Let's watch...BEACH PARTY (1963)

OK, when I was younger like around 13 or 14, this cable channel would air certain movies every summer. Beach films like Gidget and the beach films starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello were some of them. I would anxiously await them each and every summer. 

The first beach film was simply titled Beach Party (1963) and it introduced the whole gang to audiences everywhere back then and again in the 80's on TV. 


An anthropologist named Robert Orville Sutwell (Robert Cummings) is secretly studying the "wild mating habits" of Southern California teenagers who hang out at the beach and use strange surfing jargon. After he temporarily paralyzes Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), the leader of the local motorcycle gang, who was making unwanted advances on Dolores (Annette Funicello), Dolores develops a crush on the Professor. Her surfing boyfriend Frankie (Frankie Avalon), the local Big Kahuna, becomes jealous and begins flirting with Ava (Eva Six), a Hungarian waitress. Meanwhile, Sutwell's assistant Marianne (Dorothy Malone..what a treat it is to see her in this film) further develops her crush on the Professor. Von Zipper and his gang plot to bring down Sutwell, only to be thwarted in the end by the surfing teenagers.

Kissee kissee

So a lot happens in this entertaining film. And it was the first of many in a very successful series during the 60's.  So successful in fact that Avalon and Funicello got pigeon holed in these roles and could never achieve success anywhere else. Still they were diverting and fun films that made them household names.


Notes:


Released mid summer of 1963 on July 14th


Followed by four more sequels: Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), Pajama Party (1964), and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965).


Annette was 20 years old when cast in this film and Frankie was 23.

Just cruising down the highway

http://youtu.be/nkhGmZPJIHY

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Let's Go to the beach!

The gang's all here for some summer fun!

For the month of July, the theme me and Irene have decided on is summer beach films. You know the films where the boys chase the girls or vice versa...or the family goes on a family outing ala Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. Most of the well known beach films came out during the 60's so a lot of our posts will deal with those films. But we will also have posts showcasing films not all about the beach, but perhaps showing an iconic moment or scene that takes place at the beach ala From Here To Eternity. It's still early and we're doing this by the seat of our pants, so please check into Let The Show Begin all month long. It should be a blast.

Count our lucky stars

Monty

The Show will go on...

 The old.....

 The new...

Some may be wondering what is going on here. Where are the posts? Where is the fun loving writing of Miss Irene Palfy and Monty? I'm here to tell ya, we're still here. Just so busy with tons of other blogs and stuff. I had talked to Irene about the theme for this month being all about Dark Shadows, since the new movie has just come out. I think we are still thinking about it. Irene saw the movie the other day and loved it. I intend to see it this weekend hopefully. I remember watching the original series on TV when it was being shown in repeats during the late 80's. Loved it. We could post about that series and the new updated film. We still have plenty of time this month. So don't give up on us yet, me and Irene are still here. The show will go on!

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Let's watch.. .. LILIES OF THE FIELD (1963)

Excellent film with Sidney Poitier in an Oscar winning performance as Homer Smith, an ex-GI now traveling contractor. Homer is making his way through a small town in Arizona when his car overheats. He pulls into a place and encounters a group of East German Catholic nuns led by the strict Mother Superior Maria (Lilia Skala). All Homer wants is some water for his radiator but he ends up staying at the request of Mother Maria to help out around the place. And when Mother Maria asks him to build a chapel cause she thinks God has sent him for that task, Homer reluctantly agrees. Lilies of the Field is a wonderful film mixing drama with some humor and a great performance by Mr. Poitier. I used to think Sidney's best acting work was in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. I stand corrected, Lilies is by far his best work and he deservedly was named Best Actor for 1963. He makes Homer such an engaging character that most people can identify with. And all the actresses portraying the nuns give worthy performances also. Lilies is a small but immensely enjoyable film. One of the best scenes in the film is when Homer teaches the nuns how to sing an old time church hymn called Amen. It's heavenly, rousing, and funny all at once. A great music score by Jerry Goldsmith is a plus also. Add this to Poitier's list of films that he made in the 1960's and you have one of the best stretches of film acting ever delivered. His other films during this period include A Raisin in the Sun (1961); The Bedford Incident (1965); To Sir, With Love (1967); Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967); and In The Heat Of The Night (1967). All equally impressive films during a six year span. And Lilies is right up there with them.

