Marilyn Monroe History: AMC Backstory- The Making Of The Seven Year Itch: Marilyn Monroe & Tom Ewell Star

Source: Marilyn Monroe History- Tom Ewell & Marilyn Monroe.

Source:The Daily Review

The Seven Year Itch is not one of my favorite movies. It’s a very good funny movie that is at least ten-years ahead of its time, but it’s not one of my favorites. But what I think I like most about it is that it’s a 1950s movie that takes on the 1950s. Here is this country called the United States of America that’s supposed to be this great land of freedom and everything and yet Americans back then weren’t free to be Americans. They couldn’t be themselves and didn’t have the freedom to be who they were and talk about what they were interested in and live their own lives for fear of censorship. And perhaps not being able to find jobs if they were who they actually were and moved away from the 1950s culturally conservative box where all Americans were supposed to be the same way.

Sex and adultery and of course humor about those things, of course they went on back then. They just weren’t done in public at least on TV and in films. The Seven Year Itch changed that by bringing out adultery and sex in the public. To show how men act and what they think about when their wife is out-of-town and they’re home alone and there’s a hot sexy woman nearby whose very friendly. And who would essentially let the guy do whatever he wants with her, because she’s open to practically anything. The Seven Year Itch didn’t end the culturally conservative bubble of the 1950s. But it did show Americans that these things happen even though everyone knew that and that there wasn’t anything wrong with talking about it. The political correctness movement back then was basically dominated by what would be called the Christian-Right today and The Seven Year Itch took them on.

You could have a man with the most beautiful wife possible, who loves her and loves his kids and doesn’t want to lose them, or his wife. But we all think about other women especially hot sexy woman like Marilyn Monroe, or anyone else and when our girlfriend, or wife is not there for whatever reason like perhaps visiting family out-of-town and another hot sexy woman comes into the picture and she’s very friendly and shows an interest in him, or course the guy is going to think about her. And throw out ideas like, “I’ll have her over for one drink, who’ll be hurt by it? I’ll invite her out for dinner. It will be very neighborly. Besides my wife will never know anyway.” And that is what the Tom Ewell character does in this movie. He essentially fantasizes about what would life be like with another beautiful woman.
Source:Marilyn Monroe History

AMC: 'Myra Breckinridge Backstory (2001) 'The Making of a Legendary Comedy'

Source:AMC-

Source:The Daily Review

Myra Breckinridge is one of those movies that looks better as it ages, because it was so ahead of its time. I think the makers of the film calculated wrong thinking that this is a 1970 movie probably made in 1969 and that this movie would be perfect for its time in the 1960s and the cultural and sexual revolutions. With young Americans experimenting and trying all sorts of different things even when it came to their sexuality. But very few people were talking about transgender sexuality and sex changes back then. It was very new and then you throw in all the pornography in the movie (which I personally don’t have a problem with) and it was a tough movie for a lot of people to see which is why it was a financial flop when it came out.

If this movie came out 25-30 years later perhaps even 20 years I think this movie would have been very successful. (Especially on Cinemax) I’ve seen this movie like ten times now and have blogged about it multiple times and it was one of my favorite comedies. I’m laughing through most of this movie with Raquel Welch being at her hottest, sexiest and cutest, all in the same movie. She was so funny in this movie and this is where you really get to see her sense of humor and great comedic timing. John Huston playing Buck Naked, I mean Buck Loner in this movie a sex starved, or sex addict head of an acting school. (Of all things) Getting blow jobs and sexual massages on the job and trying to run his school at the same time.

And of course you can’t talk about Myra Breckinridge without talking about Mae West. Where she also plays a sex starved star in the movie a man-loving woman who can’t spend more than five seconds with a young stud (Tom Selleck) without making a pass at him. And of course you get to see Mae sing Hard to Handle which was perfect for her and her character in this movie. And of course Gore Vidal with without his book with the same title this movie isn’t made. (Which might not have been a bad thing) But his great comedic ability and willingness to take big risks is how he writes the books that he did and how this movie gets made. I believe movies are judged by how they look as the years go by and later in history. And Myra Breckinridge to me looks like a great comedy.
Source:AMC

Movie Clips Classic Trailer Vault: Lenny (1974) Starring Dustin Hoffman

Source:The Daily Review

Lenny Bruce, was a comedian who used humor to talk about everyday American life. And part of how Americans lives is how we interact with each other even in the most personal of ways. Including, marriage divorce, family and yes, even sex. All he did was talked about how Americans lived, but he did it in public. He said things in the public that right-wing culturally conservative establishment who perhaps thought we were a Middle Eastern fundamentalist country and not a Western liberal democracy, didn't believe Americans should be allowed to hear or say.

