I took Saturday off, and did no work, but mostly watched movies and TV,
and listened to music...:

Vacation Home Nightmare (recorded off Lifetime in late Jan.) - Aubrey
Reynolds stars in this, which is why I was interested - fortunately,
they have Reynolds in bikini tops, and such, for a lot of the movie!
Felisha Cooper co-stars, which is interesting, as I wasn't sure she was
still acting, or at least doing Lifetime flicks.
While the women in this were eminently watchable (voluptuous
Yolanthe Cabau was the third primary woman in this), the film itself
was most mediocre, with Justin Berti playing an insane "security agent"
who is basically a misogynistic serial killer.
He shouldn't have messed with Reynolds!!
Meh.

soaps: DOOL - Fri's ep. They seemed to flirt with reconciling Xander
and Sarah, after she discovers she's preggers with Xander's baby, but
instead seemed to resolve to write Sarah out again. (Proving she's a
total bitch if she never tells Xander about the baby...) Meanwhile,
Maggie is put in charger of Kirakis Enterprises (or whatever it's
called), and Alex is... skeptical of the idea, to say the least! They
also write out Jack and (Temp)Jennifer (again!), with Jack and Gwen
leaving things on... amicable terms at least.

golf - Day 3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Honestly, I didn't pay
close attention to this - there are stil a lot of people near the top
of the leaderboard...

Walker: Independence (recorded) - "The Pittsburgh Windmill" (ep. #11).
Honestly, I don't think Adam is getting a dedicated review thread
for this one.
I did not care for this episode - especially the asinine "woke"
conceit that Kate could have successfully played a *railroad "man"* in
the con. [roll]
Anyway, Abby gets the others to work a con on some railroad men in
order to divert the railroad away from Independence to save Calian's
tribe's lands. (True historical fact: The railroad did, in fact, not
come to Independence, so at least they're not making s**t totally up!)
Kate continues to be righteously disgusted with Abby for sleeping
with Tom. Kate and Kai are disgusted with each other, esp. when Kai
finds out that the conspired to divert the railway away from
Independence, which will anger the Tong.
Tom gets captured by his EVOL!!1! brother, who tortures Tom. In the
end, Gus comes across this, and shots are exchanged, but they don't
show us who shot whom.
Tune into the penultimate episode of "Walker: Independence" to find out!!

Avengement (Prime) - Last night, I mostly wanted a "mindless" action
movie/revenge flick, so this Scott Adkins movie seemed right up my
alley, though it turned out not to be so "mindless".
Adkins plays the "loser" brother of a crime boss, who can't even
throw a fight right! In exchange for money, he takes a "simple job"
from his brother, but of course he gets caught (I was never clear if it
was actually a "set-up" or not) - hey! it's non-Brit Louis Mandylor as
the local UK detective!! He gets sent to the worst prison in the UK,
where for 7 years it seems like every other prisoner in the jail wants
to kill Adkins! Adkins gets tought quick! taking down all comers,
though not without massive bodily harm along the way!
Eventually, when his mom dies, Adkins gets a chance outside of the
prison to escape, and he does, in order to take revenge! REVENGE!! on
his scumbag brother and his crime gang.
This was better than I was expecting, though I was disappointed that
Adkins didn't also slaughter the duplicitous barmaid at the end, as she
had it coming as much as the brother's thugs did!

616 Wilford Lane (Prime) - This, OTOH, was even more disappointing than
I was expecting!
The good? - This must have been filmed in 4k (why?!) because some of
the shots looked startlingly good on my new TV, though I can't figure
out why they bothered with what was basically a low-budget "suspense"
(not really "horror") film... Also, they filmed this in Auburn, CA (and
it was definitely really filmed there!! along with in El Dorado Hills),
which seems like an odd choice for a movie like this, but it looked
great!... Also, I liked the lead actress, Alyson Gorske, who seems like
she's probably better than the 'B' movies she's been stuck in.
The film also stars John Littlefield, who plays the head baddie in
the "Fear Pharm" films, and Jessica Chancellor, a redhead with massive
bolt-ons (though the film only gives us brief partial nudity on this,
at best) which is too bad as I suspect Chancellor would be more
attractive without them.
Littlefield plays the dad, a recent widower, and Gorske and
Chancellor his "teen daughters" (if these two can pass for "teens", I
think pretty much anyone can!!), who buy a new mansion... that may be
haunted! Eric Roberts shows up in this playing "the mayor".
The bad? Ostensibly a "horror-thriller" (it's pretty much entirely
just the latter), this film curves the audience *hard* in the final act
(though, at least it does explain why these two "teens" look so
old!...), and then posits an even more inexplicable ending with
Gorske's character. I really despise being 'bait-and-switched' like
this!!

What did you watch?

--
"Who would ever do this to him!?" - HottCiara on DOOL (04-27-2020), asking
who would stab Victor Kirakis... How about ANYONE WHO'S EVER MET HIM??!!

Ian J. Ball <IJBall@mac.invalid> wrote:

>Walker: Independence (recorded) - "The Pittsburgh Windmill" (ep. #11).
> Honestly, I don't think Adam is getting a dedicated review thread
>for this one. . . .

Adam isn't yet drunck enough to address a backlog of unwatched episodes
of C-Wub series on the DVRs.

The C-Wub must die.

Ian J. Ball <IJBall@mac.invalid> wrote:
> I took Saturday off, and did no work, but mostly watched movies and TV,
> and listened to music...:

Last night I got a coupon for four months of SiriusXM.
But there doesn’t seem to be any way to get it to my home theater set up. I
just have to listen to it on the iPhone, which sounds unappetizing.

>
>
> What did you watch?

Hey, thanks for asking.

The MeTV+ showed a couple of pilot episodes,
IRON HORSE.
And
STAGECOACH WEST.

