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Post by OldAussie on Oct 8, 2017 23:25:44 GMT
Bedtime Story
and its remake
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
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Post by mikef6 on Oct 9, 2017 0:37:29 GMT
The Rogues (1964-65)That was a fun series, mikef6 . Only 30 episodes It Takes a Thief (1968) Robert Wagner as Alexander Mundy - smooth, suave, sophisticated - is the world's greatest cat burglar. Finally arrested after years of pilfering, he strikes a deal with American agent Noah Bain: a full pardon if Mundy agrees to use his skills to steal for the SIA, an American espionage agency. Technically under house arrest, Mundy travels all over the world performing daring acts of thievery in the name of Uncle Sam. Another good guy (now that he has reformed) conning the bad guys. Yes! I remember It Takes A Thief! Fred Astaire was an occasional returning character. Mundy's father wasn't he?
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Post by mikef6 on Oct 9, 2017 1:05:30 GMT
Here are two classic TV series about Good Guys conning Bad Guys: The Rogues. NBC. One season. 1964-1965. The central characters are a family of felons whose specialty was swindling swindlers and conning con artists. David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Gig Young headlined the cast. Mission: Impossible. CBS. Seven Seasons. 1966-1973. Needs no introduction. Secret agents conning Evildoers with impersonations and high tech tricks. A marvel. The modern film series is a travesty and doesn’t deserve the name. If you haven't seen it, this one would be right up your alley: Hustle (2004-2012) - Adrian Lester and Robert Vaughn lead a band of high-stakes long-con artists who meticulously plan and execute every operation and, guided by the old adage, "You can't cheat an honest man," fleece only those deserving of it. With great amounts of style and wit, the show lets viewers in on the con, but also cons them along the way. Thanks for the tip on this series. I am familiar with the work of Adrian Lester from Primary Colors back about 2001 to Kenneth Branagh's film of Shakespeare's "Love's Labor's Lost" where Lester reveals himself as an expert song and dance man.
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Post by Doghouse6 on Oct 9, 2017 1:35:06 GMT
If you haven't seen it, this one would be right up your alley: Hustle (2004-2012) - Adrian Lester and Robert Vaughn lead a band of high-stakes long-con artists who meticulously plan and execute every operation and, guided by the old adage, "You can't cheat an honest man," fleece only those deserving of it. With great amounts of style and wit, the show lets viewers in on the con, but also cons them along the way. Thanks for the tip on this series. I am familiar with the work of Adrian Lester from Primary Colors back about 2001 to Kenneth Branagh's film of Shakespeare's "Love's Labor's Lost" where Lester reveals himself as an expert song and dance man. While one may say there's "song and dance" involved in every sting, none of it's of the musical variety that I recall. Still, with false identities aplenty, every cast member has ample opportunities to display their versatility in this cleverly constructed, deftly paced and visually sumptuous series.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 9, 2017 2:09:07 GMT
mikef6Yep ... Fred Astaire was in 5 episodes of It Takes a Thief. I just took a better look at the link and see that they had a rather impressive list of guests with many of them being in at least 2 episodes. This would be a nice series for the Decades channel to get ahold of and show. I'd watch it !
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Post by Doghouse6 on Oct 9, 2017 2:14:38 GMT
mikef6 Yep ... Fred Astaire was in 5 episodes of It Takes a Thief. I just took a better look at the link and see that they had a rather impressive list of guests with many of them being in at least 2 episodes. This would be a nice series for the Decades channel to get ahold of and show. I'd watch it ! That makes two of us. Haven't seen them since their original run. And as played by Fred Astaire, what else would Al Mundy's father be named but Alistair Mundy?
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 9, 2017 2:24:54 GMT
And as played by Fred Astaire, what else would Al Mundy's father be named but Alistair Mundy?
Never even noticed that little bit... good (but not surprising) catch ! Doghouse6 65 episodes might be enough for them to run some weekend Binge!
speaking of "catches" - In the previous note , I caught and fixed my first typing of To Catch a Thief ! <whew>
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Post by OldAussie on Oct 9, 2017 2:36:03 GMT
The Music Man
edit - oops, already mentioned
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 9, 2017 3:04:29 GMT
The Music Man edit - oops, already mentioned Twice mentioned just shows you have great taste in movies !
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Post by OldAussie on Oct 9, 2017 6:26:08 GMT
Catch Me if You Can Confidence
and thanks for the mention of Flim Flam Man which I loved many years ago - looking for a copy now.
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Post by kijii on Oct 9, 2017 16:34:12 GMT
..and I totally agree with you about House of Games.
I especially, enjoy those movies in which we don't know who is coning whom--until the end--and even then--we are not sure.
What about The Usual Suspects?
I still haven't figured out Trump. Is he really who he appears to be, or is there some huge as-yet-unexplained con at the end.
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Post by politicidal on Oct 9, 2017 16:42:30 GMT
The Handmaiden (2016). One of the main characters is a Korean con artist masquerading as a Japanese bigwig to fleece wealthy citizens. Hell the whole movie becomes a con at some point.