As I mentioned yesterday had Lenny came out 10-20 years later, he probably never spends a day in jail for his act. At least outside of the Bible Belt. He actually had a significant criminal record as a thief and dealing with drugs, but when it came to his comedy act he was arrested for literally using adult language in public. Which is clearly unconstitutional under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. He wasn't libeling people, he was inciting violence, he wasn't calling for violence to come against anyone. Even the cops who arrested him for using adult language. He was simply using adult language in public as part of his comedy routine.

People tend to think of political correctness as censorship against language that may tend to offend certain groups of people. And that is true obviously, but political correctness in the 1950s and early 1960s was used against people who used language that lets say the most religiously conservative of Americans not only find offensive, but immoral. And when that language is used they believe the people who say those things should literally be arrested. Today political correctness is used against comedians and other commentators who say negative things even if they're true against minority groups in America. Lenny Bruce was a victim of 1950s and 1960s right-wing political correctness fascism.

The Notorious Landlady (1962) Starring Kim Novak & Jack Lemmon

Source:HD Retro Trailers- Hollywood Goddess Kim Novak starring in The Notorious Landlady.

Source:The New Democrat 

"The original trailer in high definition of The Notorious Landlady directed by Richard Quine. Starring Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Fred Astaire and Lionel Jeffries."  

From HD Retro Trailers

Source:The New Democrat- Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon.

Kim Novak similar to Diana Dors in The Unholy Wife is the perfect woman to play a murder suspect because she’s so cute and sweet. It is hard to believe she’s capable or hurting anyone let alone killing someone. 

Only in The Notorious Landlady the Kim Novak character is innocent and what happened to her husband no one actually knows. The Diana Dors character in The Unholy Wife is guilty of murdering at least two people. 

Jack Lemmon plays an American diplomat in London who has just arrived there needing a place to live while he’s in Britain. Kim Novak is also an American, but now living in England who owns an apartment house. It is basically a large house with a flat upstairs.

Bill Gridley (played by Jack Lemmon) finds the house and asks if he can rent the apartment there that is vacant. Not knowing that the woman who owns the house is a murder suspect. She is very protective of her and her home and very specific about who she wants living there. And try’s to scare off Bill with a phony English accent that Kim does very well in the movie, but is unsuccessful and eventually gives in. 

Once they figure out that are both are American, they hit it off. Bill’s boss at the U.S. Embassy in London finds out where Bill is living and who owns the house and bring in Scotland Yard. Because they believe she murdered her husband.

Bill similar to me can’t believe that this woman that he’s now renting a flat from and is in love with is capable of murdering anyone. Even though Scotland Yard and his superiors believe she’s guilty and basically spends the rest of the movie trying to prove that she’s innocent. Even though he has his own suspicions about who is the real killer and is Mrs. Hardwick (played by Kim Novak) is completely innocent in this case. 

This is not a great movie or a great comedy, but Kim Novak is great in it and looks great in it. And Jack Lemmon is his usual funny, charming self.

Columbia Classic's: Pushover (1954) Fred McMurray & Kim Novak Star

Source: Columbia Classic's-

Source:The New Democrat

“Money isn’t dirty, just people are”. One of the better lines from Pushover delivered by the great Kim Novak who was great at delivering lines because she had a great voice and came off as so real because she was so real. She acted as if she was the person she was playing and delivered the lines not as an actress, but as if she was the person she was playing. I’ve at best seen bits and pieces of Pushover and saw the whole movie last night in preparation for this blog. And I was very impressed and saw a great crime drama involving real people and how they deal with bad situations.

Pushover starts off as being about a police stake out of a girlfriend of a bank robber that the police are after. Who stole two-hundred-thousand-dollars from a bank. They believe the girlfriend played by Kim Novak might be in on the operation or at the very least knows about it. And that her boyfriend is going to see her and perhaps tell her what he knows and where to meet her and all of that. Fred McMurray plays either a police sergeant or senior detective on this case who is leading the stake out and only has a police lieutenant to report to. He meets the girlfriend on purpose and they hit it off immediately.

Lona played by Kim Novak figures out that Paul Sheridan is a cop and has been investigating her. And he confesses to that and tries to get her to go downtown with him to tell the police what she knows about the bank robbery. She refuses and instead suggests that they get the money and split it and run off together. Paul refuses Lona’s offer strongly at first, but also wants to protect her from her boyfriend and the police in the stake out and tells her about the stake out and how to behave. How to answer the phone and how to talk to people and when to leave her apartment and everything else.

Paul finally gives in, but without a strong push from Lona. And now they are completely working together during this stake out that Paul is supposed to be leading as the senior detective or sergeant on the case. And now they are working together and just trying to buy time and not get caught and figured out while Paul’s men on the case are getting more suspicious of her and want to know what she knows about the case. Paul starts off as a good cop in the movie, but falls in love with the target he’s supposed to be investigating and the case goes bad from there.
Source:Columbia Classic's:

Classic Cinema: The Long Haul (1957) Diana Dors, Victor Mature & Patrick Allen Star

Source:Classic Cinema- English Muffin Diana Dors & Patrick Allen.

