Dave Barry appeared in over 35 film and TV roles but is probably best known for his role as Beinstock in Some Like It Hot 🙂
“I’m the manager of the band, not the night watchman.”
-Dave Barry as Beinstock in Some Like It Hot
Joan Shawlee as Sweet Sue and Dave Barry as Beinstock in Some Like It Hot (1959, Billy Wilder director)
…..
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
I’m starting today off with the first in a series of quick Film Collaboration Lists — something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. So, here we go…
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney starred in EIGHT films together, actually TEN if you also count their appearances in Thousands Cheer and Words and Music:
…..
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
Actress/singer/dancer Ruby Keeler was most famously paired with Dick Powell in the iconic Warner Brothers’ Busby Berkeley musicals — including 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade and Dames.
Keeler also happens to be the aunt of Ken Weatherwax who played Pugsley in The Addams Family, and Joey D. Vieira who played “Porky” Brockway in the TV series Lassie.
Aunt Ruby Keeler and her two nephews: Joey D Vieira (as Porky) on the left and Ken Weatherwax (as Pugsley) on the right
…..
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
Before I start this blogathon post I just want to extend a big thank you to The Last Drive In and Goregirl’s Dungeon for hosting this event. I also want to say thanks (again) to The Last Drive In for helping me pick a William Castle film that wouldn’t scare the ‘you-know-what’ out of me. Yes, I will admit it here for all to see — I am a big ‘scaredy cat’ when it comes to horror flicks. But, after a little brainstorming, we decided that a William Castle comedy starring the legendary Sid Caesar would do the trick!
So, I settled down and watched The Busy Body for the very first time without really knowing what to expect, but at least I knew I’d be able to sleep at night 🙂
…..
…..
The Music: As soon as I heard the opening theme song, I was immediately reminded of Green Acres, and interestingly enough, I later learned that the score’s composer was Vic Mizzy who did in fact write the Green Acres theme song, as well as the Addams Family theme song and the scores for the Don Knotts films The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and The Reluctant Astronaut.
Composer Vic Mizzy wrote the Green Acres and The Addams Family Theme Songs
Vic Mizzy with Green Acres’ Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor
…..
The Plot: Sid Caesar plays George Norton, a mob underling-turned-board-member, who must find a million dollars that is presumably buried with a corpse. When the body and money turn up missing, George finds himself in lots of trouble with mob boss Charley Barker (Robert Ryan) and the police, headed by Detective Whittaker (Richard Pryor).
Now, in all honesty, I have to say that, although the plot sounds like a hoot, there were too many morbid scenes in this film for my taste (grave digging, more corpses and more murders). [there’s my ‘scaredy cat’ yellow streak showing]. I was also surprised that both Caesar and Pryor played their roles so extremely ‘straight’ as I fully expected them to be funny, or even hilarious for that matter. On the plus side however, the cast was full of familiar faces (not the least of which was the fabulous Dom Deluise) — and there were enough plot twists to ensure that I couldn’t be 100% sure of the outcome until the very end.
…..
The Featured Cast: LOTs of familiar faces here — from veteran TV Character Actors to Academy Award Winners…
Sid Caesar as George Norton. The legendary Sid Caesar is probably best known for his television series’ Your Show of Shows (1950-1954) and Caesar’s Hour (1954-1957). He won two Primetime Emmys (1952 Best Actor; 1957 Best Comedian in Series).
Robert Ryan as Mob Boss Charley Barker. Ryan’s better known films include The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen and Bad Day at Black Rock. Ryan was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Crossfire (1947).
Richard Pryor as Detective Whittaker (his debut feature film role). Pryor won a Primetime Emmy in 1973 (Best Comedy Writing, Lily) and a Writers Guild of America Award in 1974 for the Blazing Saddles Screenplay (shared with Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman and Alan Uger).
Kay Medford as George’s mom, Mrs. Norton. Medford’s very next film role would be Rose Brice (Barbara Streisand’s mother) in Funny Girl for which she would earn an Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actress (1968).
Bill Dana as Archie Brody, the cause of all the trouble. Bill Dana is probably best known for his character José Jiménez (“My name José Jiménez”).
Arlene Golonka as Bobbi Brody, the bubbly widow. Golonka is probably best known for her television role as Millie Swanson on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D.