Check out this wonderful scene from a wonderful film..
 http://youtu.be/rn6w255CGkk

My Favorite Gene Tierney Films...or lack thereof

I love making lists of my favorite films of my fave actors/actresses. And usually the only problem I have is deciding which to rank higher or lower because of the quantity I have seen of said person. Well that's not the case when it comes to our star of the month, Gene Tierney. In fact it is the opposite. I haven't really seen enough of her work to make a long enough list. But I have seen four of her films that I think are just awesome. In fact I have only seen 5 of her films total with one being a stinker. To me anyway...The Shanghai Gesture. But let's not dwell on the bad. Let's talk about the good Gene ok?

First we have The Razor's Edge (1946) which I just happenstance to see a few weeks ago. Irene was kind of enough to post about this film and let me know how good it was. I saw it for myself and she was right, it was amazing. Loaded with an all-star cast in Gene, Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb, Lucile Watson, Herbert Marshall, Elsa Lanchester and John Payne. Gene's character Isabel is not an easy person to like. She is quite mean and does some questionable things. But Gene delivers a solid performance. I can't wait to see this film again.

Is Gene not drop dead gorgeous?

Also from 1946 is Leave Her To Heaven, which allows Gene to really work her skill as a top actress as Ellen Berent Harland, a socialite who loves her husband..just a tad too much. Bordering on obsessive. A powerhouse performance by Gene for this one and she looks absolutely stunning in glorious color. 

One of my favorite roles Gene did is Lucy Muir

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) allowed Gene a much more different character from the previous two films. Her Lucy Muir, a recent widow who moves to a seaside cottage who encounters a ghost (Rex Harrison). Gene has a plum role here as Lucy, as she gets several comedic and dramatic moments in this lovely film.

Sharing the screen with Vincent Price

And finally, one of my absolute favorite films of all time is Laura (1944). Now I don't want to give away any details of this great film noir film because it's better to go in not knowing anything about it. I will say while it is a top notch film, I don't think it is Gene's best film in which she shines. You will understand when you watch it. Don't get me wrong..she is good, but she is much better in the three films I talked about above. But she is backed by one strong cast in Laura. With the likes of Dana Andrews, Vincent Price, Clifton Webb and Judith Anderson.


So there you have it, my little post on the sadly small amount of Gene Tierney films I have seen. Maybe by next year this time, I will come back and will have watched a few more.

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Gene Tierney makes it three in a row

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Gene won again in the favorite classic movie tourney over on my main blog, All Good Things. She knocked off Lauren Bacall 53-45 for her third straight win. Add Bacall to the list of the other actresses she has beaten including top seed Vivien Leigh and Greer Garson. Gene has proven that she is certainly popular enough among fans to compete with the elite. Congrats Gene and here's to you and your continued success in the tourney.

My apologies...

I had written a nice little post about Gene Tierney. Well just some facts about her and for whatever reason Blogger was acting crappy and showed everything I wrote in highlights. I tried to edit it and it kept coming up as the same horrid typeface. Irked me big time. And I was getting tired and cranky because it wouldn't let me do what I wanted to do. So I said forget it and just thought about winging it. Just doing a post on why I love Gene Tierney. So here goes. Now while I may not have seen a lot of her movies, the ones I have seen, she is amazing. And I'm not just talking about her physical beauty, which is stunning to say the least. But her acting ability was never given a fair shake I think. To those who think Gene can't act, I say check her out in The Razor's Edge (which I finally saw for the very first time a few weeks ago) or Leave Her To Heaven (which I think is the first time I saw Gene in a film...back during the AMC days when I was watching and recording everything on VHS). Oh and let's not forget about The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. This may be my favorite performance of Gene. She is determined and very witty. I love her in this film. I know some classic film and star fans may not put Gene in the upper tier rankings with Bette, Katharine, Ingrid or others but I do think she can be mentioned in the company of those aforementioned women. Well I will talk about her. And let everyone know she is one of my favorites. Ok, that's my little post about Gene. Like I said nothing too fancy just something I wanted to say. Thanks for listening. And on with the show!

