James Mason: Master of Subtext

So the last time I did one of these was during my obsession with the Dead End Kids when I was writing Angel's Alley and preferred binging Turner Classic Movies and all things Silver Screen rather than cable--which was really fun cause I became an "expert" on all things old Hollywood, but I've already blogged about that.

Now it's time.

Today is the birthday of another one of my many many Silver Screen Obsessions.

Idols.

People I Want to Meet Before I Die But Can't Since They're Already Dead.

All Of The Above. 

I consider him the master of subtext and one of the most amazing actors of the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

He's also a talented writer--I know cause I own his autobiography.

Ladies and gents, I'm going to gush about James Mason.

I first saw him when I was nine. He played Isaac of York in the 1982 television special Ivanhoe. My grandpa gave us his copy of the VHS and while I was watching it mostly for the other younger cuter male characters, I still really liked Isaac of York.

I liked his mellifluous voice.

A lot.

(Did I know what the word "mellifluous" meant as a nine-year-old? No. But did I like the flow-y pattern of the way this actor talked? Oh yes!)

Flash forward...15 years? The apartment complex I was living at had Turner Classic Movies as part of their cable package and I binged all the old movies I could when not doing homework(which, considering I did all my homework on campus before I went home, was a lot of time). One night TCM was showing Prisoner of Zenda--which has become one of my all time favorite oldies--and when they introduced the villain, my jaw dropped.

Like, hit the floor.

Because, number one, the actor was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S(Hopeless Romantic, remember?)

And number two, I knew that voice from my childhood. Yes, because the actor was younger his voice was less craggy, but the pattern was still the same. But I looked it up on IMDB just to make sure.

Yep. I was looking at a younger James Mason.

Been obsessed ever since.

Here's why I like him so much.

To begin with, he never had any formal training, so everything he learned about acting, he learned on the job.

Yes, he did plays in college, but he was studying to be an architect. He went into films after graduation. And, because he had no formal training, there was nothing he had to "un-learn", which is probably why most directors loved him so much!

He was very picky about the films he worked in.

James Mason knew Hollywood type-cast him because of how he looked. He was perfect for noir films and he usually played the villain or anti-hero. That's fine if you're given a villain or anti-hero with dimension.

But in 30s and 40s Hollywood, the Big Ups were more concerned about cranking out as many films as possible, which meant that being "type cast" meant that you were playing the same person doing the same things in multiple films.

Gag!
 
Which is why he left Hollywood and went back to England. Personally, most of the movies I prefer are his non-big Hollywood films, because there seems to be a lot more to them than "let's crank out another cause money, money, money".

(that's a whole other rant for another time).

One of James Mason's favorite film roles--and mine--is the leading man in "Odd Man Out." It's the story of a man who is shot during a robbery and the encounters he has as he dies. This is also the role that made him a household name.

It. Is. A. Beautiful. Film.

The writing is beautiful.

The casting is perfect.

The themes are subtle and universal.

It's also one of the few films that James Mason immediately said "yes" to after reading the script once, so that in and of itself should tell you something.

At the beginning of this gush I called him the Master of Subtext.

Because he is.

James Mason not only had a beautiful voice, but he also had an understated way of acting that was--and is--riveting.

He can put so much subtext into one tiny movement that I know exactly what he's thinking and why he's thinking it and I'm pretty sure what he's going to do next.

Which is why it's a delightful surprise when his character does a "bait and switch"--which anti-heroes are sometimes wont to do.

James Mason would be 111 today.

One of the truly great actors of the Silver Screen.

I will never stop watching his films.

Bright Smoke/Fantasy Epic Inspiration: Tyrone Power

Right so here's the deal.

Remember back when I said that this new fantasy-epic-sword-and-sandals-currently-title-less-thingummy I was writing pre-ScriptFrenzy had pirates and amazons and all that stuff? Well, now it's got something else: Tyrone Power.

Yes. THAT Tyrone Power.

 The dude from the first Mark of Zorro, and Black Swan and Black Rose and Blood and Sand and  Nightmare Alley and the list goes on.....

