Paul Newman

 

Paul Newman has had a wonderful film career and boy was he handsome. He has played many roles including his most famous ones in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Verdict. But I'd like to talk today about two movies that Paul Newman made in 1958, a total of which he made four movies in that year alone. They are Rally Round the Flag Boys! and The Long, Hot Summer. These movies bring out the serious and funny in Paul Newman.

Rally Round the Flag Boys! is about a husband and wife duo played by real life couple Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward as Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bannerman. Newman's character Harry would do anything to be alone with his wife Grace if she wasn't always volunteering to be on committees all the time. This time, Grace has volunteered Harry to be a public relations liaison for their town of Putnam's Landing and the go between for the U.S. Army.

The following scene is Grace volunteering Harry and the rest of the night Harry has with neighbor Angela played by Joan Collins. After some heavy drinking Harry starts dancing and fooling around. It's hysterical what Harry and Angela do while drunk.

This also leads into part 6 that YouTube breaks down for movies. Watch the first three minutes.

 

This is a hysterical movie, and you really feel bad for Harry and what he goes through. I don't want to give it away. Please don't take my word for it, see it for yourselves. This clip is presented by Bob Hope who doesn't have anything to do with the picture and Leo McCarey, the director.

 

Link to trailer of Rally Round The Flag, Boys!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=FL-HlXXBi6Xd24gnqdDa2xXQ&feature=mh_lolz

 

The last film I would like to talk about is The Long, Hot Summer. The Long, Hot Summer also stars Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward. This is a different role than Rally Round the Flag, Boys! The Long, Hot Summer is a drama based on the collected stories of one of my favorite novelists, William Faulkner. 

 

Again, I love when novels can be turned into movies, providing that it is done well. This means excellent direction and talented actors staying true to the writings of William Faulkner. The Long, Hot Summer has vast talent besides Newman and Woodward. Orson Welles plays Will Varner and Angela Lansbury plays Minnie, Varner's girlfriend.

 

The film starts off with the burning of a barn. This is directly related to William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning." And Newman's character Ben Quick is told to leave. So he does and lands in a small town where everything is owned by one man, Will Varner.

 

The Long, Hot Summer Opening Scene : 

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/254216/Long-Hot-Summer-The-Movie-Clip-Opening-Don-t-Come-Back-.html#

 

Quick asks a group of men where he could find work and one man replies, "If you was to follow that road over there, you'd come to a tenant farm. You could work if you have a mind to. Belongs to a fellow named Varner." And Quick answers, "What doesn't?"

 

Quick is known for having a bad reputation, but he is smart and    makes some headway with Varner, unlike Jody, the son of Varner. Quick is a smart business man who knows how to move inventory; profit is the only thing that matters to Varner. 

 

Besides a profit, the head of the Varner family worries about his  namesake and a lasting presence in the community. Varner keeps encouraging his daughter Clara to get married and produce grandchildren. Either Allen or Ben Quick, Varner doesn't care.

 

Heart to heart between father and daughter:

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/254200/Long-Hot-Summer-The-Movie-Clip-Give-Me-Grandsons-.html

 

This film is about "The Long, Hot summer," and how romance can bloom against all odds and no matter how the tough as nails Clara can be. Quick gets through to her and by the end of the film, they end up together. Besides young love this movie is also about redemption. The community learns not to hold things against people and Jody and his father repair their relationship.

The King and I

The King and I is a fantastic musical that was released in 1956, starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner. Kerr's character Anna Leonowens, plays a widowed schoolteacher sent to teach the King of Siam's many children. Anna is a very strong willed woman that doesn't scare easily not even by King Mongkut played by Brynner.

Leonowens and her son, Louis arrive in Bangkok. The equivalent of Bangkok's Prime Minister greets them. No sooner do they arrive in Bangkok is Anna's tenacity tested. The Prime Minister informs Anna that she will be staying in the palace. Anna speaks up about a handwritten agreement between her and King Mongkut that states she shall live outside of the palace. This does not go over well with the Prime Minister, and Anna requests an audience with the King.

