In honor of one of the most unsung actors. Although he was mostly known for his television work. His 1957 role is one that I wish more people would see. A devastating portrait of a man consumed by fame and his huge ego.
It’s the Fourth of July, and that means only one thing (besides the fact that it’s our nation’s birthday, that is). No, not just loud bangs that make your dogs and cats howl and their fur stand on end. We’re talking about picnics!! So, to help you pack your basket, here is a cinematic shopping list. Don’t worry about overindulging–these movie meals are all fat free (and, in one or two cases, entertainment-free). All are widely available via DVD, Netflix, iTunes, etc., or ask your grocer.
__Pic-a-nic Basket: YOGI BEAR (2010) You may be a Yogi purist in which case you’ll want to plan your picnic around the original Hanna-Barbara cartoons. They’re great, but if you haven’t already checked out the latest bear incarnation, do so. Admittedly, it received so-so reviews, at best. But YOGI runs against the grain of today’s animated films, in that the humor in its tightly-woven story remains pretty true to the original’s spirit: more gentle and subtle. Not a great movie, but it bears watching. 
__Utensils: FORKS OVER KNIVES (2011) I didn’t find this documentary as engaging as some reviewers did, but there’s no denying that it discusses an important topic: our nation’s addiction to meat. True, when you’re headed to a fourth of July picnic, who wants to think about giving up meat? Well, maybe this movie will persuade you to do just that. Starting July 5th, of course. 
__Chicken: CHICKEN RUN (2000) No bones about it, there’s never a dull moment in this film from the creators of WALLACE AND GROMMIT. It very much resembles a fowl version of THE GREAT ESCAPE (Steve McQueen), only it tastes like… well, you know. Very plucky. 
__Hamburgers: HAMBURGER (1986; Dick Butkus) If FORKS OVER KNIVES doesn’t turn you into a vegan, maybe this one, from the producers of the Police Academy series, will do it. A flunky student can’t cut the mustard at a real college, but he catches up at a place called Hamburger U. You wouldn’t go to Burger King and expect fine dining, and so this film shouldn’t be compared to GRAND ILLUSION. It might have appeal as a time capsule of the mid-80s, in case anyone’s interested. But this HAMBURGER is not well done, and it’s way past its sell-by date.
__Tomatoes: RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES! (1988) The tomatoes are back “and they’re stewed!” It’s a dicey choice; personally, I’m not a connoisseur of films that are purposely bad. This one’s somewhere between a spoof and a film that intends to become a cult classic. It’s silly fun, but it sort of fails at both. George Clooney, believe it or not, landed a plum role in this movie.
__Egg Salad: THE EGG AND I (1947; Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray) Charming, sunny, and very funny, this picture introduced the world to the Kettles. The two likable stars go over easy.
__Chips: CHiPS (1977-83 TV series) I was a regular viewer of this show during its first couple of seasons. Don’t ask me why. It’s not bad, it’s that it’s so predictable. After you’ve seen one episode, you’ve seen them all. As they say, however, you can’t eat–I mean, watch–just one.
__ Salt & Pepper: SALT AND PEPPER (1968; Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford) Nowadays, we’re more careful about our sodium intake. But once in a while, you just want to throw caution to the wind, and pour on the salt and seasonings. Indulge yourself in this bit of overcooked but very tasty cinematic feast. 
__Wine: SIDEWAYS (2004; Paul Giamatti) Your challenge: Try to devour this delicious film without craving a glass or two of Pinot Noir.
Bon appetit!!
I recently had the unexpected pleasure of seeing Paul Williams. Yes, THAT Paul Williams. The prolific, Oscar- and Grammy-winning ’70s pop composer (“We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Evergreen,” “You and Me Against the World,” “Rainbow Connection,” “Theme from ‘The Love Boat,” and many more). His name caught my attention in eighth grade, when I was starting to discover songwriters and learned that it was he who had written hits by different performers I liked. I even bought one of his albums. But then he embarked on a singing and acting career and became one of the most ubiquitous personalities on ’70s TV, appearing on the Carson “Tonight Show” nearly 50 times, numerous other talk shows (Mike Douglas, Dinah Shore), game shows (“Hollywood Squares”), crime dramas (he got into a shooting match with Angie Dickinson), sitcoms, and even “Circus of the Stars” (where he jumped out of a plane). I’m sorry, but this was just too much Paul for me, and I started to tune him out.Until seeing the new documentary, Paul Williams: Still Alive, I never paid much attention to the person behind the stocky, five-foot-two frame, shaggy hair, tinted aviator specs, glib personality, and warbly voice. His story has the usual elements: childhood loneliness, need for acceptance, rise to A-list fame and fortune, fading star, descent into alcohol and drugs, rehab, triumph (he has been sober for 25 years), and contentment upon finally finding and accepting his place in the world.
