Favorite Films (lists up to participating site members)

[Mayerling]

Hi Jeff

Poor Rockefeller didn't know if he was coming or going.

All, Hendrix was a victim of at least two misunderstandings. There was the line in the song 'Purple Haze' : " 'scuse me while I kiss the sky" which many misheard as " 'scuse me while I kiss this guy." And when his album 'Electric Ladyland' had its first pressings and a copy was given to Hendrix, the title on the label was 'Electric Landlady.'

Problems with sound have affected television as well, as you can imagine. The popular U.S. show, "All in the Family" had Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton singing a duet of the show's song at the start of each episode.

"Boy the way Glen Miller played songs that made the hit parade. Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days.

And you knew where you were then. Girls were girls, and men were men.

Mister we can use a man like Herbert Hoover again!

Didn't need no welfare state.
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee [here was a section that did not sound clear].
Those were the days.

The jumble in the last quadrain was debated by the public. The result was that O'Connor and Stapleton reshot and re-recorded the entire song. It turned out the bungled line was:

"Gee our old LaSalle ran great!!"

A "LaSalle" was a popular automobile of the 1920s and 1930s.

Jeff

[Robert]

Hi Jeff

Well, I'm capable of mishearing the lyrics on an instrumental!

I watched westerns for years but it was comparatively late that I discovered that Dan Blocker's character in 'Bonanza' was Hoss and not Horse, and that Clint Eastwood's character in 'Rawhide' was Rowdy Yates and not Roddy Yates. It was also interesting to discover that the theme song lyrics went 'just rope and throw and brand 'em' rather than 'at random' which I guess would have been a disorganized way for a cowboy to behave (though I notice that on one of the internet lyrics sites someone has posted 'all the things I'm missing, good fiddles and love and kissing'). Obviously at the end of a long, hard trail the first thing a cowboy needs is a musical evening.

[Steadmund Brand]

I have not seen The Whales of August! And it's got Lilian Gish in it! Bette & Vincent, on screen together! This will never do.[/QUOTE]

Oh do yourself a favor...do see this film, it is such a joy to see such fine actors.. even that late in life... some find it a slow and boring film,but for me.. just watching true masters of their craft make it so worth it.


Steadmund Brand

[Steadmund Brand]

I was scowled at for a whole week, after telling her I had seen Nirvana live, hehehe. Right now, she's all about Hendrix, Joplin and Zeppelin, for most of which I was not yet here either.

I have not seen The Whales of August! And it's got Lilian Gish in it! Bette & Vincent, on screen together! This will never do.

I met a lot of famous people in that job,

Mussos
Actors
Sportspeople
Authors
Politicians

A jam session early one morning with Trevor White, Jon English, Doug Parkinson, Brian Cadd and yours truly is one I will never forget.

Or the night a professional wrestler was sick of people staring at him in the restaurant and ordered one of every dish on the menu and washed it all down with a dozen bottles of red two dozen tinnies and a bottle of Johnny Walker.

I too have had the unique pleasure of meeting MANY " famous" people.. I use to work concerts, so met tons of musicians... I am a Boxing writer ( not full time anymore.. but as a side gig now) so I have gotten to be quite good friends with many sports "legends" not just fighters, you would be surprised how many other athletes and actors and actresses are really are into boxing!! so I get to spend lots of time with the "famous" most of them (not all.. and oh I could tell some stories!!!) are great on a one on one basis...ya know, if you aren’t a "fan" and just treat them like everyone else.. they love it..never did get to meet Alice... have seen him in concert many times over the years though.. and he seems great..... My favorite Alice Cooper story is back in the early/mid 70's when he first started getting big... one of his biggest fans was Grouch Marx.. and whenever Alice would play LA Groucho would be there front and center, after one show Groucho came backstage with a friend to meet Alice.. it was Mae West.. and when Groucho introduced the two he supposedly said to Mae West " See I told you.. he's bringing Vaudeville back!!" .. story goes Groucho use to take all his friends to see Cooper when he was in town, including George Burns and Jack Benny.... and remember.. this was the time that people were saying "Alice Copper will destroy American values" funny how folks like Groucho, and Mae west and Dick Cavett all saw it for what it was.... VAUDVILLE at its best (with some pretty good rock-n-roll)

