I'm just what is around you

[sovay]

In my defense, Whit Bissell was not in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" (2018), but he sure was in Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954). I may write about this movie; I ordered it from the library last week when I was thinking about prison noir based on Brute Force (1947) and I wish I'd seen some intermediary examples to compare with, but it's fast, ferocious, and the punch of its Pyrrhic victory for prison reform has only gotten more extra-diegetically upsetting in light of what hasn't changed—or has worsened—in the last sixty years. Cast entirely composed of character actors, most of whom I've never seen anywhere near a leading role before. So who plays the unsympathetic screw turned favorite hostage of the prisoners forced to bargain for their own rights?



Me to spatch: "Did I accidentally summon him? Is he just in my movies now?"

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

Me to [personal profile] spatch: "Did I accidentally summon him? Is he just in my movies now?"

Ah, we've reached the bit where now he's actively stalking you round everything you watch.

[sovay]

Ah, we've reached the bit where now he's actively stalking you round everything you watch.

At least I went looking for Ralph Richardson!

[thisbluespirit]

Some actors you have to work hard to stalk and other just come along and stalk you!

[moon_custafer]

Ok, I was looking over a bio of Jayne Meadows who was in a 1958 play on Broadway called The Gazebo, and I realized I’d seen her in The Fat Man a few weeks ago.

[sovay]

Ok, I was looking over a bio of Jayne Meadows who was in a 1958 play on Broadway called The Gazebo, and I realized I’d seen her in The Fat Man a few weeks ago.

Oh, my God, she was on Square One TV. The Mathnet episode with the debonair jewel thief, Archie Leach. Meadows played the owner of the Despair Diamond, Lady Esther Astor Astute. Hooray.

[moon_custafer]

debonair jewel thief, Archie Leach

I see what they did there.

[sovay]

I see what they did there.

They had an entire spoof noir episode once revolving around the Maltese Pigeon.

[moon_custafer]

Yeah, but every show back in the day did a Maltese episode. I think one of those Scooby-Doos where Batman and Robin showed up had a “someone’s trying to steal the Maltese Bat” story. (googles) No wait it was an actual Batman animated show from before they did the good one? http://superheroshows.blogspot.com/2012/03/crisis-of-infinite-episodes-in-again.html

[sovay]

Yeah, but every show back in the day did a Maltese episode.

Well, I was either five or six at the time, so it was the first one I saw. In keeping with my usual approach to pop culture, long before I saw (any version of) The Maltese Falcon.