One earlier reviewer remarked on the theme - the only music at the opening & closing. I agree with his comment on the studio's invidiousness about the music credits - I have been provoked several times when trying to pin down recordings or sources & failing to find the truth. This theme from "Brigham Young" which coincidentally starred the Canadian Dean Jagger ( one of Hollywood's scene stealers & Oscar winner from another Hathaway winner, "12 O'Clock High") was used again by Fox for the similarly gritty "Yellow Sky". It almost seems the studio favoured repeated themes, possibly the most familiar being Alfred Newman's evocative "Street Scene" was used in several films noires & I think,included in one of a series of LPs in the 70s of compilations from famed classics by Charles Gerhardt & the NPO as well as a promo CinemaScope music short featuring Newman & his full studio orchestra released to support the UK Premiere of "Young Bess". Another theme for which I cannot trace a recording used originally throughout Hathaway's "House on 92nd St" & "Street With No Name" featuring a young Widmark reprising his giggling villain & Lloyd Nolan as Inspector Briggs which I can only call the FBI march ( also used briefly at the close of "13 Rue Madaleine"). I have remarked elsewhere on the iniquity of wrongly crediting Adolphe Deutsch with all the music for Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" when the compelling main theme was one "Jealous Lover" composed by Charles Williams(1949) who has contributed popular themes to several British films of the 40s. (This point is included in the trivia listing by IMDb for this movie.) 8 out of 10 for "Rawhide" which I thoroughly enjoyed & is one of my more memorable westerns.Spunky Susan Hayward remains one the screen's delectably desirous redheads and not just a pretty face as she proved in the harrowing biopic "I Don't Want To Die!" The manner of her premature death was another of Hollywood's tragedies & a sad loss.
Reviews
7 Reviews
The mysterious Dr Morelle at 8.
8 June 2010
As a point of interest, the character of "Dr Morelle" was created for the popular Monday night BBC radio series "Monday Night At 8" that replaced the earlier prewar "Monday Night At 7" (which introduced us to Inspector Hornleigh) that comprised a miscellany of brief lighthearted
items aimed to put listeners into a relaxed state before hearing the latest (censored) grim war front events on the 9 o'clock news - de regeur for the whole nation. The programme usually included a short spoof spy tale and,of course,breezy Ronnie Waldman's "Puzzle Corner" and that deliberate mistake... The film,itself,was another B support of the late 40s that cashed in on popular
earlier radio shows of the time,usually of moderately.if unexciting quality with acceptable production values. Others included Dick Barton,The Man In Black & Hi Gang!
items aimed to put listeners into a relaxed state before hearing the latest (censored) grim war front events on the 9 o'clock news - de regeur for the whole nation. The programme usually included a short spoof spy tale and,of course,breezy Ronnie Waldman's "Puzzle Corner" and that deliberate mistake... The film,itself,was another B support of the late 40s that cashed in on popular
earlier radio shows of the time,usually of moderately.if unexciting quality with acceptable production values. Others included Dick Barton,The Man In Black & Hi Gang!
The Cat and the Canary
(1939)
Chills or chuckles?
13 February 2010
On a point of semantics on its UK release the then censor(? Lord Tyrrell of Avon) decided it was more scary than amusing despite the presence of Bob Hope and clamped the "H" for horrific cert on it. Following the outbreak of war & the general hardening of contemporary attitudes away from the earlier 30s, Paramount reissued "Cat" with the reduced "A" cert( PG)as the support to P Sturges' farce "Miracle of Morgan's Creek" as if to reverse the emphasis & offering a great 3 hrs of fun. This would previously have classed it with such as "Dark Eyes of London"/"Son of Frankenstein"/"Boy Slaves"/ "Monster & The Girl" & Warner's "Hell's Kitchen". And incidentally,to mitigate the childish terrors of some contributors, the cat's hand or claw appearing out of the sliding panel while P Goddard was apparently asleep was grasping for that valuable necklace - not her throat. And on a point of curiosity, in a couple of books with illustrations. I have been mystified by a "still" from this movie, showing P Goddard,on some steps, very apprehensively pointing a torch down one of the secret passages and clearly in the foreground is an unpleasant disfigured cloaked figure grasping a wooden lever that could have been her pursuer. You can look in vain for this frame, it is not in the film. For any fellow historians, a similar cut was made much earlier in the F March version of "Jekyll & Hyde" as he is slumped in a chair staring into the fire seeing the image of his alter ego in the flames. You won't find this either.
