What classics did you see last week ? (3 Jun - 9 Jun 2018)
Jun 13, 2018 2:32:00 GMT
spiderwort, mikef6, and 1 more like this
Post by marianne48 on Jun 13, 2018 2:32:00 GMT
King of Jazz (1930): One of those very early musicals at the dawn of "talkies" which didn't age too well; it's more curio than entertainment experience. It wasn't even very successful on its first release, as audiences were apparently tiring of such musical revues at that point. It's worth a look, though, for its creaky performances, fashions (one sequence features wedding gowns "through the ages"), the heavily made up performers (including the men and small children), and the striking early Technicolor process used for the film and restored in the recent DVD. Also of interest is an early performance by Bing Crosby
and the appearance of bandleader Paul Whiteman, who has a charming Oliver Hardy quality.
The Wizard of Oz (1939): Not having seen this in many years, I revisited this when it played on TCM last week for old times' sake and in honor of the late Jerry Maren. It still holds up, although it's always had an aura of sadness around it. I wonder if it still has appeal for today's kids.
The Gang's All Here (1943): Goofy Fox musical comedy starring Alice Faye and an assortment of novelty acts--Carmen Miranda doing her "Tutti-Frutti Hat" number; the stork-like Charlotte Greenwood doing that weird dance thing she does in many of her films (kicking up her legs stiffly sideways and shoulder-high); and a variety of manic Busby Berkeley numbers--floating hula hoops, giant discs, and one memorably phallic routine with giant undulating bananas. Also featured is a couple of numbers by Benny Goodman and his orchestra--and Goodman himself sings (he was a pretty decent singer, too). There's a contrived romantic plot in there somewhere, but the main attraction is the music.
Turner and Hooch (1989): Not a great movie, but IMO, not as horrible as it's often portrayed in "best of/worst of" early Tom Hanks films. I'm assuming that Marla Hooch, the plain-Jane ballplayer in Hanks' film A League of Their Own, got her surname from the homely dog in this film.
and the appearance of bandleader Paul Whiteman, who has a charming Oliver Hardy quality.
The Wizard of Oz (1939): Not having seen this in many years, I revisited this when it played on TCM last week for old times' sake and in honor of the late Jerry Maren. It still holds up, although it's always had an aura of sadness around it. I wonder if it still has appeal for today's kids.
The Gang's All Here (1943): Goofy Fox musical comedy starring Alice Faye and an assortment of novelty acts--Carmen Miranda doing her "Tutti-Frutti Hat" number; the stork-like Charlotte Greenwood doing that weird dance thing she does in many of her films (kicking up her legs stiffly sideways and shoulder-high); and a variety of manic Busby Berkeley numbers--floating hula hoops, giant discs, and one memorably phallic routine with giant undulating bananas. Also featured is a couple of numbers by Benny Goodman and his orchestra--and Goodman himself sings (he was a pretty decent singer, too). There's a contrived romantic plot in there somewhere, but the main attraction is the music.
Turner and Hooch (1989): Not a great movie, but IMO, not as horrible as it's often portrayed in "best of/worst of" early Tom Hanks films. I'm assuming that Marla Hooch, the plain-Jane ballplayer in Hanks' film A League of Their Own, got her surname from the homely dog in this film.