But what makes this film so compelling is that it was made by a fan of my generation who became a successful director. Although it breaks the rule that a documentarian should not inject himself into his work, the developing bond between filmmaker and subject (Stephen Kessler followed Williams, his childhood hero, for three years) proved to be a worthy secondary story. That Williams would open himself up to a stranger, and the warm friendship that developed, give the documentary a more informal, personal dimension than Ken Burns’ best work, without Michael Moore-style political messages. Kessler admits to once wanting to be Paul Williams, and I found myself wanting to be Kessler — to follow a childhood hero and become buddies with him. How cool is that! “Still Alive” is a serious work, but neither Williams nor Kessler takes himself seriously, resulting in candid, funny, heartwarming moments, not to mention the film’s self-deprecating title.
I was intrigued by the coverage of Williams’ acceptance of an invitation to perform in, of all places, Mindanao in the southern Philippines — the notorious part of the country that American tourists are urged to avoid because of Al Qaeda threats. Fortunately, not only did the 8,000-mile trek proceed terror-free (including the six-hour bus ride through a jungle), but Williams felt much love from throngs of fans in this far-off land, known for its affinity for sweet, sentimental music. He had flown back to the ’70s.
As if the film weren’t remarkable enough, what followed was a live Q&A with Williams himself, now a fit 71, and director Kessler. The audience at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago was mostly middle-aged, but there were also seniors and kids, including an 11-year-old who asked the diminutive composer whom he admired growing up (Paul’s answer: Mickey Rooney, because he was short, famous, and still got the girl). The graciousness, honesty, humor, wisdom, dignity, and warmth emanating from the stage exceeded my expectations. I learned that Williams’ lyrics about loneliness, heartache, and hope really did come from his heart, and that he continues to be gratified by the connection that millions feel to his songs.
In just two hours, I grew from simply enjoying Williams’ work to admiring him, and in some ways even identifying with him. Before I go to bed tonight, I think I’ll play my piano-bar rendition of “Rainy Days and Mondays.” There’s still hope for me yet.
It is a rare documentary indeed that makes for an enjoyable group viewing event, but WORDPLAY (2006) is definitely worth adding to your Home Projectionist list. Think three-letter word for jewel: This film is a G-E-M.
Brilliantly directed by Patrick Creadon, WORDPLAY delves into the smart and quirky subculture of the crossword puzzle. It’s a world of intelligence, humor, and passion populated by fanatic puzzlers, including New York Times editor Will Shortz (who actually devised his own college major in puzzling) and celebrity crossword fans such as Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, and Bill Clinton.
My father was a crossword fan, and some of my favorite childhood memories are of my dad giving me crossword solution insights and the scoop on good words to know. But whether you’re a crossword fan or not, this film keeps you entertained from beginning to end.
The drama — and yes, there is big drama — is centered around the dynamics of the 2005 Crossword Puzzle Tournament, and it will have you at the edge of your seat. Even a segment about the construction of a crossword puzzle is mesmerizing and provides more than a few “who knew?” moments. At the core of the film, of course, are the crossword puzzle enthusiasts themselves, a cast of some of the most eccentric, delightful, and engaging human beings you’ll have the pleasure to meet. (And their ghosts may still linger in the tournament halls.)
The DVD package for WORDPLAY includes additional commentary on puzzle construction, extended interviews with puzzlers, and deleted scenes. These extras can round out a great night of Home Projectionist entertainment , and you can even add in your own crossword competition at home with your friends.
Get out your pencils…and your projectors. WORDPLAY is a w-i-n-n-e-r.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
Flags, fireworks, picnics, patriotism, parades. All of these are part of the 4th of July, and they often appear in the films of Alfred Hitchcock. For this explosive quiz, match the patriotic-themed question to the correct, flag-waving answer.
