And...scene!

William Powell's Beverly Hills home

2011-12-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

William Powell's house, built adjacent to the Beverly Hills estate of automobile tycoon E. L. Cord, was designed by J. E. Dolena. It was a neoclassical pavilion built on a wooded lot that featured twin tennis courts with galleries for spectators. Jean Harlow helped decorate it, and, despite its rigorously traditional appearance, it was wired for all kinds of electric gadgetry. Alarm bells warned the arrival of visitors, all doors could be operated with foot switches, and all major rooms were equipped with bars, one of which could be transformed into a grill at the touch of a button, a spit rising from the floor and charcoal burners emerging from a closet. Living there seems to have had all the charm of living inside a pinball machine, as Powell explained to the readers of Picturegoer:

I built a house of dream that turned out to be a house of devilish gadgets. The secret panels and disappearing doors never worked right. I'd push one button to go into the parlor and I'd find myself in the kitchen or garden. There were thirty-two rooms in that house and in every one something unexpected was happening. I've been haunted by weird nightmare memories ever since.

-Gone Hollywood by Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz

Tonight on TCM!

Last night to enjoy a William Powell line-up. It's sure to not disappoint!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

Tonight on TCM!
Going My Way (1944) A young priest revitalizes a failing parish and brings new life to the elder priest. Dir: Leo McCarey Cast: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh.

Crossroads (1942)

2011-12-20T04:29:00.000-08:00

Receiving a mysterious letter on the eve of his anniversary to wife Lucienne (Hedy Lamarr), French diplomat, David Talbot (William Powell) is confused. The letter is addressed to someone named "Jean," and asks for one million francs to satisfy an old debt. Thinking the letter must be a mistake, Talbot decides to get the police involved. When the "money" is delivered, Carlos Le Duc (Vladimir Sokoloff) is arrested. Thus begins a strange court case where Le Duc accuses Talbot of really being Jean Pelletier, a criminal and possible murderer. Le Duc states he was simply trying to retrieve money owed him by Jean. The case explodes when it's revealed by Talbot's friend, Dr. Andre Tessier (Felix Bressart), that Talbot had been in a train wreck in 1922 and suffers from amnesia. To further confuse the case and Talbot, a mystery witness, singer Michele Allaine (Claire Trevor), corroborates Le Duc's story and identifies Talbot as Pelletier, her former lover. However, Talbot is saved when wine salesman Henri Sarrou (Basil Rathebone) testifies to the court that he witnessed Pelletier dies years before after the train wreck.
With a new lease on life and an impending appointment as ambassador to Brazil, Talbot is visited by Sarrou who privately demands one million francs. Sarrou reveals that Talbot is Pelletier and that they had been cohorts in a two million franc robbery, in which Pelletier killed a man, then disapppeared with the money. He tells Talbot that Pelletier suffered a powder burn on his hand when he committed the murder. When Talbot sees a scar on his left hand, begins to suspect that he is Pelletier. The next day, Michele visits Talbot at his office begging for forgiveness about almost giving him away at the trial and warning him about Sarrou. Talbot now suspects a plot between Sarrou and Michele but when she leaves, she shows David a locket with a picture of the two of them together. Michele later visits Talbot and his wife at home with the intent of showing Lucienne the locket. However, David intervenes and later visits Michele still stating he does not believe the accusations she and Sarrou are making. Michele suggests that he go to a certain address and see Pelletier's impoverished mother. David goes to the old woman, who says he is not her son, but her affectionate and unselfish demeanour makes Talbot begins to doubt himself again.

So is Talbot the former Jean Pelletier, former criminal and murderer? Or is Talbot the pawn in a dangerous game? Watch and see! It's a truly great film and quite different from Powell and Lamarr's next collaboration, The Heavenly Body (1944) which is also quite good.

Watch the film here!

Tonight on TCM! Oooh! This sounds interesting!
Good Sam (1948) A family man helps out people in need and ends up broke in the process.
Dir: Leo McCarey Cast: Gary Cooper, Ann Sheridan, Ray Collins.

The loves of William Powell...

2011-12-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

In 1915, he married Eileen Wilson, with whom he had his only child, William David Powell, before an amicable divorce in 1930.

Carole Lombard fell in love with Powell while they filmed Man of the World in 1931. Sixteen years her senior, they married the same year and the union lasted a little over two years with them splitting amicably in 1933. Remaining on good terms allowed them to star together in the screwball comedy My Man Godfrey
in 1936. Powell was responsible for Lombard being signed for the film, insisting she was the only actress who could aptly handle the screwball heroine.

Powell had a close relationship with actress Jean Harlow beginning in 1935, even gifting her with a 150 carat sapphire. However, he had no interest in getting married again. Their relationship was cut short by Harlow's untimely death in 1937. Powell paid for her final resting place in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.

On January 6, 1940, Powell married actress Diana Lewis, whom he called "Mousie," three weeks after they met. They remained married, residing primarily in Palm Springs, California, until Powell's death.

Tonight on TCM!
ATale Of Two Cities (1958) Charles Dickens' classic tale of lookalikes in love with the same woman in the years after the French Revolution. Dir: Robert Mulligan Cast: Max Adrian, James Donald, Denholm Elliott.

William Powell for the Holidays!

2011-12-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

It's a great pleasure for me to see the wonderful William Powell featured every Thursday on TCM! For those of you in the And..Scene know, Powell is one of my favorite actors, as evidenced here and here and here and here and here. Well you catch my drift.
My favorites of his films are the Thin Man series (can't seem to say that enough on this blog), Life with Father, and I Love You Again. Focusing on his career outside the Thin Man role, I appreciate the opportunity to see him in his few dramatic roles.

So, in accordance with TCM's schedule, I will be focusing on William Powell this month. What a pleasure!

Tonight on TCM!
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) A chic jewel thief in England falls in love with one of her marks.
Dir: Richard Boleslawski Cast: Joan Crawford, William Powell, Robert Montgomery. Fantastic!

High Pressure (1932) A scheming promoter tries to get rich selling artificial rubber.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: William Powell, Evelyn Brent, George Sidney. Can't wait to see!

My Man Godfrey (1936) My Man Godfrey (1936) A zany heiress tries to help a tramp by making him the family butler. Dir: Gregory La Cava Cast: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady. Too funny!
Double Harness (1933) After tricking a playboy into marriage, a woman sets out to win his love honestly.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast: Ann Harding, William Powell, Lucile Browne. Just plain good!

Veteran's Day: A Tribute

2011-11-11T04:40:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to do a post like this since I started my blog in 2009. I am glad to have had a little time to do some research and learn some interesting things about Hollywood's involvement in our last world war. I also wanted a chance to pay tribute to the men and women both known and and unknown, who sacrifice(d) much to make our world a safer place. Thank you!
Patriotism is such a shaky thing these days. I myself, could not be called America's biggest supporter but I do appreciate and respect people who support their country by making tremendous sacrifices. Below I have put together a few things I have been reading up on, highlighting items I found interesting, nothing to in-depth, mind you. I do hope you enjoy.

In the 1940’s World War II changed the face of Hollywood, prompting Bette Davis to sing; Joan Crawford to jitterbug; Greta Garbo to laugh; Marlene Dietrich to earn the Medal of Freedom as well as the Légion d'honneur; Bob Hope to take to the road; Hedy Lamarr to show off more than her acting chops; Fredric March to earn his second and final Academy Award; Dorothy Lamour to sell, sell, sell; Donna Reed to become quite the pen pal; and sadly, have Carole Lombard and Leslie Howard sacrifice all.
As war raged on the European front, America and specifically Hollywood purposely remained isolated from the reality of any threat. Fearing that propaganda film would infect the minds of American citizens prompting them to become pro-war, some isolationist members of the US Senate created a subcommittee in 1941 to investigate Hollywood’s film output. They had little to fear due to the studio’s heavy dependence on their European market. Revenue continued to be their motivating factor, even prompting some studios to fire any “non-Aryan” employees in their German business offices to satisfy Nazi demands. Only a few anti-Nazi films such as Confessions of a Nazi Spy or Chaplin’s daring anti-fascist comedy The Great Dictator were created along with American preparedness films like Sergeant York, and pro-British films like A Yank in the R.A.F.. Then came Pearl Harbor and everything changed. In a serious twist of irony, the government became more involved in Hollywood film making, promoting its use as a powerful tool to promote American’s involvement in the war. Under FDR two institutions were created, the Office of War Information which regulated what information about the war was released, and the Bureau of Motion Pictures that worked directly with Hollywood, setting up guidelines to decide which movies were most beneficial to the war effort. With the full support of all the big studios and their available talent, Hollywood helped create an era of pure American patriotism that has yet to be reproduced.

Those Who Served: The Stars
Though there were many stars who voluntarily left prominent careers and suited up in a more serious costume, I am going to highlight only a few here. To learn more about actors and actresses who were involved, look here or here.

Jimmy Stewart was the first Hollywood star to enter the service for World War II and subsequently became the highest-ranking entertainer in the American military. Entering the Army Air Force as a private, Stewart would fly 20 combat missions as a B-24 Pilot in Europe, taking part in hundreds of air strikes and commanding a squadron, eventually earning the rank of colonel. He was awarded the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre and seven battle stars. Even after the war, Stewart continued in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and became a Brigadier General.

After the death of wife Carole Lombard, Clark Gable at age forty-one enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a private. Attending the Officers Candidate School, he graduated as a Second Lieutenant. During his tour of duty, Gable filmed German military installations for U.S. Army Intelligence, and flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s. Being to old for combat missions, Gable was relieved from duty prior to the war ending, with the ranking of Major. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.
Listen to Gable give a report on the WWII air war.

Lew Ayres daringly declared himself a conscientious objector and refused to bear weapons when called to duty in World War II. Publicly perceived a coward, MGM did not take his opinion lightly. They dropped his contract. After the war, many learned of Ayres' bravery as a non-combatant medical corpsman who served three and a half years as a medic and chaplain's aide, earning three battle stars. He eventually resumed his career.
Read an interesting article (click on the blue button Read Article For Free) about Ayers written in 1944.

Audie Murphy’s heroics under fire earned him the honor of being the most decorated American combat soldier of WWII. He won two dozen military medals for valor, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. A feature on him in LIFE magazine caught the attention of James Cagney, who invited him out to Hollywood after the war. Thus began a B-movie career that spanned forty films, mostly Westerns, as well as an opportunity for Murphy to star in his own filmed autobiography, To Hell And Back.
Read more about Audie Murphy here.

David Niven was notoriously close-mouthed about his service in WWII. He was personally congratulated by Winston Churchill for voluntarily leaving Hollywood and returning to his country to serve. A student of The Royal Military College at Sandhurst, who graduated a Second Lieutenant, Niven had the ready education to be re-commissioned and command a squadron. When he returned to Hollywood, he received the Legion of Merit, presented by Eisenhower, honoring his work in setting up the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme, a radio news and entertainment station for the Allied forces.

Another soldiers recollection:
I understand that in the '30s he [Niven] gave up regular soldiering to go to Hollywood, but at the beginning of the war returned to his regiment. An elderly field grade officer spotted him in the mess, and asked what he'd been up to the past few years.

"I've been doing pictures, sir," Niven replied.

"Really?" the old boy asked. "Watercolors?"

Those Who Served: The Directors
Just as important as those starring in the film, directors were tasked with a huge responsibility. Influence the opinion of the people. With the advantage of vision and sound, film was the most powerful tool for propaganda, more so than radio or print. Used correctly, it could create a positive outcome for freedom.

Frank Capra enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor and was assigned to the Army Signal Corps to work under Chief of Staff George C. Marshall. Marshall wanted Capra to create a series of factual films that explained why America was fighting and the principles they were fighting for. After viewing Leni Reifenstahl's horrible yet powerful Triumph of the Will, Capra was overwhelmed. However, he recalled a Bible verse that always gave him goosebumps, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." It was then that he decided he would use the enemy's own propaganda films to hang themselves.
With the use of MGM, Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox facilities, Walt Disney and his staff for the animation, and the assistance of such notables as actor Walter Huston, directors George Stevens and William Wyler, John Huston; composer Alfred Newman, and writer Anatole Litvak; Capra not only fulfilled the original purpose of the films, but a revolutionized documentary filmmaking.

John Huston entered the U.S. Army to work with the Army Signal Corps as a Captain. He directed and produced three documentaries some would say are the very best among all films about WWII. However, only one of those three films was released at the time, Report from the Aleutians, a film about soldiers preparing for combat. The other two documentaries were censored by the Army who thought their content demoralizing to both the soldier and the public. One was The Battle of San Pietro is the story of a failure by America's intelligence agencies which resulted in many deaths. The other, Let There Be Light was about psychologically damaged veterans. Despite the censorship, Huston rose to the rank of Major and received the Legion of Merit award for working courageously under fire.

George Stevens joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps and headed a film unit from 1943 to 1946, under General Eisenhower. His involvement in the war is crucial for two reasons. One, he is credited with documenting the only colored footage of WWII. Two, his footage of D-Day; the liberation of Paris; the meeting of American and Soviet forces at the Elbe River; and the truly horrifying scenes from the Dachau concentration camp, serve as a timeline of America’s involvement in the war. Stevens later prepared his Dachau footage to be used during the Nuremberg Trials.

John Ford served as a Commander in the United States Navy and was the head of the photographic unit for the Office of Strategic Services. While in the Navy he won two Academy Awards, one for a semi-documentary The Battle of Midway, in which he was wounded by shrapnel and a second for the propaganda film December 7th. Present on D-Day, Ford watched the first wave land on the beach and directed the footage of the battle from behind obstacles. However, despite the edits, little was released to the public. The US Government was afraid to show all the American casualties. There is documentation that Ford was cited by his superiors for bravery for taking a position to film one mission that made him a clear target and despite being wounded, continued filming. His last wartime film was They Were Expendable. Released several months after the end of the war, and not a film Ford liked nor wanted to make, it was nonetheless a box office hit.

Those Who Served: The Troopers
I turn now to the troopers who served. Those brave souls who gave up careers, a comfortable place to sleep, holidays and family to spend quality time on the front lines in open view to momentarily help erase the realities of war through laughter and entertainment, who brought a small piece of home to even the remotest areas of the world.

