list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around To Have and Have Not on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/To_Have_and_Have_Not/35275/default.aspx Title: To Have and Have Not
Year: 1944
Director: Howard Hawks
Plot: Humphrey Bogart plays Harry Morgan, owner-operator of charter boat in wartime Martinique. Morgan's right-hand man is Eddie (Walter Brennan), a garrulous alky whose pet question to anyone and everyone is "Ever get stung by a dead bee?" While in port, Harry is approached by Free French activist Gerard (Marcel Dalio), who wants to charter Harry's boat to smuggle in an important underground leader. Adopting his usual I-stick-my-neck-out-for-no-one stance, Morgan refuses. Later on, he starts up a dalliance with Marie Browning (screen newcomer Lauren Bacall), an attractive pickpocket. In order to help Marie return to America, Harry agrees to Gerard's smuggling terms. He uses his boat to bring resistance fighter De Bursac (Walter Molnar) and De Bursac's wife Helene (Dolores Moran) into Martinique. The Vichy police, suspecting that something's amiss, hold Morgan's pal Eddie hostage, tormenting the poor rummy by denying him liquor. Predictably, Morgan comes to Eddie's rescue and manages to escape Martinique, with the delectable Marie as cozy company. In the hands of director Howard Hawks and screenwriters Jules Furthman and William Faulkner, the end result bore only a passing relation to the original story by Ernest Hemingway: instead, it was a virtual rehash (but a good one!) of the recently released Casablanca, replete with several of that film's cast members. The film's enduring popularity is primarily -- if not solely -- due to the sexy chemistry between Bogart and Bacall, especially in the legendary "You know how to whistle, don't you?" scene. The most salutary result of To Have & Have Not was the subsequent Bogart-Bacall marriage, which endured until his death in 1957. It's widely believed that Lauren Bacall's singing voice was dubbed in by a pre-puberty Andy Williams; this is not true. For the record, a more faithful-to-the-source cinemadaptation of the Hemingway original was filmed in 1950 as The Breaking Point. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 4
Number of Lists: 14
Number of blog posts: 2
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:28:58 GMTTo Have and Have Not1944Howard Hawks<a href="/players/P_____7027/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Humphrey Bogart</a> plays Harry Morgan, owner-operator of charter boat in wartime Martinique. Morgan's right-hand man is Eddie (<a href="/players/P_____8313/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Walter Brennan</a>), a garrulous alky whose pet question to anyone and everyone is "Ever get stung by a dead bee?" While in port, Harry is approached by Free French activist Gerard (<a href="/players/P____16657/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Marcel Dalio</a>), who wants to charter Harry's boat to smuggle in an important underground leader. Adopting his usual I-stick-my-neck-out-for-no-one stance, Morgan refuses. Later on, he starts up a dalliance with Marie Browning (screen newcomer <a href="/players/P_____3116/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Lauren Bacall</a>), an attractive pickpocket. In order to help Marie return to America, Harry agrees to Gerard's smuggling terms. He uses his boat to bring resistance fighter De Bursac (Walter Molnar) and De Bursac's wife Helene (Dolores Moran) into Martinique. The Vichy police, suspecting that something's amiss, hold Morgan's pal Eddie hostage, tormenting the poor rummy by denying him liquor. Predictably, Morgan comes to Eddie's rescue and manages to escape Martinique, with the delectable Marie as cozy company. In the hands of director <a href="/players/P____93764/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Howard Hawks</a> and screenwriters <a href="/players/P____90780/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jules Furthman</a> and <a href="/players/P____89444/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>William Faulkner</a>, the end result bore only a passing relation to the original story by Ernest Hemingway: instead, it was a virtual rehash (but a good one!) of the recently released <a href=/films/5340/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Casablanca</a>, replete with several of that film's cast members. The film's enduring popularity is primarily -- if not solely -- due to the sexy chemistry between Bogart and Bacall, especially in the legendary "You know how to whistle, don't you?" scene. The most salutary result of To Have & Have Not was the subsequent Bogart-Bacall marriage, which endured until his death in 1957. It's widely believed that <a href="/players/P_____3116/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Lauren Bacall</a>'s singing voice was dubbed in by a pre-puberty Andy Williams; this is <I>not</I> true. For the record, a more faithful-to-the-source cinemadaptation of the Hemingway original was filmed in 1950 as <a href=/films/52650/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Breaking Point</a>. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide4Slightly Tagged (1-5)14214http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t79636emvy9.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/To_Have_and_Have_Not/35275/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/13/41010.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/13/2009 11:01:08 AM
