The Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game

I've heard of money growing on trees, but never shoes! This little boy evidently found the motherload - although I doubt he would want to wear heels!

As always, if you are not familiar with the rules to the Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie game or the prize, click here.

Chartroose Caboose (1960)

A young couple (Molly Bee, Ben Cooper) planning to elope get picked up by Woody Watts, a retired train conductor (Edgar Buchanen), and spend the morning in his chartreuse-colored caboose which is his home. The couple are enroute to Denton, where the soon-to-be bride's sister is waiting with the preacher. However, her father issued a missing person's report and they find that police are searching for them, so they return to the safety of the caboose. Meanwhile, Woody's caboose ends up being moved down the track when another conductor tells Woody that a new company took over the line and all parked cabooses are to be cleared off the tracks! 

A few weeks ago, I was watching The Young Swingers (featuring Molly Bee) and this film came up as a suggestion in my Youtube feed. I'm so glad that it did because it was a delightful film to watch and one that I will definitely return to. 

The plot to Chartroose Caboose may sound overly simple but the movie holds your attention, in no small part due to the fine performances of Miss Molly Bee and Edgar Buchanen. I grew up watching Edgar Buchanen as Uncle Joe in Petticoat Junction and never thought much about him as a character actor until I saw his performance as Sheriff Edwards in Edge of Eternity (1959). That completely changed my view of him as an actor and I have come to appreciate all of his work now. 

Molly Bee is best known as a country-music singer. She was a regular on Tennessee Ernie Ford's Hometown Jamboree but is most fondly-remembered for singing the Christmas classic "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" which she recorded when she was only 13 years old. She has a wonderful personality, lovely voice, and a beautiful smile. Many of her television appearances are available on Youtube (be sure to check out her rendition of "You Don't Know Me") as are most of her films (she only made five). 

Chartroose Caboose is unlike a lot of films from this era in that it doesn't feature much drama or tension. It is just a simple story of two lovebirds and the little adventure they have on the railway tracks. What makes their adventure special is the people they encounter along the way. At first, they adore Woody and his little caboose and then they meet little Joey (Michael McGreevey in his debut film) and come to love him, too. Joey is another runaway. He wants to join the Air Force and become a pilot so he cares nothing about railroads or cabooses... until he stays in Woody's caboose. Then they meet Mr. J.B. King (O.Z. Whitehead), a hobo, who also joins the happy vagabond family for the night. Each of these characters have their own story and their own minor drama that all gets resolved neatly by the end of the film's 75-minute runtime. 

Chartroose Caboose chugs along at a leisurely pace, features some nice railyard scenery (if you like rail scenery), and also has some pleasant tunes sprinkled throughout - including the catchy title tune "Chartroose Caboose" performed by Molly Bee at the end of the film. 

Also in the cast is Slim Pickens, Winslow Cuthbert (you know him when you see him) and Kay Bartels. 

Chartroose Caboose is available to buy or rent via Youtube. 

Rewind Review: Bachelor in Paradise (1961)

Bob Hope stars as AJ Niles, a world-renowned author of a series of books examining the lifestyle, eating habits, and sex life of the Europeans. His research keeps him busy all across the continent and his books have made him over a million in revenue. However, when he returns to the States after a 14- year absence, he finds his business manager has skedaddled to Mexico and left him with the IRS hounding him for over $600,000 in unpaid income taxes. His publisher suggests he write another book to help pay off this debt, this time about the Americans. Niles reluctantly goes undercover in a typical modern pre-planned housing development in California's San Fernando Valley to examine men, women, and their lifestyle for his latest tell-all book, "How the Americans Live". 

Niles rents one of the last available homes from Rosemary Howard, played by the glamorous Lana Turner, whom he also hires as a secretary to help with his writing. As a bachelor, his presence in the family-oriented community of Paradise Village causes intrigue and arouses excitement in some of the housewives - notably Dolores (Janis Paige), the neglected wife of Paradise's developer Mr. Jynson (Don Porter). Niles decides that what Paradise needs is passion and begins educating the baby-saddled housewives in the language of l'amour. His advice to add spice to their marriages works well in some households but downright terrible in others. Jim Hutton and Paula Prentiss play one of these young married couples in their third on-screen teaming, after the two lanky stars made a splash in Where the Boys Are (1960). 

The housewives are happy to get a little romance back into their lives, but some of the husbands believe that Niles is out to wreck their marriages instead. In truth, he only has eyes for Rosemary, and it's obvious that the world's most famous bachelor won't remain single for long. 

"I came out here to tell you what a despicable person you are" - Rosemary
"You might get an argument, I'm very fond of me" - A.J

Lana Turner was making a number of lush Ross Hunter soap operas (Imitation of Life, By Love Possessed) when she returned to MGM after a five-year absence to make Bachelor in Paradise, released in November 1961. The breezy comedy offered her a welcome change of pace from her turbulent home life. At the time, her daughter, Cheryl Crane, had been acquitted for killing Turner's gangster boyfriend Johnny Stampanato, and had recently been committed to a psychiatric institute. 

Bob Hope enjoyed a change of pace as well.... for a Hope vehicle, Bachelor in Paradise offered him a meatier plot line than his prat-filled comedies of the 1950s. The Facts of Life and Paradise revamped the comedy formula Hope was tied to in the previous decade and created a new style that he would eventually wear out as well. 

