Old Movies and Favorite Books

Options
13

Comments

  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Raye--I had a laugh when I read your father's comment.  My younger sister and I, in the summers, would go to the library and get five books each (maximum allowed) and sit on the stoop and read.  It drove my mother crazy (nowadays parents love when their children read).  She insisted the reason I was so tall (5'10 before shrinkage set in) was because I read too much.  Back then, no woman wanted to be 5'10".

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Richard Widmark died today, at 93.  Did anyone here ever see him in "Kiss of Death," where he pushes an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs.  From reading his obit he was a very nice, gentle man.  I hadn't thought of him in years, but I did like him.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • beth1225
    beth1225 Member Posts: 1,061
    edited March 2008

    Tina, we just got the whole set of "Thin Man" series on VHS from one of my friends because she got the DVD versions.  We are busily wearing out the tapes!  I put the DVD's on my wishlist for my birthday.

    DH and I are both into John Wayne movies.  Almost any of them, especially Rio Bravo (with Dean Martin) and El Dorado (with Robert Mitchum).  I also love "Donovan's Reef" (Lee Marvin too).

    Also, all of the Matt Helm series that Pink Panther and Austin Powers spoofed.  And I need to include James Bond Movies with Sean Connery.  Well, anything with Sean Connery, James Garner (Support Your Local Sheriff and Gunfighter) and Cary Grant ("Arsenic and Old Lace my fave).

    Susie, we are seeing "Odd Couple" in 2 weeks.  I can;t wait for the finaler of the season, "State Fair" I think.  Guess I can add Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Lowe musicals too!

    As far as books, where to begin?  J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series and the supporting books are on top.  Began them in high school.  It always amazed me how he created whole languages, several of them!

    "Wizard of Oz", "Alice in Wonderland", every "Nancy Drew" and more recently, biographies of almost anyone.  Just read one about Jefferson and I have another I got out of the library about Ben Franklin.

    If you want to start a book club, you can set one up on www.shelfari.com.  Everyone can join up and post books they have read, going to read and what we can read together.  Just a suggestion.  Last year someone wanted to do one here but it never took off.  Coun tme in!  My dh says I devour books.  I read at least 2 a week if I can.  I am reading "The Cat Who..." series by Lillian Jackson Braun.  There are quite a few.  Also trying to get through the "Naked in..." series by J.D. Robb (a.k.a. Nora Roberts).

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Poppy
    Poppy Member Posts: 405
    edited March 2008

    Anneshirley ~ I couldn't place Widmark, but as soon as I read that he played the "giggling killer" in Kiss of Death, I put it on Netflix! I love film noir and that description was TOO great!

    Actually... now that I'm thinking of it, there was an obscure movie called "Fade to Black" Fade to Black (1980) where the main character was an old movie buff and a loser. He snapped and started killing people a la old movie lines. From your description of Widmark pushing the woman in the wheelchair down the stairs, I think that's how the guy kills his aunt. I think he was laughing during that scene. Hmm...!

    Erica

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sierra
    Sierra Member Posts: 1,638
    edited March 2008

    WOW! WHAT A GREAT THREAD

    FOR EVERYONE.. IT KEEPS ON MOVING





    I am going to say

    PICNIC.. with Kim Novak (loved here)

    and William Holden

    she also did Bell, Book and Candle



    Bette Davis, Now Voyageur.. old one



    Joan Crawford did a few too

    my Grandma tooke me to see them



    Ava Gardner did.. some



    can anyone help me out



    Books.. J D Salinger

    Catcher in the Rye



    funny book



    Sierra

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Poppy
    Poppy Member Posts: 405
    edited March 2008

    Sierra ~ "Catcher in the Rye" is one of my favorite books of all time! If you like that one, you might like Russell Banks' "Rule of the Bone." Sort of a modern Holden Caulfield.

    Erica

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Sierra,

    Ava Gardner--only one I can remember is Barefoot Contessa.

    Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce--with Anne Blythe 

    Favorite Holden is Stalag 17.  Great Movie. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Tonight, we were able to find a TV channel showing: Alo, Alo.  Not sure if I spelled that correctly, but a British comedy set in France during WWII.  Renee owns a bar and is working with the French Resistance--and every woman in town is after him.

    And after that, we're watching the Vicker of Dibley, with Dawn French.  Great series, very funny.  Also British.

    And then "As Time Goes By" with Judy Dench.  I love British comedies. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Bette Davis--All day April 5.  The 5th is Davis' birthday--one hundred years.  One of the movie channels--can't remember which one--is showing her films all day.  I plan to watch as many as I can.   Particularly looking forward to the soppy ones:  Now Voyager and Dark Victory.  Just saw "All About Eve" a week or so ago, so will skip that one--but I think it's her best. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sierra
    Sierra Member Posts: 1,638
    edited March 2008





    Hey Gals..



    these are great



    Heck, what age are we??



