Caftan Woman: Movie Memories on the Lake Shore

All this month, the Cafe is celebrating "movie-watching memories." Today's guest post is by Caftan Woman, who blogs about classic films and life. Click here to visit her blog. You can also follow her on Twitter via @CaftanWoman.

Henry Fonda in My Darling
Clementine.

The XL Laundromat on Lake Shore Boulevard is about as far away from a movie palace as you can imagine, yet that is where the memories I relate today all happened. It’s been about three years since the owner, Gyeong, put in a big television. Kiddie programs help keep the little ones calm that are there with their mom or dad. Many of the Lake Shore inhabitants seem to get a kick out of Jerry Springer. Whenever I show up, especially if the place isn’t too busy, Gyeong always switches the channel to TCM. I’m not sure when it first started. It may have something to do with the time I almost came to blows with the heavy set fellow who spoke disparagingly about My Darling Clementine. I choose my fights well.

Occasionally Gyeong’s husband puts in an appearance at the shop. He always looks stern and he never speaks to any of the customers, only to his wife in Korean. One day when TCM was airing Sea of Grass, the “mister” smiled at me and nodded. “Katharine Hepburn,” he said. I smiled back. Did you know that it is not music, but the Connecticut gal who is the international language?

A dreadful day last autumn. A day when I could no longer put off doing the laundry. Iron grey clouds, a biting wind off Lake Ontario and a drizzly rain that intermittently showed the strength of a downpour. I filled the bundle buggy and imagined myself a pioneer braving the elements. Six city blocks to the laundromat doesn’t really compare to a barren prairie or dangerous forest, but we do what we can to get through the day. I picked up my Lake Shore breakfast of coffee and lottery tickets at the 7-11 and settled in for The White Cliffs of Dover, the Clarence Brown directed movie of Alice Deur Miller’s poem about love and loss between the wars. The one other customer, a girl of about 20, yet trying to look older, exclaimed: “Hey, do you know that’s Black and White?” Gyeong said: “Good movie. You watch.”

I sipped my coffee and worked on my continuing efforts to become nonjudgmental. I told myself not to judge bad dye jobs. The only reason Caftan Woman has “embraced her emerging silver tresses” is because she is too lazy to dye her hair. At least others are making an effort. I must remind myself there is nothing wrong with a tattoo. The fact that I relate tatoos to the line-man who was our neighbour when I was a kid and to the roustabout who would stay with us when the carnival hit town at the end of the summer…well, that was a different time. Besides, unicorns are whimsical.

Our laundry companion tried to spend some smoking time in the parking lot, but the weather drove her back inside where she accepted Gyeong’s offer of a cup of soup and sat quietly while the movie went on. A couple of times, she chuckled or made a comment on some character’s behavior. She asked about the time the story was set it. I briefly outlined WWI, pointing out that a couple of blocks away was a parkette named Vimy Ridge for a battle fought by Canadians in that war. She’d always wondered what that meant.

I was ready to leave before the end of the movie and as I packed up our young friend asked: “What’s her name?”

“She’s Irene Dunne,” I said. "She’s not always in sad movies, she can be very funny too, and she sings like an angel.”

My tattooed friend smiled and her voice had a mixture of wonder and admiration when she said: “She must be what they mean when they say someone is a real lady.”

Gyeong patted her on the back and said: “Good movie. You watch.”

The Five Best Movies About Nuns

There are a number of memorable films about nuns or featuring nuns in prominent roles. They include warbling nuns (e.g., The Sound of Music, The Singing Nun, Airport 1975), maternal nuns (The Trouble With Angels), and nuns who play sports (Come to the Stables, The Bells of St. Mary's). There are serious films (Black Narcissus, The Nun's Story), comedies (Bedazzled), and biographies (Song of Bernadette, Therese). There's even an Elvis Presely movie with nuns (Change of Habit). Of course, one must be careful in listing nun movies, because in some cases the nuns turned out not to be nuns at all (Two Mules for Sister Sara). The list below is limited to films from the classic era only. As with all the "Five Best" lists, recommended additions are welcomed!

Sister Ruth, not looking like a nun here,
approaching the bells.

1.  Black Narcissus - This Powell & Pressberger masterpiece stars Deborah Kerr as a nun sent to a remote village in the Himalayas to start a hospital and a school. A thematically rich film, it features brilliant performances and is enhanced by the most glorious color photography ever captured on celluloid.

2.  Lilies of the Field - A group of German nuns in a small Arizona town convince a wanderer (Sidney Poitier) to do a roof repair—which eventually results in him building a chapel for them. Yes, Poitier won the Oscar for this and he’s terrific—but he’s matched by Lilia Skala as the Mother Superior. The language difference is the source of much unexpected humor. This is a lovely little film about faith and perseverance.

Ingrid Bergman earned a Best Actress
nomintation for her performance.

3.  The Bells of St. Mary’s - Bing Crosby recreated his Oscar-winning role as Father O’Malley (“Just dial ‘O’ for O’Malley”) in this sequel to Going My Way. But this film belongs to Ingrid Bergman, who anchors it with her captivating, warm performance as Sister Mary Benedict. It’s an incredibly natural performance and her climatic scene with Crosby may be Ingrid’s finest moment on film.

4.  Come to the Stable - Loretta Young and Celeste Holm play French nuns who settle in the New England town of Bethlehem with the goal of building a children’s hospital—but they have no money, no land, and no one to help. A charming film that works its magic in subtle ways, even if the outcome is never in doubt.

Audrey Hepburn was also
nominated for Best Actress.