The King of Siam has great plans for his country. He wants all that is good about the Western World to be part of Siam, including the printing press. The King says he wants Siam to be  "a very modern scientific country, everyone speaking English."

Once again, Anna brings up the house, and the King says it is a pleasure to live in the palace, and essentially that you'll teach in the palace, so you shall live in the palace. The King interrupts so she can meet the Kings ten plus children. During this meeting it is obvious that he's very proud of his children. At the end of the introduction, Anna agrees to live inside the palace.

Have a listen to The King and I soundtrack: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-king-and-i-original-movie-soundtrack-recording-mw0000195558

 

From The King and I, great music was produced by the famous team Rogers and Hammerstein. These songs are "Hello, Young Lovers, Getting To Know You, I Have Dreamed, and Shall We Dance. 

Besides the music by Rogers and Hammerstein, their is wonderful scenery and beautiful clothing worn by the cast. In fact The King and I won five academy awards, one for Yul Brynner, Best Art Direction/ Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Music and Sound.  This is clearly well deserved to all involved in the making of The King and I.

I find Yul Brynner to be very charming and funny at times. The King of Siam asks Anna how Mr. Lincoln will win the war without guns and Elephants for transporting things. Anna has to explain, that America doesn't have Elephants, and The King of Siam says, "No Elephants. No wonder he's not winning war." I know he was not intentionally trying to be funny, but it was. It's amazing the culture shock people learn about different countries.

Another instance of The King of Siam's charm, is when he wakes Anna up in the middle of the night to dictate a letter to President Lincoln, stating that Siam will send small elephants to America.

I know this is just a movie, but I love the idea of Deborah Kerr giving advise to the King of Siam. Of course he does it in his own way by saying guess this or guess what I'll do. I like how these two very different people are working together in building a modern country and building friendships with Siam's adversaries and each other.

 

After these scenes, it is obvious the King of Siam has feelings for Anna. This jealousy is apparent when an old friend of Anna's starts dancing alone with her. The King of Siam interrupts and takes Anna's arm into the dinning hall. 

 

The most famous scene is when they dance together(can you believe it's not on YouTube)

http://www.yourememberthat.com/media/6857/The_King_And_I_Shall_We_Dance/#.UYXFpeCCIyE

 

This is a classic musical, a musical that combines drama, comedy, and romance. The chemistry of Anna Leonowens and The King of Siam is perfectly matched. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner portray two characters with different backgrounds, but still manage to fall in love and respect each other. 

Robert Redford

Robert Redford has had a very diverse film career. Redford has been in over thirty films, and of those thirty films, his most famous are: Barefoot in the Park, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Way We Were, The Sting, All the Presidents Men, The Natural, Out of Africa, and etc...

The two films I will be talking about today are The Way We Were and The Sting, both of which were released in 1973.

Redford is by far one of the most handsomest men to ever grace the screen. In face, Redford has mentioned several times in interviews how much he hates that his looks can pigeon hold him into a certain category, like roles such as the leading man in a romantic film.

In a lot of Redford's films he plays characters that are incredible gorgeous, but moody. It seems he always has an attitude problem or some kind. In films I've seen such as Inside Daisy Clover and The Way We Were he talks about the expectations that society has of him. And usually this reflects back on his own belief that he's chosen for films solely on his looks. I say why not, If you have what Redford has show it off.

The first movie of Redford's I'd like to talk about is The Sting. The Sting is the second film in which Paul Newman and Robert Redford star. The first one was the hit film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Redford plays Johnny Hooker and Newman plays, Henry Gondorff. This film is called the sting for a very good reason. A group of con men work together and swindle a rich man responsible for killing one of their own.

I love this movie for so many reasons. The first of which is that it pairs two geniuses together again. Second, the touching  the side of the nose with the index finger that all the men do in the movie. That gesture signifies the sharing of a secret. Who came up with that, it's awesome. And lastly, the theme song called The Entertainer.

