#Richard Rober

[letterboxd-loggd]

Jet Pilot (1957) Josef von Sternberg

September 30th 2024

[mariocki]

Deported (1950)

"Signor Smith, do all of you Americans treat women so, uh... so directly?"

"I wouldn't know. Maybe."

"But why? Have you so little time to spare?"

[gatutor]

Scott Brady-K. T. Stevens-Richard Rober "Puerto de Nueva York" (Port of New York) 1949, de László Benedek.

[movie-titlecards]

Port of New York (1949)

My rating: 4/10

Somewhat remarkable for being Yul Brynner's movie debut (with hair, even!), but otherwise pretty stodgy and dull.

[streamondemand]

'The File on Thelma Jordon' – Barbara Stanwyck plays her mark on Criterion Channel

Robert Siodmak’s The File on Thelma Jordon (1950) is one of the most low key film noir dramas of its era. Barbara Stanwyck in fine form as a gentle seductress who targets assistant D.A. and married man Cleve Marshall (Wendell Corey), playing into his self-pity during a drunken night out. When she becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her aunt, a high society matron who names her in her…

[salemripley]

Quick sketch. Bob. Bob you got. Um. Lipstick all over you.

[lboogie1906]

Attorney Valerie Jarrett (November 14, 1956) senior advisor to President Barack Obama, was born in Chicago. Illinois attorney, businesswoman, and community leader known for her role as one of the three campaign co-chairs of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. She served as co-chairperson of the Obama-Biden transition project.

She was born in Iran. Her father, Dr. James Bowman, was the director of a hospital for children in Shiraz. Her great-grandfather, Robert Robinson Taylor, was the first Black person to earn a degree from MIT. Her grandfather, Robert Taylor, was the first African American to head the Chicago Housing Authority.

Her family lived in England but returned to the US in the early 1960s. She traveled and lived abroad. As a teenager, she spent summers visiting Ghana, Nigeria, and Egypt.

She began her college career at Stanford University, earning a BA in Psychology. She earned her JD from the University of Michigan. She married the late William Rober Jarret (1983-88). They had one child.

She entered Chicago politics working for Harold Washington. She was deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard Daley, Jr. She met Barack and Michelle Obama.

She served as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development. She chaired the Chicago Transit Board. She served as a chair of the Chicago Stock Exchange. She has worked for The Habitat Company. She is president of the firm. She advised Obama as he moved from the Illinois State Senate to the US Senate and the White House.

She was a behind-the-scenes mediator and adviser. She was known for her calm, conciliatory demeanor. These characteristics were welcomed during the Jeremiah Wright controversy. She persuaded Obama to deliver his famous public speech on race in Philadelphia.

President Obama selected her as White House Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

The File on Thelma Jordon

Barbara Stanwyck is such a good actress that she never tips her character’s hand in Robert Siodmak’s last Hollywood film noir, THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON (1949, TCM, YouTube). Whenever she talks of her character’s past, it’s an acting lesson in how to personalize the most minute detail simply and effectively. Even more impressive, she manages to look at Wendell Corey with passion in her eyes. Corey had been playing supporting roles effectively for producer Hal Wallis since his film debut in 1947, so the producer promoted him to leading man as the assistant district attorney who risks his family and career when he falls for Stanwyck and tries to help her dodge a murder rap. Initially, she comes to his office to ask for police protection for her rich, elderly aunt (Gertrude Hoffman, who deserves more screen time), claiming there have been break-ins at the old woman’s mansion. He’s drunk when they meet and immediately comes on to her. That she seems to tumble for him suggests she’s up to no good since a) he’s not all that hot, and b) he plays the drunk scene all wrong, giving into the disorientation rather than fighting it. Later he has to play innocent in a scene with the D.A. (Barry Kelley), and his mock sincerity is so phony you expect the boss to laugh in his face. Corey only scores in one scene, in which he confronts Stanwyck with her checkered past. His gaunt face and height work well there. For the rest, I couldn’t help wishing Wallis had given the role to his main leading man at the time, Burt Lancaster. I appear to be in the minority on this. A lot of critics, even today, think it’s a solid performance. Well, that’s just the kind of hairpin I am. Anyway, it’s a pity, because Siodmak and cameraman George Barnes have created a terrific-looking film, and, except for some misguided “comic” music during Corey’s drunk scene, Victor Young creates a powerfully romantic score. I should have guessed he wrote the music when the first few bars of the title cue made me weak in the knees. There’s also a great supporting cast, with Paul Kelly as a homicide detective, Joan Tetzel as Corey’s long-suffering wife, Richard Rober as Stanwyck’s evil friend, Mary Gordon in an effective, silent bit as a cleaning woman and, best of all, Stanley Ridges as Stanwyck’s defense attorney. The veteran actor has a great, florid, barnstorming role and he seizes it with gusto. In his main scene with Stanwyck, they connect so well, you’ll wish they had more time together.