Good luck, Mr. Thornhill, wherever you are…
(*The quiz title was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest: “Something wrong with your eyes?” “Yes”, says the sunglass-clad Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant), “They’re sensitive to questions”. In the opening moments of the movie, as Roger and his secretary climb into a taxi, Roger says, “First stop, the Plaza. “Don’t throw the flag.”)
One of the comic geniuses of the 70’s cinema was Mel Brooks. I don’t think I ever laughed louder or longer at a comedy than Blazing Saddles when I saw it at the Colony Theater on the Southwest side of Chicago.
He turns 86 years young today. I wish him 86 more. Eat a nectarine. Stay out of a Ferrari and any foreign cars.
This animated version of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner’s famous skit The 2000 Year Old Man gets funnier every year. I taped this off of the television when it aired and listened to it hundreds of times. The lines still stick with me and I find myself quoting them without me knowing it.
Mel: I think there are ladies here.
Carl: You knew Joan of Arc
Mel: Know her, I went with her.
Carl: Did you know Shakespeare?
Mel: What a pussycat.
Mel: The greatest thing that mankind every devised is Saran wrap.
Carl: You acquaint that with man’s flight to the moon?
Mel: That was good.
It’s a half an hour long, but well worth revisiting…
Doomsday scenarios are the stuff that films are made of — from last year’s melancholic MELANCHOLIA to the newly released comedy SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD. The demise of the planet can certainly stoke our imagination. (I hate to admit that I was little disappointed when, this past May, a team of archaeologists reported that the rumors regarding the Mayan calendar end-of-the-world predictions were greatly exaggerated.)
Frankly, if the end was nigh and a rogue asteroid was hurtling toward Earth, I don’t think I would choose to watch a movie. More likely, I would be curled up in a dark corner with some extravagantly fine red wine. But one never knows how one will respond to the news of such an event. So I want to be prepared.
After much pondering, I’ve come up with my top three selections for an imaginary End of Days Home Projectionist Film Festival. I’m relatively convinced that my choices are correct — but still waffling about the order in which I would show them. As of this writing, here is what I’m proposing:
- PLANET EARTH (2006 BBC version)
Sure, this is really a 10-hour plus mini series but I’m giving myself some leeway. With its astounding images, coupled with Richard Attenborough’s soothing voice, this extraordinary achievement would seem to be the most appropriate love letter to our stunning planet as it departs the universe. - HARD DAY’S NIGHT (1964)
Neuroscientists have determined that the musical influences of our youth have a profound impact on the way our brains develop, and hearing familiar music releases all kinds of pleasure-inducing dopamines. So why not watch one of the most memorable films of my youth and get all the dopamine I can? I can think of no other movie that brings such unbridled happiness to me — for not only the music, but also the spirit, joyfulness, humor, and, of course, larger-than-life Beatles. - CINEMA PARADISO (1988)
This award-winning film — and its soundtrack — can bring me to tears just by thinking about them. (In fact, I’m crying right now.) With this absolute masterpiece, director Giuseppe Tornatore created a profound cinematic experience about the journey of life and how we love, aspire, lose, endure. And it has a perfect ending.
How would you program your own End of Days Film Festival? What would you watch? Let us know and we’ll compile the results. It may be a good list to have on hand. Be prepared, that’s what I always say.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
Most of the 2011 Oscar nominees are now available for home theater viewing in some form or another. Are you a self-respecting home projectionist? Do you plan on screening one or more of the nominated films for your friends or family in the near future? As a would-be theater owner, you won’t want to just roll the movie all by itself, naked, alone and afraid. You definitely will want to value-add the experience for your guests. That means giving them the right “appetizer” with their movie meal.
No visit to an actual theater is complete without an opening salvo of policy trailers, a plug for the concession stands, or pleas to pitch your trash. These are aimed at general audiences. But you can tailor yours to be compatible with your audience and the Academy Award nominee:
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Vanessa Michelle Williams was nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe during the filming of THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL. Your audience for this picture might tend to skew a little older. In that case, they’ll probably remember being musically thanked for coming to the theater, and also for sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the show (and being shushed):
HUGO It’s possible you’ll have an excited child or two for this really terrific Martin Scorsese Best Picture nominee. “We must insist on absolute quiet!” sounds a little harsh. So why not let this gentleman do it for you:
THE HELP It’s a movie about domestic service–cleaning and (especially) cooking. So, let’s all go to the lobby to have ourselves some treats. Chocolate pie, anyone?
