"This was no boating accident!"

Wednesday night, June 24, 2015, I went to see "Jaws" (1975) on the big screen.

I remember the first time I saw this movie. It was the summer of 1975. That was the summer after my freshman year at college, when I couldn't get a summer job, because I attended college out of state, and every place I applied wanted someone who would work past the summer. That was the summer our summer stock show, for which I played violin in the orchestra, was "Fiddler on the Roof." That was the summer I got the best tan ever, because I had nothing else to do. That was the last summer my age was still in the teens (19).

I went to see this movie with Becky Teeter. At that time and place, when going to a movie, you needed to get there at least 30 minutes before it started, so you could get tickets before it sold out, and movies regularly sold out. As we were standing in line at the box office (a line which, when we entered, started at the opposite side of the building from the box office), I remember Becky saying, "I can't believe I'm paying $2.75 to get the s*** scared out of me." (I think it was $2.75, which was outrageous at the time. I'm pretty sure it was still under $3, and it may have been $2.50.)

It did scare the s*** out of both of us. I had read the book, and had become fond of Richard Dreyfuss as an actor, after having watched him at least 10 times in "American Graffiti." In the book, Richard's character, Matt Hooper, has an affair with Chief Brody's wife and gets eaten by the shark, when he goes into the water, inside the cage, to try to kill the animal. There is no affair in the movie, which I felt was a good thing. When the cage scene started, I got very nervous. I didn't want to see Richard Dreyfuss get eaten by the shark, so I covered my eyes through the entire scene. Becky kept pulling at my arms, whispering to me (as best she could whisper in this frantic moment) that the shark wasn't eating him and that he was getting away. What a relief that was!

Peter Benchley, the book's author, also co-wrote the screenplay and had a cameo as a TV reporter, so I'm sure he approved of the changes. John Williams wrote the music, which greatly contributed to the suspense. I don't think Steven Spielberg has ever collaborated with any other composer, which has probably been a great thing for both of them. I bought the soundtrack on LP. I remember playing it for a fellow music major at college, the guy who sort of ran the campus radio station. He was not impressed. His first comment was, "It's Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. He stole the concept from Stravinsky." At the time, I was not familiar with Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," but I did eventually listen to it and fell in love with it. I could hear the "plagiarism" my fellow music major had mentioned, but it wasn't a total copy, and I don't think Stravinsky's work was copyrighted.

While "Jaws" is a movie I recommend, I realize that, as far as special effects go, it's a dinosaur of a film, so those who take CGI for granted could turn up their noses at it. However, it does maintain a good old-fashioned scare vibe, the acting is really good, the score is truly a part of the film, it's a great story, the camera work is superb, and it produced a few great quotes:

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

"That's some bad hat, Harry."

"This was no boating accident." (This one was used in "Stakeout" (1987), when Richard Dreyfuss's and Emilio Estevez's characters would take turns guessing what movie a quote came from. Emilio's character repeated this quote to Richard Dreyfuss's character, who actually said the line as Matt Hooper in "Jaws." Richard Dreyfuss's character couldn't guess what movie it was from.)

I don't think this movie will scare you enough to make you not go in the ocean, but, hopefully, it will give you goosebumps.

Happy Viewing,

Teah

The Ten Commandments

I don't think "The Ten Commandments" was the movie in which I first saw Charlton Heston, because I believe I first saw it on the big screen, in the mid-1970s, as a re-release. I remember that night quite vividly. I went with Gary Wilson. The movie touched us both so deeply, we couldn't stop talking about it afterwards. When we got to my house, we sat in my front yard, holding hands and praying, praising and thanking God for His commandments, for Moses, and for anything else in and about the movie that filled us with such joy. I should have married Gary Wilson. I still love him dearly. But our paths veered in different directions.

I will be watching tonight, on ABC, remembering that night I first saw it, and hoping to reignite the joy that filled my heart and soul, when I was a young and naive "Jesus freak." It's not very likely that today's teens will find anything about this film to be very exciting. Even so, I still joyfully and highly recommend it. It was released in 1956, the year I was born, so it was considered old, when I first saw it. Perhaps it was a 15-year anniversary showing that I saw, and I would have been 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. That would be about right. When you consider how much movies had changed in those 15 years, this movie would have seemed old in 1971. Hollywood had most recently brought us "Airport," "Five Easy Pieces," "Love Story," "M*A*S*H," "Patton," "A Clockwork Orange," "The French Connection," and "The Last Picture Show."

