The 5 Movies on an Island Blogathon -- We Love Movies, Too!

Welcome to our entry in the 5 Movies on an Island Blogathon, hosted by the Classic Film and TV Café in honor of National Classic Movie Day which is celebrated on May 16th.  It's the 2nd annual observance of this much-deserved -- we were going to say "needed" but that sounds too desperate -- nod to an art and entertainment form beloved by so many of us.  "Classic" here is defined as silents to the seventies and we're going to have no trouble fitting in there.  We've got a thing for classic movies and our list is just a tiny sample of so many favorites that we watch over and over again.  Even as I'm typing this intro I'm thinking of movie after movie that I didn't put on this list.  The possibilities are truly endless.

We have an list that includes representatives from our favorite genres -- fantasy/horror, western/adventure, mystery, drama and musical/comedy.  As it turns out we're going deep into classic territory with a selection of films none past the 1940s but all retaining a vibrancy that belies their release dates.  Here we go and not in any order of favoritism --

The Best Years of Our Lives -- 1946

I was just watching an old episode of The Merv Griffin Show where saluting director William Wyler -- the show was from 1973, I believe -- and Wyler himself showed up after being lauded by Bette Davis, Olivia DeHavilland, Walter Pidgeon and Samantha Eggar.  He was amusing, nearly retired and loving it, and said that the film he was most proud of was this one.  We agree.  He had served in WWII and was determined to get this story right, that of returning veterans trying to adjust to civilian again, a situation that continues to affect all who serve including today.

Based on work by MacKinlay Kantor and dramatized for the screen by Robert Sherwood, The Best Year of Our Lives centers around three vets from the same city who served in different branches of the service and came from very different backgrounds back in their previous lives.  Former matinee idol Fredric March played a prosperous banker who had been an infantryman during the war, actor Dana Andrews played a guy from the wrong side of the tracks who advanced to being a decorated airman, and first time actor and real life double amputee Harold Russell was the all-American football hero/boy-next-door who loses his hands while serving his country.  Different guys, different expectations, different dreams but all indisputably changed by the war as would be all of their families and friends.

The movie is a full of intimate scenes featuring in addition to the three aforementioned actors an ensemble cast that shines every moment:  Teresa Wright as March's daughter who finds herself attracted to the troubled Andrews, Cathy O'Donnell as Russell's girl-next-door steady who is pushed away by the injured Russell; Myrna Loy as March's wife who is loyal but charmingly awkward as she watches her husband slip back into his old life; Virginia Mayo as Andrews' gold digger wife who married a man in uniform but doesn't like him so well in civvies; musician Hoagie Carmichael as a cool cat bar owner uncle of Russell's who offers a safe haven and so many more characters in performances that never fail to be utterly natural and effective.



If you haven't ever watched this movie you ought to.  It's long -- nearly three hours -- but never dull, always insightful, frequently amusing, often touching and completely entertaining from beginning to end.  Winner of 7 Academy Awards -- Picture, Actor (Fredric March), Supporting Actor (Harold Russel who also won an Honorary Oscar that year), Director, Screenplay, and Score -- it is worth watching again and again.

The Wizard of Oz -- 1939

TWoO is in this list because it's more than just a childhood favorite; it's a delightful and undeniable foundation piece of popular culture that has withstood the march of time and continues to amaze.  It has a little bit of everything -- excitement -- tornadoes, anyone?  Scariest ever! -- witches, a solid moral core, a vivid depiction of friendship among a diverse collection of acquaintances, top-notch production values, a wonderful score and brilliant and frequently hilarious performances by a unique collection of Hollywood talents topped by Judy Garland.

She's perfect as Dorothy, as are all the other cast members, from the liquid-limbed Ray Bolger as the beloved Scarecrow to Jack Haley as the dreamy Tin Man to Bert Lahr as the bullying crybaby Cowardly Lion to Frank Morgan as the blustery play-acting Wizard to Margaret Hamilton as the vindictive Wicked Witch of the West to Billie Burke as the glittering Glinda.  Let's not forget the careworn presence of Clara Blandick and Charley Grapewin as Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, beaten down by the Depression as were the audiences at the time of the film's initial release.



What's still great about it?  Munchkins, The Lollipop Guild, Toto, Dorothy falling into the pigpen, the squished witch's feet shriveling away under Dorothy's house, flying monkeys, Oz's face projection, the witch's Winkies, the Yellow Brick Road, poppies, "I'm melting!" and so many other great moments. Not to be missed anytime it's on!

