This movie is so bad that it's funny. Actually, it's intended to be a comedy, unlike the original 1958 Blob that we all have come to laugh at anyway. After all, the cast this time includes comedians Shelly Berman and Godfrey Cambridge. Robert Walker Jr (I wonder if his mother Jennifer Jones ever saw this one) and Gwynne Gilford (mother of actor Chris Pine - I wonder if he saw this) run all over town trying to warn people about the "giant, one-celled animal", only to be dismissed by all the local authorities who think they're just stoned hippies.
The original 1958 Blob ends with the menace being disposed of in the North Pole, and in this film, he's brought back from the region in a canister by an oil pipeline layer. Kudos to the writers who at least tried to link the two films, but for the rest of the movie, it just feels like everyone's improvising, like one Saturday Night Live sketch after the other. Almost everyone plays a hippie in the movie, including Carol Lynley and Cindy Williams. There's a hippie-trashing hobo Burgess Meredith, who gets sucked alive by the giant jello mold. That scene was pretty funny. The best scene has to be where Godfrey Cambridge is attacked by the Blob just after he watches the original Blob movie on TV with Steve McQueen. Directed by actor Larry Hagman, who also appears.
I just love this trailer. Note: When Godfrey Cambridge says, "Ahh. The Blob!!" - that's not in the movie...this was cut footage of him watching the 1958 movie on TV, but retained in the trailer. "Rated GP - All Ages Admitted". lol
For a long time, I did not know that the two actors were actually sisters in real life. Both of them won Oscars, too, and both had pretty distinguished film careers.
Actress Joan Fontaine w. her actress sister Olivia De Havilland looking out of an open window at her home. Photo by: Bob Landry, April 1942. LIFE Magazine
L-R: Brian Aherne and Joan Fontaine (with Olivia de Havilland) having tea on the patio of their Georgian home. Photo by: Bob Landry, April 1942. LIFE Magazine
Warner Brothers' first cartoon star--- slap-happy "Bosko"--- puts on a second-rate picture show, in this depression-era B/W cartoon parody of the movie-going experience. As the 'toon opens, Bosko proves to be a master of the organ, playing and singing the hit tune of the day, "We're in the Money" to warm up the unseen "audience" in the theater. Next, the projector plays a cornucopia of mediocrity: First up, a mock news-reel "Out of Tone News: Sees All, Hears All, Smells All!". Among the phony headlines: a clip featuring boxer Jack Dempsey, caricaturized as "Jack Dumpsey". The Marx Brothers turn up, running around as dog catchers for a few seconds. Next we're treated to "Famous Screen Lover on European Vacation" which shows Jimmy Durante being chased by Adolf Hitler in Vienna, in a now-unfunny bit. Bosko then preps the audience for a "Haurel and Lardy" comedy short, which lampoons Laurel and Hardy, right up to the that famous music. The last of the vignettes starts off with a belching, buffoonish MGM lion. We see the Marx Brothers again, as well as damsell in distress "Honey", voiced by the lovely Rochelle Hudson. She did the voice of "Honey" (Bosko's girlfriend) in all of the Bosko toons. The end title card displays "A Looney Tune" in big lettering as Bosko takes a final bow, signing off with "That's All Folks!" (which would later be Porky's famous catchphrase). Unbelievably, I found lots of information on this vintage toon on the web. Enjoy! IMDb post | Wikipedia post | Big Cartoon Database | Ironically, Rockin Ed at The Mystery Train Wreck Blog published a post on this toon days just a few days ago | Toon Zone Article
Hooray for Popeye the Sailor Man! In 1954, Parmount decided to celebrate 20 years of Popeye cartoons with a nonsensical "20th Anniversary" special cartoon (though they were a year late: the first Popeye cartoon came out in 1933). The toon features a testimonial banquet dinner in Popeye's honor; in attendance for this black-tie formal affair is Olive Oyl, Popeye's perennial love interest, and Bluto, Popeye's arch nemesis (bad idea to invite him-who's idea was this?)
The master of ceremonies? None other than Bob Hope himself (with an odd-sounding Southern accent). Also in attendance are stars from Paramount motion pictures, including Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Durante, and Bing Crosby.
