Jean Harlow Films @ the Brattle

Okay, okay. I should have really titled this post Victor Fleming Films @ the Brattle but I didn't go to the Brattle because of Victor Fleming, I went because of my darling Jean Harlow. The Brattle Theatre was showcasing 2 Victor Fleming films, Bombshell (1933) and Red Dust (1932). Michael Sragow, author of the book Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master, was there to talk about his book and the Fleming films. The big coincidence here is that even though these are Fleming films, Jean Harlow happens to star in both. I wish I had stayed for Sragow's talk and Q&A, but it was a miserable day outside and a big crockpot full of beef stew was waiting for me at home.

I did however get to see Bombshell (1933) on the big screen with my beau Carlos and what a treat it was! Jean Harlow plays Lola Burns, a superstar blonde bombshell who graces the cover of every movie magazine read by her legions of fans. You'd think she has it all but she's surrounded by leeches. Her drunkard father and brother are gambling away her millions and her assistant (Una Merkel) is helping herself to Burns' wardrobe and everything else. The worst of them all is publicist/reporter Hanlon (Lee Tracy) who is so hell-bent on getting lots of juicy gossip and keeping Lola Burns on the headlines of newspapers that he willingly sabotages Burns' life whenever he can.

The film has a lot of rapid-fire dialogue. So much so, that it's very easy to miss a lot of great one-liners. It's a film that begs several viewings. In fact, they cram so much dialogue that when there is a moment of silence in the film it seems very strange, like the silence is out of place. The audience at the Brattle seemed to enjoy Franchot Tone's performance the best. He plays Burns' fake lover and the cheesy lines he uses to woo Burns made the audience laugh out loud.

Bombshell is not available on DVD and TCM shows it on occassion. So it's really a treat to have been able to see this on the big screen (I had seen it once before on a TCM Harlow marathon). I'm glad Carlos was willing to trudge through the cold rain, which later became snow, to see this hilarious film with me at the Brattle. And how lucky am I that there is a local repertory theatre like the Brattle that will show films like this to the public.

TCM Monthly Audio Podcasts

Here is some exciting news regarding TCM. They are turning their Private Screening interviews into monthly audio podcasts available at iTunes and on the TCM website. Yay! Now I just have my fingers crossed that TCM will develop an iPhone app (a girl can dream!).

-----------------------------

For Release: October 9, 2009

Turner Classic Movies Brings PRIVATE SCREENINGS UNCUT
Interviews Online with Monthly Audio Podcasts

Special Audio Editions of Robert Osborne Interviews
With Hollywood Legends to be Offered Free through tcm.com and iTunes

First Podcast Available in October, Featuring Star of the Month Leslie Caron

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is bringing PRIVATE SCREENINGS UNCUT, unedited versions of the network’s acclaimed interview specials, to the Internet with monthly audio podcasts made available free through tcm.com and iTunes. Each month’s podcast will be drawn from TCM’s archives of the series, which features TCM host Robert Osborne conducting in-depth interviews with Hollywood legends. The podcasts will be expanded versions of Osborne’s conversations, including portions not included in the original telecasts. In addition, Osborne will record special introductions for each interview. TCM kicks off its PRIVATE SCREENINGS UNCUT podcasts this week with October’s Star of the Month Leslie Caron.

“One of the greatest privileges and joys for me at TCM is being able to sit down with some of Hollywood’s greatest personalities for PRIVATE SCREENINGS,” said Osborne. “This podcast will allow fans to enjoy some of the most memorable interviews we’ve conducted in the past, including a lot of material that has never been heard before.”

Each PRIVATE SCREENINGS UNCUT podcast will be timed to coincide with TCM on-air programming. Upcoming podcasts are slated to feature Angela Lansbury in November, when TCM will air her Oscar®-nominated performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945); Lauren Bacall in December, when her late husband Humphrey Bogart will be honored as TCM’s Star of the Month; Betty Hutton in January, when TCM airs a selection of her movies; and director-producer, five-time Oscar nominee and honorary recipient Sidney Lumet in February, during TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar.

TCM will draw future podcasts from its extensive PRIVATE SCREENINGS archive, which includes interviews with such luminaries as Ernest Borgnine, Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Mickey Rooney, Charlton Heston, Jane Fonda, Tony Curtis, producer-director Norman Jewison and producer Walter Mirisch.

Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network celebrating 15 years of presenting great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 80 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, along with hosting a wealth of materials at its Web site, www.tcm.com. TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Seven Days in May (1964) Monologue

I think this monologue really captures the fear and uncertainty that was so much a part of the Cold War in America. It's delivered by Frederic March who plays the fictional American President Jordan Lyman in Seven Days in May (1964). This film has a great cast of stars but it's March's incredible performance that carries the film.

The enemy's an age. A nuclear age. It happened to kill man's faith in his ability to influence what happens to him. And out of this comes a sickness, a sickness of frustration, a feeling of impotence, helpessness, weakness. And from this desperation, we look for a champion in red, white and blue. Every now and then, a man on a white horse rides by, and we appoint him to be our personal god for the duration.