"I'm used to empty houses - I used to be in Vaudeville".
"I'm used to empty houses - I used to be in Vaudeville".
Hell, Heaven or Hoboken
(1958)
Trivia
11 September 2009
I was particularly tickled by the sight of James,as himself,during his training in a sequence where he observes himself,as Monty in order to study his demeanour,walk & mannerisms, before the real masquerade. Now that's acting! The news theatre at the end where Mills & James watch the newsreel was clearly the former Times by Baker St underground & close to Madame Tussauds. Would make a good double feature to support "The Man Who Never Was" - a similar intelligence con to mislead the Nazis on plans for the invasion of Europe. Probably the biggest laugh comes from the icy and withering remarks of John Le Mesurier (as James' adjutant)on his contempt for the acting profession, in a brief early scene where he initially reports for "duty" as a lowly corporal.
The Great Race
(1965)
Trivia - those unnecessary cuts
29 September 2008
A couple of points that I don't think have been covered:
One review mentioned this film's chequered career on TV. This is one of several classic "spectaculars" with special cinema first road runs that have suffered evisceration since their original cinema release in the name of schedules which programmers once saw as their priorities. It's a festering sore that goes back many years particularly where ITV was concerned. With the development of DVDs this hated practice has been ameliorated somewhat with many cuts having been replaced (and even extras been added). One of the earliest "victims" was Karloff's "Frankenstein" & the notorious drowning of Maria,the young child.
In my mind the most ludicrous was the case of "It's A Mad....World" where nearly 40mins was lost to TV & DVD - very significant because many of its famous comic cast were listed but never seen, though briefly. There was a restoration a couple of years back but where is it? "S Pacific" lost about 20mins and remains so. Even a restoration of Wayne's "The Alamo" still loses nearly 15mins. We expect to be able to still watch the full versions.... Now in the case of "The Great Race" how many have seen the full version with the amusing "Bouncing Ball" singalong sequence about 20mins from the end after that great Mancini theme "The Sweetheart Tree" is sung by Natalie Wood on the river bank as she strums her guitar? Tony Curtis pauses his shaving to listen. It has been missing ever since the original release(supposedly in Cinerama). Last year (I forget the channel) I was staggered to happen by accident to catch the full version. Today I watched another rerun on Channel 5 and this sequence was still missing. So the full version does exist out there - somewhere.
Natalie Wood on a couple of occasions is seen to be swimming in a pool emerging displaying her ravishing figure. It must have taken some persuasion from Blake Edwards because of her deadly fear of water - the story goes that this arose when in an early film she was the victim of a trick by the director to have her plunged into an icy stream. Of course her drowning in 1981 during the filming of "Brainstorm" (still controversial today)was all the more horrifying because of its irony.
One review mentioned this film's chequered career on TV. This is one of several classic "spectaculars" with special cinema first road runs that have suffered evisceration since their original cinema release in the name of schedules which programmers once saw as their priorities. It's a festering sore that goes back many years particularly where ITV was concerned. With the development of DVDs this hated practice has been ameliorated somewhat with many cuts having been replaced (and even extras been added). One of the earliest "victims" was Karloff's "Frankenstein" & the notorious drowning of Maria,the young child.
In my mind the most ludicrous was the case of "It's A Mad....World" where nearly 40mins was lost to TV & DVD - very significant because many of its famous comic cast were listed but never seen, though briefly. There was a restoration a couple of years back but where is it? "S Pacific" lost about 20mins and remains so. Even a restoration of Wayne's "The Alamo" still loses nearly 15mins. We expect to be able to still watch the full versions.... Now in the case of "The Great Race" how many have seen the full version with the amusing "Bouncing Ball" singalong sequence about 20mins from the end after that great Mancini theme "The Sweetheart Tree" is sung by Natalie Wood on the river bank as she strums her guitar? Tony Curtis pauses his shaving to listen. It has been missing ever since the original release(supposedly in Cinerama). Last year (I forget the channel) I was staggered to happen by accident to catch the full version. Today I watched another rerun on Channel 5 and this sequence was still missing. So the full version does exist out there - somewhere.
Natalie Wood on a couple of occasions is seen to be swimming in a pool emerging displaying her ravishing figure. It must have taken some persuasion from Blake Edwards because of her deadly fear of water - the story goes that this arose when in an early film she was the victim of a trick by the director to have her plunged into an icy stream. Of course her drowning in 1981 during the filming of "Brainstorm" (still controversial today)was all the more horrifying because of its irony.