And I saw a couple of Henry Fonda westerns. I tend to stay away from his
work because of his traitor daughter. He taught Anthony Perkins the right
way to wear THE TIN STAR and provided A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY.

But first, I decided for some reason to sit through an episode and a
quarter of WAR OF THE WORLDS. S02E06 was all about Blackwood falling in
love with an alien. And the next episode was all about the human daughter
falling in love with an alien. Somewhat cryptically it was titled “loving
the alien“.

In the first episode we learned some stuff about the new aliens for season
two. They worship a Cthulhu head in a bucket named “the eternal“ who seeks
perfection, and they fly around the galaxy killing everybody, who isn’t
perfect hand to hand. There have got to be easier ways to take out a
planet, than land and engage in street fighting. Also, I continue to not be
able to believe that the lovely hot thin alien leader grew up to be the 500
pound mayor on GOOD WITCH.

In the pilot for IRON HORSE, recently retired Wells Fargo, special agent
Dale Calhoun (played by Rory Robertson) wins a railroad (!) In a card game,
which, of course turns out to be both incomplete and deeply in debt. He
runs around spending more money than he has, and swindling people and
assaulting people to keep the railroad going. Along the way, he picks up
Gary Collins and a private railroad car “the wanderer” which he takes
forcibly from construction engineer, James Doohan, and comes complete with
its own private whore, played by Diana Hyland. His principal adversary in
this episode is Lord Garth. In the next episode, he meets an immortal
android, played by Louise Sorel.

Meanwhile, the STAGECOACH WEST just buries us in set up. The principles
all meet taking the run to the end of the line (I have no idea why people
are going to a little tiny town that’s the end of the line). There’s a
hired killer after one of them for reasons that don’t make a lot of sense.
A wanton woman who is the wife to one of the regulars and the mother to
another shows up and you never saw anybody with a bigger target, painted on
her forehead in your life. Of course she and the hired killer manage to off
each other. Then they finally reach the tiny town at the end of the line
where there’s a letter waiting. (how did the letter get there ahead of the
stagecoach?) Saying that there is now a stop to an even tinier town even
further west, and that the stage coach is now assigned to go between these
two tiny cities. Driver Wayne Rogers says “hey why don’t you work for me as
my relief driver, and we’ll build a house, and all three live together, and
which ever one of us is driving the stage the other one will take care of
the young son as long as you give me permission to beat him savagely if he
disobeys“

I am not making any of that up.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

On 3/5/2023 10:29 AM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
> I took Saturday off, and did no work, but mostly watched movies and TV,
> and listened to music...:
>
> Vacation Home Nightmare (recorded off Lifetime in late Jan.) - Aubrey
> Reynolds stars in this, which is why I was interested - fortunately,
> they have Reynolds in bikini tops, and such, for a lot of the movie!
> Felisha Cooper co-stars, which is interesting, as I wasn't sure she was
> still acting, or at least doing Lifetime flicks.
>   While the women in this were eminently watchable (voluptuous Yolanthe
> Cabau was the third primary woman in this), the film itself was most
> mediocre, with Justin Berti playing an insane "security agent" who is
> basically a misogynistic serial killer.
>   He shouldn't have messed with Reynolds!!
>   Meh.
>
> soaps: DOOL - Fri's ep. They seemed to flirt with reconciling Xander and
> Sarah, after she discovers she's preggers with Xander's baby, but
> instead seemed to resolve to write Sarah out again. (Proving she's a
> total bitch if she never tells Xander about the baby...) Meanwhile,
> Maggie is put in charger of Kirakis Enterprises (or whatever it's
> called), and Alex is... skeptical of the idea, to say the least! They
> also write out Jack and (Temp)Jennifer (again!), with Jack and Gwen
> leaving things on... amicable terms at least.
>
> golf - Day 3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Honestly, I didn't pay
> close attention to this - there are stil a lot of people near the top of
> the leaderboard...
>
> Walker: Independence (recorded) - "The Pittsburgh Windmill" (ep. #11).
>   Honestly, I don't think Adam is getting a dedicated review thread for
> this one.
>   I did not care for this episode - especially the asinine "woke"
> conceit that Kate could have successfully played a *railroad "man"* in
> the con. [roll]
>   Anyway, Abby gets the others to work a con on some railroad men in
> order to divert the railroad away from Independence to save Calian's
> tribe's lands. (True historical fact: The railroad did, in fact, not
> come to Independence, so at least they're not making s**t totally up!)
>   Kate continues to be righteously disgusted with Abby for sleeping
> with Tom. Kate and Kai are disgusted with each other, esp. when Kai
> finds out that the conspired to divert the railway away from
> Independence, which will anger the Tong.
>   Tom gets captured by his EVOL!!1! brother, who tortures Tom. In the
> end, Gus comes across this, and shots are exchanged, but they don't show
> us who shot whom.
>   Tune into the penultimate episode of "Walker: Independence" to find
> out!!
>
> Avengement (Prime) - Last night, I mostly wanted a "mindless" action
> movie/revenge flick,

I watched a bunch of those last night.

so this Scott Adkins movie seemed right up my
> alley, though it turned out not to be so "mindless".
>   Adkins plays the "loser" brother of a crime boss, who can't even
> throw a fight right! In exchange for money, he takes a "simple job" from
> his brother, but of course he gets caught (I was never clear if it was
> actually a "set-up" or not) - hey! it's non-Brit Louis Mandylor as the
> local UK detective!! He gets sent to the worst prison in the UK, where
> for 7 years it seems like every other prisoner in the jail wants to kill
> Adkins! Adkins gets tought quick! taking down all comers, though not
> without massive bodily harm along the way!
>   Eventually, when his mom dies, Adkins gets a chance outside of the
> prison to escape, and he does, in order to take revenge! REVENGE!! on
> his scumbag brother and his crime gang.
>   This was better than I was expecting, though I was disappointed that
> Adkins didn't also slaughter the duplicitous barmaid at the end, as she
> had it coming as much as the brother's thugs did!
>

Added to the watch list.

