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DoctorJuliaHoffman's Replies
telegonus, it's a real mystery why it's so hard to find that forum via googling. Thanks for providing the info above. I'll have to check these sites out. I've known Gubbio for a couple of years from the "Laura" (1944) message boards on IMDb.
Angharad Aubrey played "Susy" in "The Nanny". It's strange that she never made another film. William Dix, who played "Joey" in "The Nanny", popped up again in "Doctor Dolittle" (1967).
Oh, those brats in "Village of the Damned"! The main brat, "David", was played by Martin Stephens. He was excellent (and hilarious!) as the precocious "Miles" in "The Innocents" (1961).
If you like Made-for-TV thrillers, there are many on YouTube: "The House That Would Not Die" (1970 with Barbara Stanwyck), "A Taste of Evil" (1971 with Barbara Stanwyck), "She Waits" (1972 with Patty Duke), "Scream, Pretty Peggy" (1973 with Bette Davis), "When Michael Calls" (1973 with Elizabeth Ashley), "Reflections of Murder" (1974 with Tuesday Weld), "Death at Love House" (1976 with Kate Jackson). There is a crazy nanny TV Movie from the 1980s "The Babysitter" (1980 with Patty Duke).
Another crazy nanny movie, which is not on YouTube, is "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (1992 with Rebecca De Mornay). It's not a Made-for-TV Movie. You might also enjoy another theatrical release "Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?" (1969 with Ruth Gordon). It's on YouTube now. It's got an almost crazy nanny theme only it deals with the missing paid companion of an unbalanced woman.
Hi, puplover. I recognize you too from the IMDb message boards. Nice to find you here! Your interpretation of Nanny bathing Susy is correct. Nanny was detatched after seeing her own daughter dead. By the time she came home and started bathing the dead Susy (whose death she had no responsibility for), she had become totally unhinged.
The only attempt to poison the mother is when Joey gets blamed for poisoning his mother with the some of the contents of the bottle in Nanny's medecine chest. Nanny was behind that one. Again unhinged. With Joey's arrival home, Nanny started to snap again.
Joey's mother, Virgie, tells her sister Pen that Nanny stayed with them after their mother's death to look after them. Then Virgie refers to her "accident" as another reason why Nanny stayed on. However, this accident is very vague, indeed, and is never explained.
Did you notice during the opening credits how Bette is swinging that (obviously empty) cake box around? Especially, when she is buying flowers from the vendor. She totally turns the box on its side and towards its top. The cake would have been ruined! Yet, when she gets home and opens the box, there is a perfect cake with "Welcome Home Joey" written on it.
Thank you for posting the link, 9.
Nice to meet you too, Catbookss. I agree with you regarding this site's clear and easy to use design/interface and its people. It does show a lot of potential to become the best site for former IMDb message boards users. A lot of message boards here haven't even started to become busy yet. But, give them time...
I couldn't find imdb v.2 even after adding "forums", telegonus. I did find Proboards though. Is there more activity on Proboards than there is here? (BTW, I'm liking this site. So far, I've found people much nicer here than on IMDb.)
telegonus, which one is v.2? I know the sitcomsonline and TMDb websites. The former's "The Twilight Zone" message boards hasn't been active since the end of last year. The latter's message boards looked pretty empty the last time I looked.
I've just rewatched it. (I've seen it many times.) What are your questions?
Oh, "Evita" does deserve to be on the top of your Time Machine list. Seeing it on Broadway with its original Broadway cast is something I'll never forget. Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin were superb. It's a pity the movie version wasn't made in the 1980s with these two (and Bob Gunton) repeating their stage roles. Since you're from NYC, I thought you might get a kick out of this bit of nostalgia..."Evita Original Broadway TV Commercial" on YouTube.
Classic film musicals belong to a bygone age. I thought "Hair" and "Annie" were mediocre and forgetable movies at best. There was a lot of cheat singing in Broadway to Hollywood musicals during the 1960s... Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady", Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" and (for the most part) Rosalind Russell in "Gypsy" come to mind. At least Ann-Margret did her own singing in "Bye Bye Birdie". Ditto Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music".
You can see "Alice in Wonderland" (1931) in one installment on YouTube. It's on the YouTube member Phantomwise's channel. Ruth Gilbert who portrays Alice is a scream! She looks like a vintage punk rocker/Goth chick with a Valley Girl accent. She has to be seen to be believed.
I loved the movie "Grease". The Broadway show was still playing when the movie was released in 1978. So, to Manhattan we went to see the Broadway show. I hated it! I thought it was lackluster compared to the film version.
Funny enough, I saw the show "Evita" with its original Broadway cast in 1980. I thought it was fantastic. Yet, I couldn't stand the movie version. I thought Madonna and Antonio Banderas were pure plastic and had no chemistry.