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Congrats to Gene Tierney

Congratulations to Gene Tierney for her hard fought first round victory over Greer Garson 40-35 in the 40's era of the favorite classic movie actress tourney. The two battled back and forth for the entire three days before Gene was able to finally secure the win. Gene will now move on to round 2 next week where she will face top seed and last year's final four finalist Vivien Leigh. It will be a tall order for Gene to take down Scarlett O'Hara but I'm in her corner. Let's go Gene! Here's the link to go vote for that era: rosalind-russell: Dazzling Star

Let's watch... CAMILLE (1936)

No doubt a star vehicle for Greta Garbo who works her magic as the doomed Parisian courtesan who loves the young Duval (played by Robert Taylor) but leaves him at the bequest of Duval's father. Later she is stricken with illness and Duval comes back. Tragic tear-jerker that benefits from the great performance of Garbo. Pure excellence. This is my second favorite Garbo film. I only like her screwball comedy Ninotchka more. But Camille is by far my favorite of her dramatic films. She just makes her acting seem so effortless and not acting at all. And Camille is one of my top 5 favorite romantic films of all time. So if you have never seen it, please try to find it somewhere and watch it. It comes highly recommended by me.

Notes:

 Greta Garbo's personal favorite of all her films.

The only memento of Hollywood kept by Garbo was a pair of Adrian-designed kid gloves from this film. White leather, they were beaded with an ivy leaf pattern than spelled out her initials "G.G." over and over.

Garbo wore bedroom slippers under all her fancy dresses so she could be comfortable, as well as more naturalistic in her acting.

Count Our Lucky Stars

Monty

Let's watch... I LOVE YOU, MAN (2009)

OK, I know me and Irene usually write about classic stars and movies but every now and then it's nice to write about some modern films. Since February is all about romantic movies, I wanted to write about one of the funniest ones I have seen in recent years: I Love You, Man.

Hilarious comedy about real estate agent Peter (Paul Rudd) proposing to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones) and then realizing he has no male friends to be his best man. So Peter goes through a series of man dates set up by his mom and brother but to no avail. Along comes Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) who doesn't actually appear until about 30 minutes into the movie, but once he does Segel gives the movie a nice kick and the laughs become more frequent and hilarious. I really loved this movie. A kind of laid back story with several engaging characters and wonderful performances. The three leads are all great and work well together Paul Rudd is likable and goofy; Jason Segel comes across as aloof but actually makes a lot of sense and Rashida Jones is a revelation as she makes Zooey smart and sexy. The supporting cast is also super including Jamie Pressly and Jon Favreau as a bickering married couple; JK Simmons as Peter's dad; Andy Samberg as Peter's brother; Sarah Burns as Zooey's best friend Hailey and a dry but funny cameo by The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferringo. I love You, Man is a sweet sometimes raunchy, but enjoyable comedy. For couples, singles, men or women. Everyone will enjoy this one. Also RUSH appears for a brief scene and they rock! AWESOME! I'm slapping da bass man. You have to see the movie to get that quote. I'll just say Paul Rudd had me laughing when he says it like 20 times.

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Denise: Oh my God, Hailey, why must everything always be about you? Hailey: Because I'm single.

Zooey and Peter

Sydney and Peter

The trio playing some golf

Sydney and Peter taking a stroll on the board walk

Zooey

Denise, Zooey and Hailey

Sydney

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Waterloo Bridge (1940) is my favorite romance film...ever!

