Comments on: If I Were Guest Programmer . . .

By: Al Lowe

Al Lowe — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:59:51 +0000

I was getting tired of the story of Moose Malloy and his beloved Velma.
I had read and reread FAREWELL MY LOVELY when a young man and had seen MURDER MY SWEET on TV about six times.
That may be why I wasn’t too impressed when I saw the movie version in 1975.
Among my huge movie collection was the VHS of the Mitchum film. I had forgotten I owned it. That’s the only time I ever did that!
I watched the movie again last night and discovered that I was wrong. It is a fine film.
Like the original Raymond Chandler source it is excellent in conveying atmosphere. Chandler really knew his California.
The casting and acting are excellent. It was nice to see John Ireland with a good role. And, of course, Mitchum is superb.
Unlike Dashiell Hammett, Chandler was never great on plot. But the movie makes the creaky plot work. It was released after CHINATOWN and both show a corrupt California.
Regarding Hammett, it is worth mentioning that the Maltese Falcon really existed. There really was such a thing. Hammett had discovered this through research. I don’t know if it was still around in Hammett’s day, though.

By: s.w.a.c.

s.w.a.c. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:54:10 +0000

If I was going to pick four Mitchums, one of them would have to be a western, probably Pursued, a noir-ish oater directed by Raoul Walsh, very moody with a nuanced Mitchum performance as a Civil War veteran returning home to a heap o’ trouble. The vaguely incestuous plot (he’s got the hots for his stepsister) and James Wong Howe behind the camera are added bonuses.

I’ve got an old VHS of The Locket that someone recorded off cable years ago, I should get around to watching that (it shares a tape with The High Wall, a forgotten Robert Taylor noir that contains one of his better performances), and a DVD of The Story of GI Joe that I haven’t given a spin yet either.

In his early days, Mitchum shot a picture in my hometown titled Corvette K-225, which I was lucky enough to catch on the History Channel (I haven’t come across it since), with Randolph Scott in the lead as the commander of one of the sturdy WWII ships (parts of it were even shot of the campus of my university). I think Mitchum has all of two lines in the picture, but I once met an older gent who worked on that film as one of the local drivers, and got to hang out with Bob and go drinking with him, since he had a fair bit of downtime between scenes. Talk about being jealous…

We almost share a birthday too (he’s Aug. 6, I’m Aug. 7). No wonder he’s my favourite.

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:10:16 +0000

TO OTHERS, PLEASE ALSO JOIN-IN & PICK YOUR OWN “GP” FAVS!?

Another filmmaker/cinephile,etc Peter Bogdanovich’s top films:
(P.S. He was even an “Essentials’ co-host with; Osborne.
& was lucky enough to know his own Idols> Hawks, *Ford-(see the 1971 docu.), *Welles & Hitchcok!!!

His favourite picks:
“Red River”(l948)(used in his superb ‘71 “Last Picture Show”)
“The Quiet Man” (l952)
“The Magnificent Ambersons” (l942) (RKO)
& “Vertigo”

& the late great maybe finest ever critic & even co-wrote: “A. Queen” & “Night of the Hunter”
James Agee-(l909-l955)
“City Lights” (l93l) (UA-actually filmed at *Chaplin’s own “Dream Factory” near La Brea Tar Pits & still all intact!)
“Treasure of the Sierra Madre”-(Among *Hopkins upcoming pix)
&”The Godfather”
& his Idol: *Charles (Spencer)Chaplin (l889-l977)

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:55:47 +0000

Almost 4-got. He used to call then boss/mogul: Howard Hughes “The Phantom’ on account of rarely if ever seeing the man?
Hughes by around that time had 1 too-many plane crashes-(the last in ‘46 directly into B. Hills!) & eventually sold RK0 to DesiLu-(Desi Arnaz & Lucille Ball) in ‘55.

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:52:43 +0000

Mitchum only had a couple pot joints in his pocket on that Hollywood evening around 1948. But, he thought his career was over, until RKO Radio had about 7-9 flix of his yet to be released. But, the poor lady-(a B-movie actress) that had this party did suffer from it & her career was OVER!