Popeye shows clips from two of his cartoons, "Tops in the Big Top" and "Rodeo Romance" (in both clips, Bluto takes a beating!). All this is too much for Bluto to take, so he decides to smack Popeye with his Spinach trophy just after Bob Hope presents it to him. You'll have to watch the cartoon to see what happens, but you can be sure it involves spinach!
The caricatures only appear for a few seconds...the majority of the cartoon features the two Popeye clips. Watch it below:
Caricatures in order of appearance: Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Durante.
1932 Parade of the Award Nominees (Disney cartoon)
This short Disney clip was only shown to Academy members at a banquet before the Academy Awards that year, a precursor to modern-day nominee-ribbing montages which have become a staple of Award shows today. Of all the actors caricatured here, only Jackie Cooper is still living. Each of the other six celebrities were all nominees for the top acting prize that year. (There were only three nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress back then)
The nominees: Best Actor: Wallace Beery, "The Champ". Frederic March, "Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde". Alfred Lunt, "The Guardsman". Best Actress: Helen Hayes, "The Sin of Madelon Claudet", Marie Dressler, "Emma". Lynn Fontanne, "The Guardsman".
The following video clip contains a good introduction by Leonard Maltin, who mentions Disney animator Joe Grant. After doing some research, I found out that Joe Grant really did work in the Disney animation department right up until he died in 2005.
The caricatures don't appear for some time; we first see a parade with Mickey Mouse and friends.
List of caricatures in order of appearance:
1. Wallace Beery (as "The Champ") - Won Best Actor (tied with Frederic March) 2. Jackie Cooper ("The Champ") (nominated the year earlier for "Skippy") 3. Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt (both nominated for "The Guardsman") 4. Helen Hayes ("The Sin of Madelon Claudet") - Won Best Actress 5. Frederic March ("Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde") - Won Best Actor (tied with Wallace Beery) 6. Marie Dressler ("Emma") - Nominated for Best Actress
"The Devil's Own": Not to be confused with the 1997 Brad Pitt film of the same name (or a 1916 silent film with Harry Carey, unrelated to either picture) This one is from Britain's Hammer Film Productions, and is also known as "The Witches" according to advertisements outside the United States.
The 1962 novel "The Devil's Own" was written by Norah Lofts, who wrote it under the name of Peter Curtis, for a reason I don't understand (witchcraft-related?) Joan plays a schoolteacher who is exposed to the craft while teaching as a missionary in Africa. She's so frightened that she has a nervous breakdown. After returning to her native England, she becomes the head teacher of a small school in a rural village (a "village without hope" according to the eerie trailer - watch below), where she investigates the strange behavior of the townsfolk (including her 14-year old student with ties to the craft) and other unexplained mysteries. Directed by Cyril Frankel ("School for Scoundrels")
When I first heard about this film, Ms. Fontaine's last theatrical performance, I thought she accepted the movie role because she needed the money. How embarrassed I was to learn that she was in fact a co-producer (!) and insisted on starring in it, having loved the orignal novel.
To celebrate Ms. Joan Fontaine's 92nd birthday (Oct 22), I wanted to post this special piece about one of her best movies, "This Above All" from 1942, co-starring Tyrone Power.
Joan as Prudence. Oh those eyebrows!
From 1942, right during WW2: Joan plays Prudence Cathaway, a rich woman from a distinguished British family who decides to join the United Kingdom's Women's Auxiliary Air Force. In the service, she meets Clive (Tyrone Power) who is absent without leave from the British Army. They begin to fall in love, but as she gets to know him, learns of his anti-war views and distain for the rich. He decides to leave as she goes back into service. Prudence's story seems to dominate the first hour, as she joins the air force and then meets Tyrone's Clive. And Clive's story dominates much of the first part of the second hour, finding spiritual inspiration with the council of a clergyman (Alexander Knox, from "Wilson"). But they're love won't keep them apart for long. A real tearjearker ending. Co-starring Gladys Cooper and Thomas Mitchell. Won Oscar for Best Art Direction (B/W), beating out "Random Harvest"(!), "Pride of the Yankees"(!!), and "Magnificent Ambersons"(!!!) Joan is beautiful in this movie with or without a uniform. 25 years old at the time, she gives a wonderful, emotion-filled performance, worthy of an Oscar nomination.
From 20th Century Fox Pictures. Directed by Anatole Litvak ("All This And Heaven Too", "The Snake Pit", "Anastasia"). Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and Robert Bassler.