I mean...I Can't Even....

Here's the funny bit about that--I never would have discovered him if not for:
A)an itch to re-watch all the old pirate movies I watched with my grandpa when I was a kid; and
B) my body deciding it had enough of being perfectly healthy and it was time for a break aka Spring Cold--yay!!!(NOT).

And ohmygoodness I fell in Infatuation.

Again.

Anyhoo, I have now binged on just about every Tyrone Power movie I can get my hands on, and you know what? He could be a celeb model for either the Fantasy Epic(NEED A TITLE!!!!) or Bright Smoke, which, by the way, I'm going to overhaul after a--nine month(ish) "stew period".  And also finish up sharing tidbits of my ScriptFrenzy 2016(which I barely missed finishing on time--stupid cold!!!)

So that's cool, I guess.

Quirky Monday: BIG Entrances

The earliest drafts of Angels Alley began with Gyp being thrown out the window.

I watch the Fast and Furious movies because they start with a fight and/or a car chase--all the time.

West Side Story is among my favorite musicals because it starts with a fight.

Supernatural began its series with a fire.

Every single other show I've written has someone springing from nowhere in a really big way--one way or another.

Why?

Because I have a thing for big entrances.

I blame Disney. Some of the first movies I remember seeing--Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, The Sword and the Stone--they all had someone who got a dramatic introduction. I saw the Disney 1993 version of The Three Musketeers began with A) a torture scene and B)a fencing match followed by a chase scene. Those are big dramatic entrances.

And I love them!

On the one hand, big entrances tend to come off as cornball, which is a delicate balance that writer's have to keep, because on the other hand, big entrances are REALLY REALLY FUN!!!! Like this one:

Which is why my newest project begins with so many of them.

Quirky Monday: Week of Mush

You know how I theme read? I also theme watch. And since it's Valentine's week, here's a little Valentine quirk for you: 

I watch chick flicks and period films the whole month of February.

I'm one of those types who plunks down in front of the screen ready to squeal at period romance and mourn over the fact that so few people behave like this anymore(that's for a later post)

So for you reading pleasure, below is a list of the films I indulge in this month--with a new one recently added, because Sean Bean in frock coat. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

 Follows the coming of age of a young governess, Jane Eyre, and her love for her master, the enigmatic Mr. Edward Rochester. Read so many times both covers are torn off, pages are dog-eared, and binding held together with—wait for it—packing tape.

Originally published: October 1847

Adapted for Film/Television:   adapted thirty-four times between 1910 and 2011

Adapted for the Stage/Radio: Adapted 22 times between and 2013 including radio adaptions, and web series

Most Famous Adaptions:

Film: Starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontain; 2011 Starring Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska

Stage: Adaption by John Caird and Paul Gordon, starring Marla Scheffel  and James Stacy Barbour

Television: 1983 BBC starring Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton; A&E 1997 starring Samatha Morton and Ciaran Hinds; Masterpiece Classic 2006 starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson(personal favorite)

Radio: Campbell Playhouse 1944 starring Orson Welles and Loretta Young; BBC 1994 starring Ciaran Hinds

**NEW**Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

Note: Hardest classic I’ve ever read. I have developed an intense dislike of epistolary novels.  Follows the lovely Clarissa Harlowe, and her seducer Robert Lovelace.  Also has the ability to makes me cry quarts--at the villain’s demise of all things

Originally Published: 1748

Adapted for Film/Television: Once in 1991

Adapted for Stage/Radio: Once in 2010

Most Famous Adaptions:

1991 BBC Starring Sean Bean as Lovelace(and that, ladies and gents makes 102 on my stupid list!!!!)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The lives and loves of the Bennett sisters, particularly Jane and Elizabeth, the latter of whom catches the eye of the proud and misunderstood(yes, I said misunderstood)Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. I could go on a whole spiel about why Darcy is so misunderstood—but that’s another can of worms altogether.

