tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post2723800355077698543..comments2024-03-28T18:32:38.243-04:00Comments on Poseidon's Underworld: Ready to Earn Your "Letters?"Poseidon3http://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-20231336154075409552018-06-25T08:04:21.963-04:002018-06-25T08:04:21.963-04:00Rick, thanks for all the funny, juicy commentary! ...Rick, thanks for all the funny, juicy commentary! What I adore about the old movies of the week is the 90-minute running time, which is about 72-74 minutes without commercials. PERFECT for a dip in the old days with great stars and newcomers, caught in some dramatic situation. Leslie really came into his own with "Airplane!" - he was just great as a deadpan idiot and yet so charming as Bea Arthur's husband to be during the final two-part "The Golden Girls." John stretched some in "Dynasty's" early seasons when Blake was tough, but eventually sort of ossified into a routine. Jane was indeed lovely in her older age and so sparkling anyway. I never heard that about Ida, but - two things - I saw her in "Search for Beauty" in 1934 and her hair was, literally, almost WHITE. I figure that can't be easy on a brunette... and, more surprisingly, I was on the treadmill Friday night and her episode of "Charlie's Angels" was on (!) and it was just about her last role and her close-ups were wonderful! She looked really, really good in them! Amazing that she was off the radar forever almost right after that.... She was 59. (She did look older than 59, mostly thanks to a stiff wig.) Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-91467923527999920262018-06-23T08:12:46.514-04:002018-06-23T08:12:46.514-04:00Hey Poseidon-
The Letters is on YouTube, natch!
I ...Hey Poseidon-<br />The Letters is on YouTube, natch!<br />I love the opening, where Henry Jones as the mail man equating a letter as a microcosm of life: "Did you ever stop to think what it would be like if there were no mail?"<br /><br />I laughed out loud at that one...who writes letters anymore? All I ever get are bills and junk mail! <br /><br />Here it is, Poseidon fans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkpa3sLxcrI<br /><br />Rickhttp://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/https://www.blogger.com/profile/14243899548141583461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-80860322430471094762018-06-21T23:26:03.443-04:002018-06-21T23:26:03.443-04:00Poseidon, what fun! Loved those ABC Movies of the ...Poseidon, what fun! Loved those ABC Movies of the Week in particular, not sure why. They seemed to have a house style that the other networks didn't have...<br /><br />Somehow, I missed The Letters, a lot of drama packed in less than 90 minutes!<br /><br />I always thought that both Leslie Nielsen and John Forsythe were kind of doofuses as dramatic actors, but later tolerable in comedy or light weight material. <br /><br />The star actresses who hit middle age from the mid-century on got stuck in all the matronly fashions, hair, and makeup, which made even the most youthful veteran stars look older. Dina had such great features, but that damn helmet hair of hers. I remember when Francesco Scavullo did a series of celebrity makeovers, and got both Dina and Angie Dickinson to ditch their big hair, and they looked so chic. Of course, they immediately went right back to their same old look!<br /><br />As for Stanwyck, I loved the way she aged! Barbara never troweled it on even in her heyday, and Missy let her hair go silver and avoided the caricature makeup that Lucy, Joan, and Bette later resorted to. She looks terrific in these pics, though her and Dina as sisters is right up there with Streisand and Mimi Rogers in 'The Mirror Has Two Facelifts!'<br /><br />Speaking of silver hair, I always thought Jane Powell looked lovely as an older woman with silvery blond hair, her blue eyes just popped!<br /><br />And the legend is that Ida Lupino always had to wear wigs because she lost her hair from a bout of diphtheria, like a real-life Fannie Skeffington. And sadly, Ida's later years were marred by more drinking and smoking, and her life became a mess. A shame, for such a smart, multi-talented woman.<br /><br />I need to find this film! <br />Your write ups whet my appetite!<br /><br />Cheers, Rickhttp://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/https://www.blogger.com/profile/14243899548141583461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-87600693762642909602018-06-21T18:47:29.679-04:002018-06-21T18:47:29.679-04:00Gingerguy, as you ought to know, I just wasted my ...Gingerguy, as you ought to know, I just wasted my life obsessing about pop culture things and somehow that get-up of Dr. Zira's was stuck in my brain. I cannot tell from the version of "The Letters" I watched if the coat Dina carries is the same one from EFTPOTA, but I don't believe it is. The lining is so loud it would have stood out, I think. If Dina had had her hair curled UNDER during that scene instead of flipped out, I probably would have peed... I have always had trouble seeing people older than me when they were young and believing that they were younger then than I am at present! You're so right. People just GOT older looking at a certain point and stayed in that lane until, well, death, practically! Dina, though (and Jane, too) at least kept their clothing bright and fresh in their older years and even augmented their hair to a point. Barbara kept her white, fluffy look and Ida was in an eternal wig. My first exposure to her was in "The Devil's Rain" so I was petrified of her for ages! "Food of the Gods" didn't help...<br /><br />Angelman, needless to say I agree completely. I love seeing these combinations of performers. It's one of the things I loved so much about Spelling's ensemble series and the early seasons of "Murder, She Wrote." Glad you liked this!!<br /><br />Shawn, I'm afraid I don't know how you could get a personal copy of this, but the youtube link can be found in the final word of the post itself. ;-)<br />Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-64420559665673974452018-06-21T16:24:01.514-04:002018-06-21T16:24:01.514-04:00How and where can I get a copy of this wonderful c...How and where can I get a copy of this wonderful cheesefest?Shawnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349063352632344096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-86614778272210766342018-06-21T08:37:12.595-04:002018-06-21T08:37:12.595-04:00OMG, Poseidon, my mind is blown...what a cast! My ...OMG, Poseidon, my mind is blown...what a cast! My heart beats fast when the old-time classic stars rub elbows with the newcomers in these TV epics from long long past (Lesley Ann Warren and Ben Murphy--wow!!). The only way to see them is if a passionate and obsessive movie lover uploads them to YouTube from their beloved VHS- or Beta-Max transfer!<br />Thanks for the memories as always!<br />-Chrisangelman66https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471674180789592940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-18352782198868732062018-06-20T14:05:18.827-04:002018-06-20T14:05:18.827-04:00I will not recover from Dina Merrill wearing the s...I will not recover from Dina Merrill wearing the same costume as Zira anytime soon, I actually went into a trance at my desk, how the heck did you remember that Poseidon? I think that might even beat Valley Of The Dolls and Starsky and Hutch. So wrong and yet so right!<br />I had the same cosmic trouble trying to picture Jane Powell being younger than John Forsyth, and agree it's from her being around so long. All of them look so old for their age to my eyes, Dina is only 45 here? I wonder if it's because older people look younger now ( I don't mean botox) as far as hair and makeup? Even Stanwyck as glamorous as she is in her Nolan Miller finery wouldn't have that silver hair these days. She looks fabulous though.<br />Lol on the name Penelope Parkington, so rich.<br />I know Pamela Franklin from the scary Hell House movie.<br />Ida Lupino was a rewind for me, I first saw her as a tough criminal bitch on Police Woman, years later I became acquainted with her acting and directing in classic film. Too bad this series never got made if the pilot is any indication. I will totally look out for A Taste of Evil, and The House That Would Not Die. Long live TV movies.Gingerguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17989371210392669145noreply@blogger.com