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Tag Archives: Agnes Moorehead

Who Says You Can’t Get A Head?

Posted on March 14, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

An exceptional cast!

Yesterday I decided at have a severed Head Sunday.  Today I thought I would write about it in lieu of my usual Monstrous Monday Post.  I began with Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte with Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Victor Buono, and Mary Astor.  Just to name everybody.

One of my favorite shots.

I love Hush, Hush but do not pop it in very often, because it is so long.  I guess I have a short attention span, but I do enjoy watching several movies of 90 minutes or less.

She feels strongly about it.

A few days ago I was disappointed to be unable to find my DVD of StraitJacket (starring Joan Crawford,  of course). Yesterday I had better luck.  In fact, I was surprised I had not found it before, because it was not that far out of alphabetical order.  However, I feel it was just as well I had not watched it before, because it fits so well with my Severed Head theme of the day.

And here are a couple of the heads!

It seems this post is longer on pictures than words, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  I’m not even sure it can count as a Severed Head Sunday since I only watched two movies with severed heads.  Full disclosure:  my first movie was Rope, which features a strangulation, but the victim’s head remains attached (that did not require a spoiler alert; it happens in the very first scene).

No matter.  It is Monday, and it has not been as monstrous as it might have been.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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One Sunday with Triple Cheese, Please!

Posted on August 22, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

I said earlier I might try for a Sunday Cinema Post,  and here I am, on Sunday, having watched a few movies, and ready to make a blog post.  My husband, Steve, graciously agreed to watch cheesy horror movies.  Accordingly, I located a VHS cassette I picked up at a rummage sale of Monster from Green Hell.  I could not exactly remember how the plot unfolded but hoped it would not be too slow.  That is Steve’s usual problem with that sort of movie: too slow!  I fear he is often right.

And I think I have insect problems!

A scary scene, no?  Yes, it is.  Unfortunately, we had to sit through HOURS of guys walking through Africa, stock footage of animals panicking, and various other slow scenes explaining what was or was about to happen.  And, yes, it felt like hours, even though the whole movie clocks in at 71 minutes, according to the box.  My bad!  I should have remembered.

“Scream! Scream for your lives!”

I knew we would have better luck when I put in The Tingler.  William Castle and Vincent Price, there could be no possible objection.  It is one of my favorites.

It is really not so romantic as all that.

We moved on to a Vincent Price/Agnes Moorehead vehicle, The Bat.  That is a fun movie too, although it does not pay to think too hard about it.  I don’t want to say it has plot holes, but you could probably strain spaghetti through the script.

It was a very relaxing Sunday afternoon.  I feel a little bad that I got almost nothing useful done, but you’ll have that.  At least I’ll have that.  In the meantime,  I am over 250 words,  posting on time.  Score!  Bring on the week!

 

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I Drank and Typed

Posted on August 26, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sunday, Sunday. Nobody will mind if I make a foolish post on Sunday.  For one thing, I can call it Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I am not, in fact, feeling particularly Wrist to Forehead-y at the moment.   I have been relaxing, enjoying a beverage of questionable moral fiber, and I am most inclined to make yet another foolish post.

We are watching Hush, Hush.., Sweet  Charlotte, one of up our favorites of the psycho biddy genre.

Steven is just about ready to fall asleep.  I personally am ready to stretch put and close my eyes.  This hardly matters. The point is to enjoy enough of a movie tonight to be part of a fun evening.

I do enjoy to watch a movie that I have previously been told NOT to watch.  I do not always do it in a case where I have been told NOT to watch. As it happens, right now, I am enjoying some scenes of a movie we were not supposed to watch.

That was as far as I got last night. It all makes sense to me except for the part about being told not to watch a movie.  Who ever told me NOT to watch Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (I’m not sure where the … goes and I am too lazy to check)?  Bette Davis, Agnes Moorehead, Cecil Kellaway… there could be no possible objection!

I imagine there could be an objection to this blog post, but I offer no excuse.  I must get on with my Monday.

 

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Movies Before Monday

Posted on February 25, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

For me it’s wine, not the hard stuff.

Yes, it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I am supposed to be watching The Bat (1959), a movie featuring Agnes Moorehead and Vincent Price.  We previously watched  Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), which also featured Moorehead, which is what made me think of The Bat.

I do not think this pose actually appeared in the movie.

 

“I could spit in your eye!”

The divine Bette Davis.  There could be no possible objection.  Yesterday I was going to do a Saturday Cinema, but my laptop would not cooperate.  Perhaps I could type a few words about that now, so the whole post won’t be me whining about the weekend being almost over.

This was the only picture I could find just now.

 

We watched Horror Hotel (1960), also known as City of the Dead, last evening.  It was really more of a village, truth be told, but I don’t decide on these titles.

This was just the first photo of this movie I found in my Media Library.

