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Sunday, March 27, 2011

This week on... TCM (March 27 - April 2)

Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Way We Were (1973) 8:00 PM

Monday, March 28, 2011
Annie Hall (1977) 8:00 PM

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 (Jean Harlow and late night Dudley Moore)
Dinner At Eight (1933) 8:00 PM
Platinum Blonde (1931) 11:30 PM
30 Is A Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1967) 2:45 AM - 'A pianist has six weeks to achieve his dreams before he turns 30.' Yeah, good luck with that.
The Bed Sitting Room 4:15 AM - 'A pregnant woman searches for love amidst the ruins of nuclear war. Rita Tushingham, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore.' One of those rare British kitchen sink dramas that take place in their bedsits? I wonder if this one is L-shaped.

Friday, April 1, 2011
Hit The Deck (1955) 4:00 PM
Three Sailors And A Girl (1953) 6:00 PM
The Mating Game (1959) 12:15 AM

Saturday, April 2, 2011 (Morrissey favorite, Tom Courtenay .. More bedsit madness!)
The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner (1962) 8:00 PM - Adapation of Alan Sillitoe classic. Tom Courtenay plays an Angry Young Man.
Billy Liar (1963) 10:00 PM - Adaptation of a Keith Waterhouse classic. Tom Courtenay plays a mildly Mittyesque Angry Young Man. I actually preferred the movie to the book, which was a little nonsensical in parts.
The Dresser (1983) 12:00 AM
Otley (1968) 2:15 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Ken Carson, This Is Your Life!

Call it kismet! Who looks just as young and hip today as he did on March 11, 1961 when he met a certain beauty queen on the set of a television commercial? Ken Carson charmed Barbie fifty years ago last week and immediately skyrocketed to superstardom as her steady beau. Yes, Ken is officially fifty years old! Before David Bowie and Madonna made careers of revolving personae, Barbie and Ken made reinventing themselves to stay relevant of utmost importance. When they weren't accessorizing, they teamed up to take on every variety of career and recreational hobby under the sun. According to Wikipedia, Ken has held down at least forty occupations in the past fifty years, which makes him the ultimate job hopper!

While Ken was never my type, he garnered many fans over the past five decades with his highly adaptable good looks and intuitive ability to change with the times. Last week, Parade Magazine looked back in celebration of the past fifty years of Ken's life, so I thought that I would utilize their graphic in an abbreviated highlight reel of the many styles of Ken Carson! (All Ken imagery are owned by Mattel, and this graphic is courtesy of Parade Magazine)



1962's Painted Hair Ken has a California chic fuzzy crewcut. His original peach fuzz hairdo was actually made of felt! Like many beach boys with felted hair, it tended to fall off when wet. That's quite impractical for any moondoggie, so he soon had his hair plasticized. Not only did he bear a striking resemblance to Dobie Gillis, but he, too, wanted a girl to call his own. He found that girl in his fully-poseable soulmate, Barbie.

Now, this one was a sweet toy line. 1972's Mod Hair Ken was modeled after Neil Diamond, and he's coming to your playroom.... TODAY!

1978's Superstar Ken elicits a sort of mellow machismo. He's either a Steve McQueen look-a-like or maybe he's just trying to look like David Soul's (Kenneth!) 'Hutch' Hutchinson. Regardless, I'm sure he races cars and probably has a dune buggy he rides out in the desert.

Ken entered the 1980s as sensitive Dream Date Ken with the dream boat looks of a Donny Osmond.

1991 was not Ken's year. He took one look at N*Sync and transformed into Totally Hair Ken (okay, 1991 may have been closer to New Kids On The Block than N*Sync, but even the New Kids weren't as tacky as Totally Hair Ken).

In 1993, he was reintroduced as Earring Magic Ken, which became one of his more controversial styles (conservative backlash actually led to its recall from store shelves) yet a commercial success. [not pictured]

And, finally, meet Ken 2010: Quintessential Ken. What makes this the Quintessential look? I'm not sure if we're meant to think of Ryan Seacrest or, possibly, Mad Men. Either way, all I see is Victor / Victoria, and now I want to hear him sing 'You And Me' with Robert Preston!

To Mr. Carson, may your next fifty years have as much penache as the first! Which was your favorite Ken? Keep up with Ken at Keeping Ken and make sure your Ken is the Genuine Ken.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

This week on... TCM (March 20 - 25)

TCM has fairly disappointing line-up for this week, and most of the movies I'm interested in are scheduled too early or too late for viewing. I fear there won't be much movie watching going on in my house.

Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sleeper (1973) 3:45 PM - Woody Allen
Tom, Dick, And Harry (1941) 8:00 PM - A Ginger Rogers comedy co-starring Burgess Meredith among others
Broadway Melody Of 1940 (1940) 10:45 PM - Looking forward to this one! Hope it's better than '29!
Band Of Outsiders (Bande à part) (1964) 2:00 AM - I love this movie! Anna Karina lights up the screen! She's my favorite ye-ye girl (if you could really call her that)!
Breathless (À bout de souffle) (1960) 4:00 AM - I still haven't managed to see this, and 4:00 AM is a terrible time!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 (theme: Karl Malden)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) 3:45 PM - Again. And I'll watch it.. again.
Wife Vs. Secretary (1936) 8:00 PM
Hold Your Man (1933) 11:15 PM

Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Georgy Girl (1966) 7:45 AM - Again! And it's still a bad time!
Shock Corridor (1963) 1:30 PM - Always wanted to see this one
Guys And Dolls (1955) 8:00 PM - Maybe..