Bob Hope is the most honored entertainer ever, Bob Hope was a USO trouper in times of war and peace. Most notably after WWII for troops that would not be sent home immediately and during the Vietnam war, when patriotism was at an all-time low and GI’s were far from home. This resulted in him being on tour more than not, flying thousands of miles to gladly serve the troops for over fifty years. In 1997 the United States Congress passed a bill, signed by President Bill Clinton, which named Bob Hope "Honorary U.S. Veteran".

Despite her a fear of flying, Martha Raye travelled extensively during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War to entertain the American troops. She also wasn’t adverse to playing nurse when the need for them was dear. Due to her tireless trooping, on November 2, 1993, Raye was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Bill Clinton, for her service to her country. The citation reads:
"A talented performer whose career spans the better part of a century, Martha Raye has delighted audiences and uplifted spirits around the globe. She brought her tremendous comedic and musical skills to her work in film, stage, and television, helping to shape American entertainment. the great courage, kindness, and patriotism she showed in her many tours during World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam Conflict earned her the nickname "Colonel Maggie." The American people honor Martha Raye, a woman who has tirelessly used her gifts to benefit the lives of her fellow Americans."

Marlene Dietrich was a staunch anti-Nazi, who refused to return to her native Germany when ask. Instead she became an American citizen. One of the first stars to sell war bonds, she toured the states fbefore joining the USO to perform for Allied troops on two extended tours. She performed for troops on the front lines in Algeria, Italy, England and France and even risked serious danger by entering Germany with Generals James M. Gavin and George S. Patton. Dietrich was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the US and the Légion d'honneur by the French government for recognition for her wartime work.
Dietrich goes covert.
Interesting article (click on the blue button Read Article For Free) about Dietrich from 1945.

Thanks to Uli for the great Dietrich photo.

Those Who Served: The Pin-Up Girl
During WWII soldiers were notorious for decorating everything from their lockers to their planes with beautiful pin-up girls. Many of these pin-ups were photographs of celebrities who were considered the ideal American girl.

Betty Grable enjoyed a bit of infamy and fame-boosting attention when her famous pin-up picture was taken in 1943. The end result was Grable being cast in Pin Up Girl which showcased her famous photo in several brief glimpses. Ironically, Grable was seven months pregnant when the film was concluded.

Rita Hayworth was one of the most popular pin-up girls of the 40’s. Apparently she was so loved by the servicemen that a record was made of her heartbeat! Rita was very involved in the war effort offering her services at the Hollywood canteen, performing in USO shows and selling war bonds.

Those Who Served: The Fallen Star
Casualties of war are a horrible given, however, casualties of a star, especially when on a mission for the Allies, is a harder pill to swallow. It's no secret that humans tend to put celebrities on a pedestal among the gods and supply each with a shield of invensibilty and a dash of our own brand of sentiment. Like any loved one that suddenly passes, too, we often take longer to come to terms with the idea that a favorite or known celebrity has gone.

Glen Miller was one of the most popular musicians of World War II. As a big band leader, Miller joined the service and led a band for morale-boosting. He was so in demand that his band played 800 performances in a single year. Sadly, he died in 1944, when his plane went down over the English Channel. No trace of the plane or Miller were ever found.

Leslie Howard was one of seventeen casualties in 1943 when the civilian airliner he was on was shot down by Germans over the Bay of Biscay. It’s rumored that the plane may have been shot down because Howard was an English spy and/or that Winston Churchill was also on the flight.
Read more about the theories here.

Carole Lombard was in a hurry to get home to husband Clark Gable after helping to sell millions of dollars worth of war bonds when her plane crashed into the side of a mountain. Considered the first civilian casualty of war, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt eulogized her saying, "She gave unselfishly of time and talent to serve her government in peace and war. She loved her country. She is and always will be a star, one we shall never forget nor cease to be grateful to."
Interview with Myron H. Davis, who took the last photographs of Lombard.

Those Who Served: The Inventor

In a perfect world everyone would be endowed with both beauty and brains, however, history has shown only a few exceptions to this rule.

With Ann Sothern and Linda Darnell . Lamarr sells kisses for bonds.

Hedy Lamarr's personal life around the break out of war in Europe would have been sufficient fodder for any Hollywood movie. The Austrian-born actress was married to Friedrich Mandl, chairman of an Austrian armaments firm and an Austrofascist. According to her autobiography (which she claimed was mostly false), she hired a maid that looked similar to her, drugged her, and managed to escape Mendl by posing as the maid. Whether true or not, it's still a fascinating story, as is her collaboration with experimental composer George Antheil on an invention for “frequency-hopping” on radio-controlled torpedoes. Though the idea did not come to fruition until the early 60’s, three years after Lamarr's and Antheil's patent expired, their invention is grounded in the anti-jamming devices the military uses today. Oh! She also used her star power to help raise $7 million in war bonds in a single night.

War Bonds
War bonds were issued by the government as a means to finance the military operations during the war and to control inflation by taking money out of circulation. By guaranteeing a larger return when cashed in during peace time, it also helped stimulate the economy by encouraging consumerism. It was also another way for civilians to do their patriotic duty.
Celebrities got involved by attending bond rallies throughout the country, touring from place to place to stimulate sales. The glamorous actress Dorothy Lamour alone was credited with selling $350 million in war bonds.

Victory Gardens
Due to government rationing and the questionable lengthiness of war, conservation was the largest theme in the war effort at home, prompting most Americans not only to conserve materials around their home but to grow their own food. This also helped raise morale and make each person feel like they were doing their part. Thus the Victory Garden started to crop up (oh, I’m punny) all over America. This resulted in nearly 20 million Americans planting gardens in their backyards, on their city rooftops, or in empty lots, including major city parks. Pooling their resources many people planted different kinds of food and created cooperatives. Farmers were asked to donate portions of their lands for growing food for the troops. Magazines like Saturday Evening Post and Life gave instructions on how to grow and preserve garden produce and canning became all the rage with pressure-cookers flying off the shelves. Farmers were asked to donate portions of their lands for growing food for the troops.

Sugar was the first item to be rationed.

Roses are red, violets are blue.

Sugar is sweet. Remember?

--Walter Winchell

Hollywood Canteen
Spearheaded by Bette Davis and John Garfield and with the help of several other volunteers, an old barn on Sunset Boulevard was converted into The Hollywood Canteen and opened on October 3, 1942.
Catering to men and women in uniform, most nights would find two bands playing and several volunteers to dance with, a snack bar (no alcohol permitted),and possibly a movie star or two to make your visit all the more memorable.

Though a tough time in America's history, I can't help but look back at the 1940's with a tremendous amount of sentiment. It was a time for unity as a nation's people, a time for women to prove their worth, a time for much charity and faith. It's also an experience that America will never be able to recreate in full.

Bette Davis serves.

Charles Boyer

Judy Garland

Donna Reed

Rita Hayworth

Marlene Dietrich, Bob Hope, and Bette Davis

Katharine Hepburn

Buster Keaton

Hedda Hopper, Merle Oberon, and Luis Rainier

Bette Davis

Ann Sheridan and James Cagney

Robert Benchley and Charles Butterworth

Rita Hayworth

Look here for a list of war movies that have been made.

Tonight on TCM!

Spend the evening with James Garner!

Table Talk!

2011-11-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hume Crohn, Jessica Tandy, and Gregory Peck

Joel McCrea and Lili Damita

Lana Turner and Turhan Bey aka "The Turkish Delight"

Jack Oakie, Loretta Young, and Clark Gable

Peter Lorre and Sophia Loren

Nancy and Ronald Reagan with Jeanne and Dean Martin

Ronald Colman and Claudette Colbert

Troy Donahue (not Tab Hunter---thanks Silvia!) and Suzanne Pleshette

Tonight on TCM!

The Invisible Man (1933) A scientist's experiments with invisibility turn him into a madman. Dir: James Whale Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan.

Happy Hallowe'en!

2011-10-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yvonne De Carlo

Pier Angeli

Ava Gardner

Tea and Sympathy (1956)

2011-10-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Writer Tom Robinson Lee (John Kerr) attends his 10-year reunion at Chilton boarding school and reminisces about his last year there. Intelligent, shy and sensitive Tom is not like the other boys, preferring to remain alone and play what they term “long hair” music. Secretly he has a crush on Laura Reynolds (Deborah Kerr), the relatively new wife of dormitory headmaster Bill Reynolds (Leif Erikson). Tom sees in her a mother figure that has been denied him since age five when his mother left. Since then his father Herb (Edward Andrews) has kept him in a series of boarding schools. Hoping that Reynolds, who is also a former classmate and alumni of Chilton, can make a man out of his son, Mr. Lee has no qualms about what kind of drastic measures need to be taken to do so. The situation is exacerbated when, in an attempt to spend more time with Laura, Tom is caught in a sewing circle on the beach by some of his classmates earning him the name “Sister Boy Lee”. Reynolds, who all the boys look up to as an example of masculinity does nothing to stop the vicious rumors that begin with such name calling. Laura witnesses what’s unfolding and tries to get her husband to me more sensitive and mature about the situation. However Reynold’s demands she keeps a polite distance from the situation, claiming she is babying Tom. This only another example to Laura that Reynolds is pulling away from her since they’ve been married. She can’t seem to draw his attention away from the male students, even to the point where he has invited some of them on their vacation.

Soon the boys begin to taunt Tom even though his roommate, Al Thompson (Darryl Hickman), a star athlete, comes to his defense. When his father visits to watch his tennis match, the only sport Tom likes, he hears the boys mocking Tom. Though his son is winning the match, he leaves it to go and watch the baseball team much to Tom’s disappointment. Later Mr. Lee encourages his son to be more manly by cutting his hair in a crew cut and urging him to interact with the soda shop waitress Ellie Martin (Norma Crane), as the other boys do. Before he leaves, Mr. Lee visits Reynolds and expresses shame that Tom is not like the other boys. Laura overhears them discuss the evening's bonfire, at which new boys, wearing pajamas, are chased by the older students who will attempt to rip the clothes off of them (insert irony here). Mr. Lee and Reynolds hope the boys will be harder on Tom as a sort of lesson. Laura attempts to intervene and tries to explain to Reynolds that some boys, like her first husband who dies in the war, are simply more sensitive. This only serves to infuriate Reynolds who is becoming more and more upset by Laura’s attention to Tom. Mr. Lee’s visit is further damaging when he realizes that Tom will be playing a female role in the school play. Demanding that he quit the part, Tom must call the director immediately.

After the bonfire when the the boys march Tom out to the field, but refuse to touch him mocking that he’s too unmanly for such sport, Al, in an attempt to get the horrible proceedings over, rips off Tom's top, prompting the others to join suit. The next day Al receives a phone call from his father demanding that he move to another dorm next semester. When he tells Laura, she first threatens to start a rumor about him but then apologizes for her action. However, Al can see her point of view and attempts to teach his friend how to appear manlier, but after they both decide that may not be enough, Al suggests that Tom visit Ellie, whose reputation with the boys at school will help him gain the boys camaraderie. When Laura hears Tom making a date with Ellie, she tries to detain him knowing that he finds the whole situation highly distasteful. Tom impulsively kisses her, but runs off when Bill and some boys return early from a rained-out weekend mountain climb. He goes to Ellie's, but is repulsed by her easiness. As they dance, she remarks on how soft his hands are prompting her to recall out loud that he has the nickname “sister boy Lee” and starts laughing at him. In desperation, Tom grabs a knife from her kitchen drawer to attempt suicide but Ellie gets her her neighbors to detain him and call the campus police. The next day Mr. Lee arrives proud that his son was caught in a woman’s room but soon learns from Reynolds what really transpired. Laura, sick of the situation, tells her husband that she blames him for not stopping the bullying of Tom and again insists that real men can be gentle and considerate. She claims he has done nothing but pull away from her since they have been married and admits that she tried to get Tom to “prove” himself with her. Reynolds, disgusted by this, tells her that what she really wants is to mother a boy rather than love a man and storms off. Laura then goes in search of Tom and locates him in the woods. As they kiss, she says, "Years from now, when you talk about this, and you will, be kind."

Back to the present, Tom goes to visit Laura but only finds Reynolds living alone. Reynolds gives him a letter from Laura and Tom reads that she appreciates the novel he wrote about their relationship, but states she sacrificed her marriage for Tom because he was the easier problem to fix. Despite this, she reassures Tom that she has kept her affection for him.

Minnelli later claimed that he was the director to film a story about homosexuality. In order to get the story filmed under the prevailing Hollywood code, a few changes were made. The major change being that the word homosexual could not be used. I think this helped further the message of the film- that innuendo and rumor can ruin. Anderson stated that his goal was for Tea and Sympathy had more than a sexual angle, it was also about judging people by their appearance and the power of conformity no matter the cost. Though a bit histrionic at moments, I thought Deborah Kerr and John Kerr, who reprised their stage roles for this production, did a very admirable job. Kudos to directors like Minnelli who weren’t afraid to tackle such sensitive subjects.

Tonight on TCM!

55 Days At Peking (1963) An American major leads the defense against Chinese revolutionaries in 1900 Peking. Dir: Nicholas Ray Cast: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven.