At the dinner table, Prudence tells her family she's enlisted in the WAAF
Prudence and other women about to enter service.
Joan and Tyrone have a roll in the hay.
Joan looking beautiful as Prudence, dressed up during her 6-day leave.
Lovely Joan sings "Leave the Home Fires Burning" in an unforgettable scene.
Our stars in a lavish Oscar-winning set. Clive gets a telegram issuing him to come back.
Prudence pleas with reluctant Clive to fight the good fight for England.
Prudence visits Clive in the hospital as bombs go off outside.
"This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." - William Shakespeare, Hamlet
This is a vintage silent cartoon from 1923. A "skid-row" feline (Felix) is desperate after several money-raising mishaps. He soon ends up in Hollywood looking for work.
It's about 3 minutes too long in the beginning, but enjoyable overall.
After about 5 minutes, Felix finally meets some silent stars (Gloria Swanson, Ben Turpin, Actor Theodore Roberts, Will Hays, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., William S. Hart, Director Cecil B. DeMille).
Directed by Robert McKimson. WW2-era short from Warner Brothers paying homage to the famous Hollywood Stagedoor Canteen, a free entertainment club open to servicemen during WW2. (A feature-length movie "Hollywood Canteen" with Joan Leslie and an all-star cast was released by Warners two years earlier). This cartoon may appeal the most to hard-core celebrity aficionados; most of the celebs here were radio variety performers. The clip you're about to see came from Cartoon Network, but I can't imagine any little kid knowing who any of these people are supposed to be. And they're all drawn as dogs - so you have to look really close at the faces and know the mannerisms of some of the performers. Certainly I didn't get who some of the celebs were supposed to be and why they said and did what they did. For example, the rotund dog who says, "Oh Stop lookin!" ---who was that, I wondered? I found out through some research that it's supposed to be Joe Besser - a bald, whiney comic with a high-pitched voice and precious mannerisms who was, for a time, one of the post-Curly Three Stooges. Catchphrases "Not so fa-fa-fa-fast" and “Ooohhh, you craaaazy!” (delivered with a flip of the wrist) was his trademark; on the radio he appeared on the Jack Benny Show and others.
Highlights in this clip include Sinatra & Crosby crooning, and Lou Costello yelling, "Im a baaad boy!!" which always cracks me up. Note: I apologize for the poor quality of this cartoon; I couldn't find a better copy to post at the moment.
Celebrities in order of appearance:
Sitting at table: Edward G. Robinson, Jimmy Durante, Ed Wynn, Monty Wooley, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Laurel and Hardy. In the Canteen: Bing Crosby. Bob Hope, Jerry Colona, Carmen Miranda, Abbott and Costello (I'm a baaad boyy!), Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead, Laurel and Hardy, Bing Crosby (singing "When My Dreamboat Comes Home.."), Dorothy Lamour, Frank Sinatra (singing, "Down Where The Tradewinds play"), Professor Kay Kyser, Ish Kabibble, Joe Besser (Tuba-playing pooch who says, "Oh I hate youuu!!" Stop lookin!!), conductor Leopold Stokowski, and those Kings of Swing Harry James, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Lionel Hampton
Hard to believe this classic from Warner Brothers is almost 75 years old now, a fun parody of the 1930s Hollywood nightclub, The Coconut Grove. Though it seems a bit bizarre to see some celebs caricatured as animals while others are traditional "human" caricatures, it's still a hoot (pun absolutely intended!). It gets better toward the end: the show stopper is Helen Morgan singing a torch song on a piano, while other tough guy celebs cry like babies, such as Wallace Beery and Edward G. Robinson. Must be seen to be believed!
Note: There are quite a few "blink-and-you'll-miss-'em" shots of celebs. You may need to pause the video.
Celebrity caricatures, in order of appearance:
In the very beginning, seated at tables: Charles Laughton, Joe E. Brown, Bette Davis, a man sitting in table behind her (?), Fred Astaire, Jean Arthur (?), Lionel Barrymore. Ben Birdie: Bandleader Ben Bernie; Walter Windpipe the mouse: Columnist Walter Winchell; Happy man: Hugh Herbert; Pig: W.C. Fields; Horse (Miss Heartburn): Katharine Hepburn; Grouchy man: Ned Sparks ("I Never have any fun"); Tarzan and date: Johnny Weissmuller and Lupe Velez; The "Profile": John Barrymore; Man chasing woman: Harpo Marx; Turtle and Chickadee: George Arliss and Mae West; Monkey and Pig: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and John Barrymore again. Old lady dancer: Edna May Oliver; "Pixillated" man: Gary Cooper ("He's pixilated" comes from of course Capra's "Mr. Deeds" from '36); Singing children: the Dionne QuintupletsRead More about them from Wikipedia); "Woman" being chased: Groucho Marx; Torch Singer: Helen Morgan; Man eating banana: Wallace Beery; Tough guys: Edward G. Robinson and George Raft (crying like babies!!)
