Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

Tonight's Movie: Kiss of Death (1947)

2012-01-31T23:16:00.000-08:00

KISS OF DEATH, the film noir especially remembered for Richard Widmark's stunning film debut as a psychotic killer, is an excellent film which also features what may be Victor Mature's career-best performance.

Mature plays Nick Biano, a small-time hood who, having been out of work for a year, resorts to robbing a jewelry store in order to try to provide Christmas for his wife and kids. Not too smart! Three years into Nick's jail sentence, his despondent, financially strapped wife has killed herself and his two little girls are in an orphanage.

Nick decides to play ball with the Assistant District Attorney (Brian Donlevy, in a sympathetic performance) and help him nab some criminals in return for being able to visit his daughters at the orphanage. Soon thereafter Nick is paroled. He marries sweet, adoring Nettie (Coleen Gray), his children's one-time baby-sitter who has had a crush on him for years, gets a job as a bricklayer, and for a time the Biancos live a happy life raising Nick's daughters.

Things go south in a hurry when Nick is compelled to testify against extremely dangerous killer Tommy Udo (Widmark) and the jury lets Udo walk free. Nick will do absolutely anything to protect his wife and little girls, resulting in a memorable showdown with Udo.

Although Coleen Gray -- who will be 90 this fall -- had previously filmed her role in RED RIVER (1948), this was the first movie to be released in which she had more than a bit role. I was quite taken with her performance, which seems very natural and emotionally open, whether she's greeting Nick like an excited teenager or sobbing at the dining room table as Nick explains just how bad their situation is. Her acting almost has a modern feel to it that seemed rather unlike other performances of the era. Her scenes with Mature are all quite gripping and among the best in the film; in fact, I went back and replayed each one after the movie had ended. I was touched by the progression of their relationship, which is depicted in what is really just a few scenes.

It's interesting to me that while this film is rightly remembered for Richard Widmark's electric, Oscar-nominated film debut as Tommy Udo, some reviews found online are a bit tepid about the rest of the film, including Mature and Gray's performances. For me, Mature and Gray make the movie; and in fact, Mature's quietly played role provides a perfect opposite to Widmark's very flashy part. The contrasting dynamic between the two actors is a part of what makes Widmark so effective. Needless to say, Widmark's giggling killer is a hard character to forget.

Victor Mature may not have had a lot of range -- he never really worked for me in musicals like MY GAL SAL (1942) or MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID (1952) -- but at the same time, in the right types of projects, he was simply terrific. He's underestimated as an actor; there's a great deal going on in his performance in terms of expressions and body language, and he has soulful eyes few could match. The love he lavishes on his little girls is quite touching, especially coming from a man with such a troubled past; Nick's own father was a criminal, but Nick finally gets his act together and turns his life around. Mature's mix of tough and tender makes the transition believable.

Speaking of body language, it's fun to carefully observe the scene where Nick visits Nettie after his release from jail. She's very excited and seems to keep herself from touching him by clasping her hands behind her back and then folding her arms over her chest. Nick, meanwhile, stands with his arms spread open. When Nettie walks past Nick to get him some dinner, he reaches for her and the emotional dam breaks.

I came across a YouTube video in which Coleen Gray discusses being cast in KISS OF DEATH and working with director Henry Hathaway. I must say I was taken aback by her interpretation of the ending and choose to view it differently. Besides, Walter Winchell voices agreement with my interpretation in the trailer!

It seems as though director Henry Hathaway could be a bit of a pill to some actors until they'd had enough. Gray describes Hathaway picking on her while they were on location filming the charming kitchen scene, to the extent that she finally fled upstairs in tears. Hathaway followed her, told her she was doing fine, and from then on they were great friends. Similarly, I've read that Richard Widmark was so exasperated by Hathaway he walked off the set at lunchtime, saying he didn't need the hassle of a movie career, but Hathaway followed him, apologized, and from then on they were friends and worked together again on later films.

KISS OF DEATH illustrates both the strengths and weaknesses of the Production Code. After Udo and Bianco are admitted into a high-security building, as they walk up the stairs Bianco asks "What's that smell?" Udo replies that it's perfume. It's quite clear to adults what sort of establishment the two men are entering, but at the same time a child wouldn't have a clue. It's so much more sophisticated than something more blatant, a great example of less being more.

