Saturday, June 21, 2008

"So, what else is on your mind?

Besides 100 proof women,
90 proof whiskey
and 14 karat gold?"

"Amigo, you just wrote my epitaph."

That's Burt Lancaster responding to Lee Marvin in Richard Brooks' The Professionals.

This movie came up on one of Trooper York's "Best Westerns" threads, and it's underrated on IMDB with a 7.3.

TCM is doing a "tough guys" thing tonight. Previous was Seven Samurai, next up is The Dirty Dozen.

Lee Marvin really wasn't someone I thought much of growing up, probably because we seemed to forget how to make the sorts of movies he was good in. (Delta Force and The Dirty Dozen sequel, e.g.)

This is such a man's man's movie, that there are only two women and both are built like brick houses. Claudia Cardinale, of course, who smokes, smoulders and pouts so well, you almost don't notice she has an awful heavy Italian accent for a Mexican girl, and Marie Gomez, who does a great job as the girl who never says no. She was nominated for a Golden Globe as "Most Promising Newcomer" but her career never took off.

I guess 'cause of the glut of gorgeous large-breasted hispanic women in Hollywood in the '60s and '70s.

(The Boy thinks it was too slow. The action parts were great but too far in-between.)

7 comments:

  1. The most amusing thing about liberals who assume John Wayne was a big racist is that he only married really hot Hispanic women. His last wife Pilar made Claudia Cardinale look like Lassie.

    You can't go wrong with a Burt Lancaster film festival. Three to see for the boy: Gunfight at OK Corral, Go Tell it to the Spartans and The Flame and the Arrow. Lots of action and food for thought.

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  2. By the way most people thought Pilar was a hooker. And that the Duke was banging her, her sister and her mother. Hey who knows pilgrim. Never explain it's a sign of weakness.

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  3. Ford, Wayne and Henry Fonda used to sail down to Mexico and drink and bang hookers in the little seaside towns in Baja California before World War II. Then Ford sailed his boat to Japan and China and did some espionage for the Navy. Ford ended up as an admiral not only for the great films he made but for his wartime work spying. He paticularly enjoyed spying on the English who he really hated as a good Irishman should. Of course we don't talk about that these days. Hee hee.

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  4. Ford and Wayne were kind of estranged for a while because of what Ford thought of as Waynes "cowardance" during the war. Wayne was too old to be drafted and had a deferment as the sole support of a large family. But other stars volunteered and served. Notably Jimmie Stewart and Robert Montgomery who starred in films for Ford. But Waynes stardom was too great and the relationship turned as Ford needed Wayne alot more than Wayne needed Ford. It got to the point where Wayne was directing The Alamo and Ford showed up on the set and was thrown a bone to do some second unit stuff. The funny part is it was almost an exact replication of what happened with Ford and his brother Francis Ford was a big time actor and director in the silent era but had to kiss his brothers ass big time when the worm turned.

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  5. Waitaminute. Pilar was good looking but Claudia Cardinale was absolutely exquisite!

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  6. Yeah but Pilar knew some real good parlor tricks dude.

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