@TCManiacs Blogs

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Chuck Jones | Now Hear This | The Bear that Wasn't | One Froggy Evening | The Dot and the Line

Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio. He directed many of the classic short animated cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote, Pepé Le Pew and the other Warners characters, including Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening and What's Opera, Doc? (all three of which were later inducted into the National Film Registry) and Jones' famous "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1951–1953).

After his career at Warner Bros. ended in 1962, Jones started Sib Tower 12 Productions and began producing cartoons for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including a new series of Tom & Jerry shorts and the television adaptation of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. He later started his own studio, Chuck Jones Productions, which created several one-shot specials, and periodically worked on Looney Tunes related works.

Discovered Chuck Jones' daughter twittering about Chuck Jones blog:

http://blog.chuckjones.com/now_hare_this/

Examples of animated films or short subjects directed by Chuck Jones ( featured on TCM )

Now Hear This

The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics

The Bear that Wasn't

One Froggy Evening

Lang's Newspaper Noir Trio | The Blue Gardenia - While the City Sleeps - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

The Blue Gardenia is a 1953 black-and-white film noir directed by Fritz Lang. The first of Lang's "newspaper noir" movie trio -- with While the City Sleeps and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt -- The Blue Gardenia criticizes newspaper coverage of a sensational murder case. Nat King Cole sings the title song and appears in the movie. The theme song was written by Nelson Riddle. Film director and writer Peter Bogdanovich called the film "A particularly venomous picture of American life." DVD Available »

While the City Sleeps is the next newspaper film noir directed by Fritz Lang. The newspaper drama, written by Casey Robinson was based on The Bloody Spur by Charles Einstein. The film features Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Howard Duff, and others. The film weaves together two stories: a serial killer hunt and the competition for a newspaper's editorship.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt was last of the trio directed by Fritz Lang. It was written by Douglas Morrow. The film, considered film noir, was the last American film directed by Lang. A newspaper publisher, wanting to prove a point about the insufficiency of circumstantial evidence, talks his possible son-in-law Tom Garrett into a hoax in an attempt to expose the alleged ineptitude of the city's hard-line district attorney. In 2008, it was announced that Peter Hyams will helm a remake of the film starring Michael Douglas, Amber Tamblyn, and Jesse Metcalfe.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Worth Retweeting | Joan Crawford's Birthday

Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; (March 23, 1905 - May 10, 1977) was an American actress of film, television and theatre. Starting as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway, Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford began a campaign of self-publicity and became nationally known as a flapper by the end of the 1920s. In the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well-received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, but her films began losing money and by the end of the 1930s she was labeled "box office poison".

After an absence of nearly two years from the screen, Crawford staged a comeback by starring in Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1955, she became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company, through her marriage to company president Alfred Steele. After his death in 1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors but was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting in film and television regularly through the 1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the horror film Trog in 1970, Crawford retired from the screen. Following a public appearance in 1974, after which unflattering photographs were published, Crawford withdrew from public life. She became more and more reclusive until her death in 1977.

Today TCM celebrated Joan's 104th birthady with a marathon of of her movies including Award winning classics and some of her final campy and psycho-biddy flicks. It was a grand day of tweeting for TCManiacs following. Scroll down to see some of my favorite tweets...

Worth Retweeting

about 13 hours ago from HootSuite · Reply · View Tweet

royaltyisshe64: Also: why is it in any way necessary for Joan Crawford to be wearing a leotard? With buttons on it? And what on earth is up with her hair?

32 minutes ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

royaltyisshe64: What are you trying to do--ruin my circus? Joan Crawford, Berserk! (1967)

about 1 hour ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

trixr4kedzz: Love is fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell - Joan Crawford

about 4 hours ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

aprigliano: Joan Crawford was quite a, um, hard to look at woman. Exotic in the misshapen rare tropical fruit kind of way.

about 6 hours ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

SusannaCarr: "I need sex for a clear complexion, but I'd rather do it for love." – Joan Crawford, American actress born 23 March 1908

about 6 hours ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

1082118: Update: Humoresque grinds to a halt when John Garfield and Joan Crawford whine about how rich/poor they are; Oscar Levant is v. funny

about 9 hours ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

chipsbit: Bithday Quote of the day: If you have an ounce of common sense and one good friend you don't need an analyst. --Joan Crawford

about 10 hours ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

John_Taylor: "I never go outside unless I look like me the movie star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door."~~Joan Crawford

about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck · Reply · View Tweet

mypinkcure: no. more. wire. hangers!!!!! joan crawford special on tcm.

about 19 hours ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

bryarerose: lol. i love it when joan crawford slaps people! haha!