First impressions aren't always the best, Hooker finds Gondorff pasted out and snoring. To wake him up, Hooker puts Gondorff in the tub. "Glad to meet ya kid, your a real horses ass," and a friendship is made.


Together Gondorff and Hooker gather a group of men who can be trusted to pull a con on a big man named, Doyle Lonnegan. Easily enough, everyone stops what they're doing to help get revenge for Luther's death. Aboard a train, Gondorff and Hooker pull a small con on Lonnegan involving poker. To get ready for the game, Gondorff shows off his skill to Hooker. Gondorff plays it so well, until...

 

 

 

The next scene we see Hooker in action:

 

 

After easing Lonnegan into the wire game, and after meeting Hooker's Western Union man, everything is finally in place for the big con against Lonnegan. Snyder, a cop whose been after Hooker, finally gets his hands on him for that counterfeit money. Snyder takes him to the local feds who wants Hooker's help to get Gondorff. What's a guy to do?

 

 

I'll never tell. You'll have to watch the movie for yourself.

The last film I'd like to talk about that I previously mentioned in an earlier post is The Way We Were. This has to be one of the saddest love stories ever made. This classic film stars, Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford. The running theme of this movie is the love story between Redford and Streisand and how difficult life can be. It is so ironic though that Redford's character Hubbell Gardner writes a short story called "The All-American Smile," and how "It had always been to easy." This movie proves otherwise.

Redford plays Hubbell a college football; an all American type, who hates the image he has. Streisand plays KKKatie(you'll get it if you watch it) Katie is a young liberal woman who speaks out about injustices all over campus. Her fellow students make fun of her. The story is about these two different people coming together years later and falling in love.

The movie starts off, with Katie producing a radio show. Her bosses date canceled so he asks Katie to join him at a club. While she's there, she sees Hubbell asleep at the bar. We are then taken back to her days at college.

Back in real time, and after dating for awhile, Hubbell brings Katie to some of his friends parties. Katie calls them out on their stupid jokes about the death of President Delano Roosevelt. The next day, Hubbell shows up at the radio station and tells Katie it's over.

Break up scene: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/263781/Way-We-Were-The-Movie-Clip-It-s-Always-Bad-News.html

That night, Katie calls Hubbell and asks him to come over to talk. So they talk about how Katie is to serious. And Hubbell has a fantastic line, "Katie, you expect so much" and Katie responds, "Oh, but look what I got." The two end up getting married and moving to California.

During the same time Hubbell and Katie move,  the HUAC trials are going on. HUAC is the House Un-American Activities Committee. The HUAC is an investigative committee who hold sessions about people HUAC suspect to be members of the communist party. Katie immediately jumps on this and starts fighting against. Katie wants to challenge the government on the basis of the first amendment. Katie and any others are fighting for the Release of the famous Hollywood Ten. 

When Katie returns from Washington, trouble ensues: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/263773/Way-We-Were-The-Movie-Clip-Tell-Off-The-World-.html

I will not give the entire movie away, but please see it. You won't be sorry:

Alfred Hitchcock: Auteur

I think Alfred Hitchcock is one of the best film directors in the world. He's on a list of all the greats like: Cecil B. DeMille, Orson Welles,  George Cukor, Woody Allen, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. 
 

Hitchcock is known for a specific kind of film, mostly mysteries and thrillers. Most of his movies are crime, drama, and horror. He also likes to work with the same people for instance Cary Grant has worked with Alfred Hitchcock four times. Those four films have all become great successes like Suspicion, Notorious, To Catch a Thief, and North by Northwest. Hitchcock also features a lot of blond actresses such as Grace Kelly and Ingrid Bergman who each worked with Hitchcock three times. 
 

The film I'd like to talk about today is Notorious which was released in 1946. Notorious stars Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains. 
 

Notorious was one of the best films ever directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Notorious combines espionage and romance which makes for a compelling yet suspenseful film. Notorious is a post - war film about patriotism and a Nazi German terrorist group that has uranium. Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a convicted Nazi sympathizer must go undercover to save her country of a potential threat and prove to the federal government that she does in deed love her country. The movie stars Grant as a federal agent,  Bergman as Alicia Huberman, and Rains as Alex Sebastian.  
 

