Re: "B" movies on TV, TCM?
Mr. Hole The Magnificent: An ABC Studios Production
> In the old days of Hollywood there was a second class of films known
> as "B" movies which were a lower grade. Some "B" film stars moved on
> to TV. (One became a president).
>
> Does TCM show "B" movies? When a "B" movie is shown on TV (such as
> TCM channel), is there any way to tell?
>
> In the old days, before TV, Hollywood cranked out movies very rapidly.
> Even films with named stars could be quite formulaic and trite. If an
> "A" picture could be that way, I'm afraid to think what a "B" movie
> would be like.
>
> Could anyone elaborate?
>
> Thanks.
I can't give much info, but I know they tend to be shorter than other
films TCM plays, around an hour or so, and I've seen them on TCM. I'll
add ramp-f to the groups list, lots of people there that know more on
the subject.
Opry phantom
Yeah, the "Torchy Blaine" series and "Dagwood and Blondie"
etc. get shown usually in the a.m. I'd like to see some of the
cowpoke heroes like Hoot; Buck; Three Meskiteers and Rough Riders
(Buck; Col. Tim and the crusty old geezer).
Wish they'd show some serials like SPY SMASHER and DARE DEVILS of
the RED CIRCLE; remember chaptuh five of CAPTAIN MARVEL?
Bill Steele
<d78bf7b4-0c99-4ee9...@y10g2000prg.googlegroups.com>,
Opry phantom <xanth...@charter.net> wrote:
> On Dec 19, 7:32�pm, "Mr. Hole The Magnificent: An ABC Studios
> Production" <classic.mr.h...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Dec 19, 7:12�pm, hanco...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
> >
> > > In the old days of Hollywood there was a second class of films known
> > > as "B" movies which were a lower grade. �Some "B" film stars moved on
> > > to TV. �(One became a president).
> >
> > > Does TCM show "B" movies? �When a "B" movie is shown on TV (such as
> > > TCM channel), is there any way to tell?
> >
> > > In the old days, before TV, Hollywood cranked out movies very rapidly.
> > > Even films with named stars could be quite formulaic and trite. �If an
> > > "A" picture could be that way, I'm afraid to think what a "B" movie
> > > would be like.
> >
> > > Could anyone elaborate?
> >
> > > Thanks.
> >
> > I can't give much info, but I know they tend to be shorter than other
> > films TCM plays, around an hour or so, and I've seen them on TCM. I'll
> > add ramp-f to the groups list, lots of people there that know more on
> > the subject.
"Bs" also known as "programmers," were made to be the second part of a
double feature--and in those days, almost every theater showed double
features. That meant shorter and lower budget, but not necessarily
"bad." Some great noir, some pleasant comedies, enjoyable musicals.
Often they were a training ground for future stars, writers and
directors. OTOH, some were populated with the equivalent of today's TV
actors.
TCM shows them all the time. I guess the only way to identify them,
short of going through old copies of Variety, is by the length. There
are a few other clues. MGM, for instance, often put the credits over a
white bas-relief of a lion.
>
> Yeah, the "Torchy Blaine" series and "Dagwood and Blondie"
> etc. get shown usually in the a.m. I'd like to see some of the
> cowpoke heroes like Hoot; Buck; Three Meskiteers and Rough Riders
> (Buck; Col. Tim and the crusty old geezer).
The B westerns show up occasionally on the Encore Western channel, but
not nearly enough; they seem hung up on the technicolor westerns of the
50s and 60s. Gazillions of them are available on DVD though.
> Wish they'd show some serials like SPY SMASHER and DARE DEVILS of
> the RED CIRCLE; remember chaptuh five of CAPTAIN MARVEL?
TCM has shown a few serials, but limited to established icons--Superman,
Batman, Dick Tracy, Zorro. Again, lots of them are available on DVD.
What happened in Chapter Five?
Opry phantom
> In article
> <d78bf7b4-0c99-4ee9-b111-f710d7356...@y10g2000prg.googlegroups.com>,
>
> - Show quoted text -
Unless I got the chapter numbers mixed (from failing memory) I
recall the heroine was unconscious in an auto that was speeding down a
curved parking facility (amazingly no other cars were trying to exit)
our <Shazam!> hero arrives in the nick of time to calmly stop said
auto with his hands.
Then Marvel is lured to a cave by the Lightning(?) or whatever the
baddie was called, only to have the villain cackle fiendishly as he
fires a gadget only seen in serials of the day, and our hero is faced
with a tide of molten lava rushing toward him <Ta Da!> RETURN NEXT
WEEK...
