But like George C. Scott said, "It takes character. Fats has more character in his little finger than you do in your whole body. You think he wins with talent? Naw, it's character". I agree, Fast Eddie would always be a loser because he could never get past himself. Remember when he was up 18K and lost it all? Sure, he had talent but in the long run, Fats would always beat him.
The older I get, the better I was.
I liked them as a kid but as I got older and discovered the earlier shorts, I realized the latter ones paled in comparison.
Incidentally, I thought Little Rascals were the early ones and Our Gang the later ones. Just now, I was looking something up and discovered that the Little Rascals tag was invented for syndication on TV. They were always Our Gang. I had no idea. I always thought they started as the LR. Huh. Learn something new everyday.
Anyway, my favorite line from those shorts is when Spanky, who was only like 3 at the time, answered the telephone. There's a brief exchange and finally the slightly annoyed caller asks, "who is this?"
Spanky says, "I don't know, I can't see you."
I still use that line.
If you get the chance, don't miss it. I first saw it when I was a teenager. My dad & I just happened upon it on PBS and something about it caught our attention and we ended up watching the whole thing. We enjoyed the hell out of it.I've never seen Seven Chances.
Later, when I was stationed on Governor's Island, a theater uptown in NYC had a Keaton marathon and I took a friend. We didn't go to the first 2 or 3 but saw the rest. I think we were there for like 6 hours! I don't remember all we saw but I do remember Sherlock Jr., The Navigator, Go West, The General, and Steamboat Bill. I walked out of that theater an enormous Keaton fan.
I was a huge Chaplin fan as a kid/teenager. I've seen The Rink, The Kid, and The Gold Rush but I'm not sure if I saw any of his later features. I saw a ton of his shorts, tho. I used to mimic the way he'd run around a corner, hopping on one foot. My friends thought it was funny. Teachers thought I was crazy.Format didn't seem to affect Chaplin at all. His genius was just so transcendent. I'm a big fan of "The Gold Rush," but LOVE the shorts. "The Rink" is a personal favorite.
Oh I definitely think he was funny. He was the master of the muttered insult. But his features didn't really strike a nerve with me. There's one I saw sorta recently that had him sleeping on his back porch, I think. Does that ring a bell? There were quite a few funny bits in it. But, over all, I didn't feel I'd ever need to see it again. Maybe my problem is that his other movies I saw, I saw as a kid and from what I recall they were geared toward adults. Could that be the reason? Maybe I should revisit some.I'll have to differ on WC Fields, though. I love his movies. But, he also had great supporting casts. Many consider him to be the funniest person who ever lived.
As for Lloyd, I'd seen photos and read about him as a kid and really wanted to see his movies but didn't get to see one until I was much older. Probably on TCM. It was supposedly one of his best. It left me underwhelmed. But back then they were a big deal because, like Keaton, there were numerous times he could have died during filming and audiences were enthralled with his bits.
You know, it's funny other than L&H and the 3S, those old B&W comedies don't really appeal to me anymore.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
Man, The Hustler is a great movie. Any film buff worth his salt should see it just for Paul Newman's performance. Bogey & Cary Grant may be my favorite movie stars, but Newman & Henry Fonda are my favorite American actors. I'd put either one of them up against Brando, DeNiro, Pacino, anybody. I could be wrong but it's always seemed to me that Fonda & Newman were never fully appreciated as actors.
Incidentally, I always found it interesting that Fast Eddie Felson plays Minnesota Fats in the movie but the technical advisor was Willie Mosconi, the real Fats' longtime rival. I don't know how many of you actually read the credits after a movie but you'd be amazed at what you can learn if you do. I started as a teenager and still usually do (I skip the ones for action movies, tho). But that's how I learned about Mosconi and The Hustler.
BTW, there's a ripoff movie that was made a year or two after The Hustler called The Cincinnati Kid. It starred Steve McQueen. It's not quite as good, imo. But I was never really a McQueen fan.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
I though the exact same thing about the Little Rascals vs. Our Gang until I got the box set.