Steadmund Brand

[Mayerling]

I too have had the unique pleasure of meeting MANY " famous" people.. I use to work concerts, so met tons of musicians... I am a Boxing writer ( not full time anymore.. but as a side gig now) so I have gotten to be quite good friends with many sports "legends" not just fighters, you would be surprised how many other athletes and actors and actresses are really are into boxing!! so I get to spend lots of time with the "famous" most of them (not all.. and oh I could tell some stories!!!) are great on a one on one basis...ya know, if you aren’t a "fan" and just treat them like everyone else.. they love it..never did get to meet Alice... have seen him in concert many times over the years though.. and he seems great..... My favorite Alice Cooper story is back in the early/mid 70's when he first started getting big... one of his biggest fans was Grouch Marx.. and whenever Alice would play LA Groucho would be there front and center, after one show Groucho came backstage with a friend to meet Alice.. it was Mae West.. and when Groucho introduced the two he supposedly said to Mae West " See I told you.. he's bringing Vaudeville back!!" .. story goes Groucho use to take all his friends to see Cooper when he was in town, including George Burns and Jack Benny.... and remember.. this was the time that people were saying "Alice Copper will destroy American values" funny how folks like Groucho, and Mae west and Dick Cavett all saw it for what it was.... VAUDVILLE at its best (with some pretty good rock-n-roll)

Steadmund Brand

I am glad to learn that Groucho and Mae were friends (I knew he was friendly with George and Jack). The two never were in any film together, but I think after she did "My Little Chickadee" with W. C. Fields Mae decided not to try that experiment again. Apparently she found that while she liked the man, he was a trial to work with for his boozing and his attempts to keep the camera's attention on himself. Somebody once said about their comedy it is like two films, one starring Mae and one with Fields. Still it's a very funny movie.

In your honor Steadmund:

Boxing Movies:

1) Gentleman Jim (I still think this my all time favorite Flynn movie and boxing film - but Ward Bond steals it at the end by his dignity handing over the championship belt.)
2) Cinderella Man
3) The Great John L.
4) The Champ (the original with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper)
5) The Harder they Fall (the nasty side of Boxing, and a view at the Primo Carnera rise and fall)
6) Champion
7) The Set-Up
8) Rocky (the original one)
9) Rocky III (but only for the first third of it - when Mr. T is successful against Stallone - if you look at their scenes here, T is a good scientific fighter - he had to be because of his being a boxer and working with other boxers in training. Stallone can box but is not in the same class. At the end, with all that "Eye of the Tiger" business, Stallone wins. In reality he shouldn't have.)
10) Requiem For a Heavyweight
11) Requiem For a Heavyweight (television version - not really a movie, but quite good in it's own way and interesting for it's differences - including it's ending - from the Quinn/Gleason film)
13) Here Comes Mr. Jordan (I watched this old honey starring Robert Montgomery and Claude Rains again a few weeks back. It holds up very nicely, and the Boxing background is well fitted into the supernatural matter.)
14) The Scarlet Pimpernel (Oddly enough, yes! - If you recall the first part of the movie, Percy and his friends attend a bare knuckle fight involving the great Daniel Mendoza - even the Prince of Wales (Nigel Bruce) is there. Bare knuckle stories rarely pop up in motion pictures, because we are so used to modern Boxing.)
15) The Quiet Man (Wayne's reluctance to confront McGlaglen is due to one of those ring tragedies that occur from time to time - and that epic donnybrook at the end - with betting going on - is a lovely to behold!)
16) The Great White Hope (Who better for Jack Johnson then James Earl Jones? And the ending is properly bleak after the 1915 "defeat".)
17) Raging Bull (Di Niro as Jake La Motta - 'nuf said.)

