It Happpened In One Night

 

I was thinking of movies that take place over a day and then I thought, what about the night which does not involve zombies, vampires or homicidal maniacs. Here are my 3…

1. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE-1944

I want to own this film which I find hilarious. Cary Grant plays Mortimer Brewster, an author who writes about how marriage is so wrong, but he is marrying his girl next door, played so well by Pricilla Lane. After avoiding the reporters, they go back to their childhood homes to pack things up and start their life together. Little does Mortimer know that his 2 beautiful aunts have been killing men they feel are all alone. He finds out that the elderberry wine is spiked with something a bit stronger than wine. Their brother, who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt, is told there is another yellow fever victim. The night is young and gets even worse when Mortimer’s murderous brother and his sidekick doctor make an appearance at this  wonky home. Over the next few hours, Mortimer saves an old cuss ready to drink the wine while trying not to be killed by his brother and get his aunts committed to the home for the missed nuts. Frank Capra directed a very funny comedy with many character actors shining over the lead, Cary Grant. In fact, Grant hated his over-enthusiastic portrayal of his character. Some people agree but I think his acting fits right in. It’s a very funny screwball comedy.

2. ROPE-1948

I finally saw this Hitchcock film last year that stars James Stewart as a professor of 2 students who feel the need to put one over the professor by killing their mutual friend and hiding the body in a big chest. These 2 men, who live together, and show all the markings of 2 gay men which was quite daring back in the day, decide to have a dinner party inviting much older people, including the victim’s parents and his fiancée. We proceed to follow these men, one loving the cat and mouse feel while the other an F’d up mess, as they talk to their guests taking the food off this big chest that holds the body of the victim. Hitchcock loved trying different techniques and, with Rope, he filmed the scene in one long 10 minute take which was the length of the film in the camera. When it was time to change the film, the camera would centre on, for example, Stewart’s back before the new 10 minute piece would begin. The whole film takes place in one set and you still feel the suspense. It’s not one of Hitchcock’s best film but it is still one to see. This film is based on the famous Leopold and Loeb case from the 1920s where these 2 students killed a friend just to feel what it was like.

3. AMERICAN GRAFFITI-1973

I can’t believe this film is 52 years old….it just can’t be, since I remember when this came out. This is a classic film about the last night of kids who will be venturing off to college the next day. There are many different mini plots from Ron Howard and Cindi Williams as 2 high school sweethearts hoping their love will keep going as he goes off to college to Richard Dreyfuss trying to locate the blonde he saw in a car( memorably played by Suzanne Somers). We the the Toad, played by Paul LeMat, trying to impress a gal and John, Harrison Ford, who has to deal with a precocious 12 yr old, played by a young Mackenzie Phillips. It is set in 1962 and it’s a perfect telling of kids in all sorts of angst. The feel of the film and the great music provided the real DJ, Wolfman Jack, just sets this film on another level of teen films. It is a major film one needs to see.

Have you seen all these films? I know Stephen may have seen American Graffiti(LOL) and recommends it every time he can but are there any films you can think of that take place in one night that is not a horror film?

John Lodge..Sadness

John Lodge is a founding member of The Moody Blues, one of my all time favourite bands, and a leading contributor to the stupendous music this band created and performed. “Days of Future Passed” is an iconic album that is heralded, quite rightly, as one of the all time best albums ever. When he died, on October 10th, I was gut punched because I thought he would live into his 90s. There have been many tributes showcasing his most famous songs, “ Ride My See-Saw,” “Isn’t Life Strange,” “Evening Time To Get Away,” and “I’m Just a Singer in a Rock ‘N Roll Band.”  I’m going with some songs that may not be as famous but just as inventive and great. I’m joining on freebie week over at Monday Music Moves Me

1. EMILY’S SONG-1971

2. TORTOISE AND THE HARE-1970

3. MINSTRAL’S SONG-1970

4. EYES OF A CHILD-1969

5. SEND ME NO WINE-1968

6. HOUSE OF 4 DOORS-1968

9. ONE MORE TIME TO LIVE-1971

10. SLIDDIN’ IN A SLIDE ZONE-1978

 And his final album “10,000 LIGHT YEARS AGO”-2015…just the one song.

