#Colin Tapley

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Double Door (1934) Charles Vidor

April 21st 2024

[mariocki]

The Black Room (The Black Room Mystery, 1935)

"Don't you want to kiss me?"

"A pear is the best fruit."

"Every time you see her, you want to be rid of me."

"Lots of juice in a pear."

"Well, you'll find I'll not be got rid of so easy. Do you hear what I say?"

"Adam should've chosen a pear."

"You've got it all planned, haven't you? You're gonna marry her, you're gonna make her your wife, your Baroness."

"I like the feel of a pear."

[cultfaction]

Preview: Saber of London: Volume 1 (Bluray)

Preview: Saber of London: Volume 1 (Bluray)

Edward J. and Harry Lee Danziger, producers extraordinaire – Native New Yorkers, they set up shop in Britain in 1952 and, for a decade, became arguably the world’s most prolific independent supplier of television shows and ‘B’ movies, creating nearly 100 films and in excess of 300 TV episodes for the British and American market. Their longest-running creation was one-armed detective Mark Saber,…

[papermoonloveslucy]

MURDER AT THE VANITIES

May 18, 1934

Director: Mitchell Leisen 

Producer: E. Lloyd Sheldon for Paramount Pictures

Writers: Carey Wilson and Joseph Gollomb, based on the play by Earl Carroll and Rufus King

Synopsis ~ Shortly before the curtain goes up at Earl Carroll's Vanities, someone is attempting to injure leading lady Ann Ware, who wants to marry leading man Eric Lander. Stage manager Jack Ellery calls in his friend, policeman Bill Murdock, to help him investigate. They find the corpse of a murdered women. Bill suspects Eric of the crime, especially, after the second female lead Rita Ross told him she saw the women leaving from Eric's room. Rita is shot onstage with Eric's gun. 

PRINCIPAL CAST 

Carl Brissson (Eric Lander) was a Danish-born actor and singer making his only appearance with Lucille Ball. He would only make two more films before leaving film acting. 

Victor McLaglen (Bill Murdock) would win an Oscar in 1936 for The Informer. He would be nominated again in 1953 for The Quiet Man. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball. 

Jack Oakie (Jack Ellery) would be seen with Lucille Ball in That Girl From Paris (1936) as well as both Annabel films (1938). 

Kitty Carlisle (Ann Ware) made her film debut in this movie. She later married playwright Moss Hart and became an arts advocate.  She was also frequently seen on talk, quiz, and panel shows. This is her only appearance with Lucille Ball. 

Dorothy Stickney (Norma Watson) was a stage and screen actress making her only appearance with Lucille Ball. 

Gertrude Michael (Rita Ross) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Hold That Girl, released two months earlier. 

Jessie Ralph (Mrs. Helene Smith) was also seen with Lucille Ball in the 1934 films The Affairs of Cellini and Nana. In 1936 they appeared together in Bunker Bean. 

Charles Middleton (Homer Boothby) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Bowery (1933), followed by Nana and Broadway Bill, both in 1934. 

Gail Patrick (Sadie Evans) would also be seen with Lucille Ball in 1937′s Stage Door. 

Donald Meek (Dr. Saunders) appeared with Lucille Ball in The Whole Town’s Talking and Old Man Rhythm (both in 1935), as well as Having Wonderful Time (1938), and Du Barry Was A Lady (1943). 

Toby Wing (Nancy) makes her only appearance with Lucille Ball. 

Duke Ellington (Himself) was a composer, orchestra leader, and one of music’s most legendary personalities. This is his only time performing with Lucille Ball. 

UNCREDITED CAST 

Lucille Ball (Earl Carroll Girl) makes her ninth film since coming to Hollywood in 1933. Although she started out as a Goldwyn Girl at RKO, here she is a Earl Carroll girl at Paramount. 

Ann Sheridan (Lou, Earl Carroll Girl) went on to a successful acting career known for her roles in the films San Quentin, Angels with Dirty Faces, They Drive by Night, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Kings Row, Nora Prentiss, and I Was a Male War Bride.

Virginia Davis (Earl Carroll Girl), as a child actress, was Walt Disney’s original Alice in Wonderland in a series of silent shorts from 1923 to 1925. 

