My Man Godfrey is a good example of the verbal fireworks H'wood was capable of in the first decade of the talkies. Stagecoach was based on a Western short story by Ernest Haycox; 39 Steps on the Richard Hannay thriller by John Buchan, the 1910s and -20s forerunner to Ian Fleming; etc. The heads of the big studios in those days may not have known how to craft a solid and entertaining story themselves, but they knew to hire people who did.
The Codger Cabin
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I've seen some of those. Stagecoach is a great one. I've seen old movies in passing. If I'm looking for something to watch, I'll cruise through them and see if anything catches my eye. I think in the coming days and weeks, I'll be searching that era.
My preferences seem to skip that/ those decades of early talkies. Buster Keaton is still in my mind one of the most fascinating actors to watch ever. And then the WWII era and a little beyond, say between WWII and Elvis. I grew up with John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Erroll Flynn (best Robin Hood to date!), Bogey and Bacall (who I much preferred in The Shootist than Casablanca).
These actors here, I'm not familiar with them or their work at all. I think it's time to change that.
My preferences seem to skip that/ those decades of early talkies. Buster Keaton is still in my mind one of the most fascinating actors to watch ever. And then the WWII era and a little beyond, say between WWII and Elvis. I grew up with John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Erroll Flynn (best Robin Hood to date!), Bogey and Bacall (who I much preferred in The Shootist than Casablanca).
These actors here, I'm not familiar with them or their work at all. I think it's time to change that.
Some Half & Half for my Friday afternoon smoke in the new baby Savinelli. As I look back over my posts in the last 3 months, I see that after purchasing the first pouch of H & H, I apparently have smoked it more than any other blend I've bought -- in fact H & H was the first re-purchase I've done. I've begun to get real flavors out of it (unlike any of the other codgers, good as they are), and without bite or throat dryness. And I like the pouch colors -- like the Italian flag.
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These actors were not the A-list stars like Stewart or Fonda or Gable or Grant. McHugh, Holt, Victor McLaglen were the talented solid character actors who backed up the stars. (McLaglen I think had known top billing in a few films like The Informer, though.) Mr. and Mrs. Moviegoer might remember their names, might not. They'd say to themselves, "Oh, that's Cagney's buddy from Roaring Twenties." It would give them a pleasant zing of recognition to see them in the tobacco ads. Almost like seeing an old acquaintance, and taking his recommendation for a good pipe tobacco. At least that might have been the ad agency's idea!
Oh yeah, Victor McLaglen. Forever the Sergeant Major to Col. John Wayne.
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From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):
Ozzie Nelson’s future neighbor lights one up …
Ozzie Nelson’s future neighbor lights one up …
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- #467
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):
Hey...you're RIGHT! That's Ozzie's friend "Joe Randolph" isn't it....?!!
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- #469
It is. You win tonight’s golden TV land medal.
I was inspired to watch Erroll Flynn in Robin Hood last night. Getting my mind, and Mrs. Rookie, ready for the golden age of film. The Golden Age, which ironically is the black & white age. Anyone who knows people who play paintball or airsoft, I'd recommend that film. It's all small group ambush tactics with a love story and adventure thrown into the mix.
He was all over TV in my youth. I especially liked his turns on Green Acres; in one he played an actor who had gone into politics, a gibe at Ronald Reagan and George Murphy. In another, he played the state's governor who raises taxes so high that Hooterville blows up the bridge over Simpson's Swamp and secedes from the state.
And somehow he got hoodwinked into appearing in Plan 9 From Outer Space.
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- #472
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):
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- #473
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):
Bette Davis’ favorite leading man enjoys a smoke …
Bette Davis’ favorite leading man enjoys a smoke …
George Brent of Dark Victory, and as I recall he starred with Bette in quite a few flicks.
I'm beginning to think Union Leader jinxed a LOT of careers in Hollywood....
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From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):
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- #477
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):
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- #478
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):
This poor guy would later be pals with Tallulah Bankhead on a lifeboat. Have a second bowl, pal …
This poor guy would later be pals with Tallulah Bankhead on a lifeboat. Have a second bowl, pal …
Henry Hull played the first screen werewolf in 1935's Werewolf of London. The story floated around for years that he objected to the original, full-face werewolf makeup (the style used on Lon Chaney Jr. years later) because it obscured his features -- which made him sound egocentric. The truth is that, like a lot of early screen actors, he had come from the stage, and was one to read the entire script. There's a scene in the film where one of the other characters recognizes Henry's scientist while he is in wolf-man form. Hull argued that the guy could hardly do that if the transformation completely covered Hull's face!
HIs argument won out, and resulted in the "partial" and very effective wolf-man visage we see.
HIs argument won out, and resulted in the "partial" and very effective wolf-man visage we see.
Henry Hull was all over the place in the 40s and 50s, usually playing the same type of role and always finding a way to stand out without chewing the scenery.
There's an anecdote regarding Alfred Hitchcock and Tallulah Bankhead on the Lifeboat set that decorum prevents me from repeating, but it's just the sort of thing you'd expect if you know anything at all about Tallulah Bankhead.
There's an anecdote regarding Alfred Hitchcock and Tallulah Bankhead on the Lifeboat set that decorum prevents me from repeating, but it's just the sort of thing you'd expect if you know anything at all about Tallulah Bankhead.
