[profh0011]

Tonight's movie:

"YOU'RE THRU! YOU CAN DISH IT OUT, BUT YOU'VE GOT TO WHERE YOU CAN'T TAKE IT!"

Yep.  it's Edward G. Robinson in LITTLE CAESAR (1-3-31).

I was a bit late adding this to my "1930s" list.  I really should have watched this before DRACULA (2-14-31)!

[Captain Audio]

most remarkably, a 1932 interview with Lugosi, where he talks about his career in Hungary, his pride at becoming a US citizen and learning American slang, his love for doing sulpture, and how he shies away from "Hollywood parties".  He also apparently has a joke at the expense of the interviewer, which had me nearly falling out of my seat from laughing. It really made me wish I could have met him in person back then.  What a character!

Just found this, never knew Lugosi was a sculptor.

[profh0011]

Tonight's movie:

"Pop! Tell these people I'm not crazy."
"Parent must first convince self of same."

--CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO  (1939)

[Robb_K]

most remarkably, a 1932 interview with Lugosi, where he talks about his career in Hungary, his pride at becoming a US citizen and learning American slang, his love for doing sulpture, and how he shies away from "Hollywood parties".  He also apparently has a joke at the expense of the interviewer, which had me nearly falling out of my seat from laughing. It really made me wish I could have met him in person back then.  What a character!

Just found this, never knew Lugosi was a sculptor.

I don't know why, but it was always hard for me to believe that he was ever young.  But he must have been in his very early 30s or late 20s in that photo.  And he was thin, which I couldn't have imagined.

[profh0011]

It kinda flips me out-- I hadn't thought about this until just now-- that I actually got WHITE ZOMBIE on Blu-Ray... but I still have DRACULA on videotape (a copy I made of a rental, I think).

[profh0011]

Tonight's movie:

"Dear, you belong to us and he brought you back. Now, you must let him go. He belongs to the jungle."
"Not now, he belongs to me."

...and THAT's when those MURDEROUS BASTARD DWARVES attacked and the 3rd act of the film began!

--TARZAN, THE APE MAN  (1932)

[profh0011]

"TELL me... what CRIME... were YOU guilty of?"

"CRIME?  Why-- I'm as INNOCENT................. as YOU are."
"WELL then, we should get along quite well!"



Phanzig (Marcel Hillaire) & Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) -- "The Condemned Of Space"

[profh0011]

"Would you like maidens such as this for yourselves?  Then CONQUER-- and BREED!!!  KILL the white man-- and TAKE HIS WOMEN!"

--Boris Karloff / "THE MASK OF FU MANCHU" (1932)

[profh0011]

O SEGREDO DA MUMIA / THE SECRET OF THE MUMMY (1982)

I looked for a Region 1 version of this for 2 years, and finally found it from SINISTER CINEMA, which I think is somewhere in Oregon.

Just to give you a little taste, here's the first 12 minutes of this crazy film.

The first piece of music heard, as you see this one guy walking along, is Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition".

The piece heard during the opening credits, is Bernard Hermann's "Jason And The Argonauts"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbgDpFaj-io&t=54s

[profh0011]

CHARLIE CHAN'S MURDER CRUISE  (1940)
Murder Cruise!     **********

I've been re-watching my Charlie Chan movies again, and I'd have to rate this as one of the VERY BEST! It starts out in Honolulu at the police station, moves to a hotel, then continues on a cruise ship, before finally concluding in a jaw-dropping way at the coroner's office.

Along the way there's a whole host of suspects and familiar actors that would do a "POIROT" story credit. As my Dad might have put it, the suspects include Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill), Mr. Waverly (Leo G. Carrol), Bruce Wayne (Robert Lowery), Dr. Huer (C. Montague Shaw) and Ming The Merciless (Charles Middleton). What a line-up!

As usual, Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) provides much of the comic relief, especially when his pop at one point insists he's deranged and has him locked up for pretending to be his son. When we next see him, the stowaway has been conscripted into working as a steward.

The finale blew my mind, because even when I figured I'd finally found out who the killer was, Chan had one more twist up his sleeve.

"CHARLIE CHAN'S MURDER CRUISE" is actually the 3rd film version of the novel "Charlie Chan Carries On". While the only known print of the original with Warner Oland was apparently destroyed in a fire, the SPANISH version, made at the same time, "ERAN TRECE" (THERE WERE THIRTEEN), which stars Manuel Arbo as Chan, DOES still exist for comparison. I've seen it on Youtube! It's available as a bonus feature on the "Charlie Chan In Shanghai" DVD.