1 day ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

Who is this Adrian?

On my first viewing of Today We Live (1933) I am struck by a unique outfit Joan Crawford wears. During my usual research, I found the following comments on IMDb:

"Although the story takes place in England, during the World War I period (1916), 'Joan Crawford''s hairstyles and clothes are all strictly contemporary, including some very striking Adrian creations that were the very trademark of the time and place when it was being filmed (Hollywood, 1933.)"

"And Joan Crawford's teatime attire by Adrian, breathtaking as it is, is also uncomfortably out of place."

I go on to Wikipedia Humoresque the next movie on my TCM schedule, also starring Joan--its her birthday. I read...

Costumes for Humoresque were designed by Adrian and Bernard Newman.

Hmmm, who is this Adrian? I'm now embarrassed to admit I wasn't aware of this prolific designer.

Adrian Adolph Greenberg (3 March 1903 – 13 September 1959) most widely known as Adrian, was an American costume designer whose most famous costumes were for The Wizard of Oz and other Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films of the 1930s and 1940s. During his career, he designed costumes for over 250 films and his screen credits usually read as "Gowns by Adrian".

Turns out Adrian had dressed Joan again--actually again and again. Besides Today We Live (1933) Adrian and Joan also share credits for Grand Hotel (1932), The Gorgeous Hussy (1936), both Possessed (1931) and Possessed (1947), The Women (1939), Humoresque (1946)

Humoresque

Possessed(1947)

The Women

Adrian complete filmography »

Sunday, March 22, 2009

1000 Followers! I heart you 2!...Please Send Feedback

Today @TCManiacs gained its 1000th follower! TCManiacs thanks all the tweeple for joining the conversation on our favorite pastime...watching classic movies on TCM. Hope you find the updates informative and entertaining! TCManiacs seeks to improve your TCM viewing experience with reminders, trivia and DVD or memoribilia information. Hope you take time to enjoy our little movie treasures such as a memorable quote or videoclip even when you don't have time to see the movie with us.
Thanks for following!

Please tweet, DM or comment on blog which features you enjoy most... or dislike.

Tweets:
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AM / Afternoon / Primetime summaries tweets
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TCManiac Blog posts:
Movie Summaries
Reviews
Worthy Retweets: your tweets about movies recapped on blog
Videoclips
Audioclips
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Sources for classic movies: downloads, DVD, memorabilia
Any suggestions?

Worth Retweeting...Shameless plugs

markatmd Posted at 8:12am from twitterrific

@tcmaniacs I heart you! Hey, you are at 999 followers!!! Congrats!

leftwrite Posted at 2:29pm from Web, in reply to TCManiacs

@TCManiacs You make me v. happy!

RebeccaSerra Posted at 2:11pm, Mar 20, 2009 from Web

If you love old movies then follow @TCManiacs - I always know what's on TCM while I'm at work. Actually, it's kind of sad! #followfriday

MizG Posted at 12:27pm, Mar 20, 2009 from Web

#followfriday bonus: @TCManiacs never miss a favourite on Turner Classic Movies! updates on what's on TCM 10 minutes prior to film. awesome!

PoeticandChic Posted at 11:21am, Mar 20, 2009 from Splitweet

#followfriday @nappleman @TCManiacs @rustyrockets (Russel Brand) @sugarshock @GoldenGatePark @SFist @film @AnnaKDeLeo @dianavreeland

hellobeauty Posted at 9:12am, Mar 20, 2009 from TwitterBerry

#followfriday @TCManiacs @MichaelGass @GuyKawasaki

katriord Posted at 9:03pm, Mar 17, 2009 from Web

Welcome and shout-out to @TCManiacs, my 1600th follower. Love Turner Classic Movies. Thanks for following.