On the other hand, in the real world there's no way a pair of loving newlyweds like Nick and Nettie sleep in twin beds, a rather absurd convention which seems to have existed mainly in the movies.

The film has a great look, with terrific location shooting in New York. I love Nick and Nettie's house, which is just right, a comfortable but lower-class home they could afford, including ancient, too-loud wallpaper. The film also has plentiful noir style, including the men's wardrobes -- love the hats -- and creepy shadows. The finest noir moment is the headlights which shine on Nick and Nettie as they sit at their dining room table, a visually stunning, memorably scary couple of seconds.

Look for Karl Malden in a small role as a police investigator. Millard Mitchell is effective as a cop. Taylor Holmes is a slimy lawyer to lowlifes, and Mildred Dunnock is a woman in a wheelchair who has a most unfortunate encounter with Tommy Udo. Iris Mann plays Mature's older daughter, Connie; IMDb doesn't list a credit for the little girl who played Rosie.

An intriguing bit of information is that Patricia Morison filmed a scene or scenes as Maria, Nick's first wife, but was edited out of the picture. Her name appears on some posters, along with the name of actor Robert Keith, who was also cut. Henry Brandon, who played the often-talked-about mobster Pete Rizzo, ended up on the cutting-room floor as well.

The script by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer was based on an Oscar-nominated original story by Eleazar Lipsky. IMDb indicates Philip Dunne also did uncredited work on the script. KISS OF DEATH runs 99 minutes.

The theme music heard as the film draws to a close, and also heard in the trailer, is Alfred Newman's "Street Scene." First used in the 1931 film STREET SCENE, the music was used in at least two other Fox noir titles starring Victor Mature, I WAKE UP SCREAMING (1941) and CRY OF THE CITY (1948). It also appeared in THE DARK CORNER (1946) and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953).

KISS OF DEATH was released on DVD as Fox Film Noir No. 11. Extras include a commentary track by Alain Silver and James Ursini. It's available from Netflix.

It's also been released on VHS.

KISS OF DEATH can also be seen on Fox Movie Channel, which will next show the movie on February 7, 2012. Incidentally, there's a still on the Fox Movie Channel webpage which misidentifies Coleen Gray; I suspect it's Patricia Morison.

Highly recommended.

Tonight's Movie: The Second Woman (1950)

2012-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

THE SECOND WOMAN is an enjoyable mystery thriller with overtones of "gothic noir," starring Robert Young and Betsy Drake.

Ellen Foster (Drake), a CPA, meets architect Jeff Cohalan (Young) while on the train to visit her aunt (Florence Bates) on the Northern California coast. Jeff has been going through a tough time after the death of his fiancee in a car wreck on the eve of their wedding; at times he's charming, while at other points he is very distant. Life grows even more difficult for Jeff as several upsetting incidents of "bad luck" continue to plague him.

Ellen, with a background in actuarial work, comes to believe the odds are impossible that Jeff is simply experiencing accidents by chance, and she sets out to discover who is causing the increasingly dangerous events before it's too late.

This is a solid film with a number of unique angles. The plot is presented in an interesting manner, starting with an apparent suicide attempt by Jeff, then spending an hour in a flashback before picking up the plot again where the movie started. The script by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith does a good job keeping the viewer guessing whether Jeff is suffering from paranoia or one of several people might be trying to do him harm, and there's an unanticipated twist near the ending, too.

Betsy Drake's character, a professional woman with bracing common sense, provides a nice contrast with the film's "spooky house" mood. So often in the "gothic noir" tradition it's the woman who is in jeopardy, but in this case, it's the hero who is in danger, from himself or an unknown assailant. Having the heroine use her business knowledge to help save the hero is a refreshing switch from the typical storyline of the era.

Perhaps the one lingering question is what exactly draws the sensible Ellen to the moody Jeff so strongly, but the heroine falling for a brooding hero is another old plot standby, so it's not too hard to accept. Young plays the role in such a way that at times it's truly difficult to decide if he's persecuted or a mental case.

