tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8256560523579977950..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Great movies you're not watchingBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27135935693932422302014-07-13T20:45:28.710-07:002014-07-13T20:45:28.710-07:00You think kids today know who "Monroe" i...You think kids today know who "Monroe" is? Ha! In 1989--I repeat, 1989--I was at a screening of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS at the Dome. At one point, the guy next to me whispered to his date, "That's Bo Derek's husband." And she replied, "Who's Bo Derek?"<br /><br />BTW, there are still directors who work regularly in B&W; Guy Maddin and Larry Blamire, to name two, and Guillermo del Toro has said his next film will be B&W as well. Oh, and me: we're shooting more shorts with the '30s comedy team of Biffle and Shooster even as we speak!cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21905859675955338712014-07-13T20:23:01.401-07:002014-07-13T20:23:01.401-07:00Nice piece though I have to I think part of the re...Nice piece though I have to I think part of the reason kids aren't watching these movies anymore is because they're not actually just a click away. I grew up in the 70s. I was introduced to these movies by late night "late shows" or early mornings on Sundays. Maybe Saturday afternoon viewings. ABC in Chicago used to have the 3:30 movie every day. That's when I first saw King Kong. I watched it cause quite honestly them was the only thing on, and I ended up liking them. Kids don't have that anymore. From the late 80s and 90s late night and afternoons were filled with infomercials or bad talk shows. The chance to just wander onto an old movie was gone. Yeah, you have Turner Classic movies channel. Maybe a few other places. But the amount of places where these films are shown has gone down dramatically. Kids just aren't as exposed to it and there's a lot more competing for their attention.Literally Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343354553908593519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87665187567071386542014-07-13T20:05:38.653-07:002014-07-13T20:05:38.653-07:00And do young people realize there were talented, g...And do young people realize there were talented, gorgeous and sexy actresses <i>before</i> Monroe? It's as if she's obliterated everything.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58478400030437419372014-07-13T18:54:07.696-07:002014-07-13T18:54:07.696-07:00"It almost seems at times Hollywood only star..."It almost seems at times Hollywood only started in 1930."<br /><br />1930? Try 1980!<br /><br />I was just watching National Lampoon's Vacation. It's a funny movie, but I was thinking about how in some quarters Chevy Chase is (or at least was) considered a great physical comedian. He's certainly no Keaton or Harold Lloyd.Alan Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72239716904152663852014-07-13T15:32:54.543-07:002014-07-13T15:32:54.543-07:00What bothers me most, Hollywood does not even ackn...What bothers me most, Hollywood does not even acknowledge the one's that came before them. The foundation they laid. It almost seems at times Hollywood only started in 1930. <br /><br />I revere Chaplin, through him I have had my eyes open to all his contemporaries. I have to say being on tumblr (where many are under 25, I don't include myself of course :), there are many younger people that embrace black and white films and Old Hollywood.<br />CHAPLINFORTHEAGEShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04447313942711660612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79324457753023548202014-07-13T14:30:28.409-07:002014-07-13T14:30:28.409-07:00I'm 27 and I do watch Chaplin, Keaton, Fields,...I'm 27 and I do watch Chaplin, Keaton, Fields, the Marx Brothers, etc. on a regular basis, and love them all. Sadly, I'm an exception, and on behalf of my generation, I apologize for our crappy taste in comedy today.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08364676663461573280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44117810755941069662014-07-12T14:26:27.059-07:002014-07-12T14:26:27.059-07:00Kay Francis deserves a mention for her diary if no...Kay Francis deserves a mention for her diary if nothing else. In an age when everyone else seemed to be writing one for self-important, literary reasons, it takes some guts for a grown-up woman to fill page after page with stuff along the lines of "Maurice came round for the afternoon. Did it four times. Three stars."Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58796831336020488222014-07-11T21:41:25.968-07:002014-07-11T21:41:25.968-07:00Carole's gently laughing at me for neglecting ...Carole's gently laughing at me for neglecting to list her SUTS day on TCM. It's Aug. 10 ("To Be Or Not To Be" is the Essentials Jr. selection), while Bill Powell will be featured Aug. 9. Check out his "Jewel Robbery" that day fordrug humor, 1932 style.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3224138616913254732014-07-11T15:18:54.026-07:002014-07-11T15:18:54.026-07:00Before my comments, a word from the lady in my ava...Before my comments, a word from the lady in my avatar:<br /><br /><i>"Thanks for the compliment, Charlie, though I still wish you hadn't turned me down for the female lead in 'The Gold Rush.' Did you really think I was 'too pretty' for the part?<br /><br />"But you neglected to mention my first husband, William Powell -- especially when he worked with two great pals of mine, Kay Francis (you'll adore 'One Way Passage') and Myrna Loy (whether or not they played Nick and Nora). Delightful stuff."