Angels with Dirty Faces

[Alpo]

Just got through watching it. It has a couple of things to recommend it.

First, it's got a GREAT basketball game. The Dead End Kids playing some other guys. Six of them against five of the other guys. Running and carrying the ball - hardly any dribbling by either team. Fouls right and left. Jimmy Cagney was reffing, and when the Kids would foul the other team, Cagney would foul the Kids.

Then, at the end. Jimmy's in the office, at the casino, with Bogey and the other guy. The other guy pulls a gun, and Jimmy shoots him. Bogey splits, and Jimmy shoots him twice through the office door. He dies on the casino floor, and all the casino security (aka "gangsters") run to the office. Jimmy locks the door, then runs to the desk. Takes a box of shells from the desk drawer and the corpse's gun, and leaves by the fire escape. The bad guys chase him and there is a running gunfight that takes ten or fifteen minutes. Cagney has two 38s, and he reloads AT LEAST four times.

What with the "do you like basketball" threads and the "they never reload in the movies" threads, I thought this one needed to be noted.

 

[the ringo kid]

Thats one of my top favorite Cagney movies. Youncan get it in one of the Warner Brothers Gangster Classics box sets. I think there are now five box sets?? I have three of them. All the ones I have are James Cagney, Bogie and Edw. G. Robinson movies--every one of them are great movies.

Cant beat Cagney in White Heat--though.

 

[Alpo]

Top of the world, Ma.

And Virginia Mayo. Hubba hubba.

 

[mc5aw]

Remember when movies were defined by quality acting and screenwriting rather than special FX and billion dollar budgets?

 

[lrb1200]

Remember when movies were defined by quality acting and screenwriting rather than special FX and billion dollar budgets?

I know people that wouldn't consider watching a black and white movie.
Their loss!

 

[shouldazagged]

Anyone who can't appreciate the dazzling artistry of the lighting and camera angles in movies like "Gaslight", "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca" is really missing out. CGI is great, and good color cinematography can be stunning. But black-and-white can create a mood at least as well.

Without car chases and endless explosions.

 

[QuickDrawMcGraw]

One of my favorites too.
Don't forget "Ann Sheridan" as well*
Just watched "Man of a Thousand Faces" last night
which I ordered from the library,
.. Jane Greer' was a Swell Dish also.

~ Don

 

[goldenlight]

I have met people who have NEVER watched a single B&W movie. Not one.

It's impossible for me to even comprehend 'thinking' of that sort.

The golden age of Hollywood produced some of the greatest films EVER made, and MOST of them, the vast majority, are in B&W.

You just can't make a film nior movie, in color.

I remember watching the 'colorized' version of The Maltese Falcon. It was just ***** to watch. One of the greatest of the greats of the film nior genre, reduced to this, to try to attract more viewers.

In colorizing it, Ted Turned drove away all the people who loved the classic films, in their original B&W format.

Fortunately, the court of public opinion convinced Ted Turner to STOP colorizing B&W classic movies, and the movies that were done, where quietly withdrawn from circulation.

 

[the ringo kid]

Top of the world, Ma.

And Virginia Mayo. Hubba hubba.

"Good" ol Cody Jarrett:

 

[the ringo kid]

Remember when movies were defined by quality acting and screenwriting rather than special FX and billion dollar budgets?

Which is why I mainly collect older movies with very rare exception.

 

[Road Rat]

I know people that wouldn't consider watching a black and white movie.
Their loss!

I enjoy the old (1940's) black and white films. AND, the sound is so good I have to turn down the volume on my set . . .

Today's sound seems to be set up for some stereo system that my set doesn't have!!

 

[the ringo kid]

I have met people who have NEVER watched a single B&W movie. Not one.

It's impossible for me to even comprehend 'thinking' of that sort.

The golden age of Hollywood produced some of the greatest films EVER made, and MOST of them, the vast majority, are in B&W.

You just can't make a film noir movie, in color.

I remember watching the 'colorized' version of The Maltese Falcon. It was just ***** to watch. One of the greatest of the greats of the film nior genre, reduced to this, to try to attract more viewers.

In colorizing it, Ted Turned drove away all the people who loved the classic films, in their original B&W format.

Fortunately, the court of public opinion convinced Ted Turner to STOP colorizing B&W classic movies, and the movies that were done, where quietly withdrawn from circulation.

I remember several he ruined in the name of "preservation" Classics like: Sergeant York, Objective Burma, They Died With Their Boots On, Beau Geste, Allegheny Uprising, Mutiny on the Bounty, Sea Hawk, Twelve O'Clock High, Destination Tokyo, Back To Bataan, Bataan, Fort Apache, Stagecoach, Rio Grande, Charge of the Light Brigade, Desperate Journey, The Maltese Falcon and others. They started out looking bad--but actually improved toward the end. Luckily--Ted stopped ruining movies.

 

[rwsmith]

It's not 'background music'....

I enjoy the old (1940's) black and white films. AND, the sound is so good I have to turn down the volume on my set . . .

Today's sound seems to be set up for some stereo system that my set doesn't have!!

Nowadays the soundtracks don't have background music as much as noise. I've spent a lot of time editing sound and video and can't hear what they are saying because there always has to be some concentration of noise in the background.

 

[Alpo]

Tonight I watched the first Charlie Chan I've ever seen. Charlie Chan in the Secret Service.

Now, I've seen parodies - skits on Carol Burnette or Sonny and Cher. Cartoons. There was a "Charlie Chan" character in Get Smart (Willie Woo?). But this is the first actual movie.

It was GOOD. The plot was kinda dumb, but the movie was well made. Well acted. I was impressed.

 

[Frank237]

Few weeks back TBS was running oscar winning films , many were Black & White.

I watched Errol Flynn along with a cast of classic characters in "Captain Blood". It was beautifully done. The B&W only made it better in my opinion.

Nothing wrong with black & white.

 

[Alpo]

Was watching a Shirley Temple - I believe it was Curly Top. Colorized. Annoying.

Paused it. Took my TV remote and turned the color off.

So much better.

 

[mc5aw]

Can anyone imagine colorized versions of classic horror movies? Not me. Leave Bela, Boris, and Lon in B&W where they belong.

 

[islamoradamark]

the old B&W classic s like the one s mentioned above were truly great to watch that was real acting. I was watching one of these movies that was redone in color they could not even get the color right, bad job. just kind of ruined it for me.

 

[Alpo]

I wonder about colorizing Frankenstein.

As I understand it, a computer analyzes the different shades of grey in the black and white movie, and assigns the colors based on what IT thinks they should be.

But to get the right shade of "pale", Karloff's makeup was green. If they colorized it, I wonder what color he would be?

 

[the ringo kid]

Can anyone imagine colorized versions of classic horror movies? Not me. Leave Bela, Boris, and Lon in B&W where they belong.

I saw The Wolfman w/ Lon Chaney Jr.--colorized. My copy is in glorious black & white.