Source:The New Democrat

Take Diana Dors who is a hot sexy baby-face goddess, perhaps the cutest Hollywood goddess of all-time and The Long Haul is still a very good movie. Because it has a very good cast and it gives you a very good look at not just organized crime, but organized crime in the trucking industry, but also organized crime in Britain over in England. And Diana does a great job in this movie as well. The first Princess Diana in Britain, at least as far as I’m concern.

Victor Mature plays a U.S. Army Corporal stationed over in post-World War II Britain in England. He’s already married with a son over there to an English woman. Harry wants to go home to America, but his English wife doesn’t. So Harry stays, but also needs a job in England and finds one as a truck driver. Lynn played by Diana is the girlfriend of an English mobster who owns a trucking company. Harry gets a straight job as a truck driver and meets Lynn who wants to leave her mobster boyfriend and takes her away. But the mobster’s gang just also happens to jack Harry’s truck on his first night.

That is how this movie really starts where Harry now needs a job to support his English wife and son, but can only get a job with this English gang in the trucking industry. He doesn’t want to do it. Lynn wants to escape Joe played by Patrick Allen, her mobster boyfriend and start a life with Harry. Harry is in between starting a new affair with Lynn and staying with his wife because of his son and he still loves his wife. But he also needs a job and that is where this job starts moving real fast. Because now Joe is on the run for murdering his top deputy. And takes Lynn with him and Harry helps him get away from the law.

This is not a great movie. I would give it an 8.5 I guess, but certainly a very good movie that you don’t need Diana Dors in it to make it interesting. But a woman like that can make a bad movie look good because of how great she is and how she looks. And then you throw in the plot and the movie has an excellent cast with Diana Dors, Victor Mature, Patrick Allen, and others. The movie takes place in post-World War II England where people there are trying to rebuild their lives and you have a very good movie.
Source:Classic Cinema

FOX Movies: Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter (1957) Jayne Mansfield & Tony Randall Star

Source:FOX Movies - Jayne Mansfield, Joan Blondell, & Tony Randall.

Source:The New Democrat

Jayne Mansfield plays Rita Marlowe in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter and I believe and have heard that Marlowe was one of the names that Jayne considered changing her last name to after arriving in Hollywood. But instead settled for Mansfield the last name of her first ex-husband. But anyway Rita Marlowe is a star actress and Hollywood goddess who goes to New York, because she wants to improve her image. New York is the advertising capital at least of America, so not a better city to choose from.

Tony Randall plays Rock Hunter a talented and semi-successful advertiser, who hasn’t hit it big yet in the business. The firm he works for is looking for a big account that would bring them a lot of money and future clients. Rock is looking for the that one big account that would jumpstart his career and take him to the top. It turns out that Rita and Rock are perfect for each other, because they both have what the other needs. Rita would be that account that would Rock’s firm needs. And Rock has what Rita needs which is an intelligent successful professional man who would make her look good.

That is what Rock Hunter is really about. Rita and Rock make a deal with each other and do favors for each other. Rita endorses products that Rock is trying to promote for his firm like perfume. Rock pretends to be Rita’s boyfriend and appear in public with her as a couple so she can be taken more seriously in Hollywood. This movie is also about people believing that they are obligated to be things that they don’t want to be and instead find ways to do things that they want to do instead.

This is not a great movie, but it is a very funny movie with a good message. That people don’t have to be the way that others believe they should be and work in professions that others believe they should. That people can be themselves and do what makes them happy. And have to worry about their image so much. Tony Randall as usual in this movie is very funny and the same thing with Jayne Mansfield. Who is her usual adorable baby girl funny self, with all her funny and adorable mannerisms.
Source:FOX Movies

David Lindholm: The Girl Can't Help it (1956) Starring Jayne Mansfield, Edmund O'Brien & Tom Ewell

Source:David Lindholm- Edmund O'Brien, Jayne Mansfield & Tom Ewell.

Source:The New Democrat

If you are familiar with Jayne Mansfield in real-life and you are familiar with this movie, you know that Jayne essentially plays herself in this movie. Except for one key factor, Jayne plays a woman who doesn’t want to be a star, an entertainer in this movie. The real Jaynes Mansfield only wanted to be a star and move to Hollywood and make it big in the entertainment business as an actress, singer and perhaps even comedian, she could do it all. At least when she was sober, but in this movie she plays someone who essentially just wants to be a good housewife to the man she loves and take care of their children.

