What have you been watching?

battleground-the art of war...the bulge 1944

 

currently i am watching stalingrad on youtube
but in the past few years i have watched
1.enemy at the gates
2.the longest day
3.the desert rats
4.platoon
5.we were soldiers
6.attack
7.battle of the last panzer
8.iron coffins
9.u 571
10.the big red one

 

What time?

-whatever

-Lou

 

Miracle at St. Anna. It premiered on one of the movie channels I have on my TV last night, since nothing else was on, I thought to myself "what the hell, I've sat through worse." so I watched it.

 

Hi Lou, anytime after this coming Wednesday ;-)) Im going to be out of town a few days probably starting tomorrow or Sunday ;-))

 

Just finished They Were Expendable. I've always caught it only in portions before and tonight finally saw it from shortly after it began. It was a good movie - low key - but showed the challenges the US faced in 41/42.

I really liked Robert Montgomery in this and John Wayne did a particularly good job as well. From what I read tonight after watching the film, John Wayne's performance may have also been a result of the harassment he got from John Ford during its filming.

 

Hi Michelle, that is correct about Duke and Ford. I heard it from a man who is a member over on the JWMB site-by the name of William Brooks-who was in several of Dukes movies, (Rio Grande and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon) to name just two)) and who also was one of Dukes personal Pilots during the 60s and 70s.

Anyway, he has mentioned that about Ford trying to harass Duke so much on that film that it ticked Duke off into giving a better performance. Apparently that tactic might have been one of the best ever used on any actor ;-))

PS, sorry I have been unable to reply to your email to me-none of my hotmail accounts are working-have not been for at least a week-and all I can do is log in and log out.

PSS, I know it has nothing to do with anything on this site but, right now on TCM, they are playing some VERY low-budget grade "Z" horror movies from the 1960s and 1970s. These are so bad they are good. Im watching one called: The Giant Spider Invasion which has Alan Hale Jr in it as the Sheriff. I guess he was takinga break from being the Skipper on Gilligans Island? ;-)) This movie will have the Skipper face off a Giant Tarantula. I remember watching this once or twice when I was a Yonker.

 

To the strains of the beautiful song: Red River Valley: Right now on TCM, from Steinbecks classic novel: The Grapes of Wrath w/ Henry Fonda as Joad, John Carradine and Ward Bond is playinig. Great book and great movie.

BTW, Red River Valley was President Ronald Wilson Reagans most favorite song and it's also one of mine ;-))

 

I've been very appreciative that TCM and AMC play the classic world war II movies as often as they do. Sometimes they will be on the history channel, but usually there is it is usually the same ones over and over again, whereas TCM and AMC capture many of those less aired. Works that those of us who get the channel probably end up watching them at the same time!

 

Yep, TMC does a great job of airing the classics. I watched A Walk in the Sun again the other day. I really enjoy that oft-forgotten Dana Andrews exploration of the Salerno landing.

 

Open Range - Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, & Annette Bening.

Classic

 

Paleface with Bob Hope, and Grand Torino with Clint Eastwood. Both highly reccomendable.

 

Saw a Finnish flick called the winter war. Best warflick I've seen in ages.

 

Very good movie. Loved the shootout at the end.

 

8 long tailed tits,on the pear tree in the garden.loveley birds.

 

As tempting as it may be...... I think I'll just let this one go.




-whatever


-Lou

 

Dug up some old docs I recorded years ago...

Great Battles of WW2...Stalingrad...Monte Cassino...Arnhem...Ardennes.

Or so the BBC's Time Watch on the V1 & V2.

 

Today, absolutely nothing.

 

Just got in a couple of 1950s Detective/Crime flicks. Ill give info on them after watching them. However, I also just got done watching two 1940s-1950s movies involving illegal immigration as well as something similar. The first one was: Border Incident with Richardo "The Latin from Manhatten" Montalban as a Mexican Immigration Agent-and was damned good in his role. George Murphy as his American counterpart who is also working undercover with him to expose the crime syndicate gang ran by a "few recognizable faces" including: Howard de Silva (as the Crime Boss) whom ill name here ater when i can look them up. Arthur Hunnicut is one of the bad guys as is fine Mexican Actor: Alfonso "Badges....we don't need no stinkin' badges" Bedoya-of Treasure of the Sierra Madre, fame. This movie wasn't an big "A" movie but it sure was one hell of a great film. The other title was OK but not great.

BTW, for fans of "Battleground," you will recognize Ricardo Montalban "Pvt. Rodriguez" and George Murphy "Pop Stazek" from that movie as being the two undercover agents in this one.

A moment of levity in Border Incident was when George Murphy grabbed both Bedoya and another guy by their collars and knocks their heads together just like Moe would often do with Curly and Larry ;-)) Alfonso Bedoya was great as both a serious actor as well as a baffoon.

The other movie, I forgot it's title but it had a VERY young Glenn Ford in it as a German stripped of his Citizenship and Passport and who entered various European Countries illegally in order to hope to try to find a "home." Erich von Stroheim of course-played an evil vile SS Officer who later gets "taken out" by another German stripped of his Citizenship and passport. Sorry I can't think of the actors name but-if you watched: The Best Years of Our Lives-he was the Sergeant who in Civvy life-had a high position at some Bank he worked at. I think he was the Admiral in either: The Bridges at Toko-Ri or either in: Men of the Fighting Lady.