Hamish Downie’s Playlist for May
Hamish Downie has a column that started back in December of 2021 as his Holiday playlist. It was so popular that he decided to make it a monthly recurring column with a movie playlist for each month. Thanks, Hamish, for creating a new concept for TG Geeks.
If you have seen any of these films, let us know your thoughts.
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Here’s your May Playlist…. Sorry it’s a bit of a short one as I had another run with the virus that caused the Great Pause… plus, I have finally finished my magnum opus video on James Dean.
THE CLOCK (1945)
A soldier, played by the great Robert Walker, gets 48 hours of leave in the great city of New York, where he promptly meets cute with Judy Garland when her heel gets caught in the escalator. From the moment they meet, fate seems to draw them together, and soon they find themselves falling in love and finding excuses not to separate. Definitely the spiritual ancestor to films like “Before Sunrise”. The film is genuine and pure, and a joy to watch. Angela Lansbury’s mother features in a scene as a woman at a dinner just trying to finish her dinner in a very funny scene. There is a tinge of tragedy to this film, if you know what happens to its two leads. But, when you see the All-American boy meet the All-American girl, you just want the two of them to have the most happy life. Unfortunately, neither Robert Walker or Judy Garland had much happiness in their life, despite bringing so much happiness to ours.
THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
This is the story of a jack-of-all-trades, Humphrey Bogart, who captains the boat “The African Queen”, who provides passage for the spinster missionary woman, played by Katherine Hepburn. The two battle the Germans, each other, the river, and fall in love along the way.
I’m going to anger some people and say that I think Katherine Hepburn is too beautiful to play this character. I think Bette Davis would have been much better. But, perhaps I’m showing my particular bias. Of course this is a masterpiece. And of course, you will have to remember that this was made a long time ago, so perhaps some ideas will be a little old fashioned, and the green screen technology, which was in its infancy, may be a little dated.
You can actually take a tour on the original boat in Key Largo, Florida USA. Funny, you’d think there would be memorabilia from the film “Key Largo” in Key Largo, but hey, that’s Florida: https://calypsosailing.com/The-African-Queen
WHAT IF JAMES DEAN HAD LIVED?
Six months in the making, this is my video essay on what films James Dean might have made if he had lived. Featuring actor Bob Werley in a performance of a key scene from “The Corn is Green” with Vikki Ann, and the beautiful art of Christopher James, who has created a portrait of James Dean for the video. Trigger warning: there is a discussion about mental health in the video with Ellen Manning, mental health advocate, who has written for TGGeeks in the past.
MURDER AT SAXON GROVE
A classic Agatha Christie-style murder mystery in 9 parts by A.D. Van Scoyoc. Check out instagram for the other parts. It really keeps you guessing until the end, and is so much fun!
https://www.instagram.com/thecaretakerscottagelibrary/
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