The final scene that Arthur Kennedy is in should be cut out and mounted on the walls of every drama academy, acting school, the Actor's Studio, anywhere Acting is taught.
You will never see a better performed scene that this one.
Never.
No where.
Period.
I haven't seen it yet (soon) but I liked him in "Peyton Place , Lawrence OA"
AGREE.
He and Constance Ford, (and their repartee, if you could call it that) were absolute stand outs in this movie, you can tell what a completely natural actor he was. Brilliant.
Arthur Kennedy was a great actor and I'm very sorry never to have had the opportunity to see him on the stage. He rarely played sympathetic characters but there was always an element of humanity somewhere in his performance. Not blessed with leading man looks, he made the most of his roles as a character actor and often his were the performances we remember best.
"It's not an old movie if you haven't seen it." Lauren Bacall
I agree that Kennedy was a very fine actor. But it's not hard for him to steal this movie when he's surrounded by comically horrific actors like Troy Donahue. Troy is possibly THE worst actor ever in movie history. Sandra Dee is marginally better, but not by much. Richard Egan is wooden. The only other good actor in the whole thing was Dorothy McGwire.
shareArthur Kennedy was a superb actor, often underrated, a five-time Oscar nominee who never won. Shamefully, in the 70s Hollywood turned its back on him.
As good as he always was, when he's in the middle of a so-so film like ASP, the quality of his work stands out even more. He took a fair role and made it memorable.
I totally agree with the opening post. Even in a movie with better actors, he would have stood out because he seems so natural. He takes what could be a boring, moralizing speech and makes it so real and interesting.
Loved this scene. He was amazing.
The fact that Kennedy could make much more out of this scene (in a generally poorly written movie) than it deserved is testament to his immense talent.
I disagree with the OP, in the sense that we could never find a better example of acting anywhere, because Kennedy did even better work in many other films. But in terms of having to put more into this scene, making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, then the OP may be right. Making weak lines sound meaningful and heartfelt is a lot harder than doing the same with a good script.
I just watched this marginally tolerable film this morning (at one point left the room for 15 minutes and came back to discover absolutely nothing had changed...this film literally stops dead for about 30 minutes...). Two things struck me: Arthur Kennedy and Richard Egan. Kennedy's films need to be seen. Bright Victory is going straight to the top of my Netflix queue. Egan, on the other hand, perhaps I just liked his role. There's not a whole lot of quality on his resume. However, I noted with some joy that they are both in Bright Victory.
"Rampart: Squad 51."
Bright Victory is one I wish Universal, which is so lousy with its releases, would put out on DVD. It's never been on home video of any format. Kennedy got his only Oscar nomination (of five) for Best Actor, instead of supporting, for that performance. And he won the New York Film Critics' Best Actor award, besting the year's Oscar-winner, Humphrey Bogart, as well as Marlon Brando.
Richard Egan wasn't an especially good actor. I find him rather stiff (literally: his expressions and physical movements are very stiff and wooden) and with only a very limited acting range. But he was a nice guy and decent enough that he's very agreeable to watch. He's certainly turns in the best, or most watchable, acting job in A Summer Place apart from Kennedy. He only had a modest supporting role in BV but was effective. Egan's career was harmed from the time he achieved his greatest popularity by the mid-50s, as publicists began calling him "The next Clark Gable", even though he had nowhere near Gable's talent or range. Every film was supposed to put him at the top of the Hollywood hierarchy. But he kept doing mainly action films or melodramas like this one, never a truly important picture, and after 1960 the bottom simply fell out of his career and he never recovered, though he kept working on TV, dinner theater, and later on in bottom-budget exploitation flicks.
But then, that's what befell Arthur Kennedy too, though not until the 70s. Hollywood abruptly dropped him after the 60s, and while he did a lot of US TV, his film career stayed busy only because he did so many cheap, violent Italian exploitation flicks, hitting a low point with Emmanuel on Taboo Island around 1979. No wonder he quit soon after and disappeared. Even his agent didn't know where he'd gone. Turns out he and his wife moved to Savannah, where he was found in 1988 when they needed him to redub some of his dialogue for the restored edition of Lawrence of Arabia. He was "rediscovered" and made two small indie films before being diagnosed with throat cancer, which killed him at the beginning of 1990. What a loss, and what a waste!
Thanks for that additional info about Arthur Kennedy and his later years, Hobnob. As Johnny Carson use to say, โI did not KNOW that!โ
That final confrontation between father and son in โA Summer Placeโ never fails to unsettle me, and I still get a jolt out of that part when the father (Arthur Kennedy) drunkenly rails at his son (Troy Donahue), telling him: Molly is merely a succulent little wench!
Painful scene to watch, but damn good acting!
Also, for Arthur Kennedy fans, I heartily recommend seeing a film he did in 1955 called โThe Naked Dawnโ in which he played a Mexican bandito. So convincing was his portrayal of this Mexican bandito that it reminded me of Marlon Brandoโs portrayal of a Japanese fellow in โTeahouse of the August Moonโ.
Thank you, Eric. As to that great quote, I think Troy needed a good, hard slap in the face (verbally speaking...or maybe the real thing too!), just for being such a sullen, pouty, self-righteous prig. How did they ever get a kid like that!? I much prefer his father's honest alcoholism.
You know, I've never seen The Naked Dawn, though I know of it, but I hope Arthur Kennedy's Mexican was a lot more convincing than Brando's faux Japanese. I don't have a problem with so-called "cross-racial" characterizations per se (not including things like blackface or other deliberately racist stuff, obviously), but it can be good or bad, and as Sakini, Marlon was a bit weird.
as Sakimi, Marlon was a bit weird.
I noted that The Naked Dawn was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, which in itself makes it a curiosity. But as far as I know it's never been on home video of any kind. Kennedy as a Mexican bandido might remind me of his playing a Mafia Don who has his mistress and her lover (one of his bodyguards) thrown into a vat of acid in a dreadful (though sexy and violent) flick called Mean Machine (among other titles), made around 1973. He was almost made up to look like a horse-riding bandido of old in that one, only with expensive suits and limousines.
On Broadway, Sakini was played by David Wayne. The juxtaposition of Teahouse with Sayonara in Brando's career has always struck me as funny, especially since both were filmed in Japan. The first choice for Gruver was actually Rock Hudson, but he turned it down.
Anyway, I've seen Sayonara many times, and like it very much, despite more odd cross-racial casting, in this case Ricardo Montalban as Nakamura. Interesting that Red Buttons won the Supporting Oscar over Sessue Hayakawa for The Bridge on the River Kwai that year. Both films had multiple Oscar nominations. Seems it was a big year for Japanese-related themes. Miyoski Umeki, of course, also won for her role in Sayonara.
his mistress and her lover (one of his bodyguards) thrown into a vat of acid
Actually, it might have been a vat of lye. Either way, the guy came out melted and pulpy and with one bulging eyeball, and the vengeful AK was satisfied.
Nice part for a five-time Academy Award nominee!