    I won't tell..



    I love the old films



    Humphrey Bogart.. Casablanca

    and Lauren Bacall



    Poppy>. thanks for the heads up on that book

    I'll check it out.. Is that you on the Avatar? (LOL)))

    Wow!!!



    Alfred Hitchcok



    The Man who Knew Too Much

    The Birds



    Tyrone Power, I guess is way back right

    Grandma used to like him..



    James Cagney..way back..



    James Dean... Rebel without a Cause



    That blonde lady..

    Jean Harlow.. what movie was she in



    Mae West,, Come up and see me some time



    Ciao for now gals

    I was on a run tonight



    love this thread

    tks





    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Sense and Sensibility on Masterpiece Theater now.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Poppy
    Poppy Member Posts: 405
    edited March 2008

    Anneshirley ~ Thanks for the heads up on Bette Davis' birthday; I am sure my Tivo will blow up after that day! LOL

    Sierra ~  My poor husband doesn't rank to be in my avatar but Johnny does! LOL

    Erica

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • honeygirl
    honeygirl Member Posts: 1,718
    edited March 2008

    Tina , I'm with you. Christmas in Conn. is one of my all time favs.

    As for books from childhood , I love Great Expetations , A Wrinkle in Time , and a fifth grade book about a horse named Misty. Misty of C... Oh I just can't remember the name!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Erica--I meant to tell you this before.  Since you liked "Move Over Darling," you'll love "My Favorite Wife."  it's the original film with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant and is so much better than the remake.  It's one of my favorite all time comedies--they're both terrific in it.  Marilyn Monroe was supposed to be in the remake (I think with Dean Martin) but died before it was finished.  I'm sure you can find it on Netflick.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TerryNY
    TerryNY Member Posts: 603
    edited March 2008

    I loved Misty of Chincoteague, great book.  

    My all time favorite books are James Herriot's books, "All Creatures Great and Small" and the three following.  While not really old books, he does write about his early vet practice in England during the '30s and '40s.   And such humor!  I just went through my bookshelves and donated three grocery bags of books to the local library, but I'll never part with these.  I read them over and over.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Poppy
    Poppy Member Posts: 405
    edited April 2008

    Thanks for the recommendation Anneshirley! I feel like I've seen "My Favorite Wife" but I'll check it out. I loooove Cary Grant. His characters were always the perfect man to me!

    Honeygirl, I actually re-read "A Wrinkle in Time" every 7-10 years. I love that story and I can't believe I always forget the story. Every time I read it I feel like I'm visiting old friends but also discovering something new!

    Erica

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sccruiser
    sccruiser Member Posts: 1,119
    edited April 2008

    My all time favorite movie is "The African Queen." don't know if someone else mentioned it previously.



    Also love the movies made by Jaques Tati (french director). Very rarely on TV, but perhaps available through netflix or any mail order site. My favorite's of his are : Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Traffic, and Mon Uncle. Comedies and very funny. Looks at technology and people--reactions to it.

    Often, film festivals will have a series on him. Jerry Lewis' films play well in France. The slap-stick is similar in some ways, although I think Tati's is more refined, and subtle.



    Another comedy I watch over and over is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Think it's Matthew Broderick's best.



    How about La Dolce Vita? Marcello Mastrianni was wonderful.



    The Lion in Winter.. another I can watch many times.



    Elaine May's film with Walter Mathau-- New Leaf. So funny.



    The 10th Victim. great flick.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited April 2008

    You name two of my favorites:  "African Queen" and "A New Leaf."  Two great Masgtrianni films are:  "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," with Sophia Loren, and "Divorce Italian Style."  Both very funny.

    There's a great French film, but can't remember name, you might like.  It's about a loving couple who take in his elderly aunt, who is horrible.  And she makes their lives miserable until she meets up with a young woman, even more horrible.  Wish I could remember the name.   

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Poppy
    Poppy Member Posts: 405
    edited April 2008

    I can't believe you guys have seen "A New Leaf"!!! I have a crappy copy of it that I transferred from VHS to DVD, but it's worth having!

    I love it.