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Post by mikef6 on Oct 9, 2017 16:55:10 GMT
No one (including me) has so far mentioned a popular favorite around here, maybe the ultimate in gamesmanship, trickery, and conning:
Sleuth (1972)
(P.S. if it has already been mentioned and I have just missed it, then my apologies in advance. Just consider this a "second" to this extremely entertaining film.)
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Post by teleadm on Oct 9, 2017 18:09:23 GMT
Robert Preston more or less reprised his Harold Hill character from The Music Man 1962 in The Last Starfighter 1984.
A Big Hand for the Little Lady/Big Deal at Dodge City 1966 cardgame western, that I can't tell more about in case there is first time viewers here.
Brothers Grimm 2005, the brothers as con artists.
Heartbreakers 2001, female con artists.
Matchstick Men 2003
Housesitter 1992, female con artist
Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round 1966
Beat the Devil 1953
F for Fake 1973, Orson Welles "fake" documentary.
Support Your Local Gunfighter 1971, James Garner con man mistaken for a famous gunfighter.
Run for Your Money 1949, Brothers from a Welsh village take their first trip to London to collect a prize, and meet a con artist and sundry other urban distractions.
Switch 1975-1978 Tv-series, Robert Wagner, Eddie Albert, An ex-cop and an ex-con start their own detective agency.
Il Bidone/The Swindle 1955 Federico Fellini , A trio of con-men lead by a lonesome swindler must deal with their job and family pressures.
I'm sorry if I have repeated anyone.
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Post by london777 on Oct 9, 2017 21:07:51 GMT
Thanks everyone for your fantastic response to my OP. Lots of reminders of films I had forgotten and a few new leads to films to look out for. Only problem is you are all so enthusiastic about the topic of confidence trickery that I am starting to worry about the ethical standards of board members.
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Post by london777 on Oct 9, 2017 21:11:30 GMT
Not my cup of tea, but I am surprised no-one has mentioned it so far (or have they?)
Curly Sue (1991) dir: John Hughes
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Post by Doghouse6 on Oct 9, 2017 22:43:50 GMT
Only problem is you are all so enthusiastic about the topic of confidence trickery that I am starting to worry about the ethical standards of board members. Oh, but that's merely by way of self-education in the interest of protecting ourselves. Belieeeeeve me. Ya do, don'cha? And while I have your attention, wouldn't you love to hear about a fantastic investment opportunity?
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 10, 2017 3:57:58 GMT
Ostap Bender is a fictional con man who appeared in the novels The Twelve Chairs (1928) and a sequel The Little Golden Calf (1931) written by Soviet authors Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov. Bender is a very handsome, resourceful crook, full of vitality while operating just within the law , "Bender knew 400 relatively legal ways to make the population part with their money". He remains unflappable under pressure, and his mastery of human nature is assured for the con eliminating any obstacles . In the excellent 1971 Russian film adaptation 12 stulev , The Twelve Chairs, A former aristocrat Ippolit Vorobyaninov enlists the smooth operator and con-man Ostap Bender , to find 12 chairs now separated, one of which contains a stash of diamonds hidden during the revolution. Bender's street smarts and charm, his ingenious enterprise are invaluable to the search ... Along the way numerous side characters, places and institutions are caught in a sharp light, sometimes of satire, sometimes of gentle irony. Highly Recommended In the sequel filmed earlier Zolotoy telyonok , The Golden Calf (1968) Bender, dreams of travelling to Rio de Janeiro, "the city of his dreams," he now schemes to extort 1 million from an underground millionaire.... Highly Recommended. In post-Soviet times Bender's character was elevated from the status of a con man to that of an entrepreneur. Statues of the con-man, smooth operator Ostap Bender may be found in several Russian cities, and a commemorative plaque was set in Odessa, the city of his birth Saint-Petersburg statue...
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Post by Nalkarj on Oct 11, 2017 20:02:41 GMT
london777 A few more that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet: Jewel Robbery ('32) The Lady Eve ('41) Hail the Conquering Hero ('44) The Fortune Cookie ('66) Heist ('01, also Mamet) Now You See Me ('13) Should we put Trouble in Paradise on here? Elmer Gantry? They certainly have to do with con-artists, but their primary focus is elsewhere. Now I know there are a few I meant to put on here and have forgotten, so I'll change this soon... EDIT: I did recently see Rian Johnson's The Brothers Bloom (2008) and Ronald Neame's Gambit (1966), but I didn't like either one at all, so... Make of that what you will.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 11, 2017 22:01:45 GMT
london777 A few more that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet: Jewel Robbery ('32) Should we put Trouble in Paradise on here? Elmer Gantry? They certainly have to do with con-artists, but their primary focus is elsewhere. I think Trouble In Paradise certainly belongs here with con-artists (a person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that is not true). Gaston is a con-artist thief, his con of Madame Colet and others is maintained throughout, a main element of the story Jewel Robbery I think is stretching the con-artist possibilities a bit thin... William Powell's "The Robber" is a master thief, suave and gentlemanly he uses to his advantage, but from the opening scene there is no con, there are no illusions as to his character or intentions
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