Cinema Survey

I have felt "pre-cold" for the past couple of days (throat, nose, aches), starting last night.  So I kind of took it easy today, except for a run to the post office to send off a package to Peach and a Swap-Bot package.  I called my mother to tell her I was taking a couple of days off so as not to expose her to my germs, if they exist.  So there is nothing really to write about today (she says, judiciously avoiding any discussion of Washingon, DC), but I found this in my files that I never did and thought it might be fun to do, since it's right up my alley.

1. What is your favorite movie starring William Powell and Myrna Loy?
I have probably seen several of their movies, but the only ones that I remember are The Thin Man series, which I always enjoyed.

2. Name a screen team that appeared in only one film together but are still noteworthy for how well they complemented each other.
I loved the relationship between Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger in Shadowlands. Winger was less annoying that usual.

3. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' best film together?
I have seen all of their movies together and don't have a favorite, though the Gershwin score for Shall We Dance made that one fun to watch

4. Your favorite actor named "Robert"?
Robert Downey, Jr.  I will never forget being blown away by his performance in Chaplin.

5. An actor/actress who, when you see one of their movies, you always wish that someone else was in his/her role?
I never liked Randolph Scott.  

6. An actor/actress that someone close to you really loves that you can't stand or vice versa?
I'll go vice-versa.  Nobody shares my love for Judy Garland 

7. An actor/actress that you both agree on completely?
Walt and I both like Jacques Tati.

8. Complete this sentence: Virginia O'Brien is to Ethel Merman as...
Vera Ellen is to Rosemary Clooney

9. What is your favorite film starring Ray Milland?
Dial M for Murder ... always go for Hitchcock (though Lost Weekend was pretty good too!)

10. You had to have seen this one coming: what is your favorite movie of the 1960s?
Wow...that's a toughie.  So many, but To Kill a Mockingbird is at the top.  Also The Manchurian Candidate and The Music Man.  

11. Best movie kiss?
Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief.  Never have fireworks been more x-rated.

12. Who was your favorite of Robert Montgomery's leading ladies?
I had to go look up Robert Montgomery's filmography and discover that I don't think I've seen any of his movies, except possibly Meet Mr. Jordan.

13. You think it would have been a disaster (or, at least, not as good) if what movie starred the actor/actress who was originally asked to star in it?
Shirley Temple was originally supposed to be Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz but her studio wouldn't release her.  I think MGM lucked out on that one!

14. An actor/actress who you will watch in any or almost any movie?
Duhh.  Judy Garland, of course.  I love them all, though like the later ones better, but I have seen each more than once and A Star Is Born probably 100 times. Seriously.  As for actors, I have probably seen all of Cary Grant's movies.

15. Your favorite Leslie Howard film and role?
Intermezzo. Leslie Howard was such an odd duck.  So Ashley Wilkes...but I loved the chemistry between him and Ingrid Bergman.  (I never really did like Ashley. Too much a marshmallow.)

16. You have been asked to host a marathon of four Barbara Stanwyck films. Which ones do you choose?
Stella Dallas, Double Indemnity, Sorry Wrong Number and even The Thornbirds...That pretty much spans her entire career., 

17. What is, in your mind, the nearest to perfect comedy you have ever seen?
I am not into slapstick, so the Marx Brothers, most W.C. Fields and all the 3 Stooges (as well as more modern slapsticky type movies) don't count for me.  My very favorite comedy is The Frisco Kid with Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, near the start of his career.  Also several Mel Brooks movies, like The Twelve Chairs, To Be or Not to Be, and, of course, The Producers.

18. You will brook no criticism of what film?
The 1954 version of A Star Is Born.  However, if you want to critique the Barbra Streisand remake, feel free...I'll happily join you!

19. Who is your favorite Irish actress?
Hands down Maureen O'Hara, especially inThe Quiet Man. Oh how I loved that movie!  I wanted to dye my hair auburn, though in watching it today, there is an awful lot of spousal abuse going on.  I don't want to think about that!

20. Your favorite 1940s movie starring Ginger Rogers?
Kitty Foyle.  She was probably also good in The Barkleys of Broadway, but since she took the role when Judy Garland was fired, I can never quite like her.

21. Do you enjoy silent movies?
Some, yes.  You can't find a more emotional movie than The Kid.

22. What is your favorite Bette Davis film?
I like schlocky movies, so I would choose Dark Victory, though there are others far better.  I always liked her softer side better than her hard edged side.

23. Your favorite onscreen Hollywood couple?
Definitely Tracy and Hepburn!

24. Who is your favorite Hollywood costume designer?
Cecil Beaton. His costumes for My Fair Lady were exquisite.  But then there was Edith Head....

25. What is your favorite tough action film?
Not much for tough action films, but I still marvel at how much glass was broken in Die Hard (the original)

26. Franchot Tone: yes or no?
My mother always hated him, so I grew up not liking him.  Now she can't remember who he is or ever not liking him. . Go figure.

27. Favorite actor?
Spencer Tracy

28. Favorite actress?
Judy Garland, of course

29. Of those listed, who is the coolest: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, or Patrick Stewart?
Probably Paul Newman.  He was not only a good actor, but his charitable works push him into the "cool" category.

30. What is your favorite movie from each of these genres:
Comedy: The Frisco Kid / The Fatal Glass of Beer
Swashbuckler: The Princess Bride
Film noir: The Third Man
Musical: A Star is Born (Garland, of course)
Holiday: Miracle on 34th Street (the original, with Maureen O'Hara and Margaret O'Brien)
Hitchcock: North by Northwest and Vertigo