I loved that the director treated the ghost story more seriously and realistically. With very few exceptions, most of them are treated either comically or so melodramatically that audiences won’t feel threatened at the possibility of it being real and can go home feeling secure that such things could never exist.
I love this movie, and it breaks my heart every time I see those pictures of Gail Russell after she was caught driving while intoxicated. She looks so sad and scared, and I know she never wanted to go into acting, she just wanted a peaceful life doing what she loved, art. She had horrible stage fright, so she began drinking to calm her nerves, and to see her addiction take over her life and eventually end it, is so sad and tragic.
I have always loved the scene where Milland's character con fronts the ghost of Mary Meredith. He addresses it as if she was a spoiled child and he had enough of her tantrums.
Thank you. The Uninvited is one of my favorite ghost movies, but I was unaware of its innovative nature. I learned about Gail Russell's sad life from my mother, who was a big movie fan. I find it interesting that Ray Milland chases off the ghost with mockery and laughter. It seems appropriate. Martin Luther said that best way to drive out the devil is to jeer and flout him, and Thomas More wrote that the devil is a proud spirit that cannot endure mockery.
Man... dead at just 36 from drinking. Wow! She must have been drinking 24/7 to have cirrhosis of the liver at such an early age. Great job with your video! Just watched The Uninvited last night on Svengoolie. Was enamored with Russell, and was sad to hear she was somewhat bullied on-set for being young and inexperienced. Later in her career, not even The Duke (the most famous man in the world at the time) could save her.
@@CinemaCities1978Yes, I think only Susan Peters's story is more tragic. Her eyes in The Sign of the Ram are haunting, the eyes of one who has not just looked but fallen into the abyss.
Poor, poor Gail Russell I must confess I never knew of her until about a year ago but reading (and now watching) the story of her sad, so short life is just tragic
Her story haunts me. She's someone who could've avoided the dark side of Hollywood if her parents had been more concerned with her well being than their own frustrated ambitions. It's just such an awful and sad story.
I hate that Moonrise is so overlooked. Besides the performances by Gail and Dane Clark, it's a beautiful film directed by the criminally forgotten Frank Borzage.
I love film noir and "Moonrise (1948)" is in the Criterion Collection which says much about its quality. Thanks for mentioning it because it's on the very small list of films in that genre I haven't seen.
Gaill Russell had ALL OF THE GOODS from the start in her movies. How does a young woman do that? I liked her in Calcutta with Alan Ladd. She married the incredibly handsome Guy Madison. I hope she had some joy off screen with her husband and away from her parents. Her face haunts me... those eyes!
'The Uninvited' was one of the first 'haunted house' films I ever watched (and, poor Gail Russell). 'The Haunting' (the Robert Wise version) is one of the best, and 'The Changeling' still gives me the chills. There's just something so 'wrong' about the place you should feel most safe, being the place you most fear.
I love haunted house films but they give me so much anxiety when I watch them bc it’s unsettling to think your home could be a site of crazy supernatural terror.
@@CinemaCities1978thanks Sidney for another excellent presentation. So informative. I bet you must have impressed your teachers at college. It's strange how they have a good idea that the house is haunted yet they're willing to consult the ouiga board for confirmation. Talk about crazy
Great video. Great movie. It brought back a memory from the 80s when my late wife and I lived in a house with a ghost. I would not call it haunted - more like "inhabited" - WE were the uninvited ones -- or rather, renters. We notice many unsettling things. Lights we'd left off were later on - the fireplace damper was messed with, and odd things moved but nothing malevolent. The worst thing she did was throw a telephone book into the middle of the kitchen floor with a loud BANG. Scared the shit out of us. She was never THERE yet never GONE. I only saw her once - on a sunny, Sunday morning. I thought my wife had come downstairs. It was NOT my wife. The old woman walked behind me and turned into the panty, her grey hair was tied back, and her dark dress swept behind her. When I looked in the small cupboard-size room, it was empty. With some research, we worked out that two elderly sisters lived in the house before it was sold and became a rental. Anticipating one sister had come back to look for the other, our BIG EXORCISM was simply saying "Sorry - your sister is not here" We never saw her or any evidence of her again. I hope they found each other.
What a weird coincidence. I just watched this last night and read up on Gail Russell, who I knew nothing about, after. What a tragic story. Love your channel. You’ve reignited my love of all these wonderful old movies. Thank you.
Excellent video, as always very interesting and well researched. I knew nothing about Gail Russell so it was great to get this insight. We covered The Changeling in a 5 minute review video and it is clear to see the influence that The Uninvited undoubtedly had on it.
Your knowledge and love for horror is very refreshing to see, always a delight to see a fellow horror lover and deep diver! The haunted house trope for this genre has become really over-bloated, thanks to the films that came out in the last couple of decades for that However it's origin has some really heart touching and humane titles, The Haunting and The Innocents, the latter holding a special place in my heart, films like those capture the innate sadness that is present in most great horror films Loved your insight on this trope and the past of it, maybe it's about time i gave The Uninvited a watch
Thanks so much for watching! I do love horror. I think I mostly prefer stories that lean towards more psychological horror, but interestingly, I think haunted house films sometimes weave in elements of that. That’s probably why I enjoy them so much. I think that innate sadness and melancholy is what’s missing from some of the more recent crop of films.
@@CinemaCities1978 Exactly!! Psychological horror is easily one of the better sub-genre in horror It tends to leave the viewer with long lasting, effective and altering emotions Which begs the question, what are your favourites from this genre?
@@VamshiOhgs oohhh, my favorites....Don't Look Now, The Other, Let's Scare Jessica To Death, The Little Girl That Lives Down the Lane, Carrie, The Hitcher, Scanners, Disturbing Behavior, Donnie Darko. . .
@@CinemaCities1978 I know there are all kinds of sub-genres of horror, but I see no correlation between Saw and this film. So much of what is called Horror is about torture and pain, while I prefer films with mystery and spirits. The Shining itself is in some ways about our desires as an audience to see bloodshed. Many of the best haunted house movies also have that sense of allusion to our desire to be scared, and that's one of the intellectual pieces missing from most GoreCore films.
