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kenn_honeyman
Reviews
Gigot (1962)
Mr. Gleason in New Port Richey,Fl
I had seen this CLASSIC a long time ago...... however I was in a 'watering hole' down here in NPR, Fl., and a chap who had heard of my interest in film asked me whether i had heard of "Gigot"?..... It is one of my FAVORITE subjects -Jackie Gleason-.... Sometimes i wish he hadn't been a comedian..... FUNNY, huh?..... i hope you know his circumstances growing up..... and his "Poor Soul" role on his show...... they NEVER were funny to me... if you write me, I can go into the why, and wherefore.
Mr. Chaplin would be PROUD of this!!!!!! it hit ALL the right marks..... did U see who was the co-writer of this... John Patrick..... look him up among a slew of CLASSIC scripts... "TeaHouse of the August Moon" is ONLY one!!!! Read of his demise.....
Failure to Launch (2006)
a FUNNY film!!!
i ALWAYS witness a present genre film with skepticism..... i was RAISED on Capra/Hawks/Curtiz/etc/etc films!!!! and MOST times i click before 5 minutes transpire!.... HOWEVER.... this MINOR film KEPT me handcuffed with remote in hand, READY to click!.... but i gotta agree with most here..... i COULDN'T do it.... it has the 'ingredients' of a classic.... Matthew was the least, BUT ALL supporting players were PERFECT in my mind.... if ONLY Howard Hawks could have gotten hold of this.... it could DEFINITELY have been another, "Bringing Up Baby"!!!! the ending needed a LITTLE more interplay----- forget the boom knocking him off, but KEEP the Dolphin!...... she should have jumped in after him... ETC, etc!!! The ingredients were there for the ASKING, IMHO!!!
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)
A GREAT addition...Mr. Ruskin has lots to philosophy about in this movie
I have one caveat going into this comment: I am not a big fan of this series.... HOWEVER, this particular piece hits home to my personal life's experience.
First, I'd like to edify the previous comment;about the Chinese Doctor. You haveta remember that this was made in 1944, and the Japanese in the USA on the West Coast were INTERRED at camps around the US---EVEN the Japanese that were born in America had to give up EVERYTHING, and leave.
Remember, The doctor was born in "That bastion of culture, and learning"....to which, the Judge replies, 'Peking?'.... The Doctor says, "No, .... "Brooklyn"!!!! This upheaval the Japanese-Americans/ Naturalized-Americans/ETC. was HIGHLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL!... BUT, in 1944, there was still a high number of 'flag waving patriots' that still thought this was right...ie:to 'STEM the flow of the 'Japs'! These SAME Americans, today are uttering this kind of comment;sorry for my editorial comment!
There is much sage advice given by the Judge in this flic!!!;even though he is stricken with tonsillitis-and can't talk;there is an hilarious scene where his wife is GLAD he can't speak. I'd especially want to draw you to the later scenes with Ms. Granville, and Mr. Marshall that are DEFINITELY NOT comedic! In fact, some of the teachers down here in Florida need to heed the advice of the learned Judge!
In fact, the scene where he pontificates...hey, pretty big word for moi!... about Student/Teacher 'relations' is a GREAT scene... It takes place at the bus stop when Andy is quitting school, and taking the easy way out of his troubles... He, unwittingly, had come up with a HUGE 'TALL-Tale' to the father of the Walker Twins---who are GORGEOUS!!knock-outs!.
Please watch this movie, and the sequel,"Love Laughs at Andy Hardy" ...again with Ms. Granville-even though made 2 years later, it takes place in the same 'Frosh' year of Andy Hardy. Finaaly, i'd suggest you check out the bio of Ms. Granville she IS the gal in this movie... I believe she is still alive.
The Right to Romance (1933)
good film, but not anywhere as good as, "Double Harness"
You must see, "Double Harness"-1933, to appreciate how GREAT an actress Ms. Harding was!... i thought lots of comments were posted on the film site,or her biography site, butijust checked, and most were gone;what happened to them?
I thought there were at least 5 posts saying what great heights Ms. Harding's subtle performance achieved! She had been nominated for Academy award in 1930 for, "Holiday". Marie Dressler won that year for "Min, and Bill"- a great performance,too!This movie,"Holiday", was remade with Katherine Hepburn, and Cary Grant in 1938. This was a great comedy... but sadly the Harding movie is almost in total disrepair at the Library of Congress. You must see Double Harness!!!!!!!!!!
Double Harness (1933)
i have to add to the chorus for Ann Harding
I, too, wish to beg forgiveness... for I have never seen Ms. Harding before tonight.Now, I HAVE to see everything she has done;and TCM is showing another 1933 film of hers-"The Right To Romance"-1933 with Robert Young at 5:00AM---she plays a plastic surgeon with marital woes with an ex-boyfriend involved. So,I am compelled to stay up, and watch Ms. Harding again.
Just like everyone else who has commented, she gives such a natural, under-played "non-scheming scheming woman"!I have never seen better.Mr. Cromwell did wonders with Betty Davis the next year when they did,"Of Human Bondage"... I'm wondering how much it was his direction that coaxed such great simplicity from Ms.Harding-or, is it her own 'pony'?!
Mr. Powell was exactly the same as he was the next year in, "The Thin Man"--- so, it would be my suspicion that Ms. Harding rose to the 'occasion' on her own 'horse'. We shall see later, but for now, Ms. Harding just scored a 'bull's eye"!!!! Well, i stayed up, and saw, "A Right to Romance" It was NO, "Double Harness"!!!!!!!!!!! At first i thought she was 'reserved' because sh was supposed to be a prim,proper doctor, who had no time, even for having a manicure, for any social life. She NEVER 'warmed up', IMHO, for the whole movie!She is supposed to fall in love with gregarious, Robert Young.When the picture opened, Ms. Harding had her hair in a TIGHT bun--her hair was FAMOUS for being so long it went down to her waist!!!!!!!!!! Wouldn't you think the director would employ the 'letting down' of her hair, when she is 'liberated' by Mr. Young?
