Movie recommendations - Part 1
I have a keen movie interest and I try to fit as many movies as possible into my busy schedule each week, although my spare time seams to have become smaller and smaller recently. However, I would like to recommend some lush movies I have seen the past. Most of them are what most people would refer to as "oldies" (why does that name have a bad ring to it?), but I think some of the best movies was made in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
If you are thinking that I am going to recommend huge masterpiece by famous directors, you are wrong. I watch movies that make me feel good, happy or movies that has a certain feel to them. And that is all that counts, here are the nominations... sorry the recommendations for this batch.
The Best of Everything, Jean Negulesco, 1959
Very nice timepiece showing the life of some career women of the 1950s. Think of "Working Girl" meets "Sex and the City". Has some great New York shots and a swank musical score by Alfred Newman.
Lady in Cement, Gordon Douglas, 1968
Frank Sinatra had a brief movie career and this is the second movie about his alter ego Tony Rome who works as a private detective in Miami, Florida. Great music by Hugo Montenegro and some very nice Miami shots. I believe they used the same hotel as they did in "Goldfinger" in one of the scenes.
The Out of Towners, Arthur Hiller, 1970
This is the original movie, not the crappy remake with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. The premise is about the same though. Jack Lemon is going to New York with his wife where he is about to take a new job. But the trip turns out to be a one way to hell and back.
Airport, George Seaton, 1970
Melodrama about a bomber on board an airplane, an airport almost closed by snow, and various personal problems of the people involved. Nominated for 10 Oscars, but only won one for best actress in a supporting role. George Kennedy is hilarious, Dean Martin plays a airline pilot.
Pillow Talk, Michael Gordon, 1959
The first movie in a series of three starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. This is one of those 60s sex comedies about trying to get the opposite sex attracted to you. Very light weight entertainment which will appeal to anyone who like comedies. If you have seen "Down with Love" you will instantly recognize where the screenwriter got the inspiration from.
If you are thinking that I am going to recommend huge masterpiece by famous directors, you are wrong. I watch movies that make me feel good, happy or movies that has a certain feel to them. And that is all that counts, here are the nominations... sorry the recommendations for this batch.
The Best of Everything, Jean Negulesco, 1959
Very nice timepiece showing the life of some career women of the 1950s. Think of "Working Girl" meets "Sex and the City". Has some great New York shots and a swank musical score by Alfred Newman.
Lady in Cement, Gordon Douglas, 1968
Frank Sinatra had a brief movie career and this is the second movie about his alter ego Tony Rome who works as a private detective in Miami, Florida. Great music by Hugo Montenegro and some very nice Miami shots. I believe they used the same hotel as they did in "Goldfinger" in one of the scenes.
The Out of Towners, Arthur Hiller, 1970
This is the original movie, not the crappy remake with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. The premise is about the same though. Jack Lemon is going to New York with his wife where he is about to take a new job. But the trip turns out to be a one way to hell and back.
Airport, George Seaton, 1970
Melodrama about a bomber on board an airplane, an airport almost closed by snow, and various personal problems of the people involved. Nominated for 10 Oscars, but only won one for best actress in a supporting role. George Kennedy is hilarious, Dean Martin plays a airline pilot.
Pillow Talk, Michael Gordon, 1959
The first movie in a series of three starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. This is one of those 60s sex comedies about trying to get the opposite sex attracted to you. Very light weight entertainment which will appeal to anyone who like comedies. If you have seen "Down with Love" you will instantly recognize where the screenwriter got the inspiration from.
Posted at 6:08 PM | 3 comments | links to this post 
My name is Chris and I live in Sweden. I love the 50s and 60s lifestyle and design. I am very fascinated by the architecture of the period too, for instance googie, modernism, the work of Joseph Eichler, John Lautner and Arne Jacobsen's international style. I have a large archive with space-age, library, bossa, cocktail, retro soundtracks and exotica music. I also believe that things were better in the old days.
3 Comments:
My girlfriend in high school had a cameo in "Lady in Cement". She was a girl in a phone booth. Her father ran the sound system for some of Sinatra's shows in Las Vegas. I never got to meet Sinatra, but we did get free tickets to a few rock concerts.
Nice blog!
Marble River
August 2, 2006 6:38 AM
Yes! The Out of Towners--I grew up near the airport you show here. It's called Islip MacArthur Airport. It's on Long Island, about 50 miles east of NYC. It's named after the WWII general, Douglas MacArthur.
The structure remained unchanged from the early 1960's to about 1990. Sadly, it has been "remodeled" and "enlarged" to the point of obsenity. It once had a beautiful map of Long Island set into the floor. Now it's all-weather carpet!
These are great movies for the "populuxe" era of American culture. I can't say minority rights or women's rights were better "back in the day", but we weren't as overweight as we are now and we wore cooler, more stylish clothing back then!
So I say, let's continue being social progress, lose weight and put on slim slacks and pointy shoes!
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We had some great pals from Sweden, but they moved back after 9/11. 8-(
January 3, 2007 4:30 AM
Thanks for the information Tony! It is always cool to hear about things like this from people who grew up near a location and know the facts.
Agree with you about the "populuxe" era, it sure was better back in the days. Nowadays, there are no uniqueness or genuinity of anything. Everything is just the same, boring and uncool.
Will try and do another "Movie recommendations" post with similar movies very soon! Thanks for writing!
January 3, 2007 10:25 AM
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