This is a heavy week for movies because it's all about the double feature so I'm not going to blah blah even though I enrapture you, often, with my literary style....hahahahaaa. Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to see what double features the others have chosen. Here are my double features that you may want to see in the drive in.
1. LOVE AFFAIR- 1939
This is actually the first film of what I call a trilogy with the last one being Sleepless In Seattle. It is Romance time and this is all about Irene Dunne meeting, bedroom Eyes, Charles Boyer on a ship and fall in love. They decide to meet on top of the Empire State Building but, on her way there, you guessed it, she meets with an accident and can't get to her destination. Does it end there? Oh please! It is a true romantic film and a very nice watch.
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER-1957
This is the more famous remake and one that makes a brief appearance in Sleepless in Seattle. This time the film stars Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr as the 2 romantic leads who meet on a ship and fall in love. The first part is almost comedic but then takes a more dramatic turn when things go splat. I have to say I actually prefer this one to the original.
2. THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN-1957
I have to go with the cheesy 1950's horror flicks because there are so many. I decided to go with this double feature. This is about a man who ends up growing larger and larger due to a plutonium blast that makes him grow but, unfortunately, not enough blood goes to his brain and he goes nuts (sounds like some of my clients). What is the military to do but take him on at Boulder Dam.
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN-1958
These films are so bad that they are great and I have spoken about this one before. A rich, spoiled woman whose husband wants her dead so he can have her money, leaves and meets up with a man from outer space who looks like the Genie from Mr. Clean. Somehow the radiation from the space ship makes the gal grow until she is one angry 50ft mean machine. She ends up creating havoc in the small town, taking her dumbass husband and getting electrocuted by the wires...dems da breaks!
3. TIME AFTER TIME-1979
I love this film which was used as inspiration for a recently defunct tv show. Malcolm McDowell plays H.G. Wells who talks to his friends about a time machine he has created. Unbeknownst to him, one of his friends is Jack the Ripper played by the under-rated David Warner, who steals his machine and ends up going to present day. Wells follows him to the present day to stop him and he, Wells not Jack, ends up meeting the love of his life. It's suspenseful, romantic and well acted.
SOMEWHERE IN TIME-1980
Utterly romantic which stars Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour about a young actor who is approached by an old lady who gives him a watch asking him to come back to her. He can't get her out of his head and reads up about her and finds out she was an actress in the early 1900's and he starts falling for her. He reads about time travel and finds a way to go back into time to meet her. It is so romantic and one that just cemented my big crush on Reeve. Seymour never looked more beautiful and the theme music used throughout the film is lovely.
What double feature would you pick?
Sabrina? And I much prefer the original. I saw a special on Mackinaw Island and Jane Seymour was interviewed. Made me long to go back and stay at the Grand Hotel again. Maybe next year.
ReplyDeleteThat would be cool to go to that hotel actually. I've never been there. Sabrina works:)
DeleteThe middle two definitely go together.
ReplyDeleteWe went to the drive-in a lot when I was a kid, but all I can remember is that the pairings were never evenly matched. They'd put a PG and R film together that weren't even the same genre.
You are so right! I recall my dad wanting to see Tidal Wave which was a Japanese film starring...Lorne Greene! That film sucked but the film beforehand left an impression on me and was about the. 100 years War and the Crusades. It starred Omar Sharif and Michael Caine and is an excellent film.
DeleteI'm useless and haven't seen any of these. I didn't realize Timeless was based off of a movie, so at least I learned something new. (That is the show you're referring to, right?)
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not timeless but the show was actually called Time after Time and maybe it ran a very, very short time...pardon all the times I say time.
DeleteThey all sure fit together. I've seen many that were lopsided. Those cheesy ones one really needs to turn their brain off for haha
ReplyDeleteOh yes, those 50's flicks must be with the brains turned on the off position
DeleteI haven't' seen any of these but they seem like good fits.
ReplyDeleteHope you will see some of these one day
Delete6 more films to add to my list to see.....getting ready for those dark winter nights when we watch a film each night.....xxxx
ReplyDeleteAhahaaaaa-yes, they are for a stormy day or winter
DeleteI don't think I've seen any of those
ReplyDeleteMaybe one day....
DeleteAn Affair to Remember is a favourite. Don't think I ever saw the original, though and definitely haven't seen the 'cheesy' ones in the middle, although I've heard of them. Time After Time looks interesting! Must check that out. Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour were great together in Somewhere in Time. How about A Guy Named Joe from 1943 and Always from 1989? Both good!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I think you would like Time after time. You know, I haven't seen either of your choices and they are excellent!
DeleteNever saw Love Affair, and I've only seen part of An Affair to Remember. I mean to see it in its entirety one day.
ReplyDeleteI saw The Amazing Colossal Man and its sequel, War of the Colossal Beast, on TV when I was a kid in the '60s. Lots of fun.
