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Posted Oct 29th 2009 at 4:56 am in Open Thread | 25025093 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/29/open-thread-thursday-17/Open+Thread+Thursday2009-10-29+11%3A56%3A42Big+Hollywood
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93 Comments
You're a mean one…mister Grinch!!!
I have an affinity for the Karloffs, Lugosis, Prices, Cheneys and others of the classically hokey 50's "horror" movies. The overacting, the bad special affects and the unbelievable story lines make me stop what I'm doing and watch.
I even like the Abbot and Costello movies done with Lon Cheney as the werewolve!!
Obama Under Fire for 'All Boys Club' – What's Wrong With Liking Boys?
A look at Obama's all boys' club from a different perspective.
I given the left a whole new reason to love Obama. Celebrate diversity.
Apparently, the Chosen One has decided that providing Swine Flu vaccines, paid for by American citizens, should go to foreigners before they're given to us…
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ct-2257-Swine_Fl...
"I have an affinity for the Karloffs, Lugosis, Prices, Cheneys…"
Hey, who doesn't love Dick, Lynne, and and Liz!
I spent many a saturday night watching the local horror show as a youth in the 60's. Karloff, Price, Lee, Cheney,Lugosi. All were fodder for the overactive imagination.
Now as a older child, (seeing how I refuse to grow up) I know there are real monsters, and what they are trying to take away from us is far more precious than anything imagined by Hammer Studios.
Thanks for the post…….Washington is a sick, sick place full of sick warped sodomites and people hooked on the politicians heroin "power". I'm afraid to ask….CAN IT GET ANY WORSE??
Gosh its one straw after another. Wasn't Hillary involved with the annual flu shot crises at grade schools
where she decreed that all children would have flu shots but the Gov. would not pay more than x number of dollars for the shot from producing labs?
Didn't It turn out the labs had to supply the vaccine at below their cost which drove a bunch of them out of business. In turn the USA is now having to buy the vaccine from foreign producers at their price.
My memory is flawed on the subject but that would partially explain the current shortage. I ask the CDC what
percentage of vaccine they were buying from foreign sources but have had no response so far.
Boris Karloff (aka William Henry Pratt) seems to have simply been a great, great guy. A hard-working jobbing actor before "Frankenstein" he was genuinely grateful for the fans and the roles that made him a star. He was famous for his dry British wit and self-deprecating sense of humor. What I wouldn't have given to have seen him in "Arsenic and Old Lace" on Broadway in the 1940's. He played the homicidal Jonathan Brewster whose face had been surgically altered by Dr. Einstein. Enraged at the reaction to the changes his character snarls "They said I look like Boris Karloff." That line brought down the house every night. By all accounts he remained a kindly and genuinely humble man till the end of his days. Where are performers like that now that we need them?
MrKiplingsCakes recommends the following Karloff movies
.
Bride of Frankenstein, 1935 (featuring a superb Ernest Thesiger).
The Mask of Fu Manchu, 1932 (with Myrna Loy, yummy, yummy).
The Walking Dead, 1936 (pathos, pathos, pathos).
The Mr. Wong series (plays a detective – James Lee Wong – in five movies: add them to your Chan (Karloff appeared in Charlie Chan at The Opera btw) and Moto collections).
British Intelligence, 1940 (opposite Margaret Lindsay and her legs).
The Body Snatcher, 1945 (great ending).
Bedlam, 1946 (great ending).
chambers,
Great post!! I, too, am a big fan of Mr. Pratt, aka Mr. Karloff. Your anecdote about his role in the Broadway production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" is priceless! I appreciate your relaying it to the Big Hollywood audience.
How about Juan Williams on "Hannity" last night? He couldn't understand why conservative Republicans in Dist. 23 race were more for Hoffman, than the Republican candidate, even after presented with the facts that Scozzafava is a RINO! Just goes to show, the Libtards are mindless when it comes to politics.