Body: What is worse about the now-infamous Watchmen sex scene (watch it here), the distracting soundtrack or the explosive metaphor at the climax? Even if intended to be funny, and regardless of its (more-subtle) appearance in the graphic novel, the fire blast as stand-in for ejaculation is so cliché that it has no place in a story that means to shatter conventions. Plus, sexual metaphor is a little unnecessary in a film that already has a lot of nudity and a distinct moment of impotence. Especially at the end of a scene that is quite gratuitous compared to the comic’s depiction, that blast is more a symbol of how incorrectly handled Watchmen is than of the orgasms it’s intended to represent. Between that shot in Watchmen and our recent list of sexiest non-sex scenes, we have had bad sex-scene clichés on the brain. So, to relieve us from the tension of list-making blue balls, we’ve decided to release this short burst of a list for discussion. Think we should have included saxophone-heavy soundtracks or any other cliché you’ve come to notice, let us know in the comments. 1. The Explosively Metaphoric Climax Watchmen may have the worst example of this cliché, and that’s saying a lot considering the practice of using everything from fireworks to popping soda/champagne bottles to rockets firing to trees spontaneously combusting to nuclear explosions during kissing and sex scene climaxes has been extremely popular throughout film history. Explosive metaphors sometimes work well in classic films that required veiled innuendo (see To Catch a Thief, The Girl Can’t Help It and Cool Hand Luke for some good examples), but anything that’s come after the terrific montage in The Naked Gun 2 ½ is overkill. 2. The L-Shaped Blanket This is a basic movie cliché that people have complained about for years and doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to a sex scene. It’s the typical appearance of an “L-shaped” sheet or blanket that exposes a male character’s chest while covering the female’s (or “LL-shaped” sheet, in the case of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice). When it appears after a sex scene, though, it’s even more frustrating, particularly if that scene has already featured nudity. The problem with continuing to show the woman’s breasts may have to do with the tradition of non-sexual representation of the female body, unbroken and casual, in movies. Or, it could just be the difficulty of not being able to use a body double in such wide-shot situations. Either way, it’s frustratingly unrealistic. Then again, so were separate beds for married characters; there are just some things we have to put up with from censored and modest Hollywood movies. 3. “Actress Inferior Position” This is the first entry in Roger Ebert’s Little Movie Glossary: A Compendium of Movie Cliches and was submitted by Ebert’s late friend and review-show partner Gene Siskel, who wrote, “In movie sex scenes, which are usually directed by men, the POV at the moment of climax is almost always the man’s, so that we see the actress, not the actor, losing control.” Well, this may be true enough that it encourages boys to grow up thinking sex is completely about conquering a woman by making her orgasm, but after seeing Patrick Wilson’s “O” face in that Watchmen scene, audiences might rather keep this cliché as standard. Of course, Malin Ackerman’s loss of control isn’t exactly enjoyable either. 4. Food Mixed With Sex Food can be quite sexy, and there are certainly a lot of decent films that explore the connection between eating and making love (Houston Press has a great list of ten such films). But some films have taken the concept too far and now it’s become a bad sex-scene convention. First, Hot Shots! lampooned the famous ice-and-food foreplay scene from 9 ½ Weeks, officially labeling the food/sex combination a cliché. Then, 12 years later, Young Adam conclusively killed the whole idea with its disgusting custard-covered lovemaking scene. 5. Cigarettes as Phallic Symbols Back during the Hays Code days, cigarettes were clever devices used as metaphoric hints at sexual activity. When characters shared cigarettes, such as in Now, Voyager, To Have and Have Not and Rope, it implied a sex act. When Marlene Dietrich held a cigarette in any of her films, the prop was a phallic symbol implicit in projecting an image of bisexuality. And ironically, in a film as explicit as 9 ½ Weeks, a cigarette may have been a required stand-in for Mickey Rourke’s penis during a strip-tease scene, because male nudity continues to be a taboo while the naked female body is common on the big screen. However, not all cigarettes in films represent sex and/or phallus, but due to the heavy employment of the prop in such a way for so many years, it’s hard for moviegoers (particularly those of us with film studies degrees) to think of them as anything but sex symbols. Fortunately, Hollywood is being forced to censor out cigarettes from their movies (getting slack for even featuring a pack of cigarettes), and meanwhile they continue to break sexual taboos at the same time. So this cliché is likely to go way very soon. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:01:08 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/13/2009 11:01:08 AMWhat is worse about the now-infamous Watchmen sex scene (watch it here), the distracting soundtrack or the explosive metaphor at the climax? Even if intended to be funny, and regardless of its (more-subtle) appearance in the graphic novel, the fire blast as stand-in for ejaculation is so cliché that it has no place in a story that means to shatter conventions. Plus, sexual metaphor is a little unnecessary in a film that already has a lot of nudity and a distinct moment of impotence. Especially at the end of a scene that is quite gratuitous compared to the comic’s depiction, that blast is more a symbol of how incorrectly handled Watchmen is than of the orgasms it’s intended to represent. Between that shot in Watchmen and our recent list of sexiest non-sex scenes, we have had bad sex-scene clichés on the brain. So, to relieve us from the tension of list-making blue balls, we’ve decided to release this short burst of a list for discussion. Think we should have included saxophone-heavy soundtracks or any other cliché you’ve come to notice, let us know in the comments. 1. The Explosively Metaphoric Climax Watchmen may have the worst example of this cliché, and that’s saying a lot considering the practice of using everything from fireworks to popping soda/champagne bottles to rockets firing to trees spontaneously combusting to nuclear explosions during kissing and sex scene climaxes has been extremely popular throughout film history. Explosive metaphors sometimes work well in classic films that required veiled innuendo (see To Catch a Thief, The Girl Can’t Help It and Cool Hand Luke for some good examples), but anything that’s come after the terrific montage in The Naked Gun 2 ½ is overkill. 2. The L-Shaped Blanket This is a basic movie cliché that people have complained about for years and doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to a sex scene. It’s the typical appearance of an “L-shaped” sheet or blanket that exposes a male character’s chest while covering the female’s (or “LL-shaped” sheet, in the case of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice). When it appears after a sex scene, though, it’s even more frustrating, particularly if that scene has already featured nudity. The problem with continuing to show the woman’s breasts may have to do with the tradition of non-sexual representation of the female body, unbroken and casual, in movies. Or, it could just be the difficulty of not being able to use a body double in such wide-shot situations. Either way, it’s frustratingly unrealistic. Then again, so were separate beds for married characters; there are just some things we have to put up with from censored and modest Hollywood movies. 3. “Actress Inferior Position” This is the first entry in Roger Ebert’s Little Movie Glossary: A Compendium of Movie Cliches and was submitted by Ebert’s late friend and review-show partner Gene Siskel, who wrote, “In movie sex scenes, which are usually directed by men, the POV at the moment of climax is almost always the man’s, so that we see the actress, not the actor, losing control.” Well, this may be true enough that it encourages boys to grow up thinking sex is completely about conquering a woman by making her orgasm, but after seeing Patrick Wilson’s “O” face in that Watchmen scene, audiences might rather keep this cliché as standard. Of course, Malin Ackerman’s loss of control isn’t exactly enjoyable either. 4. Food Mixed With Sex Food can be quite sexy, and there are certainly a lot of decent films that explore the connection between eating and making love (Houston Press has a great list of ten such films). But some films have taken the concept too far and now it’s become a bad sex-scene convention. First, Hot Shots! lampooned the famous ice-and-food foreplay scene from 9 ½ Weeks, officially labeling the food/sex combination a cliché. Then, 12 years later, Young Adam conclusively killed the whole idea with its disgusting custard-covered lovemaking scene. 5. Cigarettes as Phallic Symbols Back during the Hays Code days, cigarettes were clever devices used as metaphoric hints at sexual activity. When characters shared cigarettes, such as in Now, Voyager, To Have and Have Not and Rope, it implied a sex act. When Marlene Dietrich held a cigarette in any of her films, the prop was a phallic symbol implicit in projecting an image of bisexuality. And ironically, in a film as explicit as 9 ½ Weeks, a cigarette may have been a required stand-in for Mickey Rourke’s penis during a strip-tease scene, because male nudity continues to be a taboo while the naked female body is common on the big screen. However, not all cigarettes in films represent sex and/or phallus, but due to the heavy employment of the prop in such a way for so many years, it’s hard for moviegoers (particularly those of us with film studies degrees) to think of them as anything but sex symbols. Fortunately, Hollywood is being forced to censor out cigarettes from their movies (getting slack for even featuring a pack of cigarettes), and meanwhile they continue to break sexual taboos at the same time. So this cliché is likely to go way very soon. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_A_new_pack_of_RESERVOIR_DOGS_1992/563/32750/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: theunemployedshortstop
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 7/18/2008 9:44:33 PM