I'm so glad to have found your channel. Your videos are brilliant. Please keep going. You deserve more audience and I hope they'll find your channel too
@@CinemaCities1978 I'll be camping in your channel. And I'll re-watch once I've watched them all. And I love the subject matters like the strange movies that no one really talks about. Right up my alley!
Wonderful video- I love both Old Dark House & The Uninvited, I am a scary house addict! I am so sorry for Gail Russell. I had no idea how young she was when she passed. I hope her mother was proud
I saw "The Uninvited" on the late night Saturday movie on T.V. I would watch lots of wonderful movies with my dad and I think he enjoyed how enchanted I was with the old black and whites. "Laura", "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir", "Portrait of Jennie". And "The Uninvited". I loved it. I never knew the sad story of Gail Russell behind it. Wonderful video, exploring the back story of a movie that seemed mysterious and wonderful to me when I first saw it. And it retains the magic.
I've loved horror since the 70s, the uninvited was one of my favorites. This is one of the best channels on all of UA-cam as far as I'm concerned. Great production, great narration, great subjects. Please, keep up the amazing work, and thank you!
Splendidly presented. Her lovely eyes steeped in anguish, she was cursed by exquisite beauty. At the very least, we can respect her memory - and you do so with dignified wisdom. Thank you.
My mother and I discovered this movie while spending the night with my Aunt. We were watching it late at night, on the fold out bed in the living room. The suspense was done so well that we couldn’t get out of bed to turn it off. We loved it and watched it every chance we got. I still do.
Welp, I just noticed the typos on the quotes I included. Sorry about that! I do want to say that the Uninvited is a bit of an uneven film. There are emotional beats which may seem odd to modern audiences with regards to the way it drops in some light comedic moments after rather heavy scenes. But, the scenes with the great stage actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and the scenes in Windward House are where this movie really shines.
Me and my Mom's favorite movie since I was a kid. We watch it at least once a year. A true classic ghost story. They don't make them like this anymore. A perfectly crafted script that didn't rely on special effects to keep the audience glued to the screen. ❤
Holy Wow! This is fascinating. I've never seen anyone mention this film before and I've loved it for years, so this history brings a whole new dimension to it for me. Really well written and edited. Thanks.
Gail Russell was so beautiful and luminous. I really enjoyed her in everything I saw her in. I just re-watched The Uninvited last night and can see why RayMilland‘s character had a shine for her. I thought she was wonderful in 7 Men From Now and I remember being so glad to see her again on the screen when I saw that western the first time. I love your work, by the way. ❤
It was an excellent movie. One of my favorites! So sad about Gail Russell. Dead at 36 is so young. I loved how you said their images stay the same even though the world keeps passing by. So true. I feel that way when I look at old photos of my family and especially when I see how I used to look. It is hard to see how time has changed us.
This is one of the better 'info's of it's type. The women's voice is clear and audable . I give her 5 stars. I remember when my sister and me were kids and saw this movie. We were about 8 & 11 years old. And we vowed that when we grew up we were going to buy a house by the sea just like the one in this movie "The Uninvited" . Of course we never did but it was a great childhood fantasy . And I feel in love with Gail Russell as many of us did . She married one of the best looking actors in Hollywood . Guy Madison. But sometime a great career and a good husband (or wife) is not enough for these people. The disease of alcoholism can take everything away from you . And back-in-the-day they didn't know all that much about alcoholism to treat it. Alcoholism is a disease . It is NOT the person's fault who has it .
@@CinemaCities1978 Seriously, it scarred the poo out of me! I really didn't expect them to SHOW the ghost either! I love that you showed clips from Crimson Peak, as I know Del Toro loves this film. You can definitely see the through line!
I read about Gail Russell in various articles,a beautiful, sensitive talented young woman who needed care and guidance from people she thought she could trust but who betrayed that trust and it permanently damaged her leading to a sad lonely end which was avoidable RIP Gail
I can I say how good your videos are. Really well researched, well edited and professional. I found this videos by accident and I have been searching them out ever since
The movie was also turned into a play that can be perform on a live stage with very chilling responses for the audience as the story unfolds to it's thrilling conclusion.
Thanks so much for this! Somehow this film flew completely under my radar - I will have to check it out (there's even a Criterion release!). I'm quite curious about the dichotomy between the "oh, it was all a hoax by crooks" resolution of apparently supernatural events and the genuinely supernatural stories. I'm wondering how any of this relates to WWII and all the death and destruction experienced by returning servicemen, as well as the occultism of the Nazis - was Hollywood trying to downplay the supernatural (was that part of the Code?), to make light of it, in the 1930s? And did that change after the war? Food for thought! Thanks again for a lovely visual essay - keep up the good work!
An excellent analysis of "The Uninvited." The ghosts....both of them....were actually real. But it's sad to note that Gail Russell's fears (as portrayed in the film) were actually real as well. Stella was Gail. Gail was Stella.
TY so much for posting. This is the second video of urs I’ve watched. I really enjoy them. U seem to capture the story in all, the visual, the music, the voice, & most importantly the tale itself. A new subscriber wishing U the Best. Many Blessings 🙏🇺🇸
the writing and narration on this channel is superb. i always thought past paranormal horror films lacked the technology to be convincing. the early monsters were convincing. but they soon became cheap imitations of their former glory. they became "man-in-a-monster-suit silly. it wasn't until 1961s the "innocents" followed by "the haunting" 1963 that i think horror films came into the modern age and became truly scary. anotherr film titled "the uninvited" released in 2009 has nothing to do with the 1944 film. the 2009 film is the american remake of the south korean horror masterpiece "a tale of two sisters" (2003). both versions are excellent and worth a look.
A magnificent episode! Your history of the haunted house subgenre was riveting, replete with great visual cross references. The story of Gail Russell made for a haunting and heartbreaking denouement. What a story. My memory of THE UNINVITED is oblique. I've never seen the film in total. But I distinctly recall my big brother picking me up at a train station in the 80's and speeding through the streets of Garden City and Hempstead, Long Island to catch the end of the film on our pre-VCR TV. He was uncontainable. I remember the ending impressed me, but I never got around to screening the film on my own. Your video has put it at the top of my viewing list! Thank you for another wonderful 'conversation,' CC!
So full disclaimer, I think the parts of the film that work best are the ones set in windward house. I was telling another viewer that the movie is definitely uneven, but the haunted house scenes are what makes it a true classic. Also, the backstory to the events in the house are VERY convoluted. I think because I've seen the movie so many times I often overlook that point. 😂 In a town full of sad and tragic stories, Gail's is one of the saddest and most tragic. It breaks my heart.
I loved The Uninvited! A classic ghost story, eery but not terrifying. All the actors were perfect. The script was good, and it was well directed. I loved Windward House. It would be right at home here on the Oregon coast.
Great video essay, very poignant. You could say I like The Uninvited - I have read the novel on which it was based, written by Dorothy Macardle, eight times over the past 30 years….and it is over 300 pages long! Much as I love Hitchcock I am glad he never was involved in this. Hitch had a tendency to buy the rights to novels and then rewrite them to suit his own ideas. The Uninvited (original title Uneasy Freehold) is a beautifully written novel and the film is very faithful to it. So much so that some dialog in the movie is lifted word for word from the book. As great a haunted house movie as this is (and it is one of my top two or three all time favorite films) the novel is even better. I would encourage anyone who loves this film to read the book on which it is based as it has major characters and subplots that were dropped from the film for time. It is also filled with wonderful period slang (I believe the manuscript to have been written in the late 1930s although it was published in 1942). One bit of trivia. In the movie Ray Milland has a line that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. He tells his housekeeper “Don’t worry, we’ll do nothing tonight that the priest wouldn’t approve of”. There is no priest in the film. But in the book there was a Father Ansen who had his own fairly large subplot. He was a friend of the housekeeper. Perhaps an early screenplay included this character who was later dropped - leaving that one Ray Milland line without any context.
Interesting and well researched video on the haunted house genre in Hollywood,and the standard "The Uninvited" set for future films on the supernatural.Also a well written and accurate tale of the lovely, but tragic Gail Russell.My take on their research on Gail Russell leads me to the conclusion that the writers must have viewed my Tributes to Gail Russell on UA-cam.Nevertheless,a rare,but accurate story of that Tragic Hollywood Beauty.
Hi, while I did not view your videos (until just now) I wish I had because there are several articles/videos that you've posted that have some amazing information, I was especially excited to read about how Gail got the letter from the classmate who recommended her to Wm. Micklejohn and how kind she was to him. I have gone down the rabbit hole with the wealth of information you provide on Gail and the obvious love and appreciation you have for her. I think we are both very much on the same page when it comes to our feelings about Gail and the trajectory of her career and life. It actually means a lot that someone who knows a lot more about Gail than I do considers this an accurate presentation.
@@CinemaCities1978 One of the greatest regrets in my life was that I didn't begin my research into Gail Russell until most of her co-workers had long since passed away.Being an amateur writer/biographer,I didn't have access to actors, directors,producers,most professional biographers must have.This is why my biography on Gail,"Fallen Star",is just the tip of the iceberg where Gail is concerned.I did try to interview her brother in 1973,and her mother, who was then living in a nursing home, but he was not very cooperative,saying he had promised movie rights to another party.I only hope my meager efforts on Gail's behalf will one day prove essential in restoring her rightful place in Hollywood history.I have never been so enchanted with another human being, than I was with Gail Russell, who was one of the loveliest souls who ever lived.
@@theuninvited1944GR I added a link to your book in the description of this video in case people want to know more about Gail. I am going to order a copy as well. It's too bad you never got to speak to her brother. I wonder what the plans were for those movie rights of Gail's life. I wonder who owns them now. I agree, Gail should better known and the truth of her life and her gentle character should be better known than the circumstances of her death.
Saw the movie on the local old movie channel back in the 80s. Been obsessed ever since. I've repainted the huge Mary Meredith painting a couple times over the years; whenever I had a high ceilinged room with a fireplace.
Just found your channel thanks to the YT algorithm. I have never heard of this film or The Dark House. Thank you. I am also looking forward to your film noir videos. I took a class in college on film noir and it is one of my favorites, even after 40 years.
I grew up when tv was just coming in but you could still go to the cinema.but at the start of tv it was black and white. colour wasnt in until 2 years later.i remember watchin a movie with my nan. I was about 5 years old. It was Frankenstein and i had nightmares. It frightened the shit out of me i kept remembering those eyes. I had nightmares. my older sisters shared a room i had my own room and every night they would say be careful of those eyes that they dont hypnotize you and make him your slave bride.😱😥😢😫😨😩😲😟😭.my nan had bad varacusvains in her legs and swollen ankles that where so soar" and i was a kicker in my sleep . I couldnt sleep in the bed with her" plus the room was to small for another bed. my mon slep in the box room with my younger sister .so i was on my own and my to sisters who were twins shared a bed.i use to bring my blanket and sleeping bag squash myself under my nans bed and fall asleep and i felt safe she would say are you ok under there and id say i am now.and fall asleep knowing i was safe from mr Frankenstein. The End.😴😴😴😴😴😴😴🦄🦄🐦🐣🕊🦋🐬🦉🌻🌼🎠🎡🌞🌝🌟🦋🌞🐦🦄😴😁😴😴
I loved this movie, use to watch it on tv when it would come on. She was in other John Wayne films....the Duke enjoyed going to a bar and they were pals. I really loved Angel and the Badman. Gail lived a tragic life.
Very nice production of this story of many stories. Thank you for sharing this. It was very well done. I am going to look for this movie. I love it already. I am sad for Gail Russel. We live in a haunted house and haunted property and l am creating a documentary right now. This was so inspiring to me.
This is one of my top 10 favorite movies!!! I used to make my friends watch it every year at my birthday parties - from age 9 to age 15. Thank you for doing such a god video essay. Much better than the one on the Criterion bluray
"The Uninvited" is definitely a horror classic. It was very hard to find on home video for awhile, and I think that is what pushed it out of the limelight and into partial obscurity for a long time. But it deserves to be a household name. I saw a play adaptation once; it was pretty good (but greatly streamlined and simplified the story.)