Other Earl Carroll Girls: Ernestine Anderson, Lona Andre, Marion Callahan, Nancy Caswell, Marguerite Caverley, Juanita Clay, Helen Curtis, Virginia Davis, Dorothy Dawes, Winnie Flint, Barbara Fritchie, Nora Gale, Zumetta Garnett, Gwenllian Gill, Ruth Hilliard (film debut), Inez Howard, Billie Huber, Diane Hunter, Constance Jordan, Evelyn Kelly, Patsy King, Iris Lancaster, Blanche McDonald, Leda Nicova, Wanda Perry, Rita Rober, Laurie Shevlin, Gwynne Shipman (film debut), Anya Taranda, Beryl Wallace (film debut), Dorothy White, Vivian Wilson, Gladys Young

Alan Ladd (Chorus Boy) found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in Westerns, such as Shane and in films noir. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in films such as This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key, and The Blue Dahlia.

Shep Houghton (Chorus Boy) also appeared with Lucille Ball in such films as Too Many Girls (1940), Lured (1947), Easy Living (1949), and Critic’s Choice (1963). On TV he appeared on two episodes of “The Lucy Show” and one “Here’s Lucy.”  He was one of the Winkie Guards in The Wizard of Oz  and a Southern Dandy in Gone With The Wind, both in 1939.

Other Chorus Boys: Dave O'Brien, Dennis O'Keefe, Frank Sully

Dancers in Ebony Rhapsody: Lucille Battle, Mildred Boyd, Gladys Henderson, Cleo Herndon, Ruth Scott, Carolynne Snowden

The King's Men (Lovely One Quartet)

OTHERS

Colin Tapley (Stage Manager)

Roy Crane (Assistant Stage Manager)

William Arnold (Treasurer)

Arthur Rankin (Assistant Treasurer)

Betty Bethune (Charwoman)

Howard M. Mitchell (Detective)  

Mike Donovan (Police Sergeant)

Stanley Blystone (Policeman)

Mary Gordon (Assistant Wardrobe Woman)

Mildred Gover (Pearl)

Hal Greene (Call Boy)

Otto Hoffman (Walsh)

Mitchell Leisen (Orchestra Leader)

Charles McAvoy (Ben)

Ted Oliver (Murdock's Chauffeur)

Teru Shimada (Koto)

Cecil Weston (Miss Bernstein)

Many of the Earl Carroll Girls featured in the film were authentic cast members from Carroll's stage show, which ran on Broadway from November 1933 to March 1934. These cast members were brought out to Hollywood from New York especially for this film, and many stayed to pursue film careers.  Earl Carrol Girls who appeared in the stage version of Murder at the Vanities, but not this film version, included Dudone Blumier, Eunice Coleman, Muriel Evans, Evalyn Knapp, Helene Madison, Lorna Rode and Marion Semle. Also in the cast was a Ruth Mann, who was probably Helen Mann.

The film was based on a Broadway production of the same name, but completely rewritten for the screen and with all new musical numbers.

In “The Audition” (ILL S1;E6) aired on November 19, 1951 Lucy says to Ricky:  “I’ll bet if Ziegfeld or Earl Carroll had seen me, they’d sign me up like that!” She then puts a lampshade on her head and struts about the room in a moment recycled from the (then) unaired pilot. 

This film contains a song and dance number called “Sweet Marijuana”. It got past the censors because at the time the film was made, the drug was not illegal. Today, many prints omit this production number all together.

The film also introduced the standard “Cocktails for Two” by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow. 

Gimbels in New York did a promotion in connection with the film, selling Mojud Clari-phane stockings using images of some of the Earl Carroll Girls. Sadly, Lucille Ball is not among them!

The film was a box office disappointment for Paramount.

[claudia1829things]

“BECKY SHARP” (1935) Review

"BECKY SHARP" (1935) Review

Being something of a film history buff, I have been aware of the 1935 adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's 1847-48 novel, "Vanity Fair" for a number of years. But I have never been inclined to watch the film, until recently.