> 616 Wilford Lane (Prime) - This, OTOH, was even more disappointing than
> I was expecting!
>   The good? - This must have been filmed in 4k (why?!) because some of
> the shots looked startlingly good on my new TV, though I can't figure
> out why they bothered with what was basically a low-budget "suspense"
> (not really "horror") film...

Why not? If they can make the movie look nice, do it.

Also, they filmed this in Auburn, CA (and
> it was definitely really filmed there!! along with in El Dorado Hills),
> which seems like an odd choice for a movie like this, but it looked
> great!... Also, I liked the lead actress, Alyson Gorske, who seems like
> she's probably better than the 'B' movies she's been stuck in.
>   The film also stars John Littlefield, who plays the head baddie in
> the "Fear Pharm" films, and Jessica Chancellor, a redhead with massive
> bolt-ons (though the film only gives us brief partial nudity on this, at
> best) which is too bad as I suspect Chancellor would be more attractive
> without them.
>   Littlefield plays the dad, a recent widower, and Gorske and
> Chancellor his "teen daughters" (if these two can pass for "teens", I
> think pretty much anyone can!!), who buy a new mansion... that may be
> haunted! Eric Roberts shows up in this playing "the mayor".
>   The bad? Ostensibly a "horror-thriller" (it's pretty much entirely
> just the latter), this film curves the audience *hard* in the final act
> (though, at least it does explain why these two "teens" look so
> old!...), and then posits an even more inexplicable ending with Gorske's
> character. I really despise being 'bait-and-switched' like this!!
>
>
> What did you watch?
>
>

I had two different movie watch lists I was working on. one was a road
trip murder movies and the other exploitation revenge flicks and I ended
up mashing them together into one movie night. I watched:

Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...

The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
now. It's an OK thriller.

The Hitcher - Now at this point, the plan had always been to watch the
1986 thriller, "The Hitcher" next. I had already triple checked and
confirmed it was available to stream for free in HD from Cinemax. The
whole point of watching these was to top them off with The Hitcher! So
I pull up the movie and what appears is a fuzzy, blurry, *windowboxed*
image on my screen! At first I thought maybe I could just power through
it, then the image changed to full frame! Then I thought just power
through this, full frame is not unwatchable on a 1.85 movie. It's
probably framed with TV in mind anyway. But I double checked and the
movie was shot 2.39:1. And I was out.

Freeway (4K disc) 1996 exploitation movie based on "Little Red Riding
Hood" starring Reese Witherspoon as the daughter of drug addict
prostitute (Amanda Plummer) who puts on her red jacket to make her way
to her grandmother's house. Along the way she encounters a big bad wolf
in the form of a serial killer played by Kiefer Sutherland. He plans to
murder her then do worse, except things don't turn out the way either of
them expect. I haven't watched it since it came out in 96. It held up
pretty well.

Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.

Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
daughter's ever.

Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.

On 3/5/2023 10:29 AM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
> I took Saturday off, and did no work, but mostly watched movies and TV,
> and listened to music...:
>
> Vacation Home Nightmare (recorded off Lifetime in late Jan.) - Aubrey
> Reynolds stars in this, which is why I was interested - fortunately,
> they have Reynolds in bikini tops, and such, for a lot of the movie!
> Felisha Cooper co-stars, which is interesting, as I wasn't sure she was
> still acting, or at least doing Lifetime flicks.
>   While the women in this were eminently watchable (voluptuous Yolanthe
> Cabau was the third primary woman in this), the film itself was most
> mediocre, with Justin Berti playing an insane "security agent" who is
> basically a misogynistic serial killer.
>   He shouldn't have messed with Reynolds!!
>   Meh.
>
> soaps: DOOL - Fri's ep. They seemed to flirt with reconciling Xander and
> Sarah, after she discovers she's preggers with Xander's baby, but
> instead seemed to resolve to write Sarah out again. (Proving she's a
> total bitch if she never tells Xander about the baby...) Meanwhile,

It's probably just a few month's break, and she'll come back to tell
Xander about the baby, just as he and Gwen are about to marry. Again.

Actually, I read that Linsey Godfrey has had Hodgkins Lymphoma which is
why she's been so off and on, and looks really thin. She probably needs
a few weeks off now and then.

> Maggie is put in charger of Kirakis Enterprises (or whatever it's
> called), and Alex is... skeptical of the idea, to say the least! They
> also write out Jack and (Temp)Jennifer (again!), with Jack and Gwen
> leaving things on... amicable terms at least.

In article <tu35a7$1f0pb$1@dont-email.me>, Arthur Lipscomb
<arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

> Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
> Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
> under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
> clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
> a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
> watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
> pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
> look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
> Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...

Duel was made for TV. Dennis Weaver was a big deal at the time. As
you say, Spielberg was an unknown; this film put him on the map.

After it ran, there was a lot of buzz. Everyone knew to expect big
things from Spielberg.

Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

>Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
>Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
>under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
>clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
>a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
>watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
>pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
>look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
>Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...

Heh

I posted about this when TCM aired this a month or so ago. TCM is airing
the theatrical release; Spielberg was called back in to shoot a couple
more scenes which weren't necessary. They should have shown the
made-for-tv version in proper 4:3.

I never cared for Weaver's inner dialogue but Spielberg does a great job
maintaining tension.

>The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
>crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
>who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
>police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
>outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
>while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
>literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
>now. It's an OK thriller.

Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
her life.

