The Roger E. Mosley Thread

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#46 Post by **ConchRepublican** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:00 pm

Thanks grapeshot!

I don't think I've seen Roger outside of the TC role.

IKnowWhatYoureThinking · Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:37 pm

Roger has kept in good shape over the years. I guess family genes have something to do with it as well. Hard to believe he is seventy.

MPS · #48 Post by **MPS** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:59 pm

Wow, Roger still looks pretty good! I've never seen him in anything except MPI. Thanks for posting

Lily · #49 Post by **Lily** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:05 am

Ah, thanks grapeshot! As someone else posted here, I also have never seen TC since Magnum finished....he certainly looks good for his age!
Thanks again for sharing!

#50 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:45 pm

Tivo Alert!

Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (1973) will be airing on March 7th @ 4:00AM on Turner Classic Movies. Mosley has the lead role in this movie. He plays a streetwise mobster who goes undercover as a ghetto clergyman.

TCM video clip
NY Times review from 1973

rubber chicken · #51 Post by **rubber chicken** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:10 pm

Thanks for the heads up James. It was nice to see Mosley as the star of a movie (still haven't seen Leadbelly). Most "blaxploitation" movies are entertaining, despite the fact - and sometimes because of - the often limited means they had, and this one was satisfying in that respect. By the way, even though this was on Turner Classic Movies, it's uncut, so there's a lot of "adult" things going on. Some mild spoilers below:

Mosley's character was a pretty bad dude in the beginning, couldn't help but laugh at that series of murders. OK, so he took three unlucky fellas out of this world in less than five minutes, but he did it with such style and creativity! I can at least admire a job well done. A handgun and silencer is too mundane for this virtouso.

Here's some choice lines...

State Senator Sam Sills (talking to Mosley's character): "Alright Reverend. Remember, we're only whistling Dixie unless I'm re-elected. You'll have to bring it off."

Mosley's character: "Sam my man, if there's one tune I never whistle... it's Dixie."

#52 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:53 pm

Yeah, you gotta love Turner Classic Movies! I especially like their "underground" features.

Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man was fun to watch. You certainly don't see films like this anymore! You could almost feel what it would have been like to watch a movie like this in some shady Times Square movie theater in the early 70s!

It was great to see Mosley in a lead role. He really is an underrated actor.

rubber chicken · #53 Post by **rubber chicken** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:44 pm

Whoops, just saw that I had "on" instead of "one" in the quote above. I sure blew that on!

Exactly which "features" are you speaking of James? (teehee)

You could almost feel what it would have been like to watch a movie like this in some shady Times Square movie theater in the early 70s!

I wonder if they showed this in the Haleiwa Theatre, perhaps a late night showing after some surf movie.

TCM must be the TV channel I respect most, in large part because TCM respects the viewer. Commercial free (!), uncut films in their original form, broadcast in their original aspect ratio. It's almost as if they like these movies as much as the viewer does. An interesting fact that I didn't know... TCM launched on April 14, 1994, the 100th anniversary "of the first public movie showing in New York City." And I was surprised to see that TCM in the UK does have commercials. I think that's unusual for the UK?

#54 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:06 pm

Indeed RC! The other thing I love about TCM is host Robert Osbourne. He's just fantastic. I love his delivery. He sets up each movie perfectly.

rubber chicken wrote:Exactly which "features" are you speaking of James? (teehee)

These! A wonderful assortment B-movie/cult/underground films from years gone by, most long forgotten. I usually catch one every couple of months, or so (along with the "regular" TCM movies). So far I've seen Death Race 2000 (1975 cult action film with David Carradine, Sly Stallone and Simone Griffeth, from "Blood and Honor"), Night of the Lepus (1972 B-movie horror film featuring killer bunnies, with Janet Leigh & DeForest Kelley!), Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1981 cult film, with Diane Lane, Laura Dern & Paul Simonon of The Clash). Next up is Two-Lane Blacktop (1971 Route 66 road movie with a young James Taylor and Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson).

I missed Suspiria last year and that really bummed me out! I've been trying to catch that movie for what seems like forever!

rubber chicken · #55 Post by **rubber chicken** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:58 am

Robert Osbourne is indeed superb. Like an older mentor and father figure kindly telling what he knows.

I should really watch more movies on TCM, I used to more often. In the past I've tried to keep an eye on their movie schedule, but it got to be a hassle checking up on every movie that sounded interesting, and then remembering when it was going to be on, and there's just so many good ones to choose from. And I'd rather see a movie on dvd than standard definition TV, especially now that I have an HDTV. I figure most of my movie viewing will be the last time I see that individual movie, at least for five or more years. And of course it's usually the all important first impression as well, so I really like to shoot for the best experience possible. I've been hoping that TCM will become a HDTV channel, TCM movies in HD would be as good as DVDs and that would truly rock. But anyway, many of those "B-movie/cult/underground" movies probably aren't on dvd, so TCM is the way to go. And that's another great thing about TCM - while most other channels are showing worthless infomercials late at night, TCM is still going strong, showing movies that are just as good as it's daytime programming.

