it's about ... oldish films - again

[barney]

<announcement>
Not to reprise an old topic, but I'm watching two (2) of four (4) tonight.  My four (4) favorite female dancers have always been Juliet Prowse, Cyd Charisse, Mitzi Gaynor, & Vera-Ellen.  Currently watching The Band Wagon, [Cyd Charisse] and I'll see White Christmas [Vera-Ellen] shortly thereafter.  Two (2) outa four (4) ain't bad for one (1) night  !
</announcement>

[zridling]

You have good tastes, my man. I plan on spending Festivus watching several classics I revisit once a year. Should be fun.

[tomos]

Prompted by the previous thread, I watched a series of Barbara Stanwyck films a while back.
(I'm a fan at this stage )

Cant give half stars so these roughly graded:

***** Ball of Fire (1941)
***** Always Goodbye (1938)
**** Midnight (1939)
**** My Reputation (1946)
*** So Big!

Even made some brief notes (no, no spoilers here, just didnt want to overload the post with info)

Spoiler

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Ball of Fire (1941)
Director - Howard Hawks
Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper
A great film. Classic feel-good comedy. Intellectual world meets the working class - and the Mob.

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Midnight (1939)
Director -
Starring Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche.
French taxi driver meets American woman who lost every thing in the casino.
Good fun, and interesting.

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So Big!
Director -
Barbara Stanwick
Bit of a tear jerker. City girl used to living reasonably well, ends up in the poor part of town.
Very dubious ideas at times, but still a good film.

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Always Goodbye (1938)
Director -
Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Herbert Marshall and Ian Hunter. With Cesar Romero.
Woman in trouble. Lots of funny (peculiar) relationships. The one that appears to be presented as the real one didnt quite convince me as 'the real thing', but that just added to the complexity of the film for me. Good fun too.

=======================
My Reputation (1946)
Director - Curtis Bernhardt
Starring Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent.
Expectations and propriety and what's-the-opposite-of-that, and supression and fear of commitment - all stirred up in a nice drama. One aspect was totally unconvincing (boys lack of response to their father's death)

=======================

there was at least one more I saw, but I cant remember the name now

[MilesAhead]

I'm not very into musicals. But when I was a kid, Joey Heatherton used to frequent the talk/variety shows like Merv Griffin, Carson etc..

I don't think she was in any great feature films. She really made her mark on TV.

It's difficult to find an image that does her justice. But she was incredibly sexy. And, oh yeah, should could dance too. 

[barney]

I plan on spending Festivus

-zridling (December 16, 2012, 01:44 AM)

First time I've encountered that word - Festivus - in several decades.  (Research - in the seventies - showed it to be December twenty-third.  (Thank you, Mr. O'Keefe.)  It happens to be my birthday  .)

[barney]

... she was incredibly sexy. And, oh yeah, should could dance too. 

-MilesAhead (December 17, 2012, 03:32 PM)

Truth and truth.  I seem - want? - to remember her in a file or two (2), but that may be just wishful remembrance  .  She didn't make my top four (4), but she came damned close  .

[MilesAhead]

She seems similar to Sherry Jackson in that she was too sexy for her time. The one flick where Sherry Jackson displayed the merchandise was edited for American release.  All the Playboy pics from the movie GUNN are from the Italian version.

I think there'd be more Joey Heatherton around if they released a collection of the Merv Griffin shows. She did that show more than any. I think the only person Merv had on more frequently than JH was Regis Philbin as guest host.  As soon as I saw RP was the host I changed the channel. Man I could never stand that dude!