She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.

She and her husband formed a production company to make inexpensive
movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
produced through their own production company.

I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
unique.

Fascinating woman.

>Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
>a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.

Yeah, through an amazing series of coincidences, he kills bad guys. I
never thought the script tried very hard but Bronson was just
entertaining in this.

>Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
>as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
>are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
>daughter's ever.

She should form a club with Bryan Mills' daughter.

>Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
>sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.

There were five in the series, and then Bruce Willis was cast to remake
the 1974 movie. Bronson kind of phones in his performance in the later
ones.

Question: Can we still say "phone in" or is the actor giving a
performance via a Zoom meeting?

I'm a big fan of Rider on the Rain (1970) which Bronson made when he was
working in French cinema for a number of years. Back in America, Hard
Times (1975) was a terrific movie and I remember seeing it in theater as
a kid, also with James Coburn.

Oh, you want to like Telefon (1977) also starring Lee Remick and Donald
Pleasence, and directed by Clint's director Don Siegel, but it feels
like it's telling half a story. It's disappointing with moment of
entertainment.

A Friend <A Friend> wrote:
>In article <tu35a7$1f0pb$1@dont-email.me>, Arthur Lipscomb
><arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>
>> Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
>> Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
>> under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
>> clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
>> a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
>> watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
>> pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
>> look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
>> Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...
>
>
>Duel was made for TV. Dennis Weaver was a big deal at the time.

McCloud!

>As you say, Spielberg was an unknown; this film put him on the map.

>After it ran, there was a lot of buzz. Everyone knew to expect big
>things from Spielberg.

In article <tu37ia$1f9m1$1@dont-email.me>,
"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

> >Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
> >a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.
>
> Yeah, through an amazing series of coincidences, he kills bad guys. I
> never thought the script tried very hard but Bronson was just
> entertaining in this.
>
> >Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
> >as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
> >are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
> >daughter's ever.
>
> She should form a club with Bryan Mills' daughter.
>
> >Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
> >sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.
>
> There were five in the series, and then Bruce Willis was cast to remake
> the 1974 movie. Bronson kind of phones in his performance in the later
> ones.
>
> Question: Can we still say "phone in" or is the actor giving a
> performance via a Zoom meeting?
>
> I'm a big fan of Rider on the Rain (1970) which Bronson made when he was
> working in French cinema for a number of years. Back in America, Hard
> Times (1975) was a terrific movie and I remember seeing it in theater as
> a kid, also with James Coburn.
>
> Oh, you want to like Telefon (1977) also starring Lee Remick and Donald
> Pleasence, and directed by Clint's director Don Siegel, but it feels
> like it's telling half a story. It's disappointing with moment of
> entertainment.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep.

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>
>> Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
>> Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
>> under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
>> clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
>> a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
>> watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
>> pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
>> look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
>> Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...
>
> Heh
>
> I posted about this when TCM aired this a month or so ago. TCM is airing
> the theatrical release; Spielberg was called back in to shoot a couple
> more scenes which weren't necessary. They should have shown the
> made-for-tv version in proper 4:3.
>
> I never cared for Weaver's inner dialogue but Spielberg does a great job
> maintaining tension.
>
>> The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
>> crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
>> who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
>> police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
>> outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
>> while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
>> literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
>> now. It's an OK thriller.
>
> Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
> stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
> her life.
>
> She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
> herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
> she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
> the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.
>
> She and her husband formed a production company to make inexpensive
> movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
> produced through their own production company.
>
> I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
> unique.
>
> Fascinating woman.

She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
bunch of President Grant‘s cabinet members!

She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
of him and he doesn’t want to be drugged first he promises her he’ll hold
his breath while she puts the clay on.

>
>> Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
>> a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.
>
> Yeah, through an amazing series of coincidences, he kills bad guys. I
> never thought the script tried very hard but Bronson was just
> entertaining in this.
>
>> Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
>> as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
>> are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
>> daughter's ever.
>
> She should form a club with Bryan Mills' daughter.
>
>> Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
>> sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.
>
> There were five in the series, and then Bruce Willis was cast to remake
> the 1974 movie. Bronson kind of phones in his performance in the later
> ones.
>
> Question: Can we still say "phone in" or is the actor giving a
> performance via a Zoom meeting?

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Sarah Michelle Gellar literally phones
in her performance in that horrid wolf thing she’s producing.

The bigger question is, can we still say dial?

>
> I'm a big fan of Rider on the Rain (1970) which Bronson made when he was
> working in French cinema for a number of years. Back in America, Hard
> Times (1975) was a terrific movie and I remember seeing it in theater as
> a kid, also with James Coburn.
>
> Oh, you want to like Telefon (1977) also starring Lee Remick and Donald
> Pleasence, and directed by Clint's director Don Siegel, but it feels
> like it's telling half a story. It's disappointing with moment of
> entertainment.
>