I can remember growing up in a suburb of Philly and every Saturday I'd watch the Creature Double Feature with Dr. Shock on channel 17. I saw all the old horror movies as well as the Hammer movies.
The remake of the The Wolfman looks very good, everyone that's into the original monster movies should check out the trailer…
Bedlam is a favorite and most haven't seen it. I also like Tower of London (Basil Rathbone at his most evil).
Juan Williams has been sounding more intelligent lately. Not always, just more often. I think he's starting to think outside the Liberal nine-sided box. Our prayers are working folks. Pray for more wisdom.
Juan may be a lefty, but he's pretty fair. He's essentially the Left's version of O'Reilly (compare when he covers for Bill vs Laura Ingraham). He still approves of Obama, but he wants people to treat him fairly. No kid gloves. Call Barry out when he needs to be called out.
Shame more people aren't like him.
Wow!! I got a call yesterday afternoon from Chris Simcox, the man who is leading McCain in Arizona. I had sent him a few bucks a few months ago and he said that he was getting in touch with all the people who contributed.
I have never been called by a politician before.
He answered my questions and graciously listened to my opinions.
I am not giving any cash to the Republican Party only to individual conservatives who might be able to unseat RINOs.
http://www.simcoxforsenate.com
Last night in a fit of boredom I did my tribute to President Obama. Believe me it's far more time than I normally like to devote to him but hope you enjoy:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42571404@N07/4054070...
you know he's supposed to be a little light in the loafers, don't you?
working for FOX has opened his eyes- not because of their editorial content; he's a reliable liberal still.
No, it's the guilt by association thing. The Left does not tolerate any dissent, and Mr Williams is friendly with Britt Hume and (gasp!) Bill O'Reilly and others of non-approved ideologies. He tries to be fair.
And he is excoriated for it. Called an 'Uncle Tom' because if you're of color you MUST be on the left.
He was just recently told to 'go back to the porch' by another of O'Reilly's guests.
Always remember this- when it comes to hate, no one hates with the furvor of the Left…
Juan is a reliable liberal but he won't drink Kool Aid.
Want to try a little experiment? Put a dollar (don't send a check) in an envelope and send it to the Dem. National Committee WITHOUT a zip code. Do the same with a dollar to the Republican National Committee. Whatcha wanna bet the envelope addressed to the DNC is delivered by the USPS and the one addressed to the GOP comes back because it has no zip code. This is not original with me. Years ago, I read a blerb in the Wash. Times that one of the columnists had done just that and sure enough, his "donation" to the Dems was delivered but his donation to the Repubs came back for lack of a zip. He said the two headquarters were in the same zip code (then).
That's because his ears are so big he tends to take flight, like Dumbo.
Yep.
Kirsten Powers is no longer playing it down-the-line either.
Word!
Before I started kindergarten, my mother used to plop me in front of the TV for a baby sitter (she worked third shift and need some sleep), and it was Monster Movie Matinee!
Even included the House on Haunted Hill model!
I'll watch anything with Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Lionel Atwill, James Mason, or Claude Rains.
There are, they're just no longer have careers in the media.
When it comes to the left, you dance with who brung ya'. Or you're out.
Applause!
It's not about party affiliation, its not about ideology, its about what works.
Reminds me of a blogger from San Fran area of California, known only as Zombie. She (I think it's a she) has a specialty of blending into the farthest lunatic left fringe, and document their demonstrations.
She(?) once found another group of conservative counter-protesters who'd sneaked into a particularly nasty left wing protest, and she got a pic of them with a huge banner said somthing like "Communism only killed 150 million people, give it another chance."
The lefy protesters weren't even smart enough to realize it was a joke on them.
LOVE Boris Karloff ! I always enjoyed his performances, and I've heard that he was a decent man. Now, Obama and his supporting cast, are much scarier because they're NOT acting. They're real and actually believe the crap they dish out daily that will ruin our country as we know it.
NPR radio – coffee through the nose moment!
