Here we are with a difficult letter..Q but I think I got it and could still tie it in with my weekly talk at Thursday Movie Picks.
DIRECTOR: Edward Bernds
STARS: Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, Laurie Mitchell
OSCAR NOMS: Hahahaaaaa
OSCAR WINS: Maybe in Zsa Zsa's mind
PLOT: Male astronauts land on Venus which is inhabited by beautiful women and ruled by an evil queen. There are no men and the young, lusty ladies miss them.
LOVE: I saw this when I was little and remember Zsa Zsa and the Queen's face revealed
TRIVIA: Who knew that famous writer, Ben Hecht, wrote the story to this film and Charles Beaumont (Many Twilight Zone episodes) wrote the screenplay. All the leggy young gals on this show were much younger than Zsa Zsa which made Zsa Zsa very, very unhappy. In typical diva style, she created such mayhem on the set that the producer ended up in the hospital with an ulcer.
QUEEN ILLANA(CHARACTER PLAYED BY LAURIE MITCHELL-July 14, 1928)
OSCAR NOMS: She would have laser beamed all the actresses to win
OSCAR WINS: Only if there were no other actress left alive.
ANECDOTE: The poor queen had it in for the men whom she blamed for her having to wear a mask. As any writer knows, the characters must keep you entertained. Ms. Mitchell, who is still alive, worked on many films and TV shows and, later in life, appeared at conventions.
2. THE LADY VANISHES-1938
This is a great early Hitchcock film (well..kinda early:)) with a brunette instead of a blonde playing the lead. This young lady is on a train and meets a kindly old lady in the cabin she shares with her and some other characters. When she wakes, she notices the old lady has vanished and wonders what has happened. She is aided by a dashing young man (played by Michael Redgrave) since no one else seems to believe her. It has great suspense and some fun acting especially by 2 gentlemen who ended up being in many other films together. This was a British film so the censors were not as horrible as The Hays Office which is why you get to see those 2 gentlemen in bed together.....
3. BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING-1965
This film freaked me out when I watched it quite a few years ago. A young mother, with her daughter, travel to London to stay with her brother. She drops her daughter off at school and when she goes to pick her up later, she is told that no child came to class. The young mom contacts the police but, again, she is not believed and we are even left wondering if she is speaking the truth yet, you know she is. It is darkly realistic and every parent's nightmare and leaves you at the seat of your pants. Jane Fonda wanted this role but Otto Preminger wanted Carol Lynley who, I think, gives a great performance and fits the role better than the forceful Fonda.
Hi Birgit - I haven't heard of any of these ... even the Hitchcock film - though the actors I've seen and know about ... I really should try and see more ... I expect I'll catch up - we have some good cinema ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeletehttp://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/q-is-for-quirky-quizzy-facts-and-quaggas.html
Well I never heard of that Zsa Zsa film, but I have seen the other two. I love Dame May Whitty, what a classy character actress. And what girl did not want to have Carol Lynley's long hair in the 60's?
ReplyDeleteHilary- This is a good Hitchcock film...hope you see it.
DeleteDenise-It was Dame Judith Anderson as Ms. Danvers and can't remember is Dame May was in this. Carol Lynley was all the rage
Oh gosh Denise...I was in Rebecca mode...good grief!!! Yes..the Lady Vanishes has, of course, Dame May and she is excellent...head smack!
DeleteHello, darlink! :)
ReplyDeleteFor me this is the most exciting A To Z day of all because I knew in advance that you were screening one of my favorite movies and one that I have seen a dozen times, Queen of Outer Space, winner of 50 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Supporting Role (for Venusian girl #3's halter top). Yessum, I can picture Zsa Zsa Gabor with her talons extended creating chaos on the set for having to work with younger beauties. Those poor young wannabe actresses! Had she been born a few decades later, there's a good chance Zsa Zsa would have wound up Mrs. Donald Trump and entertaining guests in the White House Rose Garden. :)
Yessum, Queen of Outer Space is set in the distant future: 1985. :) As we discussed yesterday, you have posted back-to-back films in which there is a dramatic unmasking that reveals a disfigured face. I laugh every time I watch that scene in which Capt. Patterson insists on having a look at the queen's face. His expression after ripping off her mask is priceless, as if he just accidentally swallowed a dead mouse. :) If only he could have collected himself and masked his own emotions, he could have spared himself and his male crew a lot of aggravation by smiling and singing, "Baby face... You've got the cutest little baby face..." Instead, his look of disgust betrays him. The queen flies into a rage and shouts something like "Off with their heads!"
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cc/dd/c3/ccddc38cb63e051afd2922c2c17d1e14.jpg
I see that Laurie Mitchell appeared in two of my other favorite horror and sci-fi movies: Attack of the Puppet People and Missile To the Moon.
