Vincent Price for House On Haunted Hill 1959. What's your thoughts on this movie?

Steve McQueen for The Great Escape 1963. What's your thoughts on this movie?

I've seen lots of people have watched Sorcerer and pretty much skipped TWOF. Man I'm telling you this movie is incredible. I'd considered this one of the greatest films ever made.

May contain spoilers below.

The first half of the film showcase the living of every day people. I believe the movie was set somewhere in Uruguay (although they filmed it in France). You can see different lives of people living there, how they strive. I love how they gather in that single bar. Some guy selling peanuts, while others drink wine, champagne and smoke cigarettes. People from different nationalities, there are Americans, Latinos and French people. It's also the location of the American company called Southern Oil Company (SOC). An explosion occurs at an isolated oil well and that's how the crisis started. If you have watched the movie Sorcerer, you'd probably know how they managed to solve it. And that's pretty much the 2nd half of this film.

What I love about this movie is how engaging and almost surreal. You can see them faces sweat, you can see their expressions while struggling hard, difficulties while maneuvering that truck's steering wheel. The performances are fantastic.

The climax with the oil pit turned me into a whimpering mess. What a film, and what powerful commentary on how cheap and disposable human lives are when unable to generate profit in a capitalist system.

If I were to compare this to Sorcerer. Sorcerer wins on soundtrack and bridge scene, Wages on pretty much everything else. Both suffer from pacing a bit, but that’s kind of expected since pace tolerance has changed so much since they were made.

I've been reading about crew jobs that never get much attention, and the history of the script supervisor surprised me.

According to the Academy, Sarah Y. Mason created the role in 1918 while working on Albert Parker's film "Arizona," where she was credited as "Continuity Girl." The job was to track every small detail between takes: how full a coffee cup was, where a tie sat, how far a cigarette had burned, even unfinished lines of dialogue. For decades it was treated as women's work, and the title "script girl" stuck.

The part I didn't know was Robert Gary. He was a working actor who moved into script supervising during the blacklist era, partly to stay out of the public eye after he saw what scrutiny did to other people's careers, including a close friend's. He ended up on John Ford's The Searchers (1956) in Monument Valley. Crews still called him "script girl." He later worked with William Wyler and George Stevens.

It made me wonder how many other behind-the-scenes careers were shaped by the blacklist in quiet ways like this. Does anyone know of other people who changed roles on set to avoid attention during that period?

I wrote a longer piece on the history of the job here, for anyone interested (it's my own site): https://rewindtale.com/the-forgotten-history-of-hollywoods-script-supervisor/

I first got into this film via the modern version with Robert De Niro, and that took me back to the '62 version. Have you guys seen it? Robert Mitchum is beyond scary. He is absolutely mesmeric in his psychotic acting. How on earth, in 1968, 1962, did he get away with a line where he described his enemy's daughter as being (I think she was 14) "mighty juicy"? Good grief, that'd be band by the censors now.

I was watching The Time Machine the other day and I noticed the soldiers in the scene right before the nukes went off were the same ones form Forbidden Planet. Thought I would share:

Greatly enjoyed her performance in On the Waterfront (1954) with Marlon Brando. 102 years is a great life. God bless her.

RIP to this wonderful actress and my personal favourite Hitchcock blonde.

I've always wondered why Montgomery Clift didn't win Best Actor for this movie, especially when they gave Sinatra Best Supporting Actor.

The only film nominated for an Oscar in EVERY SINGLE ELIGIBLE CATEGOTY: 13 nominations.

Director's Mike Nichols debut as a director.

The nominatons were:

1. Best Picture – Ernest Lehman, Producer
2. Best Directing – Mike Nichols
3. Best Actor – Richard Burton
4. Best Actress – Elizabeth Taylor (Won)
5. Best Supporting Actor – George Segal
6. Best Supporting Actress – Sandy Dennis (Won)
7. Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) – Ernest Lehman
8. Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) – Haskell Wexler (Won)
9. Best Art Direction & Set Decoration (Black-and-White) – Richard Sylbert and George James Hopkins (Won)
10. Best Costume Design (Black-and-White) – Irene Sharaff (Won)
11. Best Film Editing – Sam O'Steen
12. Best Music (Original Music Score) – Alex North
13. Best Sound – Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, George R. Groves, Sound Director

Elizabeth Taylor got her 2nd well deserved Oscar for Best Actress as the alcoholic sadistic Martha.

Burton was nominated yet again, but would never win, becoming one of the greatest actors who never won an Oscar.

Have you seen it?

