Table Talk!

Hume Crohn, Jessica Tandy, and Gregory Peck

Joel McCrea and Lili Damita

Lana Turner and Turhan Bey aka "The Turkish Delight"

Jack Oakie, Loretta Young, and Clark Gable

Peter Lorre and Sophia Loren

Nancy and Ronald Reagan with Jeanne and Dean Martin

Ronald Colman and Claudette Colbert

Troy Donahue (not Tab Hunter---thanks Silvia!) and Suzanne Pleshette

Tonight on TCM!

The Invisible Man (1933) A scientist's experiments with invisibility turn him into a madman. Dir: James Whale Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan.

Stars! They're just like us!

They watch lobsters break dance!

They roller skate!

They horseplay!

They practice yoga!

They get their shoes shined!

They...er...garden!

Tonight on TCM!

The Painted Veil (1934) I really loved the most recent version with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts.

A wife strays, then fights to redeem herself to her husband. Dir: Richard Boleslawski Cast: Greta Garbo, Herbert Marshall, George Brent.

Speakeasy: Oscar Version

Alfred Hitchcock was nominated five times for Best Director and once for Best Picture for his work with Rebecca, Suspicion, Lifeboat, Spellbound, Rear Window, and Psycho.

Gregory Peck was nominated five times in his career for Best Actor for his roles in The Keys of the Kingdom, The Yearling, Gentleman's Agreement, Twelve O'Clock High,  and To Kill a Mockingbird. He won the Best Actor Award for Mockingbird.

James Cagney was nominated three times in his career for Best Actor for his roles in Angels with Dirty Faces, Love Me or Leave Me, and Yankee Doodle Dandy for which he won.

Burt Lancaster was nominated for the Best Actor award four times in his career for From Here to Eternity, Elmer Gantry, Birdman of Alcatraz, and Atlantic City. He won for his role in Elmer Gantry.

Gary Cooper received five Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, winning twice for Sergeant York and High Noon. He also received an Honorary Award in 1961 from the Academy which was accepted by his friend Jimmy Stewart.

Groucho Marx received an Honorary Academy Award in 1974 for his body of work.

Danny Kaye was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 1955 for his humanitarian work.

Frank Sinatra won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in From Here to Eternity, and also had a nomination for Best Actor for his role in The Man with the Golden Arm.

At age 80, George Burns was the first oldest recipient of the Academy Award (for Best Supporting Actor) for his role in The Sunshine Boys.

Robert Montgomery earned two Academy Award nominations for Night Must Fall and Here Comes Mr. Jordan.  Sadly, Tallulah was overlooked.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)

As writer Harry Street (Gregory Peck) lays gravely wounded from an African hunting accident he feverishly reflects on what he perceives as his failures at love and writing. Through his delirium he recalls his one true love Cynthia Green (Ava Gardner) who he lost by his obsession for roaming the world in search of stories for his novels. Though she is dead Cynthia continues to haunt Street's thoughts. In spite of one successful novel after another, Street feels he has compromised his talent to ensure the success of his books, making him a failure in his eyes. His neglected wife Helen (Susan Hayward) tends to his wounds, listens to his ranting, endures his talk of lost loves, and tries to restore in him the will to fight his illness until help arrives. Her devotion to him makes him finally realize that he is not a failure. With his realization of a chance for love and happiness with Helen, he regains his will to live. – Review from IMDb

Producer Darryl Zanuck and screenwriter Casey Robinson were huge Hemingway fans. Though most Hemingway adaptations failed onscreen, they were determined to create the ultimate expression Hemingway's work and life with this screenplay. Taking the short story of Kilimanjaro, they also borrowed from Hemingway’s other (often autobiographical) novels to flesh out the character of Harry Street. The end result was reportedly not much to Hemingway’s liking. He reportedly told friend Ava Gardner the only things he liked about it were her and the hyena.


Though the storyline is pretty routine by today’s standards, it stands out as a thought provoking piece namely about waste. Waste of what little time we have reflecting or harping on things we cannot change and waste of potential we don’t live up to fully either out of laziness or fear. Gardner is wonderful in this film and was rightly propelled into stardom because of it.

Oscar trivia:

Gregory Peck was nominated five times in his career for Best Actor for his roles in The Keys of the Kingdom, The Yearling, Gentleman's Agreement, Twelve O'Clock High,  and To Kill a Mockingbird. He won the Best Actor Award for Mockingbird.

Ava Gardner was nomonated only once in her career for Best Actress for her role in Mogambo.

Susan Hayward was noninated five times in her career and won only one Best Actress Award. She was nominated for her roles in Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman, My Foolish Heart, With a Song in My Heart, I'll Cry Tomorrow, and won for her role in I Want to Live!.

Director Henry King was actually one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was nominated twice in his career for Best Director for The Song of Bernadette and Wilson.

Stars! They're just like us!

They lose their dime!

They watch lobsters break dance!

They paint!

They motor bike!

They tumble!

They play solitaire!

They fight for their right...

Stars! They're just like us!

They roll their own smokes!

They lunch!

They gamble!

They paint!

They sew!

They go to Disneyland!

Feeling Peckish :)>

The Valley of Decision (1945)

Mary Rafferty (Greer Garson) comes from a poor family of steel mill workers in 19th Century Pittsburgh. Her insufferable father, played by Lionel Barrymore (picture Mr. Potter on roids), was crippled by an accident in the mill and objects when she goes to work as a maid for the wealthy Scott family who controls the mill. When Mary catches the attention of the handsome Paul Scott (Gregory Peck), their romance is complicated by the conniving ways of Louise Kane (Jessica Tandy) who wants Paul for herself, Mary’s conscience over the social complications of their union, which is not at all relieved by her father who believes the Scotts are evil and is secretly planning a union strike against their mill.
A lovely film despite Barrymore’s overzealous crotchetiness, Greer Garson is a breath of fresh air in the gloomy background of a Pittsburgh mill. It was also exciting to see a young Jessica Tandy who played quite a witch in the film.

Designing Woman (1957)

Fast forward eleven years and fall into a smooth comedy featuring Lauren Bacall, Gregory Peck, Dolores Grey, and Tom Helmore. With shades of Woman of the Year sans drama, Designing Woman is directed through first person narrative giving the viewer the perspective from the two main characters. Peck, a sportswriter and Bacall, a fashion designer find they have a lot of adjusting to do when they marry in haste. Add in a little jealousy, a punchy ex-boxer, some minor threats from a mob boss and lots of beautiful dresses and you have a hilarious Minnelli comedy.

Spellbound (1945)

When the head of Green Manors mental asylum Dr. Murchison (Leo Carroll) is forced to retire after a breakdown, he is replaced by the young and handsome Dr. Edwardes (Gregory Peck), whom from day one holds the usually cold and efficient Dr. Petersen (Ingrid Bergman) enthralled. Is it his dashing good looks or is she destined to be spellbound for a more important purpose? Dr. Edwardes seems strange right off and before his second day has ended, Dr. Petersen has figured him out for an impostor. Determined to help “Dr. Edwardes” who she figures is a paranoid amnesiac with a guilt complex, Spellbound is full of suspense and breathtaking moments.
Though Vertigo still reigns supreme for me, I was quite impressed with the effects and usage of camera angles in this film (the image below, when played out, was quite disturbing) and recommend anyone who has not seen it to do so. Quite entertaining, especially the old school psychiatric lingo that always makes me giggle.

The Paradine Case (1948)

TCM is celebrating Gregory Peck every Monday this month. Most notably recognized for his role as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, I personally have never taken note of Peck's talent beyond his ability to perfect a quiet reserve until now. I caught a bit of The Paradine Case a few weeks back and made a note to record it when it came on again.

The last of Hitchcock's films under his contract with David O. Selznick, The Paradine Case cannot really be described as a thriller, though it does have some tense moments and is completely enthralling. A story similar to Anatomy of a Murder, the viewer is not quite sure whether the accused is guilty or not. Ms. Paradine (Alida Valli), held on the charge that she murdered her husband, the blinded war hero Colonel Paradine, is in need of a good lawyer to avoid the hangman's rope. The family solicitor, Sir Simon Flaquer (Charles Coburn) recommends his friend Anthony Keane (Gregory Peck). Keane, a happily married man is instantly taken with Ms. Paradine. Despite her patience and strength, Keane is keen to ride to her rescue. Though she admits to having had several dalliances in the past, he concludes she's simply a victim of her own beauty and defies anyone who puts her down. He is so convinced of her innocence, he is willing to sacrifice his marriage and career to save her. Meanwhile, his equally patient and strong wife Gay (Ann Todd) encourages him to stick with the case and prays that Ms. Paradine is freed from the charges so that she may fight for her husband on even grounds.

In short, The Paradine Case, though not one of Hitchcock's most thrilling or suspenseful films, is still quite entertaining. Without giving anymore of the movie away, I would like to mention that Charles Laughton colors the film by playing a particularly slimy character with his ever suffering wife played by Ethel Barrymore.

It's also a good example of how silly I am to have not seen more of Gregory Peck until now. (Insert girlfan sigh here)

Tonight on TCM!
Check out Gregory Peck and Greer Garson in The Valley of Decision! It's quite good!