Very interesting about Gail Russell. When I was a kid, I would also hide when unfamiliar people came to the house. I was terrified of people I didn’t know. I also only ever wanted to play by myself - never with other children. It was so bad that my mother took me to the doctor. The doctor said I was just extremely shy and that my mother should put me in preschool so I could learn social skills. That was in the late 1960s. I was put into a preschool and I had real problems adjusting to it, but by the time I got to kindergarten I could at least deal with other children being around. I remained painfully shy, however, and I would freeze up and sometimes even have full-blown panic attacks if I was called on to answer something or to present a report to the class. At 54 years old, I was finally diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the 1960s, you weren’t considered to have autism if you could speak and interact with family members. Had I been diagnosed at age three, I would most likely have had a MUCH easier time at school. I might have been able to go to school each morning without feeling like I’d be sick to my stomach because I was afraid I’d get called on in class. That problem stuck with me all the way through graduate school, where I’d find myself unable to speak in seminars on subjects I knew well. I will admit that sometimes I’d drink a couple of beers before class if I had to make a presentation; it was the only way I knew of to calm the paralyzing anxiety I’d feel. So, I guess my point is that I wonder if Ms. Russell was similarly suffering from undiagnosed ASD. Things were bad enough in the 1960s, so I can only imagine that things were even worse decades earlier when she was a child. You were just told that you needed to get over it, to toughen up, to act like a "normal" person. I can relate so much to feeling that terror when a camera is on you. (Oh, and I did end up as a professional artist as an adult. It worked out pretty well for me. It’s sad that Ms. Russell wasn’t allowed to follow that path.)
I have two favorite b&w haunted movies. #1 the Haunting…this one has been scaring me since I was little kid, #2 The Uninvited…this I never watched until I was grown but scary nonetheless. The Spiral Staircase also scared me but that wasn’t a scary movie…just suspenseful.
I absolutely loved this movie! I was terrified! I could never find it again, to rent or buy….I am so sorry to learn, through your video , of Miss Russell’s abuse. She was always beautiful and angelic in the films I watched.
A very insightful discussion of one of my favorite genres of horror. In the haunted house genre, the house itself is treated as a character, one which disorients and oppresses its residents and the audience alike. It's not surprising how often the house itself must be destroyed at the film's end in order for good to finally triumph. (According to a Kirk Crivello book about tragic Hollywood starlets, Russell was introduced to alcohol by another actress at the same studio. Sadly, this actress would also succumb to alcoholism years later.)
The Uninvited is one of my favorite movies. I am sad that it helped send Gail Russell on her journey to self destruction. Never heard the entire story of what happened to her before, only bits and pieces.
I love all movies dealing with the paranormal, but hated those that depicted it being staged. Thank you for showing the movie George C. Scott was in l, The Changeling in the beginning of your video, my all time favorite haunted house movie. Gail Russell was a beauty but too bad she did not get to do her art and be in her quiet world where she belonged.
Gail Russell (I have read) wanted to be a costume designer and not an actress. Everyone in the cast put forth a performance and a half! I always seem to forget the real crux of the story which makes it more interesting each time I am able to view it!
The Uninvited is one of my favorite films. Gail was so lovely...such a tragedy. 💔 Rest in Peace Gail.🌹
It's such a great film. Even with all the special effects today, I think the manifestation of the ghost of Mary Meredith still has the power to scare.
Agreed! The ghost is definitely still convincing. It spooks me everytime.
True!!!!! Rip G #BeautifulQueen 💐🌹😢💔💔💔💔💔💝💝💝💝💝🌠🌌😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
I loved that the director treated the ghost story more seriously and realistically. With very few exceptions, most of them are treated either comically or so melodramatically that audiences won’t feel threatened at the possibility of it being real and can go home feeling secure that such things could never exist.
I love this movie, and it breaks my heart every time I see those pictures of Gail Russell after she was caught driving while intoxicated. She looks so sad and scared, and I know she never wanted to go into acting, she just wanted a peaceful life doing what she loved, art. She had horrible stage fright, so she began drinking to calm her nerves, and to see her addiction take over her life and eventually end it, is so sad and tragic.
I have always loved the scene where Milland's character con fronts the ghost of Mary Meredith. He addresses it as if she was a spoiled child and he had enough of her tantrums.
I often wonder if he permanently got rid of her or if she returned later and resumed her haunting.
Thank you. The Uninvited is one of my favorite ghost movies, but I was unaware of its innovative nature. I learned about Gail Russell's sad life from my mother, who was a big movie fan. I find it interesting that Ray Milland chases off the ghost with mockery and laughter. It seems appropriate. Martin Luther said that best way to drive out the devil is to jeer and flout him, and Thomas More wrote that the devil is a proud spirit that cannot endure mockery.
Excellent break down
Man... dead at just 36 from drinking. Wow! She must have been drinking 24/7 to have cirrhosis of the liver at such an early age. Great job with your video! Just watched The Uninvited last night on Svengoolie. Was enamored with Russell, and was sad to hear she was somewhat bullied on-set for being young and inexperienced. Later in her career, not even The Duke (the most famous man in the world at the time) could save her.
There are A LOT of sad Hollywood stories to choose from, but Gail Russell's is one of the saddest Hollywood stories I know
@@CinemaCities1978Yes, I think only Susan Peters's story is more tragic. Her eyes in The Sign of the Ram are haunting, the eyes of one who has not just looked but fallen into the abyss.
Poor, poor Gail Russell
I must confess I never knew of her until about a year ago but reading (and now watching) the story of her sad, so short life is just tragic
Her story haunts me. She's someone who could've avoided the dark side of Hollywood if her parents had been more concerned with her well being than their own frustrated ambitions. It's just such an awful and sad story.
Gail Russell was a genuinely tragic star. She did appear in another great film Moonrise which is well worth a look
I hate that Moonrise is so overlooked. Besides the performances by Gail and Dane Clark, it's a beautiful film directed by the criminally forgotten Frank Borzage.
Thanks for the recommendation
I love film noir and "Moonrise (1948)" is in the Criterion Collection which says much about its quality. Thanks for mentioning it because it's on the very small list of films in that genre I haven't seen.