Originally Published:

Adapted for Film/Television: Eleven times between 1938 and 2005

Adapted for Stage/Radio: Nine times between 1935 and 2014(I happen to know the playwright of the 2014 adaption)

Most Famous Adaptions:

1940 Starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier(and containing the BEST Lady Catherine/Elizabeth showdown ever “I like her. She loves you Darcy; she’s the one for you.”  Eeek! Why was that not in the book?!

1995 A&E/BBC Starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth(with that LAKE SCENE!!!! why was THAT not in the book?!)

“Furst Impressions” Wishbone episode starring the darling Jack Russel Terrier as Mr. Darcy(if you haven’t seen it, Youtube it—SO CUTE!!!)

2005 Starring Kiera Knightly and Matthew Macfacdyen (Confession: I am not a Kiera Knightly fan, but this movie was one of her good ones—and the little thing with casting Collins as a shrimp—loved it!!!)

2014 by Melissa Lelani Larson. Premiered at BYU in Utah for the 50^th anniversary of the Fine Arts Building

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Follows the story of the dashing masked hero, Sir Percy Blakney and his wife Marguerite St. Just, as they rescue French aristocrats and foil the plans of the slimy Chauvelin.  Read the first book in four hours—lost sleep due to how good it is. Sequels? Not so much.

Originally Published: 1905

Adapted for Film/Television: Eighteen times between 1918 and 2006

Adapted for Stage/Radio: Adapted three times between1950 and 1997

Most Famous Adaptions:

1934 Starring Leslie Howard(playing the fop to the hilt!!!)

1982 Masterpiece starring Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour and Ian McKellan(SO dashing as brunette, and fabulous foil for Anthony Andrews!)

1997 Broadway Musical by Frank Wilderhorn and Nan Knighton originally starring Douglass Sills, Christine Andreas and Terrence Mann

1999; 2000 A&E Adaption starring Richard E Grant, Elizabeth McGovern and Martin Shaw(some fans hate this—I happen to LOVE it. All of them! It’s called poetic license people. Deal!)

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The most famous of the Gaskell novels, follows the somewhat snobbish Margaret Hale as she moves from the south of England to the North, where she also catches the eye of mill owner John Thornton.

Originally Published: 1855

Adapted for Film/Television: Twice; 1975 and 2004

Most Famous Adaptions:

2010 BBC Starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Note:  my personal favorite Austen

Fanny Price is sent to live with her rich relatives at Mansfeild Park, where she observes that just because you’re rich, it doesn’t make you happy. She also falls in love with her cousin, Edmund.

Originally Published: 1814

Adapted for Film/Television: five times between 1983 and 2014

Adapted for Stage/Radio: three times between 2003 and 2014

Most Famous Adaptions:

1999 by Patricia Rozema starring Francis O’Connor and Johnny Lee Miller

2003 BBC Radio starring , Felicity Jones,  Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant(and Benedict and David make stunning brothers!!)

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Originally Published: serialized 1866

Adapted for Film/Television: twice in 1971 and 1999

Most Famous Adaptions:

1999 BBC starring Keeley  Hawes, Justine Waddell, Tom Hollander and Anthony Howell(I personally don’t find one of the leading men all that stereotypically attractive, but hey, to each her own. His voice makes me squeal.)

Angels Alley Tidbit: Writing Style--and the Production Code!!!!!

It's been a while since I've done one of these. But since this particular plays and its series have been on my mind a lot lately, (which, for those of you who don't know, will be premiering at the Brelby Theatre Company in Arizona in March, go me!!!!) So, here's a little insight into the writing style of my "play series" Angels Alley.

I will admit that when I first wrote thing thing back in 2012(geeze has it really been that long?!) I was thinking about two things: my brother's birthday and the fact that I had two weeks to write his present--the script that is now called Angels Alley. Because these two things were at the forefront of my mind, I set Angels Alley in the 1940s because

A) I already know more about that era than was probably good for me(thank you TCM) and

 B)I happened to be in the middle of my DEK/James Cagney/Humphrey Bogart obsession.

Oh yes, and C) I wanted to write something that a high school kid(my brother) could shoot with his film buddies for peanuts(behind his high school, where there happened to be a sand hopper already built for the high school wood shop, but I digress.)

That was my two week first draft. And then after my brother's birthday, when the script had not been shot(high school boys, go figure), I pulled it out again and not only revised the poor script to within an inch of it's life, and then wrote the "sequels"(oh the things I do when all I want is the answer to a plot question).

As I was going through the revision process, I got to thinking a lot about style. Sometimes, just for fun, I write one or more of my drafts in a specific style. If the style works, it stays; if not, I scrap it and call it a good revision exercise.  The style I chose was to write one draft according to the Hays Production Code of 1930. I linked it here because the thing is so long and has so many rules. The Code was written to  still get films into theatres without offending the public. Clever filmakers and actors could occasionally bend Code rules, if they were careful, but if a film didn't pass the Code, it wasn't released.  Sometimes, as in the case of the film the Public Enemy the film studios had to put things like this in during the credits to avoid sticky situations later on.

This is why it made my revision process so much more fun.Writing something that was a film noir with restrictions on language and content forced my creative juices to work overtime, which is something you need in the revision process. Not kidding.

The upshot? The "Hays Code Draft" as I came to call it, worked so well, it stuck clear through to the final draft.


For more Angels Alley tidbits, just click here

Lucille Ball--Queen of the B's. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Happy birthday to gorgeous Lucille Ball!!!

ANGEL'S ALLEY TIDBITS: Character Inspirations-ASH, DUTCH, and Bad Poetry

Alessandro Salvatori Horatio Valerio. Italian(or some other ethnic background--he's dark skinned; not black, just dark skinned). Really good looking. Quiet. Keeps his lips closed. Does what he's told. Tends to be viewed as emotionless. Hates his given name so he changed it, using his initials: A.S.H.

Ash has got to be one of my favorite minor characters. He's one of those awesome people that only says something when he absolutely has to; and most of that time it's succinct and to the point. The only time he ever makes a speech is when he's really upset, but that's about the only hint you get, cause his facial expression stays pretty much the same.  He likes spitting out words just to irritate people. Except Nick.

As mentioned in ALL of my ANGELS ALLEY(formerly TAKING THE RAP) prologues, this whole thing came about due to my obsession with the Dead End Kids. Yeah. So it's only natural that my first picture of Ash in my mind was that of Gabriel Dell--an original Dead End Kid. 

Of course, after that the image kind of blurred and now is mishmashed with two other people. One is Shiloh Fernandez(see below):

and the other person of my acquaintance, who ironically enough has the same last name as the celebrity.  Actually this person is closer to the physical way I now view this character. Tall, dark--his ethnic background is....Filipino Iranian, I think? Yeah....). When I read Ash's lines now, it's kind of fun to hear this guy's voice in my head.  Particularly since  the inspiration for Dutch is two and a half feet shorter than this guy is. 

And, as always, his life sketch: (Note: do not highlight if you don't want spoilers)

Name: Alessandro Salvatori Horatio Valerio

Known As: Ash

Appears In: Not a Criminal, Angel's Alley, Spider's Web

Relationships: Nick Callahan, friend

                         Dutch Kelly, friend

                         Mark Vecchio, mentor--sorta

                         Ivy Callahan, friend

                         Gabe Lindsay, stepbrother(see Spider's Web)

Martial Status: "molls" more than girlfriends, strictly for appearance's sake

                           NOT interested in members of the opposite sex

                           Unmarried at time of death

In Later Years: arrested on numerous occasions for numerous reasons

  *MAJOR SPOILER ALERT* (unless you've read Spider's Web):upon learning of 

                      Nick's death, he goes after and kills Gyp; arrested and pleads guilty for murder and

                            sent to Sing-Sing.

Death: Dies in jail(life sentence); survived by stepbrother Gabe

Last but not least, there is Dutch. So here's a little insight into that character. And, boy howdy, is he ever a character.  Dutch Kelly, also known in later installments as Gil Kelly(I personally prefer "Dutch", how about you?) was one of those characters that pops in out of nowhere and won't go away.  This might have something to do with the fact that his personality was heavily based on my little brother, who I was writing for at the time(thank you Orihah)--who, by the way is the person mentioned in the paragraph above. 

Dutch's first visual inspration came from--guess who?--the DEK. Now, while this visual model isn't short, he's one of those delightful characters who keeps on talking and talking because he has so much to say and keeps going rather like this sentence until someone gives him a good clip round the ear. This character is the one played by Huntz Hall:

A very "Dutch" expression, don't you think?

And then, like all others of my character inspirations, he morphed into someone else. This was largely due to my current film watching, in particular Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Seeing Robert Capron and all his antics was so reflective of Dutch it was unreal.

Cute little Dutch, no?

Finally, as happens sometimes he morphed a third time. He turned back into my brother. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that, so it's left to your imagination. In order to make up for this, here is "Ash" and "Dutch" (aka Gabe and Huntz) have a good "character moment". This is a great visual for both DEK and Angels Alley:

Dutch's Life Sketch:

Name: Gil Kelly

Known As: Dutch 

Appears In: Not A Criminal, Angels Alley, Alley Cats(as Gil)

Relationships: Johnny Moreno, friend and colleague

                         Nick Callahan, friend

                         Ivy Callahan, crush

                         Ash Hurli, friend

                         Mark Vecchio, mentor

                         Kat Kelly, younger sister

                         Danny Kelly, younger brother

Marital Status: Unmarried during series

                           Marries eventually, father of seven

In Later Years: Law school graduate, magna cum laude

                            successful lawyer

                            Integral in Junior Police Clubs

Death: Heart Attack at age 74

             survived by wife, children, and grandchild

The most entertaining thing about Dutch is his poetry. His really bad poetry. Now, I don't by any means consider myself a poet. I'm a writer, but my poetry is---D grade level at best. But I will say that even my worst poetry looks and sounds better than Dutch's, poor guy. So it was very nice to write bad poetry that wasn't mine. Confession: I actually asked another writer friend of mine to give me the worst poetry line she could think of, and then we went "downhill" from there. It also helped that I happened to be re-reading Lauren Willig at the time, who also has a character with a reputation for bad poetry. Two, in fact.

So. There's the yin and yang of Nick's "crew". Next time, we meet Mark, and then Ivy. And we'll go from there. 

Another Silver Screen Idol

This is Nelson Eddy. I would kill to have someone with a voice like his sing to me. No joke.

World According to Lucy: The Language of Men

One of my absolute favorite actresses is Lucille Ball, not only because of "I Love Lucy" but because she was such an amazing standout actress before and after this show. She did a radio program called "My Favorite Husband", which was the basis and precursor to "I love Lucy". It is from this that I have gleaned some of my favorite quotes. She also--as producer--got a little bit of say what each episode was about, and I can't help thinking that some of Lucille Ball herself crept into her characters. Here for your reading pleasure is one of my juiciest tidbits, from an episode of "My Favorite Husband". I give you: things men say and what it means(and yes most of it is 50s humor but whatever I love it anyway)!

1. "I'm still behind bars."
     Translation: "I'm still employed"

2. "I still beat my wife three times a day."
     Translation: "I love my wife."

3. "I look about the same as when we were in high school"
     Translation: "I hope your paunch is bigger than mine."

4. In addition, this quote is on my wall at home and makes me smile. It's true Lucy and true-to-life. No joke!
"There are three types of men in the world. Husbands, Fiances and Go Get Him Girls. The Bachelor walks around the car and opens the door for you. The Fiance reaches across you and opens the door from the inside, and the Husband gets out, stands on the sidewalk and says 'Well, we haven't got all night'!"

Lucy, I love you! My favorite Redhead!

Quirky Monday: Why I have an entire SHELF of Silver Screen Hollywood, and why I like them so much more than movies in color:OR Why Modern Hollywood has the Potential to Ruin Movies

So, as of...now, I have an entire shelf of DVDs that are from 1933-1950, roughly, and yes with one exception(Quo Vadis 1950, starring Robert Taylor, Debroah Kerr and Leo Genn) are in black and white. As a kid, I never really like black and white movies. They were boring to me simply because I couldn't see any color, and that to me was a BAD THING.

