Movies, Mom & Me

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  Commentary:  Under construction.
    Even though the scenario in this movie is common enough in movie-story telling, let alone any kind of story telling, there is something universally perverse in its presentation in this movie, not to mention that the choice of actors was (and remains) genius. I've probably seen this movie, one way or another, at least five times over my movie-watching life time. I will never hesitate to watch it again. And again. Magnificent world building.
    This movie, by the way, is one of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Fred MacMurray	Walter Neff	Barbara Stanwyck	Phyllis Dietrichson	Edward G. Robinson	Barton Keyes	Porter Hall	Jackson
  Jean Heather	Lola Dietrichson	Tom Powers	Dietrichson	Byron Barr	Nino Zachetti	Richard Gaines	Norton
  Fortunio Bonanova	Sam Gorlopis	John Philliber	Joe Pete	Raymond Chandler	Man Reading Magazine	Bess Flowers	Norton's Secretary

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1944
    Directed by Billy Wilder.

Labels: barbara-stanwyck, Criterion8, film-noir3, thriller4

# posted by gail @ 19:34    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Under construction.
    I have to say, I'm really looking forward to watching this film. It falls just about smack dab in the middle of Barbara Stanwyck's astonishing and prolific acting career. I can't wait to add it to my collection, either. Although it was released in 1950, the way it's described (see review attached to the title of this post), it sounds like one of the first, and definitive, revisionist Westerns.
    This package includes the novel by Niven Busch, by the way.
    More later.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Vance Jeffords	Wendell Corey	Rip Darrow	Walter Huston	T. C. Jeffords	Judith Anderson	Flo Burnett
  Gilbert Roland	Juan Herrera	Thomas Gomez	El Tigre	Beulah Bondi	Mrs. Anaheim	Albert Dekker	Mr. Reynolds
  John Bromfield	Clay Jeffords	Wallace Ford	Scotty Hyslip	Blanche Yurka	Herrera Mother	Louis Jean Heydt	Bailey
  Frank Ferguson	Dr. Grieve	Movita Castaneda	Chiquita	Myrna Dell	Dallas Hart	Charles Evans	Old Anaheim

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1950
    Directed by Anthony Mann.

Labels: barbara-stanwyck, Criterion7, western

# posted by gail @ 01:59    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Under construction.
    Yep, I do love me some Barbara Stanwyck. This is the seventh film in which she plays a starring role that I've acquired. I haven't done it on purpose, but, I see her name and I have to watch the movie, and I watch the movie and I have to acquire it, by hook or by crook, so I can watch it again, at my leisure and without having to pay for it again.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Deborah Hoople/Dixie Daisy	Michael O'Shea	Biff Brannigan	J. Edward Bromberg	S. B. Foss	Iris Adrian	Gee Gee Graham
  Gloria Dickson	Dolly Baxter	Victoria Faust	Lolita La Verne	Charles Dingle	Inspector Harrigan	Frank Conroy	'Stacchi' Stacciaro

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1943
    Directed by William A. Wellman.

Labels: barbara-stanwyck, comedy3, goflexA, musical2, mystery3

# posted by gail @ 00:05    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Under construction.
    If you have a "thing" for Barbara Stanwyck, and I do, you might want to check out the following two articles containing in depth critical consideration and praise for her body of work: Utterly Modern: The Charisma of Barbara Stanwyck by Nell Minowand Bow down to Babs by Jim Emerson.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Martha Ivers	Van Heflin	Sam Masterson	Lizabeth Scott	Antonia Marachek	Kirk Douglas	Walter O'Neil
  Judith Anderson	Mrs. Ivers	Roman Bohnen	Mr. O'Neil	Darryl Hickman	Child Sam Masterson	Janis Wilson	Child Martha Ivers
  Ann Doran	Bobbi St. John	Frank Orth	Hotel Clerk	James Flavin	Detective 1	Mickey Kuhn	Child Walter O'Neil
  Charles D. Brown	McCarthy	Blake Edwards	Sailor	Robert Homans	Gallagher	Gladden James	John

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1946
    Directed by Lewis Milestone.