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
>>> Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
>>> under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
>>> clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
>>> a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
>>> watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
>>> pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
>>> look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
>>> Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...
>>
>> Heh
>>
>> I posted about this when TCM aired this a month or so ago. TCM is airing
>> the theatrical release; Spielberg was called back in to shoot a couple
>> more scenes which weren't necessary. They should have shown the
>> made-for-tv version in proper 4:3.
>>
>> I never cared for Weaver's inner dialogue but Spielberg does a great job
>> maintaining tension.
>>
>>> The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
>>> crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
>>> who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
>>> police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
>>> outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
>>> while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
>>> literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
>>> now. It's an OK thriller.
>>
>> Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
>> stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
>> her life.
>>
>> She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
>> herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
>> she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
>> the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.
>>
>> She and her husband formed a production company to make inexpensive
>> movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
>> produced through their own production company.
>>
>> I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
>> unique.
>>
>> Fascinating woman.
>
>She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
>monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
>She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
>bunch of President Grant‘s cabinet members!
>
>She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
>of him and he doesn’t want to be drugged first he promises her he’ll hold
>his breath while she puts the clay on.
>
>
>>
>>> Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
>>> a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.
>>
>> Yeah, through an amazing series of coincidences, he kills bad guys. I
>> never thought the script tried very hard but Bronson was just
>> entertaining in this.
>>
>>> Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
>>> as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
>>> are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
>>> daughter's ever.
>>
>> She should form a club with Bryan Mills' daughter.
>>
>>> Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
>>> sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.
>>
>> There were five in the series, and then Bruce Willis was cast to remake
>> the 1974 movie. Bronson kind of phones in his performance in the later
>> ones.
>>
>> Question: Can we still say "phone in" or is the actor giving a
>> performance via a Zoom meeting?
>
>I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Sarah Michelle Gellar literally phones
>in her performance in that horrid wolf thing she’s producing.
>
>The bigger question is, can we still say dial?

Telecom terms never go away. "Tip" and "ring", which are polarity
references, are from the plugs of plugboard switchboards. Central office
with switch, even though very few switches remain. We "hang up the
phone" by placing the handset "on hook"; an open line means the phone is
"off hook". This is a reference to the very oldest telephone sets before
the dial was invented.

Cable "modems" were never modems; that was a reference to the dial-up
device. Cable always used unrelated protocols.
>> I'm a big fan of Rider on the Rain (1970) which Bronson made when he was
>> working in French cinema for a number of years. Back in America, Hard
>> Times (1975) was a terrific movie and I remember seeing it in theater as
>> a kid, also with James Coburn.

>> Oh, you want to like Telefon (1977) also starring Lee Remick and Donald
>> Pleasence, and directed by Clint's director Don Siegel, but it feels
>> like it's telling half a story. It's disappointing with moment of
>> entertainment.

BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
>"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

>>. . .

>>Oh, you want to like Telefon (1977) also starring Lee Remick and Donald
>>Pleasence, and directed by Clint's director Don Siegel, but it feels
>>like it's telling half a story. It's disappointing with moment of
>>entertainment.

>The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
>But I have promises to keep
>And miles to go before I sleep.

What if one of these sleepers were given a book of poetry by Robert
Frost? That could have triggered WWIII.

Did you see this as a kid?

In article <tu3bbm$1finn$2@dont-email.me>,
"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
> >"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>
> >>. . .
>
> >>Oh, you want to like Telefon (1977) also starring Lee Remick and Donald
> >>Pleasence, and directed by Clint's director Don Siegel, but it feels
> >>like it's telling half a story. It's disappointing with moment of
> >>entertainment.
>
> >The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
> >But I have promises to keep
> >And miles to go before I sleep.
>
> What if one of these sleepers were given a book of poetry by Robert
> Frost? That could have triggered WWIII.

I always assumed that's why they varied it up. The actual trigger phrase
was:

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
Remember... miles to go before I sleep.

That avoids them being triggered by hearing a mere accidental recitation
of the poem. Why they felt the need to take the trigger phrase from one
of the more famous poems in English literature in the first place, I
never understood.

> Did you see this as a kid?

Yep.

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
> anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>> Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
>>>> Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
>>>> under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
>>>> clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
>>>> a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
>>>> watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
>>>> pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
>>>> look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
>>>> Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...
>>>
>>> Heh
>>>
>>> I posted about this when TCM aired this a month or so ago. TCM is airing
>>> the theatrical release; Spielberg was called back in to shoot a couple
>>> more scenes which weren't necessary. They should have shown the
>>> made-for-tv version in proper 4:3.
>>>
>>> I never cared for Weaver's inner dialogue but Spielberg does a great job
>>> maintaining tension.
>>>
>>>> The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
>>>> crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
>>>> who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
>>>> police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
>>>> outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
>>>> while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
>>>> literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
>>>> now. It's an OK thriller.
>>>
>>> Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
>>> stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
>>> her life.
>>>
>>> She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
>>> herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
>>> she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
>>> the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.
>>>
>>> She and her husband formed a production company to make inexpensive
>>> movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
>>> produced through their own production company.
>>>
>>> I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
>>> unique.
>>>
>>> Fascinating woman.
>>
>> She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
>> monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
>> She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
>> bunch of President Grant‘s cabinet members!
>>
>> She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
>> of him and he doesn’t want to be drugged first he promises her he’ll hold
>> his breath while she puts the clay on.
>>
>>
>>>
>>>> Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
>>>> a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.
>>>
>>> Yeah, through an amazing series of coincidences, he kills bad guys. I
>>> never thought the script tried very hard but Bronson was just
>>> entertaining in this.
>>>
>>>> Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
>>>> as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
>>>> are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
>>>> daughter's ever.
>>>
>>> She should form a club with Bryan Mills' daughter.
>>>
>>>> Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
>>>> sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.
>>>
>>> There were five in the series, and then Bruce Willis was cast to remake
>>> the 1974 movie. Bronson kind of phones in his performance in the later
>>> ones.
>>>
>>> Question: Can we still say "phone in" or is the actor giving a
>>> performance via a Zoom meeting?
>>
>> I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Sarah Michelle Gellar literally phones
>> in her performance in that horrid wolf thing she’s producing.
>>
>> The bigger question is, can we still say dial?
>
> Telecom terms never go away. "Tip" and "ring", which are polarity
> references, are from the plugs of plugboard switchboards. Central office
> with switch, even though very few switches remain. We "hang up the
> phone" by placing the handset "on hook"; an open line means the phone is
> "off hook". This is a reference to the very oldest telephone sets before
> the dial was invented.
>
> Cable "modems" were never modems; that was a reference to the dial-up
> device. Cable always used unrelated protocols.