Read more about this cartoon from these other great sites:
A silly Bugs Bunny cartoon from Warner Brothers. Two gangsters end up hiding out in the same abandoned house as Bugs, and they get more than they bargained for as they put up with Bugs' zany antics. Only two caricatures in this one, rather amusing: Edward G. Robinson and Peter Lorre. I can't recall if these two actors appeared together in a picture; I don't recall if they did.
This is a hilarious Warner Brothers Bugs Bunny cartoon from 1947. The caricatures this time include Frank Sinatra, Carmen Miranda, and The Marx Brothers. (Back in August, David from the blog The Marx Brothers published a post on this cartoon. Read the post)
Celebrity caricatures, in order of appearance:
1. Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne ("Love Affair") Joan Crawford & Raymond Massey ("Possessed") 2. Leopld Stokowski, conductor. 3. (Eating steak) Gregory Peck (as his "Spellbound" character) 4. Ray Milland and Howard DaSilva (in a parody of "The Lost Weekend"). 5. Frank Sinatra 6. Humphrey Bogart (To Elmer the waiter: "Cut the gab and bring me an order of fried rabbit!") 7. Marx Brothers (Bugs as Groucho). 8. Sidney Greenstreet 9. Carmen Miranda. 10. Lauren Bacall.
(7 minutes)Dir. David Hand. First released: January 4, 1936. Features a game of polo between Mickey/Donald/Goofy/Big Bad Wolf and Laurel & Hardy/Harpo Marx/Chaplin. Spectators incl. Disney characters and some film actor caricatures, incl. Shirley Temple and Clark Gable (who seems to be in every one of these). Donald steals the show, and ends up riding a jackass.
This short does not have as many celebrities as the previous cartoons I've posted so far.
In order of apperance: "Referre" Jack Holt (more about Jack Holt), Shirley Temple, Laurel and Hardy, Charles Laughton (dressed as Henry VIII), Eddie Cantor, Harold Lloyd, WC Fields, Greta Garbo, Harpo Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Edna May Oliver (seated next to Max Hare), Clark Gable (sitting next to Clarabell Cow)
Another in a series of cartoons featuring caricatures of classic celebrities of the day. In this classic, Donald attempts to get autographs from popular celebs of the day, including Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple, Greta Garbo, Sonja Henie and more.
Celebrities, in order of appearance: Greta Garbo, Mickey Rooney Henry Armetta. Sonja Henie. The Ritz Brothers. Shirley Temple Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. Charlie McCarthy, Stepin Fetchit, Roland Young. (War scenes, Western scenes) Joe E. Brown, Martha Raye. Hugh Herbert, Irvin S. Cobb, Edward Arnold. Katherine Hepburn, Eddie Cantor Slim Summerville, Lionel Barrymore, Bette Davis, Groucho and Harpo Marx, Mischa Auer, Joan Crawford, Charles Boyer
Another classic cartoon loaded with celebrity caricatures.
This Walt Disney short mixes Hollywood stars of the late 30s with with nursery rhymes. (Katherine Hepburn is Little Bo Peep). Among the movies parodied are "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Captains Courageous". Featuring caricatures of Laurel and Hardy, Spencer Tracey, Clark Gable, Eddie Cantor, and Stepin Fetchit.