But his girfriend was really stunning. Gorgeous. Shame to dip her too. I think Don Arthur even made her give back the mink or sable or whatever it was she was wearing over her panties...and nothing else. Furs are expensive and can be recycled to the next mistress, but girlfriends are a dime (or lira) a dozen.
Nice part for a five-time...oh, well, you get the idea.
I saw the Japanese films being broadcast Aug. 9 listed in my trusty TCM Guide, "What's Playing". Definitely my cup of tea: I have all but two of them in my collection, along with most Kurosawa, plus some Ozu, Mizoguchi, 60s gangster stuff and of course all the classic kaiju ega from the late 50s and early 60s, most courtesy of Ishiro Honda (the latter all in their orignal forms, though most augmented with the Americanized versions), plus scattered other offerings. Even some Japanese war films, during and after. I like Japanese cinema a lot.
But I trust that, in discussing Japanese films, your use of the term "cup of tea" was inadvertent...if not downright subliminal!
use of the term "cup of tea" was inadvertent
"A yen for Japanese films"! Never thought of that!
Be careful about Mean Machine -- make sure it's the Arthur Kennedy one (he's billed about 3rd or 4th). There's another film that uses that title, which I've never seen, and you don't want the wrong one. Also, my MM has other titles, though I don't know them off hand (and I don't recall the Italian name). But this film is definitely on DVD, though it may be out of print.
I got my Japanese stuff from various sources. Criterion, of course. Classic Media has issued many of the sci-fi films, including Gojira and Rodan, and Columbia has that three-disc set of both the Japanese and US versions of The H Man, Battle in Outer Space, Mothra. There's also that three-disc set of other sci-fi that inlcudes Varan, The Mysterians, Matango, again in both the original and newly-dubbed versions. A few other films, such as Chushingara and Japan's Longest Day, I've just found from cruising various routine sites (Amazon, Movies Unlimited, DVD Planet, etc.).
But I've gotten a lot of films from an outfit called Video Daikaiju in New Jersey. They have all the original sci-fi movies, with subtitles, plus more recently have gotten many of the classic Toho war films -- except that those films are, regrettably, not subtitled. But even though I don't understand the language, between my knowledge of the films' plots and what you can see on the screen, it's enough to get the gist of them. I particularly wanted The War at Sea From Hawaii to Malaya, Toho's classic 1942 film extolling the Imperial Navy's victories at Pearl Harbor and Malaya. (It was named the Best Picture of the year by the Japanese Film Academy.) It features extensive special effects created by Eiji Tsuburaya, years before all the monster films, highlighted by the attack on Pearl. I'd long seen clips from what I was sure was this movie, and when it became available I got it and found the scenes. This footage has often been used in documentaries on the attack. I also bought Storm Over the Pacific (1960), which was edited and marketed here as I Bombed Pearl Harbor, and in which Tsuburaya re-created his attack on Pearl, almost scene-for-scene from the 1942 film, but in color and widescreen.
All VD's (an unfortunate acronym) films are Region 0 and come in beautiful packaging. Most are $15, though anything not subtitled is only $10. Unfortunately you can't order directly from their very limited site. You can get a catalogue from them for I believe $2, which should have everything they offer (I emailed them just last week and they said the new edition will be available in August). You then go back to their website and order via PayPal.
To get information you may want to email them first, at [email protected]. They normally reply quickly to any question. You can then go to their website videodaikaiju.com and place an order. Let me know how you make out, or if I can be of help.
Thanks very much (or perhaps I should say Arigato gozaimasu) for a wealth of information on resources for Japanese films. I'm really nuts about Japanese cinema, and have seen a lot of Japanese films from various top directors, but there is SO much more to dig in to. Thanks again for getting back to me on that. I will definitely check out that website you mentioned.
I'm almost 100 percent positive that the "Mean Machine" DVD listed at the Seattle video store I mentioned is in fact the one with Arthur Kennedy. They list it as "Ricco the Mean Machine," with a release date of 1973. This matches the film name and year as listed here on IMDb (you are correct that it does have a slew of alternate titles, but I'm pretty sure this is the "one.") Once I get in the store and look at the DVD cover, I'm pretty sure I can tell if it is the one with Arthur Kennedy in it. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Apropos of nothing, other than to tie in to our discussion of the Japanese film experience, I really enjoyed "Sword of Doom," (1966), with Tatsuya Nakadai. If you haven't seen it, check it out. I'll leave you with a memorable quote from the film:
"The sword is the soul. Study the soul to know the sword: evil mind makes an evil sword." โ Toranosuke Shimada, โThe Sword of Doomโ
Yes, Ricco the Mean Machine is the film. Although it's all dubbed in post-production, the norm for the Italian industry thanks to Mussolini (really), I think at least several of the actors did speak in English, as they were either native English-speakers or people who mostly worked in English. I first saw this movie about 30 years ago and found it pretty bizarre. But I haven't watched it in many years now. Maybe I'll dig it out again. Arthur Kennedy's hair is dyed a deep black and he has a mustache. Perhaps he was trying hard not to be recognized.
But even that film looked like The Best Years of Our Lives compared to the aforementioned Emmanuelle on Taboo Island, which he made a few years later, and which clearly helped drive him to literally disappear into retirement. In that one he was the father of the titular [sic] Miss E. (the beautiful Laura Gemser), who for years he's had all to himself on this island (subtle plot), when one day a handsome young castaway washes up (something Arthur Kennedy's character clearly hasn't done in years) and steals her away from the old man. Really cheap, yucky stuff. Many years ago I saw Cinemax announce this movie was coming up next, and when I saw they'd listed "Arthur Kennedy" in the cast I had to watch, assuming it was the fake Americanized name of some European actor. But, to my shock and amazement, no. It was the real A.K. Quite appalling, actually.
Speaking of A.K., do you have the two Eclipse sets of Akira Kurosawa movies, "The First Films of Akira Kurosawa" and "Postwar Kurosawa"? Very good sets. I was particularly happy to finally see The Most Beautiful, the 1944 film that starred his future wife.
My favorite book on Japanese cinema is Stuart Galbraith's The Emproer and the Wolf, focusing on Kurosawa and Mifune, but delving into the entire industry in its heyday. I infinitely prefer the excellent Galbraith to Donald Ritchie, who is pretentious and self-absorbed beyond belief or tolerance, particularly about kaiju and other "popular" forms of the country's films. I hope I spelled his name wrong (probably).