There are others - I will only add three more because of a serious tangential relationship to modern Boxing, due to it's rules: even though none of these films deal with Boxing actually

18) Oscar Wilde (Robert Morley as Wilde)
19) The Trials of Oscar Wilde (Peter Finch as Wilde; Lionel Jeffries as the Marquess)
20) Wilde (Stephen Fry as Wilde)

You can guess the connection. Sad isn't it.

Jeff

[Paddy Goose]

…..and anyone here remember the classic film Overboard with Goldie Hawn…. Didn’t think so…. Well get ready that too will be remade……

Yea I saw Overboard with Goldie Hawn A remake, you say. I wonder what's the Most Remade Film. Mutiny on the Bounty? Scrooge?

[Errata]

Yea I saw Overboard with Goldie Hawn A remake, you say. I wonder what's the Most Remade Film. Mutiny on the Bounty? Scrooge?

In theory it's Cinderella.

In my experience it's It's A Wonderful Life, because just about every TV comedy ever has had a version of that for a Christmas episode. A movie I have carefully never seen.

[Steadmund Brand]

I am glad to learn that Groucho and Mae were friends (I knew he was friendly with George and Jack). The two never were in any film together, but I think after she did "My Little Chickadee" with W. C. Fields Mae decided not to try that experiment again. Apparently she found that while she liked the man, he was a trial to work with for his boozing and his attempts to keep the camera's attention on himself. Somebody once said about their comedy it is like two films, one starring Mae and one with Fields. Still it's a very funny movie.

In your honor Steadmund:

Boxing Movies:

1) Gentleman Jim (I still think this my all time favorite Flynn movie and boxing film - but Ward Bond steals it at the end by his dignity handing over the championship belt.)
2) Cinderella Man
3) The Great John L.
4) The Champ (the original with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper)
5) The Harder they Fall (the nasty side of Boxing, and a view at the Primo Carnera rise and fall)
6) Champion
7) The Set-Up
8) Rocky (the original one)
9) Rocky III (but only for the first third of it - when Mr. T is successful against Stallone - if you look at their scenes here, T is a good scientific fighter - he had to be because of his being a boxer and working with other boxers in training. Stallone can box but is not in the same class. At the end, with all that "Eye of the Tiger" business, Stallone wins. In reality he shouldn't have.)
10) Requiem For a Heavyweight
11) Requiem For a Heavyweight (television version - not really a movie, but quite good in it's own way and interesting for it's differences - including it's ending - from the Quinn/Gleason film)
13) Here Comes Mr. Jordan (I watched this old honey starring Robert Montgomery and Claude Rains again a few weeks back. It holds up very nicely, and the Boxing background is well fitted into the supernatural matter.)
14) The Scarlet Pimpernel (Oddly enough, yes! - If you recall the first part of the movie, Percy and his friends attend a bare knuckle fight involving the great Daniel Mendoza - even the Prince of Wales (Nigel Bruce) is there. Bare knuckle stories rarely pop up in motion pictures, because we are so used to modern Boxing.)
15) The Quiet Man (Wayne's reluctance to confront McGlaglen is due to one of those ring tragedies that occur from time to time - and that epic donnybrook at the end - with betting going on - is a lovely to behold!)
16) The Great White Hope (Who better for Jack Johnson then James Earl Jones? And the ending is properly bleak after the 1915 "defeat".)
17) Raging Bull (Di Niro as Jake La Motta - 'nuf said.)

There are others - I will only add three more because of a serious tangential relationship to modern Boxing, due to it's rules: even though none of these films deal with Boxing actually

18) Oscar Wilde (Robert Morley as Wilde)
19) The Trials of Oscar Wilde (Peter Finch as Wilde; Lionel Jeffries as the Marquess)
20) Wilde (Stephen Fry as Wilde)

You can guess the connection. Sad isn't it.