One of the film's interesting aspects is the very distinctive modern home owned by Robert Young's character, which has equally original interior decor. I was thus intrigued to learn that the film's production designer was Boris Leven, who was nominated for multiple Oscars over the course of his long career, winning for WEST SIDE STORY (1961). The set direction was by Jacques Mapes.

In another unique touch, the film's score is built around themes by Tschaikovsky, with additional original music by Joseph Nussbaum.

John Sutton plays a sleazy associate of Jeff's who has just divorced his wife (Jean Rogers). Sutton is adequate but a bit overdone at times, in a role Zachary Scott could have played well in his sleep.

Morris Carnovsky plays Jeff's doctor, who is also attempting to understand his mental state. The role is somewhat reminiscent of Carnovsky's role as Hedy Lamarr's doctor in DISHONORED LADY (1947).

It's nice to see Florence Bates, who so often portrayed unpleasant women, playing Ellen's kind aunt. The excellent character actor Henry O'Neill plays Jeff's boss and the father his late fiancee. Head Mouseketeer Jimmie Dodd (billed as Jimmy) has a small role offering some key evidence late in the film.

The ubiquitous Bess Flowers, who was probably in more nightclub, country club, and party scenes than anyone in movie history, can be spotted in two scenes, first at the country club dance and later sitting at John Sutton's table at the fiesta.

THE SECOND WOMAN was directed by James V. Kern. The black and white cinematography was by Hal Mohr.

This film is out on DVD from Alpha, which releases public domain films. The DVD has a couple of brief skips and occasionally the soundtrack seems a bit muffled, but it's very watchable, on the higher quality end of Alpha's releases.

A DVD is available from Netflix, but the release company isn't identified.
It's also currently available on YouTube.

This film has also been released on VHS.

As an aside, what were they thinking with the poor illustrations of Robert Young and Betsy Drake in the poster with the black background, above and second down on the left?! What an odd pose and expressions. The poster at the very top left is much more attractive and in keeping with the spirit of the film.

The film does have an odd moment or two, such as the almost complete lack of reaction when someone is shot near the end of the movie. All in all, though, I found the movie to be a pleasant surprise, delivering 91 minutes of solid entertainment.

In Disney News...

2012-01-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple months now since the last roundup of Disney news!

...The next issue of Disney Twenty-three magazine goes on sale February 14th. It features a beautiful SNOW WHITE cover celebrating 75 years of Disney animation.

...Disney historian J.B. Kaufman, author of the excellent book SOUTH OF THE BORDER WITH DISNEY, has a new book coming out later this year: THE FAIREST ONE OF ALL: THE MAKING OF WALT DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. It will be published by the Walt Disney Family Foundation Press. The Walt Disney Family Museum will also be hosting an exhibit on SNOW WHITE this November.

...California Adventure featured an exhibit titled THE ART OF SNOW WHITE in 2008, and I posted some of my photos at that time.

...Coming to the Hollywood Bowl this summer: Pixar in Concert on Friday, August 3rd. The concert will include clips from Pixar films.

...There are some great new projection shows coming to It's a Small World at Disneyland: a Valentine's themed show starting on February 1st features lanterns from TANGLED and stained glass images of Disney princes and princesses, and a summer show which turns the ride facade into a giant sandcastle.

...I'm not a fan of Disney changing its dress code to allow beards. The dress code and prohibition on beards has been part of the parks' clean-cut look for at least 55 years; why change now?

...Tickets go on sale today for the latest Broadway version of a Disney musical, NEWSIES. It opens at the Nederlander Theatre on March 15th.

...Jim Korkis recently posted a good article on the history of Disneyland's Matterhorn at Storyboard, the official blog of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

...A Matterhorn movie is in the works?!

...By 2014 the Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris will be home to a new RATATOUILLE dark ride, with a related restaurant. What could be more perfect for Disneyland Paris? The Studios park is in need of more attractions so this is good news.

...The trailer for Pixar's BRAVE (2012) has been playing before BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991). Love the Scottish accents! Hope it's another good one from Pixar.

...Disney's THE SNOW QUEEN project is back on track after being put on hold a couple of years ago; it's gone through the same name change process as TANGLED (2010) and will now be called simply FROZEN. Can't have a title that skews to girls, you see! Unfortunately plans for a hand-drawn 2D cartoon, in the vein of THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (2009), have been scrapped in favor of 3D computer graphics.

