1 There was a thread about this last week.

2 Uno.

3
Sounds like an urban legend.

4 Benjamin Netanyahu's brother was the only Israeli Commando to die in that raid

5
And yeah, I can't recall seeing Taylor in a single film.

6

Send Aretha Franklin

7 RIP

8
Thing about Liz Taylor is she was sickly for the last 30 years, which seems to be like a miserable existence.

To me, she's been 'dead' since the early '80's.

9 Speaking of actresses who where at least at some point in their lives fapable, what the hell is Scarlett Johansson doing with Sean Penn? If she was determined to give it up to some old guy why the hell didn't she call me?

10 1 There was a thread about this last week.

Pshaw, Ace doesn't read his own blog. 

She showed her love of Israel and Israelis in other ways too.

Elizabeth Taylor and Israel, a lasting love

11 Liz Taylor? Never heard of her.

12 Yeah, this was widely reported after she died.  It's kinda cool, and sorta balances out the whole 'friends with Michael Jackson' thing.  RIP, Liz.  I hope that heaven converts you back to the nasty-hot piece of ass that you were 50 years ago..... 

13 Here's another interesting factoid from wiki: "A dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States, she was born a British subject through her birth on British soil and an American citizen through her parents. She reportedly sought, in 1965, to renounce her United States citizenship, to wit: "Though never accepted by the State Department, Elizabeth renounced in 1965. Attempting to shield much of her European income from U.S. taxes, Elizabeth wished to become solely a British citizen. According to news reports at the time, officials denied her request when she failed to complete the renunciation oath, refusing to say that she renounced 'all allegiance to the United States of America.'"[10]"

14 Was she already kinda bloated in '77?

15 Love that she was late to her own funeral.

16 I think I only saw her in Cleopatra, which was pretty cool in that pseudo-Cecil B. DeMille sort of way. I never saw the attraction to her, though, since she's not my type. She was hot enough but the personality was pretty flighty. RIP, in any event.

17 Seriously, are all the Morons such philistines?  Elizabeth Taylor?  Cleopatra?  Not a "greatest movie of all time" but certainly one most people should see.  Taming of the Shrew?  Anne of the Thousand Days?  Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?

Please tell me y'all are joking about never having seen at least one Liz Taylor movie.  Please.

18
How can Ace make this post w/o including the SNL skit with John Belushi in a dress pretending to be Liz Taylor eating a big piece of chicken?

heh, I just remembered that a minute ago.

19
If I remember right, Belushi took a little heat for that. I dunno, maybe not.

But Liz had the last laugh, didn't she, hahahaha?

20 She was in Giant which was pretty good.

21 This, before the stank liberal bug bit Hollywood in the ass and made it a whiny crying shithole.  She was willing to sacrifice herself for the safety of those that made her rich beyond belief.  Who'da thunk it?

22 She also broke her back five times. She had a bigger pair than the sum total of all the fat, balding middle-aged internet "tough guys" posting here...

23
I grew up knowing E. Taylor as an old fat washed-up actress who starred in movies I'd never watch.

24
and she also got married a lot.

She was a joke.

25
in b4 Leave Liz Talyor Alone!!!

26 "Suddenly Last Summer" -- Kate Hepburn tried to give her a lobotomy because she went nuts when Mexicans ate her cousin. They're hungry down there.

27 It easy to make fun of her or think of her as some old woman but back in the day? Stone cold babe. Check out A Place in the Sun or stuff from around the early 50s. Damn.

28 I'd be curious as to how many different prescriptions she was on for the last 15 years or so......

29 Yeah and then she boycotted the Oscars  in '03 because of her opposition to the war.

Um, okay then, White Diamonds.

And her biggest accomplishment as seen from the perspective of a Gen Xer was her contribution as Helena Casidine on General Hospital at Luke & Laura's wedding.

Fail.

30 I've seen all her movies.

Just sayin'.

31 And yeah, I can't recall seeing Taylor in a single film.

Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:00 PM (uFokq)

She was an interesting person and beautiful in a different way. She was a great star but she wasn't much of an actress. She didn't deserve  her first Oscar and the second she got for basically playing herself.

32

I first saw her on TCM in Life with Father with William Powell and Irene Dunne, then Father of the Bride with Spencer Tracy (among others). Didn't know she was a friend of Israel until last week, which I think is a shame. RIP, Elizabeth Taylor.

33 No, I take that back.

For a lot of people, this is how she'll be remembered.

Sorry, I can't whitewash the batshit insanity.

34 Please tell me y'all are joking about never having seen at least one Liz Taylor movie.  Please.

I'm still a youngin' and I saw her in Elephant Walk (1954). And she was teh hot back then.

35 Sirte residents bitch slap Obama:

8:57pm: Andini Effendi tweets: “#Sirte in the evening was much more tense than [Tripoli]. Countless explosions & aircraft circling around the city.Locals were shouting ‘Sarkozy!”

36 A lot of her films were big deals - star directors and star writers. As already mentioned, A Place in the Sun.

37 "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is the only movie I can recall seeing her in.  Why? I cannot remember.. must have been a chick I was dating wanted to see it, because I never would have gone on my own.

She and Burton as an alcoholic, bitter fighting couple.. fun! (not.)

38 Like Jessica Alba, her career was primarily built around being really hot, not being a particularly good actress.

39 Ace, if you see just one ET film, make it Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  She looked great in that white slip.

40

Am I alone in that I don't really like old movies very much, and when i say old I mean most stuff made in the 1950s and before.

I mean Gone With the Wind was good and so was the original All Quiet on the Western Front, but as for the rest, meh.

I can't say that I've ever seen Liz Taylor in film or on a TV show. I only know her from being Michael Jackson's odd female friend.

41 Her films dealt with a lot of adult themes which were very risque at the time: Homosexuality, Cannibalism, Prostitution, etc.

