted on by under announcements, blogathon, character actors, summer under the stars

Blogathons, blogathons, blogathons! It seems like every classic movie blog on the web is hosting one in the next couple of months. And that is not a complaint–it’s fantastic to see the interest in classic films that such blogathons tend to generate and promote among movie fans. We told you about several upcoming events in our beginning-of-the-month announcements post, but two new blogathons have been added to the roster, and considering that one of them kicks off on August 1st, we want to help get the word out as soon as possible …

First up, two of our favorite bloggers (and prolific tweeters), “BiscuitKitten” Jill and “ScribeHard” Michael, are co-hosting a month-long blogathon to coincide with TCM”s annual Summer Under the Stars celebration. I’ll allow them to explain the premise behind this event:

“[Check out the] TCM Summer Under the Stars schedule for its entire 2012 run. Pick a movie … pick a star … pick a whole day … pick five … ten … whatever! This is a month-long blogathon and we want to showcase as many bloggers as many times as we can. And because your picks will coincide with their respective SUTS days, you can plan as far in advance as you need to.

Whether your medium is the written word, stories in pictures, video tributes, or even a simple haiku (see what Michael did there?), we want you to make the great Summer Under the Stars event even greater.”

As SUTS is one of our favorite times of the year here at True Classics, you know we are all over this one. All four of us will be posting something for this event (and some of us *coughBrandiecough* will be posting multiple somethings throughout the month).

There are a number of banners to choose from so you can publicize this event on your own site (including the one posted above with the front-and-center shot of Gene Kelly’s delectable ass–thanks, Jill and Michael!). You can find out more information on the blogathon’s Facebook page, and you can also follow the tcmSUTSblogathon feed on Twitter.

 

In September, three great bloggers/Twitter pals, Kellee (@IrishJayhawk66), Aurora (@CitizenScreen), and Paula (@Paula_Guthat), are co-hosting a celebration of character actors–those indelible supporting players who populate some of our favorite films. As they explain:

“[We] are dedicating an event to the great character actors that so enhanced our classic movies. To the faces, the laughs, the drama presented by these wonderful actors whose names all too often go unrecognized we dedicate WHAT A CHARACTER!

  • Would Casablanca be as great without the laughs provided by S. K. Sakall?
  • Would we want to look out Rear Window if not for the warnings of Thelma Ritter?
  • Can you measure how much Edward Everett Horton added to the fabulous Astaire/Rogers pictures?

We think these and so many others deserve their due. So, here we are with a blogathon in their honor.”

You can sign up any time between now and the time of the blogathon–just contact Kellee, Aurora, and/or Paula and let them know which character actor you would like to focus on! (But you can’t have Mary Wickes–she’s ours!)

These blogathons promise to present some great reading–are you signed up to participate in either one yet?

Success!

Posted on by under summer under the stars

August is winding down to a close, and Carrie and I met our goal … 31 days, and at least one recommendation per day. I don’t know about you, Carrie, but I’m frickin’ relieved it’s over!

We will be returning to a normal output of posts this month–by “normal,” I mean every other day, on average. We’re also instituting some new series this month for your reading pleasure, which you can read about here. We are really looking forward to delving into each of these, so make sure you check them out as they appear.

We’re also (always) looking for guest bloggers, so if you have an interesting post about anything classic films-related, please send it to us at trueclassicsblog at gmail dot com!

And, as ever, thanks for reading.

SUtS: Clint Eastwood

Posted on by under magnificent musicals, not a fan, summer under the stars

Our choice: Paint Your Wagon (1969)

Airing at 7:45AM EST

So, we’re just going to go ahead and say the thing you’re not really supposed to admit out loud: Brandie and I aren’t exactly Clint Eastwood fans. Important? Yes. Iconic? Doubtless. But we really just can’t get into the films. Sorry, Mr. Eastwood. I congratulate you on your success, but the films don’t do much for me. I may watch a few of them, just for culture.

(Brandie: “That picture above, though, is kinda changing my mind. Maybe I can force myself to sit through a couple of those early Westerns …”)

We picked Paint Your Wagon because the notion of Clint Eastwood doing this film is hilarious for anyone who has been around and paid any attention to film or popular culture ever. It’s a musical. It’s silly. I mean, Paint Your Wagon? It’s a long way from Dirty Harry. That’s funny. And I give Clint Eastwood props for versatility. I applaud you.

Plus, any time The Simpsons chooses to parody your film, it only makes us appreciate it more.

