Once again, I have had some computer issues. I must get some bills out of the way so I can upgrade!
What is your favorite Thanksgiving film? That’s, at once, an easy and difficult question to answer. There are few movies dedicated to Turkey Day that I can find, so picking a favorite should be easy…if you can find one.
There are a dozen films with the exact title, Thanksgiving, but all are shorts or documentaries, including several short horror films. Not great for an after dinner screening.
There is one 1912 movie called Thanksgiving from Reliance Film Company, but it has no details so it is probably lost. Reliance made over 600 films between 1910 and 1916 when they were either bought of went out of business. Interestingly, Frank Capra (1897 – 1991) made his first film at Reliance in 1915 as a film editor.
IMDb also has a keyword feature, so I searched for ‘Thanksgiving.’ 235 results! I sorted them by rating, so I could suggest the best results, and wanted to see only big screen releases. I think the Hallmark Channel makes a Thanksgiving movie every year, so TV movies are out. There is one at the left, if you are interested.
The top rated movie under that keyword was, Rocky (1976)! Next came Hannah and her Sisters (1986). Neither of those a saying much about the holiday, at least to me.
Third choice, BINGO! Miracle on 34th Street from 1947. This is probably the best choice. It starts at the staging area for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York. From there you get a top notch, heart-warming story, with a bit of fantasy and a happy ending.
Let’s try something else. Keyword ‘Pilgrims’ has only four results, and only one was a theatrical release, a 1944 short called I Am an American.
On to keyword ‘Pocahontas’…with better results. Pocahontas (1910) is the first entry, a short film starring Frank Hall Crane (1873 – 1948) and no actress listed for the title role on IMDb. Two more silent shorts were made in 1923 and 1924 called Jamestown and Pocahontas and John Smith.
Talkies…Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953) starring Anthony Dexter (1913 – 2001) who has 24 titles, and Jody Lawrance (1930 – 1986) who has 22 titles. No reason to change the title from ladies first!
The next feature film is the only recent one named Pocahontas, the 1995 animated version from Walt Disney. I doubt that Poca looked much like Disney’s drawings, but it was a hit movie. If you have kids, this is a good after dinner option.
The last film entry is Pocahontas: The Legend (1995) starring Sandrine Holt (b. 1972) and Miles O’Keeffe (b. 1954). It scored only a 2.7 on the IMDb ratings and was panned for it’s historical inaccuracies, as are most Poca movies. The real story was based mostly on John Smith's memoirs, and he apparently embellished the story a bit. Maybe he wanted to be a screen writer.
So it looks like Miracle on 34th Street is the best choice for an after T’giving dinner movie. Maybe football would be better…NAH! I’m a movie guy. But I can only take 34th St once a year.
Let me know your choice. Leave a comment. I will work on Christmas movies earlier so I can get something posted sooner! I hope your Thanksgiving Day was restful, and filled with family and friends…and perhaps a good movie.
Showing posts with label Miracle on 34th St. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miracle on 34th St. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Mr. Smith on 34th Street
I just happened to bump into Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) yesterday on Turner Classic Movies. I didn't watch it because I have the DVD, but this is a movie that belongs in every classic movie fan's collection.
The scene I saw had Jefferson Smith was being sworn in as a senator. There was an objection by another senator, played by Porter Hall (1888 - 1953). I also remembered Hall in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) so I thought I would look him up.
It was worth the effort. Hall was an actor on the stage and gave movies a try late in his career. He usually played a villain, or just a grump. His first two movies starred Claudette Colbert (1903 - 1996), and then Tallulah Bankhead (1902 - 1968). His third was The Thin Man (1934), an early pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy. Off to a good start, I would say.
Many westerns and many prison films follow. Then he is a senator in Mr. Smith in 1939. A comedy, His Girl Friday, and a western with John Wayne, Dark Command, in 1940.
In 1944 we see Hall in Double Indemnity with Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwick and Edward G. Robinson, and then in Going My Way starring Bing Crosby. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and Hall is the company psychologist, another bad guy trying to put Kris Kringle in a mental hospital.
It comes to mind that it would be a good thing to search out the lesser known films of some of these great Bit Actors. In 1949 he was in Chicken Every Sunday with Celeste Holm (b. 1917), Dan Dailey (1913 - 1978), and Alan Young from "Mister Ed." His next film the same year was The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend starring (listen to THIS cast) Betty Grable, Cesar Romero, Rudy Vallee, Hugh Herbert and Sterling Holloway. That has to be a good movie, but neither is available on DVD.
Some TV time started in 1950, and another E. G. Robinson film, Vice Squad in 1953. Porter Hall had 79 roles on the screen and in TV. The people he worked with were truly incredible.
A small complaint with the new IMDb. I can't find a link to search for movies that include a pair of people in the credits. I used that feature a lot. If anyone knows where it went in the redesign, please send me an e-mail! I did write to IMDb about the oversight. Thanx!
(Update 2011-02) That feature on IMDb is present, but difficult to find. Go to the Search link at the very bottom of the home page, then click on the link for collaborations. Whew!
The scene I saw had Jefferson Smith was being sworn in as a senator. There was an objection by another senator, played by Porter Hall (1888 - 1953). I also remembered Hall in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) so I thought I would look him up.
It was worth the effort. Hall was an actor on the stage and gave movies a try late in his career. He usually played a villain, or just a grump. His first two movies starred Claudette Colbert (1903 - 1996), and then Tallulah Bankhead (1902 - 1968). His third was The Thin Man (1934), an early pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy. Off to a good start, I would say.
Many westerns and many prison films follow. Then he is a senator in Mr. Smith in 1939. A comedy, His Girl Friday, and a western with John Wayne, Dark Command, in 1940.
In 1944 we see Hall in Double Indemnity with Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwick and Edward G. Robinson, and then in Going My Way starring Bing Crosby. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and Hall is the company psychologist, another bad guy trying to put Kris Kringle in a mental hospital.
It comes to mind that it would be a good thing to search out the lesser known films of some of these great Bit Actors. In 1949 he was in Chicken Every Sunday with Celeste Holm (b. 1917), Dan Dailey (1913 - 1978), and Alan Young from "Mister Ed." His next film the same year was The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend starring (listen to THIS cast) Betty Grable, Cesar Romero, Rudy Vallee, Hugh Herbert and Sterling Holloway. That has to be a good movie, but neither is available on DVD.
A small complaint with the new IMDb. I can't find a link to search for movies that include a pair of people in the credits. I used that feature a lot. If anyone knows where it went in the redesign, please send me an e-mail! I did write to IMDb about the oversight. Thanx!
(Update 2011-02) That feature on IMDb is present, but difficult to find. Go to the Search link at the very bottom of the home page, then click on the link for collaborations. Whew!
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