Jeff

Thanks for that List Jeff!!! some of my favorite films on there, The Harder they Fall and the film version of Requiem for a Heavyweight being my two favorite, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the writer of Harder they Fall Mr. Budd Schulberg (Also the writer of the classics On the Waterfront and Face In The Crowd..) a few times, he was an interesting cat to say the least!!, Gentlemen Jim-- oh what a fun film, hard to believe Flynn was as sick as he was when he made it!!! I would comment on each film but this would go on for pages but great list overall... a film I would add to the list for you, if you never saw it would be Fat City...another dark film, John Huston film, well worth seeing.. also Somebody Up There Likes Me is worth seeing just to watch a young Paul Newman ham it up ( plus an early film cameo of Steve Mcqueen).. oh there are so many good Boxing films, more so than other sports ( probably because boxing is more about the individual….so easy to do)....God I am such a geek.. I just love film so much.. I just wish I loved modern cinema as well.. seems like there is almost nothing made these days that I want to sit thru...and if I do, they are forgotten so quickly.. there are always exceptions of course, but over all very few films in the past 20 years I would really call future classics.. granted some is personal opinion, for instance I know I am in the minority when I say ( or dare I say admit) that I HATE LORD OF THE RINGS AND ANYTHING ELSE PETER JACKSON HAS DONE SINCE HIS EGO EXPLODED!!! he seems to care more about his own rep then film now... his King Kong was quite possibly the biggest waste of time ever filmed... he said he wanted to make it because Kong is his favorite film... but kids won’t watch old black and white films.. so he made it for a new generation... hmm then why did it have to be 12 friggin hours long and well over an hour before you see KONG... yeah, that’s what kids want sure Peter.. keep telling yourself that...but I’ll stop now... sorry.. I know how much many of you love his stuff..but, to me.. big yawn.....(does the Hobbit really need to be three 3 plus hour films.....wasn’t it a short story....come one now folks let’s just admit he is way too full of himself at this point)... ok Rant over...oh and by the way.. I don’t want people to think I am just some old timer who like to complain, I am actually a relatively young timer who likes to complain (only 40 years old....only.. how scary that sounds)

Steadmund Brand

[Mayerling]

Hi Steadmund,

I liked movies as I grew up, but I did not become serious about types of movies, actors, directors, producers, screenwriters and the rest until I was a teenager in high school. A book "The Cinema of Orson Welles" by Peter Cowie got me into a more serious look at the film world.

As a matter of fact, I find most modern films a waste of time - and I only have two decades advantage on you regarding experiencing films. But there are some that I liked - "The King's Speech" was pretty good, for instance. I have not bothered with the "Lord of the Ring" Trilogy, and have little interest in "The Hobbit" films. Fact is, I read Tolkien once in junior high school ("The Hobbit") and was not really impressed. Maybe I would be now if I read them, but I have little interest in them. The original "King Kong" is probably the most interesting because of the mileage gotten out of the small scale models by Merriam Cooper's production group. It still amazes me.

Jeff

[Paddy Goose]

Random Harvest
Picnic
Bridge on the River Kwai
Vertigo
Psycho
From Russia with Love
Zulu
The Fugitive
Terminator II
Silence of the Lambs

I want to switch out Zulu and put in The Odd Couple instead if that's OK

Paddy

[Steadmund Brand]

Since it is almost Valentine’s day (which I refuse to celebrate... so does the woman... makes it easier on me ) I figured we could do a list of great Love Films... problem is.. I tend to not like crappy romance.. and I really hate modern "chic flic comedy" Personally I find them insulting and formula...but hey that's just my opinion... but why not start a list.. mine will be short I'm Sure