I enjoyed both Time After Time and Somewhere in Time, but I'd have to say Time After Time was much more gripping.
Hope you can see the first 2 one day. I have only seen the first Colossal Man...I think. Time After Time is more thrilling for sure. Somewhere in Time is all romance which is usually not my think but I just love this film
DeleteDid you ever see the Lindsey Wagner time travel romance? I can't remember the name of it:(
ReplyDeleteIt's my favorite time travel ever and it just disappeared. I think it was a made for TV movie. I don't think it hit the theaters.
The Lindsay Wagner film was 1979's The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan.
DeleteI love this movie! It's such a good TV movie and I really want this on DVD. It also co-starred Linda Gray also
DeleteYou forgot the Annette Benning remake of Love Story. But when I think of An Affair to Remember, I now think of Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr's other pairing: The Grass is Greener. Have you seen that one?
ReplyDeleteOh, and Time After Time... One of my favorite childhood movies. I was obsessed with that movie when I was 10, 11, 12 ish. (I should list my favorite childhood movies sometime. Although, I probably shouldn't admit to most of them. You'd wonder where my parents were, I think.)
Oh goodness, I forgot there was yet another remake which I haven't seen. I have to look it up. You may wonder where my parents were with lol the movies I saw
DeleteI especially love your last pairing, which is kind of counter-intuitive - other than the time travel angle, these films seemingly have very little in common. But I imagine they would make a very interesting pairing.
ReplyDeleteThere is the time travel and the romance. I thought it worked
DeleteI've seen Attack of the 50-foot Woman and Time After Time. However, it's been so long for both that I probably need to watch them again.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to watch these again
DeleteAttack of the Fifty Foot Woman terrified me as a kid.
ReplyDeleteHahahaaaaahahahaaa
DeleteLove Affair is okay, I always like Boyer-Irene Dunne I'm more variable on but while I don't think it's the be all and end all of romantic films as some do I have to say I also prefer the Grant/Kerr version-except that kids chorus. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteThose two 50's "horrors" are just that but not in the way intended. But they are good fun now in their goofy cheesiness.
I used Time After Time before, can't remember which theme, it's an odd mix of sweet romance and serial killer pursuit but thanks to the skill of director and cast it works. I LOVE Somewhere in Time!!! SO romantic, Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour work so well together and the Rachmaninoff music that underscores the film is beautiful. I'm pretty sure I used it before as well. A friend of mine was so taken with the setting that she went on her honeymoon there.
Oh gosh...I remember that segment with the kids...blechhhh. Those 50's flicks can be so hilarious.....I love her huge feet while the dr is checking her out and she is supposed to be still laying on the bed in that room! It does work so well with the romance and serial killer thing plus I like the fact that Steenbergen and McDowall met and fell in love while filming this movie. Yes, that musical piece just makes the film all the more heart wrenching especially when he sees the penny
DeleteOops, I forgot to include my choices! Well it had to happen...we don't match this week!!! However one of our pairings looks at the same genre.
ReplyDeleteFilmmaker Double Feature
Bride of Frankenstein (1931) Scientist Victor Frankenstein having survived the assault of the original film is forced by the evil Dr. Pretorius to assemble a mate for his monster. Using an electrical storm to bring the creature to life (an iconic looking Elsa Lanchester) he starts a chain of events that lead to much tragedy when it turns out the bride isn’t having any of the monster. Quintessential horror film that with the first set a prototype for many years and started a trend that made its studio, Universal a mint churning out pale imitations of other creature features.
Paired with:
Gods and Monsters (1998)-James Whale (Ian McKellan), esteemed director of Frankenstein and many others, is living a wealthy genteel retirement in California tended to by his faithful housekeeper Hanna (Lynn Redgrave). Lonely and unbeknownst to most ill with a condition that causes a slow diminishment of his faculties he strikes up a friendship with his handsome gardener, ex-Marine Clay Boone (Brendan Fraser). As they share stories Whale recalls making The Bride of Frankenstein among other things as his thoughts scattered and re-form. Deliberately paced but with brilliant acting, both McKellan and Redgrave were Oscar nominated.
War Double Feature
So Proudly We Hail (1943)-In December 1941 a group of Army nurses lead by Lt. Janet “Davey” Davidson (Claudette Colbert) and including Lts. Joan O’Doul (Paulette Goddard) and Olivia D’Arcy (Veronica Lake) are headed to Hawaii for their tour of duty but plans change radically when Pearl Harbor is bombed and they are diverted to the battle sieged island of Bataan. Once there they are confronted almost hourly with bombardments, attacks and masses of wounded calling for enormous sacrifice and resolve. Strong drama headed by three great stars with Veronica being a standout as a bitter woman hell-bent on revenge.