...Registration for the next MouseAdventure event opens tomorrow, January 31st, at 9:00 a.m. The March 11th event will be called "MouseAdventure Card Games," and this year the Basic Division game will take place in Downtown Disney as well as Disneyland. Gulp! Our family's team, Skippers in De Nile, plans to participate again.

...In December Disney confirmed last summer's rumor that Ghirardelli is coming to Disney's California Adventure, moving into the site of the former Mission Tortilla factory. The new location will feature a soda fountain and chocolate shop.

...Disneyland is celebrating "One More Disney Day" by remaining open 'round the clock on Leap Day, February 29, 2012.

...As I mentioned at the end of my review of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991), I'm looking forward to seeing LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955) next weekend at the Disney-operated El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. This will be our first visit to the El Capitan, as well as our first opportunity to see LADY AND THE TRAMP on a big screen.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

2012-01-29T23:00:00.001-08:00

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Tom Selleck's next JESSE STONE TV-movie, BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT (2012), will be shown on CBS May 20th. Selleck cowrote the screenplay. I need to catch up on seeing the last couple Stone films!

...The New York Post published an interesting interview with Turner Classic Movies programmer Charlie Tabesh today.

...Speaking of TCM, at Immortal Ephemera Cliff has thoughts on the station's annual Oscar month, and he also breaks down by decade the films TCM is showing early this year. I found the results of his tally interesting.

...Cliff also recently reviewed Robert Montgomery in PICCADILLY JIM (1936), a film I reviewed last summer. I always enjoy reading more about Robert Montgomery films!

...At Classic Movies, KC shares thoughts on Robert Montgomery and Joan Crawford in LETTY LYNTON (1932), one of my favorite pre-Codes. Let's hope that Warner Archive succeeds in untangling the legal issues so it can at last be widely seen, in a good print.

...At Dear Old Hollywood, Robby checks out the locations of WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED? (1963). I especially loved the shots of Market Basket, a grocery store I remember from my early childhood. The blue Van De Kamp's bakery sign hanging over the door brings back memories.

...And over in England, Matthew finds a location from Ealing comedies at Movietone News. He shares some terrific photos.

...Debbie Reynolds gave her ONE FOR THE MONEY (2012) co-star Katherine Heigl a new perspective on what constitutes a long, hard day on a movie set.

...Colin shares thoughts on the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher Western WESTBOUND (1958) at Riding the High Country, and there's a good discussion which follows in the comments. I liked it. It's available in a boxed set of Randolph Scott Westerns from Warner Archive.

...TRANSATLANTIC (1931), starring Edmund Lowe and Myrna Loy, sounds quite interesting. Read more about it at Where Danger Lives.

...Raquelle recently reviewed James Garner and Eva Marie Saint in GRAND PRIX (1966) at Out of the Past. Racing fans will want to check out her series on other racing films of the late '60s and early '70s.

...Sometimes I enjoy Roger Ebert, and other times we sharply part company. His recent column on DOWNTON ABBEY made me smile.

...Here's a great recipe for molasses cookies published by the L.A. Times. It originates from Milk in Los Angeles.

...Slow-Cooker Brunswick Stew, from Cook's Country, looks good too!

...Why is the first season of L.A. LAW out on Region 2 DVD but not available on DVD or even streaming in the U.S.?

...Restaurants strategize how to deal with their customers' ever-present cell phones. I was amused by the term "reciprocell."

...Reese Witherspoon's new movie, THIS MEANS WAR (2012), is due out on Valentine's Day. It was going to receive an R rating, which would have limited the film's potential audience, but the studio made edits and it's now rated PG-13. That change sounds good to me; I've had my fill of rated R dialogue for a while after seeing THE DESCENDANTS (2011) and CONTRABAND (2012) in recent weeks. I shared a link for the THIS MEANS WAR trailer last fall.

...Yosemite is considering a plan to limit hikers on Half Dome. I've thought the current policy, which allows children on the dangerous trail, was kind of nuts for years now.

