stop looking through key holes. It's bad for the eyes

A fascinating group of movies, quite different from my usual. There's some good stuff here!

Teacher's Pet (1958) - "James Gannon, the hardboiled city editor of a newspaper, believes that the only way to learn the business is by way of the School of Hard Knocks, and has a very low regard for college-taught journalism, so he's not pleased when his managing editor orders him to help Erica Stone, a college professor, with her journalism class. Finding himself attracted to her, he pretends to be a student in her class, not revealing he's Gannon, whom she despises. As they bob and weave around their mutual growing attraction, they both begin to gain respect for each other's approaches to reporting news, but how will Erica react when she finds out who he really is?"
source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: I haven't seen enough Clark Gable films
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 71%
my IMDB: 6/10

notable quote: "You're confusing education with schooling. Education is the acquisition of knowledge. If you care to look it up, you'll find that the definition of knowledge is 'knowing, familiarity gained by experience.' You'll also find that wisdom is defined as 'the possession of experience and knowledge.' Now, being experienced, you therefore have education, you have knowledge, and you have wisdom. You're brilliant... and you make a good martini."

MPAA rating: Approved

directed by: George Seaton

my notes: silly and ridiculous, funny, and somewhat thoughtful. Doris Day is annoyingly pert; Gable is marvelously grumpy and adorable. Gig Young steals the show as Dr. Hugo Pine.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Supporting Actor—Young

• Best Writing, Story and Screenplay—written directly for the screen
overall:  recommended

Falling for Christmas (2016) - "Claire Benton is a famous up-and-coming figure skater who wants nothing more than to succeed. But when she is injured in a training session, she is forced to take a break from her rigid schedule. Now she fears she will not be ready for her next competition. During rehab in Canada, she meets Luke, a single father and former professional hockey player. He himself was forced to retire early but seems fine with it, spending his time raising his daughter while running a local shop. The two grow closer and both of them learn that something is missing from their lives - but how can Claire balance a demanding career with her new-found love? "

source: streamed on Amazon Prime
I watched it because: I wanted something cute and Christmasy
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 42%
my IMDB: 3/10

MPAA rating: TV-G

directed by: Christie Will Wolf

my notes: dumb as a post. The "actress" playing the figure skater is so clearly not an athlete; she can't even jog believably, much less skate. The actor playing the hero is somewhat better but even he slogs against the weight of this godawful script (and who in the world decided that the brothers should be named Lou and Luke?!) The big winner here is Lisa Whelchel as the skater's mom.
overall: not  recommended

Red Dust (1932) - "Conditions are spartan on Dennis Carson's Indochina rubber plantation during a dusty dry monsoon. The latest boat upriver brings Carson an unwelcome guest: Vantine, a floozy from Saigon, hoping to evade the police by a stay upcountry. But Carson, initially uninterested, soon succumbs to Vantine's ostentatious charms...until the arrival of surveyor Gary Willis, ill with malaria, and his refined but sensuous wife Barbara. Now the rains begin, and passion flows like water."
source: borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: I'm in Clark Gable mode
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 79%
my IMDB: 6/10

notable quote: "Don't mind me boys, I'm just restless."

MPAA rating: Passed [TV-PG]

directed by: Victor Fleming

my notes: a funny, sarcastic, steamy commentary on worldliness and love. Clark Gable is gorgeous and very good; Jean Harlow is sharply witty, and exudes sexuality. Certain aspects of the film are grossly outdated (racism, sexism and posturing abound) but can be considered in context of the time it was made, nearly a hundred years ago already.
overall:  recommended

River of No Return (1954) - "Matt Calder, who lives on a remote farm with his young son Mark, helps two unexpected visitors who lose control of their raft on the nearby river. Harry Weston is a gambler by profession and he is racing to the nearest town to register a mining claim he has won in a poker game. His attractive wife Kay, a former saloon hall girl, is with him. When Calder refuses to let Weston have his only rifle and horse, he simply takes them, leaving his wife behind. Unable to defend themselves against a likely Indian attack, Calder, his son and Kay Weston begin the treacherous journey down the river on the raft Weston left behind."
source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I'm in Robert Mitchum mode
IMDB: 6.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 57% Audience: 53%
my IMDB: 7/10

notable quote: "'How do you know when you fall in love?'

    'I dunno. Can't eat or sleep.'

    'Like an ache in the stomach?'

    'Same thing - only in the heart.'"

MPAA rating: Approved [TV-PG]

directed by: Otto Preminger, Jean Negulesco

my notes: I liked it. The characters are odd and prickly. Mitchum seems to play things close to the vest, which is a nice counter to Monroe feeling everything. This one is definitely worth seeing.
overall:  recommended

[the title quotation is from Red Dust]