42 I've never seen any movie with Liz in it either.  Joan Collins, on the other hand.....seen her naked quite a few times.......

43 Please tell me y'all are joking about never having seen at least one Liz Taylor movie.  Please.

I only saw her in that horrible Flintstones movie.  I had to look up her filmography to realize that. 

44
a screencap of SNL's Weekend Update's Bill Murray interviews a hungry E. Taylor.

Click for the lulz.

45 I always confuse her with Liza Minelli

46 Liz was stunningly beautiful in her youth. There you are........

47 42 I've never seen any movie with Liz in it either.  Joan Collins, on the other hand.....seen her naked quite a few times.......

Posted by: © Sponge at March 28, 2011 03:18 PM (UK9cE)

Hopefully, not recently...

48

I can't say that I've ever seen Liz Taylor in film or on a TV show. I only know her from being Michael Jackson's odd female friend.

You may have heard her.  She provided voice talent for The Simpsons and also for Captain Planet. 

49 46 Well, crazy is confusing.

50 Posted by: Ben at March 28, 2011 03:18 PM (wuv1c)

You are sadly lacking then. Rent Stalag 17, quickly, for a start. You have a long way after that.

51

You may have heard her.  She provided voice talent for The Simpsons and also for Captain Planet. 

who is she on the simpsons? or was she just a cameo

52

Hopefully, not recently...

Posted by: What you won't hear from the MFM at March 28, 2011 03:20 PM (YVZlY)

No...not lately.  When she was showing whenever she could in the 70's.

53 She didn't deserve  her first Oscar and the second she got for basically playing herself.

The Duke played John Wayne in movies over and over again. So?

54

Posted by: Ben at March 28, 2011 03:18 PM (wuv1c)

You are sadly lacking then. Rent Stalag 17, quickly, for a start. You have a long way after that.

eh..

I just think most of the early black and white films were greatly overrated.

Stalag 17 is good, my point is that there is a handful, maybe 10-15 that are good, but the rest aren't very entertaining.

 

55

who is she on the simpsons? or was she just a cameo

She played herself and vocalized Maggie a few times. 

56 Liz was from the Bob Hope era, but Bob Hope she was not.

57 I thought everyone at least heard of 'who's afraid of Virginia Wolf' because the title has been used as a comedic tool quite a lot,

58 Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?

And any moron who thinks Liz wasn't sexy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has been looking at too much pron.

59 I mean Gone With the Wind was good and so was the original All Quiet on the Western Front, but as for the rest, meh.

You, Ben, are a fool.

And I mean that kindly.

60

The Duke played John Wayne in movies over and over again. So?

uh, bringing up another phenomenon I don't understand at all.

Maybe it's because I wasn't a kid growing up with his movies, but they are unbearble to watch. I tried watching True Grit on AMC because I was going to go see the movie. I couldn't get through 10 minutes. He doesn't even try to act. It's like he's reading his lines off of a cue card for the first time in front of a camera.

61 She was probably in the middle of a drunken pissin' match with Burton, & figured that would get his goat, at least for a few minutes.

62 Anyone that vociferiously defended Michael Jackson, as she did, gets zero respect in my book.

63

You, Ben, are a fool.

And I mean that kindly.

that's fine. It's simply my opinion. Maybe I haven't seen enough of them,  but I feel as though I've seen a bunch and felt they were overrated.

64 Gone With The Wind....tried to watch it 3 times, but it bored me to tears.

65 I remember seeing National Velvet when I was a kid and it was already an old movie. But even as a kid, she was remarkably beautiful. She may not look that way if all you really know of her is her later years but when she was young she was smoking. It's not really fair to judge her talents by today's standards when they punch out forgettable new "stars" in Hollywood every week. Taylor was a true movie star at a time when that actually meant something in Hollywood.

66 The Duke played John Wayne in movies over and over again. So?

Posted by: MikeTheMoose at March 28, 2011 03:21 PM (0q2P7)

I've never bought that. He adjusted the part to suit his character and he had a persona but it wasn't actually him. John Wayne didn't go into restaurants and tell the waiter to get his food, pilgrim..unless the asked him to because they were a fan. In Who's afraid of Virginia Wolfe Liz won for playing a drunk bitch who argues with Richard Burton, in other words herself.

67 Also, from her younger days: Lassie Come Home and National Velvet

68 Didnt Michelle Obama star in one of her early films?

69
The Black Stallion > National Velvet

And I hate fucking horses.

70 69 Didnt Michelle Obama star in one of her early films? Posted by: polynikes at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (Vt8uu) National Velvet. Guess which role she played.

71 And I hate fucking horses.

Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (uFokq)

Us dogs know what horses are good for.

72 Before she passed, Liz Taylor let it be known to us that she was in favor of hi speed rail

73 OT:

WASHINGTON, D.C.  — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) today issued the following statement in response to an AP report that political operatives in the Obama Administration are screening Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests:

“Citizens have a fundamental right to know what their government is doing and political operatives should not be interfering with legitimate requests by citizens and journalists under the Freedom of Information Act. I am deeply disturbed that Obama Administration political operatives filtered FOIA requests based on the political or professional affiliation of those requesting the transparency guaranteed to our citizens under federal law. And I commend the House panel for doing its job of oversight of the executive branch, and I hope they get to the bottom of these allegations.”

74 And I hate fucking horses. Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (uFokq) We recommend goats.

75 Didnt Michelle Obama star in one of her early films?


You're thinking of Faye Wray

76 And I hate fucking horses.

Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (uFokq)

Just go cold turkey, my friend.  It'll get easier.

77

screening Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests:

does it say which FOIA's they are screening in particular?

78 I think Moochelle would have made a great Granny in The Beverly Hillbillies.

79

Didnt Michelle Obama star in one of her early films?