Cool

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

On 3/5/2023 4:02 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
>>> Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
>>> under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
>>> clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
>>> a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
>>> watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
>>> pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
>>> look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
>>> Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...
>>
>> Heh
>>
>> I posted about this when TCM aired this a month or so ago. TCM is airing
>> the theatrical release; Spielberg was called back in to shoot a couple
>> more scenes which weren't necessary. They should have shown the
>> made-for-tv version in proper 4:3.
>>
>> I never cared for Weaver's inner dialogue but Spielberg does a great job
>> maintaining tension.
>>
>>> The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
>>> crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
>>> who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
>>> police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
>>> outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
>>> while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
>>> literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
>>> now. It's an OK thriller.
>>
>> Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
>> stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
>> her life.
>>
>> She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
>> herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
>> she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
>> the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.
>>
>> She and her husband formed a production company to make inexpensive
>> movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
>> produced through their own production company.
>>
>> I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
>> unique.
>>
>> Fascinating woman.
>

I never heard of her before, but the TCM host talked a little about her
before the movie. Then in a coincidence I was watching another
exploitation movie with a commentary track and the person doing the
commentary name dropped her.

> She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
> monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
> She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
> bunch of President Grant‘s cabinet members!
>
> She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
> of him and he doesn’t want to be drugged first he promises her he’ll hold
> his breath while she puts the clay on.
>
>
>>
>>> Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
>>> a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.
>>
>> Yeah, through an amazing series of coincidences, he kills bad guys. I
>> never thought the script tried very hard but Bronson was just
>> entertaining in this.
>>
>>> Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
>>> as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
>>> are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
>>> daughter's ever.
>>
>> She should form a club with Bryan Mills' daughter.
>>

I had to look that up, but now I see where you've Taken me.

>>> Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
>>> sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.
>>
>> There were five in the series, and then Bruce Willis was cast to remake
>> the 1974 movie. Bronson kind of phones in his performance in the later
>> ones.
>>

Five?!? And I completely forgot about the Willis one.

>> Question: Can we still say "phone in" or is the actor giving a
>> performance via a Zoom meeting?
>
> I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Sarah Michelle Gellar literally phones
> in her performance in that horrid wolf thing she’s producing.
>
> The bigger question is, can we still say dial?
>
>
>>
>> I'm a big fan of Rider on the Rain (1970) which Bronson made when he was
>> working in French cinema for a number of years. Back in America, Hard
>> Times (1975) was a terrific movie and I remember seeing it in theater as
>> a kid, also with James Coburn.
>>
>> Oh, you want to like Telefon (1977) also starring Lee Remick and Donald
>> Pleasence, and directed by Clint's director Don Siegel, but it feels
>> like it's telling half a story. It's disappointing with moment of
>> entertainment.
>>
>
>
>

I never heard of "Rider on the Rain" before, and Netflix doesn't have it
on disc. I know the name, "Telefon" but I'm not sure if I've seen it
before. Netflix doesn't have it for rent on disc either, so if I have
ever seen it, it must have been many, many, years ago on basic cable.

After Death Wish, I was curious what other Bronson movies I have in my
collection and it's not many. I have "House of Wax," "The Magnificent
Seven," and an episode of "The Twilight Zone" which surprisingly now
that I think about it, I actually remember which episode it was.

In article <tu37ia$1f9m1$1@dont-email.me>, Adam H. Kerman
<ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>
> >Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
> >Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
> >under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
> >clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
> >a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
> >watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
> >pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
> >look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
> >Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...
>
> Heh
>
> I posted about this when TCM aired this a month or so ago. TCM is airing
> the theatrical release; Spielberg was called back in to shoot a couple
> more scenes which weren't necessary. They should have shown the
> made-for-tv version in proper 4:3.

ABC programmed a spate of 90-min made-for-TV movies ca. 1971, and Duel
was one of them. They were padded to 2 hrs for later broadcast.

One particularly notorious example was a movie about an earthquake in
NYC called, I think, Long Walk to Daylight. It was about people
trapped on the subway and trying to escape. Not bad at 90 min, but
they padded it with a stupid plot about how the earthquake was actually
buildings on the street above exploding and collapsing due to a
terrorist attack.

> I never cared for Weaver's inner dialogue but Spielberg does a great job
> maintaining tension.
>
> >The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
> >crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
> >who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
> >police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
> >outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
> >while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
> >literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
> >now. It's an OK thriller.
>
> Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
> stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
> her life.
>
> She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
> herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
> she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
> the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.
>
> She and her husband

Actor Howard Duff.

> formed a production company to make inexpensive
> movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
> produced through their own production company.
>
> I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
> unique.
>
> Fascinating woman.
>
> >Death Wish (4K disc) 1974 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson as
> >a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are assaulted.
>
> Yeah, through an amazing series of coincidences, he kills bad guys. I
> never thought the script tried very hard but Bronson was just
> entertaining in this.

The film was controversial at the time it came out. Now it's just
quaint.

> >Death Wish II (4K disc) 1982 exploitation flick starring Charles Bronson
> >as a man who returns to vigilantism after his housekeeper and daughter
> >are assaulted. That daughter has to be one of the most unluckiest movie
> >daughter's ever.
>
> She should form a club with Bryan Mills' daughter.
>
> >Apparently there are more Death Wish movies starring Bronson. I'm not
> >sure if I've seen them before or not. I might track them down later.

Marina Sirtis, then an unknown, shows her boobies in one of them. I
think it's the movie that's set in the South Bronx.

A Friend wrote:
>Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

>>>The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
>>>crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
>>>who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
>>>police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
>>>outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
>>>while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
>>>literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
>>>now. It's an OK thriller.

