Movies I Watched in September

A lot of rewatches this month as I dog-sat for my cousin and brought several dvds with me, including several of my kino lorber blurays.

* indicates a rewatch

1. *The Canary Murder Case (1929) - William Powell, Jean Arthur, Louise Brooks, Eugene Palette
2. Arise My Love (1940) - Ray Milland & Claudette Colbert, Dennis O'Keefe
3. *Anne of Windy Poplars (1940) - Anne Shirley, Henry Travers, Joan Carroll
4. *Love Letters (1945) - Joseph Cotten & Jennifer Jones, Cecil Kelloway, Gladys Cooper
5. *High Wall (1947) - Robert Taylor & Audrey Totter
6. The Steel Trap (1952) - Joseph Cotten & Teresa Wright
7. Terror on a Train (1953) - Glenn Ford
8. *Heaven Knows Mr. Allison (1957) - Robert Mitchum & Deborah Kerr
9. Equinox Flower (1958-Japanese) - Ineko Arima, Yoshiko Kuga, Shin Saburi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Chishū Ryū, Fujiko Yamamoto, Miyuki Kuwano
10. The Truth About Spring (1965) - John Mills, Hayley Mills, James MacArthur, David Tomlinson
11. *Anne of Green Gables (1985) - Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, Collen Dewhurst, Richard Farnsworth, Schuyler Grant
12. *Anne of Avonlea (1987) - Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, Collen Dewhurst, Wendy Hiller, Rosemary Dunsmore, Schuyler Grant
13. The Old Man & the Gun (2018) - Rober Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover
14. *Christmas Getaway (2019) - Bridget Regan & Travis Van Winkle

Least Favorite Film: The print quality was amazing but I found The Canary Murder Case to be somewhat clunky. It was filmed as a silent then changed to sound.

Favorite Movie: Not many new-to-me movies to choose from but my favorite was The Truth About Spring. It's not a Disney movie but with that cast it felt like one!

I feel like I have a screenshot of this blouse/sweater 

combo from another movie somewhere but can't find it...

Movies I Watched in August

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Usually TCM's Summer Under the Stars is a heavy viewing month but this year's schedule didn't excite me. Of course at this point I've seen a great many of the films they showed already. What about you, did you find the lineup lacking?

*indicates a rewatch

1. State Fair (1945) - Jeanne Crain & Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes & Vivian Blaine, Charles Winninger, Fay Bainter, Donald Meek, Frank McHugh, Percy Kilbride, Henry Morgan
2. Margie (1946) - Jeanne Crain, Glenn Langan, Alan Young
3. Young Widow (1946) - Jane Russell & Louis Hayward
4. *She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) - John Wayne (& the John Ford Stock Company)
5. Ten Tall Men (1951) - Burt Lancaster, Gilbert Roland, George Tobias
6. *Clash by Night (1952) - Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe
7. *The Swan (1956) - Grace Kelly, Louis Jordan, Alec Guinness, Jesse Royce Landis, Agnes Moorehead
8. The Miracle Worker (1962) - Anne Bancroft & Patty Duke
9. Little Treasure (1985) - Ted Danson, Burt Lancaster
10. *Ocean's Twelve (2004) - George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, etc.
11. Love is Blind (2019) - Aidan Turner

And Then There Were None (2015 - Mini-Series) - Aiden Turner

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (2018) - doc

Frank Capra: Mr. America (2023) - doc

Least Favorite Film: Ten Tall Men was a poor imitation of a late 1930s rollicking action/adventure Errol Flynn-type film. The first part of Little Treasure was good but then it was revealed that the female character's occupation was a stripper, so I had to skip some scenes. 

Favorite Movie: I really enjoyed the two Jeanne Crain films.

Favorite Quote: "Fellow sufferers, are you plump? When you walk in the sun, does your shadow look like a crowd following you?"

~ radio commercial in Young Widow

Love the beading on Stanwyck's sweater.

Movies I Watched in July

The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)

This month I watched season 1-3 of Poldark (2015-2019). I really liked the first season. The second season was still fine but during the third I considered stopping as it was pretty much constant drama and revenge. There was also a marital r*pe storyline introduced for a side character - I fast-forwarded those scenes even though nothing was shown. The series has gorgeous shots of Cornwall. I really want to go there. 

