To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
Which Italian actor and horseman appeared in six movies with Tony Anthony?
Tom Betts and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Raf Baldassarre.
What Italian Western, in its English version, ended with the line "Another time, George."
Tom Betts and Angel Rivera knew that it was UN DOLLARO TRA I DENTI, aka ONE DOLLAR IN THE TEETH, aka A STRANGER IN TOWN.
Can you name three pseudonyms used by Alberto Dell'Acqua?
Tom Betts, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew Cole Kitosch, Albert Waterman and Robert Widmark. Angel Rivera came up with Robert Widmark, Cole Kitosch and Albert Nova - which is his credit in JOKO INVOCA DIO... E MUORI, aka VENGEANCE.
And now for some new brain teasers:
In English, what is the proper response to Aguilar's question, "What kind of man am I?"
Which Western is questioned as to whether Mario Bava or Antonio Roman directed it?
In what Western does Corinne Marchand play Rosalba Neri's sister?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Leo Anchoriz, Alberto Dell'Acqua, Chuck Connors and Hercule Cortez in AMMAZZALI TUTTI E TORNA SOLO, aka KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Anita Todesco and Massimo Carocci in L'INCENDIO DI ROMA, aka FIRE OVER ROME.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem, Angel Rivera and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Donald O'Connor and Milton Reid in LE MERAVIGLIE DI ALADINO, aka THE WONDERS OF ALADDIN.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes and Angel Rivera identified last week's frame grab of Angela Mao and Sammo Hung in HAPKIDO, aka LADY KUNG FU.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:
Enjoyed:
WandaVision (2021)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2019) - I almost didn't watch this film when it came on TCM because I hated A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE. I wasn't all that fond of the first film, but I went through a reevaluation of the films of director Wes Craven after I fell in love with the original SCREAM trilogy. What I hated about ELM STREET 2 was that the filmmakers turned Freddy Krueger into a wise-cracking fiend. He never spoke in the first film. My understanding was that the first film was successful, but that 2 was a bigger hit because it made Freddy "fun", which I hated. It never occurred to me that anyone would think that "2" was "a gay Horror movie". Nor did it occur to me that star Mark Patton's performance would ruin his career just as the AIDS scare would give rise to a new wave of homophobia. Patton disappeared from public view, and it wasn't until 2010 when the makers of NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY hired a private investigator, that he was found living in Mexico running a small shop. Patton and his partner, actor Timothy Patrick Murphy, contracted HIV, from which Murphy died in 1988. Luckily, when Patton tested positive, medication was available for him to regain his health. In SCREAM QUEEN, Patton confronted the experience which seemed to ruin his life and accepted a new notoriety in the Elm Street fan world. Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen were credited as directing this film, with Chimienti and Mark Patton credited as producers.
Speakeasy "Valerie Simpson and Nils Rodgers" (2014)
Mildly enjoyed:
Biography "Farrah Fawcette Forever" (2019) - Like most people in the early 1970s, I was intrigued by a beautiful blonde appearing in TV commercials. Her appearance in 1976's LOGAN'S RUN dissipated any interest I had for her and after being across from her famous poster which was for sale at the 7/11 where I worked, I began to resent her popularity. It wasn't until her role in 2000's DR. T & THE WOMEN that she regained my interest - but for the most part I didn't care. So imagine my surprise at finding this 2 hour documentary on Story TV to be so moving.
Biography "John Candy" (2009)
Biography "Martin Short" (2006)
Biography "Peter Graves Mission: Accomplished" (1997) - This was obviously an old episode of the A&E Biography series, now on Story TV. Not surprisingly, there was no mention of THE FIVE MAN ARMY or ACES GO PLACES III: OUR MAN FROM BOND STREET. I didn't know that Graves met future director Jack Smight at the University of Minnesota in 1945 and came to Los Angeles together in 1949.
Biography "Robert Downey Jr." (2012)
Lady You Shot Me: Life and Death of Sam Cooke (2017) - Re-evaluating the shooting death of Sam Cooke on December 11, 1964, filmmakers David Czarnetzki and Mikhele Apitzsch speculate that perhaps he was murdered as part of an effort by Allen Klein to seize the rights to Cooke's music. None of Cooke's music can be heard on this program because ABKCO owns that music, and, reportedly, the company did not respond to efforts by the filmmakers for contact. The facts of the killing were called into question, but the filmmakers failed to provide evidence that the accepted story was wrong. However, the detailing of how Allen Klein took over Cooke's music was interesting. The ALLEN KLEIN biography by Fred Goodman better detailed the dealings between Klein and Cooke and dismissed the murder rumor.