Star of the Month-Leatrice Joy

 

LEATRICE JOY

BIRTH: November 7, 1893

DEATH: May 13, 1985

AGED: 91 years

DIED FROM: Acute Anemia…I wonder if her Christian Scientist views contributed to her death

REAL NAME: Leatrice Johanna Zeidler

MARRIED: 3 times, the first to John Gilbert, a huge star who had a very sad and dramatic downfall when sound arrived.

CHILDREN: one daughter, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, an actress but an author of “Dark Star”, a biography on John Gilbert. This is an excellent biography which I highly recommend. 

TALENT: her knack for understanding what women want from her clothes, perfume and hair

KNOWN FOR: Her portrayals of independent women in a corporate world often in Mannish suits but, also, exquisite gowns setting off fashion crazes. She was a Christian Scientist, a devoted follower.

A woman, who called herself  “a ham at heart”, seems like quite the hoot when she was interviewed for the famous 13 part documentary, “Hollywood” by Kenneth Brownlow( a big film historian)..yup I own this but only in VHS since they ran into major problems trying to get permission from all these Estates. She is hilarious and you can see how much she loves the limelight. Her name was, originally, supposed to be Beatrice, but, on the way to her christening, her mom recalled that her husband’s former girlfriend was named Beatrice, she went through the alphabet until her mom came to a suitable replacement…Leatrice. She was one of the biggest stars of the 1920s, so big, that when, she impulsively cut her hair into a bob, it became a new craze for women around the world. When she started in films, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin were already famous, she recalled seeing in restaurant windows that no dogs, cats or actors, were allowed. Later she earned over $250,000 for a film. ShE became Cecil B. DeMille’s muse placing her in  romantic fare showing off some great fashions. When sound came, her career waned, partly due to her thick New Orleans accent, but she still acted until 1952 that starred Marilyn Monroe. She captivated John Gilbert whom she rebuffed at first, but, later, became his first wife and they had 1 child, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, famous for her book, “Dark Star” about the life of her dad, John Gilbert. The marriage didn’t last long and she married twice more but, I believe, John Gilbert, was still the love of her life. When she was interviewed about John Gilbert, she remembered his quote he left on a photo he gave her, “To my beloved wife, for whom God patterned the angels.”

FILMS- (Most I have not seen but want to remedy this)

1. The Ten Commandments-1923

2. Changing Husbands-1924

3. Ace Of Hearts-1921

4. Manslaughter-1922

5. The Bellamy Trial-1929

6. Triumph-1924

7. First Love-1939

8. The Dressmaker From Paris-1925

9. The Clinging Vine-1926

10. Minnie-1922

The Scariest Episodes of the Twilight Zone

 

Yup, that's me as a witch and my brother as a Mexican Bandito. I wore my mom's old dress along with my Bavarian sweater and a cape my mom made. My mom made the hat which I still have! This was before one could buy all the Halloween outfits, so you had to create your own. My mom was great in creating something from her wealth of stuff she had. She made my crooked nose out of bandaid and used regular make up for our ghoulish looks. 

Since this is the day before Halloween, I was thinking of some shows that scared the hell out of me and I kept thinking of The Twilight Zone. I recall some of the episodes that really unnerved me when I first saw them and decided to share them with you.

1. IT'S A GOOD LIFE-1959

To this day, this Twilight Zone episode freaks the hell out of me. A young Billy Mumy, known for "Lost in Space"( and now over 70 yrs old), plays the supreme brat that no one dares defy. This kid just thinks what he wants and it happens which makes all the adults very terrified. They know, if they dare disagree with Trump, er, I mean this brat, they will be sent to the cornfield. Billy Mumy was really good as nasty, vile kid.