After Horror Hotel, we saw House on Haunted Hill (1959), mostly because it was on the same disc.  We love House on Haunted Hill, another delightful vehicle for Vincent Price.

And now I am looking at Snapped.  Steven will be watching the Oscars later, which he has been tuning in to for some 50 years.  I may go to bed early.  I see I am over 200 words, which I consider respectable for a Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I hope your weekend was grand and your upcoming week not too gruesome.

HERE’S the picture from Horror Hotel I was looking for!

 

 

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Monster Movies on Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on September 4, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Guess which one I look more like.

I interrupt my Wrist to Forehead Sunday activities to make my blog post.  I open with a picture from House on Haunted Hill, our first movie selection for the afternoon.  We selected it because our guest, Kim, wanted to see something with Vincent Price.  We love Vincent Price.  Now we are watching The Bat, also with Vincent Price.  Additionally, Agnes Moorehead stars.  We love her, too.

And here’s the happy couple.

Full disclosure:  I am not paying a great deal of attention to the movies we are watching.  We are enjoying some jokes and conversation, as well as snacks and drinks.  What else could you ask for on a Sunday afternoon?  I know: a better blog post.  Well, for that, there’s always tomorrow.  Remember: Mohawk Valley Girl posts every day.

In the meantime, what movie will we watch next?  I am set on watching another Halloween movie.  A traditional favorite like Frankenstein, Dracula or the Wolfman?  Or something more obscure from our collection of 50 Horror Classics?  A low budget, stylistic creepfest like Carnival of Souls?  The list goes on.

I would like to end with another picture (you know how I like to include three).  Not knowing what movie we will watch next, I shall select one from our downloads.

They always go for the blonds, don’t they?

Here is dear Vincent and his obsession, Marie Antoinette, in House of Wax.  We probably will not watch that one today, though, as we have recently viewed it.  Still, another picture of Vincent Price is not a bad thing to end a blog post with. Happy Sunday, everyone.

 

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Hush…Hush, Sweet Cheese

Posted on June 5, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I know I’ve mentioned Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) in passing, but I don’t believe I’ve written a full post on the movie. I watched my DVD of it Memorial Day. I don’t like war movies, and that was all TCM showed all weekend. Yes, I KNOW it was in tribute to our fallen soldiers. I can’t help what kind of movies I like.

I guess you could call Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (I can’t shorten it to Hush because of a rather hideous movie of that name made many years later) a Gothic horror. There’s an ill-lit Southern mansion, well past its prime, and a Southern belle in similar condition. That’s Bette Davis, tearing into her part with gusto. I love Bette Davis.

It’s kind of a contradiction in Davis’ character. She was vain enough to insist that she play her younger self in the flash back, but she eschews all glamour in the “present day” scenes (don’t know if I really need the quotation marks; it was the present day at the time). Maybe not such a contradiction. She was rightfully proud of her acting ability, and uglying oneself up for a part is a time-honored way to show one’s acting chops. To this day it’s what glamour girls do do prove they can so act.

Charlotte (see there, I can short the title) is as interesting for its background as for the movie itself. It was kind of a follow-up to Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and was to have again paired Davis with Joan Crawford. Baby Jane famously re-ignited both actress’ careers. I have to admire Oscar winners who don’t scruple to do cheesy horror movies just to keep working.

I’m not sure, though, I would call Charlotte cheesy. For one thing, there are no cheesy special effects. There is no need for them: the horror comes from what the characters do to each other, not ghosts or monsters (ooh, I could do a whole blog post on how people are the most horrible monsters) (preview of coming attractions). The atmosphere is excellent, a brooding threat and air of mystery hangs over the whole. We slowly find out what’s going on, but all is not fully revealed till the end.

At least, I guess some astute viewers guessed the big reveal ahead of time. I almost never do, which is perfectly fine with me. How much fun is a horror movie where you can see everything coming? (Ooh, another future blog post: suspense vs. surprise. Discuss amongst yourselves.) (Oh, and I just heard another amongst you sniff, “What fun is ANY movie where you can see everything coming?” Read the sentence again without “horror.” It doesn’t sound as good.)

The movie boasts an excellent cast, especially Agnes Moorehead as Davis’ faithful servant. Speaking of eschewing glamour, it’s a far cry from her Endora on Bewitched. Olivia deHavilland, Joseph Cotton, Cecil Kellaway and Mary Astor round out the cast.

I realize I have not said much about the plot of Hush.. Hush Sweet Charlotte. I think this is a movie best enjoyed when you let it unfold before you. I recommend it. Would I say if you liked Whatever Happened to Baby Jane you’ll like Hush… Hush Sweet Charlotte? I guess I wouldn’t, because I never really liked Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? And that might be a subject for a whole other blog post.

By the way, I got all my information about the movie’s background from a wonderful book called Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine (E.P. Dutton, New York, 1989). Highly recommend that, too.

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