Body: The Epic Tale of "The Wolves of Gomorrah Gorge." The Conceit: Due to a trans-dimensional rift caused by the AWESOMENESS of the Inglorious Bastards screenplay Quentin Tarantino is able to jump into a dimension where the world is perpetually in the early fifties. The impish auteur (also great collaborator) is eager to see what some of his favorite directors and writers would do with his material. He gives a vague outline of Reservoir Dogs to Carl Foreman. Bitter over the HUAC hearings of 1947, Forman takes the idea of the mole cop and turns it into a commentary on witch hunting (like the Crucible set in the American West… with action and no weeping, whining, or three hour yawn-fest… just kidding). Production: The studio loved the concept and saw Anthony Mann as the director. His surprising presentation of the morally grey double agents in T – Men and his success as a visual director of both noir and westerns would yield a fantastic visual motif. Foreman set the film in an abandoned camp… rumored to have once been a lush valley, the area is now a barren gorge of salt (Hence Gomorrah Gorge though the studio would want to back off of this title… hence the title of Guthrie's song). Mann shot the film in the Colombia River Gorge and the surrounding desert like region of Eastern Washington. It was more visually arresting than the Rocky Mountain back drop of The Naked Spur. Rewrites: Leigh Brackett (script doctor supreme: The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, The Empire Strikes Back) is hired to tone down the political commentary and add some sex appeal. Miss Brackett split the role of Nice Guy Eddy (now Cow Puncher Bob) into two roles: Two siblings competing for their father's approval (much like Duel in the Sun) Cow Puncher Bob, a slick but incompetent rustler, and Grifter Gurdy, modeled after Lauren Bacall's con women / gambler characters from To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep. The love triangle between Cub, Timber Wolf, and Grifter Gurdy pleased the studio (however they were angered when they saw Anthony Mann's finished product because of the homosexual overtones that Clift brought out in the mentor relationship between Cub and Timber Wolf). Casting: Gary Cooper as Mr. White/ Timber Wolf: Cooper's leadership and bravery in taking a role that John Wayne thought was un-American is stellar, comparable only to his work on High Noon. Cooper's earnest desire to save the dying "Cub" is palpable. And his seeming asexuality highlights Clift's subversive performance. Montgomery Clift as Mr. Orange / Cub: Mann chose Clift because of the actor's work in Red River. His youth and energy light up as the conflicted double agent. And the women love him in those chaps (this is why the studio eventually shelved the film, which was never to see the light of day) Jack Palance as Mr. Blonde / Coyote: Actor Alan Ladd happened to see the dailies of The Wolves of Gomorrah Gorge before the studio locked them away. The star was so impressed by Palance's cool contained rage that he forced Shane director George Stevens to put Palance on the short list for the role of Jack Wilson. The rest, as they say, is history Denis O'Keefe / Loren Bacall as Nice Guy Eddy / Cow Puncher Bob / Grifter Gurdy: O'Keefe's star had fallen a bit after poor reviews of Mann's Raw Deal. Mann liked to see the suave actor portray slick con men (part of his role in T – Men) so he snuck him into the film despite argument from the studio. Bacall was obvious due to Brackett's revisions, however Jennifer Jones was considered until Mann saw and disliked her in King Vidor's Duel in the Sun. Dean Martin as Mr. Pink / Skunk: Martin was originally offered the role of Coyote. Mann thought his cool domineer would create great contrast between the perception of the character and his violent actions. Dean Martin's record label was afraid that their star was being derogatively stereotyped… an Italian in the role of an evil thief, gangster and ear removing murderer (though Frank thought it would be o.k.). Dino opted to go with the drunken comic relief instead. The scene during the second act brake where he belts out "The Ballad of the Scavengers of Dry Gorge" to the nervous thieves pined down in the gorge by the Cavalry (eerily similar to a scene in Rio Bravo) is something I wish all could see. In the time line of the story this is where Coyote removes the young deputy's ear… off camera and covered in vague dialog. Jimmy Stewart as Joe Cabot. As always the elder statesmen Stewart gave his all in a both commanding and haunting performance as the ring leader of the train robbery gang (this would be the beginning of the psychologically conflicted, obsessive characters Stewart would be remembered for: Vertigo and The Naked Spur). Only Jimmy Stewart could corral these wild wolves. Though on the set for just a few days this cameo would prove to form a lasting friendship and yield much collaboration between Mann and Stewart. Ralph Meeker as Mr. Brown / Hyena: Ah crazy Ralph Meeker. I think if you watch Kiss Me Deadly or The Naked Spur you can see why he would be fantastic spouting off long, near incoherent, hyper macho dialog trying to get approval from the other thieves. He's a forgotten American treasure (And from MPLS!!! Walter Brennen as Mr. Blue / Grey Wolf: It's hard to imagine a western with out Walter Brennen playing the old coot that tells the hero they are full of it. In this film he is taunting poor Dean Martin for his alcohol problems: Joe Cabot (Jimmy Stewart): And you're Skunk. Skunk (Dean Martin): AH… now that ain't even a