Ripping melodramas!

I just love All About Eve! What a wonderful time the actors must have had hamming it up with all that clever dialogue. What great roles!
And a fabulous plot:
Eve (Anne Baxter) insinuates her way into brilliant Broadway actor, Margot Channing's life & tries to steal EVERYTHING from her! Her devoted husband, her best friend, her career ... & she almost succeeds.

I just love the sene where Margot (threatened by the younger & "nicer" Eve) behaves badly at a party, drinks too much & is at her bitchy best: "Fasten your seatbealts .. We're in for a bumpy night!" Ah, Bette at her best!

Some of the usual suspects:

"Madame X"
"Magnificent Obsession"
"Mr. Skeffington"
"Love Story"
"An Affair to Remember"
"Camille"
"Ghost"
"Johnny Belinda"
"Legends of the Fall"
"The Champ"

My favorite is "Written on the Wind" directed by Douglas Sirk who put the italics in ripping melodrama.

Hi Miss Olga:

Lightwizard moved too fast for me. Magnificent Obsession is the first melodrama with a happy ending that came to mind. The leading man is a playboy. A cad. What can you think of a guy who says, "Of course, as far as I'm concerned, art is just a guy's name." That's what the cad says. There were two versions: The first, with Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor in 1935 and the remake with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, 1954. (Based on a novel by James Hilton) Playboy is responsible for death of heroine's husband. Then playboy causes heroine's blindness through an auto accident. Playboy then assumes false identity and he and heroine (now blind) fall in love. Playboy mends his ways, does good deeds, becomes respected surgeon and restores heroine's eyesight. How's that for a happy ending? ( And I loved every minute of it. ) Most famous quote: "Once you find the way you'll be bound. It'll obsess you, but believe me, it'll be a magnificent obsession."
My favorite oldies are Wuthering Heights (Olivier and Merle Oberon), - "What do they know of heaven and hell Cathy, who know nothing of life" -(Sigh) , and How Green Was My Valley, but they don't belong here if you're looking for happy endings.
Maybe, Stella Dallas, or Now Voyager (Bette Davis) "Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars."

A few ALL ABOUT EVE quotes:

Bete Davis to Celeste Holm on what she'll wear to her wedding:

"Something simple. A fur coat over a nightgown."

Davis to Marlowe:

"Bill's thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago. He'll look it twenty years from now. I hate men."

Thelma Ritter to Davis:

"I haven't got a union. I'm slave labor."

George Sanders to Bette Davis about his date Marilyn Monroe:

"Miss Caswell is an actress. A graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts."

George Sanders to Bette Davis about his date Marilyn Monroe:

"Miss Caswell is an actress. A graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts.Raggedyaggie, what wonderful lines! The sneer, the attitude! They don't make (or write) them like that any more, do they? ..

And

My favorite oldies are Wuthering Heights (Olivier and Merle Oberon), - "What do they know of heaven and hell Cathy, who know nothing of life"

Bette must have had a marvellous time, being all these fantastic, larger-than-life creatures!

Thank you for taking the time to remember (& type!) all of those wonderful quotes. What fun.

Sorry, Raggedyaggie, tried to do the quote thing in Italics & kept stuffing it up.
I hope the above makes sense ..

A terrific list, Lightwizard! Made me want to get out the box of Kleenex just thinking of some of those oldies. Why is it almost impossible to see them on television now? That's where I saw most of them in the first place.

But if you have a minute, could you give me the bare bones of Madam X? Not familiar with that one & it sounds intriguing, if the title is anything to go by.

Anyone remember "The Blue Veil" and "To Each His Own". Just thinking about them makes me want to run for the hankies!

Who could be the very worst cad & bounder of movie history, I wonder?
And the bravest, most stoic heroine?
And what are the most evocative names of the "stars"? Rock Hudson, Rip Torn, Tuesday Weld .. ?

msolga-

Link to "Madam X"

Not familiar with either of those, Phoenix. But they certainly sound promising!
When you have a minute (I can see you're VERY busy here!) could you fill us in on the most excruciatingly, angst-ridden moments, so were can share the weeps vicariously?

Thank you Ms. Olga for such an enjoyable, fun post. I love those old movies. But as for remembering the quotes, Oh, how I wish I could. The credit goes to my movie quotation book, with the exception of Wuthering Heights. I never forget that one. Here is one from "Rebecca" that I think fits very nicely here:

"I wish there could have been an invention that bottled up a memory, like perfume, and it never faded, never got stale. Then whenever I wanted to, I could uncork the bottle and live the memory all over again."

(Joan Fontaine to Laurence Olivier)

Ah, Raggedyaggie, I know JUST how Joan F felt when she said that! I often feel exactly the same.

I've always had a soft spot for Goodbye, Mr Chips. Because I'm a teacher, of course!
It's great therapy in these torrid days in public education here in Oz. Just imagine: To grow old & doddery in the job, to be so adored by every student, to know without a doubt that you're on the Path of Right ... What more could a teacher ask for? (sigh ...)

I have to learn to do that "quote" thing, too, Ms.Olga. But, I'm too anxious to respond.

Phoenix: I have never seen the Blue Veil and I thought I had seen all of Jane Wyman's movies. I'm going to be on the lookout for it on TCM. I loved "To Each His Own", too. Do you remember John Lund saying to Olivia DeHavilland: " I believe, this is our dance, Mother" ?

Ms. Olga: And when Robert Donat was on his deathbed and was asked if he regretted never having had children: "Oh, but I have. Thousands of them. And all boys."

Raggedyaggie. Bwaaa!

"Madame X" has been made as a film so many times, it may have broken a record:

http://us.imdb.com/Find

The Lana Turner version is the certainlya melodramatic ten hanky weeper and certainly a soap operaish guilty pleasure.

LW,Douglas Sirk was THE melodramatist.Outrageous films I think.

Raggedyaggie


* * And when Robert Donat was on his deathbed and was asked if he regretted never having had children: "Oh, but I have. Thousands of them. And all boys." **


(Aw .. sob, sob, splutter, splutter ..) Gosh, my keyboard's soaked now!