Her boyfriend played by Edmund O’Brien has completely different ideas for Jerri Jordan played by Jayne Mansfield. He plays an entertainment mogul who has produced big hits in the past and made a lot of money, but hasn’t produced one lately and is sort of looking for a big comeback. Fats Murdoch played by O’Brien, also has other business connections, including being involved in organized crime and has even done time in prison. Which is one of the reasons why his career in the entertainment business is in, shall we say recession where he hasn’t been active lately.

Murdoch wants to marry Jerri, but the problem is she isn’t known yet and is worried that marrying someone who is unknown and perhaps seen as a nobody could hurt his image. He knows that she is physically a goddess, a hot baby-face and perhaps even baby girl voiced goddess, with an incredible body is a star in waiting and just needs someone to lead her in the right direction and to get noticed. That is where Tom Miller comes in played by Tom Ewell, whose career is also in a bit of a slump. But who is a talented agent and scout who has made entertainers stars in the past, but hasn’t done anything lately.

Murdoch hires Miller to make Jerri Jordan a star. To show her around town and to get people in the entertainment business to see and know her and to lead her to people who can get her in the entertainment business and start a career for herself. The problem is Jerri doesn’t want to be a star and Miller knows that, but also knows that his gangster boss Murdoch won’t be satisfied with that. Miller is scared of Murdoch and doesn’t want to be cut out or eliminated, but doesn’t want to force Jerri to do something that she doesn’t want to do. Murdoch also has other gangsters after him that want him killed. And Miller and Murdoch help each other with each other’s problems.

The Girl Can’t Help it is certainly not a great movie. Very funny, at times sure and pretty entertaining, but Jayne Mansfield like in real-life is so overwhelmingly adorable, hot and sexy in this movie, that she makes the movie worth watching on her own. She’s also very funny in this movie like she is in most of her movies and Edmund O’Brien and Tom Ewell are very good and funny in this movie as well. This movie also features Julie London, who plays one of Miller’s former clients who became a big star, but dumped him after they get involved. So this is a pretty good movie and Jerry Jordan helps Miller get over Julie London who plays herself in the movie.
Source:David Lindholm

Marilyn Monroe Video Archives: Monkey Business (1952) Starring Cary Grant & Ginger Rogers

Source:Marilyn Monroe Video Archives- Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers showing the public what can happen to you, when you drink too much coffee. Listen up, Millennial's. LOL

Source:The New Democrat

“Marilyn Monroe – Monkey Business Theatrical Trailer” 

From Marilyn Monroe Video Archives

I’ve actually seen three Marilyn Monroe movies in the last week where Marilyn wasn’t the cutest, gorgeous, sexy woman in the movie. I’m still somewhat in shocked by that, but after seeing I Married a Woman last week and The Unholy Wife a couple nights ago, both with Diana Dors, I now know that Marilyn wasn’t the cutest sexy baby of all-time, at least back then.

Pre-Monkey Business formula that makes these people in the movie turn into children as far as maturity level, Ginger Rogers was as cute as a little girl in this movie and absolutely adorable and hysterical in this movie, the whole movie. And the formula makes her act like a little girl who breaks down and cries over nothing.

Marilyn Monroe never needed some special formula or medicine to act immature and like a little girl. With that face and personality, she always sort of seemed like one anyway. So good thing her character was never on that formula in this movie, because she was very funny and also a pretty good actress and then throw in her natural personality and physical appearance, she probably could’ve played the role of a four-year old girl in the movie, with the body of sex sexy twenty-five year old woman, which she was at this time. Cary Grant is at his funniest in this movie, at least from what I’ve seen of him, which is saying a lot. Perhaps the best comedic actor of all-time.

Ginger Rogers was incredible and not just incredibly adorable, essentially acting like a little girl in this movie. But she was very funny and this movie is essentially about a brilliant scientist played by Cary Grant as Doctor Barnaby Fulton, who creates this new formula that reverses the aging process of people and makes them much younger.

Barnaby decides to try the formula on himself and becomes a nineteen-year old guy as far as personality, energy and maturity level instantly and no longer needs his glasses to use as an example. His wife played by Ginger Rogers finds out about that and decides that the experiment should be used on her. And goes nuts as a result.

This is one of the funniest movies you’ll ever see with Ginger Rogers absolutely adorable and hysterical the whole movie. With an excellent cast around her with Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn and others. And one of the funniest and cutest movies you’ll ever see with perfectly normal middle-age adults becoming like little children instantly and making this an hysterical movie.

Pink Fairy Girl: The Unholy Wife (1957) Starring Diana Dors & Rod Steiger

Source:Pink Fairy Girl- English Muffin Diana Dors in Unholy Wife. 

Source:The New Democrat

I believe Diana Dors, or someone like her would be perhaps the last person you I could imagine being a killer, especially a murderer and a woman who murdered multiple people. But that is exactly what she plays in this movie as someone who likes being married to a wealthy man and the money and lifestyle that comes with that. But doesn’t want the responsibility that comes with being a wife or a mother. And finds another man that she is interested in, but not sure she wants to leave her husband and even son for this new man.