I really enjoyed all of the Bruce Brown surfing documentaries that aired on TCM this month. His commentary had me laughing out loud. The first one felt like watching someone's college home movies. I first watched The Endless Summer (1965) several years ago, so it was fun to see that again. I also want to watch The Endless Summer Revisted (2000) and A Life of Endless Summers: The Bruce Brown Story (2020). All three are on Tubi. I'm also finally read Gidget by Frederick Kohner. My brother found a copy that the real "Gidget" autographed!

* indicates a rewatch

1. *Berlin Express (1948) - Robert Ryan & Merle Oberon
2. *Quo Vadis (1951) - Robert Taylor & Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, Peter Ustinov
3. Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951) - Burt Lancaster & Phyllis Thaxter
4. *Artists and Models (1955) - Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Dorothy Malone, Shirley MacLaine, Eva Gabor
5. The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) - Glenn Ford & Jeanne Crain, Broderick Crawford
6. Ice Cold in Alex (1958) - John Mills, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, Harry Andrews
7. *Three Days of the Condor (1975) - Robert Redford & Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson
8. The Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1977) - Kenneth More
9. The Makioka Sisters (1983-Japanese) - Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Yuko Kotegawa, Keiko Kishi, Kuniko Miyake
10. *Corrina, Corrina (1994) - Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Majorino, Ray Liotta, Don Ameche
11. *Gladiator (2000) - Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou
12. *Shallow Hal (2001) - Jack Black & Gwenyth Paltrow, Jason Alexander
13. Comeback Season (2006) - Ray Liotta

Slippery When Wet (1958) - had a couple shots of the real Gidget!

Surf Crazy (1959)

Barefoot Adventure (1960) - with narration recorded in 1990

Surfin Shorts (1960) - "Hangin' with Bruce" & "The Wet Set" + "America's Newest Sport" (1966)

Surfing Hollow Days (1961)

*The Endless Summer (1965)

Least Favorite Film: Well, The Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the Earth was a little on the corny side. I definitely prefer the Brendan Fraser and James Mason versions.

Favorite Film: The Bruce Brown surfing films.

The real Gidget

Movies I Watched in June

This month was Burt Lancaster month lol. A couple of Deborah Kerr movies and an impromptu rewatch of Run Silent, Run Deep led me to a From Here to Eternity rewatch (I just can't get with Kerr's "American" accent) which led to more Burt Lancaster. I also finally watched Band of Brothers. I covered up the screen a few times, especially in the Bastogne episode, but it was an excellent series. 

* indicates a rewatch

1. Death on the Diamond (1934) - Robert Young, Madge Evans, William Demerest, Nat Pendleton
2. Singapore Woman (1941) - Brenda Marshall
3. Mission to Moscow (1943) - Walter Huston, Eleanor Parker
4. *Brief Encounter (1945) - Celia Johnson & Trevor Howard
5. I See a Dark Stranger (1946) - Deborah Kerr & Trevor Howard 
6. Desert Fury (1947) - Lisabeth Scott, John Hodiak, Mary Astor, Burt Lancaster, Wendall Corey
7. I Walk Alone (1947) - Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Lisabeth Scott, Wendall Corey
8. Whispering Smith (1949) - Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall, Donald Crisp, William Demerest, Fay Holden
9. *Mister 880 (1950) - Burt Lancaster, Edmund Gwenn, Dorothy McGuire
10. *From Here to Eternity (1953) - Burt Lancaster & Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift & Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine
11. *Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) - Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Don Rickles
12. Good Morning (1959-Japanese) - 
13. The Chalk Garden (1964) - Deborah Kerr, Hayley Mills, John Mills
14. *Destination Wedding (2019) - Keanu Reeves & Winona Ryder

Band of Brothers (2000) - Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlburg, etc.

We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (2001)

Deborah Kerr: Getting to Know Her (2000) 

Least Favorite Film: Mission to Moscow was very much a propaganda film of it's time. I watched it for Eleanor Parker.

Favorite Movie: Once I got past the first few minutes I really enjoyed I See a Dark Stranger. It ended up being quite funny as well, which I wasn't expecting. I got a little teary reading Caftan Woman's post about it. 

Favorite Lines: "Spanswick, Margery's on the line about the dance tonight. She wants to know whether to wear the backless blue or the frontless white?"

~ I See a Dark Stranger (1946)

"A man's got to settle down on first base and raise a family before you call him 'safe'."

