The Viewing Files: 365 Movies in 365 Days - Week Fourteen

The oldie fest is still going strong with the latest round of movie watching.  As you will see I went on a bit of a Rock Hudson marathon followed by a small film noir binge. I'm definitely soaking up all the 40s and 50's vibe.  Though weirdly enough I still haven't watched Casablanca or Gone With The Wind, though they are definitely on the list.

So what oldies did I discovered...

Pillow Talk
Starring: Rock Hudson and Doris Day
Original release: 1959
Synopsis:  A man and a woman who share a party line cannot stand each other, but he has fun romancing her with his voice disguised. 

The frosty virgin and the manly guy are back are again.  More wonderful fun, more annoying hazy dewy closeups of Doris's face.

Send Me No Flowers
Starring: Doris Day and Rock Hudson
Original release: 1964
Synopsis:  A hypochondriac believes he is dying, and makes plans for his wife which she discovers and misunderstands. 

Other than Doris's hair which looked brilliant at the beginning, the rest of the movie was a snooze fest.

I managed to get about half way through before I gave. Having them play a married couple just didn't work for me at all.

All That Heaven Allows 
Starring: Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman
Original release: 1955
Synopsis:  An upper-class widow falls in love with a much younger, down-to-earth nurseryman, much to the disapproval of her children and her country club peers. 

Bratty grown up kids, sensitive yet manly Rock and scandal galore, what more could you ask for.

Totally loved it and not just because of the story but for the way it showed the social norms of the day i.e. a woman in her late forties was consider 'old' and that something like falling in love and having sex were considered taboo and not 'age appropriate'.

A Magnificent Obsession
Starring: Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman
Original release: 1954
Synopsis:  A selfish playboy begins to understand a deeper meaning to life and love.

Oh.  My.  God.

This movie was so bad.  Like seriously over the top and kind of preachy too.  So not what you want to see in a romance movie.

What were they thinking of?

I deserve a medal for watching it to the end.

Even the poster is bad.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 
Starring: Howard Keel and Jane Powell
Original release: 1954
Synopsis:  When a backwoodsman brings a wife home to his farm, his six brothers decide that they want to get married too. 

Great dancing and a lot of fun.
   
The Big Heat
Starring: Glenn Ford
Original release: 1953
Synopsis:  A tough cop takes on a politically powerful crime syndicate. 

Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Men being men and women being dames.  And that coffee pot scene?  Seriously demented.

This Gun For Hire
Starring: Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake
Original release: 1942
Synopsis:  When assassin Philip Raven shoots a blackmailer and his female companion dead, he is paid off in marked bills by his treasonous employer.

A woman hating, cat loving assassin.  What's not to love?

Quite a bit actually. 

I honestly don't get why this movie ranks so high on must watch film noir lists.  The assassin was the world's most stupidest assassin.  Ever.  And the female lead was just annoying.  There was even singing AND magic tricks.

I at least like my thrillers to make some sense even if the lead isn't all bad boyier.  

Sigh  Where's Raylan when you need him.

PS  A Justified reference if case you didn't know.  Now that's something you should watch.

Double Indemnity
Starring: Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck
Original release: 1944
Synopsis:  An insurance salesman lets himself be talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance investigator's suspicions. 

Now this is how you do sexual chemistry. 

The fact that an everyday average looking guy can make the lines just sizzle shows what good writing and good acting can do.

Baby never sounded so good.

Loved it.

Sexy as hell and bloody good.

The Egg and I
Starring: Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert
Original release: 1947
Synopsis: A lawyer moves to the country with his wife to raise chickens.

I have vague memories of this from my childhood so I decided I needed to do a rewatch.

Completely silly but kind of funny in parts.  Sort of like a movie version of Green Acres. 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Starring: Actors nobody remembers
Original release: 1956
Synopsis:  A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates. 

The movie that started the term 'pod people' and one of the best sci-fi's ever made.  I could watch this movie again and again it's so good.