Crawdaddy's "Random Thoughts" about Home Video, Film & TV (6 Viewers)

[Hollywoodaholic]

Three Strangers. Good'un. A very original story (and structure), but the ending is a bit Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Oh, well, if you're going to nick, nick from yourself. I also couldn't help but imagine Bogart as Johnny West throughout. What a different spin on the character that would have been. A little less... enthusiastic. I almost wish Muller would not reveal these casting misses until after the picture. I love Peter Lorre, but I still don't buy him as the romantic lead here. He just oozes, not so much drunken charm, but a bit icky-ness. And...

Spoiler

... why does he even need to burn the winning ticket? Fitzgerald is dead and he witnessed Greenstreet busy confessing to her murder, so doesn't that leave him free and clear to cash in the ticket? I must be missing something.

What happens after The Breaking Point in the schedule? Does it go on hiatus for a while? What will I do with my Sunday afternoons? And no, I don't think football (or any spectator sports) are really coming back for a while. And when they do... my original home team will have a different name and mascot. But why should we be loyal to any team these days when players aren't? My nephew is a Bucs fan and has always hated Tom Brady. What's he to do now?

But that's another thread.

 

[Matt Hough]

As always, I appreciated getting the backstory on the making of the film from Eddie, but once he started praising Rosalind Ivan, I was surprised he didn't mention that she and Joan Lorring had played mother and daughter the previous year in The Corn Is Green which brought Lorring her only Oscar nomination. Yes, the acting throughout the film was first-rate!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Three Strangers. Good'un. A very original story (and structure), but the ending is a bit Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Oh, well, if you're going to nick, nick from yourself. I also couldn't help but imagine Bogart as Johnny West throughout. What a different spin on the character that would have been. A little less... enthusiastic. I almost wish Muller would not reveal these casting misses until after the picture. I love Peter Lorre, but I still don't buy him as the romantic lead here. He just oozes, not so much drunken charm, but a bit icky-ness. And...

Spoiler

... why does he even need to burn the winning ticket? Fitzgerald is dead and he witnessed Greenstreet busy confessing to her murder, so doesn't that leave him free and clear to cash in the ticket? I must be missing something.

What happens after The Breaking Point in the schedule? Does it go on hiatus for a while? What will I do with my Sunday afternoons? And no, I don't think football (or any spectator sports) are really coming back for a while. And when they do... my original home team will have a different name and mascot. But why should we be loyal to any team these days when players aren't? My nephew is a Bucs fan and has always hated Tom Brady. What's he to do now?

But that's another thread.

You are missing something.

Spoiler

they each signed their names to that ticket and then dated it.

As to Peter Lorre being a romantic lead, I can see where a young woman that's been crapped on all of her life could fall for an intellectual alcoholic that treats her with respect and dignity while taking an interest in her.

Yes, TCM has "Summer Under the Stars" throughout August. Noir Alley will post their new schedule sometime in August for September-January months.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This afternoon's viewing was the Criterion Blu-ray of "The Lady Eve". Criterion should be proud of this BD as it has outstanding video, audio and bonus material. I love this movie as it's one of the movies that caused me to fall in love with Barbara Stanwyck as an actress. When I was a kid in 1965, my mother noticed me watching "The Big Valley" on TV and told me Stanwyck was a big-time movie actress. Shortly thereafter, I caught one of her movies on TV when she was young and that began my movie love affair with this great actress. As Eddie Muller has stated more than a few times, she is the greatest Hollywood actress of all-time. You can see why directors loved her and why Henry Fonda had a huge crush on her.

 

[B-ROLL]

View attachment 75680


This afternoon's viewing was the Criterion Blu-ray of "The Lady Eve". Criterion should be proud of this BD as it has outstanding video, audio and bonus material. I love this movie as it's one of the movies that caused me to fall in love with Barbara Stanwyck as an actress. When I was a kid in 1965, my mother noticed me watching "The Big Valley" on TV and told me Stanwyck was a big-time movie actress. Shortly thereafter, I caught one of her movies on TV when she was young and that began my movie love affair with this great actress. As Eddie Muller has stated more than a few times, she is the greatest Hollywood actress of all-time. You can see why directors loved her and why Henry Fonda had a huge crush on her.

One minor correction ... per her title card in The Big Valley ... she should be addressed as ...

"Miss" !

 

[Robert Crawford]

One minor correction ... per her title card in The Big Valley ... she should be addressed as ...
View attachment 75687
"Miss" !

Or Missy as those in the business used to call her.

 

[bujaki]

View attachment 75680


This afternoon's viewing was the Criterion Blu-ray of "The Lady Eve". Criterion should be proud of this BD as it has outstanding video, audio and bonus material. I love this movie as it's one of the movies that caused me to fall in love with Barbara Stanwyck as an actress. When I was a kid in 1965, my mother noticed me watching "The Big Valley" on TV and told me Stanwyck was a big-time movie actress. Shortly thereafter, I caught one of her movies on TV when she was young and that began my movie love affair with this great actress. As Eddie Muller has stated more than a few times, she is the greatest Hollywood actress of all-time. You can see why directors loved her and why Henry Fonda had a huge crush on her.