Alfred Hitchcock’s thumbprint is seen throughout this movie, from the cinematography of camera angles, to the many themes present in most of his films such as: fixations with mothers, blond heroines, and suavely good looking men, including cameo appearances of Hitchcock himself. All of these plot elements create high anxiety and suspense from the characters point of view, but for the viewers it becomes predictable in Alfred Hitchcock films.
 

The film brings up questions of loyalty and trust. Essentially the federal government uses Alicia's playgirl reputation to their advantage to spy on this Nazi terrorist group. Even though the federal government questions her political ties, they are still willing to cash in on her reputation to get what they want. Devlin understands the job Alicia must do, but still gets angry with her for moving forward to marry Alex to gain access to his house. I believe this to be a double standard. The film portrays Alicia the American woman as a bad girl who can make it all right by becoming a spy for the U.S. government. As an audience member, I feel Alicia is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. Alicia does decide to go ahead with the plan for the love of her country and for the love she has for Devlin.

The last scene is my favorite. The last scene of Notorious is when Alex’s cohorts discover what has happened and Devlin takes Alicia away while Alex and his mother follow beside them. As they reach the car Devlin locks the door behind them to leave Alex to deal with his colleagues. The very last shot we see is of Alex walking back to the house and the door closing behind him. The truth becomes exposed and we are left to our own imaginations of what will happen to Alex. I know this is just a movie and none of this is real, but Alex got what was coming to him. 

Check out one of Hitchcock's masterpiece's: Notorious 1946 Trailer

My Fair Lady

Another favorite musical of mine. I can watch this anytime and often do. This is such a classic musical crafted from the original play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. My Fair Lady was released in 1964 starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

Rex Harrison plays an arrogant phonetics professor Henry Higgins who teaches "gutter snipe," Eliza Doolittle a flower girl, proper English. Higgins believes in his skill so much that he bets his friend Col. Pickering that he can turn Eliza into a flower girl and also present her as a princess at the Annual Embassy Ball.

Besides it's wonderful actors and story line, the scenery is beautiful. The flowers shown in the overture scene are shades of pink and white peonies. This movie is full of luxury from the furnishings, cars and beautiful dresses worn by the women in high society. My favorite scene that show the beauty of My Fair Lady is the derby scene. Almost every woman is wearing an extremely large hat that could put any royal to shame and the tightest fitted dresses even the Kardashians wouldn't wear.

Another aspect I love about this scene is the precision these people have of not to get in the way of each other, that is until Henry arrives. And notice his attire, he is wearing a brown suit, very improper for this setting. He sticks out like a sore thumb.

What would be a musical without the music. My Fair Lady has a wonderful soundtrack: http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-fair-lady-original-soundtrack-mw0001836185

 

Some of my favorite scenes include:

I admire Rex Harrison for faking out the public in singing. All Harrison is really doing is pronouncing his words in a sing song voice, but he does it so well with a comedic touch.

I've said it before in an earlier post, but this is not Hepburn's actual voice. Most of the songs sung by Doolittle are dubbed by Marni Nixon. This is a great catchy song. This song is about wanting a better life and for some of us, the bare necessities that most people take for granted. By end of this clip, Eliza decides to take Higgins up on his offer of teaching her phonetics.

Another scene that Eliza sings in is "I Could Have Danced All Night." This is the happiest that we ever seen her. She pronounces something correctly after Higgins provides some encouragement. She finally does something right and is happy with her accomplishment.

The last 20 minutes of My Fair Lady are some of the best scenes. Eliza stands up to Higgins and takes credit for her own work in "Without You." Then the final scene of Higgins singing "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," Henry finally realizes how much he cares for Eliza once she leaves.

No wonder this won so many awards, eight to be exact. If you haven't seen this film it's a must see.

Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis has been mentioned before in my posts about Jack Lemmon and Sidney Poitier. Curtis is a great comedic and dramatic actor. Besides his famous roles in Some Like it Hot and The Defiant Ones he has been in many more movies such as Operation Petticoat and Sex and the Single Girl.

The last two films I will talk about today. These two films are funny yet show, Curtis's charisma and good looks.

Operation Petticoat was released in 1959. Curtis plays a Lieutenant in the Navy whose trying to make the most out of any situation. Alongside Curtis is Cary Grant. You all know Cary Grant by now right? You should, I've talked about him enough. These two work well together. Curtis plays the funny man and Grant is the straight man.

This film is set in the pre World War II era. Operation Petticoat is about the back story of an American sub, the USS Sea Tiger before its goes to the scrapyard. The first commanding officer of Sea Tiger, Captain Sherman, played by Grant sits and reads over his captains logbook and flashbacks ensue. 

After the Sea Tiger gets hit and it's experienced crew is transferred, the captain must make do with the people he can get. Enter Lieutenant Nick Holden played by Curtis. The first time the audience sees him is through a periscope and he's all dressed in white.

 

Once Holden gets on board, he realizes Hunckle, in charge of requisition orders can't make any head way. (Side note: does Ernest Hunkle look familiar? He is Gavin MacLeod, Captain Stubing of the Love Boat.) Holden volunteers to be the supply officer, "I was born & raised in a neighborhood called Noah's Arc, if you didn't travel in pairs you just didn't travel." Holden turns out to be quite the resourceful supply officer. If it was nailed down, chances are good that Holden stole it for the Sea Tiger. 

One of the best finds Holden ever found was a pig for the crew's New Year's Eve dinner. Holden and Hunkle steel a pig from a local and must get the pig on ship without the MPs catch on to them. Holden thinks fast and dresses the pig up as Seaman Hornsby who's not feeling well. Later on, MPs board with a complaint from the local that Holden stole his pig. To make up for the lose of the pig, the captain gives away some of Holden's personal items in a trade for the pig. The captain gives away a golf bag, a back massager, tennis rackets, a silver lighter, a pair of long socks, Cologne, dancing shoes, and a grille fork. 

With all of Holden's shenanigans, it's hard to believe by the end of the movie, Holden becomes a captain and a married man with two small boys. 

My next film I like to talk about is Sex and the Single Girl that was released in 1964 starring Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda, and Lauren Bacall. What a cast and one of the funniest films I've ever seen. What a riot. The last 20 minutes makes the entire movie. This is a battle of the sexes, guys versus girls. 

Curtis's character Bob Weston works for STOP magazine. A magazine that prides it's self on being the most offensive and disgusting magazine. Weston writes a story about Dr. Helen Brown played by Wood. This article calls the Doctor a hypocrite for being a 23 year old virgin who wrote a book about woman called Sex and the Single Girl.
 

To get an interview with Helen, Weston pretends to be his friend Frank seeking treatment. Frank is a women's stockings salesman who's been married for 10 years to Sylvia, played by Bacall. Sylvia is constantly accusing him of cheating. So Bob uses their story to get to know Helen. During the course of treatment Bob really falls for Helen.

Check this clip out of Bob and Helen in treatment: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/411752/Sex-And-The-Single-Girl-Movie-Clip-You-re-Not-Mad-.html 

 

To try and help Frank's marriage, Helen offers to meet with Sylvia to talk about Frank. Bob asks both his girlfriend and secretary after being turned down by his girlfriend to pretend to be Sylvia. So Sylvia shows up then Gretchen and then Bob's secretary Susan. Once Sylvia finds out Frank is not who he says he is, she has him arrested for Bigamy. Finally Helen understands Frank is a fraud and really her enemy Bob Weston. 
 

The last 20 minutes of Sex and the Single Girl is the funniest scenes I've ever scene. These last minutes take places on the highway with everyone trying to catch up with each other. By the end, Larry Storch who plays a highway patrolmen is taken away by the state asylum. 

 

Please everyone take the time to see this hilarious movie: