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gjohnson

I was never a fan of B-Westerns but for some reason I find all of Autrey's films made while at Republic very appealing to me. When he moved to Columbia after the war - less so.

Gary J.

gjohnson

Charley is just as spry in this Columbia short as he'd been in his Roach talkies, although there's a shirtless moment which reveals him to be pretty shockingly just skin and bones underneath his suit; small wonder he only had another three years of life ahead of him. You can see him shirtless ten y...

gjohnson

Since Bruce is pushing "Shoulder's Arms" as an acurate depiction of the horror and insanity that evolved from WWI then one must also visit "Pack Up Your Troubles" - (1932) in which we learn of the misery of cooties and involuntary volunteering which could end up in a tank too small for two. Then the...

gjohnson

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/15pianist.html?ref=movies A young lad from Newark grows up running numbers for the mob and just when he gets to the age when it will be too late to ever get out.........he meets Lillian Gish! It almost plays out as a scene from a Hollywood production that M...

gjohnson

Nope! I worked at Warner Records in 1979 when the first video tape movies were being marketed. They included such stellar titles as "Big Bad Mama" , "Trog" & "Enter The Dragon" . As a proud owner of an 8mm movie camera I indignately denounced constantly that NO ONE in their RIGHT mind would watch a ...

gjohnson

That being said, there's an awful lot of Hitchcock's directorial work that I find unwatchable, particularly near the end of his career. I find MARNIE, TORN CURTAIN, TOPAZ and FAMILY PLOT unbearable. I agree that "Marnie" is slow and doesn't seem to go anywhere and "Family Plot" is tired as it tries...

gjohnson

Lucky for Kennedy that practically the entire silent output of FBO is lost so he could make that claim.

Gary J.

gjohnson

Did anyone catch the avant-garde documentary shorts on TCM about NYC a couple of Sundays ago?

...............YIKES!!

Gary J.

gjohnson

........by never actually producing a movie..??....

Gary J.

gjohnson

He basically scrapped by in the 40's & 50's trying to pay off all debt and alimony he had accrued from the 30's. He got on solid financial footing in 1956 by selling the rights to his life to Paramount for "The Buster Keaton Story" - (1957) . Television opened up an entirely new revenue stream for h...

gjohnson

I have a hard time thinking of Hall as an extra - even if that was what he officially was - because his impact in almost every Roach appearance was real and apparent. Even in the smallest cameos - take his startled musician in Our Gang's "Pups Is Pups" - (1930) - his look is priceless. He may of mad...

gjohnson

The overriding factor in the transition to sound was that it allowed the Producers to take control once again. The Twenties are a fascinating time period of Hollywood filmmaking because of the two schisms that developed. On the one hand it was the formal rise of the Studio System - assembly line fil...

gjohnson

I'm looking for a clip similar to "Sullivan's Travels" when the convicts watch a cartoon but instead of Mickey Mouse I need the 3 Stooges up on the big screen. I guess it could be any comedians but they need to be 2 reel stars and instantly recognizable. I can't think of Laurel & Hardy every being u...

gjohnson

The opening scenes of "Lady Killer" - (1933) shows James Cagney working his job as a movie theater usher. It's very regimented and it's not long before the cocky Cagney gets canned. There is a scene where the manager brings his troops up to the rooftop for spot inspection before the doors are opened...

gjohnson

"Luke's Movie Muddle" is a 1 reeler with Lloyd as a crass theater manager of a run-down little fire trap. There would seem to be many duties to perform in such a job, such a selling tickets..etc.., but Luke seems more interested in giving all of the women patronage special attention by personally e...

gjohnson

I don't think you can make a successful film out of old Hollywood scandals because the facts are always in dispute - even today. The studios did such a masterful job of covering up for their stars when they went astray that the public rarely knew the true sorid tales back then and time and hazy memo...

gjohnson

I believe Anderson always was the original narrator. Mason would of been long dead by the time the Griffith doc. was made in the 90's and that would of made the entire project down right creepy.

Gary J.

gjohnson

Berkeley's movies changed as the decade progressed because the movie-going public changed. After reviving the musical in '33 Berkeley was given free rein for another 3 years until Astaire-Rogers started hogging the spotlight. Then Crosby's movies had a popular run, not to mention Eleanor Powell's ap...

gjohnson

First time viewers of "Tillie & Gus" could be in for a bit of a shock since Field's conman character is such a softie - he's not only sweet to Baby LeRoy throughout but heroically saves him in the finale as the real father stands dumbly by. Since this was one of the first sound feature that Paramoun...

gjohnson

No, Richard, I know Mayer loved Dressler but I was responding to Mike's comment that it was funny that MGM of all studios would have a frumpy star. I said it only could of happened during the pre-code years when the studio product was more varied. Of the actors you mentioned Beery was quickly relega...

gjohnson

A Good Day For a Hanging -- If the politics of the film are as anachronistic as the tidiness of the supposed western town The late 50's/early 60's produced a lot of interesting low budget westerns using minimal sets and terse writing and a lot of psychological motivation which wouldn't of seen the ...

gjohnson

I always read Lloyd's character to be lampooning the popular movies of the day. Unlike his rivals, Chaplin & Keaton, who based their comedy on humor developed from years on stage, Lloyd basically grew up on the flickers and was one of the first to ape and mock accepted genres of the day from this ne...

gjohnson

The Vitaphone talkie shorts that accompanied "Don Juan".

Gary J.

gjohnson

I sold Beethoven an ear trumpet the other day but I had to loan him the amount of four Thaler coins because he was short as usual............Composers!

Gary J.

gjohnson

I love the art of cinema so I simply watch all films.......all eras.......all genres.......all types........All detergent.......

And that includes silents......

Gary J. (Who now has to go finish his laundry.)

gjohnson

It's not that odd that she languished at the studio for over a year without given anything to do. For all of the notorious tight-fisted control that the studio's exerted over their employees during the 'Golden Age' there seemed to be equal examples of rampant excesses; such as famous writers signed ...

gjohnson

No new footage?...............bummer!

Gary J. (Who now wonders what all the yelling was about)

gjohnson

Eric clears up a question that I was wondering about since I thought all of the Puppetoon's series was done in Eastman color.

Gary J.

gjohnson

This was MGM's answer to "42nd Street" and the finale was an attempt to out-Busby Berkeley.

Gary J.

gjohnson

It drove him nuts – constantly being referred to for his handsome good looks and his clear blue eyes. “They’re just eyes,” he would tell everyone within earshot. “Everyone has got two of them.” Being the constant professional that he was he just wanted to be judged on the merit of his work. And judg...

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Re: Reviewing the Niles Comedy Festival

Note by Note, He Keeps the Silent-Film Era Alive

Seeking A Comedy Clip

Re: A Good Day For Hanging (Out)