Then I thought when the young crippled boy appeared, she would have warm scenes with him.... there were barely any emotion shown towards him, even when she saves his life. Have any of you rascals seen this film..... maybe I am wrong. Luckily, "Double Harness" will be shown again on TCM on the 26th. at 5:15PM.... Director of "Double...",John Cromwell,who also directed the CLASSIC, "Of Human Bondage"-1934-which will be shown at 6:30PM- so you can see his skill...
After that- a very 'touchy' subject-abortion-will be confronted with the PRE-code film,"Men in White"-1934-just before the 'code' was enforced. The word "abortion" is never said, but it is plain as day what i going on! great performances by Clark Gable-the doctor, and Myrna Loy, the 'high-maintenance socialite', who 'tosses' him because he stays to save a patient's life, rather than attend her party. I just finished researching Ms. Harding,I'll post her bio.it on the "Ann Harding" site.I've finished bio. for Ann Harding... go to her site in IMDb. I left out: She has 2 stars on the Hollywodd walk of fame: 6201 Hollywood Blvd. for motion pictures, and 6850 Hollywood Blvd. for TV work.
Compulsion (1959)
I agree with Ms. Brown COMPLETELY
I had never even heard of this movie until today.WHERE in the world are the historians?This is on par for courtroom drama with Lionel Barrymore's great dissertation at the end of, "A Free Soul"-1931.This, also, was a fact based portrayal of Adele Rogers St.John's father's career.
I have to concur with Ms. Brown, and ask the question as to why this movie is not shown more often;i saw it on AMC. The bottom line is the line by Mr. Darrow:"You don't stop killing human beings by killing human beings".Mr. Welles was never in finer form, than when he gives this speech... i understand this speech is verbatim of the transcript of the trial.
American Madness (1932)
Walter Huston WAS this movie
Frank Capra was just starting with his theme of the little guy trumps power, and corruption. It was the first collaboration with Mr. Capra, and his favorite screenwriter, Robert Riskin. This is a seamless screenplay to be sure. great attention is paid to detail... with only one blunder with John Huston's wife showing up with different dress only moments after she appears in different dress. Which brings up a point with the previous commenter... Constance Cummings was NOT John Huston's wife in this movie. Ms. Cummings was Helen.
Helen was Mr. Huston's secretary, and fiancée of Pat O'Brien's character Kay Johnson played the wife, and, VERY well. Ms. Johnson only made 24 movies before she quit in 1944.
Twilight of Honor (1963)
joey Heatherton's role
i know her Dad had a TV show,kinda like "Mr. Rogers", where he played a mailman... didn't know he WAS a mailman.... I saw Ms. Joey in '65?... at an U.S.O. show... she was HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!Minnie skirt, et al! In this movie-i bet this was where she got her 'moves' !!!
Nick Adams was GREAT in this role.... BUT "Hud" was 'HOT' that year, and Mr. Douglas deserved his due;he had never won an Oscar up till then-he did again in '79 for "Being There"... I wouldn't think Mr. Adams would have committed suicide over this 'slight'... he must have known how the 'Academy' worked,at least, back then!....
But having 9 speeding tickets in one year spells trouble!
On the Town (1949)
Vera-Ellen's contribution to this classic
I will keep my comments on this classic confined to Vera-Ellen, because she did not get her due credit for this movie, either in credit.She was listed far from top billing on marques!---and on the VHS tape-she's not even listed on the cover!!And,paltry salary,750 bucks a week;a total of $8,875. Her co-star, Gene Kelly, got 2,000 a week, and a total of 42,000. To be fair, he also directed-w/ Stanley Donen, and choreographed!.
But, Alice Pearce, who played Betty Garrett's roommate, got the same salary per week as Vera-Ellen,and only had four scenes!
To me, the very first scene with her dancing in a cheerleaders' outfit sets the pace for he whole movie! Her acrobatic talents; I'll refrain from commenting on her 'perkiness'!.
It's for sure she looks like a gal from 'Meadowville, Indiana'.In real life she was the same as the gal in this part, according to A.C.Lyles, who was dating her at the time;he's still alive, as is Betty Garrett, and screen-writer, lyricist Betty Comden. There is a group of fans of Vera-Ellen on "Yahoo Groups". All of my info comes from the second edition of, "The Magic, and the Mystery: Vera-Ellen"... by David Soren
For Hope (1996)
a movie that has to be a keeper
Like the other reviewer says, this disease is very mysterious, like progeria, very disforming, and very hard to deal with. As my brother does medical research, and my discussions with him;I have drawn conclusions of disease, and it's compilation into the physiognomy of body, AND LIFE.... Sorry to use the two-dollar word, but if you get a chance to gab with researchers into diseases of human-kind, you quickly realize how difficult unraveling the human genome is! if you talk to my brother.... he seems to think it's rapped up in the female "X" chromosome!.....\ To this specific film, I so appreciate Ms. Delaney's performance because it was not maudlin; even though much sobbing, it kept me glued to the story.... an absolute MUST for me to enjoy a film.... i'm so jaundiced by movies that go 'over the top'; it's rare that i can be pulled in to this 'kind' of film... Also Mr. Gould has never had a bad performance... wish he would do more...and, a lawyer by training! imagine that!