I successfully managed to make it to that video store today and rent "Ricco the Mean Machine", and yes, it IS the one with Arthur Kennedy. It's been so hectic for me this afternoon and evening, that I haven't even had a chance to pop it in and play it. But I'll let you know what I think as soon as I've watched it. And as to the other film you mentioned, "Emmanuelle on Taboo Island," that title is also available at my video store - filed, amusingly enough, under a section they call "sexploitation" videos. I'll be sure to rent that one too, since, well, since it sounds so bad it must be good. lol
I don't have - or I should say, don't "own" - the two early Kurosawa titles you mention, but again, kudos to my video store, they do indeed have both those titles available for rent. I've been aware of them for some time now, but what with the myriad of other films I record on my DVR, I haven't gotten around to seeing these rental titles yet. As I mentioned, this video store has a significant collection of Japanese (as well as other Asian, and really all sorts of foreign) titles. So it's really nice to have this resource at hand. I've been able to see a goodly sampling of the works of Ozu, Mizoguchi, Teshigahara, Kon Ichikawa, Shohei Imamura, Hideo Gosha, Takashi Miike, and many others. And sometimes just really fun random finds, like "Manji," (1964) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058326/ which I loved. Or for something different and enjoyably bizarre, try "Survive Style 5+" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430651/.
That book you reference sounds quite interesting. I will have to look for that. I've seen some interesting video biographies of some of the top Japanese directors - bios that have been included as special features on some of the Japanese DVD's I've rented. People like Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa, et al. But that book sounds like it would be a worthy purchase for my library. Thanks for the reco.
"The Emporer and the Wolf" may be expensive these days, but you should be able to get a copy. It's a very thick book!
Looking forward to reading your thoughts on poor Arthur Kennedy's later "efforts". Taboo Island, for one, is neither bright nor a victory.
I may try a library first, to see if I can find that book "The Emperor and the Wolf." Hopefully one of my local "big" libraries will carry it. But I do see it's available on Amazon...
Well, I actually managed to pop that DVD in the player last night and watch "Ricco the Mean Machine." It wasn't half bad, actually. I enjoyed the blend of 70's kitsch and camp, with the hot money action taking place in countries that are now, financially speaking, the bane of the Eurozone. Ricco - played by the blonde, nearly bean-stalk slender son of Robert Mitchum - was awfully hard to accept as the son of a Mafia don. I actually found the crusty, cantankerous, nearly 60 year-old Arthur Kennedy, playing a sadistic Mafia don, a much more believable character. The women were nice eye candy, the vat of acid was a bit lame, but all in all the film held my interest until the end. At least, it made me keep wondering would be the eventual fate of the main characters at the end.
And a note about the ending: this was clearly a revenge story, but the way it ended, it reminded me of a quote from the James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only" (which also took place in some of those same parts of the southern Eurozone!), where James Bond sagely advises Melina (Carole Bouquet) that perhaps she ought to consider carefully, before setting out on her quest to avenge her slain parents. He tells her: "The Chinese have a saying; "Before setting off on revenge, you first dig *two* graves"!
Now, that's some advice that Ricco would have been wise to have heeded, no?
It's been so long since I've seen Machine, I confess I have no recollection of the ending itself. But I'll take your word that those were words Ricco should have heeded!
I thought the movie was entertaining in its idiotic way. I have it in my collection because I did find it enjoyable on a very sub-par level. I like a lot of "bad" movies because they're entertaining, and RTMM certainly fits that characterization! And Arthur Kennedy was perfectly good and sinister -- he was a damn good actor. My lament is that he was forced to do junk like this in the 70s in order to find work. I mean, why at least didn't Irwin Allen hire him for something, or Universal put him in a Charlton Heston movie? You know, he would have been great in one of the Godfathers.
I'm sure anyone else visiting this thread will be heartily impressed by the fact that we've included lengthy discourses on films ranging from Ricco the Mean Machine to Tokyo Story...which I noted was just named the third-greatest film ever made in the latest poll (one every ten years since 1952, and highly esteemed) of world-renowned film scholars by the British Film Institute's magazine, Sight and Sound. Vertigo, which I find vastly overrated and deadly dull, was named the best film ever, displacing Citizen Kane after 50 years of its being in the #1 spot.
I think Ricco came in seventh.
It turned out in the end that Ricco successfully avenged his father by killing Don Vito in a heated gun battle. But in the process he was fatally wounded by Vito, and died at the very end. As such, I immediately thought of that quote from "For Your Eyes Only."
Yes, it's amazing (and not always in a good way!) how aging movie stars can pop as a supporting character in some really oddball film - often low budget stinkers or foreign-made oddities. Take for example Joseph Cotten appearing in 1972's "Baron Blood" (a film I actually enjoyed, but it was weird seeing Joseph Cotten in it), or Jane Russell appearing in 1967's "The Born Losers," or Joan Crawford in 1967's "Berserk". I'm sure there are many other - and better - examples of this sort of thing, where you feel sorry for them having to even take that role, yet at the same time you can't help but chuckle to yourself and say "look how low the mighty have fallen".
I think Ricco came in seventh.
I remembered that Don Arthur was killed, but forgot that Ricco bought it also. If I recall, at the beginning didn't Ricco call the blonde "apple-ass"? Classy guy.
I agree with your selection of older stars forced to pick up work in weird stuff beneath their talents and former standings. Joseph Cotten also co-starred in The Abominable Dr. Phibes (or one of the Phibes films), and some other junk, and while Berserk! was passable hokum, Joan Crawford hit rock bottom with her last film, 1970's Trog. But Joan always did whatever it took to stay in the public's view, certainly by that stage. Look at all the great stars relegated to smallish, foolish roles in films such as Airport 1975, Airport '77, The Swarm and other such all-star junk-fests of that era: Gloria Swanson, Jeanne Crain, Olivia de Havilland, Fred MacMurray, and so forth. A few lines, and they're either killed off or pulled out of camera range. I always feel a bit sad about good actors hitting such career lows...even for Joan Crawford!
Like your comment about "grain of salt/shot of bourbon"! True. When I read the article about the top five on this latest list, they quoted Roger Ebert (I'm not sure if he was one of the 836 or so queried as to his choices) as saying that the BFI/Sight and Sound list is the only one taken seriously by "serious" critics. Oh. Of course, it's still only personal opinion, and let's face it, many critics are so full of themselves that they have to cite the most pretentious-sounding titles in order to maintain their self-images as sophisticated experts.
Do you ever go onto the Criterion site? Every month they feature a link to some bozo's "ten favorite" Criterion films, and most of them fall right into that same kind of category -- pretentious b.s. they probably feel they have to cite in order to maintain their credibility as urbane cinephiles. My list would be mostly English-language (or Japanese: our pretensions!) movies with at least one "fun" title, The Atomic Submarine. But I've never heard of a single one of these people -- who they are, or why their opinion matters, and I'm not exactly an idiot. Well, not a total idiot.
Ricco called the blonde girl (she was the niece of the counterfeiter) "golden ass" - at least in the version I saw. You might have seen a different version that had a different audio track, where perhaps he called her "apple ass" instead.... now that actually would have been a more appropriate label, since when we first meet her in the picture, she is brazenly strutting around the piazza of some Italian city hawking counterfeit banknotes made by her uncle, and she is wearing these bright, tight-fitting candyapple-red pants that really highlight her rear end. Her entire outfit, designed to attract unsuspecting tourists or horny old men to give her change for fake 10,000 lira banknotes, was one of the highlights of the film. Not to mention that striptease she did later, in the middle of the road... lol
Yes, I do visit the Criterion site from time to time, mainly to get ideas on films that might interest me, or just to read the "blurb" (synopsis?) of a patrticular picture I plan to rent OR get the lowdown on a film from the Criterion collection that will be airing on one of the cable channels, such as TCM. I guess someday when I'm fully retired and have nothing but free time on my hands, I'll devote more time either to renting or purchasing a bunch of the Criterion films, but for now I "nibble around the edges" simply by renting them, or watching a Criterion-list film if it happens to be aired on a cable channel.