Waterloo Bridge was the first film Ms. Leigh made after the hugely successful Gone With The Wind. And most people were wondering how could she ever follow-up her performance as Scarlett O'Hara from that film. I mean Scarlett O'Hara is one of the most known characters in the world and Leigh was phenomenal. How could she do anything that would come close to matching that amazing performance. Well, just behold her in Waterloo Bridge as English ballet dancer Myra Lester and she is simply wonderful. Set in England during World War 1, Myra is part of a ballet company that is run by the tyrannical Madame Olga, who is so strict on her girls, that you think they were training for combat. Anyway one fateful night Myra meets Captain Roy Cronin (the always charming Robert Taylor and it's love at first sight. They meet on the Waterloo Bridge.

After a whirlwind romance Roy is called to the front line right before he and Myra are to be married. Once that happens Madame Olga kicks Myra from the ballet company for missing a performance. Myra's best friend Kitty (a sassy Virgina Field) sticks up for her and gets lets go as well. So these two young women are now broke and jobless trying to survive. What makes matters worse, Myra reads the newspaper one day and thinks Roy was killed in combat. Of course it's not true, but she thinks it is. Actually he's been captured by the Germans. So Myra ends up joining her friend Kitty as a street-walker/ prostitute. Myra believing she has lost the love of her life just drifts and drifts, not caring about relationships anymore.

Then one fateful day at Waterloo Station, Myra is there looking to pick out a returning soldier, when Roy comes home and both are shocked to see one another. It's been over a year since they last saw each other. They quickly embrace and plan to get married once again. Of course Roy wants Myra to meet his family in Scotland and Myra accepts and goes with him. But she is torn as to when to tell Roy about her dark past. She eventually confides to Roy's mother, Lady Margaret (a terrific Lucile Watson) and leaves Roy the next morning saying she can't marry him.

Racing home to London, Roy is frantic to find Myra and goes to find Kitty who finally tells him the secret life she and Myra have been leading. He is shocked but still wants to find her. They scour the whole city and can't find her. Myra is actually at the Waterloo Bridge, sad and lonely, wishing things had went another way. I won't ruin the ending for those who have never seen this film, but let's just say it's very emotional. I thought Vivien Leigh was magnificent as Myra. Her performance is more subdued than her Scarlett role, but it is just as good and award worthy. She goes from happy to confused to sad to quirky to dramatic, all in one film with such ease. I would have easily given her another Best Actress award for her performance here. She is just amazing to watch and I now see more than just as Scarlett O'Hara. And she just looks so beautiful. The scene where she is standing by the church doors waiting on Roy and the pastor is worth the price of admission alone. She looks directly at the camera and you're hypnotized by her beauty.

As for the supporting cast, Taylor is charming and romantic as usual. Virgina Field as Kitty gets most of the best lines in the film. Lucile Watson is quite good as Lady Margaret. And Maria Ouspenskaya is unbelievably stern as Madame Olga. Waterloo Bridge is now one of my favorite films of all time. A heart-breaking film, but also an amazing film. One of the best.
B+

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Photo Of The Day: Romance in the winter-time

Just a photo to get our romance month started......and what better pic than of this since it's winter time most everywhere in the world and this is my fave Fred and Ginger movie!

Fred and Ginger in Swing Time

Count Our Lucky Stars

Monty

My Favorite Humphrey Bogart Films

As we wrap up this month of all things Humphrey Bogart, I made a list of  my favorite films of Mr. Bogart.
So here they are, counting down from 1 to 10.

1. THE BIG SLEEP (1946) Hands down my favorite Bogart film! EVER!

2. HIGH SIERRA (1941) Classic film noir with Bogie at his best.

3. THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936) Bogie owns this film from the moment he walks onto the screen.

4. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) The first pairing with him and Lauren Bacall. Pure movie magic!

5. THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (1940) Great film with a great cast in Bogie, George Raft, Ida Lupino, and
Ann Sheridan.

6. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) Classic film during Bogie's late phase.

