Raquel Welch movies

Turner Classic Movies had a marathon of Raquel Welch movies the other day, and I was excited for this because it was a great chance to watch some of her movies for the first time. Either due to availability (never being on VHS/DVD) or on TV, I had never seen any of these movies before, ever.  

Unfortunately, most of the ones I watched were pretty mediocre, and not very good. Or they were just average. I wasn't missing much.  It's too bad because I feel Raquel Welch deserved much better roles and parts in better movies. I could see/imagine her in movies like Gloria or Coming Home. 

The Three Musketeers (1973)

I didn't like this movie! It really didn't interest me at all so I didn't even watch the whole movie all the way through. I don't remember Raquel Welch being in the movie very much. Sort of a cameo type role, really.

Fuzz (1972)

I also really disliked this comedy. For one, I hate the title; it just doesn't seem to fit. Raquel's role in the film is very small; she only has a few scenes as a detective which is a shame because I think she would have been great in a larger part. Burt Reynolds and Tom Skerrit have larger parts as police/detectives.  I didn't realize that most of this whole movie would took place in the police station. (Later I found out that this movie was based on some book or series of books) 

After about 10 minutes the movie's goofiness gave me the vibe of a Police Academy movie or a Barney Miller tv comedy episode, which might have been inspired by this film. Don't think I'd watch this one again.

Flareup (1969)

I also disliked this one! Raquel's part is much larger; she plays a stripper who is targeted by an assassin. She travels from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and the only interesting things about the movie is the scenery and location shots. And the cool cars. That's about it. It does have a '60s vibe to it, too. Everything else is really dull; all of the other performances are really bland and I didn't care much for this one. Don't think Id watch this one again.

Hannie Caulder (1971)

This Western is a bad film overall; I think this movie's mistake is that it tries to be a comedy when it should just be a straight-up drama/thriller/revenge story. Then I think the movie would have worked a bit better. It starts off with a trio of bumbling outlaw brothers (Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, and Jack Elam) who kill a rancher and then proceed to gang-rape his widow/wife who is left behind. The rape scene is very disturbing and uncomfortable to watch so early on. It's choppily edited, but that could be the director's intent. It's also very creepy to watch Ernest Borgnine (Marty) as a dirty rapist; reminded me of his character in The Wild Bunch.

The gang leaves and then wisecracks their way out of the village. There are multiple scenes showing them in various other situations joking and wisecracking with each other, like a pair of Three Stooges, and I think that was a wrong choice since it gives the impression it's meant to be some kind of comedy; there's nothing funny about rapists. 

The best parts of the movie show Hannie (Raquel Welch) planning her revenge and learning to shoot. There are some bloody sequences in the movie, which seem to be inspired by Wild Bunch, especially with all the flowing blood that shoots up into the air when people get shot.  Raquel meets bounty hunter Robert Culp who trains her. Christopher Lee has a small role as a man who lets them stay at his house for awhile. Compared to 100 Rifes, this is the lesser of the two in my opinion. 

Kansas City Bomber (1972)

I was bored with this one and didn't like it. I liked some of the roller derby scenes but honestly, they went on for too long. The movie doesn't really explain what the point of the game is, and I guess the audience is expected to know the rules. Like with Football, or Baseball, or Hockey movies, the filmmakers don't stop and tell you how the game is played.  I did like the scenes with Raquel and her children and the scenes with her at home. It made me want to see more scenes like that or even an entire movie about her with kids.

The Last of Sheila (1973)

A very odd film. It's interesting that it's Stephen Sondheim's only screenplay he wrote. He was good friends with the other co-screenwriter, Anthony Perkins, and they came up with this interesting scavenger-hunt type movie. I thought it was just "OK". I remember enjoying the movie "Scavenger Hunt" way better; maybe since it was aimed at kids more. Both movies have Richard Benjamin. 
Incidentally, Bobby Rivers' blog had an interesting post on a collaboration between Sondheim and Perkins from the 60s - read it here. 

Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: Tonight's Movie: The Last of Sheila (1973) (laurasmiscmusings.blogspot.com)

The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968)

This is a really stupid movie! But I liked watching it and got hooked once the heist got underway --- which takes over an hour to get to. The first hour is really build-up and interplay between the Italian thief and Robert Wagner, which is really dull. Sadly, Raquel Welch's part is so small. It would have been great to see her in the Wagner role instead. Watching this movie made me want to re-watch Oceans 8 (2018) with Sandra Bullock - I always enjoy seeing how she works with her team to pull off the heist that they do in that one. 

Bundle only picks up steam once Edward G. Robinson enters the picture and becomes the mastermind behind the ultimate heist which involves a train hijacking. However it takes an hour and a half to get to those exciting parts featuring the heist, and by then I'm almost not interested. But I did like the ending and it shows how they blow the heist and their expressions. I kind of wish The Italian Job (1969) ended in a similar way where we get some satisfaction out of seeing them blow the heist. 

Compared to Topkapi, my favorite heist movie of them all, this movie is far inferior.  

The Wild Party (1975)

Terrible movie! I cannot believe this is a Merchant/Ivory film. The opening credits were really amusing, jovial, and a clever throwback to silent cinema. 

But the next ten minutes were horrid. James Coco plays a washed-up silent comedian, jealous of "up-and-comers" Buster Keaton and Chaplin. If you know your history of film you may recognize similarities between the Coco character and Roscoe Arbuckle, a heavyset comedic silent actor whose career went down in a similar way.

However, modern audiences have no idea about any of this. This film is good example of when you really need context --- some type of opening "crawl" or written prologue on the screen to give you context. 

Instead of a fun movie experience, in the first ten minutes, Coco's character slaps Raquel Welch in the face and throws a hot cup of coffee on her legs. It's really horrendous and misogynist and Coco is so unlikable that I couldn't watch this movie with any real interest. The movie is so long and boring and leads up to the titular "wild party" which doesn't take place for about an hour and a half. This movie really sucks. It's a shame that Raquel Welch had to take this part. This is a totally forgettable movie. 

Should have probably been called "The Arbuckle Story" or something like that. 

100 Rifles (1969)

I liked this movie; I liked the action and that it focuses on the Yachi indigenous people of Mexico; even though it's fictious I feel it gives a bit of an idea of how the Yachi were displaced and how they might have fought the colonizers. It also is my first time learning about the Yachi, and I feel this movie could have been better at explaining them. Instead, it aims to focus on the three fugitive characters. I like how I don't know how the three would end up at the end - which one would die (if any?), which ones would romance, which ones would leave the group, etc. And the Mexican General played by Fernando Llamas was really nasty and one of the meanest screen villains. I didn't like some of the anti-indigenous sentiment, but I could see how a movie like this was an influence on Tarantino. This movie might be the only one of Raquel's that I would watch again. 

A good blog post on the movie here at Just Hit Play

The Burt Reynolds museum in Florida

This weekend I visited the Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum, a neat little museum in South Florida that is home to the actor's awards, gifts from his 50-year career in show business. 

The museum has lots of neat photos of Reynold's early life in Florida and his football days at FSU.

SPORTS 

Yearbook photos, humanitarian honors, and lots of sports memorabilia, including singed footballs, baseballs (Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial among them), jerseys, caps, you name it. 

 

Signed photos from Walter Payton, Jack Nicklaus, Sugar Ray Leonard, and tons more. Here's one from Russell Crowe from a movie called Mystery Alaska where he played a hockey player. 

 

Westerns

An entire wing is devoted to his Western films and memorabilia from the western shows (including Gunsmoke) and movies (100 Rifles) in the early part of his career.

Signed photos from the cast of Gunsmoke

1970s movies

A canoe used in Deliverance. The museum curator told me that last year, the four main actors from the film (Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ronny Cox, and Ned Beatty) hosted a Q&A here and filmed a segment for the upcoming 40th anniversary DVD of the film.

1980s films

Lots of cool stuff from his movies, including hits like Smokey and the Bandit 

Hundreds of autographed photos

AWARDS

I love seeing awards on display like this. It's so neat to see. After you watch the Oscars or an awards show and see the star win, you hardly ever see the trophies again. Here, Burt has put them all on display for his fans to enjoy. 

