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Post by Eddie Love on Aug 5, 2010 18:03:49 GMT -5
On the same day I posted something slagging his work on LIVE & LET DIE, the writer Tom Mankiewicz passed away. I feel crummy. Not a fan of all his work on the 70s Bonds, I really like to listen to him on the Bond or Superman docs and especially on the epic feature of the making of his father's film of CLEOPATRA. R.I.P.
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Post by Eddie Love on Sept 30, 2010 6:11:17 GMT -5
Rough week, Sally Menke, Arthur Penn and now Tony Curtis. Tony was strangely underrated as an actor -- check out SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and -- especially -- THE BOSTON STRANGLER -- he's truly great in both. Not to mention HOUDINI and THE GREAT RACE -- when I was growing up, kid's favorite actor was either Tony or Charlton Heston. That's why I went a little gaga (drunkenly so, I admit) when I saw him shooting something on the street in the meat-packing district one night in the 90s. I shouted something effusive from across the street. He said "Dank you."
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Post by james on Sept 30, 2010 11:13:22 GMT -5
There's also Gloria Stuart, who, incredibly, acted in some fine movies before Titanic (The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man, The Kiss Before the Mirror, Gold Diggers of 1935, The Prisoner of Shark Island,My Favorite Year).
As much as I love Bride of Frankenstein, I sometimes think The Old Dark House is the best of Universal's 30s horror films (and it's incredible that the film was lost for several decades).
James
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Post by Derrick on Sept 30, 2010 14:44:51 GMT -5
My favorite Tony Curtis movies:
Houdini
The Vikings
The Defiant Ones
Spartacus
The Great Race
The Sweet Smell of Success
The Boston Strangler
You Can't Win 'Em All
Those Daring Young Men In Their Jaunty Jalopies
The Manitou
The TV series THE PERSUADERS is one of my all time favorite shows and I never get tired of the epsiode he did (or was it two?) playing "Stoney Curtis" in THE FLINTSTONES
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Post by Eddie Love on Sept 30, 2010 19:19:48 GMT -5
My favorite Tony Curtis movies: Houdini The Vikings The Defiant Ones Spartacus The Great Race The Sweet Smell of Success The Boston Strangler You Can't Win 'Em All Those Daring Young Men In Their Jaunty Jalopies The Manitou I'd add THE GREAT IMPOSTOR, OPERATION PETTICOAT, THE PERFECT FURLOUGH, CAPTAIN NEWMAN, M.D., THE RAT RACE and of course SOME LIKE IT HOT. That's one hell of a career, when you consider that he was basically cast aside by Hollywood come 1970. It's really odd that of all the big male stars of the Silver Age (Lancaster, Douglas, Holden, Mitchum, Heston) Curtis probably had the strongest initial fan base, but the least luster in term of his overall reputation. No idea way this is. Even far lesser actors like Rock Hudson or Dean Martin seem to have been more venerated. No AFI tribute, or Kennedy Center Honor or Honorary Oscar. Very lame, when you consider his Albert De Salvo and his Sydney Falco are as good as most of his contemporaries, and a good bit better than some of them. ("Cough...Gregory Peck!...Cough") Although it has been nice to see he got his due -- "above the fold" (so to speak) on the Times website all day. And, YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL -- man, I'd love to see that today. I saw it on a double-bill with THE ANDERSON TAPES when it came out. Vaguely remember it... |
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Post by Eddie Love on Sept 30, 2010 19:29:22 GMT -5
There's also Gloria Stuart, who, incredibly, acted in some fine movies before Titanic ( The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man, The Kiss Before the Mirror, Gold Diggers of 1935, The Prisoner of Shark Island, My Favorite Year). As much as I love Bride of Frankenstein, I sometimes think The Old Dark House is the best of Universal's 30s horror films (and it's incredible that the film was lost for several decades). James Agree completely about THE OLD DARK HOUSE. (Unless, of course, you're talking about the remake w/ Tom Poston  ) That is one great film, very creepy, perverse, funny, with a great performance by Charles Laughton. And -- forgive me if this is too soon -- but Gloria Stuart was really pre-code hot in that. The scenes where she's running around in that diaphanous sheer gown are startlingly sexy. I think the James Whale appreciation industry sometimes goes overboard, as, for me, his pictures can get a little arch and mean. But TODH is him at his best. Another astonishing one of his is REMEMBER LAST NIGHT? -- one of the oddest films ever made, like nothing at all from that era. |