Anne Baxter as Femme Fatale Margo Foster Kane. Baxter won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Razor’s Edge (1946), and was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for All About Eve (1950).
Jan Murray as Murray Foster, the Femme Fatale’s husband. Murray was a stand-up comic and game show host (Dollar a Second 1953-1957; Treasure Hunt 1956-1959). He appeared on numerous TV shows and in films including History of the World Part I and Which Way to the Front.
Dom DeLuise as hairdresser-turned-assistant-mortician Kurt Brock (hate to tell you what happens to him!). DeLuise’s best known films include Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World Part I, The End, Smokey and the Bandit II, The Muppet Movie and The Cannonball Run.
Godfrey Cambridge as Mike (left) and Marty Ingels as Willie (right), two of Mob Boss Barker’s henchmen. Cambridge and Ingels both appeared on numerous TV shows. Cambridge’s best known films include The Watermelon Man, The President’s Analyst and Cotton Comes to Harlem. Ingels is probably best known for his roles as Arch Fenster on the TV series I’m Dickens He’s Fenster (opposite John Astin as Harry Dickens) (1962-1963), and Sol Pomeroy (Rob Petrie’s army buddy) on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Ingels has been married to Shirley Jones since 1977.
…..
And last but not least, the Director:
“I knew then what I wanted to do with my life – I wanted to scare the pants off audiences.” -William Castle
…..
This post was written in conjunction with the William Castle Blogathon hosted by The Last Drive In and Goregirl’s Dungeon. There are so many more wonderful Classic Bloggers participating in this event so please be sure to check out the other entries.
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
Okay, this is it, the very last Trivia Question (red font below) that will determine this week’s winner of the very last copy of the book Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
In the book, Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
The FIRST person (who already completed this week’s Qualifying Entry Task) to correctly TWEET the answer to the above question — wins! 
If you need help with the answer, please click here:
You can read more about the book here at Simon & Schuster.
And if you don’t want to wait to win, you can buy it here at amazon:
…..
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
Morgan Wallace appeared in over 120 film roles, many uncredited, and is perhaps best known for his role as Mr. Fitchmueller in the ‘kumquat scene’ from the W.C. Fields’ comedy, It’s a Gift!
Morgan Wallace as Mr. Fitchmueller
“I want 10 pounds of kumquats. And I’m in a hurry.”
…..
Morgan Wallace with W.C. Fields in the ‘kumquat scene’ from It’s a Gift (1934, director Norman Z. McLeod)
How about my Kumquats?!?!?
…..
And here’s the scene in all its glory from YouTube:
Kumquat Scene from It’s a Gift
…..
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
Time flies when you’re having fun! This is the last week, and final book, in the Ava Gardner Book Giveaway. In order to qualify for this week’s Book Giveaway, you must complete the following task by Friday, July 26 at 5PM EST (i.e. any time between now and Friday, July 26 at 5PM EST):
In the book, Ava Gardner tells us about the first time she met Frank Sinatra. She was with Mickey Rooney at the studio commissary (not too long after they got married) — and Sinatra came over to their table and said “If I had seen you first honey, I’d have married you myself.” …
For this week’s Qualifying Entry Task, please:
1) CREATE your own list of “Five Fav Frank Sinatra Films” (pre-1970**) via Classic Movie Hub’s ‘Create a List Tool” (click here)
2) TWEET (not DM) the Link to your “Five Fav Frank Sinatra Films” List:
TO @classicmoviehub
WITH the two hashtags #AvaGardner #QualifyingTask
BY Friday, July 26, 5PM EST
NEXT STEP: Once you have successfully completed the above Qualifying Entry Task, you will be eligible to win a copy of the book. Your next step will be to wait for my Trivia Question Tweet* which will be sent on Friday evening, July 26, at exactly 10PM EST — and correctly tweet the answer to the Trivia Question. The FIRST PERSON to correctly Tweet the Answer to that Trivia Question wins the book (assuming they’re already eligible because they’ve successfully completed the above-referenced Qualifying Entry Task).
In other words, the first person who successfully completes this Qualifying Entry Task AND correctly answers the Friday night 10PM EST Trivia Question wins the book.
