What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend?

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Last night Turner Classics showed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. 

For years I had been interested in a Jane Russell film called The Revolt of Mamie Stover, because it's based on a novel I read and the novel is based on a real life woman who was involved in prostitution in WWII Hawaii.  But the film has never been on any video format and I had not seen it appear anywhere.  A few years ago I happened to discover that at the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood was to be a double feature of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and followed by The Revolt of Mamie Stover. My recollection is that I found out the very same day it was showing.  I immediately planned to see "Mamie" but even though I had never seen "Blondes" in a theatre, I wasn't going to go to that one because it was one of those rushed days and I hadn't planned to go out at all and it was hot and I was cranky and frankly I didn't even feel like going at all, expercially by myself.

I finally decided, what the heck, that Gentlemen is only 90 minutes and I could deal with that and it's a great time anyway, so I went.  Not only was the print absolutely gorgeous, but before the film (they always have film introductions by someone there) all of a sudden the host announces that Jane Russell is there (!) and she is introduced and stands up in a spangly green dress and then comes up in front and talks for about 15 minutes during the intermission!  What a treat was that!  AND I got to see the Mamie Stover film as well!  (It's not a great film, and Richard Egan, the lead actor, I've always thought a bit of a dullard, but it is rather deliciously bizarre because it's about a subject--prostitution--that they don't even really deal with. Sort of like Tea and Sympathy is about being gay, but never even deals with that.  It has since appeared on Fox Movie Channel a couple times.  A plus is Agnes Moorehead as a blond and rather butch house Madam!  Also was Joan Leslie's last film before retiring.  And some Hawaiian location filming.)

And I love the big production number she gets to do with a whole slew of scantily clad (for the early 1950s) athletic young men portraying the U.S. Olympic team. 

Aren't they all gay?  LOL!  She keeps singing "Ain't there anyone here for love?" and they all seem to be declining her rather glorious attributes!  If you taped the film, if you watch that number again, when Jane Russell is walking between the two lines of athletes doing knee-bends, one of the men on the left towards the back gets up too late and fails to do his bend in time with the others. It's interesting sometimes you watch a film and never notice something like that, and when you do notice it, it seems so obvious.

***

P.S.:  When I saw her in the Q&A I raised my eyebrows when she talked about being a very religious Christian and such, but didn't dwell on it past that, but in looking for a reference just now I came across an article mentioning this evening at the Egyptian and it's well worth the read if you're a Jane Russell or "Blondes" behind the scenes film fan...just get past the provocative HuffPost headline of the article.

Link HERE!   

[Lyle (Mooska)]

In her review of Basil Dearden’s 1961 British blackmail thriller, Victim, which was instrumental in the repeal of anti-sodomy laws in the U.K., Pauline Kael of The New Yorker worried about the consequences of treating homosexuals “with sympathy and respect, like Negroes and Jews.”

Hmmm...   I suppose, though, that my mother would have worried about that, too, if
she even thought of it in 1961 at all.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I finally decided, what the heck, that Gentlemen is only 90 minutes and I could deal with that and it's a great time anyway, so I went.  Not only was the print absolutely gorgeous, but before the film (they always have film introductions by someone there) all of a sudden the host announces that Jane Russell is there (!) and she is introduced and stands up in a spangly green dress and then comes up in front and talks for about 15 minutes during the intermission!  What a treat was that!

Wow! How lucky! I'm sure it was quite an experience to have her there to talk about the film. 

P.S.:  When I saw her in the Q&A I raised my eyebrows when she talked about being a very religious Christian and such, but didn't dwell on it past that, but in looking for a reference just now I came across an article mentioning this evening at the Egyptian and it's well worth the read if you're a Jane Russell or "Blondes" behind the scenes film fan...just get past the provocative HuffPost headline of the article.

Link HERE!   

That's a great read. Thanks for posting the link! Tell you what, the author describes Russell as "honest as all get-out," and I have to say that, while I don't know why, that's really how she comes across to me, even playing Dorothy in Blondes. I remember her bra commercials  and I guess I have vague, deep memories of seeing her on talk shows when I was just a kid, or something, but she really does come across to me as genuine and really down-to-earth--like she wouldn't have done those bra commercials if she didn't really believe in the product.

I knew nothing about her work on behalf of adoption. That was amazing to read.

[Ennis Del Mark]

I always liked Jane, especially her nonchalance about her breasts and the hoopla everyone else made over them.

So what if she was a conservative republican?  Some of my best friends and I disagree politically but I'm not going to stop being friends with them over that.

[kathy]

I always liked Jane too and thought she was sooo pretty - and so good in many of her films.  It seems to me she has been under-rated; this happens so often.  "The Revolt of Mamie Stover" IMO is one of her best (always liked Richard Egan too; thought he was so handsome). 

Raoul Walsh is the director and he's one of the legendary directors who began in the silent era.   Prior to that he was an actor too; he played John Wilkes Booth in D. W. Griffith's 'Birth of a Nation' in 1915.  He continued to direct and act until concentrating on directing.   In 1929, while directing and thinking of acting in "In Old Arizona" (best actor Warner Baxter 1929-'30), he was in a serious accident and lost one of his eyes.  So the acting stopped and he was the sole director.   He went on to direct many of the best pictures and legendary stars in the business. 

kathy   

 

[janjo]

Watched "Zulu" ....................again........ last night.
I know practically every line of the dialogue.
Still thought it was an amazing and wonderful film.
I was 12 when it was made.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Watched "Zulu" ....................again........ last night.
I know practically every line of the dialogue.
Still thought it was an amazing and wonderful film.
I was 12 when it was made.

Is that the one with Michael Caine and Stanley Baker? I saw that once. I really liked it. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

And it wasn't just a cameo either.  He's a pretty decent actor, not that it matters, lol!  The poor thing recently injured himself in Spain, during a practice dive his head hit the diving platform and he got a nasty cut on the forehead and a concussion. He said he doesn't remember a thing:

OMG that cut looks awful!  Thank goodness he wasn't hurt worse.

[ingmarnicebbmt]

I finally saw the dvd of The Best Exotic Magnolia Hotel.  I did find it pleasant and watchable, but not much more than that.

Same for me.

[ingmarnicebbmt]

I don't know. Perhaps being widowed and single and "of the age" portrayed by most of the characters, it must have hit a deeper chord in me. Being married to someone who was not a planner, feeling at times that life has passed me by, losing jobs because of an imagined health issue (on the part of the employer)  and not being hired for ones I am more than qualified for, because of my age, wanting to live life to the fullest, wondering if there are second and third chances out there, some what ifs.

These were the issues of the characters in this movie. It hit very close to home for me, thus I enjoyed it a lot. But I am a happily ever after person, as well.

Very understandable, Linda!

Each movie rings different bells for each and everyone of us - except BBM of course. It rang the same bells for all of us!

 

[Cally]

Yes, and yes .

[ingmarnicebbmt]

 

[andy]

Ding, ding ding!!

[ingmarnicebbmt]

[andy]

Can't you at least come up with the theme from the movie, Ingy?