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE If your noisy guests are taking the “extremely loud” part of the title too literally, this short trailer may be just the thing:
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Do you have punctual friends? Friends who expect the movie to end exactly at midnight? Then you need a countdown clock:
WAR HORSE Does your audience have an appetite like–as well as for–a horse? This elf-like creature consumes mass quantities of refreshments as he counts down the time:
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON This nominee’s extravagant array of visual effects calls for “the most extravagant array of refreshment goodies ever assembled under one roof!”
THE DESCENDANTS Is your audience all approximately the same age (if not as good looking) as George Clooney, the star of this excellent Best Picture nominee? Then they’ll most likely remember this catchy jingle very clearly:
All of these short, short trailers are available on YouTube. Thank you, and please deposit your trash on the way out.
For nearly ten years from the 2nd week in July to the end of August, the Chicago Park District used to put up a huge screen in Grant Park and show classic films for free. It was a very urban experience sitting outside on that classic park lawn with thousands of people watching great films. That meant that every summer, instead of watching movies at home, I would finally be getting outside, relaxing in the cool green grass…and watching movies. Redundant, isn’t it?
Several years ago when the city began to make cutbacks in events, such as no more Venetian Nights and Fourth of July fireworks, the Movies in the Park were the first to go. They were wonderful evenings. For my next few posts I’ll be remembering some of my favorite movies in the park.
There were many memorable nights in the park but nothing compares to the showing of Citizen Kane.
Now supposedly the founders of the Movies in the Park were Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. As many of you may know, Roger had been really sick with throat cancer. For a couple years it looked like he wasn’t going to make it so for a couple seasons they let him pick the Movies in the Park. The movies shown those years came from a book he wrote about the movies you ‘need’ to see. The problem was that they were all film study class films, The Hustler, High Noon, On the Waterfront, all good movies, but not really movies that inspire festive, high spirits. Well, the opening night of the festival Roger was there to introduce his favorite movie, Citizen Kane.
(
Citizen Kane is of course a great movie, but not a movie that you want to see while sitting in the dirt in a sling chair; it’s not very campy. People can’t yell “you go girl” or “woo-hoo”.) Com Ed, one of the sponsors that year, gave out these big foam hands with the thumbs up. We were instructed that at some point everyone in the audience was supposed to hold the hands and yell “Thumbs up, Roger!”
Well, Roger came out and did his speech about the movie and how wonderful the opening shot is “blah, blah, blah.” Then we did the ‘Thumbs up, Roger,” applauded his years as a reviewer, and waited for the movie to start. I was completely unprepared for what I was about to experience.
For some unknown reason, the sound was turned up full blast. And it was DEAFENING. I grew up next to an airport and the Southwest Flight to Miami had nothing on the opening credits. I’M TELLING YOU LOUD. To top it off, Citizen Kane is a loud movie anyway. When it got to part where it jumps into the March of Time newsreel about Kane’s life and the announcer yells, “Legendary was the Xanadu where Kubla Kahn decreed his stately pleasure dome” I thought the windows on all the buildings on Michigan Avenue were going to shatter. It just seemed to get louder and louder. I remember at one point yelling in my friend Jonathan’s ear that I couldn’t stand it for very much longer: “What?” he yelled back unable to hear me. There was a very large crowd to see the film and Roger, several thousand people, but by the time Kane and his wife, the opera singer, start fighting, the sound of her screeching voice made people gathering up their blankets and run out of the park as if there was a sniper in the bushes, their hands covering their ears.
Our group couldn’t really get up and run because Hugh always brought a most elaborate spread with mini tables, candles, and silverware. The sound didn’t seem to be bothering him at all and he wasn’t about to give up one of his Movies in the Park nights for something as little as hearing loss. A couple in front of us had a great idea and they turned around to us to share it. They were ripping up the foam Ebert “Thumbs Up” hands and were frantically tearing them up and stuffing them in their ears. We all did the same and we were able to get through the film.
It was the most insane movie going experience I’d ever been through. And come to think of it, I’ve never been able to watch that film again.
Pride weekend here in Chicago, the weather is fabulous, and everyone’s gearing up for the festivities — I even got a robo phone call last night advising me of the new parade route. That’s some community power.