Posted by: polynikes at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (Vt8uu)

Michelle patterned her life after her hero Butterfly McQueen.

80 Am I alone in that I don't really like old movies very much, and when i say old I mean most stuff made in the 1950s and before.

Well like now, their quality varies, and you have to watch a real good one to be entertained. But things like the Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Metropolis, Ben-Hur, Bridge Over the River Kwai, The Caine Mutiny, Mister Roberts, The Ten Commandments, too much good stuff to close out everything. Their are plenty of very entertaining gems from the early years, but plenty of boring ones too.

81 http://tinyurl.com/4bdz3lm

82 It's good to read this because it really underscores some of the general impressions I already had regarding the callowness of some. And you don't have to be young to be callow. Elizabeth Taylor was heart-stoppingly beautiful, and an amazing actress. Giant, A Place in the Sun, Ivanhoe (a personal favorite), Virginia Woolf, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof . . . she held her own, even outshined, some of the best actors who ever worked in film. Yeah, but she got fat later and so she sucks. Rrrrrright

83
"I am deeply disturbed that Obama Administration political operatives filtered FOIA requests based on the political or professional affiliation of those requesting the transparency guaranteed to our citizens under federal law. "

Cornyn went on to say, "But at least Obama isn't a bigot like that stupid Herman Cain!"

Focus, people, focus.

84 And I hate fucking horses.

Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (uFokq)

One day you'll wake up next to some aging swayback mare and you'll know you've hit rock bottom.  Only then can you commit to giving up this self-destructive habit.

85 And I hate fucking horses.

Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (uFokq)

Pics or it didn't happen...

86 79 I think Moochelle would have made a great Tranny in The Beverly Hillbillies. FIFY

87 Am I alone in that I don't really like old movies very much, and when i say old I mean most stuff made in the 1950s and before.


Casablanca is one of the best written films ever. Seriously, watch it and pay attention to the dialogue.

88

Michelle patterned her life after her hero Butterfly McQueen.

Posted by: Fish the Impaler at March 28, 2011 03:30 PM (ZHsNw)

Isn't that the red car in that cartoon movie about race cars?

89 Cat On a Hot Tin Roof was great but Burl Ives really stole that movie. I think everyone in it is dead now except the woman who played the conniving sister in law.

90
There are plenty of very good WWII movies made in the 40's and 50's.

enemy below, etc.

91

Each hi speed train was going to have a special "White Diamonds" VIP car

Michael Jackson was going to perform on weekends, but the little fucker up and died on us

92

Casablanca is one of the best written films ever.

Pure viewing pleasure.

93 And I hate fucking horses.

Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:26 PM (uFokq)

That's it!!!  You're off the guest list!

94 Posted by: nickless at March 28, 2011 03:23 PM (MMC8r)

Ditto.

Maybe it's just me, but movies from before they could sweep all the rough edges away via CG and even more primitive SFX seem much more elegant and "real."

Which is not to say they're all winners, but I'd say a higher proportion of them are.  And, always, there's the spoofibility- ala "The Three Amigos."

Cleopatra is a good movie to have watched.  And I'm a Shakespeare fan, so I really liked The Taming of the Shrew.  Having been in theater in HS, I have a great appreciation for Anne of the Thousand Days (since I was subjected to it at least 3 times a year during One Act Play competitions, and a good version helps clean out the bad taste of mediocre High School theater).

I've seen parts of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but I've never been able to catch more than about 5 minutes of it.

All of that to say: Elizabeth Taylor earned the title of "Star" much unlike any modern Actor or Actress.  She may not have been the best actress of her day (Kathryn Hepburn jumps to mind as one better) but she had far more class than any three of the little starlettes running around today.

Posted by: Ben at March 28, 2011 03:23 PM (wuv1c)

Ban thyself.  After Reagan's 11th commandment comes the 12th: Thou Shalt Not Dis The Duke.  Pardner.

True Grit was okay, I liked The War Wagon and Sands of Iwo Jima, and Tora! Tora! Tora!, and... well, I could go on, but there weren't many I didn't like.  Maybe The Cowboys.  If you want him acting in something, watch The Quiet Man or Hell Fighters.

95
Birdman From Alcatraz is still good and watchable.

The Audie Murphy Story starring...Audie Murphy.

96
Sgt York is a great WWI film. Everyone should see it.

97
Am I alone in that I don't really like old movies very much, and when i say old I mean most stuff made in the 1950s and before.

50's?  Well you missed the best "Jap Dies in Fiery Crash" or "Dirty Jap Vomits Blood Before Crash." Produced both during and After The Big One, they were great for spending a Saturday afternoon watching 2 full length movies, and 8-10 serials.  All for the princely sum of 30 cents, and that was 15 to get in and 15 for coke and popcorn. 

98 Speaking of WH Communication, this sucks if it happens.

99 RIP Elizabeth.


OT:  I laughed when I read this:

 President Barack Obama said Monday that students should take fewer standardized tests and school performance should be measured in other ways. Too much testing makes education boring for kids, he said.

You just know that he was "passed thru" in school.  Plus you wouldn't want school performance to be measured by testing what you learned, that would just be silly.

100 Good for her for being a friend to Israel, whatever her other flaws might have been. 

I enjoyed her in The Taming of the Shrew and when I was younger I liked National Velvet. 

101

Am I alone in that I don't really like old movies very much, and when i say old I mean most stuff made in the 1950s and before.


Casablanca is one of the best written films ever. Seriously, watch it and pay attention to the dialogue.

You're right, I agree, there are a few gems, however I think on the whole, most of the pre-1950s stuff wasn't very good.  Then again I grew up in the 1980s-1990s, so I wasn't watching these films as a kid.