Wolf, Joe?! Grey Wolf (Walter Brennen): Ye don't gits ta be no Wolf cas' ya stink ta' high heaven boy. (High pitch HEYUCK sound… repeat). Meebe if ya lay of that HOOCH ya could be a wolf. Right now yas just a smelly varmint (continues laughing). Skunk (Dean Martin): Ah cram it old timer! (Skunk shoots at Grey Wolf and misses). Joe Cabot (Jimmy Stewart): Knock it off you two! Now (stutter) Now where was I… oh yeah the train. Alfred Ryder as Young Cop who gets his ear cut off (Deputy who gets his ear cut off… off camera [revealed in illusive dialog]): Alfred Ryder played the other undercover agent in Anthony Mann's T – Men. His character is found out and killed by the gangsters he is trying to infiltrate. His ability to show both competence as an agent for the government and fear as a mortal in trouble is HAUNTING. Ward Bond as Holdaway (Mr. Orange's Undercover training officer) (Sheriff Holdaway): Much like Walter Brennen, it's not a great western unless you've got Ward Bond (high school football team mate of John Wayne, famous for his roles in many of Wayne's films such as the Calvary Captain/ Reverend Samuel Johnston Clayton in The Searchers). Carl Foreman envisioned this part as a Fortinbras like character that the thieves would talk about but would only appear on screen a few times to create suspense. Sheriff Holdaway leads the posse that traps the bandits in Gomorrah Gorge, which forces Cub, Timber Wolf, and Grifter Gurdy to play their final hands. Hank Worden as Bumbling Train Operator: Foreman didn't go for the flash back structure of Tarantino's outline. His story is much more linear, leaving Cub's allegiance a mystery. He replaces the drawn out training sequence in Reservoir Dogs with the train heist that Tarantino was too cleaver to bother with. It was played for both laughs and action. Most of the laughs came from Hank Worden who some of you will remember as Mose Harper in The Searchers ("thank you… thaaank you kindly"), but more of you will remember as senior drool cup (ancient room service guy) in Twin Peaks ("thank you… thaaank you kindly"). That's it. Thanks for reading all of this non-sense.
]]>Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:44:33 GMTtheunemployedshortstopFilmgaming7/18/2008 9:44:33 PMThe Epic Tale of "The Wolves of Gomorrah Gorge." The Conceit: Due to a trans-dimensional rift caused by the AWESOMENESS of the Inglorious Bastards screenplay Quentin Tarantino is able to jump into a dimension where the world is perpetually in the early fifties. The impish auteur (also great collaborator) is eager to see what some of his favorite directors and writers would do with his material. He gives a vague outline of Reservoir Dogs to Carl Foreman. Bitter over the HUAC hearings of 1947, Forman takes the idea of the mole cop and turns it into a commentary on witch hunting (like the Crucible set in the American West&hellip; with action and no weeping, whining, or three hour yawn-fest&hellip; just kidding). Production: The studio loved the concept and saw Anthony Mann as the director. His surprising presentation of the morally grey double agents in T &ndash; Men and his success as a visual director of both noir and westerns would yield a fantastic visual motif. Foreman set the film in an abandoned camp&hellip; rumored to have once been a lush valley, the area is now a barren gorge of salt (Hence Gomorrah Gorge though the studio would want to back off of this title&hellip; hence the title of Guthrie's song). Mann shot the film in the Colombia River Gorge and the surrounding desert like region of Eastern Washington. It was more visually arresting than the Rocky Mountain back drop of The Naked Spur. Rewrites: Leigh Brackett (script doctor supreme: The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, The Empire Strikes Back) is hired to tone down the political commentary and add some sex appeal. Miss Brackett split the role of Nice Guy Eddy (now Cow Puncher Bob) into two roles: Two siblings competing for their father's approval (much like Duel in the Sun) Cow Puncher Bob, a slick but incompetent rustler, and Grifter Gurdy, modeled after Lauren Bacall's con women / gambler characters from To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep. The love triangle between Cub, Timber Wolf, and Grifter Gurdy pleased the studio (however they were angered when they saw Anthony Mann's finished product because of the homosexual overtones that Clift brought out in the mentor relationship between Cub and Timber Wolf). Casting: Gary Cooper as Mr. White/ Timber Wolf: Cooper's leadership and bravery in taking a role that John Wayne thought was un-American is stellar, comparable only to his work on High Noon. Cooper's earnest desire to save the dying "Cub" is palpable. And his seeming asexuality highlights Clift's subversive performance. Montgomery Clift as Mr. Orange / Cub: Mann chose Clift because of the actor's work in Red River. His youth and energy light up as the conflicted double agent. And the women love him in those chaps (this is why the studio eventually shelved the film, which was never to see the light of day) Jack Palance as Mr. Blonde / Coyote: Actor Alan Ladd happened to see the dailies of The Wolves of Gomorrah Gorge before the studio locked them away. The star was so impressed by Palance's cool contained rage that he forced Shane director George Stevens to put Palance on the short list for the role of Jack Wilson. The rest, as they say, is