*Here’s my twitter handle @classicmoviehub
**If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me on Twitter @classicmoviehub
Contest Information and Rules.
And if you don’t want to wait to win a copy of the book, you can purchase it at amazon:
Good Luck!
–Annmarie Gatti from Classic Movie Hub
Some actors are born to play a certain type. The word type-cast does exist for a reason. Some are gruff and cast as cops, while others are wise and cast as grandfathers. This, however, was not the case for Barbara Stanwyck‘s Phyllis Dietrichson when cast in Double Indemnity.
Double Indemnity, (1944, Billy Wilder director)
Although she had played characters with a severe moral deficiency in the past, before Double Indemnity Stanwyck had yet to play an all out, conscious free, cold-blooded killer – let alone one draped in femme fatale’s clothing. Yes, at first glance Barbara Stanwyck seems a bit miscast as the woman whose charm and beauty are to bring a noble man to his untimely doom. Sure, we’ve seen her sleep her way to the top in Baby Face and flirt like her life depended on it in Ball of Fire but never had Stanwyck been deemed the cool seductress or breaker of man. And to her credit, that’s not how she played the role. Her femme fatale is so much more.
Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis in Double Indemnity (1944, Billy Wilder director)
The typical femme fatale up to this point had made use of one primary weapon: an ungodly beauty with innate feminine charms. Sure, they were intelligent, plotting creatures, I am in no way saying the femme fatale is only beauty, but it was always their beauty they utilized first. With Stanwyck, beauty but one of the many tools in her arsenal. With Stanwyck, the femme fatale is less seduction and more manipulation. Every conversation is an opportunity to consume information or feed lies with every word calculated to elicit the correct emotional response. She can see the evil in the hearts of men, allowing herself to become a reflection of their own greed and naked ambition. Yes, insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) may have already fantasized about committing the perfect crime but without Stanwyck’s cold manipulation, without her false charms, it would have remained just that – harmless fantasy. Although Neff clearly had a dark side, it would never have seen light of day if not for Phyllis Dietrichson.
Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity (1944, Billy Wilder director)
For me, the most riveting part of Stanwyck’s performance is during the killing of her husband, only known as Mr. Dietrichson. The choice of Billy Wilder to remain close on Stanwyck’s face as opposed to showing the actual murder was genius. Her face is a culmination of everything that has transpired. Her initial surprise, the surprise that this is actually happending, is short lived. What happens next is powerful. All at once we see in her face the naked ambition and greed that drives her. Although her face is restrained, it does not lessen her ugly satisfaction at her husband’s unnatural death, at her undeserved reward.
Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity (1944, Billy Wilder director)
Phyllis Dietrichson could have easily been your typical seductress, a femme fatale shrouded in beauty and mystery whose only saving grace is her love for her “victim”. Instead, we got something different. We got something colder, more calculating. What we got was a murderer disguised a seductress, a women with love for only herself, her ambition and her greed. What we got was one of Barbara Stanwyck’s best performances of her career.
…..
This post was written in conjunction with the Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon hosted by The Girl with the White Parasol. There are so many more wonderful Classic Bloggers participating in this event so please be sure to check out the other entries.
…..
Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub
Time for today’s Trivia Question (red font below) that will determine this week’s winner of Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
In the book, Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
The FIRST person (who already completed this week’s Qualifying Entry Task) to correctly TWEET the answer to the above question — wins!
If you need help with the answer, please click here:
Ava Gardner dated this wealthy film maker, aviator and philanthropist.
You can read more about the book here at Simon & Schuster.
And if you don’t want to wait to win, you can buy it here at amazon:
…..
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
I am so excited to be participating in the Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon. I’m a huge fan of Barbara Stanwyck and I just love screwball comedies, so The Lady Eve is the perfect pick for me! A Big Thank You to The Girl with the White Parasol for hosting this wonderful event!
So what’s so great The Lady Eve??? Well, the exquisite script (courtesy of Preston Sturges), the fabulous cast of veteran character actors (Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest, Eric Blore, Melville Cooper), Henry Fonda of course (the perfectly naive millionaire/scientist), and — Barbara Stanwyck (the card-sharp-seductress-turned-romantic-pushover). And, although the cast is undoubtedly stellar, Barbara Stanwyck ‘owns’ this film. Her performance is absolutely heartfelt. Sure, when we ‘meet’ her we learn that she’s a crook, a seductress and a gold digger, but we like her anyway; and when she genuinely falls for Fonda (and boy does she fall), we witness her love, her hurt, her anger and her remorse – and we root for her to win Fonda back.