Shadow of a Doubt -- 1943

An Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece set in an average American town, Shadow of a Doubt was reportedly his own favorite film of his career.  Though perhaps not as well known as some of his other titles, SoaD is perfect in its depiction of the evil that can lurk inside a placid exterior and what it takes to bring it down.  Simple.  Brilliant.

A great cast brings this dark tale to life:  Teresa Wright as the ennui-stricken young woman Charlie who longs for some excitement, Joseph Cotten as her mysterious charismatic namesake Uncle Charlie, Patricia Collinge as Charlie's sweet mother and brother to Uncle Charlie, Henry Travers as the father, Hume Cronyn as eccentric neighbor Herbie, MacDonald Carey as a detective and most delightfully child actress Edna May Wonacott as Charlie's bookworm little sister Ann.   Everyone is perfect as they weave together the threads of life in small town America, family love and loyalty, disturbing and perverted impulses, and the will to survive.  Sometimes brutal, sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching, often terrifying and all put together with an inescapable sense of almost out-of-sight dread,



SoaD really grows on you.  If you've never seen it, seek it out.  Highly recommended!

King Kong -- 1933

Though often imitated and often remade, nothing comes close to the original King Kong, at least for those of us old enough to remember when it was run on TV -- at least in Los Angeles where I grew up -- a LOT and always thrilled.  In fact, when I first started working in TV, my brilliant programmer boss was quoted somewhere as saying that the one movie he would liked to have had in our station movie library was King Kong, and this was in the late 1970s.  The movie was still an audience-pleaser even at that time as more than forty years old.  Timeless!

What's great about it?  Everything, starting with the characters:  King Kong himself, the snappy show biz bravado of  Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham, the lean heroic stance of Bruce Cabot as Driscoll, the extreme courage and ethereal beauty of Fay Wray as Ann, Frank Reicher as Capt. Englehorn.

Some of my favorite moments from the movie?  The great opening New York sequence where poor starving Ann has to steal an apple so she doesn't starve as the Depression grinds down everyone and kills a nation's dreams; the revealing of Skull Island; the natives' ritual dance; Denham whistling "St. Louis Woman" as his group gingerly back away from almost getting slaughtered by those same dancing natives; Ann's harrowing and sexy screen test on the ship dressed in that iconic gown as she throws her hands over her eyes and screams; Ann being tied to the stakes and Kong approches; the battle between Kong and the T-Rex when he kills it with a sickening crack of its jaw...and just everything, as I said above.



Kudos to Peter Jackson for trying to keep the flavor and verve of the original in his remake of a couple of years ago but there is nothing like the real thing.  King Kong lives!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre -- 1948

This movie always feels a little like a western to me, though it's set in 1925, in Mexico, and there are probably more burros than horses in it.  And what a movie!  A morality tale, a high adventure, a psychological thriller, a comedy, a crime thriller -- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre has it all. From the opening bars of its incredible Max Steiner musical score to the very last scene, TTotSM is unstinting, desperate, scary and exciting.  And did we mention entertaining?

What a cast they picked to play the three men very different men bound together in a hunt for riches!  Humphrey Bogart is by turns sympathetic, craven, pure 100% mean, psychotic, selfish, pathetic -- what a job he does as Fred C. Dobbs.  As Howard, the crafty old man who's been through a gold strike before and understands the pitfalls of their unholy alliance, director John Huston's actor/father Walter Huston is so much fun that you almost forget that's he's the movie's true wise man.  The understated Tim Holt is excellent as Curtin who falls in with Dobbs and is swept along as they all decide to seek their fortunes as miners.

This is a truly masculine movie in the sense of being action-laden to the hilt yet made with keen emotional insight and touches of poetry and irony that raise it above the standard adventure tale.  This is a story with a greedy and dark human heart in the person of Dobbs at its center, making any easy resolution of the story impossible, all the better for us.  The touches of violence, the moments of humor, the antics of Howard, the searing power of the Mexican sun pounding down relentlessly on the trio, not to mention the gila monsters, all make TTotSM a completely riveting viewing experience.  Even the unexpected idyll when the old man is waylaid by villagers needing assistance is fraught with uncertainty -- what will happen?  what can happen?  Anything, in this movie.



Once you've seen The Treasure of the Sierra Madre you will know that the hyperbole in the trailer is absolutely true.   So great!


To think that this list is only five movies long!  What about Bonnie and Clyde? What about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? What about Sunset Boulevard? What about A Place in the Sun? What about The Song of Bernadette? What about Portrait of Jennie?  The Court Jester?  The Big Country?  Some other list, some other time!

Be sure to visit The Classic Film and TV Cafe by clicking here and continue your journey into many great Movies on an Island lists (participants and links available here).  This might spur you onto making your own list but beware -- once you start thinking about it it's nearly impossible to stop!

Enjoy and Happy National Classic Movie Day -- Monday May 16th and everyday!

Happy Birthday Norman Lloyd -- 100 Years and 3 days old today!

A milestone among milestones happened over the weekend on Saturday, November 8th for one of the entertainment world's most talented men. The brilliant, erudite, tennis-playing and wonderfully long-lived actor-producer-director Norman Lloyd turned 100 years old -- read a great article about it by clicking here! -- and he's still going strong.  What an American treasure he is!  From his start in show business as a child musical performer to his current status as genius emeritus and the world's oldest living actor, New Jersey-born Norman Lloyd has worked alongside the most creative minds in stage, motion pictures and television throughout his well over eight-decade career.



Lloyd has always been a great collaborator.  From his days collaborating with Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater troupe on stage and on radio to his frequent work both in front of the camera and behind the camera with Alfred Hitchcock, Norman Lloyd has always worked with the best. For a true appreciation of Lloyd's vast experience in all branches of the business, be sure to take a look at his extensive listing on Film Reference which includes the best list of his stage work plus his other accomplishments; click here to access.  We also highly recommend taking a look at his IMDb listing which details his various talents; click here to access.  It's impossible to overestimate Norman Lloyd's contributions to show business; here is another excellent biography -- click here to access -- on Mr. Lloyd from Turner Classic Movies when he was a special guest at the 2013 TCM Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Students of television will particularly appreciate Norman Lloyd's work in our favorite medium.  Interestingly enough it was as a director and not actor that Lloyd first made his mark on the small screen, with work beginning in the early 1950s on series such as Chevron Theatre and most impressively with a five-part life of Abraham Lincoln on Omnibus in 1953.



A couple of years later he began to make acting appearances on TV, and in 1956 he started a long association behind-the-scenes as both producer, executive producer and director with Alfred Hitchcock on both Alfred Hitchcock Presents -- 184 episodes! -- and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour -- 44 episodes which lasted until 1965.  Would it be surprising to learn that he also acted on a handful of the episodes?  Not unusual at all for this master of all creative trades.

Among the many certifiably classic episodes he collaborated on during his Hitchcock tenure probably the most memorable is the 1964 hour "The Jar".  Based on a Ray Bradbury short story, "The Jar" is a seriously disturbing story of a weird carnival exhibit that exerts a mystical attraction over the various inhabitants of a small Southern town. Once seen, never forgotten, truly mesmerizing.  The performances Lloyd coaxed out of the talented cast -- Pat Buttram, Colin Wilcox, William Marshall, George Lindsey, James Best, Billy Barty, Slim Pickens, Jane Darwell -- are first class.  If you've only seen Pat Buttram trying to sell trinkets to Oliver Douglas on Green Acres, you will not believe the brilliant work he does in "The Jar".  There are at least two excellent examinations of the long-lasting aftereffects of watching this episode; there's a great appreciation by Jack Seabrook on the bare bones ezine available by clicking here, and another terrific one by Miguela Holt y Roybal available by clicking here.  Both highly recommended!

 Seeing is believing, of course, and you've got to see "The Jar" -- here, now:



TV addicts will also lovingly remember Norman Lloyd's role as Dr. Daniel Auschlander on the long-running -- 132 episodes over six seasons -- medical drama St. Elsewhere, beginning in 1982.




In 2012 the ABC morning news program did a salute to St. Elsewhere with a reunion of many of the cast members, including Norman Lloyd:




In 2007 when Lloyd was a mere spring chicken of  93 the documentary director Matthew Sussman produced the fascinating film Who is Norman Lloyd?  Click here for the movie's website and watch the trailer now:



Another wonderful source for getting to know Norman Lloyd is his set of interviews from the Archive of American Television.  Over the course of three hours -- though it would take many times that many to fully capture Lloyd's awesomeness -- Lloyd gives unprecedented insight into his long career.  You can access all parts by clicking here!  You can also check out YouTube for a wide assortment of videos of appearances by Lloyd at various venues talking about his life, work and acquaintances. You will soon see that Norman Lloyd is and always has been a delightful raconteur with keen perceptions into what makes the creative world so endlessly fascinating to those both inside and outside of it.  Variety did a great 100th Birthday tribute article to him, click here to read it.  And as befits any favorite of The Flaming Nose, Lloyd sealed his place in our hearts by appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation in the episode "The Chase".