I remember a night, after I had seen "The Ten Commandments," when I saw another Charlton Heston movie being shown on TV, "Number One." In this film, he plays a has-been quarterback who turns to booze and women to try to solve his problems. My father warned me that it was not the kind of movie I was accustomed to seeing Charlton Heston in; that his character in this movie was not a good guy. I don't think I watched the movie all the way through; it was a bit too brash and worldly for my cloud 9 view of life. But it didn't thwart my desire to see more movies he was involved in.

So, if you're interested in seeing Charlton Heston on film, long before he was the President of the NRA or publicly embarrassed by Michael Moore in "Bowling for Columbine," here is my list of must-see, probably-should-see, and it-wouldn't-hurt-you-to-see films starring or featuring Charlton Heston, in chronological order, starting from the oldest:


"The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952) (Won the Academy Award for Best Picture and features Jimmy Stewart as a man who killed someone hiding out in the circus as a clown)

"Ruby Gentry" (1952) (He plays a bad boy who Jennifer Jones can't seem to resist)

"The Naked Jungle" (1954) (An early disaster film)

"The Ten Commandments" (1956) (He plays Moses)*

"Touch of Evil" (1958) (Directed by Orson Welles)*

"The Big Country" (1958) (Also starring Gregory Peck and Burl Ives)

"Ben-Hur" (1959) (Another Best Picture winner, for which he also won the Oscar)*

"El Cid" (1961) (I believe this was the first movie I saw him in)

"The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965) (where he gets away with playing Michelangelo, a much shorter man than he)

"Planet of the Apes" (1968)*

"The Omega Man" (1971) (He plays a man who might be the last man on earth)

"Soylent Green" (1973) ("It's people")*

"The Three Musketeers" (1973) and "The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge" (1974) (Two of my favorite movies, also starring Faye Dunaway and Oliver Reed)

"Airport 1975" (1974) and "Earthquake" (1975) (both part of the big disaster film craze of the 1970s)

*Now showing on Amazon Instant Video

In the 80s and 90s, he was seen more in TV movies, playing Long John Silver, Sir Thomas More, and Sherlock Holmes. He also played Jason Colby, in "Dynasty" and its spin-off, "The Colbys," as well as playing himself in "The Bold and the Beautiful." And he had cameo roles in "Tombstone" (1993) and "True Lies" (1994).

Charlton Heston died in 2008, after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, in 2002. He was married to the same woman for 64 years. His son, Fraser, is close to my age, as he plays the baby Moses in "The Ten Commandments." He is my favorite actor of all time. I admired him for his loyalty to his family, his morals, and his defense of civil rights. I think he was one of the last great actors from the days of studio bosses and contract players. I will always enjoy watching his films.

Until next time,
Teah

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

It has been said that people thought "Witness for the Prosecution" was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Indeed, it does have a Hitchcock vibe, but this one was co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, the brilliant man who won Oscars for writing and directing "The Lost Weekend" (1945), writing "Sunset Blvd" (1950), and for writing, directing, and producing "The Apartment" (1960) (the latter being one of my favorites).

"Witness for the Prosecution" stars Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester, all of whom were what might be considered today to be "box office magic." Tyrone Power was one of the most beautiful actors to have ever lived. Marlene Dietrich was brought to Hollywood from Germany, around 1930, just before she turned 30 years old. She has never appealed to me, though I do have a great respect for her acting; however, she seems to have a speech impediment similar to that of Elmer Fudd, which I find a bit comical, even when she's trying to be serious. Charles Laughton is one of the all-time greats, and he and Elsa Lanchester were married from 1929 until he died, in 1962. Elsa lived another 24 years and never remarried.

Another interesting tidbit about the movie is it's the last film Una O'Connor appeared in. Born in Ireland, Una was one of those what-they-called "character" actresses, in that she seemed to always play the same type of part. She made 84 films in 28 years. If you'd like to catch some of her seemingly redundant performances, I recommend "The Invisible Man" (1933), "David Copperfield" (1935), "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), "Random Harvest" (1942), "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945), and "The Bells of St. Mary's" (1945), Una was never nominated for an Oscar.