2. THE HOWLING MAN-1960

When I was a kid, I saw this episode and I did not expect this scene at all. A traveller ends up in a monastery where he hears a man ..howling. The monks, especially the head monk ( played, impeccably, by John Carradine) tells the traveller not to believe anything he says and that they captured the devil. Of course, the traveller is sceptical. I truly thought this would be some parable about not assuming a man is evil for some reason, but..I was wrong and thought that montage where the man turns into the devil shocked me. The way this was photographed was inspiring and the makeup is great. 

3. THE HITCHHIKER -1960

Inger Stevens plays a young woman driving to a new city and a new life. She sees this man who is hitchhiking but she  feels uncomfortable to pick him up, but she continues to see him. She feels nervous and uncertain so, she calls her mom but she hears her mom say that her daughter died in a car accident. The hitchhiker is the person to lead her to her final destination. This was one of the first episodes I watched and it was eerie and unsettling.

4. THE MASKS-1964

Yeah, I have to place 2 more episodes that are creepy. This episode is not so eerie but it is disturbing when an old, dying, rich man brings his remaining relatives to celebrate Mardi Gras. The 3 relatives are not nice at all, greedy, vain and lazy and only want the old man’s money but, in order to get the money, the old man told them that they must wear these Mardi Gras masks. He had them created to represent their main character trait. I love this episode because it stays with you and you feel justified in the end but what an ending.

5. NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET-1963

Before he became Capt. Kirk, William Shatner was in this very famous episode as a man, who is recovering from having a nervous breakdown and was in the sanitarium to heal. While on the plane, he sees this monster on the wing of the plane trying to damage the wing. Understandably, he becomes very upset but no one believes him. He is trying to have someone believe him but to no avail. When Shatner opens up the cover over the window to meet the monster looking back at him, I jumped. I was a kid and it really got to me where I still look at the wings of the plane, when I am flying. Yes, I admit to this and I can’t help it. 

Have you ever watched the original Twilight Zone? Which episodes creeped you out?

Eerie Music From TV Shows

 

It’s freebie week for Monday Music Moves Me and I went TV Themes. There have been a lot of scary TV shows over the decades…I mean, a lot! I was checking out all the T. V. shows that are supposed to be scary and I’m surprised at how many there have been and how few show up on TV except for The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The X Files and the gazillion Walking Dead shows ( just go to your local mall and you can view the zombies there). I didn’t want to choose the most famous music from these TV Shows and decided on ones that I love, but don’t get the love they deserve.

1. THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR-2020

I received this and The Haunting Of Hill House for Christmas and both mini series are excellent and very, very eerie. This mini series is based on The Turn of the Screw that was made into a brilliant film starring Deborah Kerr ( The Innocents) and the actors seem to be favourites of the creator, Mike Flanagan whom he uses in his other anthology mini series, “ The Haunting of Hill House”.  The music is very eerie and is used to great effect throughout this limited series. This music was created by The Nelson Bros. 

2. DARK SHADOWS-1966-1971

Ok, the original series has become a cult classic that starred Jonathan Frid as the tortured vampire Barnabas who returns to his home after escaping from his coffin. The family are odd in so many ways and supernatural elements follow them. What’s fun is this was a soap opera on ABC and it starred one the best film stars from the 30s, 40s and 50s, Joan Bennet. The music was composed by Robert Cobert 

3. FOREVER KNIGHT-1992-1996

This is a Canadian show that I love and have the full series. It stars Geraint Wyn-Davies as the tormented vampire who plays a detective and can often relate the crimes to his long past as a vampire. You learn about his philosophy along with his cohorts, Janette and Lucien the latter played by Nigel Bennett who, often, steals the show, as the vampire villain you love. Nick wants to become mortal again and, along with the pretty mortician, who shares a mutual attraction with the vampire, tries to come up with the “cure” to make Nick mortal. The music is eerie and mystical and was written by Fred Mollin.

Which TV music do you feel is eerie?

