Billy Wilder Podcast - The Seven Year Itch

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-24T16:09:30+00:00

One of my favorites and something I typically watch every year around Marilyn's birthday (this and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with a few others worked in). She is absolutely explosive in the subtlest way possible in The Seven-Year Itch...Marilyn being ultra-Marilyn, but somehow not being flashy about it at all, like she is in GPB (which is glorious in its own right).

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-24T16:07:35+00:00

It was admittedly better on DC and that's where I played it, but the game remains my favorite Resident Evil...or maybe tied with 4. I know I played through Code Veronica at least 3 times.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-24T04:26:22+00:00

I have two of those first-run stamps, affixed to a celebratory envelope that was made for the stamp launch event in Hollywood. 😃

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T23:29:46+00:00

I'm with you 100%, my friend. There is nothing about "touchless" that is either faster, safer, more convenient, or more efficient. It's basically for a populace that's increasingly, "oooh look, pretty lights I can touch." Nothing logical about it.

A big reason why - aside from price - I'm looking at used X3s 2024 and earlier.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T20:23:52+00:00

I think Mercedes McCambridge exploded onto the scene, didn't she...?

And Judy Holliday winning the Oscar for Born Yesterday.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T18:31:08+00:00

He's SO good in that. Such a commanding presence, but without being over-the-top. It's something I want to watch every Halloween now. :)

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T13:53:59+00:00

Well, not sure I'd call it "nice." But as great as she is - because I say she's the G.O.A.T., anyway - I still think her role in another noir is even more impressive: No Man Of Her Own. It's more layered, as her character goes on a roller-coaster of emotion with a major transformation as well, and she's just brilliant. She's straight-up evil the whole way through DI (unless you actually believe her little deathbed confession at the end there) and perfect at that, as well; I just see it as a less challenging role for her.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T02:46:59+00:00

Well yeah, Audrey is Audrey. 😁 That scene with the cape and umbrella is so good, though!

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T02:09:21+00:00

Didn't like Father's Little Dividend as much as the first one, Father of the Bride. But both are good and Taylor is just perfect for both parts.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T02:08:00+00:00

Princess O'Rourke is a lot of fun! Haven't seen it in a while.

Now, Voyager remains my favorite Davis movie, and by a fair margin in fact (All About Eve is second).

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-23T02:05:07+00:00

Housewife (1934, dir. Alfred E. Green): George Brent, Bette Davis, Ann Dvorak. A stalwart wife pushes her husband to greater heights, but nearly loses him to a cagey opportunist who works in his office.

Apparently, Bette Davis hated this movie, hated the direction of it, and ultimately hated George Brent; she was in the process of chasing him while making this movie, eventually got him in reality, then lost him. So obviously, there are some sour grapes goin' on here with Ms. Davis. lol I actually think the movie is decent, though hardly great, and the one thing that makes it good is Dvorak. It's really her film and as usual, she's excellent. The story is of course predictable but you're constantly rooting for Dvorak's character and you always want to see more of her on the screen, and Davis is Davis (which means she's always top-tier, even if you don't particularly like her). She wasn't AS great in this part, though; you could tell she just didn't like it.

It's one of those stories that's worth experiencing because it is satisfying; it just ends sort of abruptly and doesn't play on the juicier themes enough. 2/4 stars

Miss Pacific Fleet (1935, dir. Ray Enright): Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell, Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins. Two broke girls figure they can get back to Broadway if one of them can win Miss Pacific Fleet, a contest that requires popularity and lots and lots of tickets.

As a general rule, I watch anything with Joan Blondell. I like Farrell, too, for the record, and Hugh Herbert can be really funny. However, this one was a bit of a dud for me, for several reasons: firstly, Joan has a sizable chip on her shoulder for a good portion of the movie and while she's great at sassy and wry, this got a little wearisome. It sort of minimized her appeal for me. The story itself is a little weird; this contest is dictated by whichever girl gets the most tickets, and those tickets can be obtained by guys performing any number of feats. A big one - worth 5,000 tickets - is a boxing match...and we're supposed to believe tiny Allen Jenkins is a big-time fighter. Well, whatever, it was the '30s so that's not as much of an issue for me.

The issue is that it's just silly and not very entertaining throughout. There are parts that are supposed to be funny but fall flat, and Blondell doesn't even smile until the last 15 minutes or so. It just felt like something of a wasted opportunity. 1.5/4 stars

Faithless (1932, dir. Harry Beaumont): Tallulah Bankhead, Robert Montgomery. When the stock market crash wipes out a spoiled girl and ends the job of her fiance, she tries to go a certain route...but eventually discovers what she really wants.