I am not basing my comments on the production value, that wouldn't be a fair comparison, I just find many of them to be boring and in some cases poorly acted. I think they often had the same problem we have today with film. Beautiful women who are only good at being beautiful. I am looking in your direction Nicole Kidman

102 I am glad todays icons of the silver screen make such selfless gestures and patriotic overtures - o wait ...

103 My top movies happen to be old films. Flight of The Phoenix, Sahara, Casablanca, Quiet Man, this Property is Condemned. Did anyone else think Natlie Wood in TOIC was as smoking sexy as anyone has been since?

104 Ben--

Here's two black-and-white movies for you.  They just happen to be foreign films, so you'll have to read the subtitles, too, but if you find these dull, I don't know what to say:   M, and Rififi.  Also, for a comedy, try To Be Or Not To Be (with Jack Benny, the one Mel Brooks copied) or Arsenic and Old Lace.

Of course, pre-1950 black and whites would also include the original King Kong, and almost all of The Three Stooges.  I won't get into silents, but give a few of these a try.

Maybe it's because we didn't have a color TV until I was a teenager, but I actually prefer older stuff.

105 Speaking of WH Communication, this sucks if it happens.

Posted by: laceyunderalls at March 28, 2011 03:36 PM (pLTLS)

That just means they need a 'Baghdad Bob' character to gloss over idiocies as they happen within Facebook, such as child predators and the like.  He's real good at saying nothing about something.

106 The Duke played John Wayne in movies over and over again. So?

Yeah but nobody gave him an oscar for it.

107

We're currently looking at screen treatments of Obama's coming victory over the Libyan horde

we still need a title

108

100 Everyone knows that standarzied tests of any kind are racist. Oh and sexist. Probably ageist.

Anything else I forgot?

Oh homophobic. I'm not sure how, but I'm betting you can lump it in as well.

109 Casablanca is one of the best written films ever. Seriously, watch it and pay attention to the dialogue. Posted by: mpurinTexas (kicking Mexico's ass since 1836) at March 28, 2011 03:32 PM (LFiVW) I doubt Rick would have much use for Obama

110 I liked Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, and Bringing Up Baby.

111 On the off chance that this is another shibboleth moment, you can always search your own site by going to Google at typing phrase site:ace.mu.nu Elizabeth Taylor

112 "Sarkozy, Obama, Cameron and Merkel in conference call to assess situation in Libya, source tells Reuters"
via twitter breaking news

113 Off topic silliness: Death Metal Friday

http://tinyurl.com/5w8naug

114 She was in Giant which was pretty good.

Posted by: Dr Spank at March 28, 2011 03:07 PM (1fB+3)

 

A great movie about capitalism.  Seriously. 

115 Oh, Philadelphia Story, too. Since, Ace is a big romantic comedy type of guy, I would think he would like it, too.

116 Extremely generous, also very silly and egotistical.

117
Ben, you're dangerously close to being as culturally deficient as Gabe, I'm afraid.

Who hasn't seen and liked Alfred Hitchcock films?

118 108 We're currently looking at screen treatments of Obama's coming victory over the Libyan horde we still need a title Posted by: White House Office Of Communications at March 28, 2011 03:39 PM (cUNcx) How about The Three Stooges Go to Libya?

119 Sgt York is a great WWI film. Everyone should see it.

Damn straight.

120

Of course, pre-1950 black and whites would also include the original King Kong, and almost all of The Three Stooges.  I won't get into silents, but give a few of these a try.

Uhhh the Three Stooges, let's add that to the list of things I simply don't get.

It must be a generational thing.

I didn't care for the original king kong either. I will try to find those foreign film you listed.

I am open to anything, but I've just found that I've walked away disappointed from most movies from that time period.

121

also very silly and egotistical.

Yes, but I've got that last one in the bag.

122

Sgt York is a great WWI film. Everyone should see it.

Damn straight.

eh. I couldn't handle the lead actors forced southern accent.

123 >How about The Three Stooges Go to Libya?

Posted by: joncelli at March 28, 2011 03:41 PM (RD7QR)

 

nah... Hillary will insist on being Moe

124

Ben, you're dangerously close to being as culturally deficient as Gabe, I'm afraid.

Who hasn't seen and liked Alfred Hitchcock films?

I liked North by Northwest, but nothing else.

Let's see I've stated that I hate John Wayne films, Three Stooges Films, and most pre 1950 films, do I have any friends left here?

125

88 Casablanca is one of the best written films ever. Seriously, watch it and pay attention to the dialogue.

The best dialogue belongs to Claude Rains, IMHO. Captain Renault is one of his best parts and he has great chemistry with Bogie. It's interesting to watch and see how many little things he slipped past the censor.

 

126
/hangs head in disappointment

127

You know what makes the Three Stooges funny?

marijuana. Lots of marijuana.

128 Oh, Santa Fe Trail. I saw that when I was a kid and I remember when they hung John Brown. Very spooky when you're 6 y/o.

129 Sorry, I know M is supposed to be a classic, and it has its moments, but Peter Lorre chewed the scenery outrageously in that flick. The scene where the lowlifes put him on trial -- painful to watch.

130 A person can be beautiful, talented (debatable) and batshit insane. That's not too much nuance for me to handle.

131 How about The Three Stooges Go to Libya?

Posted by: joncelli at March 28, 2011 03:41 PM (RD7QR)

The US Military is over there, so it'd have to be something more along the lines of "Three Stooges Command a Battle" or something like that.

132 One election away from serfdom.

133 Ace- If you've never seen Giant you should. It is widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time and James Dean was brilliant. Taylor was ok in the movie, not one of her best, but the movie as a whole is better than 99% of the crap that comes out now. And the cast, Rock Hudson, Rod Taylor, Dennis Hopper, Taylor, Dean, etc., they don't make movies like that anymore. Another great category of "old movies" is anything by Hitchcock. If you don't like movies like Notorious, Rear Window, North by Northwest, etc., you don't like movies.