...Over at Sidewalk Crossings, Deb reviews Stewart Granger and Valerie Hobson in BLANCHE FURY (1948). It can be streamed on Netflix.

...Attention Southern Californians: On Wednesday, February 8th, UCLA will be hosting a film noir double bill of Cornel Wilde and Richard Conte in THE BIG COMBO (1955), teamed with Dick Powell and Lizabeth Scott in PITFALL (1948). The films will be shown in 35mm prints at the historic Million Dollar Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Alan Rode, who is always a pleasure to hear speak, will be on hand. I'm hoping to attend.

...Notable Passings: Screenwriter Robert Dozier passed away at the age of 81. He was married to Diana Muldaur and was the son of producer William Dozier. One of his stepmothers was Joan Fontaine, and his stepmother of many decades was Ann Rutherford. (Via KC at Classic Movies.)...Actor James Farentino, who had a long, busy TV career, passed on at the age of 73...Emmy-winning director John Rich, who worked on many episodes of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, has died at the age of 86.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Beauty and the Beast (1991) 3D Special Edition

2012-01-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today I went to see the 3D Special Edition of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Over the last couple of decades it's been easy to take this film for granted, due in part to constant exposure to the movie as my children were growing up, but seeing it today brought home to me anew just how exceptionally good this film is. I consider it to be the gem of Disney's Second Golden Age of Animation.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, of course, is Disney's telling of the story of Belle (Paige O'Hara), a beautiful, bookish girl. Belle bravely agrees to live in the enchanted castle of the cursed Beast (Robby Benson) if the Beast will set her imprisoned father free.

The Beast's servants (Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, and David Ogden Stiers), who were cursed to live as a teapot, candlestick, and clock, hope Belle will come to love the Beast and thus set them all free from their spell. Just when it seems their hopes will come true, boorish Gaston (Richard White), who wants Belle for himself, arrives at the castle with evil intent.

It's a simple story ("tale as old as time..."), beautifully told and expertly paced, with a brilliant, Oscar-winning score by Allan Menken and Howard Ashman. The script, voices, and animation all represent Disney in peak form. To borrow a phrase from another classic Disney musical, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is "practically perfect in every way."

I vividly remember when we took our oldest daughter, who had just turned three, to see BEAUTY AND THE BEAST the year it opened. After the first song, "Belle," my husband and I turned and looked at each other with some amazement. It had the excitement of a big Broadway choral number, with powerful voices to match. (I had the rare chance to share our happy memories and how much I love this sequence with producer Don Hahn when I attended a screening of WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY a couple of years ago.) Two decades later, this number still thrills me.

Perhaps it's a stretch, but the "Belle" sequence has always reminded me just a bit of the opening "Isn't It Romantic?" sequence in LOVE ME TONIGHT (1932), as various characters in a European town take part in the song and set the story moving on its way. In fact, as I think on it more, LOVE ME TONIGHT also happens to have its moments of enchantment, with the aunts working to cast a spell on Princess Jeanette (Jeanette MacDonald). And Gaston's shadow projected on a wall in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST reminds me Maurice Chevalier's shadow on the wall in the earlier film. Perhaps this is all coincidental, but it does serve to illustrate one way that BEAUTY AND THE BEAST fits into a long tradition of excellent movie musicals.

I believe Belle is one of Disney's best animated characters, both in terms of her personality and the animation itself. Belle is no shy princess, but a girl who isn't afraid to say "no" and who doesn't hesitate to put herself on the line for those she loves. The myriad expressions which cross her face are truly remarkable; it's easy to see just what she's thinking. And her habit of pushing a strand of hair back out of her face is quite lifelike.

I remember how surprised -- even shocked -- I was when I heard that Robby Benson had been cast as the Beast. For me, he was the baby-voiced George Gibbs of OUR TOWN (1977) and other '70s productions. I was quite amazed and pleasantly surprised the first time I heard his deep voice as the Beast. Lansbury, Orbach, and Stiers are also terrific and have their moments to shine, including in the songs "Be Our Guest" and the title track. The film marked Lansbury's return to Disney 20 years after starring in BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (1971).