I cannot say what led to my recent interest in "BECKY SHARP". But it was a book on David O. Selznick that made me first aware of the 1935 film. John Hay "Jock" Whitney and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney had founded Pioneer Pictures in 1933 as a means to produce color movies. "Jock" Whitney was close friends with Selznick. He even co-financed Selznick's production company, Selznick International, in 1935. Between the creations of Pioneer Pictures and Selznick International, the former released the first feature-length film to use the three-strip Technicolor process. "BECKY SHARP" is the sixth of eleven film and/or television adaptations of the Thackeray's novel. It is the first in color. "BECKY SHARP" took its title from the novel's main character, a poor, but educated young English lady who struggles rise in the ranks of Britain's social classes during the early years of the 19th century. Becky Sharp is the orphaned daughter of an English painter and French dancer, who graduates from Miss Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies with a friend named Amelia Sedley. Since Amelia is the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Becky manipulates her way into her friend's household, where she meets Amelia's portly and jovial brother, Joseph "Jos" Sedley. Before Becky can sink her hooks into Jos, the Sedley patriarch put an end to the budding "romance" by sending Jos away to India. Meanwhile, Becky finds employment as a governess at the estate of Sir Pitt Crawley. She eventually wins the heart and hand of Crawley's playboy son Rawdon, an officer in the British army. When news of Napoleon Bonaparte's escape from Elba reach Britain, Becky is reunited with Amelia, who has now married her childhood sweetheart George Osborne. The two women's husbands and William Dobbin are deployed to Belgium to face Napoleon's Army. But the last stages of the Napoleonic Wars proved to be the first of many crisis thrown Becky's way. Judging from the movie's title, it is clear to me that screenwriter Francis Edward Faragoh had deleted a great deal of Thackeray's novel in order to write a screenplay with a running time of eighty-four minutes. I found it odd that a film adaptation of such a famous epic novel would have such a short running time. Other epics and movie adaptations of literary works had running times that sometimes went past two hours - including "A TALE OF TWO CITIES", "MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY", "THE CRUSADES", and "CAPTAIN BLOOD". I can only assume that a minor and newly formed production company like Pioneer Pictures could not afford to produce the first Technicolor feature film with a running time close to or over two hours. If that was the case . . . if the Whitneys were that determined to produce the first full-featured movie in color . . . they could have chosen something that was not an adaptation of a famous epic novel. I find it ironic that Mina Nair's 2004 adaptation of Thackeray's novel had received a great deal of criticism for not being truly faithful to its source. I have encountered less criticism of "BECKY SHARP" than I did for the 2004 film. Yet, the latter is more faithful than the former. One of my problems with "BECKY SHARP" is that I thought the producers, director Rouben Mamoulian and screenwriter Francis Edward Faragoh did a piss poor job of adapting Thackery's novel to the screen. I just learned that the 1935 movie is actually an adaptation of Langdon Elwyn Mitchell's 1899 play, which was an adaptation of the 1847-48 novel. I hate to say this, but the movie's running time of eighty-four (84) minutes did not serve the story. There is so much in "BECKY SHARP" that was left out. Most of the narrative that focused upon Amelia was deleted, especially her fractious relationship with her father-in-law, Mr. Osborne. In fact, George's father never made an appearance in this film. I suspect the same could be said about Mitchell's play. The only time the movie focused upon Amelia's character arc was when Becky was personally involved . . . namely George's infatuation with Becky before the Waterloo battle and Becky forcing Amelia to face the truth about George in the movie's last fifteen to twenty minutes. It is not surprising that the movie's title was based upon the main character's name. Not only was much of Amelia's personal story deleted, the movie also rushed through Becky's stay with the Sedley and Crawley families. It seemed as if Mamoulian and Faragoh could not wait to focus on the impact of Waterloo and the marriage between Becky and Rawdon. Between the handling of Amelia's character arc and the rushed narrative in the movie's first half, it is no wonder that I found "BECKY SHARP" particularly unsatisfying. I found other aspects of "BECKY SHARP" unsatisfying. The sound and visual quality of the movie's DVD version low in quality. The photography and color struck me as faded. And the sound is scratchy. For once, I am not blaming the movie's filmmakers. Whoever had possession of "BECKY SHARP" after Pioneer Pictures had failed to maintain its original quality. But I can blame the filmmakers on other aspects of the movie. In it, the Jos Sedley character returned to Europe with a little Indian boy in tow as his personal servant. Only the "Indian servant" was portrayed by a young African-American actor named Jimmy Robinson. To this day, I am still trying to figure out how the producers and director Rouben Mamoulian saw nothing wrong in an African-American kid portraying an Indian kid. Hollywood's casting for non-white characters seemed really skewed in this film. And then . . . there was the acting. I am surprised that "BECKY SHARP" led to a Best Actress Oscar nomination for actress Miriam Hopkins. Granted, she handled the character's questionable morality, desperation and charm very well. Yet, Hopkins engaged in so much hammy acting that I found myself wondering why of all her performances, she ended up earning a nomination for this particular one. I wish I could say that the rest of the cast gave better performances . . . but I cannot. Other cast members gave equally hammy performances. Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Alison Skipworth, G.P. Huntley and many others were equally hammy. I could not accuse Colin Tapley of hamminess on the same scale. But I found his portrayal of William Dobbin rather dramatic. And I am not being complimentary. The only cast members who actually impressed me were Frances Dee and Cedric Hardwicke. Dee gave a surprisingly subtle and convincing performance as the sweet and passive Amelia Sedley. Thanks to Dee's performances, audiences saw both the positive and negative aspects of Amelia's passiveness. Hardwicke was equally subtle as Becky's aristocratic "benefactor", the Marquis of Steyne. Even though Steyne is an unlikable character, Hardwicke was no mustache-twirling villain. The only reason I would recommend "BECKY SHARP" to anyone is for historical purposes. Because this is the first feature-length motion picture in color, I would recommend this movie to any film buff. Otherwise, I would stay clear of "BECKY SHARP" and consider other adaptations of William Makepeace Thackery's novel.