[bowers]

  Been watching three new shows on PBS, starting with a new take on "Around the World in 80 Days". Purists
may hate it and Jules Verne would probably roll over in his grave, but I've decided to just go along for the ride. Lotsa fun and a truly ripping yarn! Great cast, locations, and cinematography.
                                           
Also, Season 2 of the latest version of "All Creatures Great and Small". Nothing really new but the cast and scenery are both top-notch. Well worth watching.
                                                                                 
Lastly, Season 2 of "Vienna Blood", filmed in Austria. Great to see Max and the Inspector back in action!

Later in the year, we'll be getting more "Endeavor", "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" (my favorite!),"World on Fire", and a new season of "Sanditon", based on an unfinished manuscript by Jane Austen. Just about everybody hated the ending of Season 1, so maybe they're going to fix it!
                                                   
If you have access to Netflix there's a second season of "Bridgerton" as well.

So much to look forward to! Cheers, Bowers

[profh0011]

Speaking of blasphemy... ever see Jackie Chan's "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" (2004)?  I did-- in a theatre.   

[The Australian Panther]

IMDB lists 7 versions of Around the World in 80 days.
But states that there are 8.
The best is the 1956 version - which I say in a theater -  at the age of 10, with my father, which is why I have never forgotten it.
There are several cartoon versions, There was on in 1988 and there was a 'funny animal'  one called 'Willy Fog around the world' which I think is Japanese.  I think I would like to see that. Disney is really falling down on the job with this one.
Oh, wait there is another cartoon version, which IMDB says was made in Australia. Definitely for the US market tho, as it has all the usual cliches you expect from current US animation. And The hero is a marmoset, believe it or don't. date 2021, so probably released only on Video.
The Jacky Chan, Steve Coogan version was 2004. Being a huge Jacky fan, I quite liked it.
1988 Michael Palin produced a documentary in which he duplicated the book in real life.
What is it with Jules Verne and Monty Python Alumni?
1989 there was a TV series 'Around the world in 80 days' starring Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle.
And the current series stars David Tennant, an actor I like, is of course, quite politically correct. Blasphemous? You decide.
Oh and both Bullwinkle and the Tweety bird have gone around the world in 80 days.
No such thing as a Movie or TV company that has any shame in using works that are PD and out of copyright.

Here is a 1988 cartoon Australian produced version not listed ojn IMDB as far as I can see. They don't know everything.
Around the World in 80 Days (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxFY4PCk3Ew
Here is the Chan Movie in full HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8DxbHYQRvg

Here are all the episodes of the Brosnan version, including a host of guest stars of the day. Including Christopher Lee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfhF4DCwsoI&list=PL34A2DE9B2597B2A8

Enjoy! 

           

[The Australian Panther]

Went bargain shopping today. Among other things  came home with A Holmes Movie ' The Royal Scandal'
Don't know any of the actors involved
Matt Frewer as Holmes, Kenneth Welsh as Watson,
Director Rodney Gibbons of whom I will say more anon.
This seems to be one pf a series of Holmes films  possibly done for TV.
They include The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of Four, The Royal Scandal and The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire, All directed by Rodney Gibbons. [2001-2002] 
The preview on YouTube looks good, so I shall be watching this tonight.         

[Captain Audio]

IMDB lists 7 versions of Around the World in 80 days.
.
And the current series stars David Tennant, an actor I like, is of course, quite politically correct. Blasphemous? You decide.

I like it so far and found a Black Passepartout to be consistent with the era and settings. In fact I never even considered his being a white person, though light skinned mixed race would also be consisent.
Marselles French are often racially mixed to some extent and there were many Black people in France from the Revolution onwards.
In later years France became a sort of Mecca for talented black performers and atheletes.
I've read that in many cases Africans from some regions have shown a ability to become fluent in many languages. Probably as a survival mechanism in regions were merchants and conquerers of many lands have long been present.

I enjoyed the history lesson of the Paris Commune in the first ep. After watching it I looked up more online.

[profh0011]

I have so little of ROCKY & BULLWINKLE on tape, and it always frustrated me that the show was always in syndication in 3 separate chunks-- never all together.  (Kinda like THE AVENGERS.)

I don't recall Bullwinkle doing it... but I definitely HAVE the "Peabody's Improbable History" episode where he meets Jules Verne and does go "around the world in 80 days", and have watched it multiple times.



On the other hand, Rocky & Bullwinkle once did a tribute to "Moby Dick"... heh.

[The Australian Panther]

I like it so far and found a Black Passepartout to be consistent with the era and settings. In fact I never even considered his being a white person, though light skinned mixed race would also be consisent.

Gonna stick my neck out here.
I have no argument what-so-ever with the above. Basically agree with it.
What I don't like is the assumption that the creators must virtue signal by making the character black, even tho there is no specific reason for that. Its not stipulated in any way in the orignal work.
In the original movie, Passepartout was played by Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 - 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas. But apparently making a character black is more virtuous than making the character hispanic. And that's what gets up my wick, that it really is not done out of respect for any ethnic group, but to virtue signal.  Amounts to deliberate Propaganda.

