What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Feraud]

The rights certainly are all over the place.
Thanks for the very informative post.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Last night I watched The Life Of The Party (1937) with Joe Penner, Harriet Hilliard, and Gene Raymond. Also fabulous appearances by Margaret Dumont and Ann Miller!

Can someone tell me more about Joe Penner? Did he live in Philadelphia? I've heard his name thrown about as a local celebrity, but always thought he had something to do with sports (for some reason!) Why did he die at age 36?

I thought this was funny: Charles Judals (name?) was in this movie and he was also in a 1930 movie of the same name (with Winnie Lightner!) Hehe! A bit of trivia for ya...

 

[LizzieMaine]

The best way to describe Joe Penner is that he was sort of the Pee Wee Herman of the thirties. He was a burlesque comic who got a huge break on Rudy Vallee's radio show in 1933, and became a national craze -- he was known for bizarre catch phrases: when he was confronted by a powerful adversary he'd say "wanna buy a duck?" and the audience would howl. Or he'd say "yoooooooou nasty man!" or "doooooooon't ever dooooooo that!" and the audience would howl again.

He had the most popular comedy show on the air in 1934, and little kids absolutely loved him -- you can imagine how these catch phrases caught on on playgrounds and in school rooms. But Penner himself got tired of doing the same schtick every week, and wanted to do situation comedy instead, so there were conflicts and the fad gradually wore off. But kids continued to love him as long as he was on the air.

He actually died of a heart attack suffered while he was on stage in Philadelphia in a play called "Yokel Boy" -- apparently he'd had a heart condition all his life and never knew it. It's a pity he didn't live long enough for television, because he'd have been huge as a kiddie-show host.

 

[AmateisGal]

Secretariat. A great family movie. Loved it.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Thanks, LM! I always like knowing about celebrities that have associations with this city.

I know I've heard his name many times throughout my life, possibly on news or local tv shows. I'm wondering if something was ever named after him? And that's why I always associated the name with sports? Hmmm. You wouldn't happen to know the theatre he died at, would you?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I checked the newspapers for that day, and turns out he died at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel after that night's performance. "Yokel Boy" was playing at the Locust Street Theatre as part of a roadshow tour, and Penner got thru that evening's performance all right, but went back to the hotel, fell asleep, and never woke up.

There was no understudy on the tour -- how could anyone possibly understudy for Joe Penner -- so the show closed immediately. The saddest thing was that he'd gotten very good reviews for his performance, and had plans in the works to open on Broadway that fall in a musical revue co-starring with Jimmy Durante. That, in turn, would have led him back to radio -- and given the tone of radio comedy in the early forties, he might well have become a big star all over again.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I can't find any mention of anything being named after Joe Penner on google. But I know I've heard the name! Maybe I'm having memories from my past life!!

 

[rkwilker]

Winter's Bone.....liked it.

 

[Wally_Hood]

The other night, The Big House (1930), with Wallace Beery, Chester Morris, and Robert Montgomery. Beery, shaven headed, is really scary, then can seem childlike in the same scene. Morris can project intensity like very few actors of the era. Montgomery plays a week young man, but sells us the character completely. (I posted about the same film about a year ago...)

 

[Wally_Hood]

House of Bamboo (1955) with Robert Ryan, Robert Stack, Shirley Yamaguchi, Cameron Mitchell, and (as far as I can tell) uncredited DeForrest Kelley as a gangster. Cinemascope and color, it's the antithesis of noir, but it follows the basic noir pattern. Gang of ex-GIs in post war Japan run pachinko palors and pull off robberies with military precision.

After watching it, I started over and played the commentary track. They pointed out a lot of director Sam Fuller's scene compositions, which were constrained by the very wide image he was working with. They claim there were some conscious homages to Japanese cinema, seeing as how it was filmed in that country.

 

[Miss sofia]

Black swan - about the campest thing i have seen since Cabaret. (Not as good of course, not by a long chalk). Pretty to look at, but the dialogue was dead naff. It reminded me a bit of Showgirls, just with tutus instead of clear heels! There were some scary bits and Barbara Hershey was great as the Mum from hell, so worth the price of the ticket.

 

[Fletch]

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)

It's about 3 drag queens who drive cross-country in a yellow Cadillac convertible, stop over in a sort of gothic hick town in a state called, I think, "Barlow" (note to non-Americans: there is no such state) and proceed to convert the natives to fabulousness, which apparently involves everybody dressing in red.

Memorable mostly for the trope that the old and ghey are the custodians of our pop history. The DQs call themselves "career girls" and bond with a demented old woman over her 1940s movie scrapbooks.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Backs To Nature", a 1933 Hal Roach comedy short featuring Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly in the woods, in a tent, with a bear. The rest pretty much writes itself.

 

[flat-top]

I just finished watching "Lemmy", a documentary about the legendary Motorhead frontman. Intriguing stuff. VH1 Classic is showing it again tonight and it's offiicial DVD release in this Tuesday.
Some of it was filmed at the 2007 Rockin' 50's Fest in Green Bay, where Lemmy played with his other band The Head Cat. I was there with Resortes, and we saw Lemmy slumped over a slot machine. Good stuff.

 

[Effingham]

"An Affair to Remember."

Man, Cary Grant had style. And hey -- Deborah Kerr. Woof.

 

[Miss Golightly]

Scarlet Street

 

[Lady Day]

It's about 3 drag queens who drive cross-country in a yellow Cadillac convertible, stop over in a sort of gothic hick town in a state called, I think, "Barlow" (note to non-Americans: there is no such state) and proceed to convert the natives to fabulousness, which apparently involves everybody dressing in red.

Memorable mostly for the trope that the old and ghey are the custodians of our pop history. The DQs call themselves "career girls" and bond with a demented old woman over her 1940s movie scrapbooks.

I love that movie! Stereotypes of all stripes aside. And the late Mr. Swayze is adorned in 50s drag and looks AMAZING.

LD

 

[VitaminG]

I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) with Susan Hayward.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Swing Hostess (1944) with Martha Tilton! Oh boy, now I want me one of those automatic hostess jukeboxes!

I've also been watching the Ivan Besse(?) amateur movies from 1938 of ordinary people walking down the street in a small SD town. My friend and I teased and said they must be "fake" because hardly any of the working-class men had on a suit. lol

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I watched four movies today (!!!)

Swing Hostess (1944)
Date Bait (1960)
****** Girl (1941)
The Middleton Family At The New York World's Fair (1939)