In honor of Pride Month, I’ve been looking at assorted lists of the Best Gay Films out there, and they include Brokeback Mountain, Beautiful Thing, Maurice, Milk, Hedwig, Priscilla, Jeffrey, and a range of other essential and important movies.
Unfortunately, missing from the lists I’ve seen is DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS (1919), Magnus Hirschfield’s groundbreaking and heartbreaking film starring Conrad Veidt.
And I’ve also noted that the smile-inducing documentary, THE TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS (2009) isn’t front and center on the lists as well. I am formally nominating it as a must-see and encourage you put in on your Pride Month Home Projectionist list.
This feel-good, award-winning documentary by Leanne Pooley follows the lives of the absolutely delightful Jools and Linda Topp, lesbian twin sisters who are New Zealand icons (who knew?).
Talented as singers and comedians, and influential as political activists, the Topp Twins are inspirational (although their skits can be corny, they still entertain). The beauty of the film is that it shows how the sisters’ joyfulness, strength, intelligence, honesty, and authenticity lead to love and understanding — and influence a cultural shift. It’s a movie about the power of the human spirit and demonstrates what Pride is all about. In that, the Topp Twinns are totally untouchable girls.
The movie’s title song will stick in your head all weekend:
Happy Pride to all!
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
For director/writer Billy Wilder’s 96th birthday, five moments that are representative of his witty, acerbic, sentimental and romantic style. (All of these films are widely available.)
BUD (Jack Lemmon): “You can’t leave yet. The doctor says it takes forty-eight hours to get the stuff out of your system.”
FRAN (Shirley MacLaine): “I wonder how long it takes to get someone you’re stuck on out of your system? If they’d only invent some kind of a pump for that…”
-THE APARTMENT (1960)
PHYLLIS (Barbara Stanwyck): “There’s a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour.”
NEFF (Fred MacMurray): “How fast was I going, officer?”
PHYLLIS: “I’d say about ninety.”
-DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
RICHARD (Tom Ewell): “You look to me like a big Rachmaninoff girl.”
THE GIRL (Marilyn Monroe): “I do? Funny, l don’t know anything about music.”
-THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955)
SUGAR (Marilyn Monroe): “I may spill something.”
JERRY (Jack Lemmon): “So spill it. Spills, thrills, laughs, games – this may even turn out to be a surprise party.”
SUGAR: “What’s the surprise?”
JERRY: “Uh-uh! Not yet!”
-SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
GILLIS (William Holden): “Norma, I can’t take it. You’ve bought me enough.”
NORMA (Gloria Swanson): “Shut up. I’m rich. I’m richer than all this new Hollywood trash. I’ve got a million dollars.”
GILLIS: “Keep it.”
NORMA: “I own three blocks downtown. I have oil in Bakersfield — pumping, pumping, pumping. What’s it for but to buy us anything we want.”
-SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
Marriage, for better and worse, played its part within the intricate web of Hitchcock’s films. Maybe you are not a lucky June bride, but why not try your hand at finding the compatible answers to these ten Big Questions? The quiz is moderately difficult; passing grade is 50 percent.
Good luck, Mr. Thornhill, wherever you are…
(*The quiz title was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest: “Something wrong with your eyes?” “Yes”, says the sunglass-clad Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant), “They’re sensitive to questions”. Later, as Roger and Eve are clinging desperately to the face of Mt. Rushmore, Roger says to Eve, “Well, if we ever get out of this alive, let’s go back to New York on the train together. All right?” Eve answers, “Is that a proposition?”, and Roger replies, “It’s a proposal, sweetie.”)
The Summer Solstice is many things to many people. The true start of summer, a pagan’s day to rejoice in the sun, to dream a Midsummer’s Night Dream filled with gods and fairies. However for a Home Projectionist with windows in their viewing room it is the day when the shortest viewing opportunities can be had. Every year as the days grow longer and longer I find my movie watching ability is shorter and shorter. In the Fall and Winter I can come home from a long day’s work, make a little dinner and settle down by no later than 7 in the evening for a nice relaxing film. At these times of the year I can watch something extremely long like Doctor Zhivago or maybe 3 episodes in a row of Mad Men. By the time I’m finished them movie it’s 9:30 or 10. If I have people over on the weekends for a group watch we can even have a double feature since we can start by 7:30 or even earlier as I used to do on Sunday afternoons.