    Erica

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited April 2008

    "A New Leaf"--my favorite scene when they're on their honeymoon and she comes out in her Grecian nightgown with the arm hole around her neck, and he has to disentangle her.  Another favorite is when she gets dressed for school, with all the price tags hanging off.  Great film!  Anyone who hasn't seen it:  Elaine May and Walter Mathau.  In this film, he plays a Cary Grant type (the later Grant), which he does very well.  It always amazed me that he could do the complete slob and the complete snob equally well.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited April 2008

    And speaking of Elaine May, have any of you seen "Enter Laughing?"  It was written, I think, by Carl Reiner about his early days of trying to get into the theatre.  Starring Jose Ferrer and Elaine May.  I remember falling off the couch I laughed so hard. About 30-35 years old.  If you can find it, watch it.  Wonderfully funny!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Catherine
    Catherine Member Posts: 305
    edited April 2008

    Anneshirley, I had to laugh, because I saw both of these films recently.  Our library has a series of films and it's always a lot of fun to be exposed to older films.  They had "screwball comedies", "My Fair Lady's London", Oscar winners and losers and a Hitchcock series.  I love it!  They also have new releases and it's a great way to see the films for free.

    Catherine

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Catherine
    Catherine Member Posts: 305
    edited April 2008

    I've always been an avid reader too.  I used to sit outside on the steps as well.  My favorite books are "Gone With the Wind", "Rebecca" and "Wuthering Heights.  I love those films too plus most Hitchcock films, "Charade", Rock Hudson/Doris Day films - so silly but funny too.

    Catherine

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • drw
    drw Member Posts: 2,447
    edited April 2008

    Is anyone into 50's and early 60's melodramas? Imitation of Life, An Affair to Remember and Back Street are my favorites.



    dianne

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited April 2008

    "Gone With the Wind"--I had just started my first job (and I was impossible to get up in the morning--some times my mother threw water on me to get me out of bed!) and I started reading that evening.  I read until about 5:00 in the morning (got the water treatment) and carried it off to work with me.  Whenever I could sneak away, I'd take the book into the ladies room and read about ten minutes or so.  I don't think it's great literature, but it sure does keep you reading.  Of course, I was very romantic back then and loved the scene when he sweeps her up the stairs, and back then it was all left to the imagination!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited April 2008

    Dianne--yes, to first two.  Can't remember "Back Street" but I probably did see it at some time.  Great films for the sheer joy of weeping!  Very cathartic.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • drw
    drw Member Posts: 2,447
    edited April 2008

    has anyone seen a 60's movie called the aparment? it's with jack lemmon and shirley maclaine. it's my favorite movie of all time.



    dianne

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • drw
    drw Member Posts: 2,447
    edited April 2008

    i meant apartment.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mplscello
    mplscello Member Posts: 50
    edited April 2008

    bygrace,

    I love Jacque Tati's films too! Mon Oncle and Playtime are my favorites.

    here's a short list of my favorite old movies that I can remember at the moment:

    I Know Where I'm Going! - Wendy Hiller & Roger Livesy, a really charming film set in Scotland

    Desk Set, Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy's 2nd-to-last film together, one of my all time favorites (I wanted KH's job at the Federal Broadcasting Company -- and her apartment and clothes!)

    Pillow Talk -  Rock Hudson & Doris Day

    People Will Talk - Cary Grant & Jeanne Crain

    Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House - Cary Grant & Myrna Loy (favorite scene is when she's describing the room colors to the paint guys in elaborate detail and they sum it up after she's gone with "red, green, blue, yellow, white")

    Indiscreet - Cary Grant & Ingrid Bergman

    Holiday - Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn

    North by Northwest - Cary Grant  .... hmmm anyone see a theme here? Embarassed

    Rear Window - Jimmy Stewart in my other favorite Hitchcock film

    Best Years of Our Lives - Frederick March, Myrna Loy, love her!!

    Mrs. Miniver - Greer Garson

    Please Don't Eat the Daisies - Doris Day & David Niven

    I have more but must stop. I have 17,000 favorite movies of the 70s too but will not steer this thread from its mission!

    Books, don't even get me started! OK, if I must:

    "Girl of the Limberlost" by Gene Stratton Porter - this was a book that my mother read when she was younger and started me searching out other books by the same author and becoming fascinated with her life and writing

    Secret Garden & A Little Princess  by Frances Hodgson Burnett 

    Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle

    Ruth Chew, author of many supernatural stories for younger kids

    The Great Brain series by John Fitzgerald

    Harriet the Spy and the Long Secret by Louise Fitzhugh

    Beverly Cleary  - anything from Ramona the Pest to her teenager books

    Rosamond du Jardin - the Midge & Tobey Heydon books

    There is also a great series of fairy tale books from around the world, by Ruth Manning-Sanders with great illustrations by Robin Jacques. (A Book of Wizards, A Book of Witches, A Book of.... etc.) I have loved and collected these books since jr high.

    I know I'm forgetting some, since I'm not at my bookshelf right now. I'll be impressed if anyone wades through this whole list!

    thanks for the fun thread. I think this is my longest post EVER.

    LeeAnn

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited April 2008

    Right now on TCM; Bette Davis night.  All About Eve, at 8:00; Jezebel at 10:00 and Dark Victory at midnight.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories