dencar_1
Joined Mar 2005
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Reviews30
dencar_1's rating
April, 2009
What I remember most about THE LINEUP is the final roll of credits. You'd see a slow dramatic panorama of San Francisco at that time, mid 1950's, as the theme song pounded over the view. At that time Coit Tower was the tallest point in the skyline. Then you'd hear the voice over express thanks to San Francisco Chief of Police, think it was Tom Cahill at that time--but I also recall that it may have been Patrick Duffy in the earlier days of the series.
My father had a jewelry store on Columbus Ave. in North Beach and the shop flashed by once in a scene from an episode.
Yes, the '49 Ford coming up the street in the opening sequence with Tom Tully driving and Warner Anderson looking out. And that theme song again.
I just watched a part of an episode on You Tube from 1958. But nothing comes up if you type in the series title: But you will get it by typing in "1957 Dodge and 1957 Plymouth." It features Richard Jeckel, Jr., as a kid; and a very young Eli Walach. Good chase scene that shows the Embarcadero under construction; Sutros near Playland; and shots of the bridge.
Dennis Caracciolo April, 2009
What I remember most about THE LINEUP is the final roll of credits. You'd see a slow dramatic panorama of San Francisco at that time, mid 1950's, as the theme song pounded over the view. At that time Coit Tower was the tallest point in the skyline. Then you'd hear the voice over express thanks to San Francisco Chief of Police, think it was Tom Cahill at that time--but I also recall that it may have been Patrick Duffy in the earlier days of the series.
My father had a jewelry store on Columbus Ave. in North Beach and the shop flashed by once in a scene from an episode.
Yes, the '49 Ford coming up the street in the opening sequence with Tom Tully driving and Warner Anderson looking out. And that theme song again.
I just watched a part of an episode on You Tube from 1958. But nothing comes up if you type in the series title: But you will get it by typing in "1957 Dodge and 1957 Plymouth." It features Richard Jeckel, Jr., as a kid; and a very young Eli Walach. Good chase scene that shows the Embarcadero under construction; Sutros near Playland; and shots of the bridge.
Dennis Caracciolo April, 2009
On the surface, SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS, screenplay by William Inge (COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA, PICNIC), is a powerfully explicit depiction of adolescent concupiscence. Straining against the limits of 1961 censors, this Elia Kazan directed tale of two passionate 1920's teens--Deane Lloomis (Natalie Wood) and Bud Stamper (Warren Beatty)--should never be mistaken for a Mid-West, jazz age period piece. It is one of INGE'S most powerful offerings and if it were possible, might even be considered required viewing for just about every young person.
The story is a poignant exploration of the destructive idealism of young love that tangles with the corruption of Victorian sexual repression. The deception and pain that unfolds in the lives of the two main characters serve as the path for the growth and wisdom that ultimately rewards us all and renders this an unforgettable cinematic experience.
Deanie and Bud are the quintessentially envied teen couple living in middle class Kansas. Passion engulfs their relationship and is held in check by Deanie's struggle to be a 'good girl' and Bud's war against his own libido. As Deane obsesses more and more upon Bud and drowns in the relationship, Bud's frustration drives him to find answers from his obtuse father and his equally obtuse family physician, too embarrassed about the topic of sex to even discuss Bud's concerns.
The parents on both sides twist the heads of their children in the same way they themselves had been twisted as youths. Mr. Stamper (Pat Hingle) turns in a yeoman's performance as Bud's block-headed, domineering father choking off his son's future with Deanie. He convinces Bud she's a tramp and pushes him toward university life which he neither wants nor is capable of handling. Deanie's mother (Andrey Christie) drills Victorian hogwash into her daughter's head convincing her that women must submit to men for procreation only. In the background resides Mr. Loomis (Del Stewart), a non-entity turning a blind eye to the clap-trap his wife feeds his daughter. And Mrs. Stamper (Joanna Roos) is nothing more than a cardboard cut-out taking up space as Bud's mother.
It is only Bud's reckless sister Ginny (Barbara Loden) who provides the script's singular rebellion against the fear and destructive lies of Mr. Stamper. But she is only capable of finding her freedom through promiscuity shaming the father whose love she desperately craves on her way toward oblivion.
Long after the couple have gone their separate paths, Deanie decides to see Bud one last time. When Mrs. Loomis lies to her about his whereabouts, it is Mr. Loomis who finally sheds his empty persona and steps up to the plate providing one of the film's most touching moments.
It is Deanie's closure with Bud that strikes the film's mightiest blow. For it encapsulates a great deal of what we all experience in youth and later come to realize about first love. Yet the path that INGE wisely chose to get us there leads to the final Wordsorth allusion and crowns the entire experience with pain and beauty. For the lines that Deanie had ignored in high school English class now resound powerfully as her epiphany unfolds. What Deanie Loomis learns in the end is what we all learn.
SPLENDOR has not aged one bit at all after nearly 50 years. It is as poignant as the day it hit the screens in October, 1961. And that is because Inge's script is not stifled by the era's simplistic values or character stereotypes; for the tale told is universal. And universality, as William Inge knew so very well, is the paramount trait of all superior literature, isn't it?
TRIVIA: William Inge was born in Independence, Kansas in 1913...Inge's mother ran a boarding house and Inge watched 3 lonely spinsters which later inspired him when he wrote PICNIC IN 1953...INGE'S other best plays are COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA (1950), BUS STOP (1955), THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (1957)--all of which were made into movies...PICNIC won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. It was also the Broadway debut of Paul Newman...SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS debuted on Oct. 10, 1961. It was Warren Beatty's first film....Beatty is the younger brother of actress Shirley McLaine...SPLENDOR was filmed mostly in New York...William Inge taught playwriting at the University of California Irvine campus in the early 1970's...Believing he could no longer write well, William Inge committed suicide in 1973 from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dennis Caracciolo
The story is a poignant exploration of the destructive idealism of young love that tangles with the corruption of Victorian sexual repression. The deception and pain that unfolds in the lives of the two main characters serve as the path for the growth and wisdom that ultimately rewards us all and renders this an unforgettable cinematic experience.
Deanie and Bud are the quintessentially envied teen couple living in middle class Kansas. Passion engulfs their relationship and is held in check by Deanie's struggle to be a 'good girl' and Bud's war against his own libido. As Deane obsesses more and more upon Bud and drowns in the relationship, Bud's frustration drives him to find answers from his obtuse father and his equally obtuse family physician, too embarrassed about the topic of sex to even discuss Bud's concerns.
The parents on both sides twist the heads of their children in the same way they themselves had been twisted as youths. Mr. Stamper (Pat Hingle) turns in a yeoman's performance as Bud's block-headed, domineering father choking off his son's future with Deanie. He convinces Bud she's a tramp and pushes him toward university life which he neither wants nor is capable of handling. Deanie's mother (Andrey Christie) drills Victorian hogwash into her daughter's head convincing her that women must submit to men for procreation only. In the background resides Mr. Loomis (Del Stewart), a non-entity turning a blind eye to the clap-trap his wife feeds his daughter. And Mrs. Stamper (Joanna Roos) is nothing more than a cardboard cut-out taking up space as Bud's mother.
It is only Bud's reckless sister Ginny (Barbara Loden) who provides the script's singular rebellion against the fear and destructive lies of Mr. Stamper. But she is only capable of finding her freedom through promiscuity shaming the father whose love she desperately craves on her way toward oblivion.
Long after the couple have gone their separate paths, Deanie decides to see Bud one last time. When Mrs. Loomis lies to her about his whereabouts, it is Mr. Loomis who finally sheds his empty persona and steps up to the plate providing one of the film's most touching moments.
It is Deanie's closure with Bud that strikes the film's mightiest blow. For it encapsulates a great deal of what we all experience in youth and later come to realize about first love. Yet the path that INGE wisely chose to get us there leads to the final Wordsorth allusion and crowns the entire experience with pain and beauty. For the lines that Deanie had ignored in high school English class now resound powerfully as her epiphany unfolds. What Deanie Loomis learns in the end is what we all learn.
SPLENDOR has not aged one bit at all after nearly 50 years. It is as poignant as the day it hit the screens in October, 1961. And that is because Inge's script is not stifled by the era's simplistic values or character stereotypes; for the tale told is universal. And universality, as William Inge knew so very well, is the paramount trait of all superior literature, isn't it?
TRIVIA: William Inge was born in Independence, Kansas in 1913...Inge's mother ran a boarding house and Inge watched 3 lonely spinsters which later inspired him when he wrote PICNIC IN 1953...INGE'S other best plays are COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA (1950), BUS STOP (1955), THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (1957)--all of which were made into movies...PICNIC won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. It was also the Broadway debut of Paul Newman...SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS debuted on Oct. 10, 1961. It was Warren Beatty's first film....Beatty is the younger brother of actress Shirley McLaine...SPLENDOR was filmed mostly in New York...William Inge taught playwriting at the University of California Irvine campus in the early 1970's...Believing he could no longer write well, William Inge committed suicide in 1973 from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dennis Caracciolo
Director Peter Yates' superbly understated 1968 cop thriller BULLITT, filmed entirely amidst San Francisco local color--perhaps the best "natural" city on the map for one of Hollywood's most memorable chase sequences--is a polished and enduring detective film that has, by now, probably reached cult classic stardom. Yates accomplished what every director dreams of--landing a lead actor who is a natural for the script character he is to portray: implacable, detached, obsessed with getting his man. In fact, Yates crafts McQueen's performance so handily that at some points not a few may wonder if Steve McQueen is Bullitt or if Bullitt is Steve McQueen. Even Bullitt's girlfriend Cathy, the luscious Jacqueline Bisset, cannot reach her man through the iron-clad outer wall that separates her from him.
The Alan Trustman script of a Chicago organization man on the lamb from the Mafia in San Francisco is tautly written and contains a perfect twist ending vindicating Bullitt's trickery that has thwarted both the organization hit men and his own police superiors. The now legendary car chase stands out as the film's signal moment as Bullitt turns the tables on his pursuers and ends up destroying them. The relationship with Bisset is not deeply outlined, but we get all we need as the two are cast in very creditable juxtaposition: Bisset's softness against McQueen's grisly criminal world.
Robert Vaugn is well chosen as the career-minded Senator Walter Chalmers, Bullitt's antagonist. The detective wants no part of Chalmer's single-minded interest in keeping his organization witness alive so that he will be able to testify before a committee crime hearing which will win Chalmers political stars. Simon Oakland fits the bill perfectly as the blustery Captain Sam Bennett, Frank Bullitt's boss who keeps allowing Bullitt just enough slack to tie up all his loose ends. Norman Fell is also well cast as Captain Baker, Chalmer's "man" on the force who wants to cash in on Chalmers' political influence and who tries unsuccessfully to scissor Bullitt from the case. As for Don Gordon, Bullitt's partner, Delgetti, he's little more than Bullitt's overcoat.
Not much that is San Francisco was missed in the film: Nob Hill, Grace Cathedral, the Mark Hopkins Hotel, North Beach (Enrico's coffee and, if you look closely behind Bullitt as he talks to a tipster about Ross, photos of topless stars at the old Galaxy nightclub), the Embarcadero, San Francisco Internaitonal Airport, and even scenes north of the city on the peninsula along Hiway 101 near Candlestick Point.
As a cop film--and as a San Francisco period piece from the late 1960's--BULLITT simply has it all.