[kwebtv]

       Passages - The Vise

Donald Gray (March 3, 1914  -  April 7, 1978)

Colin Tapley (May 7, 1907 - December 1, 1995)

Ron Randell  (October 8, 1918 - June 11, 2005)

Robert Arden  (December 11, 1922  -  March 25, 2004)

John Stuart  (July 19, 1898  - October 17, 1979)

Neil McCallum  (May 20, 1929 - April 26, 1976)

[manualstogo]

For just $3.99 East End Chant or Limehouse Blues Released December 11, 1934: In the Limehouse area of London, Harry puts his smuggling knowledge to work, after learning from the best in the Chinatown area of New York. Directed by: Alexander Hall Written by: Cyril Hume, Grover Jones and Arthur Phillips. The Actors: George Raft Harry Young, Jean Parker Toni, Anna May Wong Tu Tuan, Kent Taylor Eric Benton, Montagu Love Pug Talbot, Billy Bevan Herb, John RogersSmokey, Robert Loraine Inspector Sheridan, E. Alyn Warren Ching Lee, Wyndham Standing Assistant Commissioner Kenyon, Louis Vincenot Rhama, Robert Adairpoliceman, Eric Blore Slummer, Rita Carlyle wife, Forrester Harvey McDonald, Eily-Malyon woman that finds pug, Dora Mayfield the flower woman, James May taxi driver, Tempe Pigott Maggie, Elsie Prescott woman employment agent, Desmond Roberts the Constable, Ann Sheridan bit part, Colin Tapley man fighting with wife, Otto Yamaokathe Chinese waiter on the boat. Runtime: 1h 5m *** This item will be supplied on a quality disc and will be sent in a sleeve that is designed for posting CD's DVDs *** This item will be sent by 1st class post for quick delivery. Should you not receive your item within 12 working days of making payment, please contact us as it is unusual for any item to take this long to be delivered. Note: All my products are either my own work, licensed to me directly or supplied to me under a GPL/GNU License. No Trademarks, copyrights or rules have been violated by this item. This product complies withs rules on compilations, international media and downloadable media. All items are supplied on CD or DVD.

[dceumythic]

The Batman Filming Rumored to Resume in September With Location Filming Scrapped

#TheBatman Filming Rumored to Resume in September With Location Filming Scrapped

The last we heard about the filming of The Batman was when Colin Farrell said he believed it would be around August. As things have happened with this pandemic, plans are always fluid and can change, and now it sounds like filming will resume in September with one major change.

According to Netflix’s Kris Tapley, location filming on the movie has been scrapped due to the pandemic:

Hearing…

[italianaradio]

The Batman: un nuovo interessante costume per Robert Pattinson?

Nuovo post su italianaradio https://www.italianaradio.it/index.php/the-batman-un-nuovo-interessante-costume-per-robert-pattinson/

The Batman: un nuovo interessante costume per Robert Pattinson?

The Batman: un nuovo interessante costume per Robert Pattinson?

The Batman: un nuovo interessante costume per Robert Pattinson?