>>Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
>>stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
>>her life.

>>She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
>>herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
>>she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
>>the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.

>>She and her husband

>Actor Howard Duff.

No, they weren't married yet. I couldn't recall the name. I've looked it
up: Collier Young.

Howard Duff's most famous character to that point, radio Sam Spade, was
connected to Lurene Tuttle as Effie, whom we've recently discussed.

>>formed a production company to make inexpensive
>>movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
>>produced through their own production company.

>>I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
>>unique.

>>Fascinating woman.

>>>. . .

anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

[Ida Lupino]

>She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
>monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
>She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
>bunch of President Grant‘s cabinet members!

>She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
>of him and he doesn't want to be drugged first he promises her he'll hold
>his breath while she puts the clay on.

I'm rather fond of that episode, and I agree, that's a great scene. Ross
Martin had someone he could perform with, rather than just hamming it up
in one of those absurd disguises.

It's kind of the plot of In Like Flint and that Star Trek episode.

On Sun, 05 Mar 2023 22:13:50 -0500, A Friend <nope@noway.com> wrote:

>In article <tu37ia$1f9m1$1@dont-email.me>, Adam H. Kerman
><ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>
>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>
>> >Duel (TCM) 1971 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring
>> >Dennis Weaver as a guy driving home through the desert when he comes
>> >under constant harassment from a large truck. It eventually becomes
>> >clear whoever is driving the truck is trying to kill him then it becomes
>> >a battle of survivor out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure I've
>> >watched this once before, but I had no real memory of it. It was a
>> >pretty good thriller. And this Spielberg guy who directed it, I have to
>> >look him up to see if he ever directed anything else. Maybe even do a
>> >Spielberg movie marathon in a few weeks...
>>
>> Heh
>>
>> I posted about this when TCM aired this a month or so ago. TCM is airing
>> the theatrical release; Spielberg was called back in to shoot a couple
>> more scenes which weren't necessary. They should have shown the
>> made-for-tv version in proper 4:3.

Well I see someone has posted it to Youtube so you can watch it for
free but not in 4:3 format. Not sure what the rental version is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTgVLly7Sas

>ABC programmed a spate of 90-min made-for-TV movies ca. 1971, and Duel
>was one of them. They were padded to 2 hrs for later broadcast.
>
>One particularly notorious example was a movie about an earthquake in
>NYC called, I think, Long Walk to Daylight. It was about people
>trapped on the subway and trying to escape. Not bad at 90 min, but
>they padded it with a stupid plot about how the earthquake was actually
>buildings on the street above exploding and collapsing due to a
>terrorist attack.
>
>
>> I never cared for Weaver's inner dialogue but Spielberg does a great job
>> maintaining tension.
>>
>> >The Hitch-Hiker (TCM) 1953 movie directed by Ida Lupino based on a true
>> >crime about two men traveling to Mexico who pick up a psycho hitchhiker
>> >who takes them hostage. The hitchhiker is already on the run from the
>> >police for murder and makes it clear that as soon as the two guys
>> >outlive their usefulness their dead. Along the way he torments them
>> >while the two men attempt to plot their escape from someone who
>> >literally sleeps with one eye open. I never heard of this movie before
>> >now. It's an OK thriller.
>>
>> Ida Lupino was a movie and radio actress (also appeared on the London
>> stage) who never had a big movie career, and acted on television late in
>> her life.
>>
>> She decided she wanted a career behind the scenes and essentially taught
>> herself to edit and direct by paying attention to those functions when
>> she wasn't on set or was on a long suspension. She'd also write some of
>> the screenplays for the movies she'd direct including this one.

Yes, one of her quotes pointed out just how difficult it was for a
woman to get a directing job in Hollywood.
"I'd love to see more women working as directors and producers. Today,
it's almost impossible to do it unless you are an actress or writer
with power."
Ida Lupino
Born 1918, London, England
Died 1995, Los Angeles, California.
>> She and her husband
>
>
>Actor Howard Duff.
>
>
>> formed a production company to make inexpensive
>> movies with some social relevance and this was one of the titles
>> produced through their own production company.
>>
>> I always got a kick out of her as a character actress. Her voice was
>> unique.
>>
>> Fascinating woman.

She does seem to have had a productive film career judging by the
number of films included in this play list on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0b6NfVmjDY&list=PLBFa2yUBFRr5-aFyIubL_03aHU3wqe9SC&index=1

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
> anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>
> [Ida Lupino]
>
>> She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
>> monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
>> She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
>> bunch of President Grant‘s cabinet members!
>
>> She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
>> of him and he doesn't want to be drugged first he promises her he'll hold
>> his breath while she puts the clay on.
>
> I'm rather fond of that episode, and I agree, that's a great scene. Ross
> Martin had someone he could perform with, rather than just hamming it up
> in one of those absurd disguises.

It does double duty, because not only do the two actors get to work
together, but the two characters do as well. How often is either of them
going to get a chance to discuss with someone else the intricacies of mask
making in the 1800s?

>
> It's kind of the plot of In Like Flint and that Star Trek episode.
>

OK, maybe it’s just because it’s 2 AM, but you whooshed me.

I actually watched both Flint movies a week or two ago (well I had them on
overnight and mostly slept through them) but the main thing I was looking
for was the 1966 Batcave nuclear reactor, hanging upside down from the
ceiling as a light fixture or something.

Something that occurs to me about the disguises in TW3 is that a) you could
actually get away with them in the 1870s because who the hell has seen a
picture of anybody else? And 2) you wouldn’t need to in the first place,
because who the hell has seen a picture of anybody else? There’s a point at
which the rubber nose is just grandstanding.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

>>[Ida Lupino]

>>>She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
>>>monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
>>>She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
>>>bunch of President Grant's cabinet members!