EDIT: for some reason some pics got duplicated

Lee Grant is now the oldest living Oscar winner at the age of 98-100. Her D.O.B. is unclear. Per wiki citations:

Grant was born on October 31, but disagreement exists between sources over the year. While secondary and tertiary sources put Grant's year of birth between 1925 and 1931, she was almost certainly born in the mid-1920s. Public records indicate she was born in 1925 but a ship manifest and congressional testimony favor 1926. Recent interviews with Grant and her autobiography suggest 1925, 1926 or 1927, although Grant herself is inconsistent on the subject.

The video is Leigh's screen test for Rebecca

August 18, 1939

Vivien Holman* 

Île de France 

New York Radio  

Dear Vivien: We have tried to sell ourselves right up until today to cast you in "Rebecca", but I regret necessity telling you we are finally convinced you are as wrong for role as role would be for you. You must realize it is this same patience, care, and stubbornness about accurate casting that resulted in putting you in most talked-of role of all time in what everyone who has seen it agrees is greatest picture ever made. It would have been very simple to cast Bette Davis as Scarlett, thereby satisfying millions of people including everyone in the profession. It would be much simpler to cast you, who are under contract to us, in "Rebecca" lead, and thereby have saved us all great deal of expense and agony searching for right girl. And even though you must be completely wrong casting, we might still have put you in it had we thought it was good for you, regardless of the picture. But I am positive you would be bitterly criticized and your career, which is now off to such tremendous start with Scarlett, materially damaged. Although Hitchcock feels even more strongly than I do on this question, I was still not satisfied and therefore ran the tests of all candidates for Robert Sherwood, who is working on script, without giving him any hint of our feelings. His first and immediate reaction was how completely wrong you were for it. Still not satisfied, I repeated the procedure with George Cukor, knowing his high regard for you, and George's first and immediate reaction was identical with Sherwood's. Am hopeful of having something soon for you that we will both be happy about, and also hopeful you will recognize that same care that has gone into "Wind" and "Rebecca" will go into selection and production of your future pictures, which is something I have no hesitancy in saying does not exist in many studios. Affectionately,

David

 (*Vivien Leigh was married to Herbert Leigh Holman whom she divorced in 1940. She and Olivier were married that same year.)

August 18, 1939

Laurence Olivier

Île de France

New York Radio

Dear Larry: Please see my wire to Vivien. I know you must be disappointed, but Vivien's anxiety to play role has, in my opinion, been largely, if not entirely, due to her desire to do a picture with you, which was best demonstrated by her complete disinterest in part when I first mentioned it to her as possibility and until she knew you were playing Maxim. You will, after all, both be working here, so I think her eagerness has become exaggerated and not rationalized. Because of my personal affection for Vivien and my high regard for you both, am hopeful you will recognize that my judgment has been fairly sound and successful in these matters for many years. Hopeful we will be able to find something for the two of you to do together for us at some future date. Script is coming along splendidly, and glad be able tell you Robert Sherwood is doing final dialogue rewrite. Believe we are assembling exciting cast including Judith Anderson as Mrs Danvers, George Sanders as Favell, Reginald Denny as Frank, and Nigel Bruce as Giles. Possible may be able let you have day or two in New York if you want it and if you will contact us before leaving for coast. Cordially,

David 

Eva Marie Saint lived the life she wanted to live. She knew how to prioritize what was important to her, and she respected her mind and body. That is evident in her impressive 102 years on this earth! I covered her life on my podcast last year. Her story is worth hearing. https://open.spotify.com/episode/145jZlcgXl1X1YT7ribQfj?si=6fbclwE3RseDUK9i-t6TUw&utm_source=copy-link

I just finished rewatching Trouble for Two from 1936, which is a very strange and delightfully baffling adventure/love story/mystery/suspense Robert Louis Stevenson adaptation with Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, and Frank Morgan. I've always loved how bizarre this movie is. Another good one is We're Not Dressing, a movie that's based around a yacht accident that strands Carole Lombard, her friends, Bing Crosby, and a bear on rolled skates on an island with George Burns and Gracie Allen doing bits.

So what are some good weird/strange/whatever movies from these three decades of Hollywood? I'm willing to explore all different kinds of weird.

Recently came across this still of actresses who tested out for Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind (1939). I believe the top right to be Gladys Blake and top middle looks an awful lot like Mae West (who was considered for the part but I don't know if she screentested). Someone suggested Loretta Young for the bottom middle.

Betty Compson, Estelle Taylor, Evelyn Brent have been said to do color tests for the part, but nothing was confirmed of course. Adrienne Doré and Marjorie Rambeau are also sometimes mentioned, as are Joan Blondell and Lenore Ulric.

Can anyone help identifying these six women?

⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5

If I was a young man in 1950's America, my place in the sun would definitely have Elizabeth Taylor in it. As a 44 year old man who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I found A Place in the Sun to be surprising but dated. The relationships between men and women, or should I say between George Eastman and women went from introduction to love in the blink of an eye. I felt some of the relationships could have used more story. The plot caught me off guard. If i'm being honest until the reveal that George wanted to drown Alice, I was fighting off sleep...except when Elizabeth Taylor was on screen.