5.  The Nun’s Story - Aubrey Hepburn gives one of her best performances in this tale of the hardships faced by a young nun. The heart of the film takes place in the Belgian Congo, where Sister Luke assists a physician (Peter Finch) in treating lepers. However, it’s the opening and closing scenes that linger the longest with me.


Honorable Mentions: The Sound of Music (a culture phenomenon in the 1960s...it played for my hometown for a year!); The Trouble With Angels (with Rosalind Russell plays Mother Superior of a girls’ boarding girl and Hayley Mills as the resident troublemaker, and Bedazzled (with Dudley Moore as a nun).

A Life in (Front of) Movies

All this month, the Cafe will celebrate "movie-watching memories." Today's guest post is by Michael Nazarewycz who writes several personal blogs about films from all eras. Click here to check out Michael's blogs. Michael is also an Editorial Contributor at www.ManILoveFilms.com. His daily method of communication with his fellow film-lovers is via Twitter @ScribeHard.

James Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life.

My first-ever favorite actor was Jimmy Stewart. I’ll get to why later.

Jimmy Stewart—he of It’s A Wonderful Life and The Philadelphia Story and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and more classics than I have italics—was once quoted by Peter Bogdanovich as having said the following:

"An’ that’s the thing—that’s the great thing about the movies…After you learn—and if you’re good and Gawd helps ya and you’re lucky enough to have a personality that comes across—then what you’re doing is…you’re giving people little…little, tiny pieces of time…that they never forget.”

God bless Jimmy Stewart.

And he was more right than he realized. Not only are the movies little tiny pieces of time that we never forget, the movies are little tiny pieces of time that we live through. When we watch movies, we aren’t just bearing witness to history, we’re making history of our own—through decisions and events and circumstances that take place as part of the overall moviegoing experience. In fact, many of us can probably construct a timeline of our lives using all of those Little Pieces.

My timeline begins in 1974, at the Route 202 Drive-in theater in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I’m in my jammies and in the back seat of a gigantic Ford Thunderbird (and really, were there any small Thunderbirds in the early '70s?). The night’s double feature begins with Herbie Rides Again. I fall asleep during intermission and never get to see what the grown-ups watch.

Crowds lined up for Star Wars.

Fast-forward to 1977 and the Eric Theater at Tri-State Mall in Claymont, Delaware. The film is Star Wars, and in all of my visits to that mall—whether to see a movie or to get a brand new pair of Buster Browns (from the Shoe Boat, of course)—I’ve never seen a line at the mall’s theater so long. It’s my first event movie before such a phrase even existed.

Now, sometimes the memories of childhood are like the closets of childhood: messy to the point that you know what you are looking for is there, but you simply can’t find it and really wish you could.

Montgomery and Loy in
Petticoat Fever.

The next few years of my life are joyfully cluttered with Little Pieces, including Saturday horror on Creature Double Feature; some new-fangled television system called “cable,” which has entire channels that show nothing but movies (perhaps you’ve heard of it); and the Million Dollar Movie, where I watch my first old movie (if you don’t include those annual, network prime-time airings of such greats as The Wizard of Oz and The Ten Commandments). It’s a forgettable 1936 effort called Petticoat Fever, starring Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy. Only it isn’t forgettable. I remember it. Well, at least I remember having watched it. It has since played on TCM, and I’ve recorded it, but I’m too attached to the perfection of the memory of watching my first old movie to risk spoiling that memory’s perfection with the film’s potential mediocrity.

Now it’s 1982, and I’m an 8th-grader at Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary School. I’m in the auditorium for what will be the last time my friends wheel in a projector and play Free to Be, You and Me for the entire school. I’ve seen the thing a half-dozen times, but never with the weight of an era’s end hanging around my neck. I’m devastated to have to say goodbye to the babies one last time.

It’s 1984, and I watch my first ... hmm. Let’s just say that for as much as my memory fails me about Petticoat Fever, it fails me not when it comes to my first adult film. That night could be a column unto itself.

The Little Pieces Timeline continues to build and build, and behind every movie is a story of what happens around seeing the movie. And for every memory I share here, there are dozens I keep to myself not to horde them, but because I have to stop typing at some point. But please know I want to share them all.

An engagement ring
hiding place!

They range from the Little Piece about my first VHS purchase (Lethal Weapon) to the Little Piece about hiding my wife’s engagement ring under a VHS copy of the first movie we saw together in the theater (Sleepless in Seattle), to the Little Piece about working at a video store, to the Little Piece about being an online film critic, to the Little Piece about crying with my kids at the end of certain films.

To the Little Piece. To the Little Piece. To the Little Piece. Until finally I have a fully-developed (yet far from complete) Little Pieces Timeline that rests with this Little Piece right now, my revisitation with you of some of my Little Pieces of Time.

Which brings us back to Jimmy Stewart, and the promise I made in the open that I would explain why he was my first-ever favorite actor.

It’s the Little Piece about my grandfather.

At some point in that big messy closet of my memory, my grandfather introduced me to and schooled me on the music of the Big Bands of his youth; in particular, the sounds of Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. With that education came repeated viewings of The Glenn Miller Story, starring Jimmy Stewart. It was through Stewart as Miller that my grandfather and I began a movie-based bond that ended not when he died, but when he was buried.

The VHS cover for The
Glenn Miller Story.

You see, the Little Piece about my grandfather is not about watching the movie with him, but about the VHS copy of The Glenn Miller Story that I bought him one year for his birthday, that we would revisit on occasion, and that I placed in his casket the day he was buried.

Between you and me, that’s a big Little Piece.

So, with one clever phrase, my first-ever favorite actor summarized my movie-going life in a way 1,000 or 10,000 or 100,000 words never could.

God bless Jimmy Stewart and his Little Pieces of Time.