1- City Lights- not what most people think of when they think love stories.. but it is in its purest form
2- Casablanca- this is about as close to a perfect film as you can get....and Bogart is not the typical " romantic leading man" who in most cases I want to smack around... his is a man I would actually like to be...
3- La Strada- now this is really not your typical love story...but one of the most heartbreaking endings ever... Fellini before the wildness..
4-His Girl Friday- ok formula yes.. but the acting is incredible
5-The Apartment- was either going to be this or Irma La Douce for my Lemmon/Mcaclaine pick...was a hard choice.. but I guess this one is a bit more "romantic"

I know I am leaving off several but that's the fun of these lists... everyone can add films...

Steadmund Brand

[GUT]

Casablanca one of the best films ever made.

And we ignore Valentines Day Too, don't need anyone to tell us when or how we can express love.

[Mayerling]

Since it is almost Valentine’s day (which I refuse to celebrate... so does the woman... makes it easier on me ) I figured we could do a list of great Love Films... problem is.. I tend to not like crappy romance.. and I really hate modern "chic flic comedy" Personally I find them insulting and formula...but hey that's just my opinion... but why not start a list.. mine will be short I'm Sure

1- City Lights- not what most people think of when they think love stories.. but it is in its purest form
2- Casablanca- this is about as close to a perfect film as you can get....and Bogart is not the typical " romantic leading man" who in most cases I want to smack around... his is a man I would actually like to be...
3- La Strada- now this is really not your typical love story...but one of the most heartbreaking endings ever... Fellini before the wildness..
4-His Girl Friday- ok formula yes.. but the acting is incredible
5-The Apartment- was either going to be this or Irma La Douce for my Lemmon/Mcaclaine pick...was a hard choice.. but I guess this one is a bit more "romantic"

I know I am leaving off several but that's the fun of these lists... everyone can add films...

Steadmund Brand

Hi Steadmund,

Oddly I rarely think of love story films but here goes:

1) Casablanca (I was just watching it two nights ago - still great)
2) The Notebook
3) Pretty Women
4) Notting Hill
5) In a Lonely Place (one of the most off-beat noir films ever - and the only time Bogie realized he was not a good mate for the heroine (Gloria Graham)).
6) To Have or Have Not (Just whistle)
7) Woman of the Year (Spencer, meet Kate)
8) Pat and Mike (what is there is "cherce"!)
9) Guess Whose Coming to Dinner (one of the movies saddest final visions on film)
10) The Strawberry Blonde (Cagney realizes how lucky he is)
11) Now Voyager
12) Mr. Skeffington
13) Roman Holiday
14) Pygmalion
15) Gone With The Wind (Achieve one's love, and find it wanting - become a broken hearted King)
16) Here Comes Mr. Jordan (in it's murky metaphysics, Robert Montgomery's "Joe Pendleton" is able to suggest an eternal love to Evelyn Keyes)
17) The Maltese Falcon (He does love her deeply, but won't play the sap like Thursby and Miles did.)
18) Laura (Waldo just cannot win her against those strong, big types like Mark and Shelby.)
19) Dodsworth (Finding the right woman after finding heartbreak and age.)
20) Make Way For Tomorrow (The tragedy of transcendent love broken by age and poverty.)
21) The Lady From Shanghai (Maybe Michael did die trying to forget her.)
22) Letter From an Unknown Woman (Fontane's best performance - possibly Jourdan's as well, as he realizes what he threw away.)
23) Letter to Three Wives (Great as comedy (Kirk Douglas' tirade against the crap that passes as modern entertainment on the radio), but my favorite is Paul Douglas and Linda Darnell at the conclusion - they finally get their act together!)

Keep in mind all of these are subjective choices, and therefore not necessarily going to be universally acceptable. Also, I chose "Pygmalion" over "My Fair Lady" because I always liked the first version (which Shaw wrote for the screen) more than the Cukor film, although the latter was lavish and had that great score.