I remember how several years ago I purchased Criterion's "The Lady Eve" DVD for my elderly mother, which really made her day. I was happy to have found the film and was quite impressed with the DVD quality, however, the price (it was 39.95 at the time) really gave me pause. I appreciate and respect what the Criterion folks are doing for film preservation/restoration and such, and film buffs such as you and I are probably well served by having such a superb resource available, but nevertheless, with those prices, I think I'll be a renter for now. That video store I frequent actually has most if not all the Criterion releases for rent, and luckily the rental price is no higher than for some other run of the mill DVD from some unheard of distributor.
Maybe she was a golden delicious apple, just to cover all the bases.
I'd kind of like to be able to go back in time and show some of these actors what it is they'll be reduced to doing for a living in 30 years' time. Or, maybe not. It might discourage them from making acting their career after all, and cost us everything!
I see that Arthur Kennedy's film debut, the James Cagney movie City for Conquest (1940), is on next Tuesday at 8 PM EDT. (By the way, you asked me someplace, and I don't think I answered, but yes I am in the east, on Long Island, NY, so TCM's times are always easy for me to read in cable guides!) Cagney discovered AK in a play in LA and got him tested and signed by Warners, and he played Jimmy's younger brother for whose future as a composer Cagney sacrifices all. The film was a disappointment to everyone, but WB kept casting Kennedy in better roles until he went into the service.
Since Criterion began releasing its new titles on Blu-ray as well as DVD, it dropped the usual price of its standard DVDs by $10, down to $29.99, with Blu going for $39.99. I have no need for Blu-ray, so (except in those rare cases where no choice is available), I still opt for perfectly good DVD. The old DVDs remain priced at $39.99, unless they issue a new version on both DVD and Blu, in which case the new pricing takes effect. The best time to get Criterion discs is when Barnes & Noble holds their twice-yearly Criterion sale, with everything -- sets, Eclipse series, all of it -- on sale at 50% off (plus B&N members get an additional 10% off -- off the sale price -- for a total of 55% off). Unfortunately they just concluded the latest three-week sale on July 30, but there's supposed to another one later this fall. To be able to buy a top-quality Criterion disc, normally $29.99, for $13.49, is really great. (Or even a $39.99 disc for $17.99.) Not to mention a $79.99 set for $35.99. Definitely worth while.
I've never quite figured out my Criterion top ten list, except that the first three would be Ace in the Hole, 49th Parallel and Seven Samurai. The Atomic Submarine would be #10!
Yes, it's certainly terrible how certain stars of the silver screen ended up going into the gray area of B-grade horror movies later in life - one would guess just to pay the bills. That being said, I'm impressed how some actors and actresses seemed never to end up in the movie world version of Clunkerville. John Wayne, Paul Newman, Katharine Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Henry Fonda et al all had decent or even great roles right up until the end of their film careers.
Thanks for the heads up on the Arthur Kennedy film "City for Conquest." I'll also mention that TCM will be airing another early AK film, "Knockout" (1941), starring Arthur Kennedy and Anthony Quinn, on Monday, August 22 (check the TCM schedule for exact time).
It would be nice someday to have a Criterion cable channel, sort of like TCM, only CCM (Criterion Classic Movies). Whaddya' think? Who do we petition to get the ball rolling on this??
If you do eventually cobble together a Criterion top ten film list (or any other film list) I'd be happy to look at it. As for me, I'm reluctant to come up with any "top ten" list for films right now, mainly because I've seen SO many films, many of which I've found to be excellent, that it would be quite a chore for me to distill them all down to a neat little package called "My Top Ten Films..." I also firmly believe that with these lists, you really have to pigeon hole the films into separate categories, such as genre-specific (favorite westerns, favorite comedies, favorite horror films, favorite war films, favorite dramas, etc. etc.), or some other theme-specific category. And then these of course would have to be further subdivided into more specific sub-categories, such as Comedies: favorite Hollywood comedies, favorite French comedies, favourite British comedies.. ad infinitum. But your Criterion Top Ten list sure is a good place to start. I wasn't even aware that "The Atomic Submarine" had made its way into the folds of the vaunted Criterion collection of *great* films. But then of course I noticed that "The Blob" (1958) is in their inventory, too. Nice to see they haven't lost their sense of humor. Or, maybe it's just that they must know something that we don't. lol
I've never seen Knockout, and just looked it up in my trusty copy of Maltin. A boxing drama, I see -- as in large part was City for Conquest, only Knockout now has Arthur being knocked out instead of his brother! Variations on a theme, I guess.
Since August is TCM's "Summer Under the Stars" month, I figured this movie would fall on Anthony Quinn day, and so it does. (Together with, among others, my personal fave, The Guns of Navarone. Lion of the Desert is interesting, too, and if you've never seen it it's worth a look -- some good battle scenes in this history of Omar Mukhtar, a Libyan freedom-fighter against the Italians up to his capture and hanging in 1931. The film also stars Oliver Reed, John Gielgud, Irene Pappas and -- I quote the credits -- "Rod Steiger as Mussolini". Again.)
It just occurred to me that next year TCM should do an Arthur Kennedy day. They always seem to be branching out into newer stars, not just the usual suspects, for their August celebrations, and there are certainly enough Kennedy movies about for them to have a field day of great films. So, since we were discussing lists, here is a bunch of Arthur Kennedy suggestions (I'm sure they'd run over 24 hours, but the list can be selectively culled!). I'll try to cite films where AK is one of the top two or three actors -- as you know he had only a few real leads -- so no Lawrence of Arabia, for example, where he's cast last among equals (and got the role only after the initial choice, Edmond O'Brien, had a heart attack and had to leave the picture)...although I will pick a couple of roles where he was a bit down in the cast but had important parts. Anyhow, in chronological order....
They Died With Their Boots On, Desperate Journey, Boomerang, Champion, Bright Victory, Rancho Notorious, Bend of the River, Trial, The Man From Laramie, Peyton Place, Some Came Running, A Summer Place, Elmer Gantry, Fantastic Voyage. Is this a good start? I'm sure I could name others, and this list would last longer than 24 hours anyway, but I did include his five Oscar nominations, plus a couple of leads. But I'm sure I've overlooked many possibilities. Maybe we should petition TCM for an AK day next August!