Golden Globes

Nomination certificates

Another nomination

Reynolds's sole Emmy win for Evening Shade

Here's an Oscar nomination certificate for Boogie Nights (1997)

Lots of People's Choice Awards

Here is an award recognizing Burt as the #1 Top Box Office Star of the Year (there are 5 of these)

New York Film Critics Award

Nickelodeon (1976) Directed by Peter Bogdonovich

In the early years of the twentieth century, the term "nickelodeon" had a few meanings. It could refer to a number of various types of music "jukeboxes" - the kind you might find in a penny arcade (immortalized in the famous Teresa Brewer pop song). There were also cinema nickelodeons, usually converted/renovated storefronts serving as theaters. They featured short silent films and seated usually up to 100 or so people. The price of admission was usually a nickel.

By the way, if you ever get the chance to visit downtown Chicago (where I'm from), you can actually step back into time into a replica nickelodeon cinema (and view a short silent film) at the Museum of Science an Industry's permanent Yesterday's Main Street exhibit. This, along with Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle, are two must-sees for any classic film buff who visits the city.

Nickelodeon cinemas became less and less popular after 1915, the year DW Griffith's full-length feature film The Birth of A Nation was released. This was a dawn of a new era, when long, epic films competed against each other, and when grand movie palaces started to go up.

Writer-Director Peter Bogdonovich was fascinated with this era, and for a long time wanted to make a period film about the making of silents. By 1976 he had established himself as a credible film historian and author, and had interviewed many legends of Hollywood filmmaking, such as Orson Welles and John Ford, just to name a few. He received acclaim for his B/W period films The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon (starring Ryan and Tatum O'Neal), and paid homage to several film genres such as screwball comedy (with What's Up Doc) and Astaire/Rogers type musicals of the 30s (with At Long Last Love, which starred Burt Reynolds).

Was the world ready for a film about the silent era in 1976? No matter what, the dream project was going to happen. Interestingly, a silent movie was a hit that summer: Mel Brooks' madcap spoof Silent Movie sort of paved the way for another silent-themed film. And when it was time to cast the picture, Bogdonovich turned to actors he already worked with, including Reynolds (who also was in the Mel Brooks film, ironically) and Tatum, who had a hit that summer with Bad News Bears. Many were anxious to see her re-teamed with her father on the screen, and Nickelodeon would be that film. But since then, they have yet to appear together on screen again.



Nickelodeon, co-written and directed by Bogdonovich, was released during the Christmas season in 1976 and takes place between the early cinema years 1910-1915. For authenticity, Bogdonovich wanted his film to be in B/W, but apparently the studio was against it for box-office reasons. I've seen both versions; the DVD has the Director's Cut (with commentary) and is in B/W, a version which I personally prefer. But there's value in the original theatrical color version as well; Laszlo Kovacs' beautiful cinematography brightens the period sets and costumes, and many scenes have a sepia-tone look.



There is alot to be learned about the history of cinema from watching this film (and from listening to the director's commentary on DVD, which I highly recommend!) I first watched it with a group of film students at a screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (The original theatrical, color version was shown) The professor speaking about the film was author and film historian Virginia Wright Wexman Her lecture before the screening helped me to appreciate this film all the more.

It was brought up in the lecture that during this time, many folks who who never intended to pursue a career in films ended up doing so anyway, and often, were very successful. The characters in the film of Reynold's "Buck" is a stuntman who ends up coming a movie star by complete accident, and Ryan O'Neal plays a failed-lawyer who also stumbles into the movie business when he meets an independent film producer (played by Brian Keith, in an over-the-top performance). Leo pitches a few story ideas to him, and he's soon on his way into movies.

All these characters and scenarios are based on real life incidents, as told to Bogdonovich in a number of interviews he conducted with film directors of the pre-sound era, including Allan Dwan (who was a stagehand before becoming a writer-director), Raoul Walsh (who really was a stuntman before his directing career), and Leo McCarey (who really was a failed lawyer). In fact, almost every scene is inspired by a priceless, true story, or is an homage to an earlier film or director (the DVD's director commentary is a must-hear).

