Saturday, October 3, 2020

Movies I Watched in September

The League of Gentlemen (1961)

This month I watched some movies that have been on my “to watch” list for a long time: The Gold Rush, Foreign Correspondent, Sun Valley Serenade (Sonja Henie was cute!), and Sergeant York. I also started binging Sister, Sister on Netflix. Who else misses the 90s?
  1. The Gold Rush (1925) - Charlie Chaplin 
  2. The Last of Mrs. Cheney (1929) - Norma Shearer & Basil Rathbone, Hedda Hopper
  3. Flying Down to Rio (1933) - Dolores Del Rio & Gene Raymond, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers 
  4. Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939) - Walter Pidgeon, Donald Meek
  5. Sky Murder (1940) - Walter Pidgeon, Donald Meek
  6. Foreign Correspondent (1940) - Joel McCrea & Laraine Fay, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Edmund Gwenn 
  7. Sergeant York (1941) - Gary Cooper & Joan Leslie, Walter Brennan, George Tobias, Ward Bond
  8. Sun Valley Serenade (1941) - Sonja Henie & John Payne, Milton Berle, Glenn Miller
  9. *Now, Voyager (1942) - Bette Davis & Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Gladys Cooper, Bonita Granville
  10. We Were Dancing (1942) - Norma Shearer & Melvyn Douglas, Gail Patrick, Lee Bowman, Marjorie Main, Reginald Owen, Alan Mowbray
  11. Her Cardboard Lover (1942) - Norma Shearer & Robert Taylor, George Sanders, Frank McHugh
  12. The Crystal Ball (1943) - Ray Milland & Paulette Goddard, Gladys George
  13. Pan-Americana (1945) - Philip Terry & Audrey Long, Eve Arden, Robert Benchley
  14. Of Human Bondage (1946) - Paul Henreid & Eleanor Parker, Alexis Smith, Edmund Gwenn, Janis Paige
  15. A Dangerous Profession (1949) - George Raft & Ella Raines, Pat O’Brien, Jim Backus, Bill Williams
  16. The Secret Fury (1950) - Claudette Colbert & Robert Ryan
  17. Devil’s Doorway (1950) - Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson, Edward Buchanan, Spring Byington 
  18. Westward the Women (1951) - Robert Taylor
  19. Latin Lovers (1953) - Lana Turner & Ricardo Montalban, John Lund, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, Beulah Bondi, Rita Moreno
  20. Carmen Jones (1954) - Dorothy Dandridge & Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll
  21. Nightfall (1956) - Aldo Ray & Anne Bancroft, Brian Keith
  22. The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) - Marilyn Monroe & Laurence Olivier 
  23. Cry Terror! (1958) - James Mason & Inger Stevens, Rod Steiger, Angie Dickinson, Neville Brand
  24. Party Girl (1958) - Robert Taylor & Cyd Charisse, Lee J. Cobb, John Ireland
  25. The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959) - Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Michael Redgrave 
  26. The League of Gentlemen (1961) - Jack Hawkins, Robert Livesly
  27. Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) - Elvis Presley, Laurel Goodwin, Stella Stevens
  28. *Come Fly with Me (1963) - Dolores Hart & Karlheinz Bohm, Karl Malden & Lois Nettleton, Hugh O’Brian & Pamela Tiffin 
  29. *Man’s Favorite Sport (1964) - Rock Hudson & Paula Prentiss 
  30. Charro! (1969) - Elvis Presley 
  31. Skyjacked (1972) - Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, James Brolin, Mike Henry, Walter Pidgeon, Nicholas Hammond, Jeanne Crain
Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (1970)
This is Elvis (1981)

Anne Bancroft & Aldo Ray in Nightfall (1956).

Least Favorite Film: Flying Down to Rio needed a stronger leading man. I don't really get the charm of Gene Raymond but apparently he had appeal in the early 30s. Also the finale was ridiculous. Charro! could have been better. Pan-Americana would have been better with Robert Cummings in the lead.

Favorite Movie: Her Cardboard Lover was hilarious. Also greatly enjoyed The Wreck of the Mary Deare. The first half was especially exciting. I highly recommend Westward the WomenNightfall was really good. What are some of your favorite snowy noirs?

John Payne in a cozy sweater in Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

6 comments:

  1. My dad saw Sun Valley Serenade, too, and really liked it. Now he's been trying to convince me to watch it. One of these days...

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    1. I was afraid it would be a little too corny but Henie was very likeable and the big band music of Glenn Miller was fun.

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  2. This was how I described Sun Valley Serenade a few years back: Perhaps you plan to have under your tree a box of chocolates for that unexpected guest or unplanned for gift exchange. It's not the most expensive candy touted in flashy ad campaigns, but familiar, satisfactory and gussied up for Christmas with a bow. TCM has such a box of treats waiting for us under their tree on Christmas Eve.

    You asked about "snowy noir". H'm. I guess my favourite snowy noir would be On Dangerous Ground. Day of the Outlaw is certainly snowy and certainly noir in a western way. Just like Devil's Doorway. I think of Cover Up more as a cozy than a noir, but it is often billed as such and, I believe, released as one.

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    1. Sounds like a good description to me!

      I haven't seen Day of the Outlaw or Cover Up yet!

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  3. Dear Phyllis,

    It looks like you watched some very interesting films in September. It's hard for me to believe it, but it looks like the only films you listed that I have seem are "Flying Down to Rio," "Now Voyager," and "Man's Favorite Sport." I fully agree with your opinion that "Flying Down to Rio" needed a stronger leading man. If Lew Ayres, Ginger Rogers's then husband, had played that role, the film would have been so much stronger. Also, yes, the ending is very bizarre.

    By the way, PEPS is hosting three blogathons in the remainder of 2020, The 4th Annual Great Blogathon in October (https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2020/09/22/announcing-the-4th-annual-great-breening-blogathon/), The Third Annual Claude Rains Blogathon in November (https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2020/10/01/an-old-friend-is-never-an-added-guest-please-join-us-for-the-third-annual-claude-rains-blogathon/), and The 2nd Happy Holidays Blogathon
    (https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2020/10/01/announcing-the-2nd-happy-holidays-blogathon/). If you could join one or more of these blogathons, that would be wonderful. We could really use your talent!

    Yours Hopefully,

    Tiffany Brannan

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    1. Thanks for letting me know! If I am able to join I will let you know.

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