Author Archives: Marya E. Gates
Movie Quote of the Day – The Damned Don’t Cry!, 1950 (dir. Vincent Sherman)
Martin Blackford: There’s such a thing as self-respect.
Ethel Whitehead: Don’t talk to me about self-respect. That’s something you tell yourself you got when you got nothing else. What kind of self-respect is there living on aspirin tablets and chicken salad sandwiches? [beat] Look Marty, the only thing that counts is that stuff you take to the bank, that filthy buck that everybody sneers at, but slugs to get. [beat] I know how you feel. You’re a nice guy. But the world isn’t for nice guys. You’ve got to kick and punch and belt your way up because nobody’s going to give you a lift. You’ve got to do it yourself, cuz nobody cares about us except ourselves.
Movie Quote of the Day – Angel Face, 1952 (dir. Otto Preminger)
Diane Tremayne: But I’m telling the truth.
Fred Barrett: The truth is what the jury decides.
William A. Wellman’s “Wings” To Be Released on DVD and Blu-Ray
It’s about freaking time, too. This is the first Best Picture winner – and the last to be released on DVD. I adore this film. It’s not only one of my favorite Best Picture winners, it’s one of my favorite films period. The DVD/Blu-Ray will be released on January 24th. You can read more about the specs here.
Movie Quote of the Day – Body and Soul, 1947 (dir. Robert Rossen)
Charlie Davis: Get yourself a new boy. I retire.
Roberts: What makes you think you can get away with this?
Charlie Davis: What are you gonna do? Kill me? Everybody dies.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Killers, 1946 (dir. Robert Siodmak)
Big Jim Colfax: I’ll tell you something, Riordon, if there’s one thing in this world I hate, it’s a double-crossing dame.
Movie Quote of the Day – The King of Comedy, 1983 (dir. Martin Scorsese)
Rupert Pupkin: So I made a mistake!
Jerry Langford: So did Hitler!
Rupert Pupkin: All right. This is the way it is when you’re famous.
Jerry Langford: Do you understand now?
Rupert Pupkin: That’s how you guys are, huh?
Jerry Langford: No, not them. Me, yeah.
Rupert Pupkin: That’s how you are? When you reach the top?
Jerry Langford: No, I was that way before.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Killing, 1956 (dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Johnny Clay: You like money. You’ve got a great big dollar sign there where most women have a heart.
Movie Quote of the Day – Lady in the Lake, 1947 (dir. Robert Montgomery)
Adrienne Fromsett: Tell Mr Marlowe, do you always fall in love with all of your clients?
Philip Marlowe: Only the ones in skirts.
Oscar Vault Monday – The Heiress, 1949 (dir. William Wyler)
The Heiress is a kind of movie that was very popular in classic era Hollywood and isn’t really made that often anymore. I mean, we get lots of period pieces ever year, but they often feel stuffy and/or Oscar-baity. What made the period dramas of this era so great is they feel modern, as in they felt modern at the time. And in doing so they still feel modern today. The Heiress or Jezebel or The Little Foxes feel as modern as any of their non-period contemporaries. I wish Hollywood could figure out how to do that again. I think Jane Campion came pretty close with The Piano. The Heiress was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning four: Best B&W Art Direction-Set Decoration (won), Best B&W Costume Design (won), Best Score (won), Best B&W Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor Ralph Richardson, Best Actress Olivia de Havilland (won), Best Director William Wyler and Best Picture. The other films up for Best Picture that year were Battleground, A Letter to Three Wives, Twelve O’Clock High and winner All The King’s Men.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Blue Dahlia, 1946 (dir. George Marshall)
Leo: Just don’t get too complicated, Eddie. When a man gets too complicated, he’s unhappy. And when he’s unhappy, his luck runs out.
the diary of a film history fanatic 