There isn't much of a plot to the film; mostly it's a series of scenes that center around one theme: "galloping tintypes", as they called movies back then. Often I just wanted to sit back in awe of what I experiencing; I really felt like I had been transported back in time. There are a few love triangles that give the film some romance. And providing the film with a sense of suspense and menace, the audience is introduced to the Motion Picture Patents Company, a group of studios formed to protect the invention of Thomas Edison's camera against copycats. But they could not stop a crop independents from making films with non-Edison cameras. The "Patents" often went to extreme measures to halt production on these independents, sometimes sending out goons to destroy the cameras. Nickelodeon features a number of scenes recreating some of these events. In one humorous scene, a Patent shoots a camera and a character exclaims, "He just killed a box!".

Leo sets out to a secluded California town to make movies for his independent film company (a patent is on his trail). His crew, whom he never met, awaits him. The first person he meets is Tatum, whose unexciting character is a child prodigy called upon to be the head writer. John Ritter, in an early role, is great as a cameraman. Stella Stevens and model-turned actress Jane Hitchcock (in her screen debut) play leading ladies (Hitchcock, who is good in this, never appeared in another film, unfortunately). George Gaynes plays one of the lead actors, and he seems to be warming up for his future role as "Dr. Brewster" in Tootsie. Burt Reynolds comes in a bit later as the dashing leading man, playing all sorts of silent film characters. He is quite good in this role, and turns out an impressive comic performance, probably my favorite ever of his. There are a few small bit parts played by a few veteran western stars, including James Best and Harry Carey Jr., who has ties not only to westerns, but to the silent cinema, as his father was a silent film star.

In one fun scene, the cast and crew travel to the big city and check out a nickelodeon theater, which happens to be showing one of their films (not a complete film, actually - you'll have to see the film). They are then followed out of the theater by fanatics (or, I should say, "fans") who recognize them and ask them for a souvenir. When they don't have anything to offer, the fanatics start ripping their clothes. Typical.



And here's another neat scene, which shows how several short silent movies were made at once, by one film company.



One of the best scenes is toward the end, which recreates the opening day of DW Griffith's The Birth of a Nation in 1915, a film that changed movies forever. The Los Angeles premiere had a full orchestra and even sound effects men behind the screen. Leo and company attend the premiere, which was called at first, "The Clansman". We are shown several extended clips from the actual movie, and Bogdonavich often cuts to audience reaction shots to demonstrate the incredible impact. At the end of the screening, the audiences is silent for a moment, then applause. Then a standing ovation by all, except Leo. He sits, and we wonder what he thinks. Is he jealous? Is his sad? Is he stunned? Then, the director of the epic - DW Griffith - walks out on the stage to take a bow, and Leo rises. A good scene.



The film didn't become a box office hit. Perhaps it was too history-heavy. There are a couple of potentially cringe-inducing scenes, one where white actors have to put on black makeup to play African tribal members, and another scene set at an original stage production of "The Clansman" featuring a stunt man in a white sheet and a burning cross. Historical, yes, but perhaps enough to turn off sensitive viewers. Also, advertising may have been a problem: the posters for this movie showed Tatum in a hot-air balloon, but there's no such scene in the film. And though it contains plenty of slapstick, it's heavily nostalgic. It certainly was a different kind of film for action star Burt Reynolds. Overall, it wouldn't be fair at all to call the film a failure, yet critics did have mixed feelings. Roger Ebert only gave the film two stars out of four (read review), commenting that 2/3 through the movie, it turns "from comedy to elegy". I could see his point; it did turn out to be a more serious film than I expected it would be. The last scene shows all of the main characters in a solemn state, pondering the future, and what the new age of films would bring.