>>>She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
>>>of him and he doesn't want to be drugged first he promises her he'll hold
>>>his breath while she puts the clay on.

>>I'm rather fond of that episode, and I agree, that's a great scene. Ross
>>Martin had someone he could perform with, rather than just hamming it up
>>in one of those absurd disguises.

>It does double duty, because not only do the two actors get to work
>together, but the two characters do as well. How often is either of them
>going to get a chance to discuss with someone else the intricacies of mask
>making in the 1800s?

Good point
>>It's kind of the plot of In Like Flint and that Star Trek episode.

>OK, maybe it's just because it's 2 AM, but you whooshed me.

Ok, maybe not so much In Like Flint, as the replacements were actors,
not animatronics. How about Future World?

Star Trek "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" in which the villain was
making android substitutes and Kirk insults Spock as a half-breed.

>I actually watched both Flint movies a week or two ago (well I had them on
>overnight and mostly slept through them) but the main thing I was looking
>for was the 1966 Batcave nuclear reactor, hanging upside down from the
>ceiling as a light fixture or something.

You've mentioned that before but I've never spotted that.

>Something that occurs to me about the disguises in TW3 is that a) you could
>actually get away with them in the 1870s because who the hell has seen a
>picture of anybody else? And 2) you wouldn't need to in the first place,
>because who the hell has seen a picture of anybody else? There's a point at
>which the rubber nose is just grandstanding.

I know I know. I shared that opinion when I first saw the episodes as a kid.

It's more like William Conrad is Serious Action Hero and Ross Martin is
Our Great Stage Actor And We're Hitting The Audience Over The Head With
Farcical Elements

In <tu5a3p$j4s$2@dont-email.me> "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> writes:

[snip]

>>Something that occurs to me about the disguises in TW3i

wow, someone else who remembers "That was the Week that was"!

Oh, wait. Never mind

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> wrote:
>"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> writes:

>[snip]

>>>Something that occurs to me about the disguises in TW3i

You snipped my quotes. That was anim.

>wow, someone else who remembers "That was the Week that was"!

>Oh, wait. Never mind

I remember the title. I've never seen an episode.

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
> anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>> Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>> anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>
>>> [Ida Lupino]
>
>>>> She was on last weeks MeTV, the wild, wild West, making Frankenstein
>>>> monsters with bombs in them through some completely inexplicable method.
>>>> She seem to get away at the end, but not before she managed to murder a
>>>> bunch of President Grant's cabinet members!
>
>>>> She has a great sequence with a captive ARTE where she wants to make a mask
>>>> of him and he doesn't want to be drugged first he promises her he'll hold
>>>> his breath while she puts the clay on.
>
>>> I'm rather fond of that episode, and I agree, that's a great scene. Ross
>>> Martin had someone he could perform with, rather than just hamming it up
>>> in one of those absurd disguises.
>
>> It does double duty, because not only do the two actors get to work
>> together, but the two characters do as well. How often is either of them
>> going to get a chance to discuss with someone else the intricacies of mask
>> making in the 1800s?
>
> Good point
>
>>> It's kind of the plot of In Like Flint and that Star Trek episode.
>
>> OK, maybe it's just because it's 2 AM, but you whooshed me.
>
> Ok, maybe not so much In Like Flint, as the replacements were actors,
> not animatronics. How about Future World?

It’s always annoyed me that future world tossed the robot technology, and
just started somehow making clones.

>
> Star Trek "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" in which the villain was
> making android substitutes and Kirk insults Spock as a half-breed.
>

Oh, I see what you’re saying.

Here’s one for you. There are five androids across the course of that
episode. Roger Corby, Brown, Kirk, Ruk, and Andrea.

Corby and Brown were duplicates made from dying men. We saw them make Kirk.
Ruk they found on site.

But who the hell is Andrea? Was she a lovely space cadet that Corby brought
with him? Was she already there keeping Ruk company? It’s never addressed
in the episode at all. You would think if she was a companion to Ruk, she
wouldn’t look quite so deliciously human. If she actually is a delicious
human, you’d think Chapel would have been aware of her being in Corby’s
party.

The other option is that the android machine can make fantasy women on
demand. In which case they really should have salvaged that technology
intact!

As for TW3, it’s always seem to me that Dr. Faustina has found a way to
reanimate the dead. You’d think she could make more money off that then
whatever other evil scheme she was trying to get going!

>> I actually watched both Flint movies a week or two ago (well I had them on
>> overnight and mostly slept through them) but the main thing I was looking
>> for was the 1966 Batcave nuclear reactor, hanging upside down from the
>> ceiling as a light fixture or something.
>
> You've mentioned that before but I've never spotted that.
>

This time around, I actually woke up, saw it, and went back to sleep, again
almost instantly. I couldn’t even tell you which film it was in. It might
be in both!

>> Something that occurs to me about the disguises in TW3 is that a) you could
>> actually get away with them in the 1870s because who the hell has seen a
>> picture of anybody else? And 2) you wouldn't need to in the first place,
>> because who the hell has seen a picture of anybody else? There's a point at
>> which the rubber nose is just grandstanding.
>
> I know I know. I shared that opinion when I first saw the episodes as a kid.
>
> It's more like William Conrad is Serious Action Hero and Ross Martin is
> Our Great Stage Actor And We're Hitting The Audience Over The Head With
> Farcical Elements
>

And we know that William Conrad is a serious action hero because it’s
canon.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> wrote:
> In <tu5a3p$j4s$2@dont-email.me> "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> writes:
>
> [snip]
>
>>> Something that occurs to me about the disguises in TW3i
>
> wow, someone else who remembers "That was the Week that was"!
>
> Oh, wait. Never mind
>

I had a huge crush on Nancy Ames.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.