"It would be pink" - A.J, looking at the new house

"That's not pink! It's California Coral" - Rosemary

Bachelor in Paraidse is an amusing comedy and, like two other films of the era - Good Neighbor Sam (1964) and Send Me No Flowers (1964) - it offers a nostalgic slice of suburban American life in the early 1960s. Happily, the picture is not confined to indoor sets and we get to follow A.J. Niles as he visits a shopping center (eggs were 42 cents a dozen!), a bowling alley, drive-thru hamburger stand, and the Pig Pit BBQ restaurant, where a tipsy Rosemary displays her hula movements, much to the delight of Niles. Alas, in the final court sequences, the film flounders and not even Agnes Moorehead - appearing as the court judge- can keep the audience from emitting some mouth-stretching yawns at this point. 

The talented Henry Mancini penned a wonderfully light and fluffy score for Bachelor in Paradise and the theme song - with lyrics by Mack David - went on to earn a nomination for Best Song at the 1962 Academy Awards. During the ceremony, Ann-Margaret performed a scintillating rendition of the song and her performance turned her into an overnight sensation and launched her image as a sex kitten. 

For an afternoon's amusement, the chuckles Bachelor in Paradise bring can't be topped and spotting the myriads of familiar faces to be seen in the film (John McGiver, Reta Shaw, Roberts Shore, to name a few) only adds to the entertainment. 

Be sure to check out Robby Cress' great post on Paradise Village and how the area looks like today, over at his blog Dear Old Hollywood. Also, stay tuned for our own look at the floor plan to Rosemary Howard's home in Paradise. 

From the Archives: The Blue Veil (1951)

Is that Vivian Vance?? It certainly is! And she is standing besides none other than Charles Laughton. Jane Wyman has an expectant look on her face which, if you have seen the film, you probably know why.... personally, I have not watched the film yet, so I don't know what this scene is about but it looks like an interesting movie. 

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures 

The Girl Most Likely (1958)

In The Girl Most Likely, Jane Powell stars as Dodie, a young woman who dreams of marrying a millionaire and living "the life." Her current steady Buzz (Tommy Noonan) loves her dearly and vows to give her the high life as soon as he makes it big in real estate so Dodie accepts his proposal of marriage even though kissing him doesn't set her on a "pink cloud" like she thought it would. 

The next day she meets handsome Pete (Cliff Robertson) whom she thinks is yacht-owner and millionaire Neil Patterson Jr. He's not.... he's simply Pete, the mechanic. However, kissing him puts her on the pink cloud so when he proposes to her the next night, she accepts! 

The following day she finds herself in a greater pickle when she actually does meet the Neil Patterson Jr. (Keith Andes) and he takes her on a whirlwind trip to Mexico and proposes to her as well. She caught the millionaire she always wanted! Dodie's got three fiancées now and one big decision to make. 

The Girl Most Likely (1957) is not likely to be a title you've heard of because it is rarely shown on television and is not written up as one of the great 1950s musicals - probably because it isn't. The film starts off pleasantly, slowly climbs up the roller coaster in the middle, and then quickly takes a big dip before it ends with a slight jerk. The story is amusing, Jane Powell and Kaye Ballard (as her friend Marge) are fantastic, as are all the fellas, and the musical numbers are fun too, it is just the script that took a dive 2/3 of the way in. Keith Andes entrance as Neil Patterson Jr. could have been better and his whole segment on the yacht and in Mexico pulled the film down. Keith Andes was a great actor but this was just poor material to work with. 

Does that mean the film isn't worth watching? Certainly not! It's great fun to watch and the music, beginning with the Hi-Lo's fantastic opening song "The Girl Most Likely," compliments each scene nicely. Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane penned most of the songs while Gower Champion created some clever choreography (that it seems inspired Onna White's dances for Bye Bye Birdie in 1963). 

Jane Powell elevates the picture immensely. She brought a touch of the MGM class to the RKO studios. Also in the cast is Una Merkel and Frank Cady as Dodie's parents, Judy Nugent (from Disney's Annette serial) as Dodie's sister, and Kelly Brown, who should have become another Russ Tamblyn. 

The Girl Most Likely was filmed on location in Balboa Island, California, and at RKO's Hollywood studio at 780 Gower Street, where it was the last picture made before the studio was demolished. Filming completed in 1957, but the picture was not released until 1958 (by Universal-International) where it failed to make a dent in the box-office. Jane Powell once quipped (in a 1987 "Films in Review" profile) that Universal-International didn't release the film, they simply allowed it to "escape". Ouch! 

Film Albums: Rene Touzet Goes to the Movies (1962)

This is a fun album! It not only boasts that great album cover with the director's clapboard and all the titles listed, but the sound is fantastic - Rene Touzet mixes the musical style of Les Baxter with Peter Nero to get a uniquely Touzet sound. 

Rene Touzet was a Cuban bandleader and pianist so these covers of popular movie themes of the early 1960s definitely have a Latin rhythm to them. Can you imagine "Small World" in the style of Perez Prado's "Patricia"? That's what it does sound like. "Maria" is delightfully Spanish-sounding, "Exodus" becomes danceable, and "Moon River" was turned into a bossa nova - neato! Best of all - "Till There Was You" was transformed into a cha-cha!

Ready to listen to Touzet? Click here to hear the entire album on Youtube. 

Track Listing

Side One:

Theme from The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm

Tender is the Night

Small World

Maria (West Side Story)

Baby Elephant Walk (Hatari)

Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffanys)

Follow Me (Mutiny on the Bounty)


Side Two: 

El Cid

My Romance (Jumbo)

Never on Sunday

Till There was You (The Music Man)

Tonight (West Side Story)

Invitation

Exodus

Top Picks: Brothers Grimm Theme, Small World, My Romance, Till There Was You, Exodus

The Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game

This man talked so fast, it was hard to get a non-blurry image of him - but here he is! Doesn't he look familiar? Possibly....possibly not, depending on if you saw this movie...

As always, if you are not familiar with the rules to the Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie game or the prize, click here.