history Denis O'Keefe / Loren Bacall as Nice Guy Eddy / Cow Puncher Bob / Grifter Gurdy: O'Keefe's star had fallen a bit after poor reviews of Mann's Raw Deal. Mann liked to see the suave actor portray slick con men (part of his role in T &ndash; Men) so he snuck him into the film despite argument from the studio. Bacall was obvious due to Brackett's revisions, however Jennifer Jones was considered until Mann saw and disliked her in King Vidor's Duel in the Sun. Dean Martin as Mr. Pink / Skunk: Martin was originally offered the role of Coyote. Mann thought his cool domineer would create great contrast between the perception of the character and his violent actions. Dean Martin's record label was afraid that their star was being derogatively stereotyped&hellip; an Italian in the role of an evil thief, gangster and ear removing murderer (though Frank thought it would be o.k.). Dino opted to go with the drunken comic relief instead. The scene during the second act brake where he belts out "The Ballad of the Scavengers of Dry Gorge" to the nervous thieves pined down in the gorge by the Cavalry (eerily similar to a scene in Rio Bravo) is something I wish all could see. In the time line of the story this is where Coyote removes the young deputy's ear&hellip; off camera and covered in vague dialog. Jimmy Stewart as Joe Cabot. As always the elder statesmen Stewart gave his all in a both commanding and haunting performance as the ring leader of the train robbery gang (this would be the beginning of the psychologically conflicted, obsessive characters Stewart would be remembered for: Vertigo and The Naked Spur). Only Jimmy Stewart could corral these wild wolves. Though on the set for just a few days this cameo would prove to form a lasting friendship and yield much collaboration between Mann and Stewart. Ralph Meeker as Mr. Brown / Hyena: Ah crazy Ralph Meeker. I think if you watch Kiss Me Deadly or The Naked Spur you can see why he would be fantastic spouting off long, near incoherent, hyper macho dialog trying to get approval from the other thieves. He's a forgotten American treasure (And from MPLS!!! Walter Brennen as Mr. Blue / Grey Wolf: It's hard to imagine a western with out Walter Brennen playing the old coot that tells the hero they are full of it. In this film he is taunting poor Dean Martin for his alcohol problems: Joe Cabot (Jimmy Stewart): And you're Skunk. Skunk (Dean Martin): AH&hellip; now that ain't even a Wolf, Joe?! Grey Wolf (Walter Brennen): Ye don't gits ta be no Wolf cas' ya stink ta' high heaven boy. (High pitch HEYUCK sound&hellip; repeat). Meebe if ya lay of that HOOCH ya could be a wolf. Right now yas just a smelly varmint (continues laughing). Skunk (Dean Martin): Ah cram it old timer! (Skunk shoots at Grey Wolf and misses). Joe Cabot (Jimmy Stewart): Knock it off you two! Now (stutter) Now where was I&hellip; oh yeah the train. Alfred Ryder as Young Cop who gets his ear cut off (Deputy who gets his ear cut off&hellip; off camera [revealed in illusive dialog]): Alfred Ryder played the other undercover agent in Anthony Mann's T &ndash; Men. His character is found out and killed by the gangsters he is trying to infiltrate. His ability to show both competence as an agent for the government and fear as a mortal in trouble is HAUNTING. Ward Bond as Holdaway (Mr. Orange's Undercover training officer) (Sheriff Holdaway): Much like Walter Brennen, it's not a great western unless you've got Ward Bond (high school football team mate of John Wayne, famous for his roles in many of Wayne's films such as the Calvary Captain/ Reverend Samuel Johnston Clayton in The Searchers). Carl Foreman envisioned this part as a Fortinbras like character that the thieves would talk about but would only appear on screen a few times to create suspense. Sheriff Holdaway leads the posse that traps the bandits in Gomorrah Gorge, which forces Cub, Timber Wolf, and Grifter Gurdy to play their final hands. Hank Worden as Bumbling Train Operator: Foreman didn't go for the flash back structure of Tarantino's outline. His story is much more linear, leaving Cub's allegiance a mystery. He replaces the drawn out training sequence in Reservoir Dogs with the train heist that Tarantino was too cleaver to bother with. It was played for both laughs and action. Most of the laughs came from Hank Worden who some of you will remember as Mose Harper in The Searchers ("thank you&hellip; thaaank you kindly"), but more of you will remember as senior drool cup (ancient room service guy) in Twin Peaks ("thank you&hellip; thaaank you kindly"). That's it. Thanks for reading all of this non-sense. http://www.spout.com/blogs/jjgittes/archive/2008/3/18/26357.aspx Post By: jjgittes
Post To: jjgittes Blog
Post Date: 3/18/2008 1:52:23 PM