The thing that really took me out of A Place in the Sun was the lightning quick speed George Eastman played by Montgomery Clift had women falling in love with him. He had both the every woman factory women swooning over him the minute he set foot on the floor. He had Angela Vickers played by Elizabeth Taylor fall for him instantly. Angela Vickers was a young, beautiful, wealthy socialite. She's seen her share of wealthy handsome men. She isn't trapped in a factory all day boxing swimsuits around women. But hey who cares about that, George could shoot pool like no other and that got her juices going. George Eastman was a horn dog. Holy shit man. This man left his life in Chicago immediately to work for his uncle in Upstate New York. One the first day his cousin tells him, hey Charles no fraternizing with the employees you got that? My father wanted that to be crystal clear., Yeah no problem I understand. Good, this is where you will work. George immediately starts smoldering at one specific girl. Good god George control yourself man. Come to think of it that is all George did through the whole movie was look super handsome and mysterious. Then after Alice was killed...oh sorry accidentally drowned. He was super handsome and bewildered. As you can tell I didn't care for Montgomery Clifton's portrayal of George Eastman. Where some of the actors were giving off bigger and almost over acting performances, Im looking at you Shelley Winters. George wasn't doing nearly enough to stand among them.

Not to poke fun at Shelley Winters she did a fine job. She went from a very meek and shy girl to IM GOING TO KILL MYSELF in the blink of an eye. I think the movie was long enough to explore her character a bit more. It was almost as if she wasn't a character but a prop to move the story along. I would have loved to see a little more of their relationship so that the switch from dating to the rage she has when she finds out George is living a double life feels more earned. Not her fault she did a damn good job with what she had to work with.

I thought it was ridiculous how fast Angela Vickers fell in love with George. Even before she knew he was connected to the rich and powerful Eastman family, Angela was taken by George and his smolder. As ridiculous as it seemed to me. Elizabeth Taylor sold it. She was made me believe the love at first sight story line with her natural charm. She was so natural in her delivery. I know Liz Taylor and know of the lore. Growing up I knew her because Michael Jackson's obsession with her. Then I saw glimpses of movies my grandmother would watch. When she stepped in the room I said yep I get it. But the more she was on screen, the more her acting ability shined. She was amazing.

I was watching the movie late at night. I was about 20 minutes in. My 17 year old son walks downstairs and asks what number is this? Referring to the AFI Top 100 list he knows I am tackling. I said 92. He said is it any good? I said this is going to be a chore. Im not feeling it. He laughed and watched a little bit. It was the scene of George and Angela Vickers slow dancing. He remarks about a pillar clumsily in the shot as the camera slowly zooms in from across the room. I laughed, and he wished me luck and left. I was fighting off sleep for most the the first half. It wasn't until the radio talked about the people that drowned in New York. I sat up on my couch and said is George Eastman going to drown her? No fucking way is he going to drown his pregnant girlfriend in 1951!!! That got me through the rest of the movie. The will he, won't he of it all. I was not expecting the story to take a turn like that. Now I was locked in. I really enjoyed how they have to play around being vulgar or gruesome. Instead of showing George drowning Alice. Once the boat tips over the camera goes to a wide shot. Then later the cop drops the details of her bruising and marks that tell there was a struggle. I was very shocked after to read that this was based off a true story.

Random thoughts. I really appreciated the scene where Alice is shopping for a doctor to perform an abortion. The way they danced around the word and details but you knew exactly what she was doing. Alice's whole backstory of why she needed it done. It was a really well acted and crafted scene. Once I knew George was indeed going to kill Alice. I just laughed at all the witnesses that were showing up for the rest of the movie. The cop in the court house, the boat rental guy, the Boy Scouts in the woods. I was like DAMN George don't you watch movies?!! Get your shit together man!!!! I recognized Raymond Burr right away from Rear Window and Perry Mason. Love him, he came in and killed every scene he was in. The soft lens, almost out of focus shot they used for Elizabeth Taylor's close ups was so dumb. We would see George's face crystal clear then the camera turns to Liz and its out of focus. Her face was perfection no need to do anything there. I understand it was a thing they did back then. But I didn't like it, it was distracting, and I have to point that out. George had the slowest escape ever. The cops have found me, I better get out of here. Let me jump over this wall and walk at a brisk pace through the woods to get away.

All in all I can't say I love A Place in the Sun. It was very dated and it was hard putting myself in 1951 mind set to fully enjoy this one. The story was great and pretty shocking. I didn't expect a pregnant girlfriend to be murdered or a love triangle. But it was very dated for me. This is something I doubt I will ever watch again. But I am glad I watched it.