[Steadmund Brand]

Hi Steadmund,

Oddly I rarely think of love story films but here goes:

1) Casablanca (I was just watching it two nights ago - still great)
2) The Notebook
3) Pretty Women
4) Notting Hill
5) In a Lonely Place (one of the most off-beat noir films ever - and the only time Bogie realized he was not a good mate for the heroine (Gloria Graham)).
6) To Have or Have Not (Just whistle)
7) Woman of the Year (Spencer, meet Kate)
8) Pat and Mike (what is there is "cherce"!)
9) Guess Whose Coming to Dinner (one of the movies saddest final visions on film)
10) The Strawberry Blonde (Cagney realizes how lucky he is)
11) Now Voyager
12) Mr. Skeffington
13) Roman Holiday
14) Pygmalion
15) Gone With The Wind (Achieve one's love, and find it wanting - become a broken hearted King)
16) Here Comes Mr. Jordan (in it's murky metaphysics, Robert Montgomery's "Joe Pendleton" is able to suggest an eternal love to Evelyn Keyes)
17) The Maltese Falcon (He does love her deeply, but won't play the sap like Thursby and Miles did.)
18) Laura (Waldo just cannot win her against those strong, big types like Mark and Shelby.)
19) Dodsworth (Finding the right woman after finding heartbreak and age.)
20) Make Way For Tomorrow (The tragedy of transcendent love broken by age and poverty.)
21) The Lady From Shanghai (Maybe Michael did die trying to forget her.)
22) Letter From an Unknown Woman (Fontane's best performance - possibly Jourdan's as well, as he realizes what he threw away.)
23) Letter to Three Wives (Great as comedy (Kirk Douglas' tirade against the crap that passes as modern entertainment on the radio), but my favorite is Paul Douglas and Linda Darnell at the conclusion - they finally get their act together!)

Keep in mind all of these are subjective choices, and therefore not necessarily going to be universally acceptable. Also, I chose "Pygmalion" over "My Fair Lady" because I always liked the first version (which Shaw wrote for the screen) more than the Cukor film, although the latter was lavish and had that great score.

OHHH Lady From Shanghai... that should have been on my list!!!! great pick... and not a bad list overall.. my only cringe moment is Pretty Woman... I think that is the most insulting film... and one of the worst moral messages in the history of film...I have no daughters.. but if I did I would never allow them to watch that "Fairy Tale" people always tell me.. oh it's so romantic and beautiful... and I keep saying wait.. the moral is if you are a street whore you'll meet a rich prince charming... oh how romantic is that!!! I wonder how many cracked out prostitutes were influenced by that film as teens.. I love that Ken Russell answered Pretty woman with his film Whore.. and when he got the NC-17 rating his response was " my film shows the real hardships of being a street prostitute.. Pretty Woman glorifies it and only gets an R rating"...but as you said.. it's all subjective.. but great list...

any other Valentine lists?

Steadmund Brand

[Steadmund Brand]

Plus being a Yankee I can never have Gone With The Wind on my list.... just goes against my moral fiber!!

I would Also add (I know.. the boxing guy has to do it) The first Rocky.. and believe it or not... the last one " Rocky Balboa" they really are both love stories at heart.. boxing is the backdrop...(Rocky 2-5 are Hollywood boxing films.. and cold war propaganda in the case of 4) but Rocky is really about the love story between two misfits.. and it is quite well done... and Rocky Balboa is really nothing but a love story... but more about the love he has for not only his deceased wife (the only love of his life) but also his love for his son, his city, his past and his best friend... hard to believe but there are actually a few very touching moments between "Rocky" and "Paulie" and you believe these two men have a profound and deep love for one and other.. that, I felt was the real heart of this film (I admit.. the film over all was not great..but it was a nice way to end the series.. after all.. they needed something better than Rocky V.. as Chris Rock says.. " let's face it Rocky V SUCKS”)

Steadmund Brand