Labels: barbara-stanwyck, film-noir1, goflexB, kirk-douglas, melodramaB, van-heflin

# posted by gail @ 09:57    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I haven't watched this series, yet. I'm expecting to receive it today (7/15/22). I have to mention, though, despite its continued popularity, no film critics considered "accomplished" by film media reviewed this series; not then (back in the 1980's) and not now, despite the high caliber talent engaged, the fact that it continues to be lauded as the second most popular mini-series in history (the first one being Roots) and, besides these, it won several major awards. Even its Wikipedia write-up dispensed with its usual "Reception" section on this movie, although it did include a stocked Awards section, of which, might I add, this production was nominated for and won several. Despite this, I had to scrounge to find two reviews, one attached to the title of this post and the other here, written on the occasion of the release of the DVD of the series in 2004. Both are excellent and informative. If you read reviews of video media, you'll appreciate both. In addition, the DVD version I'll be receiving includes a "Commemorative Documentary" that I can barely wait to watch.
    The above linked reviews, despite the fact that I'll be receiving a few more DVDs/Blu-Rays in the same package, guarantee that this series will be the first into which I dive. I find it so incredibly curious that no "critic of prominence" wanted to weigh in on this series. I suspect I will discover why top tier critics were afraid to review this series (even though I'd put good money on the proposition that all of them saw it) and that it will have something to do with being afraid of somehow getting their minds dirty. I mean, a mini-series about a priest falling in love with a woman ... starring the likes of Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Christopher Plummer, the list goes on and on ... somehow, I can imagine lots of critics cringing, shaking their hands frantically and squealing, "Eew!"
    So, Dear Reader, stay tuned. Although this post remains "Under construction", I'll be completing and polishing it soon.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Richard Chamberlain	Ralph de Bricassart	Rachel Ward	Adult Meggie Cleary	Sydney Penny	Child Meggie Cleary	Barbara Stanwyck	Mary Carson
  Richard Kiley	Paddy Cleary	Jean Simmons	Fee Cleary	Bryan Brown	Luke O'Neill	Mare Winningham	Justine O'Neill
  Philip Anglim	Dane O'Neill	Ken Howard	Rainer Hartheim	John Friedrich	Frank Cleary	Dwier Brown	Adult Stuart Cleary
  Vidal Peterson	Child Stuart Cleary	Piper Laurie	Anne Mueller	Earl Holliman	Luddie Mueller	Christopher Plummer	Archbishop Vittorio di Contini-Verchese
  Brett Cullen	Bob Cleary	Stephen W. Burns	Jack Cleary	Barry Corbin	Pete	Holly Palance	Miss Carmichael
  John de Lancie	Alastair MacQueen	Allyn Ann McLerie	Mrs. Smith	Richard Venture	Harry Gough	Antoinette Bower	Sarah MacQueen

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1983
    Directed by Daryl Duke.

Labels: §4, barbara-stanwyck, christopher-plummer, coming-of-age2, erotic, jean-simmons, john-de-lancie, period7, piper-laurie, religion2, spiritual2, TV3

# posted by gail @ 10:15    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  As with the previous Christmas movie, I just received this today and haven't watched it. But I'll be watching it either tomorrow or Friday of this week. I'll post more then.
    By the way, Nell Minow contributed a very interesting and laudatory piece about Stanwyck's involvement in movies, including a bit about her life. If Barbara Stanwyck strikes you, at all, read it.
  Update 5/15/2022:  It's almost six months since I received and posted this movie and I still haven't watched it. I'm between Christmas seasons by almost exactly half, and likely won't watch this until the next season, six months from now. Although I live in a place where the summers are temperate and, during the monsoon, you can almost make yourself believe winter is coming, still, this place also produces a decent winter, including, most years, snow, so, I think I'll wait for another six months to watch this. Maybe over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Remind me, please.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Elizabeth	Dennis Morgan	Jefferson Jones	Sydney Greenstreet	Alexander Yardley	Reginald Gardiner	John Sloan
  S.Z. Sakall	Felix Bassenak	Robert Shayne	Dudley Beecham	Una O'Connor	Norah	Frank Jenks	Sinkewicz

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1945
    Directed by Peter Godfrey.

Labels: §, barbara-stanwyck, Christmas, dramedy3

# posted by gail @ 17:19    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  This is one of two Christmas movies I ordered, both featuring Barbara Stanwyck, both filmed in the 1940's (this one in 1940, the other in 1945). My route to obtaining both of these Christmas movies didn't start even close to my destination. Last week I noticed, upon receiving Die Hard, that my Christmas collection of movies is paltry. This didn't surprise me. I'm not a fan of just any old Christmas or Holiday movie. As you can see, if you check out the list attached to the "Christmas" label, back there, I've even gotten rid of two Christmas movies since my mother's death (both of which she loved) that I just couldn't stand. I'm very discerning when it comes to holiday movies, so much so that if the cover of the case even looks like a TV Christmas production, I shake my head and turn away.
    But, I wanted to enrich my Christmas collection, this year. For some reason, which I doubt I'll plumb, I'm in the mood for Christmas movies this year. This isn't the first time it's happened, but it is pretty rare. So, I went on a hunt for a couple more, having had such luck with Die Hard. The search was increasingly dismal. I almost gave up. Then, I stumbled across these two Barbara Stanwyck movies [the other is Christmas in Connecticut]. I looked up information on them and thought, yeah! That's what I'm looking for! So I ordered both. Now, I'm looking forward to a Christmas movie session this year, and it'll start tomorrow night.
    The Christmas movies I've collected (and kept), though, are dear to my heart. I can't imagine going through "the season" without watching all of them every year between a bit before Christmas up to New Years. I even like every single one of them enough so that it's not unusual to watch any one of them throughout the year during the "off-holiday season" (which is, of course, the entire rest of the year excepting the Christmas season). And, by the way, don't even mention Thanksgiving movies. Not having any, thank you.
    Stay tuned for more, later, when I actually watch these two movies.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Lee Leander	Fred MacMurray	John Sargent	Beulah Bondi	Mrs. Sargent	Elizabeth Patterson	Aunt Emma
  Willard Robertson	Francis X. O'Leary	Sterling Holloway	Willie Simms	Charles Waldron	NY Judge	Paul Guilfoyle	NY DA

