“Ford v. Ferrari” is my second favorite buddy movie this year with two superstars that’s set in 1960’s Los Angeles. Well, mostly in L.A., as the last third is the 1966 Le Mans Grand Prix in France.
With the Millennial generation bringing with it the sudden death of America’s car culture, “Ford v. Ferrari” proves it’s still possible to enjoy the roar of an internal combustion engine and the screech of tires. Especially in IMAX, and without it being the fantasy of “The Fast and the Furious”. Oh, for the days before pollution controls, when leaded gas cost pennies per gallon!
What’s my favorite buddy movie this year — or any year — with two superstars set in 1960’s Los Angeles? Heck, it’s one of my favorite movies period.
Something I missed catching in May was that Allene Roberts has passed away. Allene’s life began and ended in Alabama, but for almost ten years, starting as a teenager, she was in Hollywood.
I was very young the first time I saw Allene, in one of the early episodes of The Adventures of Superman. When I watched “The Haunted Lighthouse” as a kid, Allene was already in her 30’s and had left the business.
As a devoted fan of the TV series, I enjoyed spotting Allene’s appearances in other episodes. She could play a sad and lonely part, as seen in “The Haunted Lighthouse,” and the start of the feature film The Red House. But Allene could also shine, as she does in the second half of the picture. “Girls don’t come prettier anyplace,” the narrator says when Allene’s character is introduced.
Allene Roberts in ‘The Red House’
The Red House is an outstanding film. The contrast between Allene and co-star Julie London is developed very skillfully, as each of them blossoms in her own way, becoming more assured of themselves but doubtful of some others. This publicity shot with Julie shows that Allene could hold her own as a glamour girl.
“The Red House” is available on YouTube in very good quality.
In The Hoodlum, Allene’s sweet innocence is robbed by her fiancée’s crooked brother. The shocking pivotal scene with Allene is cut so short it’s hard to tell what she did. Perhaps this was done as censorship for TV. The print that TCM shows, presumably the best available, has the same abrupt fade-out.
Carol Lynley, one of the great American (as distinct from French) “sex kittens” who became famous in the late 50’s, is gone at age 77.
“I shouldn’t have told Bob Crane I’d make a video with him.”
Lynley was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine when she was only 15. I have a copy somewhere that I can scan if I find it. That same year, 1957, Carol appeared in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that I happened to watch recently. In a strikingly assured performance directed by Robert Altman, Lynley played a precocious 17-year-old who was determined to seduce an older man, played by Vince Edwards.
Quentin Tarantino is known for making sly references in his movies. I was very surprised and flattered to see a subtle nod to my blog in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.” 😉
I do a lot more e-mail than blogging. Here’s a message I sent to someone after watching a movie on TCM.
Over the years, “Till the End of Time” has been overshadowed by that other 1946 feature, with Frederick March and Myrna Loy, about the trouble vets had adjusting to civilian life. Featuring Robert Mitchum in a supporting role, the studio was pushing Navy vet Guy Madison as the star.
A quick search reveals that, to the delight of women and gay men, Guy was the original Brad Pitt, with the same sort of physique. Curiously, his character’s name in “Till… Time” is Cliff, and Pitt’s character in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is also named Cliff. Tarantino doesn’t make movie references by accident, so I’ll assume it was intentional.
Later, Guy looked more like an older Ken Osmond who, according to Tony Dow, is having some medical problems.
The thing that makes “Till… Time” especially notable is that it exposes a post-war “America First” movement. Sleazy guys approach the vet buddies at a bar with a pitch about their organization, saying they don’t allow “Catholics, Jews, or Negroes” while a black vet the buddies have befriended is standing right there. So if you don’t know this post-war gem, add it to your watch list!