Finally, I want to mention one more scene, which comes close to the end, and it sort of broke my heart. At a Christmas party, an open canister of one of Leo's films is carelessly placed on a table and someone mistakes it for an ashtray. In this scene, we see how flammable nitrate film was, as it almost burns an entire room filled with people. Sad to think of it, but this sort of thing surely happened to many films of this era. In fact, over 80% of all films made between 1894-1930 are lost forever. More must be done to ensure that surviving silent films are preserved, restored, and viewed, so they can be discovered and

Read The Posts | Donate

enjoyed for all time. Among the efforts: 2010 For the Love of Film: The Film Preservatation Blogathon taking place now through Feb 21, hosted by The Self-Styled Siren and Ferdy on Films.

For more perspectives on the film "Nickelodeon":

Alex wrote a critical review of this film not long ago from his blog Critic Picks (I enjoyed the movie much more)

Read Richard Eder's original 1976 review published in the New York Times.

Read Roger Ebert's original 1976 review published in the Chicago Sun Times.

---

Another great post from Dear Old Hollywood.

---

Bobby Rivers wrote about the ending of this film on his blog here.

Remembering Jennifer Jones (1919-2009)

A few tributes to the late film star Jennifer Jones:
Shades of Grey | Glamour blog's tribute | The Telegraph | LA Times


Jennifer and Ingrid at the 1943 Oscars; Jennifer wins Best Actress for Song of Bernadette

1944 Oscars: Jennifer presents the Oscar to Ingrid for Gaslight

More Tributes:
Jennifer Jones Website | IMDB News Update | The Wrap
The Siren's tribute from her blog | Laura's tribute from her blog | The Celluloid Slammer's tribute | Gilby's tribute | CK Dexter Haven's tribute My co-worker Mike is a huge Jennifer Jones fan and sent me these jolly photos.



Above: Jennifer and the cast of Towering Inferno

Below: Jimmy, Jennifer and Burt Reynolds (?). Apparently this picture (from Feb '83) was originally published in LIFE magazine, but I couldn't find a caption for it. What were they all doing together, I wonder?? Perhaps discussing a new movie project? I think that would have been pretty cool, because Jimmy and Jennifer were never in a movie together. :(

Silent Movie (1976)

This is my favorite Mel Brooks which I recently re-watched. It takes place in contemporary (mid-70s then, of course) Los Angeles/Hollywood. However the main gimmick of the film is that it's "silent" without any  dialogue. Retro "title cards" are used throughout.

Watch the trailer:


The simple plot: has-been director Mel Funn (Brooks) trying to make a comeback with a new idea for a film: modern-day SILENT MOVIE. He pitches it to a studio boss (Sid Caesar) who is a little skeptical until Funn gets major Hollywood stars to sign up (leading to hilarious results). Among them: Burt Reynolds, Anne Bancroft, Liza Minelli, and James Caan. He even tries to get legendary French mime Marcel Marceau to sign up; in one humorous scene, he calls him in Paris to ask if he'd like to be a part. Marcel responds, "No!" in the only spoken word of dialogue in the film.



Everyone hopes the film will be a hit except for a rival studio who wants the film to fail. The rival studio even sends out a sexpot nightclub dancer/singer (Bernadette Peters) to distract Mel Funn and his bumbling associates (Dom DeLuise and Marty Feldman). The hilarious film is filled with sight gags that will remind you of the classic slapstick comedy you enjoyed in silent movies of an earlier era.

Even making an appearance is Paul Newman, playing (and mocking) himself. When we first see him in the film, he is in a hospital recovering from a broken leg after one of his famous car races, and we see him in a motorized wheelchair. Mel & Co. sneakily track him down, and this leads to a hilarious wheelchair chase, complete with a little Ben-Hur homage. I could also mention several more scenes, but I don't want to spoil it all. See the movie! I highly recommend it.



POSTSCRIPT:

Mel Brooks was chosen to be one of the 2009 Kennedy Center honorees. The ceremony is an annual gala where 5 American showbusiness legends are awarded lifetime achievement medals from the Kennedy Center, a performing arts center in Washington DC. The President attends, and it's always a grand affair. A well-deserved honor for the Oscar-winning filmmaker. No less than three of his films are usually regarded among the funniest of all time : The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles.

Watch a clip from the Kennedy Center tribute: