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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

FAVORITE FILMS

Recently a question was asked by a fellow member of the RWA Kiss of Death chapter about a scene from a movie whose title she couldn’t remember. The scene was at a funeral where a man enters, goes up to the casket and sticks a pin in the dead man. Three of us immediately e-mailed the right answer. It was from CHARADE starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Since we have a DVD of the movie, it inspired us to watch it again that night.

Then yesterday one of the blogs I follow asked readers about their favorite old films that they’ve watched more than once. Those incidents, combined with the visit of a young relative, results in this blog post.

The young man who visited us last weekend is 26, has been to college and served in Iraq, not a clueless teenager. But he didn’t know who many famous movie stars of the past were, including Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart. He did know the name of Marilyn Monroe and we took him to Palm Springs for lunch so we could visit the twenty-one foot statue of Marilyn recently erected there.

Each evening we showed him an old movie from our collection: SOME LIKE IT HOT, RUTHLESS PEOPLE, and THE BIG COUNTRY (The latter is, in my opinion, the best Western ever made and stars Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston.) He loved all of them.

But it occurred to me that part of our culture is being lost. Many events and lines of dialogue from these old films became part of our shared experience. And one had only to say a few words to make a connection to another person’s memory.

The obvious one is “Frankly, my dear, I don‘t give a damn,” the almost last line from GONE WITH THE WIND. Another is “Rosebud” from CITIZEN KANE. One of the funniest is “Nobody’s perfect” from SOME LIKE IT HOT, when Jack Lemmon tells Joe E. Brown he’s a man. A Bogie fan, I loved his lines from THE MALTESE FALCON, such as “I’m sending you over,” and, “It’s the stuff dreams are made of.” CASABLANCA gave us “Play it again, Sam,” and “We’ll always have Paris.” To say nothing of the fabulous chariot race in BEN HUR.

Of course, it’s possible I’m just old, but I urge everyone who didn’t recognize these scenes, to join Netflix and rent those old movies--and lots of others. You won’t regret it.

14 comments:

  1. I think that movies have become part of the everyday fabric of our lives. Just like the books we read - our movie buddies become familiar faces we watch over and over like "comfort food for the mind." I work in a large business and spend most of my day on the phone resolving customer issues, at 58, I know that I'm a good decade or two older than a lot of my co-workers but good grief!!! A few weeks ago after a particularly busy day, I walked away from my desk at break time, remarking as I passed my friend, Marco, a young father in his 20s with a three year-old, "I've talked so much today my throat is getting scratchy." "Really," he replied, "how can you tell?" "Well," I said, "I started out trying to sound like Lauren Bacall, but ended up as Humphrey Bogart." "Who," he asked as his expression went blank. In dismay I realized my young friend had no idea who I was talking about. "I was trying to sound like the Princess and I ended up sounding like the Frog," I answered curtly." He grinned, "Oh, I gotta ya." He chuckled and went back to work and I fumed the rest of the afternoon. Princess, indeed - he only knew THAT because he has a three year-old!!

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    1. Melanie: Loved your story. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Hi Phyllis,

    My all time favorite movie is "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby. I also loved "The Bells of Saint Mary which, also starred him. (Can you tell I'm Catholic). Another was Funny Girl, with Barbara Streisand, Singing in the Rain, was AWESOME.

    I grew up wondering why everyone didn't sing all the time like they did in the movies.

    I also LOVED Jerry Lewis in anything, the Nutty Professor was my fav! Every time I think about his rabbit getting a sunburn, I still laugh! That don't make movies like this good anymore.

    Thanks for letting me shout about my blast from the past!
    Diane Kratz

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    1. Diane:
      I'm with you, especially on WHITE CHRISTMAS, FUNNY GIRL and SINGIN IN THE RAIN. We all ought to sing more. Thanks for the comment.

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  3. Love in the Afternoon with Gary Cooper and audrey Hepburn and Maurice Chevalier. Just classic and classy.

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    1. Shelley. I love Audrey Hepburn, but not Cooper so much. Peter O'Toole was better, in my opinion. Thanks for the comment.

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  4. Um, Phyllis, Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca. The line is "Play it, Sam." "Play it again, Sam" is from a Woody Allen film. BTW, I have the Casablanca shooting script. I checked to be sure I remembered the line right. I've only seen the film over 100 times. Guess you can call it my fav.

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    1. wow! I, too, have a shooting script from Casablanca -- took a screen writing class from Robert McKee. Casablanca has been a favorit of mine (even before I took the class). I took French in high school, and if you understand the works to La Marseillaise then that scene where they sing it in the cafe will give you chills.

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    2. Betsy and Terry:
      I actually knew that, but the "again" crept in when I wasn't looking. Thanks for the great comments.

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  5. You all are naming some great films. My favorite scene in White Christmas is Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen dancing to The Best Things Happen While You Dance. And I think next to How To Steal A Million, Love in the Afternoon is my favorite Audrey Hepburn film. I love Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve and The Palm Beach Story. How do people today get the references if they haven't seen the movies? I guess since I don't see today's films I'm as clueless to their references as they are to mine.

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  6. I love, love, love talking about old movies and movies in general. I watched The Birds with my 13-year-old daughter and she thought it was stupid. AACH! It's one of my favorites. I'll have to introduce her to some others. When she and I watched Psycho together she didn't think those "special" scenes (like when the p.i. is shoved backward down the stairs) was any big deal.

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    1. Anna and Patricia:
      Thanks for the comments. I, too, loved HOW TO STEAL A MILLION. We need more "caper" films.
      I raised four kids and 13 year olds think everything their parents like is stupid. They get over it.

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  7. Oh, don't get me started on favorite films. Holiday Inn, which is the FIRST time Bing sang "White Christmas" and which contains one of the best lines ever written about orchids ("No, no--loose! Looking like they don't care!"). Miracle on 34th Street. In Harm's Way and Operation Pacific with John Wayne and Patricia Neal. Now Voyager. The Way We Were. I could go on forever! I am fortunate to have an aunt who is also a movie lover and who introduced me to many of the older movies.

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    1. Susie:
      I like your choices, especially NOW VOYAGER (in spite of the ugly hair style) and THE WAY WE WERE. Thanks so much for the comment.

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