Catch the original movie!
18 September 2008
This is a nice,entertaining short that wastes little time in its telling & deserves its award. I am referring to the original Film production directed by Wendy Toye (once better known for her career as a dancer). As I recall it was released as a programme "support" & "introduced" the later versatile actor,Alan Badel( a sort of poor man's Alec Guinness) as "The Stranger" who is never identified. It also used the popular "Swedish Rhapsody" tune for the music. As a one-time minor Civil Service film society secretary in Westminster (London)in the 60s I recall I booked it for a show as a 16mm reel from the BFI. It has had one or two showings on TV - possibly BBC2 or Channel 4 way back so it could always pop up today,unexpectedly. I agree that this "Tales" version does not stand up to the former despite D Jacobi who probably is more at home as a daft Roman Emperor. If one thinks about it, the story could lend itself to both a decent little ballet or decently directed "silent" as it uses little dialogue. But whoever attempts the seemingly "odd" lead the twist to this tale should always bring a chuckle if not a few ideas....
The New Adventures of Old Christine
(2006–2023)
This is one,funny,short & beautiful Mom!
16 August 2008
From a UK fan - there aren't many from here for one good reason... UKTV GOLD who apparently have the rights over here have treated this popular if sometimes questionable series with such respect that it is put out around 1 - 2 each morning and even previously around 5am!!! Fair enough if you have the TV + box & set it to record the shows but where's the problem in following CBS' schedule for mid-evening?? It is disgraceful hence the audience here is strictly limited. I have checked out its CBS sites & other links and enjoyed what is offered there however even CBS has its limitations in blocking several clips from the show to sources outside the US. UKTV GOLD are currently running the second series for the second or third time in as many years so who knows when season 3 will appear - if ever!! Mrs Brad Hall has her dedicated admirers for she is unquestionably an instinctively funny lady with seemingly limitless facial expressions that need no dialogue. But she does get freaked out,sometimes especially about those boobs! Clearly her limited stature (& boobs) have served to promote her style and her obvious compelling beauty. She has those Emmys really sewn up! But she can be outrageous & sometimes treads a fine line in taste in pushing her physical contacts & behaviour with some other cast characters usually restricted to HBO shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm". And there was her brief "performance" in Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry"...What was THAT about?? The last thing that girl needed was the money! And in one of her few guest spots in CYE (first series)she delights in seizing the opportunity to join in the vocabulary we've come to expect from Larry David & his cast. Even from the early days of the Elaine character she showed she was game for anything...even "The Challenge"! Yep, I'd love to be a fly on her wall at home for a day! And I keep watching for her to appear with J Leno... At 47 her personality (and looks) have obviously matured since her 2 boys must now be growing teenagers. And who can recall the bitingly funny visual gag (one of the best) by a heavily pregnant statuesque Lauren Lane(C C Babcock) at the expense of the then pregnant Julia in an episode of "The Nanny" ?
One line in an early episode just creased me when her kid on his first day in class stares around in disbelief and the camera pans around each seated white child. In an inspired moment no comment was necessary and then he turns to his mom ..."where are all the black kids"?
It would have been great had she popped up in the episode of "Frasier" written by her husband with,say, a confrontation with Roz! Jane Leeves (The Virgin) managed a couple with Seinfeld to some effect...(There was this thing about the Kennedys??)
I'd love to see her give a straight dramatic performance better than that in Neil Simons' "London Suite". I'd strongly recommend grabbing as many episodes on DVD of "Seinfeld" just for those extras to which she contributed. Go,Christine - but stay away from Mr Harris - it's adultery you know! And CBS is VERY respectable, dammit!
One line in an early episode just creased me when her kid on his first day in class stares around in disbelief and the camera pans around each seated white child. In an inspired moment no comment was necessary and then he turns to his mom ..."where are all the black kids"?
It would have been great had she popped up in the episode of "Frasier" written by her husband with,say, a confrontation with Roz! Jane Leeves (The Virgin) managed a couple with Seinfeld to some effect...(There was this thing about the Kennedys??)
I'd love to see her give a straight dramatic performance better than that in Neil Simons' "London Suite". I'd strongly recommend grabbing as many episodes on DVD of "Seinfeld" just for those extras to which she contributed. Go,Christine - but stay away from Mr Harris - it's adultery you know! And CBS is VERY respectable, dammit!
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