[resting-distressed-face]

Sunday's Comprehensive List of Movies to Watch in the Winter

(listed in no particular order)

Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Comedy starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis directed by Joe Roth

Christmas Vacation (1989)

Comedy starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik

A Christmas Story (1983)

Comedy starring Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin directed by Bob Clark

The Polar Express (2004)

Adventure movie starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Sabara directed by Robert Zemeckis

White Christmas (1954)

Musical starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye directed by Michael Curtiz

12 Angry Men (1957)

Legal Drama starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb directed by Sidney Lumet

Strangers on a Train (1951)

Thriller starring Farley Granger and Robert Walker directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Film Noir starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson directed by Billy Wilder

All the President's Men (1976)

Biographical Political Thriller starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman directed by Alan J. Pakula

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Supernatural Horror Movie starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney directed by Mark Pellington

Slap Shot (1977)

Sports Comedy starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean directed by George Roy Hill

Groundhog Day (1993)

Romcom starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell directed by Harold Ramis

Contact (1997)

SciFi movie starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey directed by Rober Zemeckis

[graemepark]

THIS IS GRAEME PARK: LONG LIVE HOUSE RADIO SHOW 25OCT24

THIS IS GRAEME PARK: LONG LIVE HOUSE RADIO SHOW 25OCT24

In this week’s Long Live House Radio Show:

Girls Of The Internet feat. Olivia Louise

Justice starring Tame Impala

Soul Of Hex feat. Motion Parallax

The Vapor Caves

David Penn & Rober Gaez feat. Sheilah Cuffy

Sgt Slick feat. Karina Chavez

Mousse T.

Steve “Silk” Hurley

Armand Van Helden

Ralphi Rosario

Underground Resistance with Yolanda

Reese & Santonio

The Fog and more.   

LONG LIVE HOUSE RADIO SHOW 25OCT24

Title (Mix), Artist

The Groove That Won’t Stop, Kevin Saunderson

Escape, The Deepshakerz & Kid Enigma

Her, Girls Of The Internet feat. Olivia Louise

Neverender (Rampa Remix), Justice starring Tame Impala

Too Loud (Tedd Patterson Funknasty Remix), Soledrifter feat. Alexandra Morrison

Got The Rhythm, Paul Richard

Face Down, Soul Of Hex feat. Motion Parallax

Sacrifice (Ken@Work Remix), The Vapor Caves

Deep Inside (Jay Vegas Remix), David Penn & Rober Gaez feat. Sheilah Cuffy

Dance With You, Sgt Slick feat. Karina Chavez

All I Want Is The Bass, Mousse T.

No Love Like Yours, Trutopia

Saturday Night (Amsterdam Mix), Salphunk

Jack Your Body, Steve “Silk” Hurley

Witch Doktor, Armand Van Helden

You’re Gonna Miss Me, The Turntable Orchestra

I Want You, Ralphi Rosario

Do What You Feel, Joey Montenegro

Caught In The Middle, Arduini & Pagany

Right On!, Silicone Soul feat. Claire Louise Marshall

DiscoDisco!, Dirtytwo

Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use), Sub Sub feat. Melanie Williams

Your Time Is Up, Underground Resistance with Yolanda

Truth Of Self Evidence, Reese & Santonio

House Nation, House Master Boyz & The Rude Boy Of House

Been A Long Time, The Fog

[letterboxd-loggd]

The Tall Target (1951) Anthony Mann

February 25th 2024

[urbaneturtle]

DCAU Rewatch: Batman the Animated Series 48: What is Reality?

DCAU Rewatch: Batman the Animated Series 48: What is Reality? The Riddler is back and he challenges Batman and Robin to a duel of the minds in virtual reality.

