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Julie Andrews on TCM Cohosting A Salute to Julie Andrews 10/29 (1 Viewer)

Garysb

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STARRING JULIE ANDREWS - 10/29

TCM scores a triumph by presenting Julie Andrews, one of the best-loved international stars, as an on-camera co-host with Ben Mankiewicz for a screening of four Andrews films, three of which Andrews will join our TCM host in discussing. Andrews' appearance comes just days after the publication of her new book, Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (2019).

A performer of sparkling charm noted for a crystalline four-octave soprano voice, Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. She began her career as a performer in the music-hall act of her pianist mother, Barbara Ward Wells, and her singer stepfather, Ted Andrews, whose surname she adopted.

Andrews made her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend (1954) and became a major stage star with her performances as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1956) and Queen Guenevere in Camelot (1960). She made a spectacular movie debut in the title role of Walt Disney's Mary Poppins (1964), winning both a Best-Actress Oscar and a Grammy award, amongst multiple nominations. Andrews has also earned a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honorary Award and the Disney Legends Award. In 2000, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts. And last month it was announced that she will be next year's recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award, to be presented on April 25, 2020.

Andrews' other notable movies include The Sound of Music (1965), one of the most successful films of all-time; Hawaii (1966); Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain (1966); Star! (1968); Darling Lili (1970); S.O.B. (1981); Duet for One (1986); and The Princess Diaries (2001).

Andrews was married to English designer Tony Walton (1959-67) and American director Blake Edwards (1969-2010, his death). She has three children including actress/author Emma Walton Hamilton, who has co-written children's books with her mother. Andrews also penned an earlier autobiography, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008).

Here are the Andrews films appearing in our salute co-hosted by the star herself:

The Americanization of Emily (1964), Andrews' follow-up film to Mary Poppins, provides a change of pace with its dark overtones in a romance set in 1944 London during the weeks leading up to D-Day. James Garner plays a Navy officer charged with supplying his superiors with all the comforts (including attractive women), and Andrews is a war widow who falls in love with him. Paddy Chayefsky wrote the screenplay and Arthur Hiller directed an excellent cast that also includes Melvyn Douglas, Keenan Wynn and James Coburn.

Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), a satirical musical set in the 1920s that is reminiscent of The Boy Friend, was another hit for Andrews. She has the title role as an innocent from Kansas who comes to the Big City to find liberation, love and a rich husband. Campy fun is added by Beatrice Lillie and Carol Channing (Oscar-nominated as Best Supporting Actress). Also on hand are Mary Tyler Moore, John Gavin and James Fox. George Roy Hill directed, and Elmer Bernstein won an Oscar for his original score.

Victor/Victoria (1982) reunited Andrews with James Garner in this highly entertaining musical farce directed by Andrews' late husband, Blake Edwards. She plays Victoria, a struggling soprano in 1934 Paris who becomes the toast of the town after being coached by a gay mentor (Robert Preston) to masquerade as a female impersonator. Garner is a macho gangster who falls for him/her, and Lesley Ann Warren is the gangster's shrill-voiced moll. The movie scored seven Oscar nominations including nods to Andrews, Preston and Warren; and won for the original score by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse.

That's Life (1986, TCM premiere), a comedy-drama co-written and directed by Edwards, casts Jack Lemmon as a successful yet depressed architect facing his 60th birthday. Andrews plays his patient wife, who confronts problems of her own. This independent production was shot at the Edwards' Malibu beach house with family members in supporting roles. The couple's children are played by Chris Lemmon (Jack's son), Emma Walton (Julie's daughter) and Jennifer Edwards (Blake's daughter). Felicia Farr, Jack Lemmon's wife, appears as a fortune teller. The Mancini/Bricusse composition "Life in a Looking Glass" was Oscar-nominated as Best Song.

No doubt promoting her new autobiography about her film career. No Poppins or Music as they are reserved for Disney +. I wonder if ABC will still show Music during the holiday season.
 
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RickyH

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I remember as a kid going to the theater with my mom to see Thoroughly Modern Millie, as well as other Julie Andrews movies (Hawaii and The Sound Of Music). I have been a huge fan of Julies Andrews ever since, and love her music. The soundtrack album from The Sound Of Music has always been a favorite of mine.
 

Garysb

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If anyone watches Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) tonight please comment on how it looks on TCM HD.
World Series tonight .
 
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Matt Hough

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I'm especially anxious to see the presentation of Thoroughly Modern Millie, not only to see if we get an HD presentation but also to hear Julie talk about it. It's usually one of her big hits that gets left out of discussions, and I'd like to hear more about her memories of working on it. I have lots of other shows coming on opposite her appearances tonight, but her films and appearance gets the DVR priority.
 

