Oh man, now I’ve gone and done it. Let me just point out that I like many parts of John Ford films.

1. Henry Fonda sitting on the porch in “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.”

2. The square dances in any of his films.

3. The out of focus dolly-in on John Wayne twirling his rifle in “Stagecoach.”

4. Ward Bond glancing off-screen in “The Searchers.”

5. The storm-tossed kiss in “The Quiet Man.”

6. Etc.

But too often the sums are better than the parts.

Like: do you really love the singing interlude in “The Searchers?” Huh, huh, huh?

Okay, me shut up now, or I’ll never work in Big Hollywood again.

P.S. Did Ford ever make a western as good as “Ride the High Country?”

I don’t think so.

P.P.S. The pedophile Woody Allen whose scripts are flabbier than jello? Good grief.

Jeff

Now I know how all those Hollywood Dems felt when you came out as a Republican.

And this is how I find out? In the comments section of, of, a blog!?!?

You couldn’t come to me? You couldn’t tell me to my face?

Did I not bare my soul to you with my confession about loving Woody Allen?

And you’re …. I don’t know … wrong. No, it’s more than that. Wronger. Wrongest. Wrongingest. A wrong-tacular. A wrong-a-palooza.

I’ll keep working on it and promise to return when I figure out just how to properly define all of the wrong-osity going on here.

Bella and Sam Spewack, original language: Yiddish:-)

Sorry, I forget that most people don’t speak Yiddish.

Landsman = From the same land, i.e. brothers.

Hey, you forgot Hecht & MacArthur.

“Good grief, a landsman.” Sorry. I estimate I’ve seen about 5,000 films in my life, and read a great many books, but I don’t get the reference. Help me out.

“And the greatest screenwriter evuh is Frances Marion.” Not sure I can go with you on that one. Consider the competition: Johnathan Latimer (The Big Clock), James Goldman (The Lion In Winter), Ernest Lehman (North by Northwest, Sweet Smell of Success), Webb and Bartlett (The Big Country), and others I could name. Very tough to pick even a top ten, much less a single best.

Jeff

Look forward to reading your blog. Thanks so much.