Not so now. Silver Screen Hollywood has become another one of my obsessions, not just because there were a lot of really attractive people involved(see my earlier posts on Cagney, Leo Gorcey, etc.), but because, well, there's a lot, so how bout I make a list? Here goes:

1. Focus on STORY not SPECIAL EFFECTS. Not to put down modern Hollywood or anything, but a lot of the movies I've seen recently have a macho amount of special effects. This isn't bad, necessarily, because they're cool to look at. But it seems like a lot of new Hollywood directors seem to go over the top with special effects and pay no attention to the story(opinion: it is that kind of thing that ruined the movie Eragon--and only one of the many reasons..but that's for another post). The story is lost and the characters are flat and uninteresting--unless they're really attractive, but that only makes the movie about 10% more enjoyable than it actually is, in my opinion.

Silver Screen Hollywood had almost no access to special effects. The most advanced thing they had was what I call "the disappearing effect" where they could make characters playing ghosts or something appear and disappear. Another "special effect" was used for comedy purposes, such as see how many people you could fit in a phone booth(see clip below.) So in order to get audience attention, the stories had to be REALLY good, something that almost anybody in the audience can identify with. The themes were universal, and not a complicated mess.

2. Simple storylines, tight plot, under deadline. Today, movies can be made whenever, wherever and can take however long they need to take(as long as they do whatever possible to stay within budget. or whatever). Not so in Silver Hollywood. Universal and Monogram Studios, who were famous for thier "B" flicks, cranked out several many movies a year, shooting a single movie in 6-14 days. DAYS. Warner Brothers was almost as busy. Because they were working under deadline, or budget, depending on the studio, writers were given tight deadlines, and so had to keep stories simple. Yes, this had a couple of drawbacks, such as plots with rough edges, which occurred in the East Side Kids and Bowery Boys films, but you know what? Bowery Boys has the longest running series spot in history. This is largely due to the simple storylines the series adapted.

Other films kept the same thing as far a plot goes: they kept it fairly simple. Winchester '73 is about a gun, and the two men who want it. Mayor of Hell is about a reform school and the ex-con who changes it. Fighting 69th about a cocky guy who grows up after joining the Army in World War II. Strike Up the Band about a high school band. Simple see? No frills, no big explosions that last fifteen minutes just cause it's cool(and yes, I have seen one of those. Bleg!) And because the plot is simple, it's so tight.

3. Strong Characters. Because Hollywood was in it's "Golden Age" the characters in these movies would be considered stereotypical if/when done today. This is because these types have been done over and over with very little originality. The difference between now and Silver Screen Hollywood is that these characters had clear motivations, strong relationships with each character, and even the villains of the pieces were easy to identify with. There was a definite protagonist, a definite antagonist and a definite conflict. Take 1942's Vivacious Lady, starring James Stewart and Ginger Rodgers. Protagonist: James Stewart, in love with a nightclub singer(Ginger Rodgers). Antagonist: James Stewart's father, who is highly conservative and not that easy to talk to. Conflict: James Stewart has to tell Dad he's married to Ginger Rodgers. Two other movies--The Fighting Irish and The Torrid Zone both starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brian, revolves around the two aforementioned actors butting heads either over a girl(Fighting Irish)  or a banana plantaion and the pesky outlaw who is trying to destroy it (Torid Zone). Simple, simple. Easy, easy, easy. Strong, strong, STRONG!!! See, see, see?

