Carey On

Andreas from Pussy Goes Grrr here, to celebrate an oft-forgotten cult figure. Friday marked the 82nd birthday of Timothy Agoglia Carey (1929-1994), one of Hollywood's consummate weirdos. Carey worked for four decades as a character actor, generally playing villains or oddballs. Whatever the size or significance of the role, he tackled it with sleazy gusto, complete with verbal tics and a grotesque snarl. His eccentric presence added considerably to movies like the psychedelic Head and two of the Frankie-and-Annette beach party movies, where he played the nefarious, scenery-chomping South Dakota Slim.

However, Carey's most memorable roles came with two renowned directors...

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Request: Tyrone Power in "The Black Swan"

Reader Appreciation Month
Several people requested this during the TCM Contest, most of them mentioning the modern Black Swan (2010, not a remake) so I thought I'd give it a go. Methinks people will be disappointed if Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara don't see themselves in mirrors or have hallucinatory mental breakdowns scored to Tchaikovsky.

Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power in "The Black Swan" (1942)

Sometimes I feel like I'm hallucinating when I look at Tyrone Power or Maureen O'Hara in Technicolor so maybe I'll be the one breaking down?

As the movie begins we see a pirate ship called "Black Swan" and a super saturated matte painting of a blue sky (no one speaks of matte paintings anymore) and the following campy text.

This is a story of the Spanish Main -- when Villainy wore a Sash, and the only political creed in the world was --- Love, Gold, and Adventure.

The last time I remember villainy wearing a sash was the X-Men Dark Phoenix saga -- Villainy wore a gold lame sash to be precise. But back to the beginning of the movie. A town crier is shouting "All is well". Oh foolish extra, that's the kind of thing you only shout at the end of a story. Otherwise, you're basically asking for trouble!

(I'm waiting to see what color Villainy's sash is.)

Turns out sashes aren't that much of a focal point of the costumes, mostly because Tyrone is always out of his. I present the evidence...

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Fonda ♥ Bening

Quite a ringing endorsement of Annette Bening from two time Oscar winner and bonafide legend Jane Fonda. Celebrating the closing night of her acclaimed run in the play 33 Variations, Fonda shared several photos of celebrity attendees including Kathy Najimy, Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener and this one...

"my favorite actor of all" eh? Fonda has good taste.

Now if only she'd get some good film projects and go for Oscar #3. Hey, maybe a co-starring role with The Bening? Why not?

First and Last, Bank

the first and the last image from a motion picture (excluding credits)

Can you guess the movie?

the answer is after the jump...

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Link Tease

Streep Tease in which male actors do Meryl Streep monologues is back in Los Angeles every Saturday night. I must hear from you Los Angelenos if you go.
Cinephilia and Sass starts an Eyre-a-thon. Have you watched any of the movies or read the book to prep for the new Jane Eyre opening tomorrow?
Towleroad a few notes on new releases.
Blog Stage a conversation between Tony Kushner and Stephen Sondheim, two giants of American theater.
Filmdrunk a man with 82 Julia Roberts tattoos. How is there room for so many. Her mouth alone...
Vulture Chris Meloni, learns how to direct and gives acting tips.