Classic films appreciation thread - come and join us!

[PrivateParkin]

Following on from the recent thread about favourite actors from old films, @FatBallsAndSunflowerSeeds had the fab idea of an old movies appreciation thread... So here it is! If you like old films and actors of any kind, come and join us.

old thread

We thought we'd look out for any classic films being shown on TV, post them on this thread and then discuss them afterwards... But if you want to post about any of your favourite old films and actors at any time, that would also be fab. Basically, this is just a place to chat about old films - please come and join us!

I'm off to check the TV schedules for any potential gems coming up - I will post again with anything that looks good.

Meantime, here's James Cagney tap dancing down the stairs in Yankee Doodle Dandy - happy bank holiday everyone
//m.youtube.com/watch?v=xlvB4xk4LNQ

[Halsall]

Gosh, yes, King's Row - with Ronald Reagan's infamous line 'Where's the rest of me?' (he's in hospital waking up to find both legs have been amputated )

[avva]

My husband LOVES old movies so we've watched countless ones over the years (and I mean "Birth of a Nation" and "Battleship Potemkin" old too).

My favourites are probably from the noir era; ones I've really enjoyed are Sunset Boulevard, Vertigo, The Third Man, Citizen Kane, and Twelve Angry Men.

James Cagney is just a wonderful actor - Angels with Dirty Faces is perhaps my favourite work of his, and The Public Enemy with it's chilling ending. I was a quite sad to read that in real life he was apparently a terrible parent though, it took the shine off him a bit for me.

[CremeBrulee]

Just thought of a few goodBette Davis films I'd really like to see again:

Mr Skeffington
Jezebel
The Little Foxes

Did anybody see Feud with Jessica Lange/Susan Sarandon playing Joan Crawford and Bette Davis? Really enjoyed it and loved spotting all the other stars and the movies mentioned throughout the series!

[ppeatfruit]

Graphista Good list ! Especially Some Like it Hot that's on the top of my non musical list! It's lovely to read the opinions of a youngster who appreciates old films.

DH is a bit of an obsessive about most things including old films. I don't subscribe to the "If it's old and in black and white it's great" opinion. I'm quite critical I don't like Vivien Leigh films especially Gone With The Wind , she was pretty but that was it as far as I could see; between her and a tree the tree is more animated!!

[Graphista]

I'm a youngster? At nearly 46?

[PrivateParkin]

I ended up staying up to watch The Spiral Staircase on Talking Pictures last night - sinister and brooding but watchable even by my standards, and I have a pretty low tolerance for anything remotely scary. It's set in a run-down Gothic mansion, with candles guttering in the lamps, rattling windows, thunderstorms etc - brilliant stuff. Dorothy Maguire plays Helen, a companion/nurse to a fab Ethel Barrymore. Helen has suffered some kind of childhood trauma leaving her unable to speak, and therefore unable to ask for help when a serial killer starts to prowl the vicinity... Pretty melodramatic but enjoyable nonetheless.

[Halsall]

For Gary Cooper fans (happy belated birthday, Gary), The Wedding Night, from 1935, which pits him against Russian actress Anna Sten, is on Talking Pictures at 02:45 tomorrow morning. One to record if you're a fan of Cooper, Sten or director King Vidor, perhaps.

[PrivateParkin]

I loved Feud, I thought they did a brilliant job of it - especially the dresses (or should I say gowns). Didn't Olivia de Havilland sue them for the way she was portrayed?

[Ventress]

I love classic movies. I particularly like Hitchcock movies - Vertigo being my absolute favourite.

My 10 year old son also loves movies so I'm trying to introduce him to the wonders of "The Golden Age of Hollywood" . So far we've watched "Rear Window", "The Ladykillers" (the original Ealing comedy of course), "Arsenic and Old Lace" and "Dial M for Murder".

I've really enjoyed talking to him about them afterwards too! DP is uninterested in old films although he's said that when we watch "North by Northwest" he'll deign to join us

I realise this is a thread to draw attention to classics on TV but I'm wondering if I can hijack and ask for suggestions for what other movies a 10 year old might enjoy? I've been thinking "Passport to Pimlico", "Some Like it Hot", "Bringing up Baby" and "It happened one night". He likes slapstick.

One of my other favourites is "The Third Man" but I think he's a little young for that yet although we've been discussing "Citizen Kane" so perhaps he's not too young for Orson Welles

[avva]

How about Buster Keaton (can't think of a specific one but he's brilliant), or Harold Lloyd (the Kid Brother, Safety Last)? Happiest Days of Your Life is another comedy I think we enjoyed.

If he liked Dial M and Rear Window then Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard might be enjoyable too.

Charade with Audrey Hepburn maybe?

[Halsall]

He might perhaps enjoy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World? Full of stars, madcap plot, lots of silly things going on. A classic caper movie....I can't remember if there are any actual custard pies but it's pretty slapstick

[Ventress]

I'm fairly ignorant of all of those old Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd comedies avva so they could be ones we enjoy for the first time together. I must admit when I think of Charlie Chaplin I automatically think of Blackadder Goes Forth and Baldrick "the slug balancer"

I've seen the others you mention and I'm pretty sure I have "Charade" on DVD so I'll dig that out. I also thought about Humphrey Bogart and the Phillip Marlow movies, The Maltese Falcon etc. I haven't seen them for years though and they may be a little complicated for him just yet.

I've not seen "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" either Halsall but obviously I know of it. You can never have too many custard pies in a movie Good calls, thank you both.