Free and Easy (1930)

2011-10-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

Elmer Butts (Buster Keaton) is the bumbling manager to Queen of Gopher City Elvira (Anita Page), who is a Kansas beauty contest winner and his secret crush. Along with her overbearing mother played by Trixie Friganza, Elvira is going to Hollywood to try and become a star. On the way they meet movie star Larry Mitchell (Robert Montgomery) who is instantly smitten with Elvira. He invites them to his upcoming premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre where Elmer is mistaken for William Hanes (much to the actual Hanes delight). Trying his best to promote Elvira, he mostly makes a fool of himself. The next day Elvira and her mother are invited to the studio by Larry to watch him perform in his current movie. Elmer, having been left out due to his antics the night before, manages to sneak onto the studio lot where he accidentally wreaks havoc on various sound stages that include famous people such as Lionel Barrymore, Karl Dane, and Dorothy Sebastian. Larry, who genuinely likes Elmer tries to get him a job but the director miscasts him in the part and he’s thrown off the set. Larry tells him to go to the transportation department on the lot so he can get a ride home but the manager mistakes him for a new driver. He is assigned to be Larry’s driver and must watch as Larry tries to seduce Elvira. Hurrying off to fetch Elvira’s mother, they arrive to find Elvira crying. Elmer tries to attack Larry and is knocked out in the process. However, Elvira’s mother knocks him out. When the men come to and start talking, they realize they knew each other as kids. Larry, who is remorseful for trying to seduce Elvira, decides to try and get Elmer another acting gig. This time the casting is perfect and even Elvira’s mother gets a part in the show. Elmer is a big hit and wins himself a studio contract. However, Larry wins Elvira much to Elmer’s dismay.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have been enjoying TCM’s tribute to Buster Keaton this month. Knowing him only as the silent comedian who lit up the screen with his CRAZY antics (I mean Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin are fantastic but the physical body comedy Keaton performed goes above and beyond) it was a delight for me to watch him in a talkie. Despite the odd pacing and random story line so typical in early 30’s film, Free and Easy was a delight mostly due to Keaton and Friganza. Their interactions with one another are hilarious! I also got to watch the short documentary on Keaton So Funny It Hurt; Buster Keaton and MGM, a poignant title in that his years at MGM after being an independent actor for over a decade basically ruined him. I was not aware that MGM played such an integral part of the disintegration of his stardom and aided his descent into alcoholism. Nor was I aware that once he was able to straighten his life out, that he did so much work, often uncredited, behind the scenes- he recycled his on-screen gags and wrote new material for the likes of Red Skelton and the Marx Brothers. If you haven’t had a chance to check out his body of work- tune in this Sunday as TCM continues to pay tribute to one of the greatest physical comedians ever!

Side note:

Be on the look out for Ann Dvorak who is uncredited in this film- she's pretty easy to spot!

Tonight on TCM!

The Big Combo (1955) A police detective tries to convict a mob boss by going to the man's girlfriend. Dir: Joseph Lewis Cast: Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy.

Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

2011-10-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

After turning down her neighbor Gabriel’s (Alan Bates) offer of marriage, Bathsheba (Julie Christie) leaves her aunt’s home to inherit her uncle's farm in Weatherbury. Gabriel in turn has misfortune with his own farm and shepherding attempts and must go to London to find work on a richer landowner’s property. Coincidentally he ends up meeting Bathsheba again when he happens upon a dangerous fire on a farm and leads the bystanders in putting it out. Bathsheba hires Gabriel on as a shepherd and states that she will take a larger hand in running the farm herself. While cleaning out her uncle’s house she comes across a pretty Valentine that she impulsively sends with the mesaage “Marry Me” to William Boldwood (Peter Finch), the nearby landowner and a man reputed for having no “passionate parts. Thinking she is serious, Boldwood comes to propose and Bathsheba, admitting it was sent in jest, promises to consider his offer. However, in the meanwhile, she falls in love truly for the first time with Frank Troy (Terence stamp), a dashing cavalry officer. Unaware that Troy should (and almost did) marry Fanny Robin (Prunella Ransome), a maidservant on the farm who is now pregnant with his child, Bathsheba proposes marriage to him. Almost immediately, it becomes evident that Troy has no desire to be a farmer causing tension among the farmhands and gambling away what little money the farm produces. When Fanny reappears having gone missing after their wedding mishap (she left him waiting at the altar having been mistaken about the church they were to be married in) Troy promises to bring her money to the workhouse she has been at in order to survive. Unfortunately he is too late and left waiting again as Fanny is taken back to the farm in a coffin that’s been inscribed with chalk: Fanny Robin and child. Gabriel, upon seeing this, wipes away the evidence but Bathsheba already suspects the worse. Later that night she opens Fanny’s coffin and Troy finds her putting flowers around fanny’s head. Filled with remorse and not listening to Bathsheba’s pleads that she is the better choice, Troy proclaims that Fanny is the only woman he has ever loved and leaves her. Troy is assumed dead with his clothing is found near the ocean prompting Boldwood to propose again. Bathsheba, though she does not want to, promises to marry Boldwood when Troy is declared legally dead which will take six years time. However, Troy reappears at the holiday party right after Bathsheba makes her promise and claims he is there to take her home. But Boldwood, completely deranged by his desire for Bathsheba kills him. Eight months after the horrible incident, Gabriel states that he will be going to America. Realizing how much she has always depended upon his strength and devotion, Bathsheba finally accepts his proposal of marriage.

Normally I find a three hour film fairly daunting, however Far from the Maddening Crowd had what I like to call the handsome trifecta- Stamp, Bates, and Finch. You can’t turn that down no matter how much you dislike Julie Christie’s 60’s hair. My instincts were correct as this was a great and enthralling film with stand out performances by both Finch and Stamp. If you are not familiar with Terence Stamp's work, you should become so, he's still gracing us with his talent today. I would highly recommend an earlier film of his, The Collector.

Tonight on TCM!
Horror!

Stiff Competition!

2011-10-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight on TCM! Anyone else excited about Robert Osborne returning in December? I sure am!!

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) A Korean War hero doesn't realize he's been programmed to kill by the enemy. Dir: John Frankenheimer Cast: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh.

The Lady Prefurs

2011-10-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight on TCM!
Classic Horror! The Uninvited is quite spectacular!

Thirty Thirties

2011-10-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

A pretty bland comedy starring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray who have found one another and don’t realize until it’s almost too late that they’ll need to sacrifice a few wishes for the sake of love. Oh, and another movie where Ralph Bellamy gets shafted.

While I felt that both Carole Lombard and John Barrymore gave great performances, I was not a fan of Twentieth Century is not my favorite for wither of them. The histrionics, as well as the length of the film were quite wearying.

This is a great film full of the usual coincidences found in 30's film with the added benefit of Gavin Gordon’s super effeminate eyebrows. American Madness stands out due to the ever wonderful acting of Walter Huston and Pat O’Brien is a treat.

Gene Raymond’s at it again! After his wife, played by Fay Wray, becomes a successful lawyer and his career remains stagnate, they separate. When Raymond is accused of murder, Wray literally comes to his defense and saves the day. But then she quits her job so she can help him become an architect Sigh. Who knows what kind of mess he'll get into again!

Typical fair for the 30’s modern girl, Brides follows three shop girls and the romantic misadventures that lead to both happiness and tragedy. Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery are both beautiful in the film despite the inexplicable change in hair color for Crawford towards the end. Random.

Joe E. Brown is a hilariously inappropriate babysitter for playboy William Collier Jr..

Two attorney’s that were once married face off again in the courtroom. This film is special in that Miriam Jordan doesn’t feel compelled to sacrifice her career for marriage- no matter how many fits Neil Hamilton throws. Guess he's no Gene Raymond!

Oooh! This is the film that made me question whether I liked Edward Arnold or not. He plays such a bully to a surprisingly Swedish Walter Brennan who is quite meek. Eventually, I realized Arnold was just a great actor who could be both cruel and angelic.

It’s no Thin Man but Myrna Loy and William Powell are no less magnetizing in this drama about involving an extramarital affair, blackmail and murder.

Ruth Chatterton is perfect playing the ever-busy CEO of her Automobile company that enjoys seducing and then turning away her underlings. However, she meets her match in Jim Thorne played by George Brent. In total 30’s fashion, Chatterton’s character gives authority over to Thorne so she can stay at home and raise future babies. Sigh. Somebody's been hanging around Gene Raymond.

A moving story based on the semi-autobiography of Ernest Hemingway; Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes light up this screen with their tragic love story.

This movie is a must see! Different for it’s time, it’s comprised of eight different vignettes directed by seven different directors and featuring a wide array of stars including Charles Laughton and Gary Cooper. My favorites are: China Shop, Road Hogs, and The Clerk.

The Marx Brothers are stowaway’s on a ship headed for America. While trying to avoid the ship’s crew they come to the attention of rival gangsters. Hilarity ensues. It’s the Marx Brothers so...duh.

The worst Joan Crawford film I have seen! Seriously, it was painful to watch. John Mack Brown despite his future Western associations plays a cowhand with a horrible southern accent. However, Cliff Edwards as Froggy is quite comical.

Pat O’Brien and Fred McHugh are a couple of promoters with nothing to promote but a mounting hotel bill. Seeing a chance to win some money, they enter a contest for “America's Prettiest Girl” with a composite photo of all the famous stars and debutantes of the day. When reporters come knocking in pursuit of the girl in the photo, O’Brien and Mcugh find luck from an unlikely source- their oft ignored hotel maid played by Marion Davies. Turns out she isn’t so homely outside her uniform.

Robert Taylor pesters Jean Harlow into love with his ample charm and the unexpected help of his family and brother Reginald Owen who happens to be Harlow’s fiancé in the film.

Robert Montgomery doing what he does best, drinking and poking fun but with the added benefit of Frank Morgan, Robert Benchley and Billie Burke in the cast.

Spooky house mystery starring Joan Blondell as the ever wise-cracking nurse and George Brent as an inexperienced detective. That’s enough for me!

My second favorite of Norma Shearer’s, Private Lives is a fantastically wonderful play written and often performed by the magical Noel Coward. Shearer and Montgomery are pure delight as they take off on the rocky roller coaster that is their relationship...again. If you enjoy witty repartee mixed with calamity then strap yourself in, it’s a bumpy but enjoyable ride.

Tired of being the innocent face for “Ippsie-Wippsie Washclothes” Ginger Rogers decides to rebel. To appease her, her publicity team picks a guy from her fan mail in order to create a romance. However, Norman Foster soon proves he’s not someone to be trifled with.

Jean Harlow plays a frighteningly determined gold digger and possible masochist. Be on the look out for a young Charles Boyer before his stardom exploded.

The scene where Melvyn Douglas and Raymond Walburn get totally soused and let Edith Fellows fall to the floor is the best reason to watch this film.

I absolutely disliked Katharine Hepburn in this film. Acting like a man and trying to hide her girlish naivete, Hepburn is simply put, annoying. The movie seems to move as slow as molasses and Cary Grant plays no saint. In fact, he’s quite frightening at moments.

This is a moving saga about a woman who raises her four children after killing their father in self-defense. Be on the look out for a very young Robert Taylor.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell use femme fatale tactics to slyly slip subpoenas to their targets. Need I say more?

Mary Astor really knew how to play a bitch. Watch her make Virginia Bruce squirm.

In a somewhat unbelievable turn of events, Robert Taylor manages to be the cause of Irene Dunne’s husband’s death, make her fall in love with him, blind her, and then successfully study to become the best ocular specialist in town enabling Dunne to see once again. And I thought the CSI shows moved quickly!

My first Dorothy Mackaill film. What a beauty! The Reckless Hour is a steamy pre-code centered around a young woman’s pregnancy out of wedlock.

When an unscrupulous broker meets a murderous end, Inspector Piper receives the unsolicited aid of a wily schoolteacher who successfully helps him solve the crime. I love Edna May Oliver and Robert Armstrong in this film!

Not theThin Man but William Powell and Myrna Loy are just as wonderfully hilarious. Watch Powell fail to woo an indifferent Loy.

Tonight on TCM!

The Gay Sisters (1942) A New York aristocrat marries for the money to save the family mansion.
Dir: Irving Rapper Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald.

Getting Testy!

2011-09-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight on TCM! Can't wait!

The Constant Nymph (1943) A composer finds inspiration in his wife's romantic cousin. Edmund Goulding Cast: Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith.

TCM Tuesdays in September: Kirk Douglas: Top Secret Affair (1957)

2011-09-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Upset that Melville "Ironpants" Goodwin (Kirk Douglas), a highly decorated Army major general, has been appointed the chairman of the Joint Atomic International Commission over her candidate, Dorothy Peale (Susan Hayward) who owns and operates News World magazine, sets out to ruin his reputation. Inviting him to her estate for a long weekend under the guise of doing a positive profile of America's hero, she uses hidden tape recorders, trick questions, and secret cameras to catch Melville in any compromising situations. Soon Peale realizes that he's as intelligent as he is athletic, out-maneuvering her at every turn. Knowing him to be quite the ladies man, she decides to use her charms as a last ditch effort.

She takes Melville for an evening out and in the process of trying to get him intoxicated, becomes quite so herself. Already suspecting she is up to no good, the last straw for Melville is when Peale forces him to sing in a night club. Having earlier shared with her his love for the song "The Caissons Go Rolling Along" and how it inspired him to join the Army, he reluctantly but patriotically sings the song.
Leaving Peale at the club, he goes back to her home to pack while a nervous Colonel Gooch (Jim Backus), the public information officer, tries to get a hold of their superior. However, Peale shows up, still tipsy and demands that Melville join her by the pool. While sharing intimate details of her life, she falls off the high dive into the pool, needing to be rescued. The obvious chemistry between the two is acted upon and Peale completely changes her tune. The next day she decides to nix the ridiculing story, much to her most reliable employee Bentley's (Paul Stewart) dismay. Peale decides she is going to marry Melville and perhaps even help him get elected for President. But Melville has no plans to continue the relationship. He quite efficiently let's Peale down while revealing top secret information about a past love affair he had with a French spy named Yvette that he eventually executed.

Feeling rejected, Peale goes back to her original plan with the added bonus of the top secret information. Titling the article "Blabbermouth Goodwin", she manages to add in a few photos that are out of context and make Melville look like a fool. Before the story hits the streets however, Melville is back, realizing he truly loves Peale and asks her to marry him. When the story hits Melville comes under fire by the senate and is hauled in for a hearing. Rudely questioned Senator Burdick (Roland Winters) Melville has a hard time explaining the photos that were taken and due to the top secret information, cannot defend himself about the Yvette. Peale, feeling ashamed about what she has done, admits that the article is filled with exaggerations and lies but she cannot deny that Melville told her about Yvette.
In desperation, before he took the stand, Melville sends Colonel Gooch to see the President, hoping he will do him the favor of declassifying the information. The President takes it a step further and comes to the hearing. With the spy case declassified, Melville testifies that the Army knew that Yvette was a spy. Instead of letting him break the affair, he was ordered to feed her false information in advance of an important counterattack and eventually needed to execute her. Back on track, Melville can now deal with Peale. Will he ever be able to forgive her?

This is my last post for the Kirk Douglas Tuesdays. I have to thank TCM for putting him in the spotlight this month and showing me what a talented powerhouse he is. Though Top Secret Affair is a pretty typical story, both Hayward and Douglas infused it with their unique charm. Douglas was especially endearing when he sang "The Caissons Go Rolling Along". He was able to express his patriotism as a high ranking officer who knows he is being mocked but bravely sings on. And though this is mostly a comedy, the senate hearing portion of the film is quite dramatic and Douglas plays the part of the victim beautifully.
If you have not seen much of Kirk Douglas' work, I would highly suggest it. I can pretty much guarantee that you will not be disappointed in what he has to offer.