Diana Dors plays someone with a checkered past to say the least, she was already in prison at one point. Settles down with a another man pre-Paul (played by Rod Steiger) and doesn’t like her first husband at all, even hates him and takes their son with her and meets Paul and they eventually get married. Paul not being fully aware of his new gorgeous baby-face wife’s past history, falls in love with her fairly quickly and integrates her with his Northern California lifestyle. He owns a vineyard and ranch in Napa Valley.

Paul has an elderly mother who is pretty sick that he is responsible for taking care of. Phyllis as Paul’s wife and his mother’s daughter in law, has similar responsibilities and she finds her new mother in law to be a pain, to say the least. The question in this movie, is does Phyllis kill her mother in law intentionally or not by poisoning her and giving her too much medication that is very strong. But she’s already killed two people including I believe a man from her past.

The Unholy Wife is the best Diana Dors movie I’ve seen before. It is a very entertaining murder mystery that never slows down and Diana looks great in it and as adorable as possible. And because she looks so cute and sweet, she plays the perfect murder suspect, because she would be one of the last people you would expect to murder anyone. But her physical baby adorability is just a cover for the plotting murderer inside of her.
Source:Pink Fairy Girl

Captain Bijou: I Married a Woman (1958) Diana Dors & George Gobel Star

Source:Captain Bijou-

Source:The New Democrat

I'm going to try to write this post without sounding sexist as a man, but I think especially with this day and age that will be difficult and at the very least it come off as politically incorrect, at least the political correctness Left in America. But this movie you have a women at home who thinks her husband doesn't pay enough attention to her. Played by the hot, sexy baby-face adorable Diana Dors and her idea of marriage seems to be what she sees from John Wayne in his last movie where he's spoiling his wife and giving her all sorts of gifts.

She's married to a man named Micky played by the tiny, but very funny George Gobel. They make a really adorable couple, because Diana is taller than George, but has a baby's face and her husband almost looks like a little boy next to her. Shorter and smaller than his wife. Mickey is a very busy New York advertising executive with a very big account he's working on a a tight deadline to get it done and works for a boss who only sees the green picture. The money and doesn't want to hear about what his top adman by being going through at home.

Mickey loves Janice and Janice loves Mickey, but Janice believes that Mickey doesn't pay her enough attention. And sees marriage based on what she sees from Hollywood. So Mickey is left with a wife at home who already believes she doesn't give her enough attention. And an overbearing boss at work who is putting the future of the company in the lap of Mickey. Telling him "if you don't come through, all of these people who work here are going to be out of jobs and everything else". And Mickey has to figure out how to balance these new pressure together. A wife who thinks he doesn't love her enough and an overbearing boss who is putting the future of the company in his hands.
Source:Captain Bijou

The Best Favorites: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) Steve Martin & John Candy Star

Source:The Best Favorites- Welcome to Sy. Louis. 

Source:The New Democrat 

Plains Trains and Automobiles is kind of personal to me, because it reminds me of a guy I grew up with. If he were to ever read this post would probably know this is about him, even if I never tell him about this post. But the Dell Griffith character played by John Candy, reminds me of my friend who I grew up with. The overbearing, but kindhearted guy who always screws up and just doesn't screw up for himself, but makes mistakes that affects other people, including people he cares about.

Neal Paige played by Steve Martin, a Chicago advertising man who has business in New York City right before the Thanksgiving holiday in 1987. But finishes that and is now headed back to Chicago. But runs into all sorts of issues just trying to get back to Chicago from New York. Which is only about a two-hour flight. But he has trouble just getting to the airport in New York because Dell Griffith unknowingly steals his cab.

Neal runs into Dell again at the airport at the gate while they are waiting for the flight to Chicago and of course not only is the flight delayed, but they happen to be on the same flight and sitting in the same coach seating section. But Neal is only in coach because he gets bumped from first class by the head stewardess. But it only gets worst because he is now not only in coach instead of first class, but in the middle seat with an obnoxious asshole in Dell who won't shut up, except when he falls asleep on Neal.

But like I said it only gets worst for Neal. Because Chicago is going through another bad snowstorm even in November and the New York flight can't land in Chicago, or even in Milwaukee which is just about a hundred miles north of Chicago. They can't land in Minneapolis or even St. Louis which are just about a four-hour drive from Chicago and a half-hour flight because of the snowstorm. They have to land in Wichita, Kansas, which is closer to Kansas City than St. Louis.

So now Neal and Dell decide to get back to Chicago from Wichita together and having to use other transportation than a plane to do that. They do it together because Dell has all of these connections with these transportation services and Neal has the money to finance these trips. But it is just one screwup after another. Like their train breaking down about an hour outside of St. Louis. They breakup temporarily in St. Louis, but get back together because Neal is unable to rent a car to drive from St. Louis to Chicago and Dell is and you need to see that scene to see why for yourself.