The appeal of wokeism is that it offers the allure of virtue, rewarding believers with a special state of grace.Those who accept this vision are deemed to be not merely factually correct but morally on a higher plane. Those who disagree with the prevailing vision are seen as being not merely in error, but in sin.
In the words of economist Thomas Sowell, 'People are never more sincere than when they assume their own moral superiority.' This moral force also accounts for its power to silence every opposing thought.

"If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything" Peter Marshall in 1947  - variously requoteded by among others, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks

[Captain Audio]

I like it so far and found a Black Passepartout to be consistent with the era and settings. In fact I never even considered his being a white person, though light skinned mixed race would also be consisent.

Gonna stick my neck out here.
I have no argument what-so-ever with the above. Basically agree with it.
What I don't like is the assumption that the creators must virtue signal by making the character black, even tho there is no specific reason for that. Its not stipulated in any way in the orignal work.
In the original movie, Passepartout was played by Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 - 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas. But apparently making a character black is more virtuous than making the character hispanic. And that's what gets up my wick, that it really is not done out of respect for any ethnic group, but to virtue signal.  Amounts to deliberate Propaganda.

The appeal of wokeism is that it offers the allure of virtue, rewarding believers with a special state of grace.Those who accept this vision are deemed to be not merely factually correct but morally on a higher plane. Those who disagree with the prevailing vision are seen as being not merely in error, but in sin.
In the words of economist Thomas Sowell, 'People are never more sincere than when they assume their own moral superiority.' This moral force also accounts for its power to silence every opposing thought.

If that was the intent it still made for an interesting and understandable character.
This was never going to be a straight from the pages version of the story so there is leeway in certain choices.

I am reminded of some who watched the WW1 themed film "Flyboys" complaining of the inclusion of a black pilot, but I looked it up and found he was based on an actual historical character. A black American boxer who had taken up residence in France because of racism in the USA at the time. When war came he joined the French airforce and served with distinction.
Another complaint about the film was that the German flying circus of the film was all Triplanes because its been understood that only top aces flew them. But I'd read up on the triplane years before and knew that in that time frame they had intended that the triplane replace all other front line fighters and several Jagdstafell were equiped with triplanes only.
After some months of service the structure of the upper wings were found to degrade causing catastrophic failures during high G turns and the planes were withdrawn and scrapped except for a very few that top aces refused to turn in.

Also I remember that Alexandre Dumas, who was mixed race, based his character Porthos on his own Grandfather who was a black musketeer and a huge man of notable prowess.

While I agree that the modern habit of replacing white characters with black is stupid and counter productive, which most decisions made by Hollywood and the major Comics companies in trying to somehow modernize and revive classic works are.  I also recognize that there were a lot more black and mixed race historical characters in Europe than most people realize.
In the Ancient World color of the skin was seldom considered , racism was if anything worse than in the modern world but it was cultural based racism rather than based on appearances. Every culture believed they were better than everyone else and denigrated those who simply spoke another language even if otherwise indistinguishable from themselves.
In France they have until recently never asked questions of race on official census documents, something that may soon change.

In reading up on the Paris Commune I lost any shred of compassion for them I might have had. They chose to take advantage of the weakened French authorites to subvert the National Guard in order to seize an entire section of Paris and basically steal everything not nailed down, and then stole everything nailed down as well. They murdered goverment officials and high ranking army officers as well as police and anyone who resisted their looting of private property.
Its a bit easier to build a uptopia if you do it with other peoples wealth and property. Keep the masses fed and happy and they will murder whoever you declare to be an enemy of the people, much like the Antifas of today. "Summer of Love" my Aunt Patootie.

[The Australian Panther]

Ah, General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Alexandre_Dumas

he clashed verbally with the Expedition's supreme commander Napoleon Bonaparte, under whom he had served in the Italian campaigns. 

After this, Napoleons instinctive racism came into play and he was blatantly discriminated against.

forced to put aground in the southern Italian Kingdom of Naples, where he was taken prisoner and thrown into a dungeon. He languished there until spring of 1801. 

 
And that inspired his son to write 'The count of Monte Christo,' 
Why can't Hollywood do a mini-series about this amazing man, instead of inventing imaginary negroes?

Real History will always be more real and also more dramatic and entertaining than anything that can be made up.
How about a miniseries on the Gold Coast - now Ghana - and the real story of slavery?

And there were Africans in Europe and the Middle East at least from the time of the Persian Empire.
And lets not forget South America - no miniseries about that.
The South American slave trade
https://manchesterhistorian.com/2014/south-american-slave-trade/ 

cheers!