Body: A friend recently asked me if chemistry between actors is a real thing. One needs to look no further than TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT to know for sure. In revisiting Howard Hawks’ classic last night on the surprise, last-minute installment of Reel 13, it occurred to me that what makes the movie great is pretty much solely the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Take away Bogart and Bacall and TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is kind of hollow. I know, I know – it’s based on Hemingway, directed by Hawks with a screenplay co-written by William Faulkner. However, Hemingway’s book is adjusted and truncated for Hollywood purposes (both for practical reasons and in terms of content). The actual plot leftover isn’t strong enough or interesting enough to carry the film on its own. Important things go unexplained. (For example, Bogart’s Capt. Morgan is inexplicably great at everything. He’s a sailor, business owner, diplomat, surgeon, crack shot, ladies man and a superb wit. Where did he learn to do all that?) The supporting characters, with the exception of Walter Brennan’s DT-afflicted rummy, are flat and colorless (as opposed to those in say, CASABLANCA). The dialogue is very clever, but almost too clever. More and more, I find overly witty dialogue to feel contrived (how is it that I never think of anything that clever off the top of my head?), but here again, I give credit to Bogart and Bacall for making it work. Also, since many films of the time had a similar style of speaking and since films from the forties are our primary connection to the time, the dialogue feels natural for the time, or at least what we know of the time. (Does that make sense?)In spite of my pointing out its shortcomings, I want to be clear that I still consider TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT to be masterful entertainment, but it’s the reason why it works so well that I find particularly interesting. I can’t think of another movie in history that was as reliant on the sexual tension between two actors. Certainly Tracy and Hepburn had rapport in ADAM’S RIB. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan had a platonic, fun banter thing going on in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. But none of them generate the pure, raw HEAT provided by Bogie and Bacall. The closest any recent film has come was probably Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas in THE ENGLISH PATIENT (I’m sure you guys have some thoughts on this – any other screen couples come close?) with the major difference of course being that Almasy and Katharine got to consummate their lust during the course of the film. It’s probably hotter, however, that all Capt. Morgan and Marie (a.k.a. "Slim") got to share were a few kisses – that mystery that makes all the difference – and that’s what makes this film what it is.
]]>Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:52:23 GMTjjgittesjjgittes Blog3/18/2008 1:52:23 PMA friend recently asked me if chemistry between actors is a real thing. One needs to look no further than TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT to know for sure. In revisiting Howard Hawks&rsquo; classic last night on the surprise, last-minute installment of Reel 13, it occurred to me that what makes the movie great is pretty much solely the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Take away Bogart and Bacall and TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is kind of hollow. I know, I know &ndash; it&rsquo;s based on Hemingway, directed by Hawks with a screenplay co-written by William Faulkner. However, Hemingway&rsquo;s book is adjusted and truncated for Hollywood purposes (both for practical reasons and in terms of content). The actual plot leftover isn&rsquo;t strong enough or interesting enough to carry the film on its own. Important things go unexplained. (For example, Bogart&rsquo;s Capt. Morgan is inexplicably great at everything. He&rsquo;s a sailor, business owner, diplomat, surgeon, crack shot, ladies man and a superb wit. Where did he learn to do all that?) The supporting characters, with the exception of Walter Brennan&rsquo;s DT-afflicted rummy, are flat and colorless (as opposed to those in say, CASABLANCA). The dialogue is very clever, but almost too clever. More and more, I find overly witty dialogue to feel contrived (how is it that I never think of anything that clever off the top of my head?), but here again, I give credit to Bogart and Bacall for making it work. Also, since many films of the time had a similar style of speaking and since films from the forties are our primary connection to the time, the dialogue feels natural for the time, or at least what we know of the time. (Does that make sense?)In spite of my pointing out its shortcomings, I want to be clear that I still consider TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT to be masterful entertainment, but it&rsquo;s the reason why it works so well that I find particularly interesting. I can&rsquo;t think of another movie in history that was as reliant on the sexual tension between two actors. Certainly Tracy and Hepburn had rapport in ADAM&rsquo;S RIB. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan had a platonic, fun banter thing going on in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. But none of them generate the pure, raw HEAT provided by Bogie and Bacall. The closest any recent film has come was probably Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas in THE ENGLISH PATIENT (I&rsquo;m sure you guys have some thoughts on this &ndash; any other screen couples come close?) with the major difference of course being that Almasy and Katharine got to consummate their lust during the course of the film. It&rsquo;s probably hotter, however, that all Capt. Morgan and Marie (a.k.a. &quot;Slim&quot;) got to share were a few kisses &ndash; that mystery that makes all the difference &ndash; and that&rsquo;s what makes this film what it is. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
Number of films tagged: 12478

