And the best Black and White movie ever is:

[Staun]

Not to mention shitty filmmaking. The movie largely got panned. It was also notorious for the unintentional humor that actual soldiers laughed at, knowing how unrealistic it was. And then, of course, is the scene at the end where Wayne & the boy walk towards the ocean as the sun sets. From my understanding, that scene is supposed to take place near Da Nang, on the east coast, where you only see the sun rise over the ocean.

Interesting. I suppose this could be looked at as another Uncle Sam wants you poster or, here is the reason why we should be here. David Jansen played the newspaper man who was sent to print the truth and nothing but the truth and in the beginning he did well, but as the film went on, he became more passive and disappeared. I can see where some would think putting Wayne in this role was suppose to say or give a certain impression. Not a good film and absurd at times. Around this time, wasn't there a guy that put out a song called, The Green Berets? Didn't it post high on the music charts at the time? I agree this thing is loaded with propaganda. Hal, Ronmac, would this be considered the fore runner of the Viet Nam films?

[Hal...]

Hal, Ronmac, would this be considered the fore runner of the Viet Nam films?

No, definitely not. At least, I don't think so. Primarily because it didn't deal with it honestly. As you said, it was just propaganda. And I think that really dates it, shows what a dinosaur it was, because those old war movies from the 40s, regardless of how good they were and regardless of how just the war was, were still propaganda and The Green Berets was just like them.

From what I recall, the first two movies that opened up the possibility of directors & studios treating Vietnam frankly and honestly were The Deer Hunter and Coming Home, both of which were released around '78 (I'm going from memory). Apocalypse Now came out in '79. Altho, if you'll recall Richard Dreyfus's character in American Graffiti talked about the war. And that was in '73.

There was also a movie we saw in the early '70s about a young guy who'd been drafted. I remember very little of it except a few things: there's a scene where he goes to a movie with his girlfriend and they see a newsreel-like clip showing the execution of the Viet Cong guy by a South Vietnamese officer; the one where he's shot in the head and you see his blood pour out like a fountain. The young guy, stressed over having to go to Vietnam runs out of the theater and throws up. The guy was played by an actor that was well known on TV at the time and his girlfriend was that really cute blond actress who always had short hair; one of her names was Sandy*, I think. So that kind of portrayed the zeitgeist of the war but I don't think that qualifies.

* Her name was Sandy Duncan. I just looked over her filmography and it wasn't her. And now I'm thinking it was a double bill (we saw it at the drive-in) and the first movie was Duncan's Star Spangled Girl. So maybe I'm conflating the two movies.

I thought maybe the young guy was Richard Thomas but it's not him, either, and I can't think of an actor at that time that was also popular on TV. And, no, it wasn't Ron Howard.

Sorry for the digression. I'd go with The Deer Hunter, even tho it was released after Coming Home, because of the POW scenes in Vietnam. I think the first movie that gave you a real sense of what that war was like was Platoon, tho. Which makes sense because Oliver Stone actually served over there in the Army; we was awarded 8 different medals, including a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

[Staun]

It did have an interesting cast. Little did George Takei know what was in store for him.

[JKL2000]

TCM has some funny themes for the movies they show. Tonight the theme is the name Alice. They're showing "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (which I've always been curious to see, but I'll bet it's so dated it will seem like a long episode of "Love American Style"), "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (which probably now seems like a long episode of the sitcom "Alice"), and the Woody Allen movie "Alice."

[Staun]

TCM has some funny themes for the movies they show. Tonight the theme is the name Alice. They're showing "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (which I've always been curious to see, but I'll bet it's so dated it will seem like a long episode of "Love American Style"), "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (which probably now seems like a long episode of the sitcom "Alice"), and the Woody Allen movie "Alice."

I've seen some of Allen's stand up stuff when he was doing the college circuit. Pretty funny. Always thought those were more tuned for women. When I was younger I never wanted to get into them.

[JKL2000]

I've seen some of Allen's stand up stuff when he was doing the college circuit. Pretty funny. Always thought those were more tuned for women. When I was younger I never wanted to get into them.

Do you mean women, or Woody Allen movies? Yeah, his stand up stuff is very funny.

[Staun]

Do you mean women, or Woody Allen movies? Yeah, his stand up stuff is very funny.

Oh, I was talking about the Alice films. Now that I'm older I could find something in them.

[Hal...]

Sorry for the screw up in my reply, but, I just couldn't think of any prior VN films before TGB.