This is a great movie especially if you are someone who actually enjoys holiday movies. But if you are someone who tends to see holiday movies as cheesy, you'll like this movie as well. Because it is not about what families do together over the holidays, but what some people have to do just to get home in time for them and a great look at how stressful just traveling during the holiday can be. Plus this is one of the funniest moves you could possibly ever see as well.
Source:The Best Favorites

Bolinha Franca: The Man With The Golden Arm (1955) Frank Sinatra & Kim Novak Star

Source:Bolinha Franca-

Source:The New Democrat 

Frank Sinatra was overpaid to be able to work with Kim Novak. The pleasure was all his to be able to work with a hot sexy baby like Kim that he got to work with and see everyday. Who was also a pretty good actress and I’m sure Kim liked Frank as well. Not putting down Frank's ability as an actor, because I think he was a hell of an actor, but just seeing a working with Kim everyday would be enough incentive to work with her. 

If you've seen the movie Pal Joey and are familiar with that, which I saw again last week, this movie is fairly similar to Pal Joey. Except Frank is already sort of a made man in the entertainment business in the sense that he's already successful. In The Man With The Golden Arm, Frank plays an up-incoming musician who hasn't made it yet, who has a checkered past including doing time. And has to do other things to pay his bills including gambling.

Frank also plays a drug addict in this movie, when in Pal Joey he was sober basically the entire movie. But in both movies he meets Kim Novak who is an entertainer herself working at local clubs and they get involved in both movies. Except in Golden Arm, Kim saves Frank from his addiction and helps him get cleaned and then they get involved. This time the women saves the man in the movie. 
Source:Bolinha Franca:

Al Pacino: Any Given Sunday (1999) The Game of Inches

Source:One Inch At a Time- Al Pacino as Miami Sharks head coach Tony Damato.

Source:The New Democrat 

Al Pacino from Any Given Sunday playing Miami Sharks head coach Tony Damato, which I believe was the name of his character. Explaining to his football team that life isn't just a game of inches, but football is as well. And that every inch and every play is important and can end up being the difference between losing a game and winning the game. And the most important games are where each play in the game are that much more important. "What if  I only made that tackle, or made that block, or made that catch, saw that defender before I threw the ball and get it picked off".

Life and football perhaps especially is a game of inches and plays. Not one inch, or one play, but you add them all up and they become crucial. And the bigger the game is, or the situation in life, the better you have to play and the fewer plays you are able to take off. Because every mistake and come back and bite you in the ass and leave asking a bunch of what ifs. Which is why you have to play every play like it is not just important, but crucial. The difference between winning and advancing and losing and going home. And that was Tony Damato's message in this scene.
Source:One Inch At a Time

Tony Baretta: Myra Breckinridge (1970) Raquel Welch Stars

Source:Tony Baretta with Myra Breckinridge from 1970. I wonder if Gore Vidal regrets writing that book.

Source:The New Democrat 

Myra Breckinridge may be the best movie that ever flopped at the box office.  It lost more than the 1962 New York Mets who lost something like 120 games that season.  I don't believe the movie made a dime.  It was too far ahead of its time.  If it were made today with the right cast, it would probably be a huge success.

Raquel Welch plays Myra Breckinridge and really makes the movie worth watching all by herself. Watching her, it is very difficult to look at anyone or anything else.  She is at her hottest, sexiest, cutest and funniest.  She shows the world that she is much more than a hot and sexy babe.  She has great wit and stage presence.

Myra is a former gay man who is now a transgender woman.  She goes to Hollywood to claim what she believes to be her inheritance.  Her uncle,  Buck Loner (John Huston), an over-sexed horny bastard, runs an acting school that he inherited from his parents.  Myra thinks that he owes her half of it.

Buck has no idea that his nephew, his sister Gertrude's son, is now a women calling herself Myra Breckinridge.  She tells her uncle to pay up or she's going to a get a lawyer to get what she believes is hers.

To buy time, Buck gives Myra a job on the school faculty.  He tries  to prove that Myra never married his nephew and that he doesn't owe her anything.  He's right that she never married his nephew.  She is his nephew and she's now a woman.  She has a fake marriage license that keeps her in the game  until she can get what she really wants, the five-hundred-thousand dollars that she believes her uncle owes her.

While Myra is trying to get her money, she uses her time at the school to do research on modern young straight men with the goal of dominating them, one day.  This movie is hysterical.  It has all sorts of funny characters including a gay man  who plays the part of the queen perfectly.  There's also  a very young, baby-faced, Farah Fawcett who's actually cuter than Raquel, but not as sexy. 
Source:Tony Baretta

Mzybert: Rounders (1998) The Final Hand

Source:Mzybert- Matt Damon as Mike McDermott.