A few years ago I binge watched Hitchcock films and saw The Lady Vanishes for the first time. I also saw the Bunny Lake movie at the campus theater my first year at Penn State. I can't imagine Jane Fonda in that role either. Carol Lynley was an "it girl" from the late 50s through late 60s and I enjoyed her movies and TV appearances.
Thank you very much for a fun post, dear friend BB!
Playing catch up. I knew you would like this post. Yes Zsa Zsa would have been Ms. Trump and she would have had her own reality series.
Delete:)
DeleteBirgit,
ReplyDeleteI believe you shared "Queen of Outer Space" before, haven't you? Zsa Zsa was beautiful in her day. It's easy to see why women wanted to be her and men wanted to be with her. :) Your other two flicks are new-to-me but the Alfred Hitchcock noir looks like a good suit for my viewing pleasure. I hope to find it on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Thanks for sharing!
Today’s Art Sketching Through the Alphabet illustration is of the Evil QUEEN from a classic children’s fairy tale.
~Curious as a Cathy
I could see why Zsa Zsa would have been upset. Nowadays I think men appreciate older women far more than they did back in the day. I'd rather be in bed with Charlize Theron than some eighteen year old that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen your picks but Bunny Lake Is Missing is one that I've always meant to see. I'll have to put that on my Blind Spot list next year.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen 'Queen of Outer Space' but can imagine the ruckus that Zsa Zsa stirred up. ☺ The other two were excellent movies and I enjoyed them both. Hurray for British censors! Much less uptight than American ones.
ReplyDeleteCathy- hope you get to see the Hitchcock film
DeleteAdam- you bad boy you...:)
BRittani- this is an excellent little known gem
Debbie- Zsa Zsa was all diva
I've seen Bunny Blake but not the other one. An interesting movie sure to scare parents to death.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these. I really need to check out the Hitchcock flick.
ReplyDeleteObviously, I've never seen any of these, but I can imagine how unruly Zsa Zsa must have been. I've seen her on late night TV and she is never nice. Laughed at the number of wins in her mind.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Bunny Blake, but it reminds me of a movie I saw a few years ago on TV about a similar incident in an airplane about a mother and daughter on their way home to America from Germany. If memory serves, Jodie Foster was the mother and the movie was called Flight Plan.
I'm sure Zsa Zsa believe she won.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me. I have to run out and see Queen of Outer Space immediately.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these. I like Hitch though, so maybe I'll get to that one eventually.
ReplyDeleteGone Girl
Changeling
Zero Dark Thirty
Stephen-it is scary especially when no one believes you
DeleteSonia- I hope you can check it out
Bluebeard- Zsa Zsa was all diva. I have to see the Jodie Foster film still
Alex- she always thought she won something
C. D.- oh please go see it...it's a hoot!
Elliptical-all your choices are great
Hi Birgit ....well I remember the one with Zsa Zsa in ...but the other 2 are ones to add to my list......having a lazy day watching "lady in the van"...what a great film with Maggie Smith, got me in tears....xxxxx
ReplyDeleteOne has to be really a pain in the butt to cause an ulcer haha Sliders ripped off the first movie big time.
ReplyDeleteDutchess-that film is a good one especially that it's true
DeletePat- Zsa Zsa could cause more than just an ulcer
Brilliant choices!!!
ReplyDeleteQueen of Outer Space is all kinds of kitschy goodness. Zsa Zsa manages to dominate despite not playing the lead with her unique kind of star power. It's preposterous but preposterous fun.
The Lady Vanishes isn't one of my favorite Hitchcock's but it is a good one. I've always had a soft spot for both Margaret Lockwood and Dame May Whitty in particular but the whole cast is excellent. I came to appreciate this much more once I saw the horrendous misfire of a remake with Cybill Shepard and Elliott Gould where only Angela Lansbury emerged with her dignity intact.
I was surprised by how much I liked Bunny Lake is Missing since I'm usually allergic to Carol Lynley and her wan simpering. However in this case I agree with you that she is better suited to the role than Jane Fonda would have been, even at this point in her career Jane had an underlying strong energy even when playing a fluffy sexpot or in this case a distressed mother. Aside from Lynley this has a just right Olivier as investigator. You've made me want to revisit this soon.
The choices this week are more slender than the last few but I still was able to find three I like. My first is one of my all time favs.
Missing (1982)-A young American couple Charlie and Beth Horman (John Shea & Sissy Spacek) are living in Chile while he works as a freelance writer observing the political situation. Suddenly they are caught in a coup and when Beth returns home one day their house is ransacked and Charlie is missing. When word reaches the States his disapproving father Ed (Jack Lemmon) arrives looking for answers. Despite assurances by the authorities that everything is being done an unbelieving Beth and increasingly doubtful Ed begin their own search, as they come to understand each other at last Ed’s eyes are opened to facts that go against everything he believes in. Riveting fact based drama directed by Costa-Gravas earned four Oscar nominations-Best Actor & Actress for Lemmon and Spacek as well as a Best Adaptation and a Best Picture nod.