Gaill Russell had ALL OF THE GOODS from the start in her movies. How does a young woman do that? I liked her in Calcutta with Alan Ladd. She married the incredibly handsome Guy Madison. I hope she had some joy off screen with her husband and away from her parents. Her face haunts me... those eyes!
me too.
She was haunted and haunting.
The Uninvited is one of my favorite movies.
'The Uninvited' was one of the first 'haunted house' films I ever watched (and, poor Gail Russell). 'The Haunting' (the Robert Wise version) is one of the best, and 'The Changeling' still gives me the chills. There's just something so 'wrong' about the place you should feel most safe, being the place you most fear.
I love haunted house films but they give me so much anxiety when I watch them bc it’s unsettling to think your home could be a site of crazy supernatural terror.
💔How sad. Alcoholism is a cunning, cruel disease. RIP Gail Russell ⭐✨🌟
Such a sensitive and humane treatment of the movie and the person. Thank you!
Beautiful analysis of a fantastic talent and a tragically short life. Great video!
thank you for watching.
@@CinemaCities1978thanks Sidney for another excellent presentation. So informative. I bet you must have impressed your teachers at college. It's strange how they have a good idea that the house is haunted yet they're willing to consult the ouiga board for confirmation. Talk about crazy
You give a heart searing summary of - and tribute to - Gail Russell's life. 💥BRAVA to you from Canada; 🙏💕honour and devotion to Gail's memory.
Great video. Great movie. It brought back a memory from the 80s when my late wife and I lived in a house with a ghost. I would not call it haunted - more like "inhabited" - WE were the uninvited ones -- or rather, renters.
We notice many unsettling things. Lights we'd left off were later on - the fireplace damper was messed with, and odd things moved but nothing malevolent. The worst thing she did was throw a telephone book into the middle of the kitchen floor with a loud BANG. Scared the shit out of us. She was never THERE yet never GONE. I only saw her once - on a sunny, Sunday morning. I thought my wife had come downstairs. It was NOT my wife. The old woman walked behind me and turned into the panty, her grey hair was tied back, and her dark dress swept behind her. When I looked in the small cupboard-size room, it was empty.
With some research, we worked out that two elderly sisters lived in the house before it was sold and became a rental. Anticipating one sister had come back to look for the other, our BIG EXORCISM was simply saying "Sorry - your sister is not here"
We never saw her or any evidence of her again. I hope they found each other.
What a weird coincidence. I just watched this last night and read up on Gail Russell, who I knew nothing about, after. What a tragic story. Love your channel. You’ve reignited my love of all these wonderful old movies. Thank you.
Excellent video, as always very interesting and well researched. I knew nothing about Gail Russell so it was great to get this insight. We covered The Changeling in a 5 minute review video and it is clear to see the influence that The Uninvited undoubtedly had on it.
Hey MM! Thanks for watching! Your video on The Changeling is what made me seek it out and watch it. I couldn’t believe I’d never seen it before!
Your knowledge and love for horror is very refreshing to see, always a delight to see a fellow horror lover and deep diver!
The haunted house trope for this genre has become really over-bloated, thanks to the films that came out in the last couple of decades for that
However it's origin has some really heart touching and humane titles, The Haunting and The Innocents, the latter holding a special place in my heart, films like those capture the innate sadness that is present in most great horror films
Loved your insight on this trope and the past of it, maybe it's about time i gave The Uninvited a watch
Thanks so much for watching! I do love horror. I think I mostly prefer stories that lean towards more psychological horror, but interestingly, I think haunted house films sometimes weave in elements of that. That’s probably why I enjoy them so much. I think that innate sadness and melancholy is what’s missing from some of the more recent crop of films.
@@CinemaCities1978 Exactly!! Psychological horror is easily one of the better sub-genre in horror
It tends to leave the viewer with long lasting, effective and altering emotions
Which begs the question, what are your favourites from this genre?
@@VamshiOhgs oohhh, my favorites....Don't Look Now, The Other, Let's Scare Jessica To Death, The Little Girl That Lives Down the Lane, Carrie, The Hitcher, Scanners, Disturbing Behavior, Donnie Darko. . .
@@CinemaCities1978 Those are some great picks! I haven't watched some of those titles so thanks for the recommendation
@@CinemaCities1978 I know there are all kinds of sub-genres of horror, but I see no correlation between Saw and this film. So much of what is called Horror is about torture and pain, while I prefer films with mystery and spirits. The Shining itself is in some ways about our desires as an audience to see bloodshed. Many of the best haunted house movies also have that sense of allusion to our desire to be scared, and that's one of the intellectual pieces missing from most GoreCore films.
I'm so glad to have found your channel. Your videos are brilliant. Please keep going. You deserve more audience and I hope they'll find your channel too
Thank you for the words of encouragement. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.
@@CinemaCities1978 I'll be camping in your channel. And I'll re-watch once I've watched them all. And I love the subject matters like the strange movies that no one really talks about. Right up my alley!
Somehow I have the feeling that was California's Big Sur playing the part of England's Cornwall. 😮
Adding another movie to my must watch list!
let me know what you think!
Wonderful video- I love both Old Dark House & The Uninvited, I am a scary house addict! I am so sorry for Gail Russell. I had no idea how young she was when she passed. I hope her mother was proud
I saw "The Uninvited" on the late night Saturday movie on T.V. I would watch lots of wonderful movies with my dad and I think he enjoyed how enchanted I was with the old black and whites. "Laura", "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir", "Portrait of Jennie". And "The Uninvited". I loved it. I never knew the sad story of Gail Russell behind it. Wonderful video, exploring the back story of a movie that seemed mysterious and wonderful to me when I first saw it. And it retains the magic.
I've loved horror since the 70s, the uninvited was one of my favorites.
This is one of the best channels on all of UA-cam as far as I'm concerned. Great production, great narration, great subjects. Please, keep up the amazing work, and thank you!
Splendidly presented. Her lovely eyes steeped in anguish, she was cursed by exquisite beauty. At the very least, we can respect her memory - and you do so with dignified wisdom. Thank you.
So glad that this came across my feed. Watching this documentary was amazing. Whomsoever writes the script is amazing. The narration is sterling.
