Topic: ONE HUNDRED ACTORS (Read 24446 times)

bk · « **on:** July 03, 2004, 12:00:55 AM »

Well, you've read the notes, you know I must hurry along, and you know what you must do to keep the home fries burning. To it, I say.

Noel · « **Reply #1 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:02:10 AM »

I'll go with The African Queen.
First post?

S. Woody White · « **Reply #2 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:09:34 AM »

Quote from: Noel on July 03, 2004, 12:02:10 AM

I'll go with The African Queen.
First post?

You go with the African Queen, and we'll tell Joy you're cheating on her!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #3 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:11:36 AM »

Hmmm.. I shall have to think about both topics.. Sleep on them you could say...

Sleep..

Hmm..

What a concept..

Sleep...

Goodnight.

bk · « **Reply #4 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:13:57 AM »

Welcome fourteen GUESTS! We're talkin' about the FUTURE, Mr. Gits, the FUTURE. We're talkin' about Gene Kelly.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #5 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:18:08 AM »

I am, sad to say, not as familiar with John Huston's career as a director. As an actor, I think his best work was in Chinatown. Nasty, evil man, Noah Cross was.

bk · « **Reply #6 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:27:56 AM »

His Noah Cross is one of the great screen acting jobs. The FUTURE, Mr. Gits, the FUTURE.

If you don't know Mr. Huston as a director you have a lot of wonderful treats in store, including The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre for starters.

bk · « **Reply #7 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:28:35 AM »

And add The Asphalt Jungle, and his very strange films of The Night of the Iguana and Reflections in a Golden Eye.

Tomovoz · « **Reply #8 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:28:41 AM »

Favourite Huston movies: "The African Queen", "Key Largo", "The Maltese Falcon" and "Heaven Knows Mr Allison". There's a lot I like about "Moulin Rouge" too.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #9 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:29:33 AM »

Best Gene Kelly dance number: "Our Love is Here to Stay," with Leslie Caron, from An American in Paris. Done without the costumes and the flash and dazzle of the title number, putting Caron beside Kelly as he tells her he loves her in a way that surpasses words...This one dance summarizes the rest of the film (not to mention a raftfull of other movies).

ADDENDUM: "Our Love is Here to Stay" reduces Kelly to his dancing essense, his most simple and basic. It displays the ground upon which everything else he did was built. "You Were Meant For Me," with Debbie Reynolds (Singin' in the Rain) comes close, but his dance with Caron is a more complete film moment.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #10 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:35:11 AM »

Quote from: bk on July 03, 2004, 12:27:56 AM

His Noah Cross is one of the great screen acting jobs. The FUTURE, Mr. Gits, the FUTURE.

If you don't know Mr. Huston as a director you have a lot of wonderful treats in store, including The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre for starters.

I've seen African Queen, although it's been several years. My problem is that I haven't seen enough of Huston's work as a director to compare and decide what I think is great and what isn't. (I mean, let's face it, Annie does not count as a top-drawer flick, but I'm not going to judge his output based on that film. It just wouldn't be sporting.)

I'm very curious, now, to find out how he handled The Dead.

bk · « **Reply #11 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:40:02 AM »

All his post seventies work is spotty - see his classics, you can't miss.

Charles Pogue · « **Reply #12 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:43:26 AM »

Jane, I remember the Opera House very well. Never went to the tower restaurant actually.

Fav John Huston directed: Maltese Falcon (in my top five films); Key Largo (Eddie G. whispering to Lauren Bacall); The Unforgiven (with its strangely disembodied score); The Life & Times of Judge Roy Bean (wonderful essence of folklore...like someone sitting on a stump, whittling, spinning a yarn); The Man Who Would Be King (Colonialism last gasp)

Best Huston writing: Juarez; High Sierra

Huston as an actor: Chinatown; Wind & the Lion

Fav Gene Kelly dance numbers: Singing in the Rain & Moses from Singing in the Rain; the roller skate number from It's Always Fair Weather; Nina & The Pirate Ballet from The Pirate; The newspaper & the squeaky board from Summer Stock.

Charles Pogue · « **Reply #13 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:44:16 AM »

Oh, I forgot THE DEAD. Great work.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #14 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:48:04 AM »

I must get to bed. I've a full workday ahead, and chores before that.

Have fun with the auditions, BK.

Panni · « **Reply #15 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:52:58 AM »

Fell asleep -- and woke up. Here I am. Huston - haven't seen THE DEAD since it came out. But I saw it twice then and loved it. Will list other favorites tomorrow.
Gene Kelly - dancing with the mouse in ...is it Anchors Away? And SINGING IN THE RAIN, natch. MOre tomorrow on Kelly, too. Tomorrow is actually today.

Panni · « **Reply #16 on:** July 03, 2004, 12:58:15 AM »

I looked it up. Yes, Gene and Jerry danced together in ANCHORS AWAY.

Panni · « **Reply #17 on:** July 03, 2004, 01:00:27 AM »

I guess I'll try bed once more.

Jrand74 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 03, 2004, 04:23:55 AM »

Once again it's in the cards! My best wishes to MR BK as we go "on location" at HHW....that sounds like that television show from the 1960's.....gosh I can't remember it's name....where the host took us to studios and movie sets and parties.....

Ah......The Asphalt Jungle, The Man Who Would Be King, and The Maltese Falcon. TMWWBK had been one of my favorite short stories, so I was very excited to see it done as a film....and I was not disappointed. How could I be, with Houston directing Connery and Caine?

Acting wise....probably Sierra Madre and Myra Breckinridge.