134 Elizabeth Taylor was great in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Sexy as hell too.

135

Here's two black-and-white movies for you.  They just happen to be foreign films, so you'll have to read the subtitles, too, but if you find these dull, I don't know what to say:   M, and Rififi.  Also, for a comedy, try To Be Or Not To Be (with Jack Benny, the one Mel Brooks copied) or Arsenic and Old Lace.

 

Don't forget Alfred Hitchcock.  "The Gazebo" is an excellent comedy.

136 What was she going to do, marry all of the terrorists and drive them to drink?

137 Spurwing Plover would love this thread. He's always keen for a trip down memory lane...

138 Absolutely beautiful woman in her day. who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Butterfield 8 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Giant A place in the Su n

139 Cleopatra is a good movie to have watched.
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at March 28, 2011 03:35 PM (8y9MW)

I love this scene.

Thing is, I don't think Taylor was very good in it.

Burton is fantastic as a guy who just had all the sure points of his world thrown out the window. He plays it right up to the edge of comedy almost but not quite. He's just lost and he's not a guy who has ever been lost before.

But to me, Taylor doesn't play Cleopatra with enough heft to make it believable that she threw this guy for that kind of loop. Either Burton didn't need a scene partner to make it work or he was reacting more to the woman he knew off screen.

So yeah, she was a star but an actress? Meh. Still, star is enough in the old school sense.

140

I tried watching The Stooges the other day. Marathon on sorts on cable.

It doesn't hold up as well without my Dad's laughter. We tried watching it for a little bit over the phone. Didn't quite translate.

My little niece (she's 10) is absolutely hooked on I Love Lucy. Asked for the DVD's for Christmas. I know my brother and his wife are saying prayers she's turning out swell.

141
Anne of the Thousand Days? 

Please tell me y'all are joking about never having seen at least one Liz Taylor movie.  Please.
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at March 28, 2011 03:05 PM

Shirley, you jest. Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold were the stars of Anne of the Thousand Days. It's said that Taylor appeared for a microsecond in a dancing scene where she worked as an extra -- more or less as a joke.

142 Cat on A Hot Tin Roof Giant sounds like a good movie.

143

Let's see I've stated that I hate John Wayne films, Three Stooges Films, and most pre 1950 films, do I have any friends left here?

Posted by: Ben at March 28, 2011 03:43 PM (wuv1c)

You're Ok.  We're conservatives, so it's your opinion, and we respect you for having it.

I hate Will Ferrell, think all modern movies for the most part suck and haven't been to a movie theater in about a decade.

Adam Sandler, Ashton Kucher (sp?) and a few others I can't currently name are careers that I just can't fucking figure out....

144 125 I liked North by Northwest, but nothing else.

Let's see I've stated that I hate John Wayne films, Three Stooges Films, and most pre 1950 films, do I have any friends left here?

 

Have you tried The Thin Man series with William Powell and Myrna Loy?

145 116 Oh, Philadelphia Story, too.

The Cary Grant version, right?  (as opposed to "High Society" with Bing)

I loved Anastasia (c1956; with Yul Brynner), too. 

Other great old movies (some of which were B/Ws) would include the Road Pictures with Bing and Bob.  Quite a few of the Cary Grants were B/W, including a fun one called the Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer. 

146 Joan Collins in the Land of the Pharoahs. Scared me to death.

147 Sorry, I know M is supposed to be a classic, and it has its moments, but Peter Lorre chewed the scenery outrageously in that flick. The scene where the lowlifes put him on trial -- painful to watch.

Lorre was always a 'big' actor, and this was Lang's first sound film.  It shows, but it's still a terrific suspense movie.

Yeah, I don't defend the sentimentality of the ending-- Lang was always hamstrung by working with his wife Thea von Harbou, who was an emotional twit if there ever was one.  She did the script for Metropolis, too, and it had a lot of the same romance-novel histrionics, too.  Hardly surprising she went gaga for Hitler.

148
Anastasia is the King and I, right?

Good story.

149 I had a grandma who loved to tell me about old movies like "father of the bride".  Liz taylor in her early career was in a lot of movies where you recognize the titles.

150 Ooops.  Rafifi is 1955.

151 You're right, I agree, there are a few gems, however I think on the whole, most of the pre-1950s stuff wasn't very good.

Funny, I have exactly the opposite opinion. I think overall the movies started going downhill in the later 60s. I think 1939 was probably the best Hollywood year ever.

152 107 The Duke played John Wayne in movies over and over again. So?

Yeah but nobody gave him an oscar for it.

Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 28, 2011 03:39 PM (61b7k)

They did. Lead Actor, 1969. True Grit.

153

Our cable company only started offering DVR a few months ago, and since then I've filled it to about 80% capacity with old movies from Turner Classic. I've probably watched 30 pre-1960 movies since Christmas. 

I've got Dr. Zhivago (never seen it), Ninotchka (never seen it but it's on everybody's best "old" comedy list), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (seen it once, looking forward to it again) and Strangers on a Train (never seen it) all lined up.

154 43 Cat on A Hot Tin Roof Giant sounds like a good movie.

Posted by: Waterhouse sez: commas are your friend at March 28, 2011 03:48 PM (pbCk0)

That movie should be banned! BANNED!

155 Giant sucked ass.

156 arhooley: He probably meant Ivanhoe.

157 May I ask why no one has mentioned Taylor's role in Butterfield 8?

158 Anastasia (1956; starring Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, and Helen Hayes) is about the lost Romanov. 

It's really a fabulous film... although it may be more of a chick flick.  Yul is spectacular in it.  It's not on very often. 