Nancy2
> Then Marvel is lured to a cave by the Lightning(?) or whatever the
> baddie was called, only to have the villain cackle fiendishly as he
> fires a gadget only seen in serials of the day, and our hero is faced
> with a tide of molten lava rushing toward him <Ta Da!> RETURN NEXT
>
> - Show quoted text -
I absolutely loved the serials when I was a kid - we went to a really
small movie theater in South Miami (not like it is now, trust me) -
Spider Woman was my favorite, but they would also show some Westerns,
Superman, etc.
N.
Professor Bubba
<2bc244f0-3c12-4504...@a10g2000pre.googlegroups.com>,
Opry phantom <xanth...@charter.net> wrote:
> On Dec 21, 11:39�am, Bill Steele <w...@cornell.edu> wrote:
> > In article
> > <d78bf7b4-0c99-4ee9-b111-f710d7356...@y10g2000prg.googlegroups.com>,
> > �Opry phantom <xanthus...@charter.net> wrote:
> > > � Wish they'd show some serials like SPY SMASHER and DARE DEVILS of
> > > the RED CIRCLE; remember chaptuh five of CAPTAIN MARVEL?
> >
> > TCM has shown a few serials, but limited to established icons--Superman,
> > Batman, Dick Tracy, Zorro. �Again, lots of them are available on DVD. �
> >
> > What happened in Chapter Five?- Hide quoted text -
> >
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> Unless I got the chapter numbers mixed (from failing memory) I
> recall the heroine was unconscious in an auto that was speeding down a
> curved parking facility (amazingly no other cars were trying to exit)
> our <Shazam!> hero arrives in the nick of time to calmly stop said
> auto with his hands.
> Then Marvel is lured to a cave by the Lightning(?) or whatever the
> baddie was called, only to have the villain cackle fiendishly as he
> fires a gadget only seen in serials of the day, and our hero is faced
> with a tide of molten lava rushing toward him <Ta Da!> RETURN NEXT
> WEEK...
You got it right. Chapter 5 begins with Captain Marvel saving Betty by
flying in, landing on the dashboard of the car and grabbing the
steering wheel, turning it left until the car for some unknown reason
comes to a gentle halt.
BTW the villain is named The Scorpion.
At the end of the chapter, some guy with a ray turns a cave into lava,
trapping Captain Marvel in a cul de sac. Cap escapes by jumping up
through a convenient Cap-size hole in the rock ceiling. The Scorpion
and his evil minions leave, thinking Cap dead. Cap leaves the cave,
turns back into Billy, and drives away. Why Cap doesn't stay as Cap
and fly away, I don't know. Me, I'd rather fly than drive.
Superman would have laughed at lava.
Opry phantom
> In article
> <2bc244f0-3c12-4504-8919-c5d0fdca5...@a10g2000pre.googlegroups.com>,
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yeah, but Billy B woulda laughed at kryptonite <holy moly!>
Anim8rFSK
Professor Bubba <bu...@nowhere.edu.invalid> wrote:
The most amazing scene for me is in a parking structure, where the bad
guys ambush Cap; IIRC he tosses one of him to his death over a railing,
and picks up an *engine block* and hits the other one over the head with
it. He was taking NO prisoners.
--
Tiger Woods has just been named "Athlete of the Decade"
His chosen event? The Broad Jump.
Adam H. Kerman
Children's entertainment!
Bill Steele
Anim8rFSK <ANIM...@cox.net> wrote:
> >
> > You got it right. Chapter 5 begins with Captain Marvel saving Betty by
> > flying in, landing on the dashboard of the car and grabbing the
> > steering wheel, turning it left until the car for some unknown reason
> > comes to a gentle halt.
> >
> > BTW the villain is named The Scorpion.
Yeah, confusing. Don Winslow already had him.
> >
> > At the end of the chapter, some guy with a ray turns a cave into lava,
> > trapping Captain Marvel in a cul de sac. Cap escapes by jumping up
> > through a convenient Cap-size hole in the rock ceiling. The Scorpion
> > and his evil minions leave, thinking Cap dead. Cap leaves the cave,
> > turns back into Billy, and drives away. Why Cap doesn't stay as Cap
> > and fly away, I don't know. Me, I'd rather fly than drive.
> >
> > Superman would have laughed at lava.
So would Cap, I think. The serial people continually demonstrated their
lack of familiarity with the comic characters. I figure they ought once
copy of the comic book to get the names of the characters and the
costume and ignored everything else.
>
> The most amazing scene for me is in a parking structure, where the bad
> guys ambush Cap; IIRC he tosses one of him to his death over a railing,
> and picks up an *engine block* and hits the other one over the head with
> it. He was taking NO prisoners.
And don't forget the scene where he turned a machine gun on an army.
See above comment about serials.