TGB was released in '68 so there probably wasn't any, afaik. But, naturally I had to check and found this on Wikipedia:

1964 A Yank in Viet-Nam - A USMC pilot is shot down, but meets a female guerrilla; filmed in South Vietnam
1966 To the Shores of Hell - A US Marine officer leads a rescue attempt of his brother who is held prisoner by the Viet Cong
1968 The Green Berets
1970 The Losers - An American motorcycle gang is recruited for a mission into Cambodia
1974 There Is No 13 - Surrealist film involving a young Vietnam War soldier reminiscing about twelve love affairs
1978 The Boys in Company C - A group of Marines go through basic training and a tour of service in Vietnam in 1968
1978 Coming Home. This wasn't on the list but it's about a paralyzed Vietnam vet.
1978 Go Tell the Spartans - US military advisers during the early part of the war
1978 The Deer Hunter

As you can see, there were a few movies about Vietnam before Deer Hunter. But, the only one that I remember having any kind of impact, besides TGB and Coming Home, was The Boys in Company C and even that wasn't a big movie. Most of the rest were B movies that probably came and went without anyone noticing or movies shown only at the drive-in. I guess Go Tell the Spartans starred Burt Lancaster and from what it says on Wikipedia sounds like a decent movie... but I'd never heard of it.

I think one thing's clear: 1978 was the year Hollywood felt it was okay to start making movies about Vietnam. Still, tho, if the first three in '78 put the key in the lock, unlocked the door, and turned the handle, The Deer Hunter kicked the door in.

[Jerjo]

1978 The Boys in Company C - A group of Marines go through basic training and a tour of service in Vietnam in 1968
1978 Coming Home. This wasn't on the list but it's about a paralyzed Vietnam vet.

These two pretty much upped the ante. Then the Deer Hunter then raised the it higher and took the pot.

[headcrash]

Watched "The Defiant Ones" today, the first of director Stanley Kramer's "message pictures", with Sidney Poitier & Tony Curtis. An ok film, but Curtis' southern accent (by way of The Bronx) really grates on the ear. Notable also for being the last motion picture appearance of Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer.

[Hal...]

[Staun]

Police Woman. She can arrest me anytime. Well, let's dig into her film history.

[Staun]

Rio Bravo of course but I remember, The Chase, with Brando and Redford. Looking at her cannon, she's been in a lot of different type roles.

[Staun]

Could someone post something more of her physical personality as, iirc, she had legs!!

[Hal...]

498ebb48a761a4720caa24d2e3100bdb.jpg

I like this photo, too:

ihNjGpe.jpg

She mentions in that interview that Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate sex symbol but I always preferred Angie or Raquel Welch. Welch had the nicer body but Angie oozed sex like no one before and rarely since.

[Staun]

498ebb48a761a4720caa24d2e3100bdb.jpg

I like this photo, too:

ihNjGpe.jpg

She mentions in that interview that Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate sex symbol but I always preferred Angie or Raquel Welch. Welch had the nicer body but Angie oozed sex like no one before and rarely since.

I agree, I like the second photo as well. Very '60's. I also agree about Marilyn as I think I've said I liked Ann Francis much better. Marilyn was just so constructed. Almost from a kit. The other ladies are much more natural. What made you think of Angie?

[Staun]

I think she also did some things with Lee Marvin.

[Hal...]

What made you think of Angie?

Last month she was on CBS Sunday Morning, a culture & arts kind of show, which is where that clip came from. I didn't see it until this morning.

I think she also did some things with Lee Marvin.

Yeah, The Killers ('64) and Point Blank ('67), for two. Not sure of any others.

[Staun]

Last month she was on CBS Sunday Morning, a culture & arts kind of show, which is where that clip came from. I didn't see it until this morning.


Yeah, The Killers ('64) and Point Blank ('67), for two. Not sure of any others.

I also understand that Jane Russell could make the pot boil. I've seen, Gentleman Prefer Blondes, some time ago.

[ronmac]

Not sure how I missed it, but "Inherit the Wind" just started on TCM.

[nycsteve]

God tells Brady and Brady tells the world , Brady Brady <Brady

Do you ever think about what you don't think about?

[Staun]

God tells Brady and Brady tells the world , Brady Brady <Brady

Do you ever think about what you don't think about?

Awesome!

[ronmac]

This is pretty tripped out:



I've never seen this, but the entire movie is readily available online.

[Staun]

This is pretty tripped out:



I've never seen this, but the entire movie is readily available online.

What the......? Where do you find these things?

[ronmac]

What the......? Where do you find these things?

The Interwebs.