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

[ppeatfruit]

Ref. affairs between leading actors , apparently it happened\happens quite a lot Halsall not surprising really.

Chink There's a wonderful story about the hero of Carousel, it was originally going to be Frank Sinatra; he had recorded all the songs everything was ready, he arrived on the set and noticed there were 2 cameras, after being told one of them was for normal screen and the other wide screen he realised he had to perform twice and walked off for good .!!! He was known as "One take Frank" he took the name seriously .

[cherrytree63]

I'm just getting into old movies (didn't appreciate them as a kid/ we only had TV sporadically until my Dad signed up with Radio Rentals).
My favourites so far are:
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
Ice Cold in Alex
Gaslight
Brief Encounter
The Scotland Yard film, the title escapes me but has the actor who later plays Wexford in the Ruth Rendell books
National Velvet.
Bird in a Cage

Thanks to PPs for suggestions, going to see if I can find Spiral Staircase as that sounds good!

[cherrytree63]

Thought of a couple more
Splendour in the Grass
All the James Dean films
And am I imagining that there was a film if Peyton Place as well as the series? I did thoroughly enjoy the book.

[avva]

Loving this thread and seeing the other familiar titles coming forward

Thought of a few more - Gaslight and Washington Square.

And of course anything by Stanley Kubrick (especially The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I also though the film and cinematography in the recent Eyes Wide Shut was just beautiful).

All wonderful or amazing films but in quite different ways.

(Also my post above should have been "Meet me in St Louis" - I really do recommend it as a feel-good Christmassy movie!)

[ppeatfruit]

I love "Meet Me In St. Louis' avva The luminous Judy Garland , she and Minnelli (the director) fell in love during the filming, because he made her look so lovely. Shame the marriage didn't work out, he was gay but we have the lovely Lisa from it! Cabaret with her is brilliant too .

[PrivateParkin]

@cherrytree63 if you have access to Talking Pictures, The Spiral Staircase is on again tomorrow at 4.05pm.

[84CharingCrossRoad]

@cherrytree63 George Baker played Wexford...

[PrivateParkin]

Happy birthday to Dame Margaret Rutherford born otd in 1892! A pillar of British stage and screen... even if Agatha Christie didn't approve of her Miss Marple, as noted by a pp upthread. From what I can remember, her Miss Marple films weren't based on the books? I think of them as being more camp/comedy versions - I do like Murder Ahoy! but don't think of it as "real" Miss Marple though...

[PrivateParkin]

Btw, someone on Twitter posted about a stage version of Daphne duMaurier's Rebecca, where Celia Johnson played the second Mrs De Winter, and Margaret Rutherford played Mrs Danvers! Would have loved to have seen that.

[ppeatfruit]

I just discovered that we have Talking Pictures (i didn't even know it existed) ! I'll record The Ghost and Mrs Muir tonight. I vaguely remember it.

[ppeatfruit]

Private I saw Murder Ahoy recently it's more like a Carry On Film not taken at all seriously!

[84CharingCrossRoad]

Retro Pictures has His Girl Friday on at 2pm today. It's the channel before TP on Sky.

[PrivateParkin]

I love His Girl Friday - definitely recording that. Thanks 84 . Oh God our sky box is already totally clogged with all my scheduled/recorded old films!! My DH is going to love it, not. he might have to delete some rugby matches

[MargoLovebutter]

Love this thread. Some great recommendations for films I have yet to see. Here are mine:

Some Like It Hot
Gone With The Wind
Brief Encounter
Please Don't Eat The Daisies
That Touch of Mink
My Fair Lady
High Society

[Ventress]

You are all my kindred spirits

Love all of those Margo

At first I thought you meant The Blue Lamp Cherry but that's Jack Warner not George Baker George Baker was rather typecast as a police officer wasn't he?

I like musicals but I'm not a fan of the 7 brides, Oklahoma type of musical. Calamity Jane is okay but I mainly like it for Doris Day's singing.

I am utterly outraged that Halifax are using bits of The Wizard of Oz to advertise mortgages Do they have no shame?

[ppeatfruit]

Ventress I think that the advertisers are interesting using OLD FASHIONED music and therefore introducing young people to GOOD MUSIC We might get them on here!

[cherrytree63]

I got the actor completely wrong, but all policemen look the same when you get to my age
Gideon of Scotland Yard with Jack Hawkins! (But George Baker was in Gideons Way).
I found out that I've got Talking Pictures and set to record the Spiral Staircase (thanks Parkin) and about a billion other films!

[Halsall]

Ref. affairs between leading actors , apparently it happened\happens quite a lot

I know, ppeat, you’ve only got to glance at ‘Hollywood Babylon’ to realise that they were all at it pretty much 24/7

My surprise about Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price was more along the lines that I was pretty sure he was 100% gay, but you live and learn, I guess.

[PrivateParkin]

mzcracker how did you enjoy The Quiet Man? I feel as though I must have seen it (!), but I can't remember the storyline at all. Presume it's well worth watching, based on the cast?

[dietcokemango]

dietcokemango Un Chien Andalou sounds extremely interesting! My favourites tend to the more mainstream so I think this thread will be great for recommendations for things I wouldn't normally consider...

Aye it's a bit unusual but I do love surrealism and Salvador Dali in particular so I felt I had failed as a surrealism enthusiast if I didn't watch it!

[BitOfFun]

Signing in! I love old movies.

Re The Quiet Man, I really don't rate it as standing the test of time, but I'm proud of it because I am related to the actor Barry Fitzgerald, who played one of the main characters in it (the matchmaker). He was my grandad's cousin.

[BitOfFun]

DietCokeMango, apologies f I've missed a post, but have you seen Spellbound? Dali did a lot of the Art Direction.

[dietcokemango]

No I haven't, thank you BitofFun

[ppeatfruit]

Flicking through my telly for Talking Pictures last night I also found Retro Films! Before I came on here I didn't know either existed! Thanks Halsall

[avva]

If any of you have Amazon Prime, you can watch quite a few classic movies (and a million rubbish b-movies!) on their video streaming service.

You can also pay for a monthly add-on which I think is called BFI Player, gives lots of old greats.