Why "Halloween" Made Me Nauseous—It’s Not What You Think!

A BEMAD ad from the Indiana
Daily Student newspaper.

The only thing that can rival the joy of watching a movie with a few close friends is showing a movie to a few hundred strangers. Of course, these are very different experiences. One is about sharing one’s love of movies. The other is about putting on a show!

When I was a junior at Indiana University in the late 1970s, four friends and I formed an organization that showed movies to raise money for our dorm floor. Using the first letter of each of our last names, we called our group BEMAD Productions. BEMAD showed 16mm films at various locations on the Bloomington campus, charging from $1 to $1.50 per student. Our eclectic choice of films included: The Pink Panther; Start the Revolution Without Me; Fellini’s Casanova; Enter the Dragon; Horror of Dracula; and several of the James Bond films. Our biggest hit—prior to 1980—was a Halloween night showing of Night of the Living Dead.

Most show biz stories center on a tenacious rivalry and this one is no exception. The largest film-showing organization on campus was called the Union Board. It received funds from each student as part of a required “activity fee.” As a result, Union Board was well funded and could afford to show the most current 16mm film releases, which sometimes cost as much as $425 for a one-day rental (vs. 50% of the gross profits). BEMAD, which covered its own expenses, couldn’t compete with those exorbitant prices. Furthermore, Union Board got first dibs on current releases because it booked so many films with the 16mm rental companies.

However, things changed in the spring of 1980. Due to graduations, BEMAD’s active members had dwindled to three of us. We only showed films on an occasional basis and donated our profits to the Film Studies Office in the Comparative Literature Department. Terry, BEMAD’s “booker” extraordinaire, had cultivated strong relationships with several of the rental companies. So, one of them contacted Terry when John Carpenter’s Halloween was released on 16mm. Since Union Board’s schedule for the semester was already set, Halloween was available—but at a cost of $500 for a two-day rental vs. 50% of the profits.

The temptation to “scoop” Union Board was great, but the cost seemed prohibitive. We were particularly concerned with showing Halloween in March instead of October—especially since it had played theatrically for a long time at the Princess Theatre, Bloomington’s $1 movie house. That’s when the film company’s rep suggested that we just put the rental on a credit card. We wouldn’t have to pay anything upfront—and surely we’d make more than $500 to cover the cost. The only problem was that, as poor college students, we didn’t have a credit card.

I did, however, have my father’s credit card…which he gave me for use in an emergency. Didn’t the chance to be the first campus organization to show Halloween qualify as “an emergency”? Besides, I wouldn’t even have to tell Dad because the credit card wouldn’t be charged unless we failed to make $500—and that would never happen!

Everything went smoothly prior to the big night. We booked an auditorium in the Business Building. Advertised in the Indiana Daily Student newspaper. Put up 200 flyers all over campus. Procured two projectors. Got a roll of tickets and money for the till.

By 6:30 on Friday night, we were all set up and ready to reap in huge profits. Twenty minutes prior to the first show time—when patrons usually started to drift in—no one was there. At 6:50, I peered into the auditorium and counted about a dozen people. I sat down on the steps of the projection booth as a wave of nausea washed over me. I envisioned myself explaining to Dad how I had spent $500 on a movie rental using his credit card—and lost about $400! How could I have possibly placed myself in such a horrible, embarrassing situation?

And then…people started to arrive…in big bunches. By 7:05, the auditorium was full and John Carpenter’s eerie music was playing over the credits. We sold out almost every show at the 7, 9, and 11 PM showings on Friday and repeated the feat on Saturday. I don’t even remember how much we made, but it was more than enough to cover the full rental cost and allow for a generous donation to the Film Studies Office.

My friend Terry (right) told our Halloween
story to John Carpenter many years later.

I still keep in touch with three of my BEMAD pals. Often, when we start reminiscing, we ramble on for hours about the time we borrowed a coffin to promote Night of the Living Dead or the blizzard that provided a captive audience for The Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D or the time the projectionist (me) watched the flick as the film unraveled on the floor instead of onto the take-up reel. Today, I can even reflect fondly on the night that Halloween made me nauseous.

Ante Meridiem Theatre: “The Fly” (1958)

Ante Meridiem Theatre is a new feature at the Cafe to focus on those movies that, years ago, would crop up on TV in the wee hours of the morning, when you were only partially awake, and right before the network turned to snow.
A night watchman at a factory finds a woman standing next to a hydraulic press and a crushed body. The woman, Helene (Patricia Owens), flees and later calls her brother-in-law, Francois (Vincent Price), to tell him that she’s killed her husband (and Francois’ brother), Andre. Francois is initially skeptical but his brother’s death is quickly confirmed and made all the more confusing when Helene claims that she operated the press but Andre had lain his head and arm under the machine. Francois and Inspector Charas (Herbert Marshall) find Andre’s laboratory (a madman’s lab, according to Francois), and Helene is seemingly obsessed with flies and becomes hysterical when her nurse swats one of the insects. Eventually, Helene tells the story of Andre (David Hedison), who had invented a device capable of transporting matter, suitably titled the Disintegrator-Integrator. His invention is successful, but one day, he locks the lab door. Slipping notes under the door, Andre informs his wife that he cannot speak and that he needs her help, though she must promise to not look at him. Inside, Andre’s head and face are covered by a cloak, and he keeps his left hand hidden. Helene must find a specific fly, one with a white head, for Andre to correct the ghastly accident which occurred when he transported himself -- not realizing that a fly was in the machine with him.