There are a few scenes which may be offensive, because of the black stereotyping; one scene where Katherine Hepburn starts talking with a black dialect after she gets a pie thrown to her face. A recent commentary (Oct 2009) by Mark Sawyer from CNN online goes into the topic of blackface comedy and the modern audience. Read Article
In order of appearance: 1. Katherine Hepburn. 2. Hugh Herbert (King) 3. Marx Brothers. 4. Ned Sparks (Jester)____Who is portrayed on the figurehead of the rattle held by Ned Sparks? 5. Joe Penner 4. Donald Duck. 5. Charles Laughton. 6. Spencer Tracy 7. Freddie Bartholomew. 8. WC Fields. 9. Charlie McCarthy 10. Laurel and Hardy. 11. Greta Garbo. 12. Edward G. Robinson 13. Eddie Cantor. 14. Cab Calloway. 15. Wallace Beery 16. Fats Waller 17. Stepin Fetchit. 18. Trio of Trumpet players: (L-R: Edna May Oliver, Mae West, ZaSu Pitts 19. Flute: Clark Gable. 20. Sax: George Arliss. 21. Fats Waller. 22. Fred Astaire. 23. Joe E Brown & Martha Raye
Another classic cartoon short featuring caricatures of Hollywood celebrities of the day.
I just discovered this classic Disney cartoon, and had fun trying to recognize all the celebrities. Couldn't recognize some of them, though. Here's a good little synopsis of the cartoon, written by Jon Reeves (imdb.com): Mickey's film is having a premiere, and all the stars turn out at the Chinese Theatre. Among those shown: Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Jimmy Durante, Clark Gable, Sid Grauman, Mae West. The picture, Galloping Romance (Pegleg Pete kidnaps Minnie, and Mickey gives chase on a variety of animals), starts, and everyone in the audience sways along to the music, then rolls in the aisles with laughter. After, everyone comes on stage to congratulate Mickey; Garbo smothers him with kisses.
Celebrities, in order of appearance:
1. Keystone Cops (L-R: Ben Turpin, Ford Sterling, Mack Swain, Harry Langdon, Chester Conklin) Getting out of limo: 2a. Wallace Beery & Marie Dressler
2b. Lionel Barrymore (in beard as Rasputin), John Barrymore (as Prince Paul Chegodioff), Ethel Barrymore (as Czarina Alexandra) all in costume from the film they were in "Rasputin and the Empress". (Read the Wikipedia post on the film) And more trivia: John Barrymore is the grandfather of Drew Barrymore.
2c. Laurel and Hardy 2d. Marx Brothers 3. Maurice Chevalier 4. Eddie Cantor
5. Jimmy Durante 6. (L-R) Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Constance Bennett
7. Clockwise: Harold Llyod, Clark Gable, Adolph Menjou, Edward G. Robinson
8. Ticket Taker: Sid Grauman (of Grauman's Chinese Theater fame)
People entering the theater:
9a. George Arliss 9b. Joe E Brown 9c. (crawling on floor) Charlie Chaplin
9d. William Powell 9e. Marx Brothers (over-stuffed coat) 9f. Mae West ("Come up and see me some time!")
9g. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Clarabell Cow
10 Seated in theater, front row: Chester Morris, Gloria Swanson, George Arliss
Back Row: Helen Hayes, Edward G. Robinson, William Powell
11 Jimmy Durante 12. Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery
13. Caricature of "censorship czar" Will H. Hays (of the "Hays code")
14. Eddie Cantor with Joan Crawford
15. Greta Garbo
16. Front: Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, and Will Rogers
Back: Groucho, Charlie Chaplin, Lionel Barrymore
17. Ed Wynn 18 Bert Wheeler & Robert Woolsey ("Wheeler & Woolsey" comedy duo) 19. Laurel and Hardy 20. Dracula (Bela Lugosi), Mr. Hyde (Frederic March), Frankenstien monster (Boris Karloff)
21. Buster Keaton and Joe E. Brown
22: Falling out of seats: Douglas Fairbanks and Jimmy Durante
23. Rolling in isles: Oliver Hardy, Chaplin, Groucho, Joe E. Brown, Marie Dressler
24. On stage: Will Rogers (pulling Mickey by rope)
25. Shaking hands: Marie Dressler, Joe E Brown, Jimmy Durante, Laurel and Hardy, Edward G, Eddie Cantor, Chaplin, Wallace Beery, George Arliss, William Powell, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Fatty Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd, Lionel Barrymore.
26. Getting onstage: Greta Garbo
27. Walt Disney and 2 other men (one of them Warner Baxter-dont' know who the other guy is supposed to be), with Groucho.
28. Pluto the dog
Source: 2719hyperion.com a post about classic Disney animation.
This is a first in a series of classic cartoons featuring caricatures of Hollywood celebrities from the 1930s and early 1940s. See how many you can recognize!