7. SABRINA (1954) Hey a change of page for Mr. Bogart in this pleasing comedy. Love it.

8. DARK PASSAGE (1947) The third pairing of Bogart and Bacall is another winner.

9. KEY LARGO (1948) The final film that Bogart and Bacall did together has the couple go out on a high note.

10. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954) Bogart gives a memorable performance in this great dramatic film.

So there you have it. My ten favorite Bogart films. You may ask, where is Casablanca. While I do like the film, I don't hold it in high regard as Bogie's other films. If I made a top 20 list, I would say Casablanca would probably be number 11 or 12.

Thank our lucky stars

Monty

Memorable Bogart Characters: Duke Mantee (The Petrified Forest)

 The world famous killer, Duke Mantee

One of Humphrey Bogart's earliest and best roles has to be Duke Mantee, a role he played on the stage as well as film. As reknowned gangster Duke Mantee, Bogie is a perfect fit. Once he appears onscreen, he takes hold of the film like no one else can. He is unshaven, walks with a pronounced movement, and takes no lip from anyone. He is one tough customer, but he is also has a moral code too. He is almost like an anti-hero. As he just wants to do his own thing. I mean he is an escaped convict and who doesn't plan on going back to prison anytime soon. But Duke also looks out for his own men and is somewhat sympathetic to the people he has taken hostage at the diner.

Duke Mantee is one unforgettable character and Bogie plays him perfectly. The mannerisms he use in this film would serve Bogie well for the next 20 years in later films such as High Sierra, The Big Sleep and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Duke is one of the best characters ever to grace the silver screen. Positively magnetic and unyielding. By the time the movie is nearing the end, you are so invested in Duke, that you truly care what happens to him. One character you will definitely not forget.

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Humphrey and Audrey

Humphrey being all so helpful to Audrey on the set of SABRINA (1954)

Thank our lucky stars

Monty

Let's watch...HIGH SIERRA

One of Bogie's best films is the 1941 film noir classic, High Sierra. In it, he plays Roy "Mad Dog" Earle, who is released from prison and promptly sought out by an old associate to help with a new robbery. The robbery is botched and things go from bad to worse very quickly. The action will come to a exciting climax in the Sierra Nevadas. Along the way he as to deal with two very different women. An innocent transplanted farm girl Velma (Joan Leslie in one of her best performances) and Marie (the always great Ida Lupino, who actually receives top billing over Bogie). Bogart is top notch as Earle, a career professional who is not too cocky or violent, but just goes about his business. Taut direction by Raoul Walsh, crisp and exciting action scenes and a thrilling car chase. Plus there is a cute little dog too. Gather round to watch High Sierra, one of my favorite films and one of Bogie's best.

Notes:

This was the last movie Humphrey Bogart made where he did not receive top billing. The studio thought that Ida Lupino should have top billing given the fact that she had been such a big hit in They Drive By Night (1940) and so her name ended up above Bogart's on the title card. Bogart was reportedly unhappy about receiving second billing but never complained.

"Pard" played by "Zero the Dog" was Bogart's dog in real life.

Bogart's part in this movie was originally intended for Paul Muni. Muni did not like the first draft of the screenplay which was authored solely by John Huston and given to him by Hal B. Wallis, so Wallis got the book's author, W.R. Burnett to assist Huston in a second rewrite. This was presented to Muni who still disliked it and turned the movie and the role down completely. In the meantime, On May 4th, 1940, Bogart sent a telegram to Wallis reiterating his continuing desire, which he had mentioned several months earlier, to play the part of Roy Earle. After Muni turned down the script the next person on the list for Warner Brothers was George Raft. Bogart, knowing that Raft was trying to change his image and move away from gangster roles, found out about this and mentioned to Raft when he saw him next that the studio was trying to get him do another gangster movie where the gangster gets shot at the end. Raft marched into Wallis' office and flatly refused to do the movie. Bogart finally ended up with the role he wanted all along by default.

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Thank our lucky stars

Monty