Robin9

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Collectors of Julie Andrews should be aware that, in addition to the films already mentioned, there are very good Blu-ray discs of The Tamarind Seed and S.O.B. and a pretty good disc of Torn Curtain.
 

Matt Hough

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Took a quick look between innings - it’s an old standard definition transfer.
I noticed that it was SD. Still, I enjoyed Julie's remarks before the film though I hope they will go a little into the nature of its creation. Ross Hunter wanted to film Julie's Broadway hit The Boy Friend, but he couldn't secure the rights from MGM, so he decided to commission his own 1920s flapper musical, and that's how this film came into being.
 
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richardburton84

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I noticed that it was SD. Still, I enjoyed Julie's remarks before the film though I hope they will go a little into the nature of its creation. Ross Hunter wanted to film Julie's Broadway hit The Boy Friend, but he couldn't secure the rights from MGM, so he decided to commission his own 1920s flapper musical, and that's how this film came into being.

Julie’s remarks on Mille were indeed fascinating. I never noticed the subtlety of the near black-and-white color toning Julie mentioned in the introduction in any of my previous viewings of the film.
 

roxy1927

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Did she talk about the film being racially insensitive and problematic which people were complaining about even in '67?
 

Matt Hough

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Did she talk about the film being racially insensitive and problematic which people were complaining about even in '67?
She touched on it briefly in the introduction, but I haven't watched the closing remarks or her remarks about the other two films she hosted last night. That's on the agenda for today.
 

warnerbro

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The transfer shown on TCM last night was awful. It wasn't even as good as the DVD which was in 1.85:1 with slim black bars on top and bottom. The TCM transfer wasn't even as sharp as the DVD. The TCM transfer was blurry and for some reason windowbowed at 1.78:1. It had a black frame around all four sides. However, the sound seemed to be 5.1 and very robust with all 6 speakers having discreet information. Julie commented that the film dealt with white slavery and isn't something to laugh at today. She also mentioned that George Roy Hill wanted each scene to have a two-color theme so as to replicate a black and white movie. And when you watch it, you notice that. Fascinating. I'm wondering why Universal hasn't released it in HD on blu ray or streaming yet. Please, Universal, give us a good collector's edition of this, even through Kino. Let Julie Andrews and James Fox do the commentary. Universal has waited so long that everybody else involved has died. There are several fascinating short documentaries on Youtube dealing with costumes and set design for this production which could be included.
 

richardburton84

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The transfer shown on TCM last night was awful. It wasn't even as good as the DVD which was in 1.85:1 with slim black bars on top and bottom. The TCM transfer wasn't even as sharp as the DVD. The TCM transfer was blurry and for some reason windowbowed at 1.78:1. It had a black frame around all four sides. However, the sound seemed to be 5.1 and very robust with all 6 speakers having discreet information. Julie commented that the film dealt with white slavery and isn't something to laugh at today. She also mentioned that George Roy Hill wanted each scene to have a two-color theme so as to replicate a black and white movie. And when you watch it, you notice that. Fascinating. I'm wondering why Universal hasn't released it in HD on blu ray or streaming yet. Please, Universal, give us a good collector's edition of this, even through Kino. Let Julie Andrews and James Fox do the commentary. Universal has waited so long that everybody else involved has died. There are several fascinating short documentaries on Youtube dealing with costumes and set design for this production which could be included.

I did notice that it was an older transfer, the overture card being an immediate tip-off. As for Universal not releasing in HD, Film Forum will be showing a new 4K restoration of the film on November 16th and 17th, so we could be seeing an HD release of Millie sooner or later. Since Kino were turned down as far as releasing this, I could definitely see Shout springing for this film.

Here’s the link for the Film Forum screening:

https://filmforum.org/film/thoroughly-modern-millie-ffjr
 

warnerbro

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After viewing Arrow's box set of AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and THE MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES, I'm convinced they should be the ones doing THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE as well as any other classic film. They are outstanding! I hope they read this.
 
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Matt Hough

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Argh! My DVR cut out midway through Thoroughly Modern Millie so I didn't get to hear Julie's comments after the movie. I did get to watch before and after comments about Victor/Victoria though I thought Ben missed a prime opportunity to ask Julie what it was like playing opposite another of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderellas Lesley Ann Warren. I wonder if the two of them talked about their experiences at all. Of course, Julie's performance was live while Lesley's was videotaped, but both would have worked with Rodgers on the music and those stories would have been interesting.

I watched the comments before That's Life! but since I want to actually watch the film since I haven't seen it in decades, I haven't heard the after remarks about it yet.

I appreciated Julie's willingness to not wax poetic about Blake Edwards. He allegedly was a complicated man who challenged everyone he knew to remain friends with him.
 
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usrunnr

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If only "That's Life" was available on disc. A good disc. An inexpensive disc. A blu-ray disc.
 

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