Source:The New Democrat 

Great scene because this is really about a guy Mike McDermott who at best is a part-time law student, but who really makes a living as a gambler a poker player. Who makes his money reading other people’s faces and mannerism’s who is in a deep hole of ten-thousand dollars. Actually a hole he inherited from his friend Worm who ran up a big debt losing in poker and Mike is trying to help his irresponsible friend out. And that is where he get’s into trouble because his friend is not good for the debt.

So Mike goes into this game hours away from having to pay his debt off. Or get his ass kicked by gangsters he owes the money to thanks to Worm. So he goes to the one guy who has the money that he could win from him to get the money he needs to pay off the debt. And so he’s down to his last play late in the game fourth and twenty. And he comes through and makes the play or risk getting his ass handed to him and perhaps not surviving the experience.

This is the ultimate scene about one guy putting everything on the line and coming out on top. Beating the best poker player in New York City by not getting lucky which is really not what poker is about. But by using his poker skills to read KGB and beat him at his own game and not only wins enough money to pay off all of his debts. But walk away from the game with a profit and he kicks KGB’s ass at his own game and walks away the winner.
Source:Mzybert

Movie Clips: Rounders (1998) ‘KGB: I Stick it in You!’

Source:Movie Clips- John Malkovich as KGB.

Source:The Daily Press

“After losing a heads-up game of poker, Teddy KGB (John Malkovich) tries to goad Mike (Matt Damon) into playing a re-match.”

From Movie Clips 

One of the best scenes from Rounders, with Mike McDermott (played by Matt Damon) just beating his long time nemesis KGB. (Played by John Malkovich) And KGB obviously not feeling satisfied by that and trying to goad Mike into playing another around to get that money back. With Mike having two options: walk away and leave up from where he started and able to pay back his debts. Or get all of his money back and risk losing even more. Safe play obviously is to walk way, but like Mike said you can’t win what you don’t put in.

I’m not an expert on poker and gambling in general, but it obviously is gambling. And yes there’s skill involved and you need good skills at it to be successful and perhaps a little luck involved as well. But there’s gambling and there’s gambling and there are risks in doing anything really, especially professionally. And the good gamblers make calculated and educated risks. They just don’t walk away with money, leave owing money, because they had all the good hands at the game, or most of them. Or had almost none of the good hands.

Successful gamblers play their good hands and leave their bad ones without giving their opponents much if any idea when they have good hands and when they’re short. Which I think is the point that the Mike McDermott character played by Matt Damon was making, that gambling is not pure luck or about pure luck. But that you need good skills in it in order to be successful at it.

Movie Clips: Rounders (1998) Atlantic City Suckers

Source:Movie Clips- Actress Famke Janssen in Rounders. 

Source:The Daily Press

“The rounders including Mike (Matt Damon), Petra (Famke Janssen), and Knish (John Turturro) dominate the card table against some unsuspecting tourists.

In this film, law-student Mike McDermott gives up gambling after losing his entire savings to Russian club owner Teddy KGB. His girlfriend Jo is concerned when Mike’s former gambling buddy Worm is released from prison. She has good reason to worry, since Worm draws Mike back into poker action.”

From Movie Clips 

Pros vs suckers in poker: the suckers having no idea what they were up against and get taken for a ride as a result.

What I really like about Rounders is that it gives you a really good look at the world of professional poker. At least from the perspective of people who perhaps aren’t as good to play the tournaments for a living and make hundreds of thousands of dollars winning championships, or at least doing very well on those tournaments. But people who can literally earn their living from card games at clubs and people’s homes and going to Atlantic City and so-forth.

What you see in this scene, is literally people who do that who are full-time poker players and perhaps are good enough to play on the big stage, going up against players who do this for fun. Who go to Atlantic City on the weekend and see how good they are and if they can make some money. Who can afford to lose money and perhaps knows that ahead of time.

The pros are straight-faced the whole time never giving away anything. With the amateurs giving away all of their hands. Excited when they have a good hand and freaking out over bad hands and looking nervous. Setting themselves up for huge losses against the pros.

YouTube Movies & TV: Rounders (1998) The Fifteenth Anniversary

Source:YouTube Movies & TV- left to right: John Turturo & Matt Damon.

Source:The Daily Press

"Academy Award(R) winner Matt Damon (GOOD WILL HUNTING, Best Original Screenplay, 1997; THE BOURNE SUPREMACY) and Edward Norton (THE ITALIAN JOB) star in this story of passion, risk, and the extreme price of friendship! After losing a high-stakes card game, Mike (Damon) gives up gambling for law school and a fresh start with his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol -- CRADLE WILL ROCK). But then his best buddy (Norton) gets out of prison and in over his head with a ruthless card shark (John Malkovich -- BEING JOHN MALKOVICH). From there, Mike's strong sense of loyalty --- and the lure of the game --- draw him back to the tables in a game he cannot afford to lose! Also starring John Turturro (O BROTHER, WHERE ARE THOU?) and Oscar(R) winner Martin Landau (ED WOOD, Best Supporting Actor, 1994).  2011 Miramax" 

From YouTube Movies & TV

The 15th anniversary of my favorite cards movie Rounders.