The Devil Made Me Do It

 

Yup, it’s spooky month but I am opting for this week and next for spooky times and what better way than to go the way of the devil. When I was a kid, I made my parents laugh  when, at the dinner table, I did something( what? I have no idea) and when my mom asked me why, I said, “The devil made me do it.” My parents were surprised by that and started to laugh and I felt good. Too good, because I overused this sentence and I did not get away with it which was a bummer. This just shows how the devil can rule us or not. I am choosing 2 films very well known and one old one but a gem that more should see. Here are my picks…

1. FAUST - 1926

I watched this film about 9 months ago and was blown away by the phenomenal direction, camerawork and acting. You have an old alchemist who wishes he could  stop the plague. Of course, you know who  ends up in front of Faust allowing him to end the plague, but for a price. When Faust agrees, he is made young by the devil, but must give up his soul once the day is done. Obviously, there is a love interest and Faust falls in love and she with him but that damn devil keeps getting in the way. Emil Jannings plays the devil and grabs the scenery in every scene but to great aplumb. The style of this film, the costumes and the brilliant photography, by Carl Hoffmann, is all orchestrated by the great director F. W. Murnau and is a must see.

2. THE OMEN-1976

Omen…Exorcist…Omen…Exorcist….I’m going with The Omen. This film still freaks me out in just about every scene and stars Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as a loving couple who are going to have  baby. He is an ambassador to London and strange events start to happen, mainly weird and freakish deaths all relating back to their sweet 5 yr old boy, Damien who is the Devil’s spawn. A priest tries to warn Peck bout his son and is rewarded by being speared to death. A photographer, played the great David Warner, notices that his photos showcase the death before it happens. Peck and Warner team up to find out what is going on and they find out, but is it too late? This is one film that still gives me the utter creeps and I still have nightmares from this film. I’m surprised that Gregory Peck starred in this film, but that was a good ploy since he was and is considered a heroic, good man that always wins in the end. You have scary dogs, a freaky nanny and a boy that plays the devil’s spawn really well.

3. CROSSROADS-1986

If you can find this gem of a film, watch it! I’m surprised this stars Ralph Macchio as a classical guitarist from Juilliard who has a fascination with blues music. He starts to investigate the life of famed Robert Johnson who, legend says, he sold his soul to the devil to gain his artistry in the blues. From there he finds a man who knew Johnson, Willie Brown, who is in prison but denies that he is Willie until he hears the kid play. He tells him he will help him find this crossroads but the kid must break him out of prison. Once he does, they end up on an adventure which provides the soul the kid needs when he plays the music. The kid finds out that Willie did sell his soul to the Devil and now, both of them are at the mercy of the Devil unless the kid can outplay the Devil’s best musical champion. If you love blues music, this is a must see film not only for. Great plot devised from a legendary story, but also the music which has its own character. I need to find this film on DVD and own it, but, I promise, not to sell my soul to the devil.

What devil movies can you think of?

Spooky Songs

 

Another crazy week with the normal zoo of work and my friend but my dear friend from Vancouver came down to visit me, Thursday evening and left this morning and it was a very busy, but very, very fun time. He is an active man that needs to go for his walks…an older friend of his calls it an airing which I love. I chased him out each morning for his airing..lol. On Saturday, we travelled to Elora, a pretty little town that is known for its Elora Gorge, but the month of October, they have “Spooky Month” with art pieces all around the town along with Ghost Walks and a “Monster Mash” in the evening which we didn’t see since it was at night and we were tired. Check out the other scary tunes over at Monday Music Moves Me and here are my 3..

1. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC SUNG BY JUDY GARLAND-1942

This song, written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, had Judy Garland in mind when composing this famous song. We know it, mostly, by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe ( from the film, “Bus Stop”), but I wanted Judy since it was written for her voice.

2. NIGHTMARE BY ARTIE SHAW-1938

Artie Shaw composed this piece in 1936, but this is a recording from 2 years later. It’s quite moody, I think, with his clarinet playing.

3. WITCHCRAFT SUNG BY FRANK SINATRA-1961

I chose Ole’ Blue Eyes for this famous song since it is one of his many signature tunes and, I thought, he needs to be showcased here. This song was written by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and sung by many musical stars over the decades. 

Which spooky songs can you think of?