Number of people who tagged: 338

Number of times used: 1480

]]>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:28:29 GMT124783381480Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/war/MemberTagFilms.aspxwar
Number of films tagged: 6176

Number of people who tagged: 179

Number of times used: 607

]]>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:50:24 GMT6176179607Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/romance/MemberTagFilms.aspxromance
Number of films tagged: 7162

Number of people who tagged: 169

Number of times used: 1004

]]>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:01:30 GMT71621691004Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/alcohol/MemberTagFilms.aspxalcohol
Number of films tagged: 114

Number of people who tagged: 16

Number of times used: 55

]]>Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:36:35 GMT1141655Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/smuggling/MemberTagFilms.aspxsmuggling
Number of films tagged: 787

Number of people who tagged: 12

Number of times used: 13

]]>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:07:07 GMT7871213Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/battleofthesexes/MemberTagFilms.aspxbattleofthesexes
Number of films tagged: 253

Number of people who tagged: 11

Number of times used: 20

]]>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:01:16 GMT2531120Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/boating/MemberTagFilms.aspxboating
Number of films tagged: 963

Number of people who tagged: 11

Number of times used: 14

]]>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:06:25 GMT9631114Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/resistance/MemberTagFilms.aspxresistance
Number of films tagged: 444

Number of people who tagged: 10

Number of times used: 12

]]>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:42:55 GMT4441012Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/oneagainstodds/MemberTagFilms.aspxoneagainstodds
Number of films tagged: 634

Number of people who tagged: 3

Number of times used: 7

]]>Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:02:00 GMT63437Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/bogey-n-bacall/MemberTagFilms.aspxbogey-n-bacall
Number of films tagged: 1

Number of people who tagged: 1

Number of times used: 1

]]>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:19:37 GMT111Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/captain-military/MemberTagFilms.aspxcaptain-military
Number of films tagged: 415

Number of people who tagged: 1

Number of times used: 2

]]>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:01:56 GMT41512Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hemingway/MemberTagFilms.aspxhemingway
Number of films tagged: 1

Number of people who tagged: 1

Number of times used: 1

]]>Sun, 26 Mar 2006 19:44:53 GMT111Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/whistle-anyone/MemberTagFilms.aspxwhistle-anyone
Number of films tagged: 1

Number of people who tagged: 1

Number of times used: 1

]]>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:19:37 GMT111Tag