Diverso tempo fa erano circolate in rete alcune voci che sostenevano che il costume che Robert Pattinson avrebbe sfoggiato nell’attesissimo The Batman sarebbe stato molto simile all’iconico costume blue e grigio ideato da Jim Lee. Adesso Kris Tapley, ex giornalista di Variety, ha rivelato attraverso un tweet – poi cancellato – che l’abito che l’ex star della saga di Twilight sfoggerà nel film di Matt Reeves in arrivo nel 2021 sarà molto diverso da ciò che i fan si aspettano.

Stando a quanto dichiarato da Tapley, il costume che Robert Pattinson indosserà in The Batman sarà ispirato ai disegni del fumettista statunitense Lee Bermejo, che durante la sua carriera ha lavorato diverse volte ai fumetti con protagonista il Crociato di Gotham. Si tratta di un tipo di look che, seppur non così ampiamente conosciuto come quello di Frank Miller o di Jim Lee, è da anni il preferito di molti fan: si tratta di un costume da mercenario, molto più resistente e robusto, probabilmente immaginato per una tipologia di Cavaliere Oscuro più tattica.

Ovviamente non esiste alcuna conferma ufficiale che il costume di Pattinson nel film sarà effettivamente ispirato ai disegni di Bermejo, quindi la notizia è da prendere assolutamente con le pinze.

LEGGI ANCHE – The Batman: le foto dal set in costruzione anticipano la scena di un funerale

Il cast di The Batman è formato da molti volti noti: Andy Serkis sarà Alfred e Colin Farrell sarebbe in trattative per interpretare Oswald Chesterfield aka Pinguino, Zoe Kravitz (la nuova Catwoman dell’universo DC), Jeffrey Wright (commissario Jim Gordon) e Paul Dano (Enigmista), infine John Turturro sarà il boss Carmine Falcone. Nel cast anche Peter Sarsgaard ma c’è ancora mistero sul suo ruolo.

HN Entertainment ha suggerito che le riprese del cinecomic si svolgeranno presso i Leavesden Studios di Londra (gli stessi della saga di Harry Potter ma anche di Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Wonder Woman e del sequel Wonder Woman 1984) mentre l’uscita nelle sale è stata già fissata al 25 giugno 2021.

“The Batman esplorerà un caso di detective“, scrivono le fonti, “Quando alcune persone iniziano a morire in modi strani, Batman dovrà scendere nelle profondità di Gotham per trovare indizi e risolvere il mistero di una cospirazione connessa alla storia e ai criminali di Gotham City. Nel film, tutta la Batman Rogues Gallery sarà disponibile e attiva, molto simile a quella originale fumetti e dei film animati. Il film presenterà più villain, poiché sono tutti sospettati“.

Fonte: ComicBookMovie

Cinefilos.it – Da chi il cinema lo ama.

The Batman: un nuovo interessante costume per Robert Pattinson?

Diverso tempo fa erano circolate in rete alcune voci che sostenevano che il costume che Robert Pattinson avrebbe sfoggiato nell’attesissimo The Batman sarebbe stato molto simile all’iconico costume blue e grigio ideato da Jim Lee. Adesso Kris Tapley, ex giornalista di Variety, ha rivelato attraverso un tweet – poi cancellato – che l’abito che l’ex […]

Cinefilos.it – Da chi il cinema lo ama.

Stefano Terracina

[virginiaweidlerremembrance]

News from Hollywood from Fall 1936!

Here are the latest cast additions to the upcoming Cooper-Raft film, SOULS AT SEA.

Tragically, Helen Burgess didn't make it into the film. She died of lobar pneumonia on April 7, 1937, three weeks short of her 21st birthday.

[mariocki]

Little Red Monkey (The Case Of The Red Monkey, 1955)

"My instructions are to hand Dushenko over to you at the airport. Until then he's in my charge. When you're ready for him, let me know."

"How will he turn up? In a coffin?"

[cultfaction]

Blood of the Vampire to get UK Bluray premiere from Nucleus Films

Blood of the Vampire to get UK Bluray premiere from Nucleus Films

Legendary actor Sir Donald Wolfit (Svengali, Room at the Top, Becket) joins British horror queen Barbara Shelley (Village of the Damned, Dracula Prince of Darkness, Quatermass and the Pit) in Blood of the Vampire, a lurid tale of ghastly experiments in a Transylvanian prison. Despite being staked as a vampire, the sadistic Dr Callistratus has become governor and is now using prisoners for the…

[mariocki]

Noose For A Lady (1953)

"Listen, Upcott. Get this into your frightened little skull - Margaret Hallam didn't do it. I'm going to find out who did if I have to blast this village apart!"