Classic Character - Marcel Dalio

I'd like to introduce a new feature of this blog, one I'm calling "Classic Characters", to focus on some lesser-known, but fabulous supporting actors.  You know them - the ones you recognize but can never remember their name.

Today's classic character is that fine supporting player, Marcel Dalio.  A Frenchman who made his name in American movies, he was in everything from Casablanca, to the original version of Sabrina, to Pillow Talk.  Rarely seen in a big, or meaty role, he nevertheless added a wonderful European flair to many a classic Hollywood movie.

Check him out in these classic movies:

Casablanca - He plays Emil, the croupier, who when Claude Rains shuts down Rick's Cafe because he's "...shocked! Shocked! To find that there's gambling going on in here!', presents him with "Your winnings, Sir."

To Have and Have Not - The movie that introduced Lauren Bacall to Bogey, Dalio plays "Frenchy", the owner of the local hotel.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell on a transatlantic cruise to Paris, all while being pursued by suitors, and detectives trying to keep an eye on them.  Dalio plays the French magistrate, tasked with trying to figure out which girl is really Lorelei.

Pillow Talk - Doris Day and Rock Hudson as two apartment dwellers who meet over a telephone party line. Dalio plays Pierot, Doris Day's Interior Designer boss.

Until They Sail

I know I've mentioned this before as being one of my favorite Jean Simmons movies, but I just have to give another shout out to this screen.  TCM played it again yesterday, to I recorded it and watched it last night.  And I have to say, what a treat.  It's the sentimental story of four sisters (Joan Fontaine, Jean Simmons, Piper Laurie, and Sandra Dee) living in New Zealand during World Ward II, and the trials that come their way as a result of the war, and as a result of the American servicemen who arrive.  Also notable for one of it's co-stars, a dreamy young Paul Newman.  The acting is fantastic, and I admit, it had me pretty weepy in places.  Four hankies out of four.

So Long Columbo

Sad news for fans of TV detectives last week.  Columbo, a.k.a. Peter Falk, passed away.  While he was best known, and rightly so for his role as Columbo, the sly detective in the rumpled trenchcoat, it's probably easy to forget that he was also a talented movie actor.  He even had a couple of Oscar nominations under his belt, to go along with his plethora of Emmy's.  And who knew he had such a gift for comedy? So I thought it would be fun to do a breakdown of my all-time favorite Peter Falk movies.

1. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - This one is my pick for the funniest movie of all time.  If not, the funniest, it at least had the greatest collection of comics all in one place.  A bunch of motorists witness a tragic car accident, and remains alive long enough to tell them all about a stash of loot, hidden under a "Big Dub-yuh".  He kicks the bucket, literally, and 3 hours of hilarity ensues.

2. Murder By Death - A spoof of famous literary detectives, Falk plays a Sam Spade-type, one of a handful of classic detectives invited to Truman Capote's home to solve his own murder.  Funny, funny, funny.

3. The Princess Bride - Falk plays the Grandpa who comes to read a story to his sick grandson, Fred Savage.  Tender, and funny, and one of the most quotable movies ever.

4. Robin and the Seven Hoods - Falk plays Guy of Gisborne, in this funny take on the Robin Hood legend, set in 1920's Chicago, and headlines by the Rat Pack.

5. Pocketful of Miracles - A remake of the classic "Lady for a Day", starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford, Falk received an Oscar nomination for his role as Glenn Ford's clueless gangster sidekick.  A sweet and funny movie.

Star of the Month - Jean Simmons

TCM's Star of the Month for June is none other than Jean Simmons (no - not Gene Simmons), one of my personal film favorites.  Every Tuesday in June, TCM's prime time schedule will be nothing but Jean Simmons movies.  How cool is that?!  In honor of the celebration, I give you my Top 5 Favorite Jean Simmons Movies:

1. Guys and Dolls - Jean as Sister Sarah Brown.  Check out her rendition of "If I Were a Bell".  It's fabulous.

2. Spartacus - Jean as the slave Varinia, wife of slave leader Spartacus.  A really sweet love story.

3. The Big Country - Jean is more of a supporting character in this one, but she's particularly brilliant in a frightening scene with Chuck Connors.

4. Elmer Gantry - Jean as the evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer, who's seduced by con man Elmer Gantry.  She's got a great line near the beginning about how Ma'am is a contraction of the word madam, and how she is definitely not a madam (get it?).

5. Until They Sail - Jean as one of four sisters who fall for Allied Servicemen stationed in New Zealand.

Planet of the Apes

True confessions time.  It's something not many of my friends know about me, but I admit it - I totally dig all the original "Planet of the Apes" movies.  I'm one of the few people I know who's seen all 5 of them.  The first one is a campy classic, and the rest only get campier and cheesier.  This comes to mind because while I was scrolling through the channel guide yesterday, I noticed that the Biography Channel was playing a documentary "Behind the Planet of the Apes".  Imagine my glee.  Of course I had to record it.  It was originally broadcast in 1998, and was hosted by Roddy McDowell (RIP).  Basically a "making of" documentary, it covered all 5 "Apes" movies, and had interviews with most of the original cast and crew members.  I was in Sci-Fi Movie Fan Heaven!

All five "Apes" movies are now available on DVD, both separately and as part of a package.  While not life-changing, they're an awful (sometimes literally so) lot of fun.  Totally of their era, they're also a good metaphor for a lot of what was happening in the U.S. at that time.  Totally worth a marathon viewing party.

Should you decide to spend a lazy Saturday watching, here's a list of all 5 titles, by their release date:

1. Planet of the Apes (1968)

2. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

3. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

4. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

5. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)