Le chien (1962) - A one hour black & white movie for television, written and directed by François Chalais - who was a prominent French cinema historian, Le chien featured Alain Delon as a man content to live alone in the country with his dog and his books. One night he decided to do something silly and tried to sneak out of his house. The dog woke up and so Delon decided to take him along as he drove into Paris to visit a club in Pigalle. In voice over and in conversation with his dog, Delon talked about how he knew he would regret it, but he went inside after the doorman assured him that he would take care of the dog in the car. While the club's decor and most of the girls were Asian (Vietnamese?), the bartender was white and quickly began to overcharge Delon for drinks. Suddenly, Elke Sommer appeared to sing a sad German song. Delon was intrigued, but the bartender explained that Sommer never associated with the customers. However, she suddenly came over the bar but the conversation between Delon and her quickly became sour. Outside, Delon found that the doorman had walked away and the dog was gone. After a fruitless night of searching, Delon slept in his car hoping the dog would return. Leaving the club in the morning, Sommer found Delon in the car and asked if he was waiting for her. He explained that he had lost his dog and was hoping that the dog would return. Sommer offered to help Delon find his dog, and the two set off walking around Pigalle. Eventually, the two end up in a park where they talked about love and she remembered growing up in a devastated 1940s Berlin - illustrated by a back screen projection of documentary footage. In voice over, Delon revealed to the audience that he had memories of seeing his parents dead in a German concentration camp. As the conversation grew cold, Sommer thanked Delon for giving her a moment when she thought that love existed and she walked slowly away. Having decided to not follow her, Delon drove home to his house in the country only to find his dog waiting. Years after this movie, Chalais would do documentaries for the French television show Pnorama. In "Special Vietnam: The North Seen by François Chalais", he interviewed downed U.S. pilot John McCain in an hospital bed.
Pioneers of Television: Crime Dramas (2011) - Were the makers of this program deliberately trying to piss me off? How could they trumpet Honey West, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. and Police Woman as breaking the barrier of women in cop shows and not mention Decoy? How could they celebrate The Rockford Files and not admit that the first episode of that show was a rewrite of MARLOWE without Bruce Lee? Heck, twice in the program they used a still from MARLOWE while suggesting it was from The Rockford Files. Did they edit out a mention of I Spy as a barrier breaker for Blacks on TV because of the scandals around Bill Cosby, but still had a passing inclusion of still photographs? And how come there was no clarification about what made a Crime Drama the same as a Spy Show like Mission Impossible?
Speakeasy "Graham Nash and Rita Coolidge" (2016)
Speakeasy "Sean Ono Lennon and Lenny Kravetz" (2016)
Did not enjoy:
THE BEST MAN'S HOLIDAY (2013) - I am not a member of the intended audience for this movie. I hadn't seen the first film. I have an aversion to Christmas themed movies. I have an aversion to movies that aim for a religious affirmation. And I have an aversion to sports movies. But I have enjoyed seeing Sanaa Lathan and Regina Hall in other movies, so I figured I should give this a look-see. Writer/director/co-producer Malcolm D. Lee re-assembled an all-star cast including Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau for a reunion of characters from the first movie and puts them through the paces of a standard reunion movie. If you've ever wanted to see a movie in which a woman on her death bed telephones her football playing husband saying that all she wants for Christmas is for him to win the game, this is the movie for you. If you've been wanting to see another movie in which every African-American in the cast lives an upper class lifestyle, this is the movie for you. If you've been wanting to see a movie in which a European-American boyfriend is grilled about dating an African-American woman by a room full of African-American men, this is the movie for you. If you shed a tear when one character dies and a baby is born and the baby is given the dead person's name, this is the movie for you. A third film, THE BEST MAN'S WEDDING, was scheduled for production, but ended up not being made. Instead, a ten-episode limited series was produced for the Peacock streaming service called The Best Man's Wedding: The Final Chapters.
THE SAVAGE (1952) - Based on the 1949 novel by L.L. Forman called THE RENEGADE, THE SAVAGE was scripted by Sydney Boehm - who recently wrote the screenplay for WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE - and directed by George Marshall - who started his directing career with a 1916 Western starring Harry Carey. Because of a treaty signed with the Sioux Indians, a peaceful wagon train crossed the prairie. Suddenly, the wagon train was attacked by evil Crow Indians. All of the Whites were killed except for a little boy who was saved by the arrival of the good Sioux Indians. Naturally, the boy was raised as a son by Sioux Chief Ian MacDonald to become Charlton Heston. News that the Whites had found gold on Sioux land caused MacDonald to send Heston to Fort Duane as a spy to determine if the soldiers were going to protect the treaty with the Sioux. When Heston came upon a troop of horse soldiers led by Peter Hansen being attacked by Crows, he quietly killed most of the attackers and saved the Whites. Because of this, he was welcomed into the Fort, where Hansen's sister, Susan Morrow, took a liking to him - much to the anger of racist Captain Richard Rober. Later, Heston found that Crows killed another troop of soldiers and had kidnapped Indian maiden Joan Taylor. Heston rescued Taylor and was taking her to the Fort when Captain Rober only saw Indians coming and had his men open fire. Heston brought Taylor's lifeless body back to the Sioux camp and determined to set a trap for the Sioux to exact revenge. Agreeing to lead Rober to attack Indians, Heston got the U.S. Cavalry to destroy the camp of the evil Crow. After the battle, Rober was killed wrestling with Corp. Milburn Stone over a pistol Rober wanted to use to kill Heston. When the horse soldiers were joined by a wagon train of civilians - just like the one he was with as a kid - Heston spoiled the Sioux ambush and was wounded. Being nursed at the Fort, Heston overheard the military plan to defend the Fort with cannons, so he snuck out in the night to warn the Sioux not to attack. Denounced as a traitor, Heston was prepared to be killed by Chief MacDonald, but MacDonald only wounded him. In the end, the Sioux delivered the wounded Heston on a stretcher to the Fort, telling him to find his way in the ocean of Whites. Heston declared that he would try to find a way for there to be peace and that he would return. Shot on location in the Black Hills of South Dakota, THE SAVAGE did not evidence even a single authentic Native American, instead employing actors like Don Porter, Ted de Corsia and Angela Clarke in "reddish brown face". There were some exciting action scenes with sudden arrow hits particularly effective, but the melodrama was rather predictable, even with Paul Sawtell trying to quicken the pulse with his music score.