If you’re a true poker fan and have been a fan of it for a long time, or most of your life, or you just started getting into like ten years ago, or so when celebrities got into and it became cool, Rounders is a great movie for you. 

This movie came out in 1998 about five years before Hollywood made card games cool thing to follow and be part of. When ESPN started putting so many poker tournaments on. (Even though poker is not an athletic sport) Not saying that Rounders is the cause for the celebrity exposure of poker and other card games in America, but it came out right before that fad.

Rounders is about two young borderline professional poker players who the only money they’ve ever  made at this point is playing poker. 

Mike McDermott (played by Matt Damon) is a recovering compulsive gambler who lost all of his money a few years back. And is now driving a truck trying to pay back his debts and get through law school. 

Worm (played by Ed Norton) is a compulsive gambler and an ex-con who just got out of prison, small-time white-collar criminal. Who owes a lot of money to a loan shark (played by Michael Imperioli) and needs to win a lot of that money back quickly. And goes to his long time buddy Mike to help him win it back.

Rounders is a great movie about how very smart, street smart people who read people very well and can tell the real people from the fakers and people trying to be someone else, who have something to hide. Poker is not just about having good cards, but knowing what your opponent has as well by being able to read them so you know when to play and when to hold. Because you know when your opponents cards aren’t as good as yours. 

Rounders shows you how good poker players are successful and why the wannabes leave games owing more money that they started with. It is also a movie with a lot of sarcasm and quick-witted humor. Ed Norton and John Malkovich are very funny in it. And it is one of my favorite movies.

Columbia Pictures: Middle of The Night (1959) Starring Fredric March & Kim Novak

Source:Columbia Pictures- Kim Novak & Frederic March.

Source:The Daily Press

“A less well known intense Drama about a man’s middle age crisis as he falls in love with a woman less than half his age. Superb performances by Frederick March who was nominated for Best actor Golden Globe, the incomparable Kim Novak, and the film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Also starring Lee Grant and Martin Balsam.”

From Humbi 53

"Joan Copeland in the movie "Middle of the Night" (1959) (EN)" 

Source:Songs of The Heart- Martin Balsam & Betty Walker.

From Songs of The Heart

Jerry Kingsley (played by Frederic March) a clothing manufacturer, who has his own company, who is also a lonely widower, whose daughters are all grown up now, meets a young woman Betty Preisser. (Played by Kim Novak) Betty is coming from a bad marriage. She takes work home with her one day and is the receptionist at Jerry’s company. Jerry stops by her apartment to pick up the work that she took home. This is how they meet and end up talking about their spouses and married life, etc. Jerry knows right away that he likes Betty. (What guy wouldn’t like Goddess Kim Novak)

Jerry decides that he likes Betty so much that even though he’s 30 plus years her senior and looks like a grandfather and is more than old enough to be her father and that she’s this young goddess who could probably have any man in New York that she wants, has the guts (lets say) to ask her out to dinner. He ends up meeting Betty’s mother, who could be his sister and Betty’s sister, who could also be his daughter. Jerry and Betty hit it off at first, but Betty is not comfortable about dating her boss. (This is the 1950s after all) Jerry thinks that the fact that he could be her kid’s grandfather is the real reason why she might be reluctant.

Both families disapprove of this affair between Jerry and Betty. Betty’s mother calls Jerry, “a dirty old man.” While Jerry’s sister calls Betty, “a fortune hunter.” Betty does share a New York apartment with her sister and mother. Not exactly a wild charge considering that Jerry is a wealthy man. She also calls Jerry a fool, but not a damn fool. (Stuck in the 1950s) Betty’s husband George gets back in the picture and claims he wants his wife back. But she no longer wants him, but not completely ready for a long-term relationship with a man who could be dead before their kids start junior high school. And not sure what she should do.

Middle of The Night is certainly not a great movie. Some of it is pretty cheesy and I can’t figure out what Betty sees in Jerry as a potential boyfriend, especially since she’s still technically married and doesn’t seem to be interested in his money. 

Jerry, is simply looking for someone to give him a good time and I don’t believe he’s looking for Betty to be his next wife. They both some stuck between moving on and saying that they’ve enjoyed each other’s company and talking to each other and actually starting a long-term romance. This is not about two people who have a lot of self-confidence and drive where they’re going. And I think in a way at least this movie leaves people feeling sorry for them.