Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Blogger Block

I'm in the midst of a bad case of writer's block. In an effort to get my creative blood flowing again, below are some random thoughts from the past week - nothing of substance.

Whatever happened to Victor Jory? Someone get me a book, please.

Related to the above, I'm watching both Party Wire and The Devil and Miss Jones at the same time - also known as Jean Arthurpalooza. Last week it was Too Many Husbands. Didn't care for the end but the thought of Fred MacMurray and Melvyn Douglas as dual husbands was sure thought provoking.

Will there ever be an HD TCM? Is it even possible?

Liam Neeson as an a** kicker? As someone who really doesn't care for today's movies, I was surprised to find Taken as one of the few new films that kept my attention span in check. It's the "feel good movie of the year" - Neeson's character turns the bad guys inside out. Please don't get this confused with the Taken television mini-series, where space aliens mingle with Lockheed tech reps and screw with the Air Force et. al.

Aside from his marriage to Arlene Francis, why was Martin Gabel a guest panelist on What's My Line so often?

On this date in history: Experimental TV sets installed in homes
Television sets are installed in three homes in Schenectady, New York. RCA and General Electric installed the sets, which displayed a 1.5-inch-square picture. However, televisions did not become common household appliances until the late 1940s.

The picture size sounds a bit like today's iPod. We're going full circle!

7 comments:

Raquel Stecher said...

I was thinking about a potential HD TCM the other day. They show so many unrestored films, would it be possible?

I'm still living with my old TV (no flat-screen, no HD) and basic cable. ::sigh::

Carrie said...

I'll have to find that article I once saw about classic film and HD. In a nutshell, I believe it said it's possible since originals are always better than what you see on TV. I'll have to dig around.

Hope you have your digital converter box for your tv :0) The local stations around here won't let us forget!

la peregrina said...

1. Whatever happened to Victor Jory?

Umm, he died.

2. Watched Party Wire myself and the only reason to do so was Victor Jory and Jean Arthur. The Devil and Miss Jones along with The More The Merrier are my two most favorite Jean Arthur movies.

3. Will there ever be an HD TCM?

Yes. HD had nothing to do with the quality of the movie print but with the quality of the broadcast signal. Regular TV is like looking at something on the street through a dusty window. HD is a looking at the same thing through a very clean window.

4. Aside from his marriage to Arlene Francis, why was Martin Gabel a guest panelist on What's My Line so often?

Because he was also good at the game, a Tony winning Broadway actor, and a friend of the producers and the other panel members.

Caitlin said...

Ah, the dreaded writer's block. I'm having the same issue. Hope yours resolves itself soon.

I was actually just thinking about TCM in HD recently, too. My dad got a shiny new TV for Christmas, and on New Year's Day I finally got it all to myself just to find that it made my old movies look awful. So disappointing.

That last bit of trivia you posted is very interesting, considering that I've got a few scenes from All About Eve (plus various other shows and movies) stored on my iPod. My mother doesn't believe I can watch anything on a screen that small. Kind of makes me wonder what the first TV viewers would have thought about the 55" sets that are advertised today.

Carrie said...

la peregrina:

#1: Ya, but what about in between birth & death? ;0)

#3: Yes! The explanation I was looking for, in earth terms!

#4: IMO he was so 'blah'

Princess: If your dad got a flat screen, you can play with the look much better. First time we looked at flat screens in the store, we said "no thanks" and walked out due to the normal tv signal. That and get yourself an upconverting DVD player. Turns DVD into a HD-like picture that's pretty decent. It looks a bit 3D like, but you get used to it.

Anonymous said...

HD TCM would be awesome! It should be in the works!

Oooh, 'Taken' does look good - then again, I love Liam Neeson, lol

Carrie said...

Stelly: I agree, you can't beat a good Neeson film!