Thank you so much. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I write the scripts, I edit the videos and I do the narration. I’m a one woman show.
My mother and I discovered this movie while spending the night with my Aunt. We were watching it late at night, on the fold out bed in the living room. The suspense was done so well that we couldn’t get out of bed to turn it off. We loved it and watched it every chance we got. I still do.
Welp, I just noticed the typos on the quotes I included. Sorry about that!
I do want to say that the Uninvited is a bit of an uneven film. There are emotional beats which may seem odd to modern audiences with regards to the way it drops in some light comedic moments after rather heavy scenes.
But, the scenes with the great stage actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and the scenes in Windward House are where this movie really shines.
Another film (and actress) Ive never heard of. Fascinating and tragic piece of film history. A great insight into a genre Im too scared to watch.
@@finerees I'm also really scared of horror films but I also LOVE them - - -maybe I just enjoy being afraid 😂
Thank you for an excellent episode, Ms Russell Rest In Paradise, and thank you!!!🙏😢💃📽️❣️
you're welcome. thank you for watching.
Me and my Mom's favorite movie since I was a kid. We watch it at least once a year. A true classic ghost story. They don't make them like this anymore. A perfectly crafted script that didn't rely on special effects to keep the audience glued to the screen. ❤
Holy Wow! This is fascinating. I've never seen anyone mention this film before and I've loved it for years, so this history brings a whole new dimension to it for me. Really well written and edited. Thanks.
What a tragic story. Well told and edited. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thankyou
thank you for watching!
Gail Russell was so beautiful and luminous. I really enjoyed her in everything I saw her in. I just re-watched The Uninvited last night and can see why RayMilland‘s character had a shine for her. I thought she was wonderful in 7 Men From Now and I remember being so glad to see her again on the screen when I saw that western the first time. I love your work, by the way. ❤
Great movie that actually always calms me! Would love to live in a house by the water like that! Stella by Starlight!
It was an excellent movie. One of my favorites! So sad about Gail Russell. Dead at 36 is so young. I loved how you said their images stay the same even though the world keeps passing by. So true. I feel that way when I look at old photos of my family and especially when I see how I used to look. It is hard to see how time has changed us.
This is one of the better 'info's of it's type. The women's voice is clear and audable . I give her 5 stars.
I remember when my sister and me were kids and saw this movie. We were about 8 & 11 years old. And we vowed that when we grew up we were going to buy a house by the sea just like the one in this movie "The Uninvited" . Of course we never did but it was a great childhood fantasy .
And I feel in love with Gail Russell as many of us did . She married one of the best looking actors in Hollywood . Guy Madison. But sometime a great career and a good husband (or wife) is not enough for these people. The disease of alcoholism can take everything away from you . And back-in-the-day they didn't know all that much about alcoholism to treat it. Alcoholism is a disease . It is NOT the person's fault who has it .
Oh, thank you! As an old movie buff, this one caught me off guard, as it pulled no punches about the ghosts, as you said!
I love how the film builds up to the reveal of the ghost. . .the terrified cat, moans in the night, a mysterious breeze, the seance. It's so good!
@@CinemaCities1978 Seriously, it scarred the poo out of me! I really didn't expect them to SHOW the ghost either! I love that you showed clips from Crimson Peak, as I know Del Toro loves this film. You can definitely see the through line!
I read about Gail Russell in various articles,a beautiful, sensitive talented young woman who needed care and guidance from people she thought she could trust but who betrayed that trust and it permanently damaged her leading to a sad lonely end which was avoidable RIP Gail
Your closimg thoughts on this video are poetic and true. Nice writing.
Gosh, what a fine essay this video really is!
Thank you!
I can I say how good your videos are. Really well researched, well edited and professional. I found this videos by accident and I have been searching them out ever since
Thanks!
Just found you. Thanks.
wow! Thank you so much for the super thanks! Your support means a lot to me. I hope to continue to make great content that you enjoy.
The movie was also turned into a play that can be perform on a live stage with very chilling responses for the audience as the story unfolds to it's thrilling conclusion.
I'd love to see that!
Thanks to you I find some great classic films to watch. I watched The Uninvited today and really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for this! Somehow this film flew completely under my radar - I will have to check it out (there's even a Criterion release!).
I'm quite curious about the dichotomy between the "oh, it was all a hoax by crooks" resolution of apparently supernatural events and the genuinely supernatural stories. I'm wondering how any of this relates to WWII and all the death and destruction experienced by returning servicemen, as well as the occultism of the Nazis - was Hollywood trying to downplay the supernatural (was that part of the Code?), to make light of it, in the 1930s? And did that change after the war?
Food for thought!
Thanks again for a lovely visual essay - keep up the good work!
An excellent analysis of "The Uninvited." The ghosts....both of them....were actually real. But it's sad to note that Gail Russell's fears (as portrayed in the film) were actually real as well. Stella was Gail. Gail was Stella.
A deeply meaningful tribute. Thank you for the sorrowful tone in which you gave the standard sign-off. 🎉😢 for Gail.
Gail's story has haunted me for years and I just wanted to do her justice.
An excellant but sad story of a beautiful actor ...
Great analysis, cogently presented.
TY so much for posting.
This is the second video of urs I’ve watched. I really enjoy them. U seem to capture the story in all, the visual, the music, the voice, & most importantly the tale itself.
A new subscriber wishing U the Best.
Many Blessings 🙏🇺🇸
thank you so much! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the channel and the stories I tell.
the writing and narration on this channel is superb.
i always thought past paranormal horror films lacked the technology to be convincing. the early monsters were convincing. but they soon became cheap imitations of their former glory. they became "man-in-a-monster-suit silly.
it wasn't until 1961s the "innocents" followed by "the haunting" 1963 that i think horror films came into the modern age and became truly scary.
anotherr film titled "the uninvited" released in 2009 has nothing to do with the 1944 film. the 2009 film is the american remake of the south korean horror masterpiece "a tale of two sisters" (2003). both versions are excellent and worth a look.
A magnificent episode! Your history of the haunted house subgenre was riveting, replete with great visual cross references. The story of Gail Russell made for a haunting and heartbreaking denouement. What a story.