This was also the last movie for Tyrone Power, who died of a heart attack, shortly after the movie was released. Tyrone never was nominated for an Oscar, either. Charles Laughton was nominated for his performance, as well as his wonderful performance of Captain Bligh in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935), but he didn't win for either role. He did win for his performance of Henry the VIII in "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933), which also starred his wife, Elsa. Elsa was nominated for her performance in "Witness", as well as her great performance in "Come to the Stable " (1949), but she didn't win. The winners that year were Alec Guiness, for "The Bridge on the River Kwai," and Miyoshi Uneki, for "Sayonara."

If you're new to this blog, you'll notice I don't provide plot summaries or synopses. I just tell you whether or not I recommend a movie. I do recommend "Witness for the Prosecution," not only for the great performances, great screenplay, and great director, but for the wonderful twist at the end, thanks to Agatha Christie, who wrote the short story on which the play, and then this movie, are based.

Until next time,
Teah

What's Wrong with "The Santa Clause"

I first saw this movie in the theatre, with a friend from work and my son, who was almost 12 years old. I was traumatized, and vowed never to watch it again. Well, I have watched it several times since that vow, hoping to get a different (or better) perspective of the plot, but, it turns out, I get a different thing to be annoyed by, with each viewing. Perhaps I should just give up and stick to my vow to not watch it again, but I'm hoping that blogging about what's wrong with it might help me to be more understanding of the film.

I was initially traumatized by the idea that the married parent and step-parent were the better option for the kid, because the single parent was a dreamer with his head in the clouds and completely detached from reality. At the time, I was that single parent with my head in the clouds, and I felt my son's stepmother was viewed as the better mother. During my first viewing of the film, this idea was all I could think about, and it defined my first impression of the film.

During subsequent viewings, I was less traumatized by what initially bothered me and more irritated by how annoying the kid was. He vacillated between being really smart and really stupid. For example, he invented all these brilliant safety features and gadgets for Santa's sleigh, yet he thought being incredibly vocal about his dad being Santa Claus would actually help his situation. Another thing that happened as a result of this movie, which completely annoys me, to this day, is that people somehow thought that the proper spelling of his name was Santa Clause (with an "e" at the end).

I am watching this movie right now. I think this is maybe my fifth or sixth viewing. I really love the story and the way it answers all the questions surrounding the idea of Santa Claus and how he has been able to live for so long and get the job done every year. I love the ending, when the doubting parents get the presents they never got as children. But the kid still totally annoys me. Honestly, his obsession with Santa does seem too obsessive. He certainly calms down by the time "The Santa Clause 2" and "The Santa Clause 3" come around, and I enjoy both sequels much more than the original.

In the end, blogging about it has helped me release some steam, but it hasn't helped me to enjoy the first movie any better. I still have my head in the clouds, I still believe in Santa Claus, and I think I would love to be Mrs. Claus. However, I don't think I will ever completely enjoy "The Santa Clause".

Merry Christmas, one and all!
Teah

Oliver! (Reed)

This is a still of Oliver Reed from "The Three Musketeers" (1973), which is, I believe, the first movie I saw him in.  One of my best friends in high school had a huge crush on Michael York, and she wanted me to see this movie with her, so she could show me what a hunk he was.  I'm always up for a movie, so I agreed to go along.  She was poking me and whispering, "There he is!  There he is!", as soon as the movie started.  Yes, he was really a hunk, and, as I continued watching, I was delighted to see other actors I loved, Richard Chamberlain and Charlton Heston.  However, I left this first viewing with an admiration for Faye Dunaway, and a solid infatuation for Oliver Reed.

A side effect of seeing the film, for me, was a desire to read the book, by Alexandre Dumas.  Athos, Oliver Reed's character, had already become my favorite Musketeer, and the book just solidified that.  I loved the book so much, that I sought out other novels by Dumas, and read "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Man in the Iron Mask".  Then, I was first in line to see any movie adaptations of any Alexandre Dumas story.  There were several "Three Musketeers" movies before and after the 1973 version, but the 1973 version remains my favorite, and Oliver Reed's performance remains my favorite Athos.

Back in the 1970s, there was no Internet or social media, so being obsessed with a celebrity only went as far as plastering photos all over a bedroom wall and watching every movie and TV appearance of the object of obsession.  The entertainment media was also quite tame, so any information about a celebrity's personal life was limited to what the celebrity's press agent wanted you to know.  Sure, some scandals occasionally leaked out, but most celebrities were presented in a positive light.  So, it wasn't until after he died that I learned about Oliver Reed's storied life.

