TV and Movies

[Oznell]

We've discussed my all-time fave "Shadow of a Doubt" quite often, but tonight, it's followed by four other goodies:

10:00 p.m. Eastern   "Lifeboat"--   Classic life raft microcosm of different, colorful personalities thrown together and clashing as they struggle to survive on the sea.  Standouts for me are William Bendix, as a proletarian "every man" driven to the limit by his circumstances, underrated hunky actor John Hodiak, and Tallulah Bankhead in all her incongruous and frivolous glamour.  I love the bit with her diamond bracelet in this...

12:00 midnight--  "Spellbound"--  Ingrid Bergman as a beautiful psychiatrist who falls for the equally personable new doctor at her institute, a very young Gregory Peck.  But he has "problems",  including a tricky memory and possible murder in his background....

People who have worked in the "helping professions" get a kick out of "Spellbound".  Hitchcock's idea of a psychiatric treatment facility is a posh mansion in which the psychiatrists all live--but in handsomely appointed rooms with fireplaces and room service-- cheek by jowl with the patients.  It's quite campy but huge fun...

"Spellbound" is then followed by the wonderful Cary Grant vehicle "Notorious", and the somewhat lesser Hitichcock flick, "The Paradine Case".   But it's still better than most thrillers, and a delight for insomniacs...

[luv-the-Q]

@Oznell 

Thanks for the heads up.  I'll be lucky to make it through Shadow of a Doubt!  I love that movie!

[SuesCat]

@Oznell  I had a long day and was sure i'd be retiring early tonight.  But thanks to your heads-up i'm all in on Lifeboat for as long as i can keep my eyes open.  If only i could make it to Spellbound.  Thanks again & Cheers ~

P.S.  I love  Tallulah and agree re: hunky John Hodiak.

[Oznell]

SuesCat, great to have you "aboard".  You sound like fun.  Maybe you can scare up some scalding coffee or something and make it through.  My son has promised to make Orange Julius's to keep us going as long as possible...

[sophiamarie]

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm not an insomniac but I just recorded the next 3 movies, starting at 12....... I love everything Hitchcock.  Thanks again.  I'll have a busy weekend.

[Pearlee]

I'm trying to stay awake for Spellbound, esp. the creepy Dali dream sequence.  I love this film and the intriguing and horrifying reason for Peck's mental problem.  Excellent film.

[Judaline]

I love "Shadow" and "Notorious". And did someone say John Hodiak? I have liked him since I was a kid. He didn't make enough movies. And Tallulah's voice. Wow. Wish I had it. Yep, the bracelet scene. The best. Real Oscar stuff here.

Speaking of John Hodiak, and he died way too young, I heard my favorite war movie Battleground on Hollywood Radio Theater the other day. Nah,he wasn't in it, but Van Johnson and George Murphy were. I guess Hodiak was busy, lol.

[Pearlee]

I managed to say up for most of Spellbound - YAY. I did fall asleep for some of it but woke up again just in time to see the scene indicating why Peck was disturbed.

I saw this film at a film festival at a theater a few years ago (in addition to numerous other times beginning when I was young and used to watch it on TV)  and the entire audience laughed in many parts at its hokiness by being out of date, although it was rather advanced for the time at having a female psychiatrist.   I thought of the audience laughter again when the series of doors opened indicating Ingrid was receptive to a romance with Peck - that was kinda funny.  She was "opening her heart" and a series of doors open up.    Love the Dali dream scene which was much longer originally - most of it was cut for the tilm.  I wish I could see the entire scene that was originally filmed.  It truly gave me the creeps when I watched this film in my youth but now I just appreciate it for Dali's creativity. I also enjoyed the commentary before and after the film (yes, once I woke up again I was awake for after the film!).

[Oznell]

I never knew they cut up the Dali scene, Pearley, that is interesting.  You did better than I did-- I only saw the early scenes where they were still at the institute.  I slept entirely through "Notorious" and woke up only to hear Ben Mankiewicz and his guest wrapping up "The Paradine Case".

That made me mad, since it's the one I've seen the least.  Ann Todd is very good in it, as is Charles Laughton, and the English setting is neat.  Oh well--  Turner is bound to bring it around again at some point...

[Pearlee]

@Oznell

From Wiki:

"Further contention was caused by the hiring of surrealist artist Salvador Dali  to conceive certain scenes in the film's key dream sequence. However, the sequence conceived and designed by Dalí and Hitchcock, once translated to film, proved to be too lengthy and too complicated, so the vast majority of what was filmed was cut from the film during editing. About two minutes of the dream sequence appear in the final film, but Ingrid Bergman said that the sequence had been almost 20 minutes long before it was cut by Selznick.

The cut footage apparently no longer exists, although some production stills have survived in the Selznick archives. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellbound_(1945_film)

Also see below (the length of time in the film varies from the Wiki account but since the video of the dream sequence is in the following link you can time it for yourself!)

"Hired to craft a dream sequence, the Spanish surrealist painter and filmmaker reportedly produced over twenty minutes of footage, four and a half minutes of which appear in [the film]."

Source, which contains a video of the dream sequence, worth watching:

http://www.openculture.com/2013/04/salvador_dali_creates_a_dream_sequence_for_ispellboundi_hitchcock...