Then comes the dreaded summer: Not only does the projector become yet another source of heat blowing into the room, but movies really can’t begin until 8:45 at the earliest. And even then there is the faint glow of the setting sun shining through the windows. Even closing the blinds doesn’t help because I have a west exposure. Having had a projection system for eight years now I’ve naturally begun to make seasonal viewing changes. Summer has been a time to rest the projector. I cut my Netflix movies to two out at a time instead of four. I hardly ever have people over during the summer for a group movie night. My apartment is too warm and by the time the sun sets there is barely enough time for one movie, let alone a cartoon or a short. If I do watch something it’s a short film never more than 90 minutes, especially during the week. 
By late July I usually drag the projector outside for outdoor yard movies at a friend’s house. We’ve had many a lovely night under the stars watching Cat People, The General or My Man Godfrey. There is nothing like watching a movie outside. It brings a different dimension to whatever you are watching. Whether it’s the view of the sky behind the screen blending with the sky on the projection or just the feeling of lying down on the grass; It is one of my favorite things of the summer. I guess that’s why it is so exciting to go to a drive-in. Have you noticed that even the worst movie seems better at a drive-in? 
So I wish you a happy Summer Solstice. May you have a lovely summer and many star filled, big screen nights.
SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER (with Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift; directed by Joseph L. Manckiewicz; 114 min.; widely available)
“My son Sebastian and I constructed our days. We would carve each day… leaving behind us a trail of days like a gallery of sculpture. Until suddenly, last summer.”
It’s not quite as tender as Night of the Iguana (my personal favorite of Tennessee Williams film adaptations), as sensual as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a very close second), or as powerful as A Streetcar Named Desire. Suddenly, Last Summer nevertheless is unforgettable and as steamy as a greenhouse–if only for Katherine Hepburn’s mezmerizing, tour de force portrayal of her character, the nervous and disturbed, slightly-off Violet Venable.
Venable is a wealthy New Orleans woman hiding a web of conflicted feelings and secrets. She brings houseflies (“flown in at great expense”) for her glass-encased Venus Flytrap in her ornate, “Dawn of Creation” conservatory, much like the “flies” (of a human variety) she once attracted for her departed son, Sebastian. Venable blames her son’s cousin, Catherine Holly (Taylor), for Sebastian’s death and, consequently, wants Holly Catherine to pay the price by having a lobotomy. Catherine, even though the handsome Montgomery Clift (Dr. Cukrowicz) would perform the procedure, is understandably a bit reluctant. (“Cut the truth out of my brain… is that what you want Aunt Vi ? Well you can’t. Not even God can change the truth”)
Clift’s acting, in contrast to Taylor’s, is a little on the bland side. But Liz more than makes up for it. Taylor, it goes without saying, is very beautiful in every one of her scenes. She might overact, but this is Tennessee Williams after all–over the top performances are expected and welcome, as are the typical moments of family quarrels and backbiting, and depictions of struggles with sexual identity.
As an example of a character whose every appearance will prompt hissing, look no further than Mercedes McCambridge’s portrayal of the very grating and unlikable Mrs. Grace Holly. The overwrought ending of Suddenly, Last Summer seems out of place given the tone up to that point, and is this movie’s only big drawback. But what comes before is well worth the price. Like the other T.W. films I mentioned, this one’s never dull–a movie for a group of friends to enjoy on a hot, July night, with a Mint Julep or two.
p.s. One thing to keep in mind during when the movie visits a very Snake Pit-like insane asylum is that the story is set in 1937. Things have improved a lot since then. At least one hopes they have.
“Oh, Sebastian, what a lovely summer it’s been. Just the two of us. Sebastian and Violet. Violet and Sebastian. Just the way it’s always going to be. Oh, we are lucky, my darling, to have one another and need no one else ever.”
THE YESTERDAY MACHINE (1963; starring Tim Holt; directed by Russ Marker; public domain, available on DVD from Netflix, or watch the entire thing on YouTube, below)
The “plot”: It’s 1963, and an elderly Nazi scientist is attempting to change the outcome of World War II by giving Hitler a second chance via a time machine.
All right, this movie is appallingly bad. Bad print, bad sound. So bad for you kind of bad that it’s actually good. The Yesterday Machine isn’t quite in the realm of such classics as Manos: The Hands of Fate or Plan Nine From Outer Space, however it tries really, really hard.