Totally agree, Jennie. For years all we could get was a pan and scan VHS version of "Grease" (1978). After the film's 20th Anniversary rerelease in theaters, the widescreen VHS became available. It looked so tiny on our TV at that time. Now that we have a large flat TV, the widescreen DVD "Grease" looks terrific. Did you see the "Alice in Wonderland" message I left for you on this thread 11 hours ago? I thought you might find it of interest.
IMDb ghost town? Sorta, but this site (thus far) has friendly ghosts.
You know, it was fun seeing "Gone with the Wind" in theaters during its 1974 rerelease. The only problem was it was the cropped widescreen version that was made for the 1967 rerelease. By not showing the film in its original 1939 aspect ratio, the composition of the film was altered at the top and bottom of the screen.
Naturally, for those who hadn't seen the film before its 1967 switch from full screen to widescreen, just seeing the film was a glorious experience. But for purists, like myself, I do enjoy the DVD which, thankfully, retains the original 1939 aspect ratio. I feel it's very important for the mood and imagery of the film.
Oh, revival houses were the very thing film buffs needed. I belonged to The Movie Book Club (it was like The Book of the Month Club). As a bonus for joining, they sent you the first edition of Leonard Maltin's book "TV Movies" (which over the years had been retitled for updated editions). The book dealt with movies that were being shown on TV (not Made-for-TV movies). He gave capsule reviews complete with each film's year, length, director and cast. At that time (before VHS and cable), TV normally used to cut films to 90 minutes to fit into a 2 hour time slot (30 minutes for TV commercials) and 70 minutes for a 90 minute time slot (20 minutes for TV commercials).
When I found out that up to 16 minutes of footage was missing from the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals (thanks to Leonard giving the correct running times), I became obsessed with seeing all old films uncut. In those days, revival houses were the way to go. Thank goodness they were around. "Gone with the Wind" wasn't included in that edition of Leonard's book because it hadn't been sold to TV yet. I caught "Gone with the Wind" during its national 1974 rerelease and, boy, I couldn't get enough of it. It made the rounds in local theaters from late Fall/early Winter and was still playing in Spring. I've honestly lost count of how many times I went to see it back then.
I agree, Jennie. I've always enjoyed the 1933 version. Charlotte Henry was very cute (as she was a year later in "March of the Wooden Soldiers"). However, it's difficult to really love a film where Cary Grant and Gary Cooper are completely unrecognizable. One terrific thing about "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) is the actors' individualities came through under their make-up. Their facial features were well-respected. Kudos to MGM.
There is a 1931 version of "Alice in Wonderland" which is a hoot! It was filmed at a studio in NJ which was reputedly a converted barn. For a long time, this early sound version was considered lost. But, thankfully, it's been found and is shown on many YouTube channels. The Mad Hatter's tea party was skillfully done. Quite memorable! The film runs just over 50 minutes. If you haven't seen it, YouTube is the place to check it out.
Oh, you're more than welcome, Jennie. I, too, thought George was a bit too old for the role. I've also seen him in "Disraeli" (1929 version), "The Working Man" (1933 featuring Bette Davis), "The House of Rothschild" and "Dr. Syn". You've hit the nail right on its head with your comparison of George to John Tenniel's "Mad Hatter". It'a a pity Paramount didn't secure George for the role when they filmed "Alice in Wonderland" in 1933.
Charlotte, moviechat.org is weird in that sometimes it leaves me logged in. For a couple of days, I didn't have to sign in. But, often enough, I do. I too hope the site's creator works out the kinks.
I agree, kr-1959. The man who created this site did a very good job and did it at the right time. It's good to see so many of my former IMDb message board friends over here. In time, I think this site should really catch on. I hope people are spreading the word to their friends.
If you haven't seen her breakthrough performance as "Mildred" in "Of Human Bondage" (1934), you should catch it. It's in the public domain and can be seen on many YouTube channels. I saw it at a revival cinema many years ago and Bette's performance was a WOW! It's stayed with me all these years (naturally I've purchased the DVD). Before "Of Human Bondage" she was the star of some good films. But "Of Human Bondage" solidified her career in motion pictures and shows the birth of a great actress. Hollywood Royalty extraordinaire!
Bette was in top form when I saw her. I remember being told by a friend from NY, who was impatiently awaiting the show's NY arrival, that one of the NY newspapers carried a story saying the show closed due to Bette having a back injury. I can tell you though, Bette was a real pro. She had a star quality that was out of this world and was gracious to her audience. At the end of the show, during applause, she raised her hands to Dorian Harewood wanting the audience to give him the lion's share of the applause and the audience went wild. Standing ovation central! Whatever the real reason why the show closed, I'm indeed grateful I got to see it as Bette has always been one of my favorite stars.
Wow! I didn't know Tim Robbins' father was in it. Thanks for letting me know. I enjoyed the show's songs. Bette was full of life while belting out those tunes. She and young Dorian Harewood were superb! The standing ovations were simultaneously incredible and well-deserved.