He was incredibly outspoken and had a voracious appetite for alcohol and fighting.  In order to make a sort of comeback with "Gladiator", he remained sober during the majority of filming.  However, he decided to go on a binge, shortly before filming concluded, and died of a heart attack.  It is said, the night he died, he drank three bottles of Captain Morgan's Jamaican rum, eight bottles of German beer, numerous doubles of Famous Grouse whiskey and Hennessy cognac, and beat five much younger Royal Navy sailors at arm-wrestling.  WOW!

His personal quotes are candid and to the point.  Throughout November, I will be sharing a quote a day on my Facebook group page, which is open for anyone to join.  Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/classicmovieblog/

And here's a list of Oliver Reed movies I highly recommend:

I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), the first movie to use the "F" word
Oliver! (1968), the best performance of Bill Sikes
Women in Love (1969), first mainstream movie with full frontal male nudity
The Three Musketeers (1973)
The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)
Tommy (1975), in which he sings(!)
Burnt Offerings (1976)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
The House of Usher (1989)
The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
Gladiator (2000)

Guest Programmer

Every month, Turner Classic Movies invites a Guest Programmer (usually an actor or actress, or other qualifying "celebrity"), to choose four movies from the TCM catalog to share.  The guest will then talk about these four movies with Robert Osborne.  Recently, I have been thinking about what four movies I would choose, if I were ever asked to share four movies with an audience.  There are hundreds of movies that I absolutely love and warrant inclusion.  I decided to limit it to movies released in the 1970s.  Even after this first "whittling down", dozens of movies kept coming to mind that I would want to include.  After much deliberation, here are the four movies I would choose, and why:

My first pick is a no brainer (for me).  Whenever I am asked to name my favorite movie of all time, I always say "American Graffiti" (1973).  I believe I first saw this movie in Emporia, Kansas, when I tagged along as my parents took my older brother to Emporia State University (and I was also checking out the music department and auditioning for a possible music scholarship).  This movie came into my life at a time when I was completely identifying with the characters on screen.  I wanted to turn the clock back 11 years and live the way they were living in 1962.  When I got back home, I saw the movie again and again, taking with me (one at a time), anyone who was willing to go.  The last time I saw it in the theatre was during my Freshman year in college.  I believe that was the 11th time I had seen it.  In the late 70s, when movies started being released on video, and cable TV became all the rage, I had the opportunity to view it over and over again.  Six years later, I was first in line to see "More American Graffiti".  I remember sensing that nobody else in the theatre felt the kinship with these characters that I did. These characters had become part of my family, my dear friends.  This movie came out at a time in my life that I needed to feel a part of something.  My family unit was separating, I was preparing for my last year of high school and feeling pressure to make a decision about college, and my self esteem was not as positive as it should have been.

My second film is "Kotch" (1971).  This was the first time I had seen Walter Matthau, and I actually thought he was as old as the character he played.  My main reason for choosing "Kotch" is that I have yet to meet anyone born after 1970 who has even heard of this movie, and it is actually more relevant today, when the Baby Boomer generation are becoming senior citizens, than it was, when it was first released.  It's also the only movie to be directed by Jack Lemmon.  It's labeled as a comedy, but, while it IS funny, it is also quite heartbreaking, at times.  When a movie becomes a favorite of mine, it becomes part of my family, and I immediately want to introduce the rest of my family and all my friends to it.  If I were to ever be given the opportunity to pick four of these family members to share with others, I would be tickled pink.  I cannot express in words how giddy I get at the thought of sharing a movie with someone who has never seen it before.  I am not able to personally share "Kotch" with pretty much anyone reading this blog post, but I think everyone reading this blog post should watch it and tell me here how you felt after watching it.  Next to sharing films with those who have not seen them, I love discussing films with those who have just watched them.