Paired with:
Bataan (1943)-Looking at the male side of the same battle. The Japanese have just invaded the Philippines and the US Army in hopes of holding them back assigns a group of 13 under the direction of Sgt. Bill Dane (Robert Taylor) to destroy a key bridge and prevent its rebuilding. Tense and grim with an excellent cast including Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker and Desi Arnaz.
Drive-In Double Feature
The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)-A group of scientists on an expedition for fossils in the Amazon stumble upon the previously unknown Creature from the Black Lagoon on their journey. Not having the sense to leave well enough alone they capture the mysterious gill man but he breaks free returning later to take the beautiful Kay (Julie Adams) for his own. The surprisingly hunky and scantily clad remaining scientists (Richards Denning & Richard Carlson) take off in pursuit. A mix of suspense and hilarity ensues.
Paired with:
The Thing from Another World (1951)-Stationed in the Arctic a team of scientists along with a crew from the US Air Force find a crashed spacecraft in the ice as well as the frozen body of the presumed pilot. Again not having the sense to leave well enough alone they extract the body from the ice and then pay a heavy price when it thaws out and becomes THE THING!! Though he’s unrecognizable under the makeup the Thing is played by James Arness before his decades long career on TV’s Gunsmoke.
I wondered if we would pair at ll this week but it seemed nobody did! I love your match up and some I have not seen! I love your first match up because it's so brilliant! The Bride is excellent and one of the few follow ups to the first film that is actually better although I still love the first film. I also love Gods and Monsters and thought Brendan Fraser gave a great performance as well. The second set are the two films I have not seen but really want to and know about them. The creature is a better B movie than expected because you actually feel bad for the creature just like Marilyn says in the 7 year itch. Poor James Srness as a giant carrot:) another film that is better than the norm due to the directing of Raoul Walsh.
DeleteBeing a fan of Star Trek, I know some people who gave proper respect to David Warner. But it still would've been nice to see him find more of it.
ReplyDeleteYou are right because he was in 2 films from ST. The Omen is the other famous film he was in that people know about him.
DeleteHi Birgit - gosh I love reading these ... but I'd choose the last two - they sound fun ... but I'm sure when a film comes up now - I'll be back here to check in and see if you've written up about it .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteOh I hope you get to see the last 2 because they each involve time travel and romance albeit the second film is all about romance whereas time after time has some humour but also thriller tactics. Is there a certain film you were looking for me to write up about??
DeleteI've seen Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle, but didn't know about the first part of the "trilogy". Interesting!
ReplyDeleteYup! The first one was a big hit and every woman was ga ga over Boyer
DeleteI see they remade My Cousin Rachel. Are they running out of ideas in Hollywood?
ReplyDeleteThey ran out of ideas quite a long time ago
DeleteI need to see An Affair to Remember. I watched Sleepless in Seattle all the time when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good film and all romance but one I can stomach
DeleteI did see Somewhere in Time, I thought it was a great movie but so sad really. None of the others did I see. I think King Kong was a great romance too - He died for love after all.
ReplyDeleteGlad you saw one and yes, very sad. I was also sad for King Kong because he fell for the blond vixen and then he was taken out of his world and treated cruelly
DeleteMy favorite scene in Sleepless in Seattle is when the men are pretending to cry over The Dirty Dozen:)
ReplyDeleteHahaaa...that was a very funny scene. I like this film because it is not a remake of the other 2 but more of an inspiration
DeleteLove Somewhere in Time (plus it was filmed somewhat close to my home!) I wanted to tell you that I have been thinking about Vertigo since you posted about it several weeks back. We borrowed the movie from the local video store recently and watched it. It really is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteYeah!!! Glad you watched Vertigo! I love how, when Dtewart "transforms" Novak into the woman he loves she is bathed in a greenish glow like some ghost
DeleteBirgit, I know many of these film titles by name. The only one I've seen is "Someplace in Time" but I'd like to see "Time After Time". The trailer looks great! Now, I need to see if I can find to watch. :)
ReplyDeleteAn Affair to Remember is always a heart-tugger, so that has to be one. And I saw Anywhere in Time too many times to remember. That is must second feature.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these, but that Amazing, Colossal Man sounds like a blast (for all the wrong reasons). Or The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for 'so bad they're good' movies.
ReplyDeleteCary Grant has got to be Hollywood's all time sexiest man.
ReplyDeleteHaha I love cheesey 1950s sc-fi so I will be sure to check out your second pairing. I saw The Incredible Shrinking Man recently and found myself quite impressed by the effects.
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I watched An Affair to Remember. I was swept away. Somewhere in Time is such a sad movie.
ReplyDeleteI'm a great belivever in Time travel, Somewhere in Time, by jove I've been there! The thing is people do disapear but never return to recount the tale thus proving the dimensional plane of another galaxy actually exists! But I say it does, cracked I know - I remember that music from somewhere.
ReplyDelete