A report on a federal shield law, demanded by democrats, opposed by Obama, and it contains the line "Reporters might not be able to get tips from informants if they can't guarantee anonymity, which might harm future reports on government malfeasance."
That's not going to prevent the MSM from reporting on the President and his administration. Their lips super glued to Obama's ass is all the reason they need not to report accurately on him.
there's the ears joke again! haven't we told you he is sensitive about the 'ears' thing?
No problem with the loafers issue…
Well Boris Karloff was a very decent man, And well when he did the voice of the Grinch, he and the rest of the cast and crew though nothing much about it, Only it became one of the Great Christmas Classics. He's been gone now for some 40 years. Yet I would bet he is as popular today as he was in his hay day. Actor's like Karloff become emortal as long as the movies they made exist. The same goes for Lon Chaney Sr and Jr. Bella Lagouis, they came thru the studio system and if it were not for that, I don't think they would have made it as far as they did. I will also add Marina Ouspenskya to the list, for if anyone in that group cast a giant shadow, Its Madam Ouspenskya.
Well, after being awarded the Nobel prize (notice I did not say 'win'), his head has swelled so much, this may be the last time I can make an ear joke. His head is so big his ears almost look normal.
Boris Karloff only the Best.
"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." –Thomas Jefferson
Wasn't that in the mid 70's. I was in and out of the market, but if I remember, Doc looked like Uncle Fester with more dewlap and crazy hair.
I too read that Karloff was a humble gentleman, and he must have been hysterical in Arsenic. But my favorite is still the original Dracula. Bela's eyes still creep me out. Truly a dark and haunting flick.
That was him alright. He looked like he really needed some sleep. He was the unscariest scary guy on TV and he was terrific.
I have to go with Karloff's monster in Frankenstein. He subtly made the monster sad and sympathetic but was still un-nerving…..
that's what an undeserved Nobel Prize (when was the last one give to a politician- any of them-
deserved?) will do for you…
You people are all a bunch of racists! How dare you make fun of our Leader's ears and suggest that he didn't do anything to win the Nobel Prize. Don't you know that he's just naturally awesome, and he's got so much to be proud about? You all just want to tear America down. Racists.
Some of Abbott and Costello's moster films were made in the 50's as were some of Vincent Price's classic like "The Fly". But "A & C Meet Frankenstein" is from 1948 and the famed Universal Monster Movies are from the early 30's through the 40's. And they did scare people when they came out. They are still quite fun for their unique atmosphere.
No offense to the great Raymond Massey, but it is one of the misfortunes of film history that he, rather than Karloff, played Jonathan in the Frank Capra version of "A & OL".
yes. Dear Leader. Nobel Prize. So deserving. Yes, you betcha…
good. let theminject the herd-culling poison in THEIR veins…
The last time they gave to any one worthy I think was the Dali Lama or that female protester in Burma who's been under house arrest for like ever.
If I had my choice, I would award it to the men and women of the American armed services for their duty during World War II.
Now that was peace – after the fighting was over – and definitely worthy of a prize.
Monster Mash
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=monst...
I am not a racist. I never said his elephant like ears were black.
They just happen to be.
I'd like to throw in two other films at opposite ends of Karloff's career:
Howard Hawks' gangster classic "Scarface" (1932) as a rival to Paul Muni
Peter Bogdanovitch's "Targets" (1968) as an aging horror film star
oh, and one more, "Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff"
See, that just goes to show how you fail to understand the greatness that is Obama. Those people all had to DO something to deserve the Prize, but not Obama. See, by his mere existence as POTUS, he has transformed race relations around the world, and in the first 11 days of his presidency! He's just that awesome! He just naturally deserves such an honor; he doesn't need to do anything to receive it. Why can't you grasp the superiority of his presence?
AMC has produced and aired a remake of THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. It's awful; beyond redemption.
The original had Vincent Price and I think it was one of the great films of William Castle, the wonderful 'schlock' horror movie producer of the 50s and 60s.
This remake was just a gore fest AMC style with a bunch of 20-somethings running around the house.
Watch it if you want to see how contemporary 'sensibilities' applied my mindless hacks will screw up a simple 'evil house' premise.
The headline link to Natalie Portman nattering on about veganism led me to the thought that it seems like the more time a "star" is in the headlines, the less good acting work they're actually doing. Really, most of the roles Portman has done since "The Professional" and "Beautiful Girls" have been crap. And when was the last time Sean Penn made anything worth seeing. Did Lohan -ever- make anything worth seeing? (No.) Has Julia Roberts made a good movie? Ever?
Meanwhile there are some great actors and actresses out there, working steadily and making great films that somehow never merit the media attention that these self-absorbed "stars" somehow merit.
Anyone else out there who watched the Karloff classics first in the San Francisco Bay Area on Creature Features with Bob Wilkens?
Here's the intro to the show from YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MrQYSNYLVc&fe...
I guess that means I'm no longer a liberal.
Brave Heart "FREEDOM!"
as we said- no politician- Arafat, Gore, Obama- ever give it deserved it. Including the Peanut…
Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJZ_h6wEtsM – The trailer for the documentary which looks like fun!
plus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FQm30eQn7I – The Tingler – original trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmgAsLr2bgI – The House on Haunted Hill – original trailer
If this were 13th-century Britain, Obama would definitely be King Edward I (as I drop the pretend sanctimony). My only question is, who would be playing the part of his idiot son? There's so many possibilities…
Nicely done! Right to the point and looks great.
Isn't congress already doing that part?
Retraction – AMC didn't produce this dud from 1999.
With very few exceptions, politicians start wars. Civilians have to clean them up.
I'm not saying all politicians start wars, but rather pretty much all wars are started by politicians.
Make it a point to Bogdanovich's Targets (1968), with Karloff playing a character similar to himself – an aging horror actor who is doing a guest appaearance opening a drive-in. The film shown is the Corman (and Hellman, Coppola, Hill, and Nicholson) ultra-cheapie The Terror (1963).
Fantastic, send the RINO's home! Word games, acting tough then folding and capitulation to the Left is unacceptable.
Yes, you are correct about the years. Thanks for correcting me. I really didn't want to Google to find out the CORRECT dates(I knew some of the films were made in the 30's and 40's and into the 60's actually) of production I just wanted to comment on the photo in my own way. Next time, i will be more precise.
By the way, he(Karloff) sort of resembles Abe Vigoda, doesn't he?
I got a call yesterday from a RNC group asking for a donation to reelect 36 GOP senators.
I told the young lady "solicitress" I no longer gave to groups but only to individuals since I now
refuse to fund Rhino's. I told her to fax me the names of the Senators they want to fund
and if I approved I would send a donation. She said she was sorry I felt this way and said goodbye.
I have to assume the list of senators was not Rhino free. You did the right thing sir.
It that the one where Paris Hilton gets a 2 x 4 through the head?
(I know its not, but how often does one get the opportunity to write that line.)
Pretty Woman was a pretty good flick, though it definitely gets too much air, and its not holding all that well over time. Of course that could because it seems to be on half dozen times a year.
The only thing Lohan has ever done that's worth seeing is wearing a miniskirt.
Hey! I worked on the 1999 film! It paid my rent and the residuals tided me through some rough time! Geoffrey Rush was AWESOME. Shared a magnificent bottle of scotch with us when we wrapped, and gave me a set of Mahler cd's. Mindless hacks gotta live, too!
Talking about Karloff makes me remember the scene in "Ed Wood" when Conrad Brooks goes up to Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau) and asks for his autograph. Brooks then says, "I loved you in the 'Invisible Ray.' You were great as Karloff's sidekick." The resulting explosive expletive-laden rant from Lugosi is hysterically funny and certainly earned Landau his Oscar.