When I was younger, some of the local cable channels would show numerous horror and sci-fi films late at night and into the early morning hours. Vincent Price was the star of many of these movies, and my brother and I were huge fans, my brother filling a stack of VHS tapes with Vincent Price films. Some our favorites were House of Wax (1953), The Last Man on Earth (1964), and the Dr. Phibes movies (1971-72). Kurt Neumann’s The Fly (1958) is perhaps not the best film to watch for Price fanatics, as over half of the film is Helene’s flashback, in which Price’s character, Francois, only appears in a couple of segments. But despite Price as a supporting character, the actor’s presence has made The Fly a Vincent Price movie.
The Fly is a superb film, and its structure works wonderfully. Rather than open with the genesis of a scientist’s creation, it starts with the aftermath, the shocking image of Helene -- in a dress and with her hair up -- standing next to a bloody body. The first act of the movie consists of Francois and the inspector investigating the crime scene and Andre’s lab, while Helene provides only a few details. The flashback slowly and effectively builds to the accident and invariable reveal of Andre’s new head and arm. Andre as the fly is finally seen with only about 20 minutes remaining, but the gradual suspense -- including Helene and her son trying to catch the fly that Andre says he’ll need to reverse the procedure -- makes the long wait anything but disappointing. Unfortunately, the more overt qualities overwhelm the movie’s subtleties, as the intriguing concept of Andre’s waning humanity is given little development. But the film remains engaging throughout and has a terrific ending -- Francois finds the much-desired white-headed fly.

A sequel followed in 1959, called Return of the Fly. In it, Andre and Helene’s young son has grown and is trying to redeem his father’s name and reputation by continuing his work. Similar results ensue, courtesy of dissimilar circumstances. Price reprises his role of Francois. A second sequel, Curse of the Fly (1965), was produced in the UK and follows the son and grandson of Andre -- though the son now has a different name. They experiment with teleportation, and before long... well, you can guess what happens. Brian Donlevy, who portrayed the titular scientist in two of the Quartermass movies from British studio, Hammer Films, stars as Andre’s son. Director Don Sharp also made movies for Hammer.
Some viewers see the 1958 film as campy, particularly Andre the fly -- though I think he looks creepy, and I especially enjoy his thousand-eyed point-of-view of Helene. There was no sign of campiness in Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg’s remake in 1986. The movie starred Jeff Goldblum as scientist Seth Brundle who impresses a beautiful journalist, Veronica (Geena Davis), with his Telepods -- devices that can teleport an object from one machine to the next. The most significant difference between the remake and the original is that, while in the original the scientist and the fly “swapped” molecules (and body parts), in the remake the biological makeup of both fuse and create a singular being. This causes Seth to metamorphose into a new creature -- he calls himself “Brundlefly.” The movie is decidedly more horrific and more grotesque, and though the 1958 movie is good, Cronenberg’s remake is even better. There was also an okay sequel to the ‘86 movie: The Fly II (1989), with Eric Stoltz as Seth’s son who -- blah, blah, blah, he becomes a fly!

Suffice to say, teleportation never seems to work out well in movies, or literature, for that matter (example: Stephen King’s short story, “The Jaunt”, from the collection, Skeleton Crew). People are often excited about technological advances, but The Fly represents a fear of new technology -- Helene explicitly voices her apprehension -- and the potential (and feasibly harmful) side effects of unfamiliar machinery. Most technology is about convenience. Sure, it’d be great to quickly teleport to a place miles away, much like the speed of messaging via texts and email. But would I take a fly head and arm in exchange for Apple’s new iTeleport? Nah, I’ll just walk.

Come to “The Little Shop of Horrors” For All Your Man-Eating Plant Needs

At Mushnick’s Florist, a small flower shop on skid row, Seymour (Jonathan Haze) is an unassuming employee. To avoid losing his job, he brings in a special plant he’s been nursing. The plant, Audrey Junior -- named after Seymour’s beautiful co-worker, Audrey (Jackie Joseph) -- is frail and apparently dying. Seymour’s care seems to have no effect until that evening at the shop when, quite by accident, Seymour learns that Audrey Junior is responsive to his blood. The strange plant brings in some customers, but it quickly returns to its feeble state. Seymour considers his next move, and Audrey Junior clears up his indecision by stating bluntly, “Feed me.” That night, the lowly employee is lucky enough to happen upon an accidental death, and Audrey Junior grows in size and popularity. Meanwhile, the plant’s appeal for sustenance is vigorous and persistent, and suddenly Seymour is at a loss as to where he might find food. But let’s face it: with a sadistic dentist (John Shaner) who enjoys inflicting pain on his patients, how hard can it be?

Roger Corman’s The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) is a wonderfully diverting black comedy. Though the man-eating plant takes center stage, it’s supported by a motley cast: the customer (Dick Miller) who, as an Audrey Junior counterpart, buys flowers for consumption; Seymour’s hypochondriac mother (Myrtle Vail), whose meals are spiced and garnished with various medications; and the investigating cops, Joe Fink (Wally Campo) and Frank Stoolie (Jack Warford), who are so apathetic that Stoolie casually and coldly tells Fink that his own son has died from playing with matches -- and then lights a cigarette. Haze is quite good as Seymour, who’s passive but never measly, and his romance with Audrey is a high point of the film. Seymour’s boss, Mushnick (Mel Welles), adds even more humor to the plot, insisting that his employee call him “Dad” when Audrey Junior piques customers’ interests, but then retracting that when the plant isn’t looking well.

A number of cast members had previously worked with Corman and would work with him again. Screenwriter Charles B. Griffith, who has several smaller roles in The Little Shop of Horrors, including a would-be robber and the voice of Audrey Junior, scripted Corman’s earlier effort, A Bucket of Blood (1959), which starred Miller. However, the movie’s most famous star is Jack Nicholson, who appears in a single scene as a masochistic patient of the dentist. Even today, varying home media releases of the 1960 film will highlight Nicholson’s appearance.