159 Have you tried The Thin Man series with William Powell and Myrna Loy? Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at March 28, 2011 03:48 PM (UO6+e) I love those. They're so relaxed and un-self-conscious. Plus they drink and smoke without a hint of guilt. Wonderful to watch.

160
doesn't the King and I go by an alternate name?

161
What a terrific idea for a movie.  Two sentence pitch for a fish out of water pic:

Former film icon, long past her prime, in a last ditch effort to make herself relevant, offers herself in exchange for hostage and the terrorists... accept!  Hilarity ensues as she rises to the occasion and ends the crisis.

162 The Cowboys was worth watching just for Nightingale's final words as he was to be hanged. ....Lord forgive me for the men I have killed and those I am about to.

163 Twelve Angry Men

164 Great black-and-white comedy: We're no Angels.

Bogart, Aldo Ray, and some other guy I can't remember.

165 She felt safer with the terrorists than out in the open where Debbie Reynolds could get at her.

166

Funny, I have exactly the opposite opinion. I think overall the movies started going downhill in the later 60s. I think 1939 was probably the best Hollywood year ever.

That year did have a lot of films that were considered classics. Gone with the Wind, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wizard of Oz, Stage Coach, Ninotchka, Wuthering Heights, Gunga Din, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, etc.

To each his own i guess.

 

also Vic, who did you vote for in the 1940 election?

 

167 And let's not forget all the classic B-horror films made in the fifties.  Some of them are still popular enough to remake.

168 Ninotchka was great. Anything written by Billy Wilder is great. My favorite is Foreign Affair with Marlene Dietrick singing Black Markettttttt! Also, all the baby carriages with American flags. LOL!

169 May I ask why no one has mentioned Taylor's role in Butterfield 8?

Posted by: Dianna at March 28, 2011 03:53 PM (qrFCz)

Because it's ridiculously pedestrian by today's standard. It's another one of those Oscar's given to women for playing noble whores. The idea that she beat out Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment or the others nominated seems ludicrous looking back on it.

170 A Face in the Crowd.

171 33 No, I take that back.
For a lot of people, this is how she'll be remembered.
Sorry, I can't whitewash the batshit insanity.



That freak show belongs in the circus.

 

172 161 doesn't the King and I go by an alternate name? Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:54 PM (uFokq) Anna and the King of Siam.

173 doesn't the King and I go by an alternate name?

Posted by: Soothsayer at March 28, 2011 03:54 PM (uFokq)

 

Yes. "Me and the King". 

174
Movies that are suckalicious:

Airport '75, '76, '77, and '79.
Poseidon Adventure
Towering Inferno

175 There's a good article up on DC schools - i.e. Michelle Rhee. 

Apparently, focusing on high stakes testing and then threatening to fire anybody who doesn't produce testing gains leads to massive cheating.  It's almost as if human beings will act based on self-interest when put in high-stress situations...  

Who'd have thunk it? 

Heck, maybe we should simply try...

1. providing simple, time-proven data on student achievement (i.e. reading levels, math competency, ACT scores) for all public schools

2. expanding school choice (i.e. charters, schools-of-choice)

3. letting parents decide what type of education they want their children to have.

OH... Yeah.  That's what states were already doing before the Feds had to step in and take over local public education.  Must've been those damn Democrats who did that.  I know it couldn't have been any "Reagan" conservatives, because the Gipper supported eliminating the Department of Education.

We also might want to reconsider using Michelle Rhee as the model of educational reform.

 
 



 

176

Because it's ridiculously pedestrian by today's standard. It's another one of those Oscar's given to women for playing noble whores. The idea that she beat out Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment or the others nominated seems ludicrous looking back on it.

Posted by: Rocks at March 28, 2011 03:57 PM (Q1lie)

You mean, kinda like Sean Penn having an oscar for playing a retard because everyone knows, playing a retard gets ya noticed....

177

'Strangers on a train' is excellent.'Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf' is a study on marital relationships and why they suck.Elizabeth Taylor was a staunch Democrat.

Glenn Beck is a twat.

178 Was she in The Adjusment Bureau? Or Paul?

179 "May I ask why no one has mentioned Taylor's role in Butterfield 8?" Whoops. I thought I did. I was certainly thinking about it when I said her films dealt with risqué subjects, i.e., prostitution.

180 also Vic, who did you vote for in the 1940 election?

I couldn't vote then. My father was only 8 years old.

181 I didn't care for the original king kong either.

Did you see the recent remake?  It tells the same story in twice the time to half the effect. 

182 TCM seems to be doing a block of 60's-70's comedies right now. The Family Way (with a brief nudity warning!), Any Wednesday (Jane Fonda alert) and then Annie Hall at 8 PM. Might have to record Annie Hall.

183

Am I alone in that I don't really like old movies very much, and when i say old I mean most stuff made in the 1950s and before.

I mean Gone With the Wind was good and so was the original All Quiet on the Western Front, but as for the rest, meh.

I can't say that I've ever seen Liz Taylor in film or on a TV show. I only know her from being Michael Jackson's odd female friend.

Posted by: Ben at March 28, 2011 03:18 PM

That's okay I hate most of the 70s and 80s films.  If I never see Molly Ringwald or the rest of that crew again it won't be too soon.  The fact is very few really good memorable films are ever made, no what matter the decade.  The farther back your perspective the less of them there are.  And then it's a matter of taste and what you enjoy.  I like comedies and action movies, but I'd never say any of them were great.  As for Taylor, she was beautiful when she was young but like Marilyn Monroe she made maybe two good movies.   

184 The King & I == Anna and the King of Siam

Anastasia =  Russian princess rumored to have survived the assassination of Tsar Nicolas' & family

185

161 doesn't the King and I go by an alternate name?

Are you thinking of Anna and the King of Siam?

186

Please tell me y'all are joking about never having seen at least one Liz Taylor movie.  Please.

