The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame V: Comedy Edition

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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
very sorry to hear both Wylde and TUS unable to finish. Drop Dead and Bananas would have finished in the upper list, so far. Drop Dead in the top end.
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Trouble with a capital "T"
I grew up watching and enjoying Dean Martin and own most of his "Roasts" that I really love. I have a lot of love for the man including when he paired off with Jerry Lewis. He's a helluva comedian and entertainer. But yeah, the parody was a bit more Producer/casting couch creepy for me. Which did taint the overall experience for me from all-out enjoying it.
I vaguely remember watching those old Dean Martin roast. I should look them up and see if they are online. I once made a Dean Martin style roast thread, just for fun...I'm not even sure where it's at now?

very sorry to hear both Wylde and TUS unable to finish. Drop Dead and Bananas would have finished in the upper list, so far. Drop Dead in the top end.
It's too bad but I wished them both well and they are both welcomed to join any future HoFs I host They both had good reasons too. I've been meaning to see Bananas glad to hear you liked it, I haven't seen it since I was a kid.



Trouble with a capital "T"
I ended up sick all week, even had to go to the ER, but I'm better now and will finish on time.
Oh geez, sorry to hear that but glad you're better. I did notice you hadn't been on the board.



Oh geez, sorry to hear that but glad you're better. I did notice you hadn't been on the board.
Yea I was in rough shape, basically have to get rid of 8am steak bombs, tiramisu before bed, and 3 ice coffees a day.



Trouble with a capital "T"
Yea I was in rough shape, basically have to get rid of 8am steak bombs, tiramisu before bed, and 3 ice coffees a day.
Ugh, that sounds scary. Dare I ask what the problem was?



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Still have tests to take but it's my stomach. Probably bad gastritis.
that sucks. Went through something similar a year ago. Had to give up some favorite food. Miss 'em terribly, but continuing was too horrible a consequence.
So, truly, good luck with that and take care.



that sucks. Went through something similar a year ago. Had to give up some favorite food. Miss 'em terribly, but continuing was too horrible a consequence.
So, truly, good luck with that and take care.
Thanks, I've always been able to eat what I want and I've taken full advantage of it. The pain was so bad that I was getting morphine through an IV. The worst part is that the pain would come and it wouldn't stop for even a second for hours.



Trouble with a capital "T"
Still have tests to take but it's my stomach. Probably bad gastritis.
Thanks, I've always been able to eat what I want and I've taken full advantage of it. The pain was so bad that I was getting morphine through an IV. The worst part is that the pain would come and it wouldn't stop for even a second for hours.
Oh man, that sucks. But I think the good news is: if you take care about what you eat, how you eat (chewing well and not overeating) and when you eat ...you'll be back in good form.

I've had problems with my stomach and acid reflex from 'stupid eating' which I did last night and paid for it too. But when I work at eating right, things are fine. I just can't eat chocolate chip cookies and burritos for dinner...which I did last night.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.




Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)

Orville J. Spooner: You heard me. O-U-T. Out!
Dino: Take it easy. E-A-Z-Y.

The Catholic Legion of Decency condemned this Billy Wilder sex romp at release. It pits Ray Walston (Orville J. Spooner), an insanely jealous husband/songwriter desperate to sell one of his songs, to a "passing through" Dino (Dean Martin) playing a parody of himself; who's looking for that night's "action." Spooner's writing partner, Barney (Cliff Osmond), talks him into getting rid of his wife (Felicia Farr) for the night and hiring Polly the Pistol (Kim Novak) from the local bar, The Belly Button, to appease Dino's appetite. At the same time, they try to sell him one or more of their songs.

A twisting scenario that Wilder sets to a spiraling crescendo that mocks the American Dream and the willingness to sell one's wife to buy a slice of it. It wasn't a bust-out laughing experience for me, but there were a few Wilder moments in supporting roles that caused me a laugh. Wilston played hot and cold for me and felt a little out of his element or a bit overacted at times. Martin was Martin, without charm and a far more rapey. Novak's character was the absolute highlight for me, along with Felicia Farr, who both rise above the baser selfishness of their male counterparts.

Being an utter Wilder fanboy, this should have been an easy home run for me. Not to say it wasn't enjoyable, and there were some great moments sprinkled throughout, but I found that I enjoyed it more after the fact than during. Though I imagine a secondary run could adjust that somewhat.
I am pleased to have seen a much lesser-known Wilder film to expand on my list of one of the great American Writers/Directors of his time.