Tonight on TCM!
Watch Kirk Douglas! They're showing Spartacus...

Stars! They're just like us!

2011-09-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

They watch lobsters break dance!

They roller skate!

They horseplay!

They practice yoga!

They get their shoes shined!

They...er...garden!

Tonight on TCM!

The Painted Veil (1934) I really loved the most recent version with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts.

A wife strays, then fights to redeem herself to her husband. Dir: Richard Boleslawski Cast: Greta Garbo, Herbert Marshall, George Brent.

The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

2011-09-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

Based on Terence Rattigan's play The Sleeping Prince, the story takes place in London in 1911 during the coronation of King George V. Grandduke Charles, the Rrince-Regent of Carpatha (Laurence Olivier) has arrived for the ceremonies with his son King Nicholas (Jeremy Spenser) and mother-in-law the Queen Dowager (Sybil Thorndike). Quite the playboy, Charles sets his sights on Elsie (Marilyn Monroe) a showgirl currently performing at the Coconut Club and depends upon Northbrook (Richard Wattis), his attaché from the British Foreign Office, to arrange a private dinner for them. Though Elsie is excited to be invited to what she thinks is a formal dinner, she puts her foot down when she realizes the dinner will be on a more tête-à-tête basis. Having dealt with this kind of issue before, she makes an agreement with Northbrook, who is nervous about displeasing The Regent, that she will stay for a short time before he will break into the dinner with an “emergency”. What Elsie didn’t count on was the vodka and champagne combination. After initially being ignored by Charles, who is a stickler for protocol and has business to attend to, he returns his attention to Elsie who has gotten quite tipsy. Trying his best romantic maneuvers, Elsie laughs him off, calling his game quite dull. Enraged, he sets about getting a car ready to take her home but when she leaves the room to get her wrap, he amps up the romantic atmosphere and Elsie (quite literally) falls for him. Slightly disgusted she has passed out from the vodka consumption, Elsie is put into a guest room and Charles goes to bed. The next day he is upset to find Elsie, who is now madly in love with him, still there. Through a series of events, she manages to stay with him the entire day, getting to attend the coronation and the ball afterwards. In that time Elsie manages to find out the true relationship between father and son, brook the gap between them and made the stuffiest of Regents fall in love with her.

I don’t think it needs repeating that this was a strange pairing of actors. Monroe, who now had her own production company and enough star power to choose who she wanted to work with, was interested in becoming a more serious actor. Teaming up with Olivier, Britain’s premiere Shakespearean and otherwise actor was definitely aiming for the apex. Though her part in The Prince and the Showgirl wasn’t quite dramatic, she certainly didn’t play an airhead either. Managing to disconcert The Regent in a most innocent way, the viewer can’t but wonder if she’s hiding some real intelligence behind those wide eyes of her. In the end, she has everyone eating out of her hand- a simple showgirl prone to wardrobe malfunctions. Though Olivier played the part of the stuffy regent to perfection and Thorndike was a delight as the hard-of-hearing Dowager, I was most impressed with Monroe’s performance. This was another scenario where her behavior on set was quite deplorable (something that My Week with Marilyn will apparently go into more detail about- Kenneth Branagh is to play Olivier- swoon!). Despite that and the struggles she had with Olivier who was directing the film and who had no tolerance for any of her nonsense, he got a very fine performance out of her. Looking at the movie, you wouldn’t know she was seriously intimidated by Olivier, so much so, she often wouldn’t arrive on set for days, once even leaving the elderly Thorndike waiting for hours in costume for her arrival.

Tonight on TCM!
Go treasure hunting!

S&G: We did...but...then we didn't...

2011-09-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Betsy Drake and Cary Grant 1949-1962

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner 1951-1957

Burgess Meredith and Paulette Goddard 1944-1949

Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck 1939-1951

William Powell and Carole Lombard 1931-1933

Ginger Rogers and Lew Ayres 1934-1940

Regis Toomey with Joan Blondell and Dick Powell 1936-1944

Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 1929-1933

Lili Damita and Errol Flynn 1935-1942

Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh 1940-1960

Tonight on TCM!

More Merchant Ivory!

Sounder (1972)

2011-09-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Humble and hardworking, the Morgan family, limps through the Depression as sharecroppers in Louisiana for storeowner Mr. Perkins (Ted Airhart). Barely able to survive on the meager earnings Perkins doles out, Nathan Lee depends upon his dog Sounder to help him hunt raccoon. One night, after the hunting is bad and seeing that his children who, along with his wife Rebecca (Cicely Tyson) toil endlessly during the day, Nathan Lee (Paul Winfield), steals ham from a neighbor's smokehouse. When Rebecca asks about the meat, he responds, "I did what I had to do."

David Lee (Kevin Hooks) their oldest son attends school six miles away. He and a few other black children are allowed to attend and sit in the back. His willingness to take the long trek and still do his chores proves to his father that David Lee is very bright and interested in learning. Mrs. Rita Boatwright (Carmen Mathews) a sympathetic white woman who has her laundry done by Rebecca, also sees that Davis Lee is a bright boy. She lends David her copy of The Three Musketeers and tells him they will discuss it when he has finished reading it.

After David Lee and his brother and sister, Earl and Josie Mae (Eric Hooks and Yvonne Jarrell) drop off Mrs. Boatwright’s laundry, they rush to see their father pitch a winning game of baseball. Nathan Lee is quite good and the opportunity missed is notable. They happily walk home to find Sheriff Charlie Young (James Best) and his deputy waiting to arrest Nathan Lee for the theft. As they haul him off, Rebecca reminds the sheriff that he has known Nathan Lee a long time and should please consider the difficulties they have been having as of late. When Sounder follows the truck, the deputy cruelly shoots him. He limps off into the woods as David Lee but he doesn’t find him. When Rebecca takes the long, hot walk into town to visit Nathan, she is informed that colored women are not allowed to visit their husbands and is turned away. She then goes to Mr. Perkins store to trade walnuts for ingredients to bake Nathan Lee a cake. Perkins complains to Rebecca that Nathan has made him look bad, claiming he has been good to her family, and demands to know who will do the sharecropping if Nathan is in jail. Rebecca tightly answers that she and her family will do what needs to get done. At the trial, Nathan Lee is sentenced to a year of hard labor at a prison camp. Rebecca bakes the cake and has David Lee bring it to the jail since he can visit his father. Nathan Lee does not know which camp he is being sent to, he asks David Lee not to visit him at the jail again. In Nathan Lee’s absence, the family works day and night to support themselves. At night, David reads The Three Musketeers to them, and on the weekends they attend church. One night, Sounder returns and David ministers to his wounds. When the sheriff refused to let Rebecca know which labor camp her husband has been sent to, David asks Mrs. Boatwright to find out. But the sheriff refuses to give her the information and abruptly leaves the office on an errand. Ms. Boatwright then spies at Nathan Lee’s file. The sheriff catches her in the act and threatens to ruin her good name should she reveal what she knows. David Lee, who has witnessed the whole transaction, is disappointed when Ms. Boatwright tells him she did not get the location.

Soon after, however, Mrs. Boatwright arrives at the house and announces the location of the labor camp. She teaches the family to read a map and points out the location of the camp. Rebecca then sends David Lee off with Sounder to find his father. Over many days, he travels on foot through rain and sunshine, finally reaching the camp. However, no one has heard of his father and when he tries questioning an inmate, the foreman hits his hand and chases him away. David then walks to a nearby schoolhouse, and is stunned to see that all the students inside are black as well as the teacher. He walks inside and asks for aid for his cut hand. The teacher, Camille Johnson (Janet MacLachlan) tends to his hand, and learns of why he is in the area. Seeing his interest in the school, invites him to her home for a hot meal. David Lee loves Camille’s home, it’s full of pretty things and lots of books. Camille tells him about notable blacks in history and quotes intellectuals such as W. E. B. Dubois. The next morning David attends her class and one of the students tells a story of rescuing his sister from drowning. The other students challenge his story, knowing that he cannot swim. However, David Lee defends the boy, stating that people can do impossible things when challenged, he tells them of the toil his family has been through while surviving without their father.

Days later, David Lee returns home much to his mother’s relief. He brings books that Camille gave him and the news that he was not able to find Nathan Lee. He also tells his mother of Camille and how she would like him to attend school that Fall. Rebecca states that if his father is home by that time, they will definitely consider it. In the meantime, they reap the sugar cane they sowed for Mr. Perkins and are given their measly share. Then one afternoon as Rebecca is sewing, Sounder suddenly barks and runs off down the road toward an unknown figure. Realizing it’s Nathan Lee, Rebecca and the children run joyously to meet him. Nathan Lee explains that his leg was injured in a dynamite blast and since he could not work, they released him early. Very relieved that his father is home, David Lee is reluctant to read aloud the letter that arrives the next day from Camille. She is hoping he will be able to attend school, which starts in a week. However, Nathan Lee is very excited for his son, he’s even willing to go on credit at Perkins store to make sure he’s properly prepared. But David Lee refuses to go. It isn’t until his father convinces him that when he was wounded, he made up his mind to beat death, he would do the same with his leg, so David Lee need not worry. More importantly, he wants David Lee to strive for opportunities denied him, believing her has the ability to achieve major goals.

A deeply moving and poignant film, the Morgan family is the definitive composite of the African American family that struggled and would continue to struggle well out of the Depression era. Kudos to Winfield, Tyson, and especially Hooks who infused their characters with humility, depth, and strength that will touch the heart of anyone who watches this film. Definitely a must see. Don't forget your tissues!

Tonight on TCM!
James Dean!

TCM Tuesdays in September: Kirk Douglas: The Devil's Disciple (1959)

2011-09-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

At the onset of the American Revolution, the British Army, who are trying to make their way to New England, decide to hang anyone suspected of being a rebel. Their most recent victim is Tim Dudgeon who Reverend Anthony Anderson (Burt Lancaster), his pastor, tries to save. Unfortunately, he arrives too late to tell the British that Dudgeon is innocent. Anderson then tries to take the body but is informed that Dudgeon must hang as a reminder to the rebels. Anderson is adamant and almost arrested himself until some noted townspeople vouch for him. Later that night, Anderson is visited by Dick Dudgeon (Kirk Douglas), Dudgeon’s oldest son and the black sheep of the family. He has daringly stolen his father’s body from under the British Army’s nose and delivers it to Anderson. Despite Dudgeon's open rejection of Christianity, he asks Anderson to give his father a proper burial.

Later, when the British find the grave, they assume Anderson stole the body and set out to arrest him. Anderson, who urged Dudgeon to come to his home so they could speak about the danger he is in, has been called away. Dudgeon’s mother is suspected of being on her deathbed and Anderson must be by her side. Dudgeon is left alone with Anderson’s wife Judith (Janette Scott), who is openly hateful of him. Thinking him a selfish adventurer, she must nonetheless entertain him so she does not upset her husband. When the British come for the arrest, Dudgeon pretends to be Anderson, much to his and Judith’s bewilderment. He warns Judith privately that she must not try and save him for her husband would be put to death either way.

Judith goes to inform her husband of what has taken place, urging him to save Dudgeon. When he runs off, she mistakenly thinks he does so to save himself. While Anderson tries to gather forces, he comes across true rebels and joins them in conquering the troops stationed in a nearby town. Judith races off to the prison and devotes herself to Dudgeon. While Dudgeon is on trial, Anderson receives an important missive stating that the relief troops the British so desperately need are not available. He takes this message to General Burgoyne (Lawrence Olivier), who is at the trial of Dudgeon and uses the information to save Dudgeon’s life.

Though it did not get great reviews on it’s release and is not really historically correct, I found The Devil’s Disciple mildly entertaining. Douglas is fabulous in the film (the man knew how to play a charming rogue), and Lancaster livens up his boring part in the battle scene, but it’s Olivier (third billed) that steals the show. Elegant, disillusioned, highly intelligent and quite cynical, he is the perfect, if a bit ironic, mouthpiece to deliver Bernard Shaw's cutting barbs about the British's shortcomings. There is also an ingenious and slightly quirky use of puppets to assist in the narration of the story that's very interesting.

Trivia:
Apparently Sir Laurence Olivier was willing to be third billed as he was trying to get funding to put on his screen version of Macbeth. Unfortunately, during this filming, Vivien Leigh was having a mental breakdown. Later, Olivier would state that this affected his performance immensely, ironic since he acted beautifully, due to his worry over her. It’s also rumored that he was bitter over the fact that Lancaster and Douglas’ production companies were able to get funding to film a British playwright’s work, while he was not.

Though Lancaster’s production company helped land the Shaw play, their history of going over-budget meant that the huge color extravaganza, typical of films from that era, was vetoed. Yet, the puppets got in! Also, Lancaster, though top billed, was relegated to playing the part of the pious Anderson because Douglas was riding high off his recent film successes. This was the third film out of seven that they did together.

Tonight on TCM!
Another Tuesday full of Douglas! I'm gonna watch Paths Of Glory and Lust For Life!

S & G: Is anyone else as excited as me about this???

2011-09-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Unguarded Moment (1956)

2011-09-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

After the murder of a woman in the city of Ogden, high school music teacher Lois Conway (Esther Williams) becomes the target of an anonymous admirer. Receiving notes that quickly go from flirtation to veiled threats, Conway is convinced it’s one her students playing a prank. When she receives an invitation to meet the admirer one night in the school's deserted gym, she goes willingly, hoping to confront the offender and have him desist. Annoyance turns to fear when she is attacked in the locker room by the culprit. When the police catch her fleeing from the scene she is questioned by Lt. Harry Graham (George Nader) who informs her that a rapist/murderer is on the loose. At first Conway is not convinced that her student is one and the same. She still thinks she can break through to whoever it is, and much to Lt. Graham’s dismay, she doesn’t divulge much information. However, the admirer becomes more brazen, even breaking into her home to steal the letters he wrote. Things become even more difficult when she suspects it is the high school football star, Leonard Bennett (John Saxon), whose father, Mr. Bennett (Edward Andrews) is rich and influential. Having no real proof of being threatened and suddenly being accused of being the pursuer, Conway finally enlists the aid of Lt. Graham. The tension between them is lessened when they realize part of it comes from being attracted to one another. Together, they go after their target revealing that despite certain appearances, much lays below the surface of this particular culprit.