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Charles Gilbert watched:
Wild, Wild West 'Night of the Burning Diamond' B&W. S1E26 Robert Drivas plays archvillain Morgan Midas who processes diamonds into a potion that renders him invisible from hyper movement. West and Gordon drink some, too. Christiane Schmidtmer also guests.
Lone Ranger cartoon 1966 'Quicksilver' Q31. Borrows the theme from Night of the Burning Diamond but with a silver potion.
Walker Texas Ranger
'Retribution'
'Avenging Angel'
'Child of Hope'
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:
Wednesday – season 1 (8 episodes)
Young Sheldon – season 6 - episodes 1 to 7
DC’s legends of tomorrow – season 5 – episodes 11 to 14
Enola Holmes (2021, Harry Bradbeer)
The gardians of the galaxy : holiday special (2022, James Gunn)
Mildly enjoyed:
Blazing saddles (1974, Mel Brooks)
R.I.P.D. 2 : rise of the damned (2021, Paul Leyden)
The last victim (2021, Naveen A. Chathapuram)
Did not enjoy:
Adieu Paris (2021, Edouard Baer)
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David Deal Enjoyed:
THE SECRET OF MONTE CRISTO (60)
THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (50)
NOPE (22) - Strange things are happening in the skies above the Hollywood Horse Ranch. Eventually, it is discovered that an alien from outer space is taking up residence. Jordan Peele's small UFO epic won me over, even if it is too long.
THE INVISIBLE WALL (47) - WWII vet Don Castle takes up with a big time bookie and on his first job he gambles away the company money. This little complication leads to murder and as many twists and turns that can be crammed into 72 minutes. Told in narrated flashback, this low rent film noir keeps the viewer guessing until the end. Features looker Virginia Christine. I liked it.
LA NOTTE (61)
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (87)
THE WOLF MAN (41)
IT CONQUERED THE WORLD (56) - Lee Van Cleef helps an alien creature reach Earth with the intent of conquering it, an act that Van Cleef believes will benefit mankind. His old friend Peter Graves tries to put a stop to the madness. Roger Corman's quicky is silly, yes, and cheap, but it has a certain charm. Beverly Garland is Van Cleef's long-suffering wife.
THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (42)
FROM HELL TO TEXAS (58)
SORCERER (77)
THE FOX WITH A VELVET TAIL (71)
Mildly enjoyed:
INVASION OF THE DEAD (73) - AKA Blue Demon and Zovek in… A fiery object crashes in the desert in Mexico, catching the attention of two cops passing by who are later found dead. Masked wrestler Blue Demon and escape artist Dr. Zovek investigate and discover that the spaceship landing has caused the recent dead to come alive! Zovek does most of the heavy lifting in this sometimes-atmospheric but generally ridiculous entry in the subgenre. This was Zovek's last film (of two) because he was killed when he fell out of a helicopter while filming this.
UNDER THE BOARDWALK: THE MONOPOLY STORY (10)
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Angel Rivera enjoyed:
"The Automat" (2021) Interesting documentary. I used to work in a building that had an automat,Only it was not as memorable as the ones in the film.
Still interesting bit of history
Mildly enjoyed:
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High"(1982)
I had missed this film when it had its run in the theaters. Every time it played on TV, I somehow also managed to miss it. So I watched on my on-demand feature.First all the male stars do not look like high school kids. More like college kids. The rest of the film still holds up well, even though it is more a document of its times. Interesting seeing Mrs. Kevin Kline at age 19 and performing her most iconic role. Also the daughter of the late actor, Vic Morrow getting her big break in what would become her iconic role, at about the same time tragedy strikes her father. Still the film has some laughs as well as some poignant moments. Well I have to say it was worth a viewing.
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