Trivia: The final airport chase on foot in which McQueen lies on the ground covering his ears under a taxiing 707 was performed by McQueen at his own insistence--to the consternation of Warner Bros executives who worried about insurance liability issues...The ladies' "tea scene" at the beginning where Bullitt meets Senator Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) was filmed at the historical Spreckles Mansion...One of the early sccenes has McQueen meeting Jackie Bisset and friends at a restaurant. It's the old Coffee Cantatta on Union Street...If one knows San Francisco and cares to note all the street signs and intersections that flash by during the infamous chase sequence, he'll quickly see one unlikely turn, cut, and disconnection after another...Note Robert Duvall in his small role as the cab driver...Did you note uncredited Suzanne Summers in a crowd scene? Look carefully...Ironically, it would be Summers who would later star on TV's THREE'S COMPANY with a much more svelte and comical Norman Fell (Captain Baker) who would play Stanley Roper, Summers' landlord in the sitcom...The scene along Hiway 101 where Bullitt finds Dorothy Rennick strangled was filmed at the old Hyatt Hotel along the Bayshore, though it's referred to as THE THUNDERBIRD HOTEL....In 1968 when BULLITT began filming, Robert Vaughn had just turned in his intelligence credentials as Napolean Solo in THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. which ran from 1964--1968...Captain Baker wasn't the only cop Fell played in his career. He was also Detective Grogan, the cop investigating the death of Jimmy Durante in the opening scenes of Stanley Kramer's epic 1964 comedy IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD...
Dennis Caracciolo
The Alan Trustman script of a Chicago organization man on the lamb from the Mafia in San Francisco is tautly written and contains a perfect twist ending vindicating Bullitt's trickery that has thwarted both the organization hit men and his own police superiors. The now legendary car chase stands out as the film's signal moment as Bullitt turns the tables on his pursuers and ends up destroying them. The relationship with Bisset is not deeply outlined, but we get all we need as the two are cast in very creditable juxtaposition: Bisset's softness against McQueen's grisly criminal world.
Robert Vaugn is well chosen as the career-minded Senator Walter Chalmers, Bullitt's antagonist. The detective wants no part of Chalmer's single-minded interest in keeping his organization witness alive so that he will be able to testify before a committee crime hearing which will win Chalmers political stars. Simon Oakland fits the bill perfectly as the blustery Captain Sam Bennett, Frank Bullitt's boss who keeps allowing Bullitt just enough slack to tie up all his loose ends. Norman Fell is also well cast as Captain Baker, Chalmer's "man" on the force who wants to cash in on Chalmers' political influence and who tries unsuccessfully to scissor Bullitt from the case. As for Don Gordon, Bullitt's partner, Delgetti, he's little more than Bullitt's overcoat.
Not much that is San Francisco was missed in the film: Nob Hill, Grace Cathedral, the Mark Hopkins Hotel, North Beach (Enrico's coffee and, if you look closely behind Bullitt as he talks to a tipster about Ross, photos of topless stars at the old Galaxy nightclub), the Embarcadero, San Francisco Internaitonal Airport, and even scenes north of the city on the peninsula along Hiway 101 near Candlestick Point.
As a cop film--and as a San Francisco period piece from the late 1960's--BULLITT simply has it all.
Trivia: The final airport chase on foot in which McQueen lies on the ground covering his ears under a taxiing 707 was performed by McQueen at his own insistence--to the consternation of Warner Bros executives who worried about insurance liability issues...The ladies' "tea scene" at the beginning where Bullitt meets Senator Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) was filmed at the historical Spreckles Mansion...One of the early sccenes has McQueen meeting Jackie Bisset and friends at a restaurant. It's the old Coffee Cantatta on Union Street...If one knows San Francisco and cares to note all the street signs and intersections that flash by during the infamous chase sequence, he'll quickly see one unlikely turn, cut, and disconnection after another...Note Robert Duvall in his small role as the cab driver...Did you note uncredited Suzanne Summers in a crowd scene? Look carefully...Ironically, it would be Summers who would later star on TV's THREE'S COMPANY with a much more svelte and comical Norman Fell (Captain Baker) who would play Stanley Roper, Summers' landlord in the sitcom...The scene along Hiway 101 where Bullitt finds Dorothy Rennick strangled was filmed at the old Hyatt Hotel along the Bayshore, though it's referred to as THE THUNDERBIRD HOTEL....In 1968 when BULLITT began filming, Robert Vaughn had just turned in his intelligence credentials as Napolean Solo in THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. which ran from 1964--1968...Captain Baker wasn't the only cop Fell played in his career. He was also Detective Grogan, the cop investigating the death of Jimmy Durante in the opening scenes of Stanley Kramer's epic 1964 comedy IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD...
Dennis Caracciolo