I like the idea of a CCM channel. Of course, they'd probably balk since it would allow everyone to DVR their movies and sales would drop precipitously! Although yesterday was devoted to Toshiro Mifune on TCM, and there were a few Criterions shown -- Seven Samurai, Red Beard and the "Samurai Triology", among others, so people had a limited opportunity to record them then. Knowing the way such channels work, though, they'd probably run commercials (the way once commercial-less channels such as IFC, AMC and Bravo now do), which would be a good deal for them: they'd earn revenue, get to show off their library, yet not many people would want to record such films, with constant ad interruptions and the ever-present station logo pasted at the bottom, for their permanent collection. This is what's known as a "racket".
The Atomic Submarine isn't available as a separate disc. It's part of their "Monsters and Madmen" collection, featuring four films -- two horror, two sci-fi -- on two discs, all from producer Alex Gordon: The Haunted Strangler and Corridors of Blood are both on the "horror" disc, while the sci-fi disc contains TAS and First Man Into Space. Each disc has a Criterion spine number but can only be found in the joint set. I love the way their essayists try to imbue these things with Deep Significance, Hidden Meaning and Unheralded Artistry, just to give Criterion a phony excuse for issuing them on the label! (And, perhaps, give certain of their more self-styled "sophisticated" clientele an excuse for deigning to purchase something without subtitles, or even a Palm d'Or!) Along with The Blob, Fiend Without a Face, Robinson Crusoe on Mars and a few others.
TAS is just a fun movie, an innocent little film people for some reason tend to like better than it probably deserves, so it goes on my list. And yet...it's so...so...I don't know...so deep...oh, wait, no, I forgot, that's because we're in a submarine.
"Knockout" should be an interesting film to watch, seeing as how I just finished watching Arthur Kennedy in the latter stages of his career in that other splendid little film we've been discussing, "Ricco the Mean Machine." It is always interesting to see a "bookend" pair of movies in which one of them features the actor in his early days, the other has him at the end of a long career. Same is true for actresses, of course. I just finished watching a couple of films that I DRV'd courtesy of the TCM channel, featuring Van Heflin (he was one of the actors featured in their "Summer Under the Stars" August tribute month). I didn't watch all the films they had featuring him, but I did manage to see "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" (1937), "Johnny Eager," (1941) and "Cry of Battle" (1963). It was quite amazing to compare the fresh young face of Van Heflin in the 1937 and 1941 films with the wrinkled and world-weary visage that he carried in "Cry of Battle."
Yes, I have seen "Lion of the Desert" and it was a very good desert action film. I plan to watch it again when TCM airs it next week or so. Along those lines, let me recommend that, if you haven't already, you should see "Khartoum" (1966) with Charlton Heston and Sir Laurence Olivier. Very intriguing historical film, beautifully filmed in color on location on or near the Nile River region.... and, if you have the time, read up on the character whom Heston portrays, General Charles "Chinese" Gordon. Fascinating stuff. (MGM channel airs it from time to time.)
Your Arthur Kennedy film list is indeed a good start. But I would toss in that film I mentioned earlier, "The Naked Dawn," (1955) since it IS a pretty good film but unfortunately it's rather obscure, so it crys out for being seen by more viewers. If TCM does a tribute to AK, they really should include this interesting little film.
I see what you're saying about the CCM idea probably not flying with the folks at Criterion, cutting into sales and what not. But this would obviously have to be a premium channel. And, they could show films from their Criterion collection, but make it clear that by purchasing the DVD, you would also get all those juicy DVD extras such as directors' commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes, outtakes, etc. etc. I'm sure they could show a great film and still tease or coax the viewer into going out and buying the actual DVD so as to be able to get those extras. And I don't discount those deleted scenes that you never get with airings on the cable channels. For example, if you're familiar with the 1977 film "The Deep" and have ever seen it broadcast on any TV channel, you more than likely did NOT see the scenes that depicted the sinking of the Goliath (that was the WWII ship with the cargo of morphine ampules - which rested on top of another wreck, a treasure-laden Spanish galleon). It just added some extra depth to the story to see the fate of the Goliath, hence, it was worth it, to me anyway, to own the DVD, otherwise I never would have seen those scenes.
I look forward to seeing "The Atomic Submarine" someday, hopefully on a Criterion DVD. I would point out though, to you or anybody else who may be reading this, that it is currently available for viewing on YouTube in seven parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R2hpuRfL9c&playnext=1&list=PLD 94EE793B62AF1D7&feature=results_video
You know, Eric, you make a very good point about watching "bookended" movies from at or near both the start and finish of an actor's career in succession, just to get a hard look at how the performer changed, physically as well as artistically, over his or her career. Of course, this wouldn't work well with certain actors, for example James Dean...although even in his case you can detect signs of evolution in his acting between East of Eden and Giant.
Arthur Kennedy did two two small indie films after he was "rediscovered" when they dug him out from his refuge in Savannah in the late 80s, where he'd lived in deliberately obscure retirement since Emmanuelle on Taboo Island or one of its ilk -- even his agent had lost track of him. (They looked for him to redub a few lines of dialogue for the re-issue of the restored Lawrence of Arabia.) One film I remember was called Grandpa, and I can't think of the other title just now. (I've belatedly looked it up: Signs of Life.) But I saw one of them and he looked pretty good, just grayer -- nothing overtly to indicate he was only months away from dying. (One of the movies was released posthumously. Another belated entry: it was Grandpa, which I guess is less ironic than if it had been Signs of Life.) But seeing him in the trailer for City for Conquest on TCM made me realize just how young he looked, fifty years earlier.
Same with Van Heflin, though his craggy features always made him look a bit older than his years. I was always confused by the fact that he starred in two movies, set in roughly the same time and place, with virtually identical titles, made seven years apart: Battle Cry (1955) and Cry of Battle (1963). I wonder whether his casting in the latter was deliberate. Of course, do you know the inadvertent piece of history played by Cry of Battle? That was the film showing in the theater where Dallas police nabbed Lee Harvey Oswald on Nov. 22, 1963, after he'd shot and killed Officer J.D. Tippet. (They hadn't yet definitely associated him with killing JFK, though they had reason to believe he'd done that too.) So the last person LHO may have ever seen in a movie was Van Heflin (who, ironically, played the man who succeeded another assassinated president, Abraham Lincoln, in the 1942 film Tennessee Johnson). Years ago, when I first saw a photo of police hauling Oswald out of the theater and saw the marquee, I thought the name of the picture was given incorrectly -- assuming they meant the 1955 film. At that time I'd never heard of Cry of Battle. I finally caught a little of it on TCM the other day -- not so good, really.
I have seen Khartoum (and own it), and I like it too, even though some critics rather oddly criticized it for not having enough action. But the last time I saw (some of) Lion of the Desert on TCM, I saw it was of a somewhat different print than the one I'd previously seen on both DVD and other channels. Certain scenes were cut a bit differently, there were a few new dialogue exchanges, the music was different in some places, and so on. I'll have to watch it all the way through this time to note all the differences, but there were a lot even in the portions I saw previously.