My memory of THE UNINVITED is oblique. I've never seen the film in total. But I distinctly recall my big brother picking me up at a train station in the 80's and speeding through the streets of Garden City and Hempstead, Long Island to catch the end of the film on our pre-VCR TV. He was uncontainable. I remember the ending impressed me, but I never got around to screening the film on my own.
Your video has put it at the top of my viewing list! Thank you for another wonderful 'conversation,' CC!
So full disclaimer, I think the parts of the film that work best are the ones set in windward house. I was telling another viewer that the movie is definitely uneven, but the haunted house scenes are what makes it a true classic. Also, the backstory to the events in the house are VERY convoluted. I think because I've seen the movie so many times I often overlook that point. 😂
In a town full of sad and tragic stories, Gail's is one of the saddest and most tragic. It breaks my heart.
I just discovered this channel with your 7th Victim Video, loving it! More Lewton and 30s and 40s Horror plz🙏🏼❤️
I loved The Uninvited! A classic ghost story, eery but not terrifying. All the actors were perfect. The script was good, and it was well directed. I loved Windward House. It would be right at home here on the Oregon coast.
Thank you for this excellent piece, especially on my favorite movie: the Uninvited
Great video essay, very poignant. You could say I like The Uninvited - I have read the novel on which it was based, written by Dorothy Macardle, eight times over the past 30 years….and it is over 300 pages long! Much as I love Hitchcock I am glad he never was involved in this. Hitch had a tendency to buy the rights to novels and then rewrite them to suit his own ideas. The Uninvited (original title Uneasy Freehold) is a beautifully written novel and the film is very faithful to it. So much so that some dialog in the movie is lifted word for word from the book. As great a haunted house movie as this is (and it is one of my top two or three all time favorite films) the novel is even better. I would encourage anyone who loves this film to read the book on which it is based as it has major characters and subplots that were dropped from the film for time. It is also filled with wonderful period slang (I believe the manuscript to have been written in the late 1930s although it was published in 1942). One bit of trivia. In the movie Ray Milland has a line that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. He tells his housekeeper “Don’t worry, we’ll do nothing tonight that the priest wouldn’t approve of”. There is no priest in the film. But in the book there was a Father Ansen who had his own fairly large subplot. He was a friend of the housekeeper. Perhaps an early screenplay included this character who was later dropped - leaving that one Ray Milland line without any context.
My daughter and I were just talking about The Uninvited earlier today! Thanks for posting this.
The pitiful crying coming from somewhere in the darkness of the house is so disconcerting… really spooky, yet weirdly touching.
brilliant but very sad video
Interesting and well researched video on the haunted house genre in Hollywood,and the standard "The Uninvited" set for future films on the supernatural.Also a well written and accurate tale of the lovely, but tragic Gail Russell.My take on their research on Gail Russell leads me to the conclusion that the writers must have viewed my Tributes to Gail Russell on UA-cam.Nevertheless,a rare,but accurate story of that Tragic Hollywood Beauty.
Hi, while I did not view your videos (until just now) I wish I had because there are several articles/videos that you've posted that have some amazing information, I was especially excited to read about how Gail got the letter from the classmate who recommended her to Wm. Micklejohn and how kind she was to him. I have gone down the rabbit hole with the wealth of information you provide on Gail and the obvious love and appreciation you have for her. I think we are both very much on the same page when it comes to our feelings about Gail and the trajectory of her career and life. It actually means a lot that someone who knows a lot more about Gail than I do considers this an accurate presentation.
@@CinemaCities1978 One of the greatest regrets in my life was that I didn't begin my research into Gail Russell until most of her co-workers had long since passed away.Being an amateur writer/biographer,I didn't have access to actors, directors,producers,most professional biographers must have.This is why my biography on Gail,"Fallen Star",is just the tip of the iceberg where Gail is concerned.I did try to interview her brother in 1973,and her mother, who was then living in a nursing home, but he was not very cooperative,saying he had promised movie rights to another party.I only hope my meager efforts on Gail's behalf will one day prove essential in restoring her rightful place in Hollywood history.I have never been so enchanted with another human being, than I was with Gail Russell, who was one of the loveliest souls who ever lived.
@@theuninvited1944GR I added a link to your book in the description of this video in case people want to know more about Gail. I am going to order a copy as well.
It's too bad you never got to speak to her brother. I wonder what the plans were for those movie rights of Gail's life. I wonder who owns them now. I agree, Gail should better known and the truth of her life and her gentle character should be better known than the circumstances of her death.
E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T presentation for one of my all-time favorite movies!! Truly, a job well done!
thank you! I'm glad it didn't disappoint.
Saw the movie on the local old movie channel back in the 80s. Been obsessed ever since. I've repainted the huge Mary Meredith painting a couple times over the years; whenever I had a high ceilinged room with a fireplace.
The Casablanca of haunted stories. I love this movie.
'Nother fantastic vid, CeeCee! Thank you 🙏
You're so welcome!
My favorite ghost story ever.
It's a wonderful eerie and atomsopheric tale. One of the classics eras best!
Just found your channel thanks to the YT algorithm. I have never heard of this film or The Dark House. Thank you. I am also looking forward to your film noir videos. I took a class in college on film noir and it is one of my favorites, even after 40 years.
Thanks for watching! I hope you enjoy the noir videos!
I grew up when tv was just coming in but you could still go to the cinema.but at the start of tv it was black and white. colour wasnt in until 2 years later.i remember watchin a movie with my nan. I was about 5 years old. It was Frankenstein and i had nightmares. It frightened the shit out of me i kept remembering those eyes. I had nightmares. my older sisters shared a room i had my own room and every night they would say be careful of those eyes that they dont hypnotize you and make him your slave bride.😱😥😢😫😨😩😲😟😭.my nan had bad varacusvains in her legs and swollen ankles that where so soar" and i was a kicker in my sleep . I couldnt sleep in the bed with her" plus the room was to small for another bed. my mon slep in the box room with my younger sister .so i was on my own and my to sisters who were twins shared a bed.i use to bring my blanket and sleeping bag squash myself under my nans bed and fall asleep and i felt safe she would say are you ok under there and id say i am now.and fall asleep knowing i was safe from mr Frankenstein. The End.😴😴😴😴😴😴😴🦄🦄🐦🐣🕊🦋🐬🦉🌻🌼🎠🎡🌞🌝🌟🦋🌞🐦🦄😴😁😴😴
Love this movie. One of the best. Thank you for this history.