4. Very Little Visible Ego.  Frankie Darro. Bobby Jordan. Leo Gorcey. Alan Ladd. Kay Francis. Pamela Blake. Richard Benedict. Buddy Gorman. Huntz Hall. Gabriel Dell. David Gorcey. Frankie Burke. Hally Chester. James Stewart. John Garfeild. Edward G. Robinson. Micky Rooney. Marie Wilson. May Robson. Ann Sheridan. Pat O'Brian. Allen Jenkins. Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Becall.  James Cagney. Stanley Clements. I'll bet you anything you've only heard of a couple of these actors, and not just because you've been reading my blog. What all of these brilliant people had in common was that they were all talented, yes. But they never slapped their ego all over the screen. Yes, I am in the theatre world, so I know that people have egos(hello? it's human!). But for whatever reason, I never saw or heard from anyone that any of these people were egomaniacs. Yes, I know that several of them also had highly publicized negative moments in their lives, for whatever reason, but they never showed it on the screen. I've heard of very few diva moments, from the above listed especially. They all had talent. They all worked hard.  And some of them were still highly unappreciated. Note the bloopers:

...All right, so maybe four isn't a lot. But it's pretty dang good when you know how many movies were actually produced in a single year in Silver Screen Hollywood(I figured it out once, but can't remember the overall number off the top of my head--other than Monogram, and I already told you that in #2 above.) Anyway, the post of this whole post was to explain to anybody who's listening why I have so many movies and black and white. And why I  get so upset when a remake backfires.

Tidbit Tuesday: Basis of My DEK Obsession

This guy is one of the most independent, hard working, amazing, creative, sarcastic, side-splittingly funny people I have ever seen/heard of. Not met him, and probably won't until after I die. Because he's dead. Which sucks. Because he'd be ninety-five otherwise.

His autobio is selling on Amazon for $200--used. There are at least half of his movies available in one way or another via this wonderful thing we have called the internet(and DVDs). He was a member of the Dead End Kids, the leader of the East Side Kids, and the leader of the Bowery Boys.  His name is Leo Gorcey

 This was a man who didn't want to be an actor in the first place, but became one anyway. He landed his stage debut in 1935, and wanted $50 a performance. When he was told that there were dozens of kids who would love to play this part, he looked at the director and said "Yeah? Then go find one." He got his job. 

Leo became really good friends with fellow ESK/DEK Kids Gabriel Dell and Huntz Hall. These three were the head of the prank squad when making the Dead End Kids movies(they threw fire crackers in Bogey's dressing room, and then drove Ann Sheridan's car onto one of those platform things they keep on set, or used to, in the 30s.) In fact, according to one of  Gabe Dell's kids, Leo went to see Gabe before he died(I read this in the book "From Broadway to the Bowery", and cried my eyes out).

He stayed in it because people told him he was a terrible actor and he should stop. He told them in the nicest way possible(and probably with a great selection of four letter words) to stuff it. He left one studio after this incident and went to another where he starred in  21 movies.  And when one studio didn't work anymore, he went to another one. He started his own, and made 41 of those(and co-wrote some of them, apparently. Now I want to know if he had a pseudonym, cause his name is not in the writing credits). That's 62 movies! 62!! And you know what? Call me nuts, but I think they are pretty darn amazing! The story lines are simple, and the comedy is perfectly timed, and the improv is--everywhere! That's another thing I like about him. His brain was constantly on the move. Apparently, he had to be this way with some of his movies, cause the director he was working with liked to do scenes in one take, and get the whole movie done in five days. FIVE! so he had to be thinking on his feet. And you know what? It shows!

(Note: this clip is taken from a movie Leo did when he was 48, ten years after he left acting due to the death of his father. I've heard this described two ways: that Leo and Huntz made this up while the camera was rolling or that somebody wrote this for them to say. I like to think it's the first one, cause they were both unacknowledged geniuses when it came to improv(particularly when it was just the two of them)

Another thing this man did was something that very few actors of the silver screen could do: he could tell stories with his eyes. No matter what situation he was in or who he was with, you could always tell what he was thinking. Even in the Dead End Kids movies, where the focus is on Billy Halop, you don't look at Billy Halop, you look at Leo. Because of his eyes.  Don't believe me? Watch these (from the movie "Hell's Kitchen." Leo's character's name is Gyp. I think he got the lead in the following movie because of his performance in this one.):

This guy knew he had faults and acknowledged them publicly, particularly in his auto-biography. He accepted people the way they were, and wanted everybody else to return the favor. He knew what he wanted, and he went after it. He had no ego so far as acting was concerned(he considered himself the worst actor in the East Side Kids--a sentiment I whole-heartedly disagree with), and he was human enough to know when to call it quits(yes, he quit the Bowery Boys, he wasn't fired. He knew he screwed up, and he left before he could cause any more trouble). This is one person that, in spite of his faults, I would really like to meet.