~ Death on the Diamond (1934)

I came across this video of Lloyd Bridges singing on the Ed Sullivan show and had to share!

Movies I Watched in May

Robert Ryan, The Set-Up (1949)

******The Mating of Millie is on YouTube!!!!!******

This month was apparently Robert Ryan month. I watched About Mrs. Leslie last month and then purchased the Franklin Jarlett biography about Ryan (I already own the J. R. Jones one). And then I kept seeing his films pop up on TCM and I had to watch them :) There's a man on youtube that has interviewed Robert Ryan's son Cheney several times about his dad's movies. I listened to the ones about The Set-Up and Odds Against Tomorrow. I finally read Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter. I have always had questions about the characters in the Disney movie and some of them were answered. I found it funny that in the book Mrs. Snow (Agnes Moorehead) is only about 40 and Aunt Polly just a little younger than that.

* indicates a rewatch

1. The Big Trail (1930) - John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill
2. *A Woman's Face (1941) - Joan Crawford & Melvyn Douglas, Conrad Veidt, Osa Munson, Reginald Owen, Marjorie Main, Donald Meek
3. *The Set-Up (1949) - Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, Wallace Ford, Darryl Hickman, James Edwards
4. *The Breaking Point (1950) - John Garfield, Juano Hernandez, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Wallace Ford
5. Roadblock (1951) - Charles McGraw & Joan Dixon
6. City Beneath the Sea (1953) - Robert Ryan, Anthony Quinn, Mala Powers, Suzan Ball
7. *House of Bamboo (1955) - Robert Stack, Robert Ryan, Shirley Yamaguchi, Sessue Hayakawa
8. *Men in War (1957) - Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Robert Keith, Vic Morrow, James Edwards
9. *Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) - Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Ed Begley, Shelley Winters, Gloria Grahame
10. The Notorious Landlady (1962) - Kim Novak & Jack Lemmon, Fred Astaire, Estelle Winwood
11. Good Neighbor Sam (1964) - Jack Lemmon, Romy Schneider, Dorothy Provine, Edward G. Robinson
12. The Wrong Box (1966) - Michael Caine, John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Nanette Newman, Peter Sellers

Least Favorite Film: Don't get me wrong, the scale and scope of The Big Trail was immensely impressive, but some of the acting was definitely early 30s/cliche (especially the villain) and it's not likely I'll revisit it. 

Favorite Movie: The Notorious Landlady and The Wrong Box were both really funny. I had a grin on my face pretty much the entire time on the latter - very ridiculous. Robert Ryan is very flirty and fun in City Beneath the Sea. I watched all three films on tubi (The Wrong Box just left but I'm sure it will be added again). 

Favorite Line: "I'm in love with the back of your neck. I like the way your hair grows back there."

~ Patricia Neal to John Garfield in The Breaking Point.

(On noticing that Michael Caine has had to sell all his furniture) "Oh, I've always wanted an empty room of my own. Ours are so cluttered."

~ Nanette Newman in The Wrong Box. 

Aldo Ray, Men in War (1957)

Movies I Watched in April

Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk (1940)

A few more rewatches than normal this month. I have a question mark beside Desperate Journey because I don't know if it's a rewatch or not. I have misplaced my 2013 & 2014 movie viewing list and so am unable to check and see if I watched it back then. A lot of Flynn's movies have the same cast (same with Bogart WWII films) and, when you've watched a bunch of a certain actor's filmography in a short span of time, they can become muddled. 

* indicates a rewatch

1. *The Sea Hawk (1940) - Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Alan Hale, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Una O'Connor, Gilbert Roland
2. ?Desperate Journey (1942) - Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale 
3. They All Kissed the Bride (1942) - Joan Crawford & Melvyn Douglas, Allen Jenkins, Billie Burke, Roland Young
4. Millions Like Us (1943) - Patricia Roc
5. *So Long at the Fair (1950) - Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde, David Tomlinson, Honor Blackman
6. Wagon Master (1950) - Ward Bond, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Joann Dru, Jane Darwell, James Arness
7. Kill the Umpire (1950) - William Bendix, William Frawley
8. The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) - Evelyn Keyes
9. *Young Bess (1953) - Jean Simmons, Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, Charles Laughton
10. *Dangerous Crossing (1953) - Jeanne Crain, Michael Rennie
11. About Mrs. Leslie (1954) - Shirley Booth & Robert Ryan
12. *The Detective (1954) - Alec Guiness, Peter Finch
13. Boy on a Dolphin (1957) - Alan Ladd & Sophia Loren, Clifton Webb
14. Gideon's Day/Gideon of Scotland Yard (1959) - Jack Hawkins, Anna Lee
15. *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) - Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Naomi Rapace
16. *The Boys in the Boat (2023) - Callum Turner, Joel Egerton
17. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) - Henry Cavill, Alex Pettifer, Henry Golding, Cary Elwes (in theaters)

STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces (2024) - Apple TV+

Manhunt (2024-mini series) - Tobias Menzies, Anthony Boyle

Least Favorite Film: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Henry Cavill in it. And it had Guy Ritchie's signature humor, shooting style, and score, buuuut... it was missing the magic chemistry that's in his Sherlock Holmes films and of course UNCLE.  I knew it wouldn't be as good as those films but I was still hoping. My brother said it felt like they were trying to push some of the other actors into being the next big *star,* especially the lady who seemed to have the most screen time and lines. I hope I'll like it better on a second viewing now that I will go into it with lower expectations. My friend (who loved UNCLE but wasn't obsessed with it like me and has only seen it the one time) loved the movie though. 

Favorite Movie: Melvyn Douglas was hilarious in They All Kissed the Bride. I kept imagining how it would have been though with Carole Lombard (she died before filming and Crawford took her place, famously donating her salary to the war effort). I watched it on tubi - blurry but watchable (unlike the one on YouTube).

Favorite Line: "Aw, come on, everybody likes hot dogs. Even the Queen of England!" 

 ~ Melvyn Douglas in They All Kissed the Bride, referring to the time King George VI 

and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) visited FDR at Hyde Park and ate hot dogs.

"Boy on a Dolphin" - Julie London

Movies I Watched in March

Glenn Ford and Shirley MacLaine in The Sheepman (1958)

This month was pretty good! I wish The Boys in the Boat would have come out AFTER Masters of the Air because I would have definitely gone to see it in theaters. 

* indicates a rewatch

1. Cottage to Let/Bombsight Stolen (1941) - Michael Wilding, Alastair Sim, John Mills
2. The Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (1943) - Warner Baxter, Lloyd Bridges, Reginald Denny
3. The Years Between (1946) - Michael Redgrave, Valerie Hobson, Flora Robson
4. The Captive Heart (1946) - Michael Redgrave
5. Twelve O'Clock High (1949) - Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Dean Jagger
6. Don't Go Near the Water (1957) - Glenn Ford, Gia Scala, Earl Holoman, Anne Francis, Eva Gabor
7. The Sheepman (1958) - Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine, Leslie Neilson, Pernell Roberts
8. The Best of Everything (1959) - Hope Lange, Stephen Boyd, Diane Baker, Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne, Louis Jourdan
9. Almost Angels (1962) - Vincent Winter, Sean Scully, Peter Weck, Denis Gilmore
10. The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (1980) - Robin Ellis, Raymond Burr, Eva Marie Saint, Wendy Hiller
11. Father of the Bride (1991) - Steve Martin & Diane Keaton, Kieron Culkin
12. *Prince Caspian (2008) - William Mosely, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Ben Barnes
13. *Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) - Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter
14. Queen & Country (2014) - Callum Turner, Vanessa Kirby
15. Little Women (2019) - Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scalen
16. Tolkien (2019) - Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Anthony Boyle
17. The Boys in the Boat (2023) - Joel Egerton, Callum Turner, Hadley Robinson

Frasier (2023-present) - Kelsey Grammer

The Bloody 100th (2024)

Least Favorite Film: The Best of Everything. It was definitely written by a hard-core feminist because almost all of the men characters were creeps or rotten. 

Favorite Movie: Several winners this month. The Captive Heart made me tear up several times. Cottage to Let was another good British film with several of humorous scenes. Both were on Tubi. I thought The Sheepman was going to be your typical 'cattlemen vs. sheep farmers' but it was more along the vein of Support Your Local Sheriff (though not quite as funny - that's a classic). I didn't expect to love the 2019 Little Women as much as I did. I think it *just* beats the 1994 version (third place would be the 1978 TV mini-series because it has Greer Garson, Robert Young, and Dorothy McGuire). 

One of my favorite moments ♥