The Little Shop of Horrors garnered a cult following, a status that was solidified by an Off-Broadway adaptation in 1982, written by composer Alan Menken and playwright/lyricist Howard Ashman. The production eventually moved to Broadway and was further adapted into a cinematic musical in 1986. The movie was directed by Frank Oz and starred Rick Moranis as Seymour, Ellen Greene as Audrey, and a scene-stealing Steve Martin as the dentist. Levi Stubbs, lead vocalist for the Four Tops, provided the voice of the plant, called Audrey II in the adaptations.

Roger Corman filmed The Little Shop of Horrors in two days. Corman has stated that the film’s budget was $30,000, which would make the 1986 musical’s reported $25 million budget over 800 times higher. In Corman’s 1960 original, Audrey Junior is, essentially, a mutation or some type of deformity. Its origins are a little unclear, as Seymour claims that he bought seeds from a Japanese gardener and then later defines the plant as a cross between a butterwort and a Venus Flytrap. Audrey II of the stage and film adaptation is an alien, a fact that’s nearly impossible to forget with the catchy number, “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space”.

The musicals are topnotch, but one shouldn’t negate the skill of Roger Corman. The singing and dancing rev up the comedy, but the 1960 movie was already funny, and some might argue that the original has a charm that the adaptations don’t quite match. With a shoestring budget and made in little time, The Little Shop of Horrors is a testament to Corman as a director and producer. Success isn’t predicated on the size of the production. Sometimes it only takes a little shop. And a man-eating plant.

Trivia Time 100

We're getting our gratuitous Errol Flynn pic out of the way early this time....Becks, I hope you've got your Internet up!

Wow!! Can this really be the 100th installment of Trivia Time?

I will get to the questions in a moment, but first I have to thank a few people…. especially Rick, since he gave me a place to play my "twisted little mind games". And then my graphic designer and co-conspirator for the past year, my wife JoAnn.

Of course much gratitude is owed to all you loyal players, old timers and newbies alike: Classic Becky, Dawn, Gilby, Kim, Tom, Caftan Woman, Sazball, angel25, beelzebub, Aurora, Dorian and the very first person ever to get all of a TT right on the first try, The Lady Eve! If I didn't mention you by name but I should have, blame my incipient Alzheimer's, LOL!!

So here it is….TT100! Drumroll please! (don't worry, it's pretty easy)

1. Mike Post said that this singer, who later turned actor, had a real problem singing on key. Who is he talking about?

2. In the late '70's this composer scored a scene that many (myself included) consider to be one of the greatest "G-rated" love scenes ever filmed. Name the composer, the film, and the director.

3. Regarding #2, did the composer work with that director before the film in question? If so, name the previous film.

4. What do Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and James Garner have in common?

5. Name at least three writers for the Smothers Brother's show who went on to "bigger and better things".


6. Name two Jerry Lewis films featuring music by Count Basie.

7. Who did a commercial for "Shower In A Briefcase"?

8. In The "Gunslinger" episode of The Dick Van Dyke show (final episode), name the song that Laura sang.








9. Which classic horror film gave birth to a tune that became a jazz standard? Name the film, the stars, and the song.

10. Beginning in December 1942, Judith Anderson and Ruth Gordon appeared together in a Broadway show. They starred with Katharine Cornell in the Chekov play, The Three Sisters. Can you name a film featuring both Judith Anderson and Ruth Gordon?

11. Name the stars and the director of the film in #10.

Ode to the Movie Mutant Monsters

So very many mutants,

oh how is one to choose?

Tarantula or Swamp Thing

or even Killer Shrews?

It's Alive's scary baby

really knew how to creep.

If the sea is your thing,

try Humanoids from the Deep.

Gamma People on the earth,

Mole People down below.

And in the air Ghidrah flew

despite Godzilla's blow.

So how to choose a mutant?

Remember to use care.
Don't feed the plant in Little Shop,

Shoo The Fly off your chair!

And the Beasts Shall Reign Over the Earth: Them!

The title appeared in color, though
the film was shot in B&W.

In a New Mexico desert, two state troopers pick up a six-year-old girl wandering aimlessly in a bathrobe and slippers, carrying a broken doll. When Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) tries to question the little girl, she remains silent, staring in space--a victim of shock. Up the road, Peterson and his partner discover a trailer with a large hole ripped in one side. Bloody clothes and dollar bills litter the floor...as well as a corpse. Outside the trailer, the troopers discover an unusual footprint in the sand, made by neither man nor known beast. As the desert wind whistles, an eerie sound causes the girl to look up in trepidation.

The young survivor of the first attack.

This brilliant opening scene sets the stage for the first-third of Them!, which unravels more as a mystery than a science fiction film. The clues are revealed one by one: a hardware store destroyed in the same manner as the trailer; the sudden arrival of scientists from the Department of Agriculture; an autopsy that reveals a victim may have died from an injection of formic acid; and finally the little girl screaming "Them! Them!" after taking a whiff of the acid.

The first we see a giant ant
is during a sandstorm.

By the time Dr. Medford (Edmund Gwenn) reveals that the culprits are giant ants, it's almost anticlimactic. It also marks a shift in approach as the mystery gives way to a standard science fiction formula. To be sure, Them! executes the formula with precision, with three marvelous set pieces: the first glimpse of the ants as one becomes visible during a sandstorm; a cyanide gas assault on the ants' nest; and the climax in Los Angeles storm drains.