Celebrities, in order of appearance:
First tables: Claudette Colbert & Don Ameche, Norma Shearer & Adolph Mejou Cary Grant & Greta Garbo ("Cigarette Girl") Edward G. Robinson & Ann Sheridan Henry Binder & Leon Schlesinger (Warner Bros. producers) Johnny Weissmuller ("Tarzan") Cagney, Bogart, and Raft Harpo Marx Clark Gable Bing Crosby & Leopold Stokowski Dorothy Lamour & Jimmy Stewart Tyrone Power & Sonja Henie Frankenstein monster Three Stooges Oliver Hardy Caesar Romero & Rita Hayworth Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Lewis Stone (Andy Hardy's dad from "Andy Hardy" series) Sally Rand Prof. Kay Kyser and "Students" (William Powell, Spencer Tracy, Gilbert Roland, Errol Flynn. Sitting: Wallace Beery and C. Aubrey Smith) Peter Lorre Henry Fonda J. Edgar Hoover ("G-man") Boris Karloff, Arthur Treacher, Buster Keaton, Mischa Auer Ned Sparks Jerry Colonna Harpo Marx Groucho Marx
Charlotte from The Five and Dime has a great post on Winnie Lightner, singer-actress from the early days of talking pictures, including "Gold Diggers of Broadway" (1929). The poster below is from movie "Side Show", which I haven't seen yet.
More from Wikipedia about: "Side Show" (movie) | Winnie Lightner
Spencer Tracy plays Cuban fisherman Santiago, isolated at sea in a small little fishing boat reminiscining about old times and waiting for a catch. One day he's stunned to come across a huge marlin who circles his boat. Santiago harpoons it; and eventually attracts a few sharks on his way home. The sea struggles (between Spence and the fish) are exciting, and Dimitri Tiomkin's score is really good. Thanks to director John Sturges, who is at his best with action sequences like this. There are many moments of narration by Tracy; the words come directly from Hemingway's book. I was not convinced that Spence was a Cuban. But the movie, like the novel, is very allegorical and not everything makes sense. Several flashback sequences feature symbolic images of lions and fish, and in one scene we're taken back to an arm wreslting match between Spencer and a man who is referred to as a "negro" multiple times. In the end, the old man returns to his village exhausted, and is reaquainted with his young Cuban apprentice, a boy named Manolin, but all the old man can do is sleep. There was a made-for-TV 1990 version with Anthony Quinn.
Oscar win for best Original Music Score
Almost 100 years old, this is a true gem, a very entertaining early version of Jules Verne's classic. Released by Universal the day before Christmas in 1916. I rented a recent re-released DVD of this; the colorized tints really enhance the experience. It was one of the first big-budget films of the silent era, with spectacular underwater photography; there's scenes aplenty of coral and sea life that British director Stuart Paton wanted to show off. Scenes of the Nautilus submarine are cool, as are the scenes on the island, which bring to mind another Verne novel, "Mysterious Island". Haven't read either novel, but this film is reported to be a very faithful film version of the "Leagues" book, with elements of "Island" mixed in. I recommend it. Captain Nemo is played by Allen Holubar, who died at the much-too-soon age of 35. The excellent music score is from the early 90's. View the Wikipedia post.
Volume 2 of the Esther Williams DVD box set is now out! It contains 6 movies; I've seen one, "Thrill of Romance" with Van Johnson, which is lots of fun.
THRILL OF A ROMANCE (1945) - Esther plays a newlywed whose business tycoon husband (Carleton Young ) leaves her at a hotel on their honeymoon to head to a business meeting. Also staying at the hotel is a war hero (Van Johnson). The two begin spending time together. Esther has a few swimming scenes here, she plays a swimming instructor after all. But the majority is made up of music. Tommy Dorsey and his band have several numbers.
FIESTA (1947) - Esther and Ricardo Montalban play twins in Mexico. Montalban is being pressured to be a part of the family bullfighting team. But, he really wants to be a musician. This is a bit different for an Esther Williams film. She only has one brief swimming scene (swimming across a lake). It is mostly bullfighting. Cyd Charisse has a brief dancing scene.
THIS TIME FOR KEEPS (1947) - An ex G.I. (Johnny Johnston) returns home to fall for Esther, a swimming star in a musical troupe. Jimmy Durante is a musician. This is possibly even more Durante’s film than Esther. Xavier Cugat also appears.