</i><br /><br />Now that Carole's had her say, my thoughts:<br /><br />* "Safety Last" is great Lloyd, but "Girl Shy" (made in 1924) may even be better. The multi-modal chase scene through the streets of Los Angeles -- using everything from streetcar to chariot -- is sublime.<br /><br />* Two other silent comediennes of note are Marion Davies ("Show PeopleTh" is one of the best movies about the movies ever made) and Constance Talmadge (who, like Moore, was a forerunner to Lombard in romantic, non-slapstick comedy; like Moore, her work is hard to find, but worth it).<br /><br />* You can't go wrong with Ernst Lubitsch, either. Try "The Smiling Lieutenant" on for size (jazz up your lingerie!).<br /><br />And since Carole was reluctant to give herself a plug, I'll do it for her. Lombard will be the featured performer for 24 hours on TCM's Summer Under The Stars (one day after Powell gets the honor for the first time). She may have been gone for 72 years, but thousands still fall in love with her.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14177601310410073372014-07-10T20:48:04.913-07:002014-07-10T20:48:04.913-07:00There was CHICAGO from 1927, starring Phyllis Have...There was CHICAGO from 1927, starring Phyllis Haver--THAT one should be duly noticed. It's hilarious. Supposedly ghost directed by producer Cecil B. DeMille, who had just directed KING OF KINGS and didn't want any controversy about such contrasting titles. KING OF JAZZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00200780538546507679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33620987053735821302014-07-10T19:58:23.480-07:002014-07-10T19:58:23.480-07:00There's a set of early Chaplin shorts on Netfl...There's a set of early Chaplin shorts on Netflix, mostly the ones that made his reputation in 1914-15. The image quality is sometimes mediocre at best, the musical accompaniment is borderline random, the plots usually paper-thin, the sets often recognizably the same from film to film, but wow. Just wow. The brilliant moments, and there are many, are amazing. Chaplin's use of callbacks alone should be studied by anyone who loves comedy.estivhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12736355730705116526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32072649231814184252014-07-10T19:57:03.843-07:002014-07-10T19:57:03.843-07:00Ginger Rogers was wonderful in Gold Diggers of 193...Ginger Rogers was wonderful in <i>Gold Diggers of 1933</i>, especially when she sang a chorus of <i>We’re in the Money</i> in Pig Latin!<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIXNSoACp5AHank Gillettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328364486555780403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83004692143256616922014-07-10T18:04:14.716-07:002014-07-10T18:04:14.716-07:00I had a friend once that would not watch Casablanc...I had a friend once that would not watch Casablanca because it was B&W----then it was colorized and she watched it. Idiot.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15469109603313286702014-07-10T14:30:07.992-07:002014-07-10T14:30:07.992-07:00To Jim:
I second Clara Bow and Colleen Moore, an...To Jim: <br /><br />I second Clara Bow and Colleen Moore, and don't forget Mabel Normand. And if we're getting into talkies, hunt up the Thelma Todd-Patsy Kelly short subject series that they made for Hal Roach during the same period as the classic Laurel & Hardy, Our Gang and Charley Chase shorts of the early '30s. <br /><br />Ginger Rogers made some great non-dancing films in her wisecracking dame persona. My favorite is "Roxie Hart," the first movie version of the play that the musical "Chicago" is based on. I'll bet most people who watch that couldn't believe something so dark, cynical and contemporary-feeling about the media was actually made in 1942. Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55709403562437710642014-07-10T01:06:01.053-07:002014-07-10T01:06:01.053-07:00All the comedians you've mentioned here are gr...All the comedians you've mentioned here are great, but why no love for the ladies, as the saying goes. Some of the best women comedians (and some of the best writing for women) was back in the B&W era. <br /><br />Start off with the German, Ossi Oswalda, who starred in all the best silents that Lubitsch made in Germany. Then try a bit of Olive Thomas, a sort of Proto Lindsay Lohan, who unlike the real Li-Lo actually did manage to top herself before her career went to shit. <br /><br />Then you can move on to the real geniuses of the silent era, Colleen Moore and Clara Bow. Bow's reasonably well known, but Moore not so because her films are a bit harder to find. She kept a copy of every single one, then later in her life passed them on to a library to archive. Who for reasons best known to themselves stuck them all in a cardboard box and left them to rot in the rain.<br /><br />Going from there to the talkies, keep going first of all with Clara Bow. Forget what you might have been told, her voice was great. And start with one that's ostensible not a comedy, Call Her Savage. It's like every eighties airport novel you skimmed through to find the dirty bits rolled into one. What film even today would start with an eight year old kid asking "Where's Daddy?" and get the answer "He's out back with his fancy woman." And that's before you get to the five minute long riding and whipping scene that's only there to tell you that she's not wearing a bra. <br /><br />Carole Lombard of course is great, but so too is Ginger Rogers. Actually I reckon she's better in her movies without Fred. Or am I exagerrating a bit. Not sure, try some and see what you think.Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91591968777962838292014-07-09T23:35:01.489-07:002014-07-09T23:35:01.489-07:00Friday question: we've all seen the pilot wher...Friday question: we've all seen the pilot where one of the main characters gets in a fight with the others and is about to move away but then they get him to stay and that's the start of the series. <br /><br />Could this be considered a premise pilot?Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33821012800472546452014-07-09T20:08:40.805-07:002014-07-09T20:08:40.805-07:00I discovered silent movies when I was in college. ...I discovered silent movies when I was in college. Buster Keaton is my favorite silent comedian and Clara Bow is my favorite silent actress. Glad to see that someone else recognizes that old movies still have a lot of entertainment value.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24083560853841077672014-07-09T17:41:31.804-07:002014-07-09T17:41:31.804-07:00Lord Smurch,
Ken new that.Lord Smurch,<br /><br />Ken new that.proofreader extraordinairenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7557582155731746472014-07-09T16:10:52.911-07:002014-07-09T16:10:52.911-07:00Watch Gleason and Carney together on The Honeymoon...Watch Gleason and Carney together on The Honeymooner. Not quite Laurel and Hardy but pretty damn close.<br />Two of the greatest comic actors ever on television. And both were superb dramatic actors as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75310373775737001192014-07-09T14:23:55.380-07:002014-07-09T14:23:55.380-07:00Ken, small quibble (and it's only because I...Ken, small quibble (and it's only because I've been proofreading way. too. long in my life): I think you - excuse me, I think Mr. Chaplin means "too Jewish", not "to Jewish" with respect to the Marx Bros. <br /><br />Other than that, this is a delightful post!Lord Smurchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3824474502290950392014-07-09T13:50:55.980-07:002014-07-09T13:50:55.980-07:00Good post, Ken. I'm an old movie buff, and ha...Good post, Ken. I'm an old movie buff, and have had discussions regarding b&w movies before. What a lot of people miss is the artistry and skill involved in getting a message across in shades of gray. Back then they used it quite artfully to strike a mood, an atmosphere. By comparison, using color film almost seems like cheating. <br /><br />And the old comedians! Yes, they had a skill and talent that few today can really match. Imagine getting laughs without language, let alone profanity and blue jokes! And the physicality of it is pretty breathtaking. And the Abbott Costello routines are classic for a reason. Back then, comedians built a comedy routine as carefully as a house of cards. They would have you laughing before they even got to the punchline!McAlvienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91338655154133015362014-07-09T13:29:49.638-07:002014-07-09T13:29:49.638-07:00"Only old or dead people are in black and whi..."Only old or dead people are in black and white movies?"<br /><br />Uhhh...yeah.chuckcdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74788566323384056632014-07-09T13:23:35.487-07:002014-07-09T13:23:35.487-07:00"The Third Genius" is included in its en..."The Third Genius" is included in its entirety on the Criterion "Safety Last." It covers in some detail how they shot those scenes. Lloyd is more than a stunt comic. A lot of the film involves his department store job: Facing sale-crazed women; sneaking in late; and convincing his girlfriend he runs the place.<br /><br />The same people did a similar three-part show, "Unknown Chaplin", which can still be found on DVD. That one is built around Chaplin outtakes and experiments. Very, very cool stuff: Among other things you see a film about Charlie as a waiter in an artsy restaurant evolve into "The Immigrant."<br /><br />"Buster Keaton Rides Again" is a Canadian documentary following Keaton and his wife as he shoots a sort of travelogue ("The Railrodder"). You get to see Keaton smiling (with the crew but never in public); laughing as he describes a Laurel and Hardy routine; and discussing gag setups with his director. <br /><br />It's now possible to own, fairly cheaply, bonus-stuffed DVDs of Chaplin's, Keaton's and Lloyd's features and a goodly number of their shorts. Also the less heralded Harry Langdon and Charley Chase, and the solo work of Oliver Hardy (an impressive all-purpose comic) and Stan Laurel (strange and wild in his early days).<br /><br />My advice is to stick to the brand name versions -- Kino, Image, Criterion, New Line, and such labor-of-love outfits as All Day Entertainment. Once you've seen a really sharp print of "The Adventurer" with a good musical score it changes your whole perception of silent comedy.DBensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10159810140261293372014-07-09T13:21:51.088-07:002014-07-09T13:21:51.088-07:00There was also the slight problem that if Lloyd fe...There was also the slight problem that if Lloyd fell 20 feet and hit the mattress, he could have bounced off and fallen a few more stories. Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35939834738427695232014-07-09T12:56:22.868-07:002014-07-09T12:56:22.868-07:00Speaking as someone who doesn't even like to c...Speaking as someone who doesn't even like to climb on a chair to change a light bulb, 15 to 20 feet is stil, to me, a very impressive distance to be from solid ground.Patnoreply@blogger.com