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1940
    Directed by Preston Sturges.

Labels: §, barbara-stanwyck, beulah-bondi, Christmas, dramaE

# posted by gail @ 16:45    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I've wanted to own this movie for a long time and finally caught it, used, at our local Hastings, which is in the process of going out of business, unfortunately. It's where I've bought most of my movies, used and cheap. Not sure what I'll do, now. At any rate, I've watched this movie on television more than a few times. It's one of my all time favorite classics. A few months ago, when I was contemplating the current U.S. Presidential election, I suddenly got a hankering to watch this movie because of what I thought I remembered as similarities between the portrayal of the "John Doe Club" movement and what was going on in both political parties. Since I no longer have a TV connection the solution was buying it and, there it was, on the Hastings shelves. And, yes, I think I was right in the connections I made between the political movements then and now. I know I'll be coming back to this movie over and over in the years to come. And, yes, for those of you who notice "shared-favorite" the labels, below, it was a favorite of my mother's as well. She may be dead, but my memories of her live on and are refreshed every time I watch this movie.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published August 14, 2016. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Gary Cooper	John Doe/Long John Willoughby	Barbara Stanwyck	Ann Mitchell	Edward Arnold	D. B. Norton	Walter Brennan	The Colonel
  Spring Byington	Mrs. Mitchell	James Gleason	Henry Connell	Gene Lockhart	Mayor Lovett	Rod La Rocque	Ted Shelton

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1941
    Directed by Frank Capra.

Labels: anti-fascist, barbara-stanwyck, Christmas, drama6, frank-capra, political2, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 03:05    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I just watched this movie this evening (8/20/21). I'd forgotten how absurd it is and, yet, despite it's absurdity, how compelling it is emotionally. Its ability to compel rests solely on the shoulders of two of the actors: Barbara Stanwyck as Stella Dallas and Barabara O'Neil as Helen Morrison Dallas. Yes, I know, there are actors in this movie who have more screen time than Barbara O'Neil, particularly the actors who play Laurel Dallas, Steven Dallas and Ed Munn. But none holds a candle to the ardent performances of these two actors.
    I'd love to be able to give you a good reason for my love of this film, for the fact that I can't seem to get enough of it. I'll tell you, though, each time I watch this film it's personally embarrassing for me to be overcome, yet again, by the gush of pure feeling I experience when watching it. Even as I'm sitting right in front of the screen absorbing it, I'm embarrassed by how I'm reacting. I'm not sure whether this means its good or bad, I just know that, every once in a while, when I feel the need to take a bath in sentiment, crazy and disjointed as Stella Dallas is, this movie does the trick.
    I did, some years ago, watch the Bette Midler remake, called simply, Stella. Even though I was looking forward to seeing it when I heard about it, I remember nothing about the story, the film or my reaction to it, which was probably insignificant. I haven't had the urge to re-view it since, even though, in the meantime, I've watched this Stella Dallas multiple times. I don't know why Bette's wasn't effective for me. And, "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
    Glenn Erickson of DVD Savant, whose reviews I often use, he's especially good with old and obscure movies, has written about the film twice. His earlier review is linked to the title of this post, above, and is dated 3/26/2005. Here is his later review, dated 1/1/2014. He has slightly different things to say about the movie in each review, although much of both reviews are the same.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Stella Martin Dallas	John Boles	Stephen Dallas	Ann Shirley	Laurel Dallas	Barbara O'Neil	Helen Morrison Dallas
  Alan Hale	Ed Munn	Marjorie Main	Mrs. Martin	Tim Holt	Richard Grosvenor III	George Walcott	Charlie Martin

  
    Here is the Wikipedia write-up for the film.
    Release Date: 1937
    Directed by King Vidor.

Labels: barbara-stanwyck, marjorie-main, melodramaA, mother-daughter-dynamics1, popcorn-and-soda7, women's-movie2

# posted by gail @ 16:15    0 comments    email......this post