I've wanted to see Death Race 2000, wish I saw it was going to be on. Night of the Lepus sounds fun - from it's imdb page... In an interview with film historian Tom Weaver star Janet Leigh said in regards to Night of the Lepus, "I've forgotten as much as I could about that picture." hehe. And Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is another I've wanted to see!

Two-Lane Blacktop. Seen that and it's an awesomely great movie. Maybe not for everyone today, I can picture some people saying "but nothing happens!!", and I would just look at the ground and shake my head sadly. If you think it could make a difference for you, consider getting the (Criterion) dvd instead of seeing it on tv. For me, seeing that movie was one of those special movie experiences that only happen once in a while.

#56 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:30 pm

Wish I had an HDTV RC. I'm still running the old (but trusty) 27" CRT standard-definition. Blu-Ray discs are not "in the cards" for us anytime soon, either. And we hardly ever rent movies. My choices of movies to watch are pretty much relegated to what is on basic cable.

Thanks for the info about Two-Lane Blacktop. I can't wait to see it!

By the by, Shack Out On 101, a 1950's Cold War oddity, is on tonight on TCM. With Lee Marvin and Keenan Wynn. I think I'll Tivo this one, too!

rubber chicken · #57 Post by **rubber chicken** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:51 pm

HDTVs are nice but I still watch Magnum on my 27" crt because watching it on a digital tv just doesn't seem right. The picture doesn't have the same feel. I also use it for old 1.33:1 black and white movies and standard definition tv is better on a crt tv as well, imo.

I hadn't heard of Shack Out On 101, would have watched it, but too late now.

#58 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:36 pm

rubber chicken wrote:Two-Lane Blacktop. Seen that and it's an awesomely great movie. Maybe not for everyone today, I can picture some people saying "but nothing happens!!", and I would just look at the ground and shake my head sadly.

Saw this last night. What a great movie! It's one of those movies that you can't stop thinking about after you've seen it. Not something I was expecting from a slow moving, existential road movie with 15 minutes of dialog, where nothing much really happens! The movie manages to capture a lost slice of Americana while effectively driving home (pun intended) themes of isolation, loneliness, disillusionment, lost identities, and the frustrating sense of being disenfranchised in a confusing society. And the ending was just perfect!

It was fun to see James Taylor and Dennis Wilson in the only real acting roles of their entire careers! But Warren Oates stole the show! His "GTO" character was one I'll never forget. And I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice little appearance by Harry Dean Stanton as a lonely hitchhiker!

rubber chicken, did I imagine it, or did "The Driver" call "The Girl" "Higgins" at one point! It sure sounded like it. How weird is that!! The only time any one of characters is referred to by name... and it's "Higgins"!?

Of the major players in this movie, James Taylor is the only one to survive past 1983 - Laurie Bird committed suicide in Art Garfunkel's apartment in 1979, Warren Oates died of a heart attack in 1982, and Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983.

rubber chicken · #59 Post by **rubber chicken** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:17 am

I think we've deviated from Roger E. Mosley!...

Nice mini review James, your well written description helped bring back fond memories. I only saw the movie once, maybe one or two years ago, although I think I listened to the entire dvd commentary as well. Details are now hazy in my mind, but the experience has very much stuck with me.

Warren Oates did indeed have a great part, I think I felt sorry for him. He was older, had more to lose, and was in over his head.

That Higgins remark sounds familiar... I can barely picture myself "rewinding" to listen for that again and checking the subtitles. Or you could just be planting thoughts into my mind... I don't remember my conclusion. Was that said when she was sitting on a fence? My mind's eye is peering through a heavy mist here.

The deaths of three of the four stars in this movie makes the end of the movie that much more poignant. That's the way life is, whether or not a person dies young. I'm here, I do my thing, and in a short time I'm gone.

#60 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:01 pm

I checked again, he does call her "Higgins"!

Because of his great performance, I had to go look up info on Warren Oates. I thought I recognized that unmistakable grin of his. He appeared in several Sam Peckinpah films, including Ride the High Country (1962) and The Wild Bunch! I now simply must see Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), one of the few films Oates had a leading role in. And to somehow bring this back to Roger E. Mosley, Oates appeared with Selleck in the 1970 TV movie The Movie Murderer. Heh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLhKh0RQ5Eg

"Just color me gone baby!"

I think maybe a "Cinema" thread in "The Beach Bar" is in order....