That was my guess, too, the late 1930s Show Trials. "Journey into the Whirlwind" is a fantastic book.

I was thinking of Stalin's Show Trials as I thought it was more likely Gabriel was a low level KGB intelligence officer than a military one, but either one would be awful.

The most touching, unusual, and awkward tea party-slash-Bring-Your-Kids-To-KGB-Work-Day ever. The parents' beaming smiles, the teenager's tentative, awkward questions, the Master Spy Controller's pride, gentleness, and affection… just wonderful. In this day and age of continuously recycled plot lines in both TV and…

"I felt wrecked." — Yes, that was it exactly for me, too. To this day, I kinda wince when thinking about "Frances." I recently read a quote of Frances' alleged own words about her time in the mental hospital. ("Alleged" because there is some uncertainty whether she wrote them or her sister (?) did, finishing the book…

Lily Tomlin as Ernestine…! My gosh, I'd forgotten all about that. I shall have to rewatch the film before the next season of Frankie & Grace.

Very true, and a good point.

I greatly appreciate the details. Thank you. It probably isn't for me, even though I'd love to see "Mamacita" live. Btw, what a great friend!

I don't think her performance in "Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte" was a particularly good one, or indicative of her talents. I would recommend starting with "All About Eve," and then either "Jezebel" (with Henry Fonda) or "Of Human Bondage." Jezebel is a Southern Belle movie that was made basically as a sort of response…

Just out of curiosity, how is that play, both visually as well as story wise, and how does it compare to either the Gene Wilder film or the book? "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was one of my favourite books as a child, so much​ so that I didn't even like (at the time) the first film because I didn't think it…

Thank you on the tip on where to start with AHS. Next time I'm on Netflix, I'll check it out, but my new streaming obsession now is Britbox and half the things on it! If you're interested in British television (old and new, from classic Dr. Who to Sharpe's Rifle, Prime Suspect, recent detective/murder series and…

Again, I think that you're being overly broad in your assumptions about what all Americans may be seeing, accepting, and tolerating. It seems as though you're basically tarring the entire country with one brush stroke for a facile, shallow dig. Every American is not all "leaving that to the president," or being blind…

I've never ventured outside of the TV Club section of the AV Club, but I shall strive to remember to look for the thread from next Wednesday onwards. :)

Honey, anyone who has withstood my verboseness to have an in-depth discussion of various movie stars AND who also knows even the name "Mary Pickford" in this day and age *must* be an Old Hollywood fan! ;) ;)

"You" may be an overly broad choice of words in this context, do you not think? A lot of Americans do not accept or "leave all that to the president now." You are also assuming that I am an American.

Noooooooooo, you must start Niven's book so that you can tell me *something* about your thoughts in next week's Feud finale thread! ;) We might not stumble across each other again in other threads, and I'm dying to hear what you think.

Actually, in fairness to both Weevil and his/her point, the weights seem to have come *before* the head kicking. It's just that there were a few things that preceded both those events and triggered Joan's behavior. (Not that I'm excusing it.)

Interesting point about Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. I remember that show well. ("… and caviar dreams." Lol) What I think it captured was not only the particular '80s zeitgeist, but also the philosophy that you didn't have to be a movie star like Crawford or Elizabeth Taylor to have a fabulous, jet-setting,…

I couldn't see Daniel Day Lewis as Hearst, at first, but then I went to look at some photos of him after reading your comment and, by jove, you're absolutely right!! No, it wouldn't be an *exact* fit, as you noted, but I think DDL could easily be made to resemble Hearst as he looks in this photo:
https://travsd.files.wo…

I just have to say how much I love your posting name! Jeremy Irons is one of my all-time favourite actors.

You're right, there is a discordance in their behavior. But things like occasional red carpet events are not the same in terms of the magnitude of luxury in which stars used to present themselves on a regular basis back then. Things also differed in terms of the frequency of displays of ostentation or mega glamour in…