I loved this movie, use to watch it on tv when it would come on. She was in other John Wayne films....the Duke enjoyed going to a bar and they were pals. I really loved Angel and the Badman. Gail lived a tragic life.
This film is truly one of the best scary movies ever! It is so haunting and unlike most “horror” films, the plot holds up through to the end.
Very nice production of this story of many stories. Thank you for sharing this. It was very well done. I am going to look for this movie. I love it already. I am sad for Gail Russel. We live in a haunted house and haunted property and l am creating a documentary right now. This was so inspiring to me.
I've ALWAYS loved this movie. Wish it would be shown more often. I love a good scare! 😱
This is one of my top 10 favorite movies!!! I used to make my friends watch it every year at my birthday parties - from age 9 to age 15. Thank you for doing such a god video essay. Much better than the one on the Criterion bluray
You're welcome! Since this is your favorite movie, I'm so happy that you enjoyed this video.
Gail Russell was gorgeous. Her lovely face justed floated off the screen. I hate that she left so soon, dying from alcoholism.
I hate it too. She radiates gentleness on screen and it just makes me so sad knowing what happened to her.
Your channel is growing on me.
How about exploring the Harry Bellefonte produced movies?
Little known and some real gems.
My number 1 favorite movie in any genre, Love the cast. Beautifully filmed. Great story. I LOVEDIT!!!
Excellent videos.
The Changeling is all time awesome. That ball haunted some nightmares, I had as a child, after watching that movie.
The story of the murder in that film is so tragic!
"The Uninvited" is definitely a horror classic. It was very hard to find on home video for awhile, and I think that is what pushed it out of the limelight and into partial obscurity for a long time. But it deserves to be a household name. I saw a play adaptation once; it was pretty good (but greatly streamlined and simplified the story.)
Very interesting about Gail Russell. When I was a kid, I would also hide when unfamiliar people came to the house. I was terrified of people I didn’t know. I also only ever wanted to play by myself - never with other children. It was so bad that my mother took me to the doctor. The doctor said I was just extremely shy and that my mother should put me in preschool so I could learn social skills.
That was in the late 1960s. I was put into a preschool and I had real problems adjusting to it, but by the time I got to kindergarten I could at least deal with other children being around. I remained painfully shy, however, and I would freeze up and sometimes even have full-blown panic attacks if I was called on to answer something or to present a report to the class.
At 54 years old, I was finally diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the 1960s, you weren’t considered to have autism if you could speak and interact with family members. Had I been diagnosed at age three, I would most likely have had a MUCH easier time at school. I might have been able to go to school each morning without feeling like I’d be sick to my stomach because I was afraid I’d get called on in class. That problem stuck with me all the way through graduate school, where I’d find myself unable to speak in seminars on subjects I knew well. I will admit that sometimes I’d drink a couple of beers before class if I had to make a presentation; it was the only way I knew of to calm the paralyzing anxiety I’d feel.
So, I guess my point is that I wonder if Ms. Russell was similarly suffering from undiagnosed ASD. Things were bad enough in the 1960s, so I can only imagine that things were even worse decades earlier when she was a child. You were just told that you needed to get over it, to toughen up, to act like a "normal" person. I can relate so much to feeling that terror when a camera is on you.
(Oh, and I did end up as a professional artist as an adult. It worked out pretty well for me. It’s sad that Ms. Russell wasn’t allowed to follow that path.)
The Uninvited is one of my all-time favorites! You did an amazing job covering it. It really is a mesmerizing classic.
Beautifully done thank you.
That was a great movie.
Plus it has "Stella by Starlight".
one of my favorite film themes. It's absolutely beautiful.
I have two favorite b&w haunted movies. #1 the Haunting…this one has been scaring me since I was little kid, #2 The Uninvited…this I never watched until I was grown but scary nonetheless. The Spiral Staircase also scared me but that wasn’t a scary movie…just suspenseful.
Greetings and Thank You for such a deeply moving Story 🍷
I absolutely loved this movie! I was terrified! I could never find it again, to rent or buy….I am so sorry to learn, through your video , of Miss Russell’s abuse. She was always beautiful and angelic in the films I watched.
Beautifully done. Thank you.
Caught in one of those, wish I didn't know now the sad part, but it makes her brilliance in the movie all that brighter.
Sad story. I feel sorry for her.
Me too. Her story is very tragic.
Although a tragic real life story of Gail Russell, The Uninvited is hands down, one of my most favorite films of all time. 🤩😍💖🍿🎥
Wasn’t there a remake of it a few years back?
A very insightful discussion of one of my favorite genres of horror. In the haunted house genre, the house itself is treated as a character, one which disorients and oppresses its residents and the audience alike. It's not surprising how often the house itself must be destroyed at the film's end in order for good to finally triumph. (According to a Kirk Crivello book about tragic Hollywood starlets, Russell was introduced to alcohol by another actress at the same studio. Sadly, this actress would also succumb to alcoholism years later.)
Thanks so much for the commentary on this film! I absolutely love it! I’m a filmmaker myself and hope to create a film that pays homage to it!
Beautifully done I’m glad you told this story .
Loved the uninvited.
Thanks for the tour. I think I have seen the house in movies 🍿
The Uninvited is one of my favorite movies.
I am sad that it helped send Gail Russell on her journey to self destruction. Never heard the entire story of what happened to her before, only bits and pieces.
I love all movies dealing with the paranormal, but hated those that depicted it being staged. Thank you for showing the movie George C. Scott was in l, The Changeling in the beginning of your video, my all time favorite haunted house movie. Gail Russell was a beauty but too bad she did not get to do her art and be in her quiet world where she belonged.
Wow.. bless her. I hope she's found peace
Gail Russell (I have read) wanted to be a costume designer and not an actress. Everyone in the cast put forth a performance and a half! I always seem to forget the real crux of the story which makes it more interesting each time I am able to view it!