tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post4858345124904240311..comments2024-03-27T14:57:37.031+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: On Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole, and the celebrity cultJabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-43102286046801319792016-10-14T15:00:12.214+05:302016-10-14T15:00:12.214+05:30Does anyone know the name of the singer or band th...Does anyone know the name of the singer or band that performed "We're Coming, Leo"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-70741964761363203832012-09-23T05:32:45.250+05:302012-09-23T05:32:45.250+05:30A wonderful film. I saw on Alex Cox's lamemted...A wonderful film. I saw on Alex Cox's lamemted Moviedrome series back in 1989 and it blew me away.<br /><br />I have looked for it for many years,and watched a DVD in <br />2006. It has still stood the test of time after 60 years. I doubt a film like this would get made by a major Hollywood director today. Rob Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-39505211952480998532012-05-30T12:29:17.924+05:302012-05-30T12:29:17.924+05:30For the song in the movie, "We're Coming,...For the song in the movie, "We're Coming, Leo," Wilder called on the songwriting team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, who had done a cameo in Sunset Blvd., playing their hit song "Buttons and Bows" in a party scene. Wilder commissioned them to write "the worst song you can, with bad rhymes and everything else bad." They obligingly came up with a promotional jingle designed to lure the sensation seekers to the site of the mine cave-in:<br /><br />We're coming, we're coming, Leo<br />So Leo don't despair<br />While you're in the cave a-hopin'<br />We're up above you gropin'<br />And we soon will make an openin', Leo<br />Oh, Leo! Leo!<br /><br />Does it get any darker than this?Rahulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14756837367515976152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-25264646565448822562012-05-30T12:20:16.686+05:302012-05-30T12:20:16.686+05:30Said Stanley Donen, "When you think about the...Said Stanley Donen, "When you think about the breadth and scope of what Billy Wilder has written, produced, and directed, and then take into consideration that English is not even his first language, then you see that his entire output is staggering."<br /><br />For me, the most amusing bit from the movie would be this--<br /><br />Tatum says to Lorraine, "It's Sunday. Aren't you going to church?" She replies, "I don't go to church; kneeling bags my nylons."<br /><br />Wilder credited this gem of a line to his wife, Audrey-- "How would I know a thing like that?", he said.Rahulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14756837367515976152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-57530294352314905432010-10-18T09:45:07.240+05:302010-10-18T09:45:07.240+05:30Sid: Wilder worked with Lubitsch in his early days...Sid: Wilder worked with Lubitsch in his early days in Hollywood - he cowrote films like <i>Ninotchka</i> and <i>Bluebeard's Eighth Wife</i>.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-28389193956050800472010-10-16T22:59:04.367+05:302010-10-16T22:59:04.367+05:30Thank you for the review. Its very timely for me.
...Thank you for the review. Its very timely for me.<br /><br />I have recently watched 3 of his movies (Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment, Double indemnity) and I am hooked. They are masterpieces. So I planning to watch more of his movies. Will make Ace in the hole next on my list.<br /><br />Also read on the net that he is a big fan of Lubitsch.Sidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-87675467375109351512010-10-15T16:20:52.033+05:302010-10-15T16:20:52.033+05:30'But even by his standards, Ace in the Hole is...'But even by his standards, Ace in the Hole is unusually savage and bleak...'<br /><br />I agree with you. The Apartment was also up there in bleakness (happy ending notwithstanding) but Ace in the Hole's savagery puts it in a very select class (Sweet Smell of Success might be a good companion film for this). Its worth noting that Wilder was one of the writers whose background wasn't in journalism, unlike Hecht and many others of the time. The comtempt dished out for the presss in this movie may be a by-product of that.a fan aparthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04243109684980740841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-106153603037758682010-10-14T21:14:32.539+05:302010-10-14T21:14:32.539+05:30Neel: Ace in the Hole was the original title, but ...Neel: <i>Ace in the Hole</i> was the original title, but it was later changed to <i>The Big Carnival</i> by the producers (probably to make it seem more mainstream - maybe even like a happy "circus" movie!). I think Kirk Douglas had the full story in his autobiography. Now most DVD releases use the original title.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-6708760439683745112010-10-14T20:38:29.595+05:302010-10-14T20:38:29.595+05:30I think one of the key lines in the movie was from...I think one of the key lines in the movie was from Douglas early in the film -<br /><br />"Even for Albequerque, this is pretty Alberquerque"<br /><br />It says a lot about the condescending attitude of media towards "old-fashioned" reportage of facts. It is particularly true today when journos consider "creative" infotainment as a professional virtue and plain, albeit accurate reportage as a sign of mediocrity.<br /><br />It is a prescient film, though I've always found it a little turgid and humourless by Wilder's standards. Ofcourse, I'd anyday prefer it over Lumet's <i>Network</i> which is way too preachy and self-conscious.<br /><br />My favourite film concerning the fourth estate is Hawks' <i>His Girl Friday</i>. Now there's a film that keeps you on a high for its entire duration.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-14710330235971508112010-10-14T19:45:32.492+05:302010-10-14T19:45:32.492+05:30What is the name of the movie? Ace in the Hole or ...What is the name of the movie? Ace in the Hole or The Big Carnival.<br /><br />NeelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com