Yet, its very success is what makes Them! slightly disappointing on second and later viewings. Certainly, it ranks above all but a handful of science fiction films produced during the 1950s; it's a unqualified genre classic. However, stripped of its novelty "mystery approach" and big pay-off scenes, it lacks a potent theme that resonates in the same way as truly timeless genre films like The Day the Earth the Stood Still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and even The Incredible Shrinking Man.

One could argue that Them! is the definitive example of the "nuclear power-caused mutant creature subgenre." Still, that's nothing new thematically. Man invented nuclear power, so we're back to the old sci fi staple of man messing around in areas he shouldn't and inadvertently creating monsters. This is a theme at least as old as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and featured in earlier sci fi films such as The Invisible Ray (1936). What Them! brings to it is a dark sense of humor, in that through man's intervention, the tiniest of creatures threatens to wipe out all of mankind.

Whitmore opens fire as Gwenn's
scientist observes the giant ant.

It seems unfair perhaps to criticize Them! because of its own high standards. To be sure, the cast is above average for a 1950s sci fi opus, with Edmund Gwenn giving new life to the standard role of the scientist that figures it all out. The special effects, while not on a Harryhausen level, work well enough, aided considerably by the inspired settings (e.g., the sandstorm, the tunnels). And although there is some sexism directed toward Joan Weldon's Dr. Pat Medford (e.g., she's introduced legs first), she evolves into a strong character. True, she investigates the first crime scene in a dress suit and high heels. But later, she ditches that for a military uniform and accompanies the male heroes in the tunnels to make sure the ants are dead.

Even if its potency fades during repeated viewings, Them! has earned its status as a genre classic. Its "mystery approach" alone makes it a unique sci fi film. There can also be no doubt that it was an influential film, inspiring 1950s imitators such as Beginning of the End (giant grasshoppers), Tarantula, Earth vs. the Spider, and The Deadly Mantis (as in big preying mantis).

Trivia Time 99

Wow, can you believe this is actually TT99?

Thanks for participating last week, people! Here are the leftover questions (and answers) from TT98:

1. Who Said This to Whom in Which Film? "Close the door! What, were you born in a barn?"

Answer: Bob Hope said it to Trigger in Son of Paleface.

2. Who Said This? "Come back! I want to go to Boom-Boom Land!"

Answer: Jan Murray in Episode 17 of Car 54, Where Are You? (Rick got part of this one).

8. In the movie Mister Mom, what was on the TV screen when Michael Keaton put his foot through it?

Answer: A scene in which Cary Grant was in drag (in I Was a Male War Bride).

10. What do the films Slap Shot and 10 have in common?

Answer: Melinda Dillon

11. Who played the Mexican hotel bartender in 10?

Answer: Brian Dennehy

12. Which two recording artists are featured in Sunday in New York?

Answer: Rick got Peter Nero, the other one was Mel Torme.


Just for Becks, here is a totally extraneous Flynn pic, with Olivia and Trigger, from The Adventures of Robin Hood:


This week (TT99) will be short and sweet; I'm gearing up for next week's installment (TT100). You have been warned!

1. Who said this in which film? "Refund!?!? Refund!?!?"

2. What do the films North By Northwest and Gidget Goes to Rome have in common?

3. In which film does Greg Morris play a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer? Name the three leading stars.

4. What do Lee Marvin and Count Basie have in common?

5. What do Cary Grant, John Ridgely, and Arthur Kennedy have in common?

6. In the film A Woman's Secret, where does Gloria Grahame say she's from?

Don’t Run and Hide From This Monster, “Swamp Thing” is Here to Save You

Government agent Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) is sent to the swamp, where Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise) is working on a top secret experiment. Dr. Holland shows Alice a vegetable cell with animal DNA, telling her that his purpose is to create “aggressive” vegetation, or, more specifically, plants that can survive in extreme conditions. But when Holland has a breakthrough, a group of paramilitary soldiers led by a corrupt scientist, Arcane (Louis Jourdan), infiltrates his lab. The villains are there to steal Holland’s work, but a struggle results in an explosive compound setting the doctor afire, Holland then running outside and jumping into the swamp. Alice has eluded the soldiers, and when they come after her, they are thwarted by a still-living Holland, now a brawny plant-like creature (and played by Dick Durock). It isn’t long before Arcane mixes his own batch of Holland’s chemical with the hopes of achieving immortality.

Based on characters from DC Comics, Swamp Thing (1982) was written and directed by Wes Craven. Having previously helmed the low-budget hits, The Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Craven was provided a significantly higher budget and well-known stars, including Jourdan and Barbeau. Swamp Thing leans closer to action than any other genre, with some entertaining and impressive stunts. The movie is remembered for its campy qualities, although Craven’s intent was clearly to make a live-action comic book, exemplified by the exaggerated transitional wipes, not unlike the various and sometimes irregular frames of comic book panels.

Swamp Thing is an unusual mutated monster, as he is most assuredly the hero. His identity is unmistakable to the audience, and he’s not played as a misunderstood creature, even to Alice. Her initial wariness of Swamp Thing, even if he seems to be protecting her, is tongue-in-cheek: The first thing she says to the mutated Holland is “Shoo!” while waving him away. Though Craven does touch upon Holland’s inner turmoil -- the scientist realizing that his massive hands cannot handle the delicate lab work -- the movie showcases a monster with noble intentions, focusing on Swamp Thing’s attempts to save Alice.