The other draw for me here (other than the fact that I enjoy musicals- why, yes, I am a geek) is Lee Marvin. I like Lee Marvin. I can’t see him without thinking of Cat Ballou, though. I haven’t reviewed Cat Ballou, but I’m sure I will before too long. For Lee Marvin fans, it’s the film where he finally got his more-than-deserved Oscar and dedicated the award to an intoxicated horse. (Yeah, you want to see it now, don’t you?)

So, I’ll probably DVR Paint Your Wagon, even though it doesn’t have an inebriated equine to speak of.

SUtS: Thelma Todd

Posted on by under classic pairings, hahas, summer under the stars

Brandie’s choice: Monkey Business (1931)

Airing at 8:00PM EST

Thelma Todd is somewhat overlooked today, as not many modern audiences remember her tragically short career. She died at the age of 29, having completed over 100 short-subject and feature-length pictures in the ten years between her debut in 1926 and her death in 1935.

Her death was surrounded by controversy and is still considered by some to be one of the great unsolved mysteries of Hollywood history. In December 1935, Todd was found in her car, her death ruled a suicide by carbon-monoxide poisoning. Conflicting reports resulted from the police investigation into Todd’s death; some acquaintances claimed she had been feeling depressed for some time, and still others firmly stated that Todd had been quite happy in the wake of an acrimonious divorce.

Whatever the cause of her death, whether intentional or not, the specter of her strange demise eclipsed attention to her rather prolific career, which is a shame. Todd was a wonderful actress, equally adept in comedy and drama (as demonstrated by her performance in the original 1931 film version of The Maltese Falcon, in which she portrayed Iva, Miles Archer’s devious wife). But her greatest success lay in divining laughs from her audience. Todd, a truly talented comedienne, held her own against some of her most manic and gifted male counterparts: Laurel and Hardy (see Carrie’s recommendation below), Charley Chase, Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and the Marx Brothers, her costars in my choice for today.

Monkey Business marks the third screen appearance of the Marx Brothers, and their first film from an original script. Their first two pictures, The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), were based on the brothers’ Broadway shows. Business was based on a screenplay written by S.J. Perelman and Will B. Johnstone, but the film features so much improvisation on the parts of Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo that assigning credit for certain parts of the script is a difficult task.

In the movie, the brothers play four stowaways on an ocean liner who are discovered by the irascible captain and his crew. After an extensive chase around the ship, the brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war, wherein Groucho and Zeppo are hired as bodyguards for one gangster, Briggs (whose wife, Lucille–played by Todd–is lusted after by Groucho), while Chico and Harpo are hired as bodyguards for his rival, Helton. As you can imagine, the typical Marx Brothers’ nuttiness ensues.

This movie is usually ranked among the brothers’ best work (though I am partial to Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera myself). And though Todd is not the brothers’ most memorable female foil–that title belongs to the inimitable Margaret Dumont–she is none the less effective playing against notorious scene-stealer Groucho. You won’t quickly forget the so-called “Ice Cream Blonde” once you’ve seen her in action.

By the by, this was not Thelma Todd’s only encounter with the Marx brand of craziness: she would go on to costar with the Marx Brothers again in the following year’s Horse Feathers.

Carrie’s choice: The Bohemian Girl (1936)

Airing at 2:00AM EST

This caught my eye because of the title. The plot is pretty fun too: the Count’s daughter is kidnapped and raised by gypsies, and doesn’t know about her noble birth. Thelma Todd plays the gypsy queen’s daughter, in her last role before her death in 1935.

It’s a pretty classic story. Little Arline has some pretty rotten luck, getting kidnapped and then later thrown in the dungeon for trespassing on what should be her own property. It’s a fairytale kind of story, and that’s always fun. But it isn’t the same fairytale again, and there is certainly plenty of misfortune in this one, which could be why Disney hasn’t picked it up yet.

It has to be a fun movie. I mean, check out the costumes:

Straight out of a storybook. It’s classic on several levels, which adds to the levels of appeal.

Nobility, gypsies, secrets, errors… it has all the great plot twists we crave. Starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (oh yes…), along with Thelma Todd, it promises to be quite a movie. And by quite a movie, I mean quite a crazy movie. I’d be disappointed otherwise. I mean, just look at the poster. We all need a little comedic tragedy, or tragic comedy, or just plain insanity in our lives. However, this one plays at 2:00 am, so unless you’re a member of the late-night club, you might want to DVR it. I am!