[Captain Audio]

Ah, General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas-Alexandre_Dumas

he clashed verbally with the Expedition's supreme commander Napoleon Bonaparte, under whom he had served in the Italian campaigns. 

After this, Napoleons instinctive racism came into play and he was blatantly discriminated against.

Its more likely that it was Napoleon's ego rather than racism. Anyone who criticized Napoleon was taking his life in his hands.

I think they have ignored the black on black racist genocidal campaigns of the Somali which were the true origin of mass enslavement of Africans and sale of humans into the transatlantic slave trade.
Read up on it, some pretty hairy stuff.

[paw broon]

We tried Around The World but gave up on it.  Simply did not appeal to us.
The latest Vera episodes have been very good, as has this series of Death in Paradise, although it looks like we're about to lose Florence
Peaky Blinders is back on soon and there is a new Sunday night thriller starting this week, Trigger Point, with Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester.

[profh0011]

THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU
(Paramount Pictures / 1932)

from Wikipedia:
"When the film was reviewed in 1932 by the relatively permissive pre-Code era Hays Office, it was passed, noting that some state censorship boards might object to a line that suggests Dr. Moreau knows what it was like to be like God. Instead, 14 states fully rejected the film for that profane statement and its full acceptance of the then-controversial theory of human evolution.  When the film was reissued in 1941, it was submitted for review to the Production Code Administration which strictly enforced the restrictions in the Motion Picture Production Code.  To obtain approval to release the film, all dialogue suggesting that Dr. Moreau in any way created the beast-men was cut."

WHOA!



Charles Laughton is so charming in this! (heh heh heh)


"The book's author H. G. Wells was outspoken in his dislike of the film adaptation, feeling the overt horror elements overshadowed the story's deeper philosophical import. "And he responded with open satisfaction when the film was banned in England.""

Amazing that I find the version that's FARTHEST from the novel to be by far the BEST and most-watchable.

Also amazing to think the character of "Lota" is NOT in the original story. (Kinda like how "Fiona Volpe" was not in Ian Fleming's novel "Thunderball", and she's the best part of the movie.)

[Captain Audio]

THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU
(Paramount Pictures / 1932)

all dialogue suggesting that Dr. Moreau in any way created the beast-men was cut.[/i]"

Moreau did not create like Sauron and Morgoth he merely corupted creatures already living. They had been perfectly content beasts and he twisted them into travesties and parodies of man.

Evolution had nothing to do with Moreau's work.

BTW
The Textbook at the center of the Scopes Monkey Trial is banned from every school in the USA, due to rampant fraud, plagerism and racism in its conclusions.

[Captain Audio]

We tried Around The World but gave up on it.  Simply did not appeal to us.
The latest Vera episodes have been very good, as has this series of Death in Paradise, although it looks like we're about to lose Florence
Peaky Blinders is back on soon and there is a new Sunday night thriller starting this week, Trigger Point, with Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester.

Episode 4 ended my interest in this series. They chose to completely delete a major part of the story in favor of a barely believable fluff piece.

Looks like this has degraded into a series of disconnected vignettes that might fit in between chapters of the actual book.

[profh0011]

I got ahold of Max Allan Collins' SHADES OF NOIR disc, which was available separate or as part of a 4-disc box set.  I got the box set because it was on sale, so the 3 extra discs were ALMOST free!

Just posted on Max's FB page:

Well, I started in on the "anthology". The Elliot Ness thing was interesting. I've seen all 3 versions of "THE UNTOUCHABLES" over the years, particularly the Robert Stack version, and the story being told had me picturing the pilot episode in my head. How clearly I recall Stack telling the guy with the bribe money... "A GRAND!!!"

I spent several years in the late 80s trying to record the series off some cable channel, but they kept running the episodes in random order, so episodes I already had were repeatedly mixed with those I didn't. I finally threw my hands up in disgust when I'd accumulated 75 episodes... still to this day missing 50 of them!! And 6 of those-- the 3 2-parters-- were all syndicated separately, as re-edited movies. Sheesh.

I'm probably one of the few people who thinks Brian DePalma's film is CRAP. To me, it's an insult to the Desilu series. They got all the details wrong, the action scenes aren't exciting, the climax makes no sense at all (I remember when "The Law Is An Ass" column ripped it to shreds), and the only impressive thing in the entire movie was Robert DeNiro's Al Capone (who's only in it for maybe 10 minutes).

The Tom Amandes series was way better. He reminded me a lot of James Stewart.

The QUARRY film kept me guessing. JESUS!!!!! That's not how any of MY characters would have handled it. 😜 It got me wondering, there were so many "anthology" TV series in the 80s, but apart from the short-lived ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS revival, were there ever any other "crime" anthology shows? Seems like this would have been a perfect fit as an episode of AHP.