Having made a name off her talent as a swimming beauty, by 1955 Williams had completed her contract with MGM and found her watery vehicles on the wane. So, it was quite a gutsy move to accept the offer from Universal to do this sex infused psychological thriller. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off for Williams. Which is unfortunate because this is actually a very good B film with a very good plot line. However, though Williams is great in the film, the real star is Edward Andrews. His portrayal as the creepy, misogynistic father of Leonard is a far, far stretch from the Andrews I grew up knowing: “Dong (clap, clap), Dong! Where is my automobile?” The only issue I have with The Unguarded Moment is the constant barrage of sex between Conway and Graham. It’s too much to expect from a single woman who is being violently threatened by another man to be willingly manhandled as she is throughout the film. Their quick and sexual report is too inconsistent and since it’s a big element in the film, it gets in the way of a truly good story.

Trivia: Guess who helped to write it?
In her own autobiography (which is actually quite good), Rosalind Russell revealed, "I've often worked on the material, on movie scripts (as I did with the play version of Auntie Mame), but only once did I actually get screen credit as a writer. A young man named Larry Marcus and I had an idea for a story about a schoolteacher who's attacked by one of her students. We sold it to a man who later sold it to Universal who made it with Esther Williams, who was very good in it. I had fun with Larry Marcus. So that we could concentrate without a thousand interruptions, I finally dragged him off to the Hotel Del Coronado, down at the beach, and sequestered him there until we'd finished our story. I knew we'd never get it done otherwise. We spent a week working, and I only let him go to his room to sleep. About five o'clock every afternoon I'd take him out on the beach and walk him up and down - it was winter - like he was a puppy "This is all you get, Larry, this air," I'd say. "Breathe in a lot of it, because after dinner, we start work again." The picture was called The Unguarded Moment. I wish I could tell you it was Gone with the Wind." - TCM

Tonight on TCM!
Mildred Pierce (1945)
A woman turns herself into a business tycoon to win her selfish daughter a place in society.
Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott. --If you haven't seen this, I kindly ask you to remove yourself from under the rock you are living under and do so.

Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

2011-09-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Lyn Lesley (Anne Bancroft in her first movie role) a bar singer at New York's McKinley Hotel. Upset that her boyfriend, pilot Jed Towers (Richard Widmark), disregarded her letter ending their relationship and has shown up to question her motives, they argue. She admits she thinks he’s too cynical and lacks an understanding heart. Meanwhile, elevator operator Eddie (Elisha Cook, Jr.) introduces his shy niece, Nell Forbes (Marilyn Monroe), to guests Peter and Ruth Jones (Jim Backus and Lurene Tuttle) who are in need of a babysitter for their daughter Bunny (Donna Corcoran) while they attend an event in the hotel's banquet hall.

After the Joneses have left, Nell reads Bunny a story and then insists she go to sleep. Nell then wanders around the room putting on Ruth’s negligee, perfume and jewelry. Jed, who has returned to his room catches sight of Nell across the courtyard. When Nell realizes he is watching her she shuts the blinds but then opens them again. Jed decides to give her room a call, and asks to be invited over. Nell tells him someone is at the door, hangs up the phone and shuts the blinds. Her uncle Eddie is checking in on her and admonishes her for wearing Ruth’s things, upsetting Nell. He soothes her by stating that she can have nice things when she finds another boyfriend to replace the one who was killed. Eddie leaves and Nell decides to invite Jed over.

When Jed arrives, he is amazed at her beauty, however he is bewildered nervous manner and attempts to be flirtatious. Her inconsistent excuses as to why she is staying at the hotel put him on guard. Startled to learn that Jed is a pilot, Nell is instantly attracted. But then Bunny interrupts them and Jed learns why Nell is really at the hotel. Nell viciously orders the girl to bed, scaring Bunny who retreats back to her room. Nell admits that she has recently arrived in New York, finally escaping her repressive parents. Jed takes pity and suggests they soothe the crying Bunny. Nell allows her to look out the window to see the other rooms in the courtyard and there is a terrifying moment when she may push Bunny from the eight-story height. The incident is witnessed by Emma Ballew (Verna Felton), a nosy neighbor who screams. Jed quickly removes Bunny from the window thinking Nell is just being careless. When Nell takes Bunny back to bed she threatens to harm her if she makes another noise. When she returns to the other room, Jed has decided to leave to see if he can make amends with Lyn.

Becoming desperate, Nell begs him not to leave and when he refuses to kiss her, he sees the suicide scars on her wrists. Nell confesses that after her boyfriend, Phillip, died flying over the Pacific, she tried to kill herself with a razor. Eddie has come to check up on her again again so Jed hides in the bathroom. Eddie becomes irate when he sees that Nell is still wearing Ruth's things. His reaction enrages her, reminding her of her own strict and cruel parents. When Eddie tries to gain access into the bathroom she brains him with an ashtray stand. Trance like, she steps away as Jed revives Eddie, going into Bunny's room. When she returns Mrs.Ballews and her husband (Don Beddoe) are at the door demanding to be let in. Eddie and Jed hide as Nell tries to turn them away. Jed sneaks into Bunny's room but does not notice she is bound and gagged. When he sneaks out the other door leading to the hallway, the Ballews see him and assume he forced his way in and was holding Nell captive.They bust past the stunned Nell who is devastated that Jed left and call the hotel detective. So deluded that she believes Jed is Philip, Nell walks over to the closet Eddie is hiding in and locks the door. Eventually the Ballews are encouraged to leave, reassured that the house detective is on his way. But Pat (Michael Ross) only half-heartedly listened to Mrs. Ballew, as he is use to her constant complaining.

Meanwhile, Jed is back with Lyn telling her how he has spent the last hour and as he tells his story he realizes that when he left, Bunny was in the wrong bed and not moving. As he rushes back to the elevator, Rochelle (Jeanne Cagney) the phone operator suspects something fishy really is going on and urges Pat to check it out the Joneses room. However, Mrs. Jones beat both men there to catch Nell trying to murder Bunny. The women fight and Nell escapes to the lobby where she is eventually surrounded. Lyn comes to her side to try and keep her calm and then Jed arrives to take away the razor she stole and was presumably going to slash herself with. Realizing that Jed really does have an understanding heart, he and Lyn reunite as Nell is gently led off by a policeman.

Director Roy Ward Baker thought Monroe grossly miscast as Nell Forbes and I am inclined to agree. I won’t say that Monroe did not have talent, she did. It just wasn’t as a dramatic actress. Apparently she was very difficult to work with on this film, constantly tardy, unable to deliver more than a few lines at a time and torn between listening to Baker and her acting coach, Natasha Lytess. Eventually Lytess was barred from the set. That being said, Don’t Bother to Knock is not a horrible film, I was quite impressed with the plot line (although the ending was quite weak) and more impressed with Monroe’s attempt to do her part justice. No doubt her own insecurities helped her perform this role that ironically hit a little too close to home. The other cast members, despite...er, because of rather, the difficulties of working with Monroe, should also be commended for putting in good performances.

Tonight on TCM!
Get carried away with the Carry On... film series!

Table Talk!

2011-09-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

Carole Lombard and Clark Gable

Frank Sinatra and Walter Pidgeon

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner

Leslie Howard, Gary Cooper and Charles Farrell

Helen Hayes, Claudette Colbert and Ruth Gordon

Fay Wray and Cary Grant

George and Gracie Burns with Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan

Susan Hayward and Ingrid Bergman

Tonight on TCM!

Merchant Ivory- who knew I was such a fan? I have seen all but one in the line-up tonight!

The Remains of the Day (1993)

Howards End (1992)

A Room With a View (1985)
Maurice (1987)

The Innocents (1961)

2011-09-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

Based on Henry James wonderful novella The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents features the wonderful talent of Deborah Kerr playing Miss Giddens, a minister’s daughter well out of her first blush of youth. Taking her first position as something more than a governess, she will assume sole responsibility of Miles (Martin Stephens) and Flora (Pamela Franklin). Their uncle, played by Michael Redgrave in a brief cameo, states quite frankly that he doesn’t have the time nor the inclination to care for them. Indeed, he was highly inconvenienced when their former governess Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop) suddenly died. He would like her to have full charge of the children and explicitly states that she not bother him with communications of any sort. Miss Giddens, who has a hard time keeping the delight of this new position out of her countenance, dutifully heads to the beautiful country estate where the children live. While checking out the beautiful grounds, she hears someone call Flora’s name but sees no one. When she meets Flora who seems a delightful child she is heartened by her easy-going demeanor and they head to the house to meet the housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Meg Jenkins). Impressed with all she sees, Miss Giddens is glad she has taken on the position.

Miles soon returns from school just after a letter arrives from the headmaster stating that he has been expelled with the ambiguous excuse that he is a terrible influence on the other boys. Giddens is charmed by Miles and has a hard time reconciling what the school could have meant. She doesn’t press the issue. Soon after, Giddens begins to see the figures of a man and woman she does not recognize. When she tells Miss Grose about her sighting and explains the man’s looks, Mrs. Grose explains about the prior inhabitant Mr. Quint (Peter Wyngarde) and Miss Jessel whom, were sexually involved and not especially discreet about it- indicating that the children may have seen some things they would not understand. Mrs. Grose explained that Quint dies mysteriously one night and that Jessel, overcome by grief, killed herself soon after.

When both Jessel and Quint start making more appearances, Giddens is convinced that they have some strange hold on the children, she also thinks that secretively, they see the ghosts themselves. Trying to get them to talk about what they saw before the two deaths proves impossible and though Mrs. Grose claims to believe her, Giddens still feels alone in her mission to get the children free from the ghosts’ clutches. Things unravel as Jessel makes another appearance and Giddens tries to get Flora to admit she sees her. Flora is taken away in hysterics by Mrs. Grose who admits that she has never heard such foul language from a small child. Forcing Mrs. Grose to take Flora to her uncle and sending all the servants away, she focuses all her attention on Miles, convinced that if he admits Quint’s name, he will be free of him.

I have seen a few versions of The Turn of the Screw, including my favorite version with Lynn Redgrave. Like the other versions and with the book, I began to question the sanity of the governess. However, Kerr’s Miss Giddens was quite sure she was sane. Considered by most to be Kerr’s best work, she plays a very compelling governess whose secrets are just barely on the surface, allowing the children to take advantage. The cast as a whole is spectacular in each of their roles. The Innocents is a truly spooky (Miss Jessel among the weeds in the rain- goosebumps!) Gothic horror film that was shot brilliantly with the help of Freddie Francis the Director of Photography. In fact, often times Kerr would have to wear sun glasses between scenes because his usage of the klieg lights was intense to say the least. Definitely a must see!

Tonight on TCM!
The Story of Temple Drake (1933) ...Ohhh! I have been waiting to see this!
A society girl gets mixed up with blackmail and murder after a vicious sexual assault.
Dir: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Gene Tierney, John Lund, Miriam Hopkins

TCM Tuesdays in September: Kirk Douglas: A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

2011-09-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

Leaving on a day outing on the river with a charity organization for orphaned children, three suburban housewives receive a note from Addie Ross (narrated by Celeste Holm), a friend whom each wife consistently measures herself against. Addie states she has run off with one of their husbands but does not give a name. As the day wears on, each woman thinks back on her marriage, coming up with likely reasons as to why her husband is probably the one. Deborah (Jeanne Crain) a former farm girl, captured her husband Brad’s (Jeffrey Lynn) attention during the war by looking quite smart in her war uniform. Unfortunately, she feels she doesn’t measure up in her civvies compared to the more sophisticated Addie who used to date Brad before the war. Rita (Ann Sothern) thinks that perhaps her career as a radio writer has led her to neglect her husband George (Kirk Douglas) a high school teacher. George admits after a strained dinner party with Rita’s bosses that she is no longer the independent woman he fell in love with. Instead, she has been led by fear to depend on a job that he has no respect for- feeling it’s ruining society as a whole. Rita also forgot his birthday with the planning of this party and is disappointed to find that Addie sent over the perfect gift, which George loves. Lora Mae (Linda Darnell) a girl from the wrong side of the tracks recalls her courtship with department store magnate Porter Hollingsway (Paul Douglas). Using all her tricks to get him to marry her, knowing that he would definitely prefer Addie who he finds class personified, Lora Mae manages to snag Porter in order to become more respectable.
Each wife is faced with the challenge of going home to see if their husband is the lucky man.

Linking three stories of three marriages in three separate social classes with impressive sound effects and ingenious flashbacks, Joseph L. Mankiewicz successfully weaves a most interesting story, that will capture your interest from beginning to end.
Douglas plays a smaller but no less powerful role as George, a teacher who’s very interested in gaining and giving knowledge but severely disappointed in how radio is destroying the English language. The scene between him and Rita’s boss, Mrs. Manleigh (Florence Bates) is fantastic. All in all, each actor in the film played their part wonderfully, especially the wise-cracking and lovable Thelma Ritter in her third film. If you haven’t had a chance to see this film, do! It’s highly entertaining!

Hey!
Did you know that Florence Bates graduated with a mathmatics degree, went on to pass the bar and become a lawyer, quit that to be a mother, then operated her parent's antique business, then became a bilingual radio commentator used to foster good relations between the US and Mexico, then married a wealthy oil tycoon, then opened a bakery when they lost all their money, and then worked the stage until she was introduced Hitchcock and finally settled on a career as a screen actress? What a life!

Tonight on TCM! Kirk Douglas!
Young Man With a Horn (1950) ...good!
Ace In the Hole (1951) ...can't wait!
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) ...good!
The Big Sky (1952)
The Big Trees (1952) ...can't wait!

The Red Shoes (1948)

2011-09-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Acting as Svengali himself, ballet impressario Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), rules with an iron fist. Though he can guarantee his protégés that they will realize their full talent, he demands they sacrifice everything for their art, even love. When Lermontov’s current Prima Donna, Boronskaya (Ludmilla Tcherina) leaves the ballet to get married, he turns his attentions to Victoria Page (Moira Shearer). Having ignored her for months after accepting her into his company, he has secretly been watching her and knows she is extremely talented. Thinking Victoria feels has the same passion for her art as he does, Lermontov's scorns her when she falls in love with his newest and most talented composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring). Victoria and Julian were thrown together on their first major project, The Ballet of the Red Shoes, a fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson about a girl who wants to attend a dance in a pair of red shoes that keep her dancing until she dies (cue story parallel).