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:49:27 +0000

(TRIVIA: For the TCM-ITE that listed: Doris Day-(l924-) she was actually the annual Box-0ffice champ for 1960, ‘62, ‘63 & 1964

Plus, saw a recent shot of the reclusive star & she’s really gained a lotta’ lbs! Could barely recognize her actually. Plus, the infamous Charles Manson & gang-(in 1969) actually went to Benedict Canyon-(Cielo Drive-(now gone) to kill her son-(a record producer that turned down Manson) & not Sharon Trate,etc!
& even more is the fact that: Steve (“King of Cool”) McQueen-(l930-80) & wife were invited to the address, but got into another nasty fight with her & took off on his bike instead that tragic evening in August! When he read the papers that morning he really freaked & then started collecting guns.

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:58:44 +0000

By the way when he was somewhat pressed on his own favourite of his some 97 films, Mitchum tended to say 1957’s “Heaven Knows Mr. Allison”

He was on David Letterman’s show then on NBC around the late 1980’s & not only picked it, but Letterman played a tune from an album he did & asked about an alledged $5,000 barbill that both he & *”The Duke: John Wayne” once ran-up. Bob denied it, but spoke of *Wayne when loaded, and falling over like the a large building!
& he broke many bones when filming 1951’s “His Kind of Woman” until the stuntmen reminded him it was their job.

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:52:26 +0000

PLEASE EXCUSE SLOPPINESS ON ABOVE ITEM-(need an edit button here folks)

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:51:09 +0000

A few critics/filmmakers top picks>

*Martin Scorsese
“The Searchers” “Duel in the Sun” “The Heiress” & “The Red Shoes”

Roger Ebert’s
“Kane” “The Third Man” “Notorious” “Taxi Driver”-(P.S. You’ll like this one, his Idol is MITCHUM!)

The late: Gene Siskel-(l946-l999) when prssed would generally pick: “Dr. Strangelove”

Leonard Maltin’s
*”Casablanca” “The Maltese Falcon”-(not the Ricardo Cortez version) “Kane” “Singin’ In the Rain”

*Clint Eastwood
*”How Green Was My Valley”-(voted for it in “AFI’s 100yrs…100 Movies” 2007 poll)

& a few yrs ago our own Mt. 0sborne even posted his wothin the forums-(under an alias)
“A Place in the Sun” “Singin’ in the Rain” “Gunga Din” “Red River”-(though as he told Stanley Donen 1/2 of his top 10 were his flix)

By: myidolspencer

myidolspencer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:42:07 +0000

(*-Indicates OSCAR) GREAT GUNS SUZIE! A topic I’ve long been fascinated with and your marvelous stuff on; Robert Mitchum only adds to it all.
(NOTE: You must get the TCM Book or Books: “The Top 50 Leading Men of the Golden Age/Studio-System” (Molly Haskell and a forward by R. 0sborne) & it’s companion pc “Leading Actresses” (same author)
They have a great section on Mitchum in there as well.

Think you know he-(& *Rod Steiger) turned down *”Patton”

I’ve yet to see “Adrian Messenger” though & terrific in citing past “GP’s”
I have everything movie related on file & if you want, I have just about every “Guest Programmer” Hugh Hefner, Buck Henry, Liz Smith & many others
on file. & can let you know a lot of ‘em?

As for *Sir Anthony Hopkins I personally rank him the finest living actor & his fav. performer/star is: *Bogie.

(4 STARS TO TCM FOR GETTING HIM!!!)

My own pix if ever a “GP”
(limited to time of course):
*”The Godfather” (l972)-(3hrs)
“Captains Courageous” (l937)-(2hrs)-(my A #1 of my A #1 Idol *”The Great; Spencer Tracy”)
“Splendor in the Grass” (l96l)-(2hrs)-(obviously a personal choice)
(Runner-Up):
“Some Came Running” (l958)

As most likely know reading this it was last March when TCM had 15 “Fan Programmers”-(many from the forums Mongo, Lynn,etc) on the air to select their own favs. as pt of it’s #15th Anniversary

& this is 1 that can literally keep rolling

THANX