No kidding!

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is worth it just to see her in that white dress, nevermind the fact that she and Paul Newman sizzled.

A Place in the Son, with Montgomery Clift?

Little Women?

Butterfield 8?

National Velvet, for God's sake!

Who are you people?!

187
An episode of Boardwalk Empire (set in the '20's) made a reference to Anastasia.

188 doesn't the King and I go by an alternate name? Yes "John Kerry does south east asia"

189 >>You mean, kinda like Sean Penn having an oscar for playing a retard because everyone knows, playing a retard gets ya noticed.... But not a full retard.

190 #187.....They are a bunch of mindless fools.

191

Ninotchka is a great older movie that conservatives would appreciate. Greta Garbo as a cold Russian Communist agent who travels to Paris and falls under the spell of the "decadent" Western capitalist lifestyle.

Some other good ones mentioned above: Arsenic and Old Lace, The Quiet Man, Sergeant York.

Watched a lot of Bette Davis movies the last few years. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is also a well-told tale. Way off in the history but still gripping drama. Dark Victory is basically a soap opera, but the last scene is unforgettable. All About Eve is highly recommended.

Older films did have a lot of "melodrama", but I think they sometimes work better because they had boundaries that forced them to be more creative in how they communicated a story to their audience.

192  Great black-and-white comedy: We're no Angels.

Bogart, Aldo Ray, and some other guy I can't remember.

Posted by: Dianna at March 28, 2011 03:55 PM

OMG I love that movie!  The other guy was Peter Ustinov.   And also starred  Leo G. Carroll and Basil Rathbone...and one very tiny very poisonous snake.  LOL 

193 "Now is the time at AoSHQ where we juxtapose!"(&#0153 smalldeadanimals)

Elizabeth Taylor was a staunch Democrat.

For a lot of people, this is how she'll be remembered.

194 FUCKING FORMATTING!

195 Love the Stooges. I watch them with my 5 year old son, the laughter is priceless!

196 You mean, kinda like Sean Penn having an oscar for playing a retard because everyone knows, playing a retard gets ya noticed....

Posted by: © Sponge at March 28, 2011 03:59 PM (UK9cE)

Yep. Pretty much retard is the go to roll for the guys and prostitute is for the women. Like being an idiot or a whore is a big stretch for these people.

197
Leo G. Carroll

He was a Man From U.N.C.L.E.

198

That's okay I hate most of the 70s and 80s films.

 

Did you at least like Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" series?  Or the spaghetti westerns?  Classics they are.

199 Ben - have you ever seen Hitchcock's "Saboteur" from the 40's.

http://tli.tl/AGOZgV

It is dated, of course.  It takes place in wartime America.. a bit hokey and preachy, but I have a feeling that's how wartime America was.

Also - "Rope", starring Jimmy Stewart.  Hitchcock used really long takes without very many cuts or editing.  it is interesting to watch for jsut that aspect.

And..my favorite.. "Rear Window" - Jimmy Stewart again, but this time with Grace Kelly (hubala hubala).

Oh yeah.. and Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in "To Catch a Thief"!

200 I like 'book geek'.You have taste.

201 I hate pre-80's pron, though.  Too much hair.

202 For a lot of people, this is how she'll be remembered.

Posted by: Waterhouse at March 28, 2011 04:05 PM (pbCk0)

Good god what did they do to Liza's face!!!!  She looks ridiculous......and who's the other chick in that pic?

203 Taylor was a staunch liberal. She was just an old school one. The kind that used to be pro Israel.

204 I hate pre-80's pron, though.  Too much hair.

Posted by: Damn Sockpuppet at March 28, 2011 04:09 PM (YmPwQ)

I'm ok with it.....

You should see pron from the 30's....OMG...wanna talk about panties full of wildebeests......

205  I hate pre-80's pron, though.  Too much hair.

Posted by: Damn Sockpuppet at March 28, 2011 04:09 PM (YmPwQ)

Maybe.... but at least you didn't have the fake cans and all the ridiculous tats. 

206

OMG I love that movie!  The other guy was Peter Ustinov.   And also starred  Leo G. Carroll and Basil Rathbone...and one very tiny very poisonous snake.  LOL 

Posted by: Deanna at March 28

Thank you - I remember it, but I didn't remember the actors!

207 You're right, I agree, there are a few gems, however I think on the whole, most of the pre-1950s stuff wasn't very good.

I think you're being tricked by the medium. Keep in mind that the stuff that's currently made for TV (or YouTube!) was released as a movie before. As a result, there's a lot of chaff to wade through. The wheat is still very good -- you just have to find it.

Black-and-white currently on my shelf: The Maltese Falcon (the Humphrey Bogart one), Casablanca, Seven Samurai, and Citizen Kane.

208 Last week I watched The Spy Who Came In From the Cold with Taylor's ex, Richard Burton. Total indictment of the inflexible Communist system in cold war East Germany. Also interesting for an indictment of the naive young people sucked up into supporting the Party's aims and goals while having no idea what Communism was really all about.

209 It is now 4.18..I just checked and it turns out that Glenn Beck is still a twat. 

210 Ace,

Don't  feel bad about not seeing any Liza Taylor movies. They aren't worth it, except "Life with Father" and she is only a bit part in that anyway. Instead watch a Natalie Wood movie. She was just as beautiful and a lot like Liz Taylor but she could act.  She is in some great ones but my favorite of hers is "This property is condemned."

211 #209.....Fucking excellent movie.

212 One of John Wayne's better films (IMO) that always goes unmentioned: 3 Godfathers

213

Did you at least like Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" series? Or the spaghetti westerns? Classics they are.