Without a Trace (1983)-Susan Selky (Kate Nelligan) helps her six year old son Alex get ready and watches him set off on the three block walk to school in their affluent New York City neighborhood but he never makes it. When he doesn’t return home at the appointed hour she slowly comes to the realization that something is terribly wrong and contacts the police. Both she and her husband (David Dukes) are immediately suspected, when it becomes clear they aren’t involved the police follow other leads but the case soon turns cold. For everyone that is but Susan who becomes so determined in her pursuit she pushes almost everyone including her husband and good friend (Stockard Channing) away. However with the assistance of one detective who also won’t give up (Judd Hirsch) she presses on determined to have some resolution whatever that may be. Exceptionally well-acted but a tough watch.
The Seventh Victim (1943)-Mary Gibson (Kim Hunter) arrives in New York City intent on locating her sister Jacqueline who has disappeared. As she starts searching she meets resistance from all quarters including her sister’s husband. As she delves deeper into the mystery she discovers a connection to devil worship and begins to fear for her own safety. Low budget noir produced by Val Lewton has a nice sense of dread and looks at a provocative subject for a forties film. This was future Oscar winner Hunter’s screen debut.
Birgit, in a felicitous bit of kismet I stopped at a blog I read frequently "Poseidon's Underworld" and found a brand new overview of Queen of Outer Space that is a highly enjoyable read and thought you would enjoy it. :-)
Deletehttp://neptsdepths.blogspot.com/2017/04/queen-for-day.html
Glad you like my choices! I know what you mean about Carol Lynley but she is better here than in most of her pics. I have not seen any of your films but have wanted to see Missing especially. I will be checking out this blog post...sounds like it will be a fun read
DeleteBunny Lake...would have a very different take today...
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, Queen of Outer Space was on TCM the other day. I didn't watch the whole thing. (TCM is my background channel--the channel that the TV is always on. I only have live TV on between DVRed shows.) I only saw bits of it between other things. Weird.
I watched Queen of Outer Space as a child and didn't realize how cheesy it was.
ReplyDeleteThat last one sounds quite scary, especially from a parent's point of view.
ReplyDeleteCait @ Click's Clan
I'm going to look for Queen of Outer Space. Sounds campy. Loved The Lady Vanishes. Anything by Hitchcock is good to watch.
ReplyDeleteDon't know any of those movies - not even the Hitchcock one.
ReplyDeleteReally fascinating. Gabor was quite something. Surprising that a star of a 1928 movie is still alive. I am watching The Feud between Betty Davis and Joan Crawford. Lots of actresses didn't like each other.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen any of it, but, you know, I love visiting your blog and Ted's. I learn a lot about classic cinemas. So great!
ReplyDeleteLiz-I'd love to have TCM
DeleteSilver Fox- oh, it's so cheesy..I love it
Click-it is scary...to me anywa
Sue- it's campy!
Jo- I'm surprised you don't know this Hitchcock film
Mary- Laurie was born in 1928....the film was made in. 1958
Sinekdots- classics are great
The writers must've had a lot of fun coming up with the Queen of Outer Space. hahahaha. I've come across both this movie and The Lady Vanishes while channel surfing. Zsa Zsa didn't hold me but I kept coming back to The Lady Vanishes. Now I know that title so I can look for the movie. Been enjoying your A to Z posts, Birgit. Maybe next year I'll join in again.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have not seen any of your movies choices, I would enjoy the Alfred Hitchcock movie for its theme and for his directing.
ReplyDeleteI don't know all of these, thanks for padding my watch list this week!
ReplyDeleteUm....I am considering going to the planey Venus you mentioned in the first film. Those two Gentleman (whose names escapes me) are amazing, made me laugh in all the films I've seen them star in.
ReplyDeleteInteresting films
ReplyDeleteCan't say that I've seen that "Queen" movie. Probably have at some time in my life. I believe it was on TV not too long ago, but I didn't watch it or record it for later.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Susie- I would see the Hitchcock film for sure
ReplyDeleteGail-it's a great early Hitchcock
Watching movies-you see sooo many so I'm glad to add to your list
Myerla-hope you have a good time watching
Mike- they are!
Arlee- not sure if you like campy films but, if you do, this is a fun one
The Z Gabor film reminds me of an early Star Trek episode. I wonder if it was based on this film.
ReplyDelete"Female Scientists Before Our Time"
Shells–Tales–Sails