Gene Kelly has never been a favorite of mine...sorry MBARNUM...but I do like the motorcycle number he does with Mitzi Gaynor in Les Girls. And of all of his performances, I also really like his Noel Airman in Marjorie Morningstar. All of Singing In The Rain of course.

But Mr K really screwed up the screen version of Hello, Dolly! when he directed it.

I think I would have liked him best....if I had seen him onstage in Pal Joey. That seems the kind of character I imagine him to be...though his "hero" in For Me and My Gal was not a particularly good guy!

Jrand74 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 03, 2004, 04:31:45 AM »

Here is sheet music for a Cole Porter song I don't know....is any DR familiar with it?

I am sure it is just one of many....oh well Allez Vous and Go Away.

The consonant missing at the beginning is an "m" the first word in the title is MOST....

Jrand74 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 03, 2004, 05:37:27 AM »

All day today on TVLAND: The Flip Wilson Show!

The devil made them do it!!

Robin · « **Reply #21 on:** July 03, 2004, 05:52:43 AM »

Favorite Huston-as-director: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Favorite Huston-as-actor: Chinatown (One of my all-time favorite movies, too. They don't get much better than this!)

Robin · « **Reply #22 on:** July 03, 2004, 05:57:41 AM »

Favorite Gene Kelly dance number: "Singin' in the Rain" from Singin' in the Rain.

If there's anyone I'd wanna look like, it's Gene Kelly, the best-looking guy who ever lived.

Matt H. · « **Reply #23 on:** July 03, 2004, 06:33:19 AM »

y favorite Hustons have mostly been named already: THE MALTESE FALCON (by far my favorite), TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, KEY LARGO. Of his later work, I like THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, FAT CITY, and I loved PRIZZI'S HONOR.

REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE was one of those films that did the best it could with non-cinematic material. I haven't seen THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE in many years, but I remember being impressed with it when I saw it.

Hard to believe Huston won only two Oscars (one for writing and one for directing SIERRA MADRE) in his long career.

Matt H. · « **Reply #24 on:** July 03, 2004, 06:37:58 AM »

Favorite Gene Kelly:

solo - "You Wonderful You" newspaper dance from SUMMER STOCK

"The Pirate Ballet" from THE PIRATE

"I Like Myself" from IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER

"The Hat My Father Wore on St. Patrick's Day" from TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

"Alter Ego" from COVER GIRL

Gene Kelly duets:

"The Heather on the Hill" from BRIGADOON

"The Portland Fancy" in SUMMER STOCK

"An American in Paris Ballet"

"Moses Supposes" from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

"Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" in WORDS AND MUSIC

Matt H. · « **Reply #25 on:** July 03, 2004, 06:43:51 AM »

Speaking of Gene Kelly, how many have seen his experimental dance musical INVITATION TO THE DANCE? This film done only in dance contained three sections: "Circus" where he played a clown in love with a woman who didn't love him back, "The Bracelet" which was a story told in pantomime as an expensive bracelet travels from one owner to another, and "Sinbad the Sailor," which was excerpted in THAT's ENTERTAINMENT II and was a more sophisticated blending of live action and animation that his earlier dance with Jerry the Mouse in ANCHORS AWEIGH.

Definitely a curiosity but worth seeing once. The stories of the enormous problems shooting this film mostly in Europe are pretty horrific.

td · « **Reply #26 on:** July 03, 2004, 06:44:15 AM »

Quote from: JRand53 on July 03, 2004, 04:31:45 AM

Here is sheet music for a Cole Porter song I don't know....is any DR familiar with it?

Ah, yes, what a witty Porter song!
Even Cybil Shepherd can't hurt it!
There's a nearly great scene towards the end of AT LONG LAST LOVE, in a ladies powder room where Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn and Cybil launch into this number with mixed results. (in the television cut, it seques into "I Loved Him.)"

Michael · « **Reply #27 on:** July 03, 2004, 06:54:46 AM »

A very good John Huston film is Under the Valcanoe with Albert Finney. Not a favorite of mine, but one I think that should be seen.

He did slum as director and a good example is Phobia. He should never have directed Annie. He had absolutley no feel for that material and was wrong for it.

I have a lot of affection for Beat the Devil. Unfortunatly the film is in public domain and I have not come across a decent copy out there on DVD. Side note composer Stephen Sondheim was a clapper boy on this film.

But I think his best films were his earlier ones. The Maltese Falcon and Key Largo they are my favorites. Never could get into the Treasure of Sierra Madre no matter how many times I have started to watch the film.

I have to agree that his role of Noah Cross in Chinatown was excellent and his strangest role has to have been Buck Loner in Myra Breckenridge. What was he thinking?

Michael · « **Reply #28 on:** July 03, 2004, 06:58:07 AM »

As for Gene Kelly the simplisty of the Kelly-Caron dance in An American in Paris was mentioned I would also like to mention the Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire dance at the end of That's Entertainment Part Two. From what I read is that the dance was not original planned to be in the film But it was nice to see two of the best film musical dancers together one last time even though they styles were different and they did not necessarily mesh.

Matt H. · « **Reply #29 on:** July 03, 2004, 07:31:08 AM »

Quote from: JRand53 on July 03, 2004, 04:31:45 AM

Here is sheet music for a Cole Porter song I don't know....is any DR familiar with it?

I am sure it is just one of many....oh well Allez Vous and Go Away.

The consonant missing at the beginning is an "m" the first word in the title is MOST....

Mary Martin is famous for having introduced Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in LEAVE IT TO ME!, but this was the other song she introduced in that show. I have her singing it on an old LP of famous female vocalists from the 1930s and 1940s.

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Author Topic: ONE HUNDRED ACTORS (Read 24446 times)