My favorite is "Mush and Milk."
That would be "It's a Gift." I love that scene. Shitty quality, but here it is:
Some of his quotes are hilarious.
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/w_c_fields
Probably "Safety Last," where he climbs the department store building featuring the iconic scene of him hanging from the clock. Lloyd severely injured one of his hands while filming one of those daredevil scenes. It was permanently damaged and he had to hide it in subsequent films.
They didn't call him "The Third Genius" for nothing.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Similar films but the cast in The Cincinnati Kid was more powerful. Carl Malden and Eddie G. Robinson along with McQueen made it work. McQueen was all by himself but Newman had a handler. McQueen may have been easier to live with because he didn't trumpet how good he was. He simply played cards. Newman was restless and needed to prove to someone how good he was. Which is why I stated up thread that in the long run, Fast Eddie would always lose.
The older I get, the better I was.
Speaking of George C. Scott, if anyone hasn't seen, Anatomy of a Murder, he's brilliant. I'm thinking that movie and The Hustler, were probably made around the same time frame as it doesn't look like he's changed much.
The older I get, the better I was.
The older I get, the better I was.
Doh, Forgot to add, I think the sound track is Wes Montgomery. Anyway, you'll love the music.
The older I get, the better I was.
Anatomy Of A Murder , also with Ben Gazzara. Society made him do it.
It did get into some rather fine legal points. Question. If your wife was like Lee Remick with the personality she exhibited, would you object? How would you object if she told you she was not trying to attract other men? Didn't Ben Gazzara have a TV series back in the day?
The older I get, the better I was.
Obligatory link to a Lee Remick photo:
https://www.collectors.com/entertain...34863084217072
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I think that's The Bank Dick, which I saw recently for the first time too, and loved. In some ways it reminded me of L&H's The Music Box - some frustrating idiocy. But I watched some "Curb Your Enthusiasm" recently, which also features frustrating idiocy, but the kind Fields, L&H, etc. exhibit has more to do with physics, and Sysiphean tasks, so it's somehow more universal, and easier to just laugh at as opposed to face-palm.
Last edited by Staun; 01-10-2019 at 03:31 PM.
The older I get, the better I was.
That's it. Must be a preference thing because that scene does nothing for me.
As for WCF quotes, my favorite is, "I never drink water. Fish fuck in it."
Definitely wasn't that one and I can't remember a single plot point from it.Probably "Safety Last," where he climbs the department store building featuring the iconic scene of him hanging from the clock. Lloyd severely injured one of his hands while filming one of those daredevil scenes. It was permanently damaged and he had to hide it in subsequent films.
I saw it a long time ago and remember little to nothing of it. I think I saw it on AMC back when AMC was what TCM is. I looked it up just now and now I feel I need to see it again. The reasons are because it was directed by Norman Jewison (who directed two of the 70s' best movies: Fiddler on the Roof and ...And Justice for All), edited by Hal Ashby (who directed the brilliant Being There), and scored by Lalo Schifrin (one of the great film composers). Primarily, tho, because the screenplay was written by Ring Lardner and Terry Southern!
AoaM was '59 & TH was '61.
Incidentally, I've forgotten whole plots of movies, actors in some movies, and (way too often) endings, but - not to brag - I have a weird recall for dates. I saw The Cincinnati Kid probably 30 years ago but I still remembered it was released in '65. And I was thinking The Hustler was '61 or '62 but before looking it up, just now, I committed to '61 just to test myself. I'm not that good with movies before '39 or newer movies, but between '39 & '83, it's uncanny.
And, yes, AoaM is a great movie. I even have a copy on my PC that I've been meaning to watch (maybe I should have a double feature with the CK). Directed by Otto Preminger if memory serves (if you've ever wondered what Preminger looks like, he played the commandant of Stalag 17 in that great movie).
Oh, and Lee Remick... one of my all time favorite actresses, if I'm only judging on looks. I think she hit her peak during The Omen. God, what a beautiful woman. Such a shame she died of cancer. And if you ever run across it, don't miss No Way To Treat A Lady. It stars Remick, George Segal as her cop boyfriend, and Rod Steiger as a serial killer. Steiger's excellent, of course, but Remick & Segal also do a really good job.
You may have noticed that the woman in that clip also played the mother in Sybil.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
Good stuff Hal, great memory. That's why I would rather get things from PE members than look it up. You get more insight. I knew about Preminger. Man loved his boots. One more bump for Lee Remick. She also played in a really gritty film with Frank Sinatra, The Detective. Tell me the year Hal. Really strong subject matter for the time and the acting is spot on. I'm guessing mid 60's. Frank did some nice movies but I think this one was after Von Ryan's Express. Anyway, see The Detective. You won't be disappointed. BTW, this film is not to be confused with, Detective Story, with Kirk Douglas. B&W and one of his early films. Very raw and the acting is great in this hard core police film.
The older I get, the better I was.
If you like her for her looks, you'll love her for her personality in No Way To Treat A Lady. FWIR, she was very sweet & gentle in it.
I have never seen that movie, and have always been meaning to, along with the one where Frank and some hooligans "borrow" some people's home for an assassination. Something like that. Can't think of the title but as soon as you say it, I'll know it. And I'm almost sure it's a one word title.She also played in a really gritty film with Frank Sinatra, The Detective. Tell me the year Hal.
Year for The Detective. Hmm. First let me say that when I try to think of the year a movie was released, I'll almost always know the era or half-decade. I also try to think who directed and/or acted in it. That's helps a great deal, too. For movies I haven't seen, I'll then think of movies that were made around the same time that I have seen. And then I'll try to narrow it down. When I'm wrong, I'm almost always off by only a year.
So, for instance, TD was made around the same time as Steve McQueen's Bullitt and Lee Marvin's Point Blank, both of which, like TD, were "modern", gritty cop movies. I know Bullitt was '68 and I would have guessed PB was, too, but it's actually '67. So I'd narrow TD down to '67-'69. PB & Bullitt were both game changers in that PB was the first of its kind and while Bullitt followed in its tracks, also gave us the first great car chase. I believe TD jumped on the bandwagon and was a game changer only for its lead actor. So, I'd guess '68. And just to play along, I'll torture myself and avoid looking it up.
BTW, don't give me too much credit. Ever since I became a movie aficionado when I was 10 (after seeing Bogey in High Sierra), I have always wanted to have a career that somehow involved movies. My first two jobs were at movie theaters. When I first went to college, I wanted to go into cinematography. When I found out that wasn't an option, I looked toward journalism to maybe getting into film criticism/reviews. I minored in film studies/art history. And I currently have about 15 books on movies, ranging from Leonard Maltin's yearly review book to film noir and text books on documentaries and the avant-garde; I even still have my Final Cut Pro text book (FCP is the 2nd most popular non-linear editing software used in the film industry). In other words, I've read a lot about movies over the years. Shit's gonna stick.
I never got that job in the movies but did get a degree in audio post-production & media studies - about 16 years after I first started school. For whatever that's worth.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
BTW, Maltin also has a great book on the Little Rascals.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
HAL ; "I have never seen that movie, and have always been meaning to, along with the one where Frank and some hooligans "borrow" some people's home for an assassination. Something like that. Can't think of the title but as soon as you say it, I'll know it. And I'm almost sure it's a one word title."
You're probably thinking of Suddenly . The title refers to the town it takes place in. Sterling Hayden is the good guy. Sinatra is a sociopathic assassin. Legend has it that The Manchurian Canadate was pulled from circulation by Sinatra due to sensitivity on the Kennedy assassination. Suddenly is WAY worse as far as a Kennedy association. Gritty movie , well worth seeing.
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