Posted by: Soona at March 28, 2011 04:07 PM

Actually I did like alot of  movies from those eras...the Dirty Harry series, The Godfather,  Taxi Driver, Mad Max, Halloween,  Monty Python, Star Wars, Willie Wonka,  Five Easy Pieces, Network, The Boys From Brazil, One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, etc.  And those guilty pleasures...Blazing Saddles, Car Wash, The Neverending Story, The Goonies, Big Trouble in Little China, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.  and of course...National Lampoon's Christmas vacation. 

214 If we are going to make this an old movie thread, may I suggest two that beg to be seen in HD on your giant flatscreen:  Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. 

215 212 #209.....Fucking excellent movie.

Posted by: pooh at March 28, 2011 04:20 PM (47OiY)

It was almost perfectly made...but I don't think I could ever sit through it again. Too harrowing.

216 And btw, wasn't Taylor an actual convert to Judaism?

217 Last week I watched The Spy Who Came In From the Cold with Taylor's ex, Richard Burton. Total indictment of the inflexible Communist system in cold war East Germany. Also interesting for an indictment of the naive young people sucked up into supporting the Party's aims and goals while having no idea what Communism was really all about.

Posted by: Book Geek at March 28, 2011 04:18 PM

Burton often picked lousy movie roles but that one was super, as were Where Eagles Dare and Becket.

218 If we are going to make this an old movie thread, may I suggest two that beg to be seen in HD on your giant flatscreen:  Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. 

Posted by: toby928™ at March 28, 2011 04:24 PM (GTbGH)

The one that really surprised the shit out of me in HD was the original Errol Flynn Robin Hood. I had never seen the thing except on TV so watching in its original format in HD was awesome. And Olivia de Haviland was teh hawt then.

219 #216...I watch it at least five times a year.Check out the BBC 'Edge of darkness' also fucking excellent and in the same vein.Do not waste your time on the ridiculous Mel Gibson Hollywood remake.

220 If I had to pick recent movies 90s going forward that I really enjoy they could be categorized under the heading- Keanu Reeves movies, how is that possible?

221 Brave since Idi Amin was known to eat people. And not in the good way.

222 Dianna @ 158..... I did @ 139 but my gross lack of commas screwed up my post.... Butterfield 8 - depressing but good film.

223 Deaanna has taste too.

224

I stand corrected on the pre-80's pron. The 70's flicks, at least the ones my dad had in his "hidden" stash, tried to have plotlines, which were hilariously stupid. I remember a musical-pron version of Cinderella that was a late-Friday local cable staple.

 

Still too much hair.

225 It's been mentioned previously, but it bears repeating: for a fine Liz Taylor performance while she was still at the absolute pinnacle of her beauty, watch Ivanhoe. It's a superb movie all around, but after you see it you will have no doubt in your mind regarding why she was considered a great beauty. Absolutely. No. Doubt. And yes, all you philistines, it's in color, although you'll have to deal with that ancient narrow, boxy format.

I should add that this is no chick flick. It's just one of those great films that only MGM could have made, and only at the time it was made. It stars Robert Taylor, Liz, Joan Fontaine (looking her best; she was certainly a late bloomer) and the great George Sanders.

226 If we are going to make this an old movie thread, may I suggest two that beg to be seen in HD on your giant flatscreen: Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.

Posted by: toby928™ at March 28, 2011 04:24 PM

The cinematography was fantastic!  And the scene where O'Toole as Lawrence walks across the tops of the train cars is still one of my favorites.

227 Deaanna has taste too.

Posted by: pooh at March 28, 2011 04:35 PM

Thanks.  I'm a true movie freak. 

228 They did. Lead Actor, 1969. True Grit.

He didn't get that for playing John Wayne, he got it for playing a deeply flawed but heroic alcoholic sheriff with incredible skill. But opinions vary.'

Elizabeth Taylor was hot and not very talented. And, apparently, her beauty didn't even come across on screen as well as in person which is odd for an actress.

229 Doctor Zhivago has got to be the coldest movie ever made.  It can make me shiver in July.

230

Yeah, if you can't relate to Taylor since all you've seen is recent clips and pictures of her, it's worth checking out a couple of her old movies. I read some book that talked about Eddie Fisher having a breakdown when they split up because she was so...the word hot apparently covers it all.

And Grace Kelly, Gloria Grahame, a number of others. Maybe they didn't do grunge, anorexic, lower back tattoos, plumber's butt jeans, whatever, but they didn't need  ANY gimmicks. A different time and a different standard of what's attractive, and pretty nice IMHO. 

231 liz was kinda weird in her older days....... but back in the day, and my real younger days.......  she was it.

232 Gosh, what a bunch of intellectuals.  Never seen a film with Liz Taylor?  What about Cleopatra?  National Velvet?  Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?  So sad.  Maybe if you get your "heads" out of your IPods and your fat a$$es out of the pizza joint, you might come up with something bordering on brains!

233 You didn't even read the thread did you, Judith?  It was more of a skim wasn't it?  And that comment jumped out at you.  You can admit it.

234

I think I remember seeing Liz in Giant Cat On A Hot Tin Roof Who's Afraid of Cleopatra but to be honest her films kinda run together in my mind.

 

235 I've seen over 30 of her films. However, I wouldn't call it a sign of intellectualism, Judith, you fat dumb bitch.

236 She's not necessarily fat.

237 Certainly Liz in Ivanhoe was really beautiful. I was watching Ivanhoe for other reasons and saw Liz and said to myself, she really was a beauty back in the day. Favorite old movies, Harvey, The Maltese Falcon, African Queen, Casablanca, Robin Hood, Citizen Kane

238 We're currently looking at screen treatments of Obama's coming victory over the Libyan horde

we still need a title

Posted by: White House Office Of Communications at March 28, 2011 03:39 PM (cUNcx)

Ishtar II

239 Back when hollywood was less left-wing and more conservative

240

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