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Post by tombitd on Sept 30, 2010 20:19:17 GMT -5
I'd add THE GREAT IMPOSTOR, OPERATION PETTICOAT, THE PERFECT FURLOUGH, CAPTAIN NEWMAN, M.D., THE RAT RACE and of course SOME LIKE IT HOT. You know, I never understood the appeal of Marilyn Monroe until my high school film teacher showed us Some Like It Hot... A great little ticking perpetual motion machine of comedy, topped off with the greatest single last line in history. |
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Post by Derrick on Sept 30, 2010 23:03:33 GMT -5
Eddie: Every so often YOU CAN'T WIN 'EM ALL will air on TCM. I'd check out their website if I were you as I'm certain they'll follow their usual practice of when an actor passes away, they devote an entire day to their movies. It's a good bet in the next two or three days they'll have their Tony Curtis day.
Tom: I don't think SOME LIKE IT HOT is the comedy masterpiece it's regarded as but I do love me some Marilyn Monroe in that one...talk about a woman with curves...
And I do agree that the last line is without a doubt the greatest last line in movie history. And Tony Curtis doing his imitation/spoof of Cary Grant never fails to crack me up.
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Post by tombitd on Oct 1, 2010 13:55:00 GMT -5
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Post by Eddie Love on Oct 1, 2010 17:57:00 GMT -5
Jesus, what a week. Let's not forget Cannell's TEN-SPEED & BROWN SHOE. Loved that. Also, his novels I read I really enjoyed. I think I did the first 4 of the Shane Scully series. |
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Post by tombitd on Oct 1, 2010 19:32:13 GMT -5
Jesus, what a week. Let's not forget Cannell's TEN-SPEED & BROWN SHOE. Loved that. Also, his novels I read I really enjoyed. I think I did the first 4 of the Shane Scully series. Heh...as I mentioned on Facebook, Tenspeed and Brownshoe is the other Cannell series I have listed in my all-time ten favorite television shows. |
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Post by Derrick on Oct 1, 2010 20:27:47 GMT -5
Here's where I burn and go to Hell: I never was much of a fan of THE ROCKFORD FILES. I would watch it if there was nothing else on but for me the greatest TV detective is Thomas Magnum.
Some of my favorite Stephen J. Cannell shows are those who didn't last more than a couple of seasons;
BOOKER
THE PALACE GUARD
THE ROUSTERS
RIPTIDE
HARDCASTLE & McCORMICK
Oh, and let's not forget BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP!
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Post by Eddie Love on Dec 16, 2010 18:35:21 GMT -5
...Blake Edwards.
Not just a comic director, check out the TCM perennial EXPERIMENT IN TERROR. There couldn't have been a DIRTY HARRY without it.
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Post by grubl on Dec 16, 2010 20:20:52 GMT -5
My favotrite Blake Edwards film is probably DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES.
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Post by Derrick on Dec 16, 2010 21:10:47 GMT -5
And last night my wife and I watched both DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES and EXPERIMENT IN TERROR. I had 'em both saved on the DVR since it must have been Lee Remick's birthday the other day as TCM showed a whole bunch of her movies.
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) That is one great film, very creepy, perverse, funny, with a great performance by Charles Laughton. And -- forgive me if this is too soon -- but Gloria Stuart was really pre-code hot in that. The scenes where she's running around in that diaphanous sheer gown are startlingly sexy. 