[PrivateParkin]

What about Laurel and Hardy? Or Destry Rides Again - plenty of slapstick bar-room brawls there. It's rated PG, I've just noticed, but the whole premise is restoring law and order without guns... It's ages since I've seen it though, so I can't remember if there are any scenes that wouldn't be ok for a 10yo.

I'm a bit envious though Ventress as my DS (8) automatically assumes everything in b&w is "rubbish" (hoping to indoctrinate him as he gets older though, as his taste in films is otherwise - usually - ok)...

[Halsall]

Singing in the Rain was on the other day and although I've seen it a hundred times I sat and watched it again (and loved it). Maybe that would entertain a 10-y-old? That's the sort of thing I watched when I was that sort of age, and BBC2 used to put old Hollywood musicals on every Saturday afternoon, which my mum and I would watch. Lovely memories.

[Halsall]

Oh, and I know it's not exactly 'classic', but Bugsy Malone has a great custard-pie sequence!

[PrivateParkin]

Halsall same for me, happy childhood memories of watching with my mum, who is a massive fan of old films and has seen everything under the sun. When I was about 10-11, my dad worked away for a few months, and mum, my sister and I always used to watch the Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) films, Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes and the Bing Crosby/Bob Hope Road movies in the evenings - they seemed to be on TV every night! Not sure whether that was actually the case or not... We often discuss old films and watch them whenever we can now as well, although not so much opportunity these days unfortunately.

[ppeatfruit]

Ventress Perhaps the Pink Panther films with Peter Sellers would be fun for a 10 yr old boy. Most of his films were funny in a juvenile way! I bet he'd like the Goon Shows on the radio (repeated on 4 extra).

Halsall I LOVE Singin in the Rain I LOVE Gene Kelly his dancing was tops!! Not his kissing though, according to Debbie Reynolds!

[84CharingCrossRoad]

@Ventress
If your DS likes slapstick then watch Bringing Up Baby. The first ever slapstick. My DS loved it...

[BagelGoesWalking]

Private Watched exactly those films! Elvis Presley and Beatles films in the run up to Christmas.

Ventress If you can find them somewhere, Abbott and Costello but, above all, The Marx Brothers would be great if he likes slapstick.

[Ventress]

So many wonderful suggestions, thank you all

ppeatfruit I thought of the Pink Panther movies when we saw the young Peter Sellers in "The Ladykillers". I haven't seen them in years but I'll try and find them on Amazon or Netflix

Singing in the Rain is a great idea Halsall. I've showed him the Paddington Bear version on You Tube but the real thing would be great!

Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello are great fun. I remember when I was a kid they used to show the half hour L&H's on Saturday mornings. Marx Brothers too Bagel - good call

You know I always assumed Destry rides again was a western of the old school Gary Cooper, James Stewart sort PrivateParkin

Certificates can be rather misleading on old movies can't they? DS will say "but it's a PG" but, to me, it's not appropriate (e.g. To Kill a Mockingbird). I guess this is why I've so far stuck to movies I know.

I think I shared the same Saturday afternoons as you two Halsall and PrivateParkin! Bob Hope and Bing Crosby - I'd forgotten about those. How about Jerry Lewis in "Who's minding the store". If found that hilarious as a child. Also "The Million Pound Note"

84CharingCrossRoad - Bringing up Baby is one of my favourite movies. DS will love it I'm sure. 84 Charing Cross Road is a great movie too but not for DS just yet

We've watched some musicals - Bugsy Malone being one. Also, Little Shop of Horrors, Oliver The King & I and My Fair Lady. I borrowed High Society from my mum last week so that's on the "to watch" pile.

DS has always loved movies PrivateParkin. It's odd, he was a really hyper toddler but stick a movie on and he'd be glued to it. My DP sounds more like your DS! He hates B&W and all musicals (except "The Blues Brothers", which DS certainly isn't watching anytime soon!)

I'm really sorry for the derail. I shall review the TV listings and see what I can find for this weekend. I've found that BBC2 quite often stick a good movie, perhaps not classic era, but something like Chinatown or The Conversation on at about 2am on a Saturday morning.

[ppeatfruit]

Some of the films are great and some aren't (like everything IMO and E) whether B&W or colour!

There's a lot of "me too' movies. Hollywood goes into boring mode too much I reckon!

[gryffen]

The Pirate (Gene Kelly)
Cleopatra
Agony and Ecstasy
The Robe
Seven brides for seven brothers
Calamity Jane
Tora Tora tora
Ten commandments
Dracula (Gary oldman)
Dracula (louis Jourdan)
Hocus Pocus (it's near 20yrs old)
Witches of Eastwick
Where Eagles Dare
One flew over the cuckoo's nest
A star is born (Barbara Streisand)
Millennium

I'm 35 I was raised on lots of old films lol

[PrivateParkin]

You're not de-railing at all Ventress - the TV listings idea was just a starting off point really. Any discussion about old films is welcome!

I know what you mean about certificates on old films - they can be pretty unpredictable. I completely agree about To Kill A Mockingbird - best left until old enough to understand them IMHO. If that film was re-made now I highly doubt it would be rated PG with that subject matter!

ppeatfruit yes of course, there is a lot of dross made at any time in cinematic history you're right - we can always appreciate the good stuff and critique the bad of the old days as well!

[PrivateParkin]

Oh and.... Fred Astaire was born otd in 1899. Now there's a true star!

May is an absolutely unreal month for film star birthdays btw. So many good ones!