SUtS: Henry Fonda

Posted on by under drama, from stage to screen, lit adaptations, loving lucy, order in the court, summer under the stars

Carrie’s choice: Twelve Angry Men (1957)

Airing at 10:00PM EST

This movie is special in its casting as well as its structure. I love this movie. I love the play–really, I love the concept. I actually saw the remake (with George C. Scott) first, mostly in passing. Then I saw this version. To be honest, I love them both.

You’ll also see this one quoted all over the place. Pauly Shore uses the film directly in his parody Jury Duty. He stands, watching a Henry Fonda monologue, and quotes it to another juror within the context of a film already parodying this story. You’ll also see aspects of this deliberation in other courtroom dramas, such as My Cousin Vinny. The very popular gimmick of the witness who needs glasses but wasn’t wearing them at the moment of the crime (or an attempt at this, such as in My Cousin Vinny) all come from this plot.

The cast in the Fonda version is fantastic. The voice of Piglet, Barney Rubble, and other VIPs join Henry Fonda in this drama. There is something very special about this particular film, and that is the way it formats itself: almost the entire film takes place in a single room. The play is written this way. No scene changes. It just goes. This adds continuity to the action, adds to the feeling of being stuck in a hot jury room.

Not only is the story more continuous, but now the drama is, too. The actors can really let the tension and drama build and increase the natural flow of deliberative conversation that a more interrupted structure allows. Add this to the all-star cast and you have the makings of a really impressive drama.

Henry Fonda is the only juror not fully convinced that the young defendant in a murder trial is guilty.  He pulls the other eleven jurors into a long deliberation to determine whether or not the young boy is truly guilty. The other side of courtroom dramas, this is the drama behind the jury room doors. If you are a big fan of the criminal justice shows (like me–I’m a bit of a junkie), you’ll love this film. Mystery crime drama in the raw at it’s most human and dramatic.

Brandie’s choice: The Big Street (1942)

Airing at 3:30AM EST

I love me some Henry Fonda. My three favorite films of his are The Lady Eve (1941), in which he is so brilliant as the hapless straight man caught in Barbara Stanwyck’s storm (don’t let anybody tell you he had the easier role in that movie); Jezebel (1938), in which he plays Bette Davis’ long-suffering, society-controlled fiance; and Carrie’s recommendation above, the courtroom drama to beat all courtroom dramas.

Fonda’s strengths on screen lay in his ability to reflect the everyman. The strong, silent type, his stalwart presence was a comforting one to audiences of the 30s and 40s. In films like 1939′s Young Mr. Lincoln and 1940′s The Grapes of Wrath, Fonda produced heartfelt, indelible performances that lifted spirits and elicited empathy from audiences.

The movie I’m recommending to you today is not one of Fonda’s better-known roles, nor is it one of his most indelible performances. It’s a quiet little drama, and he’s a quiet, steadying force in the role. But the film really belongs to his costar, Lucille Ball, in what is likely the best dramatic screen performance of her career.

As anyone with a television and a lick of sense knows, Lucille Ball was–and still is, in many ways–the queen of comedy. There have been many to follow, but few (Carol Burnett, Mary Tyler Moore) come within even a hairsbreadth of her talent. But the Lucy most of us know and remember is not the Lucy who first sought to make her name in films. Initially, Ball sought to make her name as a dramatic actress.

She met with varying success. Though it’s obvious to modern viewers where Lucy’s talents lay–almost squarely in the world of comedy–studio heads seemingly could not decide where she belonged, ultimately trying her in a wide number of roles, from musicals (DuBarry Was a Lady, in which her singing voice was dubbed), to light comedic drama (1937′s Stage Door), to screwball comedy (The Affairs of Annabel). Except in the roles in which her rubber-faced hilarity was allowed to shine through, Lucy virtually disappears on screen; she’s just another moon-eyed actress trying to feign distress or sympathy or heartbreak.

But as her career entered its second decade, and Lucy began to make a name for herself as the so-called “Queen of the Bs” (as in B-pictures), she began to develop her acting chops on her own. And under the tutelage of silent screen great Buster Keaton, Lucy’s comedic chops began to blossom. But judging by her filmography, there was obviously still some part of her that sought a credible dramatic role. She finally found it in The Big Street.