The Riddler is back and he challenges Batman and Robin to a duel of the minds in virtual reality. Credits: Written by Marty Isenberg, Rober N. Skir Directed by Dick Sebast Music Composed by Richard Bronskill Animation Services by Akom Production Co.  The second Riddler episode is not much different than the first. Riddler traps someone in an elaborate maze full of traps. Except this time…

[la-mousme]

HIS 5925 Week 3 Essay

                For this week’s readings, I seem to cover the identifying section in this week’s discussion of the origins of Digital History. With articles and book chapters from, "Interchange: The Promise of Digital History", Richard White’s, “‘What is Spatial History?’ Spatial History Lab, Stanford University”, and Sheila A. Brennan’s, "Digital History: The Inclusive Historian's Handbook". All sources having a connection in finding a way to define the current (current as in the time period from which it stems from) structure of what makes Digital History significant and how it must be separated from other mediums of historical representation.

            Digitizing history was an uncharted discussion that seemed improbable to fathom for historians during the late 60s and early 70s, as computers were mainly place holders for data in which a human may take years to produce or write down. [1] However, in 1974, there was a shift in how quantitative data can be used with scholars through the publication of Rober Fogel and Stanley Engerman’s, Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery. The revolutionary work aimed to question the very structure that numerical analysis and the computation of technology were founded on, which kick started various thinking in how mass humanistic and scientific data may be used. [2]

Although, there is more previous examples of inventions and creative use of technology made during and after World War II that also influenced the study of digital history, for the sake of simplicity this post will focus more from 2008 and so on. Starting with the Journal of American History source, the introduction portrays an interesting structure of having various historians have their input of certain aspects of digital history, while giving their opinions and personal anecdotes. There is linear descriptions on what digital history is, what it looks like as of 2008, what processes were made for its current state, and descriptions on the many stages it took to get there. A previous referenced author, William Thomas, is featured in the book and states, “[…] digital history is the fluidity or impermanence of the medium. I do not mean that what a scholar produces is in danger of disappearing. […] Early digital history efforts were largely archival, often called ‘intentional archives’ or ‘thematic research archives.’ Many projects we ran at the VCDH, for example, sought to allow a user to access, manipulate, compare, assemble, and reassemble evidence”. Explaining the fluidity of digital and the complexities that come with it, thus showing the progression and active reflection on past archival work in improving the quality of representing data.

In relation, comes the question of what digital history is and what does and what can it do. Richard White’s article answers such question as he discussion and argues the relevance of spatial awareness and history merging into digital history. White essentially argues that spatial is digital history for the sake in how it feasibly be represented. He essentially splits up digital history into the physical and metaphysical with the use of maps and new digital archives and databases such as ARCGIS. [3] It is dividied into representational space, spatial practice, and representations of space; all differing in how the technology responds to the space created by the scholar, the space made by the data, and how we interact with that final state, a published database. [4]

In making a final reflection of this week’s reading, I’ve learned that there is more layers to digital history than what I presumed. This layer was of the origins and spatial productions of digital history. There is a shocking complexity to the overall use of digital histories, so many that I questions the viability of it in the future with its progression being so overwhelming.  

[1] Thomas, William G. “Computing and the Historical Imagination.” A Companion to Digital Humanities (2007). Paragraph 2.

[2] Ibid., 7.

[3] Richard White, "What is Spatial History?" Spatial History Lab, Stanford University. (2010). 3.

[4] Ibid., 2-4.

[byneddiedingo]

Wendell Corey and Barbara Stanwyck in The File on Thelma Jordon (Robert Siodmak, 1950)

Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly, Joan Tetzel, Stanley Willis, Richard Rober, Minor Watson, Barry Kelley, Gertrude Hoffman. Screenplay: Ketti Frings, Marty Holland. Cinematography: George Barnes. Art direction: Hans Dreier, A. Earl Hedrick. Film editing: Warren Low. Music: Victor Young.

The chief problem with The File on Thelma Jordon is casting. Barbara Stanwyck's performance is terrific, of course, Robert Siodmak keeps a complex plot from snarling, and George Barnes's lights and shadows are eloquent. But Stanwyck is paired once again with Wendell Corey, who was her ineffective leading man in Anthony Mann's otherwise splendid The Furies, also made in 1950. Corey has no charisma and no depth. The screenplay may be at fault in not letting us see why Cleve Marshall's antagonism to his father-in-law is driving him to drink -- and into the arms of Stanwyck's scheming Thelma Jordon -- but Corey's hangdog manner doesn't help. Nor does he bring much visible intelligence to Marshall's scheming to undermine his own defense of Thelma when she's brought to trial for killing her aunt -- a murder he helped her cover up. The ending is also a bit of a muddle, largely because the Production Code meant that Thelma's crime had to be punished. What could have been a classic film noir ends up only a passable one.