The seduction scene is one that the censors passed because they were eunuchs.

 

[lark144]

The seduction scene is one that the censors passed because they were eunuchs.

Not eunuchs, but celibates. I believe many of the censors were priests. They hadn't had a lot of hands on experience with women, so to speak. Maybe they thought all that heavy petting was maternal, even spiritual. I'm sure the temperature in the Paramount Theater balcony went way way up when that scene was on the screen.

 

[bujaki]

Not eunuchs, but celibates. I believe many of the censors were priests. They hadn't had a lot of hands on experience with women, so to speak. Maybe they thought all that heavy petting was maternal, even spiritual. I'm sure the temperature in the Paramount Theater balcony went way way up when that scene was on the screen.

Tentpole?

 

[lark144]

Tentpole?

That's where it opened in NYC, advertised as the "vexiest picture of the year" on Feb 26th, 1941, with Tony Pastor and his orchestra, Ella Logan and Ben Blue.

'The Lady Eve,' a Sparkling Romantic Comedy, With Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, at the Paramount -- Other Films at Rialto, Miami and New York

Now there's no question about it: Preston Sturges is definitely and distinctly the most refreshing new force to hit the American motion pictures in the past five years. The fact was thoroughly apparent -- but almost too good to believe -- when his rowdy comedy.

timesmachine.nytimes.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

Noir Alley
12m ·
See Patricia Neal, John Garfield and Juano Hernandez in THE BREAKING POINT ('50) Saturday at midnight ET and Sunday at 10am ET on #NoirAlley hosted by Eddie Muller.

 

[Cranston37+]

 

[Matt Hough]

Noir Alley
12m ·
See Patricia Neal, John Garfield and Juano Hernandez in THE BREAKING POINT ('50) Saturday at midnight ET and Sunday at 10am ET on #NoirAlley hosted by Eddie Muller.

Probably won't watch it again yet, but will definitely be around for Eddie's new intro and outro.

 

[bujaki]

Anyone interested in seeing Karloff in his first important role in a Hollywood feature, check this out:
https://www.hollywoodheritage.org/silents-under-the-stars
He's excellent and gets a lot of screen time for a newcomer. The star is Blanche Sweet who is very good. The film is very, very rare and worth a look.

 

[Robert Crawford]

An interesting article about which streaming services are more popular than others.

Analyst: HBO Max, Peacock Have Highest-Rated Programming - Media Play News

HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock may be latecomers to the subscription video-on-demand party, but their catalog programming ranked higher in July than Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, according to … Continue reading "Analyst: HBO Max, Peacock Have Highest-Rated Programming"

www.mediaplaynews.com

 

[Mike Frezon]

An interesting article about which streaming services are more popular than others.

Analyst: HBO Max, Peacock Have Highest-Rated Programming - Media Play News

HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock may be latecomers to the subscription video-on-demand party, but their catalog programming ranked higher in July than Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, according to … Continue reading "Analyst: HBO Max, Peacock Have Highest-Rated Programming"

www.mediaplaynews.com

It IS interesting. But mighty confusing to me.

They say this is for July. But the article was published today, July 22nd.

And it includes "catalog" programming, but not "original" programming.

And I guess this is not like Neilsen ratings, but it is some form of rating of the quality of the content of what's carried on the various services (as determined by imdb ratings) as opposed to how many eyes are on the content??

But I am just dipping my toes into streaming so many I'm not "getting" it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It IS interesting. But mighty confusing to me.

They say this is for July. But the article was published today, July 22nd.

And it includes "catalog" programming, but not "original" programming.

And I guess this is not like Neilsen ratings, but it is some form of rating of the quality of the content of what's carried on the various services (as determined by imdb ratings) as opposed to how many eyes are on the content??

But I am just dipping my toes into streaming so many I'm not "getting" it.

Yeah, it's not quite all of July.

From June 19 – July 20, JustWatch top movies streamed (in order) included Palm Springs, Independence Day, Greyhound, Knives Out, Ford v Ferrari, The King of Staten Island, The Old Guard, Irresistible, 1917 and Relic. Top TV shows included “Yellowstone,” “The Legend of Korra,” “Alone,” “The Alienist,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Better Call Saul,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Mad Men,” “The Good Place,” “Perry Mason”.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Isn't it kinda weird that Hamilton--debuting in the first week of July--didn't boost the Disney+ numbers more?

 

[Cranston37+]

An interesting article about which streaming services are more popular than others.

Isn't it kinda weird that Hamilton--debuting in the first week of July--didn't boost the Disney+ numbers more?

I don't think this article is about how popular the services are - or how many people watch them - rather it's about the quality of programming on the services...

 

[Mike Frezon]

I don't think this article is about how popular the services are - or how many people watch them - rather it's about the quality of programming on the services...

Right. That's what I was saying. But don't most viewers consider Hamilton to be content of a very high quality?