1. THE FLOORWALKER-1916
I saw this quite a few years ago and laughed my head off. It shows how acrobatic Chaplin was. This was the first movie to show an escalator to hilarious effect. It's only 30 min. Long so you can go to YouTube and watch it if you want. The basic plot is Chaplin walks into the store creating havoc. Meanwhile the manager and the floorwalker wish to rob the place. They get thwarted by you know who, but they try to make Chaplin look guilty by asking him to be the floorwalker. This is very funny, to me that is.
2. THE BIG STORE-1941
This is a Marx Bros movie so if you are not a fan, don't watch it, but I love this flick even though this is not one of their best. This was supposed to be their last picture but they made 2 more because Chico needed the money( he loved to gamble). Margaret Dumont ( her last pairing with these nuts) is a Department store owner and her son has no interest in the store. Someone wants to kill him because he wants the store for himself...the dreaded manager. What is the aristocratic gal to do but hire these 3 nuttbars to find out who tried to kill her son. Antics ensue all over the store especially on the mattress dept. I love that Harpo plays the harp twice. It's funny and a great way to sit back and forget the troubles.
3. WHO'S MINDING THE STORE-1963
Jerry Lewis...playing, what else, a moron, who, inexplicably, has a beautiful girlfriend who loves him. ( she must be French). He plays a dog walker and is trying to save up enough money to marry his lady love. The mother in law can't stand the twit so, to make him quit and leave she hires him to work at her department store. You see, his gal is filthy rich and she has not told him. He is set up with horrible tasks to do at the stores, with funny results. It seems nothing can break the determination of this idiot. It is quite funny and one I enjoy watching with Lewis in it.
Which movies would you pick?
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteHow's my new BFF Harley today? Please scratch his belly for me.
Those action sequences in The Floorwalker make me cringe, because I am reminded how many people have been injured on escalators over the years. FYI - it is ill-advised to get on an escalator wearing a wedding dress with a train. I tried it once and it didn't go well. One needs to watch that Floorwalker scene a few times and in slow motion to appreciate Chaplin's daring and dexterity.
The Big Store looks like a hoot. I didn't like The Marx Brothers as much as Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello or Martin & Lewis, but I watched a few of their films. I don't remember seeing this one. I love how the brothers bolt and scurry across the stage in unison.
I saw most Martin & Lewis films and most Jerry Lewis solo movies. Who's Minding the Store? featured "it girl" Jill St. John, and you could always count on character actress Kathleen Freeman turning up in his films. Jerry Lewis was a brilliant comic. I liked his politics and his philanthropy, but he was an unfaithful husband and had a dark side that ran him afoul of the law on occasion.
Yessum, if we are allowed to name movies that take place in department stores rather than malls, I would select the romantic comedy Mannequin (1987) starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall. Two of my favorite fright flicks with an actual mall as the setting include Dawn of the Dead (1978) the second film in George A. Romero's classic zombie trilogy, and the 1986 sci-fi - horror - slasher film Chopping Mall.
Enjoy the rest of your week and have a safe and happy weekend, dear friend BB!
Harley is splendid and gets many belly rubs. Now he must be trained not to chase our poor pussy cats.
DeleteYes, I had a misshapen when my one high heeled shoe go stuck and torn up by the escalator. I also went on one tgat started to speed up. I thought ivwas going to ve flung in the air like a trapeze artist. They shut it right down. Chaplin make s it look so easy but it's anything but that.
My dad loved Laurel & Hardy I love all of these including the 3 stooges. I always loved The Marx Bros. But, I think, you either love them or drop them. This is funny and just live they deal with everything in the store.
I Crack up at that scene with Lewis and the famous typewriter song. You are right about him. He had 2 faces, one tgat helped do many people and made upu laugh snf the other so dark and menacing you wouldn't wMt yo know jom
Haven't seen your picks (unless I saw the Lewis movie years ago and forgot). I've seen a number of films that have taken place in department stores as well as malls. Let me think a moment...
ReplyDeleteThe first ones that came immediately to mind were the 2004 & 1978 versions of Dawn of the Dead. Some extreme gore that you have to deal with, but good action and humorous commentary on modern life and malls. I especially liked the original.
Then, recently I saw Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure for the first time. Not only did I greatly enjoy it, but my wife liked it a lot as well (which I didn't expect). There is a very funny mall sequence in that film.