I don't get the MGM channel, even though my satellite guide lists it. Don't know why; I'd like to. Have to inquire one day.
I have seen those scenes from The Deep, of the Goliath sinking at the beginning -- with Cameron Mitchell, if you remember! I agree, this was a great sequence that really set you up for the rest and should have been kept in. I saw it just once, years back, when it was being shown on ABC. For a time the nets ran prints of films with scenes deleted from the theatrical versions put back in, both to pad out the broadcast and to make up for some scenes (with language, violence or nudity) they cut out. I remember they did the same with The Towering Inferno and Jaws, for two.
See if your video store has The Atomic Submarine in stock. Besides the Criterion disc, it was released earlier by Image as a single, and they might have that. As I said, just an odd little sci-fi film that somehow many people find endearing. Nifty, sort of "electronic" musical score, too.
But I like the fact you said those "Goliath" scenes in The Deep added some "depth" to the story! Shades of my Atomic Submarine remark. Though unlike my comment, I'm sure yours was entirely subliminal.
It would have been fascinating to see what James Dean would have evolved into had he lived. We get sort of a fantasy preview of that in his film "Giant," in which we see him as a young man, but later in the film they show him as a bitter, middle-aged alcoholic. That was fantasy, of course, but a "real" James Dean entering middle or old age would have been fascinating indeed. And how about Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, John Wayne, Toshiro Mifune, et al? Luckily they were with us plenty long enough to afford us the luxury of seeing many examples of their early as well as their later film work. Fun stuff to contemplate for film buffs!!
Interesting info about the Van Heflin films "Battle Cry" and "Cry of Battle." It does lead to some confusion, doesn't it, what with the two titles appearing as some sort of mirror image of each other. And yes, I was aware that it was "Cry of Battle" that was playing at the Dallas movie theater where Oswald was apprehended. It's one of those "movie connection" tidbits right up there with "Manhattan Melodrama" playing at the Biograph Theater when John Dillinger was shot and killed by Melvin Purvis' fellow "G-men" in Chicago, 1934. I actually enjoyed "Cry of Battle" for the simple reason that it showed a seamier side of war that isn't often covered in mainstream war movies. Kind of like what was revealed in 1960's "Two Women," for which Sophia Loren won an Oscar for Best Actress. But that's a topic we can discuss ad infinitum some other day! lol But if you get a chance to watch "Cry of Battle" again, give it a full viewing and ponder the way it shows some of the other ugliness of war that you don't often encounter in war films.
Hard to believe that criticism you mention regarding "Khartoum"... I never felt that "Khartoum" was even meant to be an *actioner* sort of film so much as a film that focused heavily on character study, and also delved into the events that eventually boiled over into the action we get at the end. For me it had PLENTY of action. In a way it is reminiscent of another "death in the desert" film that I liked, "March or Die," (1977) with Gene Hackman in a memorable role. See it along with "Khartoum" if you get a chance - the two compare favorably.
Coincidentally I was able to see "Khartoum" as well as "March or Die" courtesy of the aforementioned MGM channel, which has aired many great films that I haven't seen elsewhere. I see that you don't get that channel, but just for goofs let me mention that one drawback to the MGM channel is that it is strictly a "High Def" channel, so those feature-length films will take a huge bite out of your available storage space on your DVR if you go to record them. One two-hour color film will soak up about 12 to 15 percent of your available recording space. What with all the films I DVR, I often can't afford the space requirement to record a High Def film! Another minor gripe is that the subtitle program they use on that channel really sucks. It is seldom in sync with the action, and occasionally has egregious errors in properly reproducing what was actually said on screen. So if you ever do get the MGM channel offered in your area, you now have my "candied opinion" of same, as my mom used to say. lol
It's interesting to see how actors were "aged" in certain movies, vs. how they actually aged in real life. They did an interesting job on Dean in Giant, but I tend to doubt he'd have wound up looking that way had he lived.
I recall that Tyrone Power, while making The Long Gray Line (1955), his first film after his Fox contract finally ended in 1954, discussed with an interviewer his growing "old" during the fifty-year course of the movie's plot. He loved being able to act the part of an old man, and added, "Zanuck would never have allowed me to age in any film." (Actually, that was not quite true: Power did get older in Suez, but in that case they simply grayed his temples a bit and made him look middle-aged-dashing rather than truly elderly.) The old-age make-up they applied to him in TLGL was good, but what really made the illusion work (Power was 40 at the time) was his performance -- he caught the nuances of how an old man walks, behaves, speaks and so forth, extremely well. Have you seen this film? (I'll bet you have!) It's one of Power's best performances, and I love watching the little bits he adds to his character as an old man. It was so effective. The sad irony, of course, is that Power died of a heart attack just three years later, in 1958, at only 44...another actor who we never got the chance to see grow older. (Though in truth, by then, with his undetected heart condition and heavy smoking, Power had begun looking older than his years, and not in a good way -- drawn, lined, his facial muscles sagging, hair receding, far from the handsome man he had been not so long before.)
I haven't see March or Die in years but I did enjoy it. Like you, I don't get the criticism of Khartoum either. By the way, the director of that film, Basil Dearden, was a distinguished British director of many kinds of movies, and last year Criterion put out a four-film set on their Eclipse label called "Basil Dearden's London Underground". It's a very good set, whose films tackle some odd subjects (for Britain in 1959-1962) such as race relations and even gay issues: Sapphire, The League of Gentlemen, Victim, All Night Long. Worth getting. Dearden also made a really exciting police drama in 1950 called The Blue Lamp, which British critics of the time criticized for being too "American" in its style! I wish they'd bring that out here. I do have it on a Region 2 DVD, which of course requires a Region-free DVD player here, one of my better purchases. (My wife is English, so when we go over there I can watch such things with no problem!)
Thanks for the heads-up about the MGM channel. I don't record much off the air these days, and nothing I keep very long (mostly programs I'd otherwise miss and just want to watch once). Anything I really want I record on physical media. Guess I'm still stuck in the 2000s! But in the end I find it preferable.
Oh, I looked up the other movie Arthur Kennedy made just before his death: Signs of Life (1989). But I saw he also made a TV mini-series in Italy -- again! Also in 1989. What is it about Italy that they kept hiring Arthur Kennedy? I amended my previous post to add this information and make me look smarter than I am!
I remember watching "The Long Gray Line" with my parents many years ago - I believe we saw it on the "old" AMC channel, before it turned into the commercial-infested disaster that it currently is. BTW, for anyone reading this, Tyrone Power will be one of the honorees this month on TCM's "Summer Under the Stars," and TLGL will be one of the Tyrone Power films they will be featuring. Check the TCM schedule for air time. Good opportunity to watch it again... I've got my DVR set to record it.