Media Bender

It's always this time of year that my "past movie year" gets it's title. First semester of college, I didn't watch much. But then the library got a completely new building, where media got it's own floor, and--I was gone ^_^. I've been through a Romance Year, Sci-Fi/Fantasy year, and Coming of Age Dramas. Last year was my Television Series year: M*A*S*H, Bewitched, Chuck, House, Supernatural, Gossip Girl, TVD, you name it, I probably watched it. This past year(2011), I went on an "oldie bender". Part of this is because I happen to have Turner Classic Movies on my cable this year.  And my current obsessions are Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. And I've always liked Mickey Rooney. So below I have complied a list of what I think are the greatest oldies of all time.

1. The Mayor of Hell
2. The Torrid Zone
3. Angels with Dirty Faces
4. National Velvet
5. The African Queen
6. Casablanca
7. The Fighting 69th
8. Huckleberry Finn staring Mickey Rooney
9. City of Conquest
10. Harvey
11. Arsenic and Old Lace
12. It Happened One Night
13. Philadelphia Story
14. It's a Wonderful Life
15. Horatio Hornblower(1950)
16. Dead End
17.Winchester '73
18. Meet Me in St. Louis
19. The Canterville Ghost(1940)
20. Call Northside 777
21. The Big Sleep
22. The Maltese Falcon
24. Treasure of Sierra Madre
25. Some Like It Hot
26. Ceiling Zero
27. Footlight Parade
28.Johnny Come Lately
29. Rear Window
30. Vertigo
31. Dial M for Murder
32. Arsenic and Old Lace
33. Quo Vadis
34. Frenchman's Creek, staring Joan Fontaine
35. British Agent
36. Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn
37. Robin Hood, starring Richard Todd
38. The Sword and the Rose
39. The Slipper and the Rose
40. The Three Musketeers, starring Oliver Reed, Michael York, Faye Dunaway and Richard Chamberlain
41. The Four Musketeers, starring Oliver Read, Michael York, Faye Dunaway, and Richard Chamberlsin
42. The 39 Steps
43. The Secret Garden
44. What's Up Doc?
45. Bell, Book, and Candle
46. It's a Wonderful Life
47. You Can't Take It With You
48. Ballots or Bullets
49. The Awful Truth
50. The Shop Around the Corner
51. The Human Comedy
52. Johnny Eager
53. Rebel Without a Cause
54. West Side Story
55. My Fair Lady
56. Sabrina, starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden
57. Treasure Island, starring Bobby Driscoll
58. The Woman in Green
59. Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone
60. The Scarlet Pimpernel, starring Leslie Howard
61. Only Angels Have Wings
62. Bachelor Mother
63. Sunset Boulovard
64. The Roaring Twenties
65. To Catch a Thief
66. Charade
67. For Whom the Bell Tolls
68. The Magnificent Seven
69. The Ten Commandments
70. Broken Arrow
71. The Stratton Story
72. Highway in the Sky
73. The Defiant Ones
74. The Sweet Smell of Sucess
75. The Big Sleep
76. Here Comes the Navy
77. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
78. Next Time We Love
79. Pot O' Gold
80. White Heat
81. Buck Privates
82. Dracula(1931)
83. Boystown
84. Men of Boystown
85. Footlight Parade
86. Blood on the Sun
87. Yankee Doodle Dandy!
88. Each Dawn I Die
89. G-Men
90. Mutiny on the Bounty(starring Marlon Brando 1960)
91. Great Guy
92. Santa Fe Trail
93. Green Light
94. The Robe
95. The Public Enemy
96. Dark Passage
97. Come Live with Me
98. To Have and to Have Not
99. One Way Passage
100.  Made For Each Other

Please note that all the above have either, James Cagney, Tony Curtis, Pat O'Brian, James Stewart, or a combo of these. Media Bender? I think yes!