 Pick three ... "The Three Musketeers" (1973).  One of my friends, who was insanely in love with Michael York, asked me to go see this movie with her, because I didn't know who Michael York was.  (For you youngsters, he played Basil Exposition in the Austin Powers movies.)  While I did agree with my friend that Michael York was, indeed, quite handsome, I came away from the first viewing in love with Oliver Reed.  So, my main reason for choosing "The Three Musketeers" is to introduce everyone to Oliver Reed.  Because of his performance, Athos became my favorite musketeer, I read the book, which became my favorite book of all time, Alexandre Dumas became my favorite author of all time, and I began reading his other books.  Oliver Reed's portrayal of Athos remains my favorite, to this day.  "The Four Musketeers" (1974) was actually filmed at the same time as "The Three Musketeers", and it is said that the actors thought they were making just one movie, and they were supposedly surprised, when it was split into two films, released a year apart.  In addition to Oliver Reed and Michael York, this film also featured Richard Chamberlain and Charlton Heston, two actors I was already quite fond of, and Faye Dunaway, whom I believe I was seeing on screen for the first time, and who quickly became my favorite actress in the world.  Finally, all three musketeers movies (there was a third movie, "The Return of the Musketeers", released in 1989), were directed by Richard Lester, who directed "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!".  If I had a second opportunity to share four films, I would most likely choose these three "musketeers" movies, and then add "Oliver!", in which Oliver Reed plays Bill Sikes.

My final pick is "The Turning Point" (1977).  I first went to see this movie because it was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  I believe 1977 was the first year I thought I'd enjoy watching the Oscars more, if I at least saw the five pictures nominated for Best Picture.  I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, at the time, and I later discovered that one of the girls in my dorm knew Leslie Browne, who was the ballerina in the film.  I don't remember, now, how she knew her, but it made the movie seem more familiar.  For the awards, it was up against "Annie Hall", "The Goodbye Girl", "Julia", and "Star Wars" ("Annie Hall" won), but it was my favorite, that year.  After seeing it for the first time, I wanted to see it again, and images from the film stayed with me for days.  The ballet scenes were gorgeous (as was Mikhail Baryshnekov), and Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine were so believable as two formerly competitive ballerinas that took different paths in life.  I have been in that place where I had a huge blowout with my best friend and didn't speak to her for years, then, when I saw her again, years later, we behaved as if nothing horrible had happened.  The relationships between all the characters in this film are fascinating.  A few days ago, I watched a performance of Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet".  I had never seen the ballet before, nor, to my knowledge, had I ever listened to the music.  However, during the Pas de deux, the music was hauntingly familiar.  Later, I looked up the piece and discovered that this was the music playing during a love scene in "The Turning Point".

So, those are my four picks.  I'd love to know yours!

Teah

Gene vs. Fred

 

I adore Fred Astaire, so I'm a bit embarrassed to report that I saw "Royal Wedding" today for the first time. While watching, I remembered that I had an idea a while ago to compare Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. The same year "Royal Wedding" came out, Gene Kelly presented "An American in Paris", which won the Academy Award for Best Picture that year, and is one of my least favorite best picture winners. There's just something about Gene Kelly that I don't like. He seems arrogant and a know-it-all, perhaps a bit narcissistic. In an interview with TCM's Robert Osborne, Liza Minnelli was asked to compare the two dancers, since she grew up on the MGM lot. I love her description. She stated that, when you watch Gene Kelly dance, you come away with the feeling that it was a wonderful dance number, impeccably produced; when you watch Fred Astaire, you feel like he is making it up as he goes along. What a great way to describe Fred. That is exactly how I feel about every dance number I've seen him perform. He can also play a cad, a totally unlikable character, and still have you smiling with his dance numbers. I'm thinking of "Holiday Inn", where his character treats Bing Crosby's character horribly, stealing every woman Bing cares about, but then does a 4th of July tap dance with firecrackers that just blows everyone away!

In "Royal Wedding", Fred dances with a coat rack and defies gravity by dancing around his hotel room vertically. In "An American in Paris", Gene performs a 20-minute ballet at the end of the movie that's one of the most boring things I have ever seen. It doesn't really have anything to do with the story line ... he wanted to do the ballet, so he had to come up with a story that would draw the audience in to see the ballet. I don't believe the story is Oscar worthy.

Another great movie featuring Fred Astaire, when he was feeling washed up as a performer, is "The Band Wagon". In this film, Fred starts off with a great tap number and has a beautiful dance with Cyd Charisse, to "Dancing in the Dark".

If you even remotely like musicals, you must check out a few Fred Astaire movies. Be sure to include a couple of films he did with Ginger Rogers ... I'll talk about her some other time.