"What is it about Italy that they kept hiring Arthur Kennedy?" Good question! And it makes me wonder about certain actors' connection with the Italian film industry in general. Didn't several prominent American actors and actresses finish up their careers doing Italian films? I'm a tad too busy right now to research that topic thoroughly, but I am sure I've read more than a couple of filmographies which seemed to indicate that a certain actor or actress ended up in Italy for at least some part of their career. Carroll Baker is one example - in fact I own a DVD of a giallo-like film she did there called "Baba Yaga," (1973), but she did a number of other films there, too. And Orson Welles I believe spent some time over there after leaving Hollywood in the late 40's. This was even showcased in an intriguing film I've watched several times, called "Fade to Black" (2006), starring Danny Huston (son of director John Huston) playing the role of Orson Welles. See it if you haven't already, it's quite a compelling film to watch - even if Danny Huston seems to end up sounding more like his father, John Huston, than Orson Welles!
I would be curious to see those last two films of AK that you posted. I don't know where to find them. I guess for now I will just have to look forward to renting "Emmanuelle on Taboo Island." lol
Yes, many American actors and actresses wound up doing a lot of schlock in Italy in the 60s and 70s. Carroll Baker made quite a number of them, doing some nude shots in a few. One title of hers I recall is My Father's Wife. Now, I know it's impossible to divine what the plot of that film could possibly be, so to give you a hint, Carroll is the younger, second wife of none other than Adolfo Celi, the villain from Thunderball, who neglects her terribly, and when his handsome young son comes home from college....
She did a lot of junk like that, though she looked okay for someone in her 40s. But Miss B. certainly aged terribly -- by the time she did Ironweed in 1987 (with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep), she looked frumpy and old, though she was only in her mid-50s. Unfortunately, it wasn't make-up.
Actors like Rory Calhoun, Lex Barker and others made a career in Italy once Hollywood passed them by. Edmund Purdom, after his few "epics" in H'wood, moved to Italy and spent the rest of his life there. And speaking of Ricco, the lovely Barbara Bouchet had relocated to Italy around 1970 when she seemed to be dead-ending in California as nothing more than a sex symbol, so she revived her career as a "serious" actress by stripping in a few dozen movies, including, apparently, doing a notorious lesbian love scene in one of them. She married an Italian and by now has long since committed her life and body to la Repubblica Italiana.
I kind of suspect AK's last two movies aren't around on home video. I saw Grandpa on PBS years ago. I'll poke about a bit to see if I can turn anything up.
Thanks for bringing me up to date on some names of some of those actors/actresses who ended up in Italy (although in some cases it wasn't so much an "ending up" in Italy, but merely a "passing through" lol). I guess in one respect I'm glad for them if, after having been summarily discarded by Hollywood, they were able to go to Italy, find work, and continue pursuing their chosen profession. OTOH I feel bad that often times they ended up churning out pure schlock... I thought Carroll Baker was still quite alluring in 1973's "Baba Yaga," but yes, she did appear to go downhill after that, your point about "Ironweed" well taken. But of course, "Ironweed" was such a depressing film, I don't see how anybody could have looked good in that picture. lol
I discovered that my video store actually does have "Signs of Life" for rent. On VHS. I had to double check, because apparently they have two films by that title: one is a 1968 film by Werner Herzog, the other is the one you have mentioned, with Arthur Kennedy. One of these days I'll have to rent that, even if it means bringing my old VCR out of mothballs and dusting it off a bit. lol
I searched their site for "Grandpa"... no luck. But they DO have a variety of intriguing grandpa-related titles such as "Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook," "What Got Grandpa Hot," and "My Grandpa is a Vampire."
My Grandpa is a Vampire sounds like something Arthur Kennedy did in Italy in 1973:
"An Italian Combo mixing gangsters, ghouls, comedy, sex and rivers of blood from guns and gums!"
"An Italian Combo mixing gangsters, ghouls, comedy, sex and rivers of blood from guns and gums!"
If you think that's bad, check out Criterion's Eclipse Series #37, being released on 11/20/12: "When Horror Came to Shochiku". Four breathlessly awful/campy/awfully campy sci-fi and horror numbers from that Japanese studio. I just posted identical notices on the sites of all four films...on one of them, mine was the first post ever. Very elegant titles. Quickest way to read the list is to go with the lead-off film, The X From Outer Space, about a rampaging chicken monster from Mars.
Did I mention this was a Criterion label?
The movies all date from the late 60s, but unfortunately Arthur Kennedy could still get work in Hollywood then, so he was wasting his time performing in Fantastic Voyage when he could have been appearing in Goke, The Body Snatcher From Hell. Go figure some stars' choices.
Yes, I saw that you had posted on those other boards, and it did pique my curiosity. Simply amazing that Criterion of all 'people' will be releasing this! But, I do see their rationale for such a release, best gleaned from their blurb which I reprint here direct from the Criterion website:
Following years of a certain radioactive rubber beastโs domination of the box office, many Japanese studios tried to replicate the formula with their own brands of monster movies. One of the most fascinating dives into that fiendish deep end was the short-lived one from Shochiku, a studio better known for its elegant dramas by the likes of Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujiro Ozu. In 1967 and 1968, the company created four certifiably batty, low-budget fantasies, tales haunted by watery ghosts, plagued by angry insects, and stalked by aliensโincluding one in the form of a giant chicken-lizard. Shochikuโs outrageous and oozy horror period shows a studio leaping into the unknown, even if only for one brief, bloody moment.
I wonder how these films compare with Toei Company's 1969 gore-fest, "Horrors of Malformed Men"? -- it's one of those films that defies easy description. You have to see it to believe it! Here's the trailer for it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxZ6oZWO9pQ
I looked quickly at your posts on the sites of those four films and while I haven't clicked onto any of the links you provided I intend to go back and do so, in one fell swoop. (Same with the link above.)
I read that Criterion blurb and I suppose that's the closest they could come to something -- anything -- that would make it sound as if these movies were imbued with some form of existential quality. Dragging in the names of such exalted filmmakers as Ozu and Mizoguchi has a hint of desperation about it which makes the whole business all the more amusing.
In fact, I'm rather looking forward to this set. It sounds like goofy fun, and I'd a sight rather watch those four movies than, say, other Eclipse sets of Early Bergman or Robert Downey, Sr. Plus that yellow cover color is so garish they're the only DVDs you could find in the dark!
Thanks for the info, and apologies here to AK. No, not Akira Kurosawa. Though I guess apologies to him might be in order too! (On the other hand, his closest lifelong friend, and late-career collaborator, was none other than Ishiro Honda, who of course helmed most of Toho's great sci-fi movies, and whom Kurosawa considered one of the most talented directors in films. So maybe he would have had a soft spot for The X From Outer Space or The Living Skeleton. Hell, he probably liked them better than Ozu's output. Not direct competition!)
This selection of Japanese Sci-fi pictures that we're talking about meshes neatly with my fantasy perception of a Criterion Classic Movie channel. If such a channel existed, they could host a Theme Night presentation of these four movies under the heading of "Shochiku Studio's Alternative to Godzilla Sci-fi Film Night" or some such nonsense. The hostess would be a drop-dead gorgeous Japanese girl decked out in full Geisha kit, with a passable command of Engrish... [This girl will do just fine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daFYiu1-fCI] Yeah, that would draw me in as a viewer. lol
I had to chuckle about your comment about early Bergman. Reminds me of the movie "Watching the Detectives," in which Bergman was given a funny comeuppance by one of the characters. If you haven't seen this movie, you must check it out! (I added many of the IMDb memorable quotes for that film, including the one about Bergman. But you have to see the movie really to appreciate it fully. lol).