Thursday, March 24, 2011
On The Waterfront (1954) 8:00 PM - Definitely. Even though I watch it every week!

Friday, March 25, 2011
Doctor Zhivago (1965) 3:45 PM

Saturday, March 12, 2011

This week on... TCM

Sunday, March 13, 2011
Going Hollywood (1933) 6:00 AM - And while you sleepy heads are in the hay, I'm going to be dancing with a Sunkist baby. And I'm on my way, here's my beret.. I'm goin' Hollywood!
After The Thin Man (1936) 11:00 AM - This is the one with Jimmy Stewart and, yes, Mrs. Asta (I love how she's an actress with only one title to her name. Well, as sometimes happens, she met her husband on set, and he had enough star quality to sustain them so she became a housedog)!

Monday, March 14, 2011
Gaby (1956) 4:30 PM - A remake of Waterloo Bridge with Leslie Caron and John Kerr. I don't know...
Strangers On A Train (1951) 12:45 AM

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 (Jean Harlow)
Bombshell (1933) 9:30 PM - This one wins the blue ribbon!
Libeled Lady (1936) 11:15 PM - My favorite Jean Harlow movie with Myrna Loy, William Powell, and Spencer Tracy. Everyone loves William Powell!
Reckless (1935) 1:00 AM - This one also has William Powell (and eerie Franchot Tone).
Personal Property (1937) 2:45 AM - And this one is my second favorite Jean Harlow movie with a dapper Robert Taylor.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Bringing Up Baby (1938) 6:00 AM
Arsenic And Old Lace (1944) 8:00 AM
Follow The Fleet (1936) 2:00 PM
Manhattan (1921) 4:00 PM - 'This silent documentary captures the beauty and majesty of the New York harbor' (I think it's just a few minutes long)
On The Waterfront (1954) 5:00 PM
Italianamerican (1974) 7:00 PM - Martin Scorcese's documentary

Thursday, March 17, 2011
Rififi (1954) 9:15 PM - French jewelry heist classic
Seconds (1966) 1:15 AM - Rock Hudson movie about a mysterious organization that furnishes clients with second lives. The movie didn't adequately explain the purpose behind the organization.. or maybe I didn't understand it, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Friday, March 18, 2011 (Edward Everett Horton! and Jeanne Moreau)
Going Highbrow (1935) 3:45 PM - 'A nouveau riche couple try to break into high society.' It's a standard Guy Kibbee / Edward Everett Horton comedy!
Viva Maria! (1965) 10:00 PM - Merci beaucoup!
Jules And Jim (1962) 12:15 AM - I love Henri Serre in this. This movie makes me so mad!
The Boogens (1982) 2:00 AM - Apparently Boogens are scaly monsters that resemble giant turtles. And you can't escape from them!
Short Film: Match Your Mood (6 minutes) (1968) 5:45 AM - 'Westinghouse shows women how to improve their lives by decorating their refrigerators.' If only it were that easy!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner


With Pat Hingle as Matt Drayton, a fish as John Prentice, and a saggy-eyed dog.




Tips for Teens: Mark your territory and tell him he's yours forever with a stylish bow tie. Because once you start dressing alike, that's a bond that can never be broken!

[First llustration by Lowell Hess, second illustration by Lorraine Fox. Articles Fish Comes To Dinner and Teen Feature: Beau Ties from May 1948 issue of Woman's Home Companion]

Sunday, March 6, 2011

This week on... TCM (March 6 - 11)

Sunday, March 6, 2011
Georgy Girl (1966) 10:00 AM - Hey there, Georgy Girl!
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) 8:00 PM
The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) 10:00 PM - A spoof with Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, and Marty Feldman (or just listen to my favorite Sparks song, Sherlock Holmes)
Ginger And Fred (1986) 2:00 AM - A late Fellini film with Marcello Mastroiannni and Giulietta Masina as a pair of aging dance partners.

Monday, March 7, 2011 (TCM favorites)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) 9:30 PM
The Uninvited (1944) 12:00 AM
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967) 1:45 AM

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 (star of the month: Jean Harlow)
Red-Headed Woman (1932) 8:00 PM
Three Wise Girls (1932) 9:30 PM
Suzy (1936) 12:30 AM - Also starring a young Cary Grant
City Lights (1931) 2:15 AM - Chaplin

Thursday, March 10, 2011
Living In A Big Way (1947) 6:00 PM 'A returning GI and his war bride finally get to know each other and don't really like what they see.' Comedy starring Gene Kelly, Marie McDonald, and Charles Winninger - A comedy version of The Best Years Of Our Lives?
A Taste Of Honey (1962) 10:15 PM - Morrissey's favorite movie! Tony Richardson film starring Rita Tushingham whose name is actually less awkward than her face..

Friday, March 11, 2011
All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) 8:00 PM