PAGAN LOVE SONG (1950) - Set in Tahiti, Howard Keel arrives and falls for local girl Esther. This is the shortest film in the set, at only 76 minutes, and also one of the lesser films.
MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID (1952) - One of her most famous, Esther and her father (Walter Pidgeon) leave their home in Sydney. Esther goes on to become a swimming star. The film features several big Busby Berkeley choreographed musical numbers.
EASY TO LOVE (1953) - This is yet another romantic triangle, also involving Van Johnson. This time, it is all set in Cypress Gardens, just South of Walt Disney World in Florida. There are some great water skiing sequences and other numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley.
Some of my favorite blogs have recent posts related to Ms. Williams that I wanted to direct you to. First, Miss Matilda has shared some great pictures in her latest post. And The Moviezzz Blog has more info on the DVD series.
I recently read about the life of Rochelle Hudson from Nicole's Forgotten Starlet Series. I knew little about her, but had seen some of her movies, including "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Curly Top" with Shirley Temple. Very sad that she died young. Read Nicole's recent post: Forgotten Starlet Series: Rochelle Hudson
As Roger Ebert puts in in a recent review, this film is "a portrait of rotten journalism and the public's insatiable appetite for it". "Ace in the Hole" blew me away when I first saw it and I couldn't stop thinking and talking about it for days afterward. Fresh off his "stop-at-nothing-to-get-to-the-top" performance in "Champion", Kirk Douglas plays another cocky, competitive character, this time newspaper reporter Charles Tatum, who capitalizes on a mine disaster in a small New Mexico town (and churns out such wisecracks as "I can handle big news and little news. And if there's no news, I'll go out and bite a dog.") At the start of the film, his car breaks down in Albuquerque, and we learn that he had been fired from numerous New York paper jobs for boozing and womanizing. He lands a boring gig in a claustrophobic newspaper office and he hates it, as he longs for the noise of New York again. In on scene, Tatum asks a co-worker "What do you know about Yogi Berra?" She replies, "Yogi? That's sort of a religion isn't it?" Tatum: "You bet it is: Belief in the New York Yankees!" One day a story breaks out: In a nearby small town, a man named Leo Minoso is trapped in a mine after a cave-in; his legs are stuck and no one can get close to him without drilling through. This is Kirk's big break, he reasons, and proceeds to take possession of the story. After his story is printed on the front page, the newspaper's sales go through the roof and he's suddenly back in demand. His ruthless thirst for fame and wealth increases as the days pass. Meanwhile, an entire media circus forms around the cave. It's a fascinating story with many themes: loyalty, greed, competition. Lots of build-up to the return and rescue--- there's a chance Leo might not make it out of the cave alive....Will He or Won't He? It's an incredibly emotional film experience and Kirk Douglas as the heartless Tatum is brilliant. Plus great scenery of the desert and mountains. Wilder used thousands of extras and built a huge set - complete with a gigantic ferris wheel and carnival rides, and a pop music stage where a hit tribute song about the rescue of Leo is performed and sheet music is sold for 25 cents. Jan Sterling plays Leo's troubled wife. The commentary on the DVD is brilliant and so is the film. I agree with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times who wrote, "Although the film is 56 years old, I found while watching it again that it still has all its power. It hasn't aged because Wilder and his co-writers, Walter Newman and Lesser Samuels, were so lean and mean [with their dialogue] . . . [Kirk Douglas'] focus and energy . . . is almost scary. There is nothing dated about [his] performance. It's as right-now as a sharpened knife....When the film was released, the press complained about its portrait of news practices and standards, even though the story was inspired by a real media circus when a man named Floyd Collins was trapped in a Kentucky cave. Today, it is hard to imagine some segments of the press not recognizing their hunger for sensation. "
This movie is so bad that it's funny. Actually, it's intended to be a comedy, unlike the original 1958 Blob that we all have come to laugh at anyway. After all, the cast this time includes comedians Shelly Berman and Godfrey Cambridge. Robert Walker Jr (I wonder if his mother Jennifer Jones ever saw this one) and Gwynne Gilford (mother of actor Chris Pine - I wonder if he saw this) run all over town trying to warn people about the "giant, one-celled animal", only to be dismissed by all the local authorities who think they're just stoned hippies.