I like this topic. Many I could probably come up with if I thought long enough.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I'm glad you enjoyed this unique theme. Yes, the zombie movies will be big this yr. I forgot about Bill & Ted but tgat is a great pick. I bet that the dead movies and Bill & Ted movies will be popular
DeleteHaven't seen any of these. I can envision scenes in a mall, but am clueless as to what movies they were.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a while to think of some and they are department stores but I think it still fits.
DeleteFun choices Birgit!
ReplyDeleteI've seen many Chaplin shorts but not this one. I'll have to correct that especially since it's readily available. I don't always love him but he was incredibly inventive.
I'm lukewarm on the Marx Brothers as well, that is I enjoy them for brief periods but usually by the end of their films I'm more than ready for the credits to roll. They're up to their usual hijinks in this supported by a good cast.
Again I'm in and out of Jerry Lewis. With him it depends on my mood and just how big a moron he's playing in that particular film. That said I do like this one a bit more than most since it has such a fantabulous supporting cast. Agnes Moorehead alone is worth sitting through it but its bench is pretty deep with Ray Walston, John McGiver, Jill St. John and a bunch of other quality character actors.
This is a toughie! I'm a bit shamefaced to say the only immediate title that came to mind was the horror movie "Chopping Mall"! Not my usual type of flick but TCM ran it during their late night Drive-In theatre feature and I figured since the opportunity was there I'd give it a shot. It was bad but not as flat out dreadful as I had expected. Still I'd never recommend it.
As I was typing this I recalled Scenes from a Mall with Woody Allen and Bette Midler but it was pretty disappointing, a shame since I love Bette.
Other than that there's the great scene in "Soapdish" when Whoopi Goldberg takes Sally Field's soap opera queen to be adored at the mall when she needs a boost. LOVE that movie!
You actually watched Chopping Mall? Hahaaaa. I know you don't love the Marx Bros as much as some others. I can take some amounts of Jerry Lewis but I can't stand his classic " The Nutty Professor". I just see him being a narcissist.
DeleteI love Soapdish and forgot about that scene. It's such a funny movie. I haven't seen the Woody Allen film because I have to ve in the mood to see him.
Wow. Classic comedians here.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a great day and no aches and pains.
They are classic. Last 2 days were not nice but, today, better
DeleteI haven't seen any of these. One movie I remember that took place partly in a mall is Fast Times At Ridgemont High. Do people even go to malls now? I haven't been in one in years.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I have not seen Fast Times but that is a good pick. I do go to malls...not a lot but I do go. I like to support the small business owner so I go to stores off the beaten path
DeleteI haven't seen any of your picks this week!
ReplyDeleteYes, they are oldies
DeleteAs long as you've thrown in a couple of films featuring department stores instead of malls, how about "The Devil and Miss Jones," with Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn? Coburn plays the owner of a department store who goes undercover to find out why the employees are unhappy and threatening to start a union, and finds himself involved with the agitators and actually sympathizes with them.
ReplyDeleteAnd you have to consider "Miracle on 34th Street"...
Oh yes...great choice with Miss. Jones. Yes, I could have gone all Christmas with the great 34th Street, Home Alone 2 and Elf but I want Ed non Christmas theme
DeleteI do love Who's Minding the Store? Agnes Moorhead! There are a couple teen movies from the '80s I can think of, but I can't think of titles, and after my computer froze today for two hours, I only have a bit of time to catch up on blogs. That is to say, I'm not going to look them up. I'm sure others thought of them.
ReplyDeleteMy internet went down yesterday when speaking to a client through zoom. I bet there are 80s movies that take place in a Mall but, I too, can't recall their title.
DeleteHi Birgit - can't add to these, or think of new ones to add ... I remember belly laughing to Charlie Chaplin back in the day - thanks for that first clip - brilliant - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteChaplin was so skilled and made it look so easy. This is all before anything computer generated
DeleteBIRGIT ~
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the fairly rare times when I had not seen any of your three cherces.
The only one that came to my mind was the same one that came to John's mind -- 'THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES' -- which is a great movie, even if it's technically about a department store and not an entire mall.
~ D-FensDogG
I've never even heard of any of these, but I loved the Charlie Chaplin bit on the escalator. I remember the first time I was on one, I think I got vertigo. My friend laughed at me and asked if I had ever been on one before and I admitted I had NOT. They scare the bejesus out of me.
ReplyDeleteWell, I've managed to miss all three.Sigh. Good luck with your procedure. So much fun. Ack Sandra: sandracox.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI like the Goldfinger song too.
ReplyDeleteHope you are doing well.
Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Whoops. That should have been I post up.
ReplyDeleteSandra