Well, yes Juan is not as bad as the libkooks. I'm just sayin' that he could not understand why real conservatives oppose, fake ones, e.g. McCain, Graham, the Newt, etc.
Okay, whree in the world does Greta Van Sustern stand? I read she is a Democrat. But she seems to be enamored with Sarah Palin and has been giving Obama's regime and the Dems in congress hell. Any thoughts?
I think Greta actually falls into the category of a real journalist. A rare commodity these days.
Most liberals don't understand the difference between a Republican Party memeber and a conservative. And they are really perplexed by conservative Democrats. Which, considering the direction the Democrat Party is rushing toward, it perplexes me too. But at least they aren't mucking up the Republican party as liberal Republicans.
don'tt know how many of you know this but TCM is having a Boris Karloff day, tomorrow, 10-30. 11 of his ovies will be shown. One of the greatest, under appreciated actors of all times. The films in which the horror took place off screen was scarier then the slop in today's drivel. The Body Snatcher still sends chills down my back and I have seen 1/2 dozen times !!!
Good point, although I was also considering Emanuel, MSNBC, the Nobel Prize committee, and the other usual suspects.
Nah, go with Barney Frank. He not only fits the bill, but think how much fun it would be to see him tossed out a window!
When you really look at it…Pretty Woman has a pretty awful subtext: prostitution involves no physical danger, is kinda fun, and, hey, you might meet a handsome millionaire!
Have you ever seen Natalie Portman in Goya's Ghost? She was very funny in it. Unfortunately, the movie was supposed to be a drama.
I would argue that Karloff isn't under-appreciated at all…he had a good career, a signature part, and he's been remembered fondly ever since. The movies where he played Frankenstein's Monster are classics that still get a lot of play. Every modern horror film maker harks back to his work, along with Cheney Jr. and Lugosi. He made some clunkers at the end, but it's a rare actor that made top shelf stuff throughout their career. The saddest thing is he probably never cashed in as much as he might have, working in a 'B" genre, and since the bulk of his work was made in the pre-residual days, he probably never reaped those dividends, either.
It's sad to think Boris Karloff never had a chance to see Young Frankenstein. I wonder what he would have thought of it.
Boris, along with Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence, Peter Lorre, Christopher Lee and to a lesser extent, Bela Lugosi still rank up there with me as the best actors in history. Watching Lee and Cushing together is pure heaven.
That is so cool, we just watched it like three times in the last 6 months.
My wife has this thing we're she focuses in on certain films and never, ever gets tired of them. I can't count the times I've been forced to watch Gone in 60 Seconds or 2Fast2Furious. This is one of them.
So, is this like a brush with greatness?
/snarc
Well, it was simple, funny scenes, she looked great, mindless entertainment. Wasn't that bad.
If you want to talk about films I really like, we can start with The Ten Commandments. I try to watch it every Easter.
Yeah, fine, but the film sucked and no one gave me cookies or shared a bottle of scotch with me.
It says there are 85 comments on this thread. Then you click on the thread to read the comments and it says there are no comments, yet.
Include Mario Bava's "Black Sabbath" in there, one of the most visually arresting, and frightening, omnibus horror films ever made. Karloff "hosts" and plays a patriarchal vampire. Must-see viewing for any Karloff/horror film fanatic.
Hah! No…just a hardworking crew grunt.
Fair enough. Scotch n' cookies improves pretty much everything.
The hamster on the treadmill that powers this site is on his break.
OK, now we got us a World Series!
I cowered out of the theater that BLACK SABBATH was playing at. I think I was ten y/o and I suspected that the goings on were going to be to intense for me. What a chickensheet.
Chances are he would not have approved of it. He did not like to see the monster debased and he was against such as in "A&C Meet F."….which was far less clownish than "YF".
William Pratt…aka Boris Karloff. Discovered by the director Jim Whale in the Universal Cafe.
Middle aged and supporting himself by small theater jobs and driving trucks..he got his
big break when Whale, intrigued by his unusual face, cast him as the Monster in you know what.
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