TCManiacs Posted at 7:13pm, Mar 17, 2009 from HootSuite

Coen Brothers Remaking John Wayne’s ‘True Grit’… Sort of - RopeofSilicon.com Movie News, Trailers, Reviews and More http://ow.ly/138a

TCManiacs Posted at 2:23am, Mar 17, 2009 from TweetDeck

THX!!! RT @freelulu: @TCManiacs Keep up the great work

bkeeley Posted at 2:19pm, Mar 16, 2009 from TweetDeck

@TCManiacs Nice to find another TCM freak... I watch at my office all day every day.

German Expressionist Murnau's Sunrise | Groundbreaking cinematography wins at first Oscars

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), also known as Sunrise, is an American film directed by German film director F. W. Murnau. The story was adapted by Carl Mayer from the short story Die Reise nach Tilsit by Hermann Sudermann.

Sunrise won an Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Production at the first ever Oscar ceremony in 1929. In 1989, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry. In a 2002 critics' poll for the British Film Institute, Sunrise was named the seventh-best film in the history of motion pictures.

Sunrise was made by F. W. Murnau, a German director who was one of the leading figures in German Expressionism, a style that uses distorted art design for symbolic effect. Murnau was invited by William Fox to make an Expressionist film in Hollywood.

The resulting film features enormous stylized sets that create an exaggerated, fairy-tale-like world. Murnau manages to use a subtle technique of animal and plant imagery as an important tool to indicate the mood or tone in a particular scene and accent the deconstruction of generic dichotomies.

Titles are used sparingly in the movie. Previously, in Germany, Murnau had made a film called The Last Laugh which told its story with only one title card (to explain the ending). In Sunrise, there are long sequences without titles, and the bulk of the story is told through images in a similar style. Murnau makes extensive use of forced perspective throughout the film. Of special note is a shot of the City where you see normal-sized people and sets in the foreground and little people in the background along with much smaller sets.

The film is also notable for its groundbreaking cinematography (by Charles Rosher and Karl Struss), and features some particularly impressive tracking shots that influenced later filmmakers. These innovations have led some to call it the "Citizen Kane" of American silent cinema.

One excellent example of this cinematography is the scene in which, after the abortive murder attempt, the man and wife take the trolley into the city. In this trip the characters must make the emotional journey from fear and distrust to a renewed relationship, while making the physical journey from the country to the city.

Who is the mysterious TCManiac?

First, I'll tell you who I am not. I am not affiliated with TCM. I am not some superbot created by software developers. I am not being paid by TCM or anyone else to dedicate my time to tweeting. I am a real flesh and blood human being. I am a real maniac for TCM. I really do keep my TV tuned to TCM 24-7. I created the TCManiacs twitter as a result of my sincere passion for watching Turner Classic Movies.

How I got started?

Well, I've been a fan of TCM since its inception. As I lay flat on my back recovering from a disabling health crisis unable to do little more than watch TV and surf the internet, I found refuge watching TCM round the clock. I soon developed an obsessive habit of keeping a browser tab open for the TCM schedule and beating Robert Osbourne's introductions to finding out facts for upcoming movies. My entire day and night became defined by the TCM line-up. At the beginning of 2009 I decided to check out twitter and lucked up on some fellow TCM fans to friend. During the 31 days Oscar I decided to dedicate a twitter just to share my TCM obsession by tweeting about every movie every day of February. I was totally overwhelmed by the number of fellow TCM maniacs that became my following. Its been a WIN WIN in everyway for me. I have had the opportunity to share fun stuff with some incredible fellow classic movie lovers and bloggers. With so many followers I became committed to maintaining the twitter schedule and finding fun stuff for upcoming TCM movies.

How may followers show appreciation?

As I mentioned before, I am not employed by anyone nor being paid for my time maintaining tweets and blog. However, you may express your appreciation for my labor of love by dropping a token of your appreciation in the hat. Simply click the Donate button below. Any amount your heart moves you to give no matter how small will be graciously accepted.

What you mean to me?

Even if you decide to skip tipping the hat, please take the time to comment or send a message with your thoughts and suggestions. Send ideas on more fun stuff you would like featured. Send me links to your own classic movie websites. I just want to hear from you! Let me know what sharing my little obsession is worth to you. Every follower is priceless to me!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Chuck Jones | Now Hear This | The Bear that Wasn't | One Froggy Evening | The Dot and the Line

Examples of animated films or short subjects directed by Chuck Jones ( featured on TCM )

Lang's Newspaper Noir Trio | The Blue Gardenia - While the City Sleeps - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Monday, March 23, 2009