Alice, however, is not helpless, simply waiting to be saved. She swings and punches, knocking down one of the soldiers and shooting another with no hesitation. When she is cornered at a gas station with a young boy, Jude (Reggie Batts), a wise-cracking character who supplies much of the comic relief, she draws the soldiers away from the boy. The bulk of the film is the villains pursuing Alice, but she isn’t always rescued by Swamp Thing, sometimes escaping with no reinforcements. When Alice is invariably caught, she is adorned in a dress and bound much like Ann (Fay Wray) in the 1933 King Kong. The difference, of course, is that Ann was being sacrificed to King Kong, while Alice is being kept away from the monster. Barbeau is terrific as Alice, portraying a strong female typical of her roles in earlier movies such as The Fog (1980) and Escape from New York (1981), both directed by her then-husband, John Carpenter.

An ill-received sequel was released in 1989, The Return of Swamp Thing. Jourdan and Durock as the titular hero both returned, but the movie, which also starred Heather Locklear and Sarah Douglas, was treated as a comedy, a glaring shift in genres that was a misfire for audiences. The subsequent year, Swamp Thing: The Series made its television debut on USA Network. Though critics were largely unreceptive, the series lasted three seasons and has since developed a cult following. Durock reprised his role for TV. A 3-D remake of Craven’s 1982 film is reportedly in the works, to be directed by Vincenzo Natali, who also helmed the cult sci-fi movie, Cube (1997), and, more recently, Splice (2009), with Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. DC Comics recently rebooted its line of comic book titles, called The New 52, which includes, among many others, Swamp Thing.

Composer Harry Manfredini wrote the score for a number of horror films, but is perhaps best known for his work on the popular slasher film, Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th (1980), and its numerous sequels. Cunningham also produced Craven’s The Last House on the Left, which featured David Hess, who stars in Swamp Thing as Ferret, leader of the soldiers. Hess provided memorable turns as villains in Craven’s movies, as well as two films from Italian director Ruggero Deodato, The House on the Edge of the Park (1980) and Body Count (1987/aka Camping del terrore). The actor passed away last week, on Saturday, Oct. 8th.

Some nudity in the film, including a bathing sequence with Barbeau, was cut to receive a PG rating, but the film was released overseas with these scenes included. When MGM released Swamp Thing on DVD, the international version was inadvertently used, despite the PG printed on the box. When the studio discovered the blunder, it quickly pulled the DVD from the shelves. MGM eventually re-released the movie on DVD, this time the original PG cut. Those with DVD players that can bypass regional encoding can search for an European DVD, although the earlier recalled DVD is easy to find online. The unrated version is typically preferred, as the Barbeau scene adds much depth to the, you know, story or whatever.

Two years after Swamp Thing, Wes Craven released A Nightmare on Elm Street, a huge success that spawned sequels and turned Craven’s character, Freddy Krueger (portrayed by Robert Englund), into an icon. Craven’s subsequent filmography was hit-or-miss, but he scored another blockbuster with Scream in 1996. Sequels also followed, all of which have been directed by Craven, including this year’s Scream 4. In addition to the purported Swamp Thing remake, other films from Craven have been recently remade, such as The Hills Have Eyes in 2006 (with a sequel the next year), The Last House on the Left (2009), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010).

Robin Ellis Talks with the Café about "Poldark" and His New Cookbook for Diabetics

Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark in 1975.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications once dubbed Poldark "one of the most successful British television dramas of all time." Such high praise masks the fact that Poldark was an immensely entertaining, well-made historical drama set in Cornwall in the late 18th century. Based on the novels of Winston Graham, the 29-episode series appeared in 1975-77 on the BBC in the United Kingdom and on Masterpiece Theatre in the United States.

Chef, author, and actor
Robin Ellis today.

Although an ensemble drama, the cast was anchored by Robin Ellis, who played Captain Ross Poldark. He catapulted to fame as the series' rugged, dashing hero. Over the last 34 years, Ellis has enjoyed a successful career in television, film, and stage. Diagnosed with type II diabetes several years ago, he recently wrote a cookbook for diabetics: Delicious Dishes for Diabetics: Eating Well with Type-2 Diabetes. Robin Ellis graciously agreed to an interview with the Café.

Café:  It’s been 36 years since Poldark was originally broadcast. It still has a strong fan base and attracts new viewers on DVD. What do you think is the key to its enduring popularity?

Robin:  It had the advantage of being adapted from a successful series of novels written by Winston Graham while he was living and bringing up a family in Cornwall. The stories grow from the characters' development and feel authentic--and they are good stories that don't seem to date. There's the added plus of Cornwall itself which is very photogenic.

Café:  What was your favorite Poldark storyline?

Robin:  Good question--it has to be the developing Demelza-Ross-Elizabeth story. I also enjoyed Ross' fights for the underdog against the establishment.

Café:  When the eighth Winston Graham Poldark novel, The Stranger from the Sea, was adapted for TV in 1996, were you approached to play Ross again?

Robin:  I was--but it didn't work out. Disappointing for us as it would have been fascinating to play the same characters twenty years on.

Robin poses with Anne Kelleher
of Acorn Media.

Café:  Donald Douglas, who played your nemesis Captain McNeil in Poldark lives near your home in France. Do you stay in touch with other Poldark cast members?

Robin:  I see Donald very regularly. Living in France makes it more difficult. We've been in contact with Richard Morant--the first Dr. Enis--recently and I occasionally bump into Angharad (Demelza) when we are in the UK. Christopher Benjamin (Sir Hugh Bodrugan) has family down here in France, so we see him from time to time. Dear Ralph Bates (George Warleggan) died twenty years ago and Jill Townsend (Elizabeth) lives in California. Some of us used to go to the annual lunch of the Poldark Appreciation Society--an unofficial reunion--but they haven't happened since the nineties.

Café:  You’ve done a lot of film and television work in addition to Poldark, including Fawlty Towers and Merchant & Ivory’s The Europeans. What are some of your favorite non-Poldark roles?