The film is based on Damon Runyon’s short story “Little Pinks.” Fonda plays the titular character of Little Pinks, a busboy who is in love with a selfish showgirl, Gloria (Ball). When Gloria is injured by her gangster boyfriend, Pinks stays by her side, helping to support her after she is crippled. Gloria’s vain inability to see beyond her own needs leads her to take advantage of Pinks’ devotion, and she demands that he help her snare a millionaire husband. The helpless Pinks agrees, taking Gloria to Miami and exhausting himself–and his goodwill toward the young woman–just to secure her happiness.

Though The Big Street marks a highlight of her career, Ball had some trouble on the set, mainly due to the fact that she and Fonda had previously dated (they’d made a film together in 1935, I Dream Too Much). The aloof Fonda was none too quick to help ease Ball’s nervousness, and to compound the trouble, her new husband, Desi Arnaz, reportedly refused to leave the set for fear that Fonda would try to cozy up to Lucy again. And beyond that, Lucy was in mourning for dear friend Carole Lombard, who had recently died and had recommended Lucy for the part. But there’s no shadow of conflict or sorrow on the screen. Fonda and Ball work well together, and in fact they would star together once more, after Lucy had arguably become the bigger star, in 1968′s Yours, Mine and Ours.

SUtS: Peter O’Toole

Posted on by under 5-star films, epic epics, hahas, summer under the stars, they made movies after 1970?

Carrie’s choice: My Favorite Year (1982)

Airing at 10:00AM EST

Let’s lighten things up a little, shall we? In My Favorite Year (or My Favourite Year, as it was also billed), Peter O’Toole plays Alan Swann, a contemporary idol. A drunk. A womanizer. A guest on an upcoming variety show for TV. Oh dear. Benjy Stone is charged with keeping Alan Swann in line, and especially on time. Poor Benjy.

So, we’re getting back to the lighter side of life after a few darker posts over the past few days.  Alan and Benjy have a lot of adventures for our amusement, although it’s been said they learn a few things from each other, too. Isn’t that nice.

It’s also versatile: It’s a movie! It’s a musical! It’s been redone on stage (although I doubt with this exact horse scene, shown below):

This just speaks volumes.

A little later than many TCM pieces, this film from 1982 is pretty notable, nominated for a number of awards and several wins. And why not? After all, Peter O’Toole is in it. I probably don’t have to say too much more about it.

Brandie’s choice: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Airing at 8:00PM EST

I’m copping out again with today’s recommendation. I know, I know. I suck. But I have two (hopefully valid) excuses: first, things have been freaking busy as all get out this week; and second, I wanted to recommend this film more than any other on today’s schedule even though I’ve written a recommendation previously.

So check out this entry from earlier this year to see just why Lawrence of Arabia is a must-see-immediately movie, and make sure you catch it or set those DVRs.

SUtS: Olivia de Havilland

Posted on by under 5-star films, best.films.ever., brandie's faves, drama, summer under the stars

Brandie’s choice: The Heiress (1949)

Airing at 8:00PM EST

Since time has gotten away from me this week, I won’t be able to write a full recommendation for my second choice for today, 1946′s To Each His Own. So I will refer you to a review I wrote earlier this summer for my very favorite de Havilland flick (after Gone With the Wind, of course), The Heiress. Make sure you watch both of these movies: there’s a reason de Havilland won two well-deserved Oscars for these roles.

Carrie’s choice: The Snake Pit (1948)

Airing at 12:15AM EST

Why am I recommending this movie? Because Brandie said so.

Kidding. Mostly.

It’s pretty much a natural one for me, and I do completely intend to watch it. The psych geek in me can’t help herself. Yes, I’m a psychology geek, in case the perspectives in many (okay, okay, most) of my posts haven’t given it away by now.

Olivia de Havilland plays the sympathetic character in a semi-popular (at least in classic film) type of film where a woman endures a mental institution in some way. I’m not going to elaborate much more on the plot. I’m waiting, too.  However, I say a popular plot structure, because it is (was). Consider Bedlam, actually classified as a horror, but even though I’m not a big fan of modern horror, I liked this pretty well. A woman, hoping to help those in an asylum gets committed herself. Cold, I know. Suddenly, Last Summer, based on the play by Tennessee Williams has a young woman declared insane and the rantings of her story- actually shows the use of lobotomy and the environment of the hospital, something typically not done in the stage productions.  Hitchcock was unique with Spellbound because the “crazy” person was not actually the woman, although she began to feel she was. And other films, such as Gaslight capitalize on women feeling or being interpreted as insane, irrational, or otherwise mentally incompetent.