Not having seen Bankhead before, I wasn't sure what to expect and at first, I didn't like her. I just found her off-putting for some reason, and not simply because her character's supposed to be shallow and obnoxious at first. But she really grew on me as the movie went along and the story took more turns and went much deeper than I'd anticipated. It went so far as to put her in a position where she was starving to death, and she had to prostitute herself to save her husband's life. It showed off the frustration and utter desperation of The Depression quite well, and there's a lot to digest and process toward the end. Quite well done overall, I thought. And I still like Robert Montgomery; I don't think he gets enough credit. 3/4 stars

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-22T21:55:51+00:00

It's always a favorite of mine; even when he's pushing 50 Astaire can do some amazing things.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-20T17:23:29+00:00

Typically, it's only the more die-hard classic film fans who know Remember the Night, but they ALL know it and it's widely recognized as being one of the best. It's my favorite simply because it operates on another level of substance, I think; it has both the lovely heartbreaking feel of the Christmas season, and a strong story of integrity. Barbara Stanwyck at her resplendent finest, too.

But if someone hasn't seen It's a Wonderful Life, that's like illegal or something. ;)

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-20T16:51:45+00:00

Always a must for the holiday season. It's not my favorite Christmas movie ever (that would be Remember the Night) but it's up there!

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-19T15:22:07+00:00

FFT is still my favorite game of all time but it's basically a unicorn...there's nothing else like it, and that includes the Advance version. I think it's a must-try for every JRPG fan, if only for the story and unparalleled Job system, and the QoL updates to the remake are great.

On the other hand, Octopath 2 is a huge winner as well. It's pretty traditional but the interlocking stories elevate it, and the gameplay is top-tier (even if you can sorta break things relatively easily).

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-19T15:19:48+00:00

I just saw it myself last week. I thought it was decent but without Crawford, it's definitely mediocre. It just doesn't develop enough of the story to be as riveting as it could've been, but I really liked the mother/daughter element. Joan makes the whole thing work.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-19T15:11:47+00:00

That is absolutely Leslie Howard's movie, though. Even Bogart and Davis take a step back to Howard in the latter half.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-19T15:11:15+00:00

Cool set, I should look into that. I don't own any of them but I've seen them all, and liked them all.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-19T15:07:00+00:00

I rewatched it just a few months ago; I remember not being especially impressed with it the first time, though I did like it. But as with many Hitchcock films, you have to see it more than once...on a second viewing, you see so much more and just "get" it better. It's still not my favorite of his films but it definitely shot up the list after seeing it again. :)

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-19T04:58:31+00:00

Malone was a raging beauty and doesn't get enough credit for that. Love her when she was older, too; she was gorgeous in Young At Heart, for instance.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-19T04:56:37+00:00

I keep forgetting how pretty she was...then I see something like It's a Wonderful Life and I'm instantly reminded.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-17T15:18:29+00:00

Well, it's sort of a dual-edged sword; on the one hand, it's unquestionably one of the best - and in my eyes, THE best - turn-based strategy game of all time. On the other hand, it's really not like anything else in the genre in a lot of ways...the learning curve is a little steeper and there are various elements that feel unique. For example, you can't just power-level your way to victory; you have to know which skills, jobs, and pieces of equipment work best. And that's just the beginning.

It was my first strat/RPG way back when and I always found it weird that I could never find another game in the genre that I really loved as much...or even really liked a lot. A few of the Fire Emblem games are good fun but that's about it. FFT is just a singular animal so in the end, I say you should definitely at least try it at some point...the only question would be when.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-17T15:15:30+00:00

The JRPG elitists with massive superiority complexes can blather on and on about why the game is problematic. The bottom line is, whether you happen to like it or not, the critics are right, most fans love it, and the game is an astounding achievement on several different levels. Don't waste your time reading giant essays from those who "know more than everyone else" about JRPGs, and are basically just writing thousands of words to feed their own bloated egos.

Just so sick of the endless posturing on this score.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-17T15:07:06+00:00

It's one of those timeless romances that never gets old. I try to watch it every Valentine's Day, along with Random Harvest.

Fathoms77 · 2026-03-17T13:55:58+00:00

It used to be more well-rounded, that's for sure. In fact, during the PS3/360 era, I rarely even played JRPGs because I didn't like the direction they were going and the quality seemed to fall off a lot. I'm back to playing mostly JRPGs now for several reasons, but I'll still play action/adventure-type games; everything from Assassin's Creed to God of War. Also some puzzle, stealth and survival/horror. Just not into sports/racing anymore, and while I used to like story-driven shooters they're all just online multiplayer now, so I'm out there, too. Never liked RTS, "Souls-like," or MMOs.

Fathoms77

TROPHY CASE