After Lermontov releases Craster from his contract, if he gives Victoria an ultimatum- Craster or the ballet. Victoria marries Craster but finds that as his career takes off, she is stifled. Though she continues to dance, nothing compares to the attention, demands, and talent of Lermontov’s lavish productions.
Almost a year later, Lermontov intentionally runs into Victoria in Monte Carlo and begs her back into his company. Secretly, he loves her but mostly he loves her talent and dedication. Victoria agrees to dance again for The Ballet of the Red Shoes which Lermontov has not mounted since she left. Her opening night coincides with Craster’s premiere of his opera at Covent Garden but Craster forgoes his big moment, faking illness in order to go to Monte Carlo and get Victoria out of Lermontov’s clutches. Victoria is torn between love for Craster and love of her art, leading to drastic consequences.

A visually stunning film (I mean, take a gander at those photos!) and one of the few examples where Technicolor works (in most scenes) The Red Shoes is more a masterpiece for the music and dancing than the acting, which comes in a close second. I say this considering the weight and potential of the plotline. However, Shearer (in her first film role) and Walbrook do stand out for their intensity and chemistry onscreen. The ballet sequences are pure beauty in rythym and coated in beautiful costumery. Often cited as Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell’s best work, The Red Shoes is a definite must see!

Tonight on TCM!
You wanna see some good movies? Good! Some Merchant Ivory films are being featured tonight!

Stiff competition...no, seriously!

2011-09-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

2011-09-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

Is Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) a jerk? Sure! Has he done some pretty terrible things to his friends? Of course! Is he really just a bad person? Uh...hard to say.

Sure Jonathan sacrificed a talented and powerful friendship to get a step up in the production business and get his own studio. But what he did to Fred (Barry Sullivan) turned in Fred's favor- he became a successful director, sought out by all studios and given the freedom to choose what he would direct after years of sub par projects being thrown his way.

Sure Jonathan sacrificed the chance at true love with a devoted woman like Georgia (Lana Turner) who would have given up her entire career, one Jonathan helped build, just to be with him. Instead he turned her away and she became the famous actress she is now, making money for another studio having quit Jonathan's.

Sure Jonathan sacrificed a wonderful collaboration and friendship with author cum screenplay writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) by getting him to concentrate more on his screenplays than his wife, Rosemary (Gloria Grahame) who easily gives in to outside forces. James Lee finally got that second novel written with Jonathan's help.
So, when Jonathan Shield's studio is down and out, when he is in need of the three most important people whose lives have forever been changed by his actions, will his most faithful employee Harry Pebbel (Walter Pidgeon) be able to convince them to work with Jonathan again?

Alternating between being a complete heel and vulnerable prankster, Douglas's Johnathan Shields is just as easy to hate as he is to love. Douglas reminds me much of James Cagney, having this ability to be wicked and fearsome, but also funny and endearing.
This movie packs a powerful punch and is definitely a must see. Lana Turner, Dick Powell and Gloria Grahame play wonderful supporting roles.

Tonight and well into Wednesday on TCM!
Kirk Douglas!!

TCM Tuesdays in September: Kirk Douglas

2011-09-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Who photoshopped the dimple??

Kirk Douglas is an actor that I have come to strongly admire since I started this blog. A versatile artist who's ability to play a cuckholded husband to hero of the screen, Douglas has yet to disappoint me. He is one of the few actors whose very presence onscreen commands attention.

I am happy that TCM will be recognizing his career this month. In association with that, each Tuesday I will review a movie I have seen him in or will see him in- unfortunately, the list below are the very few I have seen in his long list of films. Thankfully, TCM will rectify that this month!

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
Out of the Past (1947)
Mourning Becomes Electra (1947)
Young Man with a Horn (1950)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
The Devil's Disciple (1959)
Seven Days in May (1964)
In Harm's Way (1965)
Oscar (1991)
Greedy (1994)

Kirk Douglas website

A little trivia:

Lauren Bacall, a former classmate with Douglas at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, helped him get his first big break in Hollywood by recommending him for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

Lonely Are the Brave, is Douglas' favorite of his performances.

Douglas made seven films over the decades with Burt Lancaster, prompting some (me included) to believe the two were collaborators behind the scenes. Not so. However both went on to produce and direct as well as act. Both were also independent players, breaking outside the studio mold.

Douglas was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life. Though he did not win an Oscar for his individual work, he eventually received an Honorary Academy Award in 1996 for "50 years as a moral and creative force in the motion picture community". He also received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1991.

Today Is A Special Day!

2011-08-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

Today is Fredric March's birthday!

Last year, coinciding with TCM programming and my own personal collection, I featured a full month of Fredric March. It was fantastic and draining. My friends thought I was a bit nutty! But I LOVE Fredric March! I got to read the one and only biographical book there is on him, listened and read interviews he gave, looked into his history on the stage and watched a varied collection of his work (not all- I like to spread him out!). I meant to start up a site dedicated solely to him, unfortunately, real life seems to always get in the way.

That being said, I will not be dedicating a full month to him this time around but instead encourage you to click on his mug over here- that will take you to Matthew C. Hoffman's FB page dedicated to him (you will be quite impressed with the photo collection!)

----------------------------------------------------------->

OR click on the March tag at the bottom of this entry to see all there is I have to provide on this wonderful, seriously underrated classic film ~~god~~ star!

ENJOY!!

Happy Birthday Joan Blondell!

2011-08-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

A celebration of Joan Blondell's birthday on the set of Adventure (didn't like that film!) with Clark Gable, Greer Garson, Lina Romay and director Victor Fleming

Thanks to A Certain Cinema whose website is AWESOME!

Before and After: Agnes Moorehead

2011-08-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Agnes Moorehead.

1900-1974

I adore the young picture of her, she was simply stunning! I first became aware of her through the popular TV series Betwitched. She enchanted me then and I was pleasantly surprised to see her in classic film. A wonderful character actress, I simply must see more of her work!

Tonight on TCM!

Howard Keel! Here's my chance Agnes- Showboat!

Kona Coast (1968)

2011-08-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tough man Captain Sam Moran (Richard Boone), who charters boats in Honolulu for a living, receives an odd phone call from his estranged teenaged daughter, Dee (Gloria Nakea), whom he reported missing four days prior. When she found dead on the beach, Sam doesn’t believe it’s an accident. Well known in Honolulu by both the police captain and townspeople, Sam begins making inquiries to track down the murderer.

Kryder (Steve Ihnat) is a rich playboy who takes pleasure in getting girls hooked on narcotics and discarding them when they grow tiresome, Dee is his latest victim. He sends his henchmen after Sam when he learns of his investigation. After they beat him they burn his boat causing Sam's good friend Charlie Lightfoot (Chips Rafferty) to be severely burned trying to save it.

Sam takes the dying Lightfoot back to his Kona home where he meets Kittibelle (Joan Blondell), Lightfoot’s sister who tries to enlist Sam into taking over her brother’s boat because she needs the extra funds to support her run-down resort she uses to rehabilitate alcoholics. Despite hers and Akamai’s (Kent Smith) best efforts, Sam’s only mission is to get back on the case after Lightfoot’s funeral but Kryder has different plans.

While Sam is busy reuniting with former girlfriend marine biologist Melissa Hyde (Vera Miles), Kryder orders a big luau prepared at Kittibelle's resort with the plan to kill Sam at the party for the fun of it.

However, when Sam’s friend Kimo (Sam Kapu Jr.) realizes that Kryder’s henchmen are on Sam’s trail, he and Lightfoot’s boat crew capture them and force them to confess about Dee's murder. Sam then pursues Kryder at the luau.

It’s one thing to see unprepared drivel such as Kona Coast with its underdeveloped plot line, character backgrounds, and horribly delivered melodrama. It’s quite another when good actors like Joan Blondell and Kent Smith are put into the mix. I really hope that boredom or perhaps a free trip to Hawaii is what compelled them to partake in what I will not-so-affectionately call a long, bad Magnum P.I. episode. Sorry Tom Selleck, no reflection on the show, it’s all about location here.

Tonight on TCM!

Anne Francis!

An Earthquake and Hurricane in the same week? I think it's time to discuss The Rains Came (1939)

2011-08-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Tom Ransome (George Brent), a nonchalant philanderer has spent years in India watching the people and the rains come and go. He has an ardent admirer in Fern Simon (Brenda Joyce), the daughter of American missionaries who is fascinated by Tom and his reputation. However, Tom regards her as a child. When he runs into an old flame who is now Lady Edwina Esketh (Myrna Loy), having married the wealthy and uncouth Lord Esketh (Nigel Bruce), Tom is alarmed by her behavior. Worse yet, he realizes he has built his reputation on behaving just like her.

Edwina, bored with her marriage, carelessly tries making a conquest of Tom's friend, Major Rama Safti (Tyrone Power). However, the major is too preoccupied with his work as a doctor to pay her any attention. Meanwhile, as the rains fall, Tom finds himself falling in love with Fern. Then disaster strikes when an earthquake destroys the dams and releases flood waters into Ranchipur, killing Lord Esketh and the Maharajah (H. B. Warner). When the Maharani (Maria Ouspenskaya) asks Tom to help her people, Fern joins him. Plague sweeps the city and as the major fights to contain it, Edwina volunteers to help in the hospital despite the risks. The major, touched by her selflessness, finally falls in love with her. However, in the most harrowing scene Edwina accidentally drinks from a contaminated glass and falls victim to the plague. The major is unable to save her. Tom and Fern get married and the major, successfully contains the plague to become the Maharajah.

The Rains Came isn't quick entertainment, it has its slow moments but it also has a few heavy hitters. Besides some pretty good special effects, Brent, Power, Ouspenskaya, and Joyce play their parts wonderfully. The real star however, is Loy. An unusual part for her as evidenced in her future work, she nonetheless shows her dramatic chops and is most touching in her deathbed scene. Definitely worth seeing just once.

Tonight on TCM- if the power stays on...
Linda Darnell! Oh, A Letter to Three Wives sounds fun!

Thirty Thirties!

2011-08-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

I watch a lot of classic film. A lot. Maybe not as much as Cin-Eater (I mean, a girl needs her beauty sleep) but it's still a lot in comparison to anyone I know and see on a daily basis. It's to the point where I simply bubble over if anyone, ANYONE mentions a classic movie or movie star or um...speaks to me, period. Sigh. I have sooooooo much to share! Sometimes the conversation simply ends with them staring blankly at me while slowly backing away. I've gotten used to it.

Anyway, when I started out with this blog, I thought I would stick to the films of the thirties. They're my favorite era of film and I want to see them all. As any of you who are enthusiastic about the classics knows, this is entirely impossible. Especially when you depend mostly on TCM to give you your fix and you simply HAVE to see everything Fredric March (insert your favorite star here) made. However, I have seen quite a few films from the thirties (with lots of wonderful films from other eras tucked in) and simply don't have the time to blog about them all. And admittedly, some aren't really worth all the fuss. So, I have decided to do this type of blog entry (sort of a twist on my Many Mini Review entries) that gives my opinion, etc. of the film without doing a complete synopsis. It will also help me track whether they are worth another view or not. Enjoy!

This is the Night (1932)
Cary Grant’s first full-length feature. It’s a precursor to screwball but more a farce. Interesting opening of the film. Best scene is Young and Ruggles in a state of complete intoxication. Delightful!

Not So Dumb(1930)
Marion Davies as Dulcy proves that distorted adages, tactlessness, flagrant chatter, and downright scatterbrainery aside, she isn’t so dumb not get what she set out to get- even if it is by accident. And I love a butler who doesn’t know how to buttle!

Merrily We Go To Hell (1931)
Besides it being my not-so-new- now drinking toast, it has Fredric March in it…enough said. Seriously though, he and Sylvia Sydney are spectacular as they flounder around in their “open” relationship. Skeets Gallagher and Esther Howard provide comic relief as a pair of drunks. There is a Cary Grant cameo as well!
Best line: “I’m afraid as a rule I prefer the company of men… Particularly if they’re bartenders.”

The Guardsman (1931)
This was my first Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne film, it was also their first talkie. As an avid reader of classic star’s biographies and autobiographies, their names have been bandied about by many stars who revered them as premiere stage actors. Neither disappoint in this hilarious film that also features Roland Young and Zasu Pitts.

Chance at Heaven (1933)
Standard thirties fare featuring two beauties, Ginger Rogers and Marian Nixon (who like another Marion- retired from pictures early). Sometimes I have a hard time swallowing the noble stepping aside they had women do when their men, in this case, Joel McCrea, go nutso for another dame. I like the women who fight.

Easy Living (1937)
One minute you’re breaking your piggy bank, the next a fur coat falls on your head. Jean Arthur is about to be treated to all her dreams, but first... a little chaos.

Dinner at Eight (1933)
A superb movie with melodrama, wit, humor, and a few bittersweet moments, Dinner at Eight is a thirties staple and a must see. Great cast including the Barrymore brothers, Marie Dressler, Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy and Billie Burke.

Remember? (1939)
Though it didn’t get great reviews at the time, I really enjoyed this film. A little nonsensical with the potion to help the couple forget, but the plot line gets better because of it. Love Billie Burke and her daffiness!

Freaks (1932)
Pre-code horror film involving real life circus performers and their shortcomings. It is still creepy today. When they decide to attack at the end of the film- I literally shivered. Freaks is definitely a must see!

Payment Deferred (1932)
I believe this was one of my first Laughton films and luckily, his stellar performance as the horrible but pitiful William Marble didn’t ruin me for all the other movies I have seen him in. Watch him descend into madness as he tries to keep a terrible secret.

The Traveling Saleslady (1935)
Joan Blondell proves her meddle as a capable working woman who sells cocktail toothpaste. That’s right, toothpaste made to taste like a variety of cocktails. I love the 30’s and I love Joan Blondell!

The Bride Wore Red (1937)
Not a favorite. Joan Crawford plays a working girl who strikes lucky when a drunken count gives her an opportunity to see how the other half lives. She’s torn between her love for Franchot Tone and the security of Robert Young (neither of which I find attractive). And yet another example of a woman stepping aside so the one she truly loves can be happy. Snore.

Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)
I am not a huge fan of Janet Gaynor or Franchot Tone. However, combined with Robert Montgomery who sparkled enough for all three of them, this movie was quite tolerable and even funny at moments. Worth watching for the sleepwalking scene!

Another Language (1933)
No charming Robert Montgomery in this film. Frankly, he's a real jerk. Playing a mamma’s boy he keeps Helen Hayes jumping until she’s fed up. Unfortunately, I was fed up well before she got around to it.

Westward Passage (1932)
Speaking of jerks, Laurence Olivier is no stranger to acting like one thanks to Westward Passage. Ann Harding seems to play two separate people in this film. First she is a milksop who tries to keep her husband’s life running smoothly. But once she and Olivier are divorced and she is remarried- she becomes quite a vixen who Olivier finds harder to win over. Contemplating an affair with her ex-husband seems so out of character to what she once was that I found Harding hard to believe.

The Bride Walks Out (1936)
Ugh! I hate a movie that concentrates solely on how a man doesn’t want his woman to work. I hate it more when the woman in question gives in. Et tu, Stanwyck?? Boo.

Star of Midnight (1935)
So, here’s an oddity. After the first Thin Man in 1934, they paired William Powell and Ginger Rogers together. I mean it works but it was odd seeing Powell basically playing Nick Charles under a different name and Ginger not quite adding up to Myrna Loy. Both Rogers and Powell are great, the film is full of witty moments and highly entertaining. But I adore my Thin Man combo of Powell and Loy and this was just strange.

Grand Slam (1933)
A couple’s relationship is tested when the husband invents his own method of playing bridge. Few interesting moments thanks to Frank McHugh but bridge is boring and so was this movie.

Shipmates (1931)
Here is the Robert Montgomery I know and love. As a wise-cracking seaman, Montgomery learns the hard way that love and life won’t come easy if you can’t take some things seriously.

There’s Always a Woman (1938)
Though it’s no Thin Man, Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas are superbly matched. He as the long-suffering husband to his eternally curious wife who is rather good as a detective.

Gambling Lady (1934)
Stanwyck is a gambling lady- good at cards, bad at love. Things work out in the end. Surprised? Me neither.

Murder In a Private Car (1934)
Though Charles Ruggles is in this film, you should watch it solely for Fred Toones’ performance. It's the only real good part in the film.

The Goose and The Gander (1935)
Revenge falls to the wayside in this screwy little film with good performances by Genevieve Tobin and George Brent. I don’t think I am a fan of Kay Francis. I’ll need to look into that more.

Craig’s Wife (1936)
Did you know that Rosalind Russell can be as unfunny as she is funny? Well, she can. She proves it as Harriet Craig. Even Billie Burke doesn’t sparkle in this serious drama. Good film.

Cain and Mabel (1936)
Clever name for a movie however, that’s about the most interesting thing about it. Clark Gable and Marion Davies together was a little flat and not even the wise-cracking Allen Jenkins could revive this piece.

Night Nurse (1931)
Joan Blondell for comedy, Barbara Stanwyck for strength, Ben Lyon for romance and Clark Gable for drama. I had a hard time believing that Stanwyck couldn’t get the law involved on a case she was working on where two children were obviously being starved. Despite that, all performers gave a good show and Gable was especially nasty.

The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939)
Melvyn Douglas must dress as a woman to help solve a case. Need I say anything more? Ok, I will. Joan Blondell. :)

The Kennel Club Murder Case (1933)
William Powell and detective stories were obviously a good combination.

Heat Lightning (1934)
Aline McMahon plays a mechanic. That’s right, a mechanic. How significant is that in 30’s cinema? I’d say real significant. Drama unfolds when her past accidentally catches up to her at the filling station and lunch counter she owns. But you can depend up Frank McHugh, Glenda Farrell, and Ruth Donnelly to keep things light.

The Skin Game (1931)
I have seen a lot of Hitchcock’s films. I hope to see them all but I also hope they’re not as bad as this one.

Tonight on TCM!
Peter Lawford. Definitely want to see It Should Happen To You!

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)

2011-08-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Beatrice Hunsdorfer (Joanne Woodward), a woman ruled by her disenchantment with life, lives in a ram- shackled home with her daughters, Ruth (Roberta Wallach) and Matilda (Nell Potts) and Nanny (Judith Lowry), a boarder. Middle-aged, widowed, and extremely bitter Beatrice is on the constant look out for a step up. If only she had the money and the right opportunity. The presence of Nanny in her home is a constant reminder of what Beatrice is headed for. Ruth, who is epileptic and as negative as her mother, seems destine to make the same mistakes as her. She is at a rebellious stage in life and though she often does her mother’s bidding, she grows to hate her more and more. Alternatively, Matilda, golden-haired, shy and intelligent finds refuge from her mother’s bitterness through her schoolwork and her pet rabbit. She is currently working on a science project involving man-on-the-moon marigolds, which is simultaneously a metaphor for how life affects each person differently. Matilda, in contrast to her mother and sister, chooses a positive outlook on life despite how her mother treats her. Even when Beatrice kills her rabbit, Matilda is still able to see the value in all people.

A moving drama, Woodward is at her most bitter here. In an interview I saw from the 80’s, Paul Newman, who directed his daughter and wife in this film, remarked of all the characters for Woodward to bring home, Beatrice was the one she chose. Apparently, playing this role put a strain on her relationships with husband and daughter. Despite that, Woodward is entirely convincing as the most negative woman I have ever seen on screen. In contrast, Potts becomes more endearing and inspirational. Definitely worth watching.

Tonight on TCM!
Burt Lancaster!

What's shakin', Bacon?

2011-08-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of trying to be cool about experiencing my first earthquake...Jerry Lee Lewis, ya'll.
We're shakin' here in Virginia!

Tonight on TCM!
Calm yourself with some Conrad Veidt. He's one smooth character!

Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

2011-08-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank All Good Things, Put the Blame on Mame (who did this awesome revamp!) and Forever Classics for awarding me the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. I am happy that there are people out there that I can share my love of classic film with and who are kind enough to take the time and follow my journey.

Here are the rules:

1) Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

2) Share 7 random facts about yourself.

3) Pass the award to 12 of your blogging buddies. Yikes!

4) Notify the recipients

7 Random facts about me:

1. I have a hard time picking between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis as my all-time favorite actress.

2. I own a lot of Fredric March films but have not seen them all because I like having some of his work to look forward to.

3. I would love to have lunch with Joan Blondell and Aline McMahon at the same time.

4. I have a hard time watching silent films. Though there is some beautiful cinematography, I think they run on too long.

5. I get excited if I see John Qualen, Margaret Rutherford, Charles Ruggles, Patsy Kelly, Roland Young, Marjorie Main or Frank McHugh in the cast. Great, great character actors.

6. My favorite era of film is the 30's.

7. I sometimes wish my job didn't get in the way of my blogging. :(

Instead of awarding 12 blogs (a task which I found a little daunting), I have decided to add a blog roll on the side for everyone to see what I follow on a daily basis. I encourage you to check out any that you may not be familiar with- I promise you won't be disappointed!

Thank you!!!

Tonight on TCM!
Joan Crawford!! How convenient!

Vintage Ads

2011-08-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ronald Reagan for Jeris and "handsomer" hair.

Susan Hayward for Max Factor.

John Wayne for Budweiser and throwing "middle-management" out the window.

Shirley Temple for flour and all its sweet rewards.

Spencer Tracy for the not-so-lucky Lucky Strike. Shout!

Tippi Hedren for Gleem and brushing less.

Orson Welles and daughter Rebecca for ~~alcoholism~~ closing the generation gap with Jim Beam.

Tonight on TCM!
Cary Grant! Bringing Up Baby is a must see!

Hooray Hurrell!

2011-08-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

Paulette Goddard

Loretta Young

Stiff Competition!

2011-08-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry Betty but, hands down, this guy wins! Look at that face! Isn't he too cute?

The Last Picture Show (1971)

2011-08-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Best friends Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges) are on the verge of manhood in the small Texas town of Anarene. With no real parental guidance, they depend upon Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson) the wizened owner of the town’s pool hall, diner and movie theatre to be their moral compass. Duane, who is good-looking and popular is dating Jacy Farrow (Cybil Shepherd), the prettiest and richest girl in town. Sonny, who has a secret crush on Jacy is the more sensitive and caring of the duo. As their last year of high school drags on, Duane is tested by Jacy’s ulterior motives and Sonny falls into an affair with Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman), the middle-aged wife of his coach, Coach Popper (Bill Thurman).

When Duane and Sonny return from a road trip to Mexico, they learn that Sam has died of a stroke, leaving the town's movie theater to Miss Mosey (Jessie Lee Fulton) who ran the concession stand, the café to its waitress, Genevieve (Eileen Brennan), and the pool hall to Sonny. Things begin to unravel when it becomes apparent that Jacy has a wild streak in her just like her mother Lois (Ellen Burstyn) is very bored with her rich husband. Secretly Lois was in love with Sam whom she had an affair with years ago. Jacy dumps Duane in the hopes of catching the eye of Bobby Sheen (Gary Brockette). However, Bobby runs off to get married and after a failed seduction of town playboy Abilene (Clu Galagher) who was also her mother’s lover, Jacy sets her sights on Sonny. Needless to say, Ruth gets the boot and Duane and Sonny have it out. Jacy whose more excited by the attention the town gives to Sonny about the fight pretends to be impressed with Sonny’s gallantry and suggests they elope. When they are stopped by a state trooper on their way to their honeymoon, Sonny realizes that Jacy really just wanted the attention. Her father separates them and Lois admits to Sonny that he would be much better off with Ruth anyway.

Duane and Sonny eventually make up when Duane stops back in town before being shipped off to the Korean war. To pass the time they take in the last picture show to be seen at the movie theatre since Miss Mosey has decided to close it. With Duane and Jacy gone, high school over and only the future to reflect upon, Sonny is given another blow when his friend Billy (Sam Bottoms) is hit and killed by a truck. Thinking of leaving the whole town behind, Sonny leaves but is pulled back by the memories and comfort of Ruth. After three months of not seeing her, he returns to her home where she berates but ultimately forgives him.

A very realistic portrayal of a small town of people bored and jaded by life, The Last Picture Show was filmed in black in white in order to feature the players and not stark background they lived among. This was apparently Orson Welles suggestion to director Peter Bogdanovich who was a big fan of both Welles and John Ford. Read Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors or watch Directed by John Ford if your interested in some interesting discussions. The trick worked and raked in eight Oscar nominations and won both Johnson and Leachman and Oscar for their supporting roles.

Trivia:

Bogdanovich had a hard time convincing Ben Johnson to play Sam. Ben thought the part had too many words and more importantly, had too much sex and cursing in it. After a conversation with John Ford who encouraged him to take the part, Bogdanovich also offered Johnson the opportunity to change any dialogue he did not like.

This was Cybil Shepherd’s film debut and she had the option to back out of any nude scenes. However, she decided to do them after Leachman, Burstyn, and Brennan suggested she go with it.

The last scene in the film between Sonny and Ruth-and possibly the most touching- was done in one take. Though Leachman wanted to rehearse, Bogdanovich thought he would get a better performance if she went in raw.

Tonight on TCM!
Humphrey Bogart! Looking forward to The Caine Mutiny!

Spencer's Mountain (1963)

2011-08-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

Clay Spencer (Henry Fonda) and his wife Olivia (Maureen O’Hara) live with their nine children and the senior Spencers in the Snake River Valley within the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. They are an uneducated, poor, but hard working people who are about to celebrate their eldest son’s graduation from high school. Clayboy (James MacArthur) will not only be the first of the Spencer’s to graduate but with his teacher Miss Parker’s (Virginia Gregg) encouragement, the first Spencer to go to college. Graduating with honors, Clayboy is very interested in continuing his education, however, paying for that education sets off a series of obstacles that tests the family’s strength and patience. Clay, a man who believes in God but not religion unknowingly signs an application for a clerical scholarship in order for his son to attend university. When Clayboy is denied the scholarship, Clay travels to the school to get to the root of the problem where he discovers the type of application he signed and Clayboy’s non-existent education in Latin that bars him from it. Striking a deal with the Dean for admission without a scholarship, Clay promises that Clayboy will pass the Latin exam by the end of the summer. Learning Latin is small potatoes for Clayboy who along with his family must figure out some way to pay for the first year of school. When Grandpa Spencer’s (Donald Crisp) dies in a tragic accident, Clayboy all but gives up his dream. With the encouragement of his father, he continues to work at the newly developed free library that his teacher Miss Parker has established for him. Despite that job, a little over five hundred dollars must be raised. After swallowing their pride and asking for a loan from a wealthier neighbor who denies them, Clay decides to give up a dream of his own for Clayboy.
Having long promised Olivia that he would build their dream home on Spencer’s Mountain with it’s grand views, Clay burns down the house they have been building all summer and sells the land to his boss Colonel Coleman (Hayden Rorke) at the quarry. Ironically, Coleman is the father to Claris (Mimsy Farmer) who is deeply in love with Clayboy and his family. Too impatient to wait four years for Clayboy to marry her, Claris has herself transferred to Clayboy’s university so they can be together. With the sale of the land, Clay will be able to pay for Clayboy to go to college with the hope that he will be able to assist his younger sibling and so on down the line.

A simple film with a simple theme combined with great performances by Fonda, O'Hara, MacArthur and Crisp (his swan song), there is a lot to love about Spencer's Mountain. It's both entertaining and endearing. It was also the pre-cursor to a favorite show of mine I used to watch as a kid in the eighties- The Waltons. Based on Earl Hamner, Jr.'s life growing up in Schulyer, Virginia during the Depression, the movie and the show differ greatly. For instance, director Delmer Daves did not to use the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop in the film (I am a Virginia girl and though Wyoming's nice, our mountains are nothing to sneeze at!) and some of the grittier themes of the book and film (alcoholism and infidelity) are seriously watered down in the show. The names also differ and in my family, when someone says Goodnight, John-Boy, we're all thinking about this scene:

Ach! Now I want to watch The Waltons.

Trivia:

Be on the look out for Maureen O'Hara's daughter Bronwyn FitzSimons as the Dean's secretary!