This black-and-white, public domain time travel film opens with a pretty, blonde cheerleader furiously twirling a baton. Generic teen music blares from a transistor radio that’s perched on the fender of a ’59 Buick. A college sweater-wearing, Mitt Romney-like guy–apparently the young woman’s boyfriend–is doing something beneath the hood of the car. Margie the cheerleader mindlessly twirls on. We don’t know if Mitt (actually Howie) is fixing the car, or if he’s about to go with the tried-and-true, “We’re out of gas” line.
Cinematically, things proceed to plunge rapidly downhill the moment the first lines of dialog are spoken.
“Howie, For heaven’s sake! It’s almost dark! If you don’t hurry up, we’re gonna be late for the game!”
“Margie, have you ever tried to fix a fuel pump to a rock and roll beat?”, remarks the perturbed Howie.
To find help, and this being a low-budget, B-movie, they naturally decide to cut through the nearby woods. Howie gets shot even before the credits have finished rolling. Margie and her baton vanish.
Later, at a Big City newspaper (The Sentinel), we meet an intrepid, curious, tough-guy reporter who will stop at nothing to get his story. In an unexpected, Rashomon-like sequence at the hospital where Howie’s being treated, the reporter gets the lowdown, through a flashback, about the incident. Then suddenly, we’re twisting the night away. It’s the music of Nick Niklas and “the girl with the orchid voice”, Sandra de Mar. Sandra’s song, oddly enough titled “Leave Me Alone”, is actually sung by Ann Pellegrino in her one and only film appearance.
“Go on away and leave me alone. I want to be by myself when I cry. And there’s gonna be some cryin’… I just told my baby good bye.
Get out of here and leave me alone. I don’t care whether I live or die. Cause my life’s already over, it ended when you told me good bye.
Why is it everything happens to me and my dreams just explode in my face?”
Sandra is confronted by the police about the disappearance of her sister Margie. Officer Laskey, played by Robert Kelly, shared his memories of making this movie on the Internet Movie Database:
I was honored to play Dectective Laskey in this Yesterday Machine movie. Tim Holt was a true professional to put up with a bunch of local Dallas actors and even thou this is a typically bad science fiction movie– for the time, it is OK to watch. […] I had a recording studio in Dallas, Texas at the time of the shooting of this movie and most of the interior scenes were done in the back rooms of my studio—sets built for the dungeons, and the time machine locations, etc. All of the music was recorded at my studio with the Nick Nicklas band doing the playing.
Accompanied by Tim Holt in suit and tie, De Mar visits the rural, wooded scene of the crime in a tight skirt and high heels. Outside an old farmhouse, Holt gets accosted by a storm trooper to the tune of what sounds unfittingly like the Tonight show theme. Soon, the couple realize they’re lost… in time. Sandra’s hysterical yet orchidly voice is in full flower:
“Jim! The car! It’s gone! There isn’t a telephone pole in sight! The road was paved and now it’s dirt! What’s happening? Where’s the car?? What’s going on?? Jim, someone must’ve stolen it! Tell me what’s going on! Tell me what dreadful thing has happened!! TELL ME!!!”
In a nicely done transition shot, Holt and de Mar are beamed up (or down) to the laboratory of one Professor Von Hauser, and now we are at the real, rotten core of this movie.
Jack Herman, a Yiddish theater actor, hams up his role gloriously with a thick, over the top German accent and sly, menacing expressions and outrageous gestures. I sure hate to give anything away, but prepare yourself to endure the white-haired Von Hauser’s interminably long (but hilarious) blackboard lecture, as a serious but baffled Tim Holt looks on.
“Ziss line represents za vurld… […] Ziss is to illustrate vy vee vood have von da var!! Now, vee are da masters, and time is our servant!! Aahhh, you Americans are an egotistical, arrogant lot! How proud and superior you felt as you strutted through the ruins of our cities!! Soon, Hitler will return!!!”
“I’m afraid you lost me, doctor.”
I wonder if Holt–who once was a star in Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons and John Huston’s Treasure of Sierra Madre, after all–longed for a real, working Yesterday Machine when he saw the end results of this.
It’s nevertheless a great time, and there are plenty of unintentional laughs for an open-minded group. Serve it with some bratwursts, sauerkraut, and a few Heinekens or a nice Riesling.
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