Robin:  I played the Earl of Essex in Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson--a wonderful experience. Colonel Hammond in A King and his Keeper--a dualogue between Charles the First and his jailer set on the Isle of Wight--opposite the great Alan Badel (playing the King). The lead in Bel Ami by Maupassant for the BBC was a challenge--not least because I had to live with a red perm for months! The musical She Loves Me also for the Beeb was also fun with the lovely Gemma Craven. Meredith says the best thing I did was Ford Maddox Ford's The Good Soldier for Granada with Jeremy Brett and Susan Fleetwood. I spent a very happy year at Stratford in between the two series of Poldark.

Meredith and Robin.

Café:  How did you and your wife Meredith meet?

Robin:  We met in New York City--she interviewed me for NBC-TV when WGBH Boston flew English actors over for the 15th anniversary of Masterpiece Theatre.

Café:  I’ve read that you bought your home in France on the day you saw it. What attracted you to it?

Robin:  It was a "coup de foudre"--(love at first sight)! I just knew that it was where I wanted to be--though we barely knew where it was. Hard to explain that...

Café:  Was there a history of diabetes in your family?

Robin:  Yes--my mother developed type 1 in her late thirties. So I knew about it and that it was something you have to take seriously. The problem is that with type 2, which I have, there are no obvious symptoms, so it's hard for people to believe that there is a problem.

The new cookbook.

Café:  What inspired you to publish your recipes in your new book Delicious Dishes for Diabetics: Eating Well with Type-2 Diabetes?

Robin:  I have cooked for years and collected recipes for years--my mother did the same. We were eating reasonably healthily when I was diagnosed 12 years ago and I realised that with some adjustments to my way of eating I had a good number of recipes already that were suitable for the condition. Then the idea of trying to interest a publisher came up.

Café:  This is a question for Meredith: What is your favorite dish that Robin prepares?

Meredith:  That's a difficult question! Which is your favorite child??! His salmon fishcakes are light (no potato!) and delicious in summer. In winter for comfort food I love his soups--especially a minestrone that includes pancetta. One of his big company dishes that we have for parties is a spicy fish curry--we've even had that for Christmas lunch! His recipe for mussels (a tomato & garlic sauce) is delicious too-- though it always depends on getting good mussels. One of his best sauces is walnut and garlic that is served with duck. His cookbook is really a collection of the dishes we eat year 'round. I like them all in their right season.

Café:  Finally, what’s on the horizon for the Ellis Family—any other books, television appearances, etc.?

Robin: A busy time for sure! I am blogging most days about food, cooking and life in rural France. I'm working with a publisher in California to re-issue Making Poldark--a memoir which I have updated. The cookbook, Delicious Dishes for Diabetics, officially comes out in the United States on November 1st and we're planning a trip to New York, Washington, DC and Chicago to promote it. It was recently ranked number one in its category on Amazon.com which was thrilling. I enjoyed doing one of the original Swedish Wallenders and am open to acting offers (actors rarely retire!). Thanks, Rick, for inviting me to the Classic Film & TV Café!

For more on Robin Ellis, check out his blog at http://robin-ellis.net/ and his Facebook page by clicking here. You can also follow him on Twitter as @RobinPoldark.

Trivia Time 98

Great job last week people! Hope you enjoyed TT97 as much as we did! Here are the answers:

1. Who Said This in Which Film? Person #1: "I trust I make myself obscure." Person #2: "Perfectly."

Answer: (NOTE: Classic Becky got 3/4 of this one!) Person #1 is Paul Scofield as Thomas More and Person #2 is Nigel Davenport playing the Duke of Norfolk in A Man for All Seasons.

2. Who Said This? Person #1: "Mike, you ride a bike!" Person #2: "And fish swim."
Answer: Person #1 is Julie Newmar and Person #2 is Mike Nesmith in an episode of The Monkees.

3. Who Are We and Which Film is This? We four appeared together in this late '70s movie; it was the final film for two of us who were legends of the silver screen from the '30s, as well as for one who was a famous rock star of the '60s and '70s. But it was the very first theatrically-released film for the fourth person who also happened to be a rock star. Name us and our film.

Answers: Mae West, Walter Pidgeon, Keith Moon, and Alice Cooper in the 1978 film, Sextette.

4. What two things do the films, A Man for All Seasons and Julia, have in common?

Answer: (NOTE: Grand Old Movies answered half of this question!) Vanessa Redgrave and Fred Zinnemann.

6. What do Rocky and His Friends and the George Pal film, The War of the Worlds, have in common?

Answer: Paul Frees

9. In which Robert Mitchum film does Angie Dickinson have an uncredited role?

Answer: Man with the Gun


Trivia Time 98 starts here:

1. Who Said This to Whom in Which Film? "Close the door! What, were you born in a barn?"

2. Who Said This? "Come back! I want to go to Boom-Boom Land!"

3. Name a future actress who was a dancer on the TAMI Show.

4. Who Am I? In my comparatively brief career, half of my movies fell into the film-noir crime/mystery category. My first, second, and final films were Oscar winners. My second and final films were both directed by the same person, and won multiple Academy Awards.

5. Name the three Oscar-winning movies mentioned in the previous question, and the person who directed two of them.

6. Name the college for which Bullwinkle played football in Rocky and His Friends.

7. What do the films, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Son of Paleface, have in common?





8. In the movie Mister Mom, what was on the TV screen when Michael Keaton put his foot through it?

9. Again in Mister Mom, how did the family refer to the vacuum cleaner?

10. What do the films Slap Shot and 10 have in common?

11. Who played the Mexican hotel bartender in 10?


12. Which two recording artists are featured in Sunday in New York?