Spencer's Mountain was not a great time for Fonda whose new agent, unbeknownst to him, turned down an opportunity for Fonda to perform as George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Broadway. Apparently, the black comedy by Edward Albee was written specifically with Fonda in mind. Fonda also regretted not being able to perform in the film version which slated him and...wait for it...Bette Davis! Can you IMAGINE?? Bette Davis as Martha? How legendary would that have been? I mean, I LOVE Taylor and Burton in that film- they're fantastic! But Fonda and Davis?? Ach! For all you classic film buffs: Eve and Frank pitted against one another is what springs to mind.

Tonight on TCM!
Joanne Woodward! Check out Rachel, Rachel and Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams! You won't be disappointed!

Midnight (1939)

2011-08-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Despite certain complications such as Claudette Colbert's penchant for only being filmed from her left side, Mary Astor being well into her pregnancy, and John Barrymore's obvious cue card reading, Midnight is delightful little screwball that also features Don Ameche, Monty Woolley, Hedda Hopper, and Barrymore's last wife, Elaine Barrie who was brought on to keep Barrymore somewhat sober and coherent. The very best scene in the entire film starts at minute 3:40. Enjoy!

Tonight on TCM!
Enjoy some Lon Chaney!!

The V.I.P.s (1963)

2011-08-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Set in the V.I.P. section of a terminal at Heathrow, characters and their stories interconnect as each try to reach a highly significant destination. Grounded by fog for an indeterminable amount of time, the central characters Frances Andros (Elizabeth Taylor) and international playboy Marc Champselle (Louis Jourdan) worry over the note that Frances has left her husband, millionaire Paul Andros (Richard Burton). After thirteen years of marriage, Frances is leaving Paul because he no longer seems to need her. She is eloping with Marc who is much needier for her affection and truly loves her for her and not her money, which she will also be leaving behind.

Film producer Max Buda (Orson Welles) must leave London by midnight in order to avoid paying hefty taxes from the profit of his film work. Taking his newest protégée Gloria Gritti (Elsa Martinelli) with him, he will need to make serious sacrifices to his art and his personal life to avoid paying out.

Les Mangrum (Rod Taylor), an Australian businessman has just taken a huge risk by writing a bad check to cover for the stock he bought in order for his company not to be bought out. Hoping to get to his board meeting in New York and get the money to cover the bad check before it goes through, Mangum is lost when his plane is grounded and his backers in New York refuse to wire the needed funds. His secretary, Miss Mead (Maggie Smith), is the soul of efficiency and discretion. Secretly in love with Mangrum, she does what it takes to save Mangrum's company.

Lastly, there is The Duchess of Brighton (Margaret Rutherford), who is on her way to Florida to take a job which will pay her enough money to save her ancestral home which she is loathe to leave. Unfamiliar with planes, she is on a mixture of uppers and downers given to her by friends to help her get through the travel.

This is the third film I have seen with the Taylor-Burton pairing and by far pales in comparison to the other two. Lacking the powerful dialogue and action I saw in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Taming of the Shrew, I had the sense they were simply going through the motions. It’s rumored that Taylor asked for this role specifically because she did not want Sophia Loren (who director Anthony Asquith wanted) near Burton. However, it’s just as likely that the box office draw of Taylor and Burton directly after the Cleopatra debacle both on and off the screen convince Asquith to pair them up.

However, that does not mean the movie is not interesting, it’s definitley worth a watch to see the comedy relief provided by Welles and Rutherford. Personally, I could watch Rutherford all day, she has a very unique way of speaking and acting that I find highly amusing.

Tonight on TCM! Ann Dvorak!
Scarface (1932) A murderous thug shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life. Dir: Howard Hawks Cast: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley.

The Murder Man (1935)

2011-08-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Shortly after hanging up on a desperate client that he and his partner Henry Mander (Harvey Stephens) have swindled money from, James Halford (Theodore von Eltz) gets into a verbal confrontation with Mander. Demanding he get the twenty thousand back from a risky investment that may blow their cover, Halford leaves the office and is discovered shot in his car when the chauffeur arrives at his home. Meanwhile, Mander is at the shooting gallery across the street from their office, having been told there will be a message awaiting him there. But there is no message.

When the Daily Star catches wind of the murder, Hal Robins (Robert Barrat) sends out a search party for the often drunk Steve Grey (Spencer Tracy) whose habit of scooping all the other papers and penning an interesting story, makes him he ideal man to follow the biggest story of the year. In fact, Grey is so good he is one step ahead of the story, able to dictate in advance of what is about to occur. Like when Mander is arrested under the suspicion that he killed Halford for the insurance claim.

However, it isn’t just that Grey’s a great writer; he has a personal history with Halford and Mander. When he is put on the stand to testify against Mander after stating he overheard Mander in an incriminating conversation, he makes no secret that Mander and Halford swindled Grey’s own father out of money. Despite this, Grey successfully manages to put the nail in Mander’s coffin; he is convicted and sentenced to execution. This is exactly what Grey wants or at least what he thought he wanted. Columnist Mary Shannon (Virginia Bruce) is in love with Steve, she is everything good and pure in his life. She makes him question what he has done for the sake of vengeance. You see, Steve not only watched his father lose all his money to Halford and Mander, he also suffered through watching his wife carry on an affair with Halford before he coldly tossed her aside, successfully managing to get all her money as well- leading her to commit suicide.

So Grey called Mander to the shooting gallery, stating there was a message awaiting him there. Grey took one of the guns and shot Halford in his car as he was being driven home. And Grey testified against Mander stating he overheard him promising to use the insurance money to pay back a client. He manages to successfully murder one man and have the other take the fall for it.

But now Grey has an attack of conscience. It doesn’t help that Robins assigns him to meet with and write Mander’s last story before he is executed. After struggling with the proper words and arguing with Robins, Grey dictates the real truth on the gramophone and asks Mary to type it up for him herself. As she listens in horror to what Grey has said, Grey takes himself to the police station to confess.

Hoping to catch him before he does confess, Mary breaks the record and runs to the station. However, Grey must tell his story. When he is taken away to be booked for murder, the commissioner assures Mary that the jury will take the full story of what’s transpired into consideration.

This movie was not only interesting due to the wonderful performance from Tracey, but also because of the unique ending. Though a bit drawn out, it was refreshing to see the story played out fully. Most movies of that era would have had the scene ending as Mary listens to Grey’s confession or as Grey enters the police station. Here we have the full confession again and the reason for it being told by Grey to an astonished commissioner. An added touch is that Grey phones into the Daily Star to make sure they get the story that Mary failed to produce- a scoop is a scoop after all! It was also interesting how the court story unfolds with interplay between the courtroom and the reporters rushing to the phones to give juicy tidbits of what’s going on.

Be on the look out for James Stewart in his first speaking role as “Shorty” the reporter.

Tonight on TCM!
Spend an evening with Orson- it won't hurt!

Table Talk!

2011-07-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Charles Laughton and Judith Anderson

Basil Rathbone and Angela Lansbury

Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood

Joan Crawford and Caesar Romero

Ann Dvorak, Hedy Lamarr, and Ann Baxter

Marlene Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Ben Gazzara and Fred Clark

Brian Aherne, Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland

Tonight on TCM!

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) Young German soldiers try to adjust to the horrors of World War I.

Dir: Lewis Milestone Cast: Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray.

Sitting Pretty (1948)

2011-07-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Harry and Tacey King (Robert Young and Maureen O’Hara) have a pleasant life on Hummingbird Hill despite their nosy neighbors The Appletons (Richard Haydn and Grayce Hampton). When the King’s maid quits because she can no longer stand their three unruly sons Larry, Tony and Roddy, Tasey puts out an advertisement for a resident nanny. Lynn Belvedere (Clifton Webb), who has an impressive list of qualifications, promptly responds and is hired sight unseen.
Assuming Lynn is a woman, the Kings are shocked and a bit reluctant to welcome the gentleman who claims to be a genius who has mastered many professions. However, they are impressed when within a day Mr. Belvedere has won over and tamed the children and the King’s unruly dog. He also found time to fix the icebox.

Once Belvedere establishes himself on Hummingbird Hill, Appleton and his mother set their curious sights on him. Things take a turn for the worse when Harry must go on a business trip but does not want to leave Tasey alone in the house with Belvedere. Though she thinks it silly, Tasey arranges to sleep at their neighbor Bill and Edna Philby’s (Louise Allbritton and John Russell) house. This arrangement works well until one night Tony wakes up with stomachache and wants his mother. While she is there Appleton drops by feigning concern when he saw all the lights on in the house. Really, he’s hoping to catch some gossip and Tasey and Belvedere don’t disappoint- both are in their robes and Belvedere is guzzling water from the gin bottle that’s being used since the King’s water bottle is broken.

By the time Harry returns home, his boss Hammond (Ed Begley) has heard the news being spread around town and warns Harry to fix the situation or lose his job as one of his lawyers. Though Harry accepts Tacey's explanation, he thinks Belvedere should leave to avoid further complications. But the boys protest and Belvedere stays. Things flare up again however, when after attending a lecture Tacey and Edna stop at the hotel restaurant for a meal. Mr. Belvedere is there with one of Hammond’s secretaries, Peggy (Randy Stuart), who has brought him some papers. Mr. Belvedere invites Tacey to rumba and is spotted by Appleton and his mother. The gossip results in Hammond giving Harry another lecture and Harry and Tacey getting into a fight. Tacey leaves with Roddy to stay at her parents. Both are too stubborn to apologize and it isn’t until the publication of Belvedere’s book Hummingbird Hill, which results in both Harry and Bill getting fired from the firm, that Tacey rushes home. Hummingbird Hill contains thinly disguised portraits of the townspeople in a bad light including Appleton and Hammond. Everyone is in an uproar.

When Hammond, Appleton and a few other neighbors threaten to sue, Belvedere is delighted knowing this will help the sales of his book. He requests that Harry and Bill represent him and when Hammond demands to know the source of his information, Belvedere identifies Appleton who promptly retreats. Later, Harry and Tacey are surprised to find that Belvedere will stay on and perform his duties. Belvedere predicts he could get another two volumes to complete his trilogy if he stays on. Tacey warns him that she is expecting another child, however Mr. Belvedere is unfazed. He states he has also been an expert obstetrician as he takes out his knitting needles and continues to work on the baby sweater he’s making. .

What do you get when you plop a strictly refined, sardonic, narcissistic man into middle-class suburbia? Pure genius. That’s why Webb’s Belvedere not only won him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor but also spawned two more movies based on the same character. Basically playing himself onscreen, Webb with subtle actions and razor sharp dialogue is wickedly funny. Watching him go head to head with Appleton is a treat. I would definitely like to see the sequels!

Some of you may recall I did a small piece on Sitting Pretty before... :)

S & G: Hopper Jabbers

2011-07-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading, The Whole Truth and Nothing But by Hedda Hopper and James Brough. A co-worker was kind enough to unearth this tainted gem and let me borrow it. Hopper hops like a bunny from one subject to another dropping little tidbits and sometime making me wish I hadn't fell into her rabbit hole. It's a bit of stale news to a person who happily chews her way through one (auto)biography to another, however, the book is sprinkled with some sound advice and humorous prose... even if it makes me a little dizzy.

Stars! They're Just Like Us!

2011-07-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

They iron!

They play bang ball!

They fish!

They play strip poker!

They take their kids to Disney!

They stay in shape!

LIFE! What a racket!

2011-07-22T04:39:00.000-07:00

Fred Astaire

Ginger Rogers

Joan Crawford

Dennis Hoffman

Claudette Colbert

Lana Turner

Today is National Junk Food Day!

2011-07-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

A lil' history on our favorites: http://www.delish.com/food-fun/snack-food-history#fbIndex1

Stiff Competition!

2011-07-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ramon Navarro- too cute!

Rudy Vallee- he isn't winning, that dog it totes adorbs!

The Best Man (1964)

2011-07-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

William Russell (Henry Fonda) and Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson) are the leading candidates for the presidential nomination. Russell is a man with principles, an intellectual who at times can be indecisive. His marriage is strained by past sexual indiscretion he regrets, but his wife Alice (Margaret Leighton) chooses to support him. Cantwell portrays himself as a simple man, a man of the people. He is patriotic, anti-communist, stubborn and ruthless. Along with the full support of his wife, Mabel (Edie Adams), he will stop at nothing to get the nomination. Thus the trouble begins.

Both Russell and Cantwell depend upon the support of former President Art Hockstader (Lee Tracy). Though Hockstader prefers Russell, he thinks his indecisiveness and principles may get in the way of making the decisions needed as a President. Hockstader does not particularly like Cantwell, but he appreciates how tough he is and his willingness to do what it takes. After conversing with him, Russell realizes that Hockstader is going to support Cantwell. Having heard this, Dick Jensen (Kevin McCarthy), Russell’s campaign manager, decides without Russell’s knowledge, to make a call to a source he’s kept in the dark. Sheldon Bascomb (Shelley Berman) served in the military with Cantwell, and is willing to link him to homosexual activity while stationed together during World War II.Cantwell, because he is so ruthless, already has a file he illegally obtained on Russell that testifies to a nervous breakdown he had a few years back. With this damaging information, Cantwell, who assumes Hockstader will throw his support behind Russell, threatens to use it if Hockstader does not support him. Hockstader tells Cantwell that “he doesn't mind a bastard, but objects to a stupid one”, revealing that he was going to support him but will now switch to Russell. However, in his opening-night speech, he endorses neither.

As the hours count down towards the nomination, a healthy game of outmanuevering ensues as Russell refuses to use slander to win the campaign and Cantwell relies on it, not only with Russell, but with other senators and people of power that he’s gathered files on to use against them. It isn’t till minutes before the crucial decision is made that one of the candidates will take a shocking tactic to make sure the best man wins.

An absolutely riveting film from end to finish, The Best Man gives the audience a glimpse into the seedier side of politics, more importantly political manuevering. Complete with intelligent dialogue and scenes that flow smoothly, Fonda, Tracey (the whole reason I wanted to see this film), and Robertson are phenomenal. The supporting cast which also includes a very domineering Ann Sothern, is nothing to sneeze at either. Definitely a must see!

Tonight on TCM! Um...yes please!
Richard III (1955) A hunchbacked madman plots to make himself king of England. Dir: Laurence Olivier Cast: Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Claire Bloom.