I agree with you about Kiss Me, Stupid. It's a good movie, but it's not one of Wilder's best. I've been a fan of Ray Walston ever since I saw him in the movie Damn Yankees, and I love Dean Martin too, so I expected to love this movie, but it just didn't live up to my expectations.
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Surprised that you didn't like this more, I'm guessing it's Dean Martin's character that's the deal breaker? You might think I wouldn't like this film but it's actually one of my favorite Wilders (I'm a Wilder fanboy too). I'm also a fan of Dean Martin and of all his performances this is my favorite. Just to be completely different I didn't totally like Kim Novak as a casting choice, I haven't really liked her in much.

A few movies you might want to watch for Dean Martin are:

Who Was That Lady? (1960) - This is worth watching for both Dean Martin and Tony Curtis.
Marriage on the Rocks (1965) - This one's not great, but it's good, and it's worth watching.
How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968) - IMO, this is the best of these three comedies.

Toys in the Attic (1963) - This one's not a comedy, but it's a good drama.



Ocean's Eleven



Now that I think about it, I'm a little surprised I had never seen this before. I have a spot in my heart for Vegas as it was once my favorite place on earth, although that probably wasn't a good thing. I've seen the remake back when it came out and I didn't think much of it. That movie has a more accomplished cast as far as film only goes, but it didn't come close to matching the magic of the Rat Pack.

This is the type of movie that I'd put on whenever it's on just to have it in the background. For awhile during the getting to know you act, I forgot I was watching a heist film. That part of the story probably kicked in at just the right time. The whole movie is about aura and cool, and is just flat out entertaining. The naive people on the side of political correctness would hate it, and it certainly occurred to me that an actress looking for a juicy role would have been best off avoiding the Rat Pack, but it's just a movie. I wouldn't call this great by any means, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. After a tough week I needed that so thank you to whoever for another great choice for me.

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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
A few movies you might want to watch for Dean Martin are:

Who Was That Lady? (1960) - This is worth watching for both Dean Martin and Tony Curtis.
Marriage on the Rocks (1965) - This one's not great, but it's good, and it's worth watching.
How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968) - IMO, this is the best of these three comedies.

Toys in the Attic (1963) - This one's not a comedy, but it's a good drama.
Who Was That Lady is on my watchlist but I'll definitely add the other two, THANKS



Women will be your undoing, Pépé




À Nous la Liberté aka Freedom for Us (1931)

In a comedic musical, René Clair makes an intriguing comparison between life in prison and the life of a factory worker with this very adorable presentation of two escaped convicts in search of a life of "wine and romance."

Many of the jokes and "chases" have a Keystone Cops feel to them, along with Charlie Chaplin. In particular when it came to the secondary convict, Henri Marchand. The distribution company for this film sued Chaplin over Modern Times (1936) against Director René Clair's wishes, who thought it a huge compliment that Chaplin found inspiration. The two of them became excellent friends throughout their lives.

I have wanted to see this for a couple of years now as I began my voyage into old-time French films and am now rewarded with this light bit of social statement and the pursuit of a more idyllic life.



Trouble with a capital "T"
A few movies you might want to watch for Dean Martin are:

Who Was That Lady? (1960) - This is worth watching for both Dean Martin and Tony Curtis.
Marriage on the Rocks (1965) - This one's not great, but it's good, and it's worth watching.
How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968) - IMO, this is the best of these three comedies.

Toys in the Attic (1963) - This one's not a comedy, but it's a good drama.
Thanks GBG for the recs! I've had my eye on Toys in the Attic for sometime now as it had Yvette Mimieux and I wanted to see more of her films, so with your endorsement I'll watch it Who Was That Lady? & How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life both sound good so I'll watch them too. I've seen Marriage on the Rocks (1965) a couple times and liked it. I like the swinging bachelor pad and it's interesting as it also stars Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy plays, his daughter.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Thanks GBG for the recs! I've had my eye on Toys in the Attic for sometime now as it had Yvette Mimieux and I wanted to see more of her films, so with your endorsement I'll watch it Who Was That Lady? & How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life both sound good so I'll watch them too. I've seen Marriage on the Rocks (1965) a couple times and liked it. I like the swinging bachelor pad and it's interesting as it also stars Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy plays, his daughter.
Cool tidbits. Got me even more interested them.



Trouble with a capital "T"
Cool tidbits. Got me even more interested them.
I often choose movies based on who's in them. If I like an actor or actress I go to their filmography on IMDB and peruse the movies they've made. I've found some neat films that way.