……………………………………………………………………………….
The Storyline: In a nutshell, Stanwyck plays Jean Harrington, a classy card sharp who is traveling and ‘working’ with her partners-in-crime — her dad ‘Colonel’ Harrington (Charles Coburn) and his partner/valet Gerald (Melville Cooper). The larcenous trio are on a cruise preparing to fleece their next victim…humm, who will it be? In ‘stumbles’ Henry Fonda who plays Charles Pike, a scientist returning from the Amazon where he was studying snakes for the past year. Oh — and by the way, Pike just so happens to be the heir to a huge brewery fortune, and is also quite a naive, clumsy bachelor. So that sets the stage for an interesting mix of events as Stanwyck moves effortlessly from playful seductress, to woman in love, to woman scorned, to woman seeking ‘revenge’, to woman in love again.
……………………………………………………………………………….
The Scenes: There are some wonderfully priceless scenes in this film — and I could list them from now until forever, but I’ve narrowed them down to a few of my favorites:
Stanwyck’s calculated meeting with Fonda — when she purposely trips him, then scolds him for breaking the heel of her shoe:
The ‘accidental’ meeting between Jean and Pike
Jean: Why don’t you look where you’re going!?!
Pike: Why don’t I look!?!
Jean: Look what you did to my shoe, you knocked the heel off!
Pike: Oh I did? Well I’m certainly sorry.
Jean: You did and you can just take me right down to my cabin for another pair of slippers.
Pike: Oh well, certainly. I guess it’s the least I can do. By the way my name is Pike.
Jean: Oh everybody knows that, nobody’s talking about anything else. This is my father Colonel Harrington. My name is Jean, it’s really Eugenia…come on. Funny our meeting like this, isn’t it?
…..
Stanwyck’s plan of attack — when she skillfully tantalizes poor Fonda:
The seduction scene in Jean’s stateroom where she toys with Pike’s hair — and heart
Jean: When I marry, it’s going to be somebody I’ve never seen before – I mean I won’t know what he looks like or where he’ll come from or what he’ll be. I want him to sort of take me by surprise.
Pike: Like a burglar.
Jean: That’s right, and the night will be heavy with perfume and I’ll hear his step behind me and somebody breathing heavily and then — ah — ah — you’d better go to bed Hopsie. I think I can sleep peacefully now
Pike: I wish I could say the same.
Jean: Why Hopsie!
…..
Stanwyck’s moment of truth — when Fonda confronts her after learning who she really is:
A heartbroken Jean as she tries to explain herself to Pike
Jean: Maybe I wanted you to love me a little more too. You believe me, don’t you? You don’t think I was going to marry you without telling you? You don’t think that badly of me? Or do you?
Pike: Why didn’t you let your father rob me last night?
Jean: If you didn’t believe what I just told you, you wouldn’t believe that either. You wouldn’t understand.
…..
Stanwyck’s revenge — telling tall tales of elopements and affairs:
The wedding night scene where Jean discloses a myriad of indiscretions to a stunned Pike
Jean: I knew I could trust and confide in you. I suppose that’s why I fell in love with you.
Pike: Thank you.
Jean: I wonder if now would be the time to tell you about Herman.
Pike: Herman. Herman! Who was Herman!?!
…..
Stanwyck’s remorse – as she realizes she desperately wants Fonda back:
A distraught Jean tries to get Pike to speak to her, but to no avail…
Jean: I don’t want any money. I don’t want anything. He can have back his jewelry and anything else there is and I’ll go to Reno at my own expense. I think that’s only fair. Only one thing I want. I want to see him first. And I want him to ask me to be free.
…..
And I’m going to stop here because I don’t want to ruin the ending for you 🙂
……………………………………………………………………………….
This post was written in conjunction with the Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon hosted by The Girl with the White Parasol. There are so many more wonderful Classic Bloggers participating in this event so please be sure to check out the other entries.
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