Interesting, isn’t it? Why did they do  this? Because they were telling a truth. For years, and even now some people still insist on an irrationality specific to women. It has a long history- since the Enlightenment era, in fact. It worked itself into the great mysteries and revolutions in mental health understanding and treatment. Insanity and the insanity of women became simultaneously romanticized and demonized. The prolific themes of these movies, even subtle ones speak to a culture and era and writers and artists trying to explore it. Some of them do so beautifully, while others may miss their marks a bit. But that is exploration.

These films demand something rather special of the actresses who perform in them, and it is my experience that many of these actresses do quite a job of it. It’s a very particular style that takes quite a lot to sell, and even more to draw in the audience and become demonized or sympathetic, as the scene or film may require. It’s unlike any other form of acting in much the same way, even in such films today. If it doesn’t work, it simply doesn’t work. So I say, extra kudos to these actors and actresses for making this work and expressing such a hidden part of human nature. It’s certainly not an easy thing to dig up and find.

That said, I’m looking forward to seeing this contribution to the film theme, era, and almost genre. Like the last post, I wouldn’t expect it to be so much feel-good as interesting, and hopefully very honest.

SUtS: Lee Remick

Posted on by under drama, summer under the stars

Brandie’s choice: A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Airing at 8:00PM EST

If your only familiarity with Andy Griffith is as Sheriff Andy of Mayberry, or the crusading Ben Matlock, then you are in for a rude awakening with this film.

Andy’s a bad, bad boy. And a damn fine actor.

The film stars Griffith as “Lonesome Rhodes,” a folksy country singer discovered by radio reporter Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal) as he sits in jail after being arrested for public drunkenness. She puts him on the air, where he becomes an immediate hit, and as his popularity grows, Marcia follows along as Rhodes becomes a true media hit. Against her better judgment, Marcia falls in love with Rhodes, whose real personality is coarse, crude, and offensive. But as Rhodes becomes a powerful media figure, influencing elections, consumerism, and public opinion while denouncing his loyal audience as “sheep” in private, Marcia slowly realizes that she has created a monster.

This film marks Lee Remick’s debut; she plays the young baton-twirler, Betty Lou, with whom Rhodes elopes, breaking Marcia’s heart.

The movie also features Walter Matthau as the educated young writer out to expose Rhodes’ true nature. There are also several cameos from notable news and entertainment personalities of the day, including Walter Winchell, Mike Wallace, Betty Furness, and Burl Ives.

Face is one of the best satires ever produced about the evils of fame and the far-reaching influence of celebrity. And because of this, it remains a highly relevant movie today, particularly in our modern society where celebrity is valued and salivated over, where people are famous simply for being famous (hello, Kardashian family). Not only that, the film’s underlying warnings about the dangers of the demagogue should be taken to heart by some of the more fervent of the pundits overflowing from the airwaves (in fact, Keith Olbermann sometimes refers to Fox News loudmouth Glenn Beck as “Lonesome Rhodes Beck” … it’s an apt comparison, but Olbermann could very well be painted with the same brush, too, a fact he either ignores or refuses to accept).

Prepare to be creeped out by seeing jolly Andy Taylor act like (for lack of a better term) a total douchebag. Like me, though, I think you’ll be impressed with the range he displays in this role. He’s much more than his television personas. See for yourself tonight!

Carrie’s choice: Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

Airing at 1:30AM EST

When I hear “Jack Lemmon” I typically think “comedy.”  Let’s face, he’s brilliant at it, However, he teams up with Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses and it’s, well, not a comedy.

Meet an alcoholic. He meets a girl with a chocolate addition. She develops addition to alcohol. Now married to each other, alcohol becomes a problem. Here is the story of them trying to recover from alcoholism.

Quite a tagline

This film, though I haven’t seen it, has the potential to have a lot of heart, a lot of truth, and/or be blown out of proportion. I’m inclined to gamble on a lot of truth. This sort of thing does happen outside of the movies, and that makes it part of a rather unique genre. This film makes a comment, a statement. Whether or not you like the statement, I don’t know- I don’t know if I’ll even agree with it, not having seen it. Approach, approach, approach, I say.

That said, with this cast, it can’t be bad. Well done, this has the makings of rather brilliant social, psychological, and relational commentary. Considering the cast, I expect the film to be quite well done. But this isn’t going to be a happy or feel good film, but more a passing of the Days of Wine and Roses into a harsh reality. It’s a love story in a completely different sort of way. It’s raw. It’s possibly uncomfortable. It’s eerily human. Don’t expect this to be a go-down easy film, but I recommend giving it a try.