Happy Birthday, Norman Lloyd!

Happy Birthday, Alfred Hitchcock!

Yes, he was the Master of Suspense. But on 113th anniversary of his birth today, I prefer to focus not on his films, but on the man himself--particularly, his intelligence and indubitably dry wit. These aspects of his personality--coupled with his love of the macabre and the unending power of his films and TV work, of course--were what made him into a superstar. I believe that when informed people think of the word or the profession "director," they think of Alfred Hitchcock. As an explanation to why this is so, here are ten clips that I also offer as tribute, and as a mini late career bio, to this unique artist who truly changed how we see the world:

Here he is, in 1954, as the mystery guest on the TV game show What's My Line? As he signs in, we get to see Hitchcock compose the famous, impossibly elegant 9-line caricature this one-time storyboard artist wryly concocted for himself (here, it's an 8-line drawing--he omits that slight hairline on the show's blackboard). I love his references to Grace Kelly at the end of the clip--"What did you do about it?" This tells us so much about the man.


I imagine TV execs really got a hungry sense of Alfred Hitchcock's surprising on-screen dynamism while watching him on What's My Line. The following year, in 1955, he began hosting his own anthology series, suitably called Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His appearances on the show--in which this devotee of cinema often derided the necessary trappings of TV (particularly its need for commercials)--are what I think made him an even more stellar household name than he already laid claim to being. This intro, from 1955's episode titled "The Other Sister," is a fine example of his unforgettable hosting style.


Mr. Hitchcock was a pioneer, too, in the construction of film trailers, even though no director--even Steven Spielberg--has ever attempted to do what he did with them. This development in his on-screen personality become more intense after his TV show became a long-running hit. As a result, his home studio Universal allowed him to indulge in unusually long trailers for his films. The Psycho preview is justifiably famous. But so should be this advanced look at his 1963 effort The Birds, in which not even one actual shot from the film is shown (even the glimpse of lead actress Tippi Hedren was filmed specifically for the trailer).


Hitchcock wisely dissects what frightens people here in 1964, on the BBC interview show Monitor. I love how Hitch's handsome facial profile is captured here.


The film-specific crafts of editing and scoring are smartly used in this 1965 segment shot for French television, in which Hitchcock pointedly discusses the dynamics of arguably his most famous film Psycho and then deftly practices his impeccable French on the interviewer.


On the director's 1970 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show (in one of the best episodes of that series, available on Cavett's Hollywood Greats DVD collection), Hitchcock comments correctly on the effects of sex on the Hollywood elite, and then defiantly admits to one of his favorite forms of repartee, in a statement with which I wholeheartedly agree.


Another Hitchcock trailer, this time for his 1972 tale of murder called Frenzy (his late-career return to British filmmaking and still his most personal film, if you ask me). The initial sight of Hitch floating on the Thames is highly amusing. "How do you like my tie?"


Part one of Tom Snyder's very revealing 1973 interview with Hitch on the Tomorrow show; Snyder starts by asking Hitch what scares him. The other five parts are on You Tube.


One year before his death in 1980, Alfred Hitchcock was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. Surrounded by a truly astounding collection of moviemaking royalty, he is, as usual, hilarious and articulate. But here he is also unexpectedly touching, as he pays tribute to his wife and collaborator of 53 years, Alma Reville Hitchcock who, dutifully sitting by his side, is visably moved throughout.


And, finally, no tribute would be complete without noting the director's famed cameos in his own films. This You Tube post from royvanderzwann collects all but eight of them, and deftly points out each of Hitchcock's sometimes imperceptible on-screen appearances, backed with French composer Charles-François Gounod's "Funeral March for a Marionette," which of course forever became Hitch's instantly recognizable theme song.


Happy birthday, Mr. Hitchcock, wherever you are. And thank you, for everything.

(John Candy as Hitchcock on SCTV--to fully view the segment, click here.)