[project1939]

100+ Films of 1952

Film number 110: Kid Monk Baroni 

Release date: May 1st, 1952 

Studio: Realart Pictures 

Genre: sports drama 

Director: Harold D. Shuster 

Producer: Jack Broder, Herman Cohen 

Actors: Leonard Nimoy, Richard Rober, Bruce Cabot, Allene Roberts 

Plot Summary: Paul “Monk” Baroni is a disfigured street ruffian who is taken under the wing of a kindly priest. Father Callahan teaches him how to box, and soon he is making good money as a pro. Still unable to let go of the bitterness and self-hatred he feels, his girlfriend Emily encourages him to get plastic surgery. This gives him new confidence, but has he really changed for the better? 

My Rating (out of five stars): **¼  

This was a quintessential low budget film. Need I say more? It was pretty bland and silly, and the only reason anyone would care to watch it today is the fact that it was Leonard Nimoy’s first film. I’ve certainly seen worse movies, even worse movies from 1952, but that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.  

The Good: 

This had a pretty good cast for a cheap film. No one was egregiously bad, and several of the supporting characters were quite effective. Ricard Rober as Father Callahan stood out the most for me, and Mona Knox was entertaining as a bad girl. Jack Larson played Monk’s best friend- I was already familiar with him as Jimmy on The Adventures of Superman! 

A mini Singin’ in the Rain cast party! Kathleen Freeman played Monk’s mother here- she was the hilarious speech coach in Singin’. Paul Maxy played a gambler here, and in Singin’ in the Rain he was memorable as a rotund dance partner for a movie star in the opening Hollywood party scene. 

Leonard Nimoy did pretty well. He wasn’t outstanding, but the script didn’t give him much to do except be sulky and angry. He was definitely a nice looking young man- he was only 20 years old at the time. He didn’t quite have a body that was convincing as a boxer, though! He was lean, but not exactly muscular. 

There was one cool transition edit where the screen went from a close up of Monk to a fade out, and it faded back in on the derriere of a cigarette girl walking through a nightclub.  

The Bad: 

This was shot in 9 days and you can tell! Nimoy said he was only paid $350 plus the suits he wore. (That’s about $4,000 today.) 

The whole thing had a rather hackneyed vibe. 

The ending. It felt a bit anti-climactic? And why wasn’t Nimoy in the last scene? 

Allene Roberts. I’m sorry to say, her performance stood out as particularly bad. In her defense, her character, although unmarried, was afflicted with what I call “The Classical Hollywood Good Wife Syndrome.” She was wholesome, boring, and had no real purpose other than to worry about/be with Monk. She did fight back in one scene, however, which was pretty cool. 

The absurdity of the portrayal of plastic surgery! Like the film Stolen Face from later in the year, in the world of Classical Hollywood plastic surgery can work outrageous miracles. Even 72 years later, nothing like it is remotely possible.  

There were some cringy moments with a priest where he was trying to get teenage boys to go to the church basement where he had a gym and warm showers... In 2024 it’s hard not to be a little creeped out by that. 

The script had so much terrible/terribly fun dialogue! Here are some favorites: “It’s no crime to enjoy fine music, Paul. It’s the key to a number of good pleasures.” “No fighter quits. Once you lace those gloves on, you’re in a lifelong marriage.” “This was not defeat. You’re a bigger man for trying, for the sacrifice. The way you fought carries its own victories. Look at the wounds on your face. Don’t say you lost.” 

A hilariously over-explained fighting scene where Monk’s manager thinks he’s not fighting his usual dirty way. In the space of a couple of minutes he says- “Looks like he’s been reading Emily Post! He better drop his pinky in the next round!” “I’ll whisper in his ear that this is a fight and not a cotillion!” “You want a little soft music this round? You start out a tiger and end up a pussy cat!” “I don’t need you to play Paddy Cake! If I want this kind of a bout, I can get a better one out of an old maid’s home!” OK OK WE GET IT ALREADY! XD 

[portalvallenato]

Homenaje a Rober Romero en Mariangola

Por José Atuesta Mindiola El párroco de Mariangola Richard Beleño Pava, con un grupo de feligreses, prepara la solemnidad de las fiestas patronales del Santo Cristo (14 de septiembre). Y la Fundación Cultural ‘Tierra del Cachaquito’ que preside Elibeth Zequeira Ramírez, viene trabajando para realizar la versión XX del Festival de música vallenata. Continue reading Untitled