I watched your link -- and found it disappointing! I thought she'd take that robe off. Not all that pretty a girl anyway, but her vocabulary lessons were, shall we say, unique, if with a certain utility. Not exactly out of Berlitz...or even Rosetta Stone.
Still, the thought is a good one, just needs a better model. Maybe whoever we get can come on camera wearing a Godzilla suit, then gradually strip down to something more like James Bond's second Japanese girl (Mie Hama) in You Only Live Twice.
The two Japanese actresses in that film were both contract players at Toho, and both appeared in King Kong vs. Godzilla, among other choice cinematic treats. They vied for the reputation of sexiest girl in Japanese cinema in the 60s. Personally I prefer the first Bond lady, Akiko Wakabayashi (she takes the poison for him), to Miss Hama. They're both at or near 70 today, so one of their figurative cinematic descendants would have to suffice as guest host on the Criterion Channel's salute to kaiju eiga.
There was a short film made in 1968, I believe, a riff on Bergman called "Die Duve" or something ("The Dove"). It's spoken in fake Swedish and mocks elements of various Bergman films -- Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal and others, with the climactic battle between the knight and Death a badminton match. Here too you have to know some Bergman to fully appreciate it. A very young Madeleine Kahn was in it. Fairly funny, but I haven't seen it in many years.
I know IMDb threads have a tendency to stray, but how to we slide away from Arthur Kennedy so quickly?! I rather feel like those Hollywood execs who so readily ditched him after the end of the 60s.
Yes, I actually came here to apologize for subjecting you to that trashy video. Truth is, I had quickly browsed the opening part, and thought she might be a good candidate for hosting those four Japanese sci-fi films, but, I actually did NOT play it all the way through, so I didn't realize until a later, further viewing that it went from bad to worse (and how!). My bad. So sorry!
I don't think we've strayed too far from Arthur Kennedy - at least he's still here with us in spirit, in the sense that we're talking about shclock movies, which is sort of the direction his career took in later years. But I will steer it further back to AK shortly, as I DVR'd that film from early in his career, "Knockout," aired on TCM the other day. Been so busy I haven't even had a chance to watch it yet, but I'll see it soon and let you know.
That Bergman spoof film sounds intriguing.
That's what I forgot to mention -- I forgot to record Knockout. Let me know how it is.
Out of curiosity and no real hope I checked my TCM guide to see if the movie might be being shown again next month. In fact, there's a move called The Knockout -- a Mack Sennett comedy short made in 1914. Just reverse the last two numbers in the year and knock out the definite article and you sort of have the right movie. Anyway, the 1941 film doesn't sound like one that'll be repeated any year soon. Sorry I missed it.
Yeah, too bad "Knockout" isn't "Black Narcissus," which seems to be aired on TCM with alarming regularity. lol
Don't worry, though, I'm sure it'll be on again eventually.
Yeah, probably in a year, in their next "Summer Under the Stars" month, in that part of the day devoted to "When They Weren't Quite Stars and Doing B Movies to Pay the Rent"...usually at 6 AM, or 4 AM next morning!
Anyhow, let me know how it was.
I just finished watching it... it was quite a busy little beehive of a movie -- only 73 minutes long! One big problem: TCM had their programming a bit skewed, and as such, my DVR did not record the last four or five minutes of the film! So, I don't know how it ended, which is sad, because the climax (an important "comeback" boxing match upon which Arthur Kennedy's character greatly depended) happened right at the very end, which I missed completely.
In any case, briefly, I would say it was a reasonably good film for film buffs like you and me to sink our teeth in to: the film featured a gritty, almost other-worldly view of late 1930's/early 1940's America, when the U.S. was still digging out from the depths of the Great Depression and WWII was still in the offing. The film captured the feel, or the zeitgeist of that era, nicely. The Black and White photography was crisp and it wonderfully depicted the nostalgic image of this time period. It also recalls an era when boxing was more often than not a shady sort of racket that emloyed all sorts of chicanery, double dealing and (gasp) drugs to "get the job done".
Arthur Kennedy was so young-looking as to be almost unrecognizable in many of his scenes. At times he looked almost girlish, and at other times he looked like a young James Cagney. His voice was not easy to pin down as the "Arthur Kennedy" that we all knew and loved later on, in his films of the fifties and onward. Great supporting role played by Anthony Quinn (on whose behalf this film was aired, since it was Anthony Quinn who was the TCM "Summer Under the Stars" honoree for this particular batch of films). A VERY young-looking Cornel Wilde also makes a few brief appearances. Again, like Kennedy, he's so young-looking that I almost didn't recognize him.
To sum it up: Nicely done film, but I feel cheated that I didn't get to see the finale, which has the crucial boxing match at the end. Who won? Who lost? Ahh, so many unanswered questions!! So, like you, hobnob, I will be looking for this film to be re-aired someday soon on TCM. I checked the website of my video store, and it doesn't appear that they carry this particular title, but I will keep looking. (I even checked YouTube, which sometimes has these old B&W movies uploaded in their entirety, but I did not find it there either!)
Oh, well, good synopsis, Eric, and thank you for that. This being the type of film it seems to have been, my money's on Arthur to win the bout. But as it never has been on video we will just have to wait to see. Maybe Warner Archives will come out with it one day. (I assume this was a WB movie.)
In City for Conquest I thought there was some resemblance between Cagney and Kennedy, which is why I suppose Cagney asked Warners to hire him to play his kid brother, so the similarity you note here isn't surprising. (The fact that they cast him in yet another boxing drama also isn't surprising, and of course Quinn was in City too.) But any physical resemblance didn't remain long. Within a few years I see nothing similar to Kennedy's and Cagney's looks.
I run a classic movie at my club each week during the summer and last week I ran a little-known Cornel Wilde film called Edge pf Eternity (1959), which became available last year from Columbia Classics (or whatever they now call their MOD line, whose name they've changed three times: same thing). I kind of got to like Cornel over the years, so I have an additional reason to regret not seeing this movie.
Arthur Kennedy was also very good in "Bend of the River", a western with James Stewart and Rock Hudson.
shareA favorite scene with Arthur Kennedy in "Lawrence of Arabia":
"I never saw a man killed with a sword before."
"Why don't you take a picture?"
"I wish I had."
Then when he did take one, and the Arab (Anthony Quinn) smashed his camera, he says.
something like: "Charming country you have here." Very droll.
๐๐น๐ท๐ฅ๐น๐ฃ
I hated Bart, and I hated Helen too! Great acting.
shareMovie girl: Yes, Arthur Kennedy was great with his tour de force in the final scene.
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