If there is a flaw to be found anywhere in this film, it's perhaps the reference to the castle having been enchanted for ten years, which doesn't seem to compute with the young age of Chip (Bradley Pierce) and may not fit with the curse on the Beast. Was he just 11 when he was cursed?

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was nominated for Best Picture. Looking back, I personally find it rather appalling that a film as nasty as SILENCE OF THE LAMBS won instead. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is uplifting, exquisitely made art which represents the very best of movie-making and which will continue to be enjoyed by viewers of all ages for generations to come.

I like my 3D in small doses, and I must say I was particularly impressed with this film's 3D presentation. It's so well done that it appears as though the film was originally designed that way, which strikes me as quite a feat. The opening sequence explaining the curse almost looks like a pop-up book unfolding as the camera moves in closer to the castle. I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to see the movie in this format.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton. It runs 84 minutes.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was preceded by the six-minute short TANGLED EVER AFTER (2012), a very amusing sequel to TANGLED (2010). Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore reprise the voices of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel.

I recommend the 2-disc BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Platinum Edition DVD released in 2002. Another two-disc edition was released last fall.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST can also be purchased on Amazon Instant Video. It was released on VHS in 1992.

Related posts: Tonight's Theater: Beauty and the Beast; Tonight's Movie: Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009); Tonight's Movie: Beauty and the Beast (1976).

I'm looking forward to another special Disney film experience soon, as we have tickets to see LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955) next weekend at the Disney-operated El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

Disneyland: The Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe

2012-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

When we visited Disneyland last Friday, one of the things we enjoyed was taking a close look at the brand-new Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, which opened this month on the site of the old Plaza Pavilion restaurant.

In recent years the Plaza Pavilion had served as the processing center for annual passes, but with the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, the building returns to its original purpose as a restaurant. And the theme is so perfect for Main Street U.S.A., one almost wonders why Disneyland didn't use this idea sooner!

Decorative windows with the penguin waiters from the "It's a Jolly Holiday" scene in MARY POPPINS were one of my favorite touches:

The floor in the center of the bakery entrance has this tile image, reminiscent of a sidewalk chalk drawing:

Another nice touch:

It was quite crowded and difficult to get a good overview of the restaurant. Here's a glimpse toward the counter area. One of the things I really liked was some framed photos of birds which call to mind both "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Feed the Birds." The edge of one such picture is barely glimpsed to the right in this photo. (Click any photo for an enlarged view.)

One of the dessert display cases:

Many of the desserts are holdovers from the now-closed Blue Ribbon Bakery, but there are also some new items, including miniature pies. The Jolly Holiday also serves sandwiches. I hoped that the new bakery might emulate Florida's Main Street Bakery and add crumb cake to the menu, but no luck!

Another decorating detail:

All in all, the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe is a very nice addition to the park!

For even more photos and information on the menu, visit the Disney Food Blog or Inside the Magic.

Today at Disneyland: Chinese New Year

2012-01-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

We made our first visit of the year to Disneyland this evening. We had a nice dinner at the Plaza Inn, checked out the brand-new Jolly Holiday Bakery, and took in the Chinese New Year decorations along the walkway to It's a Small World.

January flowers on Main Street U.S.A.:

It was a nice day today, although the wind was picking up enough by early evening that tonight's fireworks show had to be cancelled.

The Matterhorn is being rehabbed:

The path to It's a Small World, decorated for the Chinese New Year:

Twilight at Disneyland:

I'll be back to share some photos of the new Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe later in the weekend.

Update: Here's the Jolly Holiday post!

Tonight's Movie: Colleen (1936)

2012-01-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

COLLEEN is a mixed bag of a movie, with the pleasures of the ever-charming Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler struggling to push aside the leaden goofball antics of Hugh Herbert and Jack Oakie. For the most part Dick and Ruby succeed, which makes the movie worth watching, even if it has more than its share of groaner moments.

In their seventh and final teaming, Dick is the responsible nephew of a crazed millionaire (Herbert), while Ruby is the poor, honest bookkeeper working at a struggling dress shop the uncle purchases on a whim. Dick plans to shut down the shop and chalk it up as one more of his uncle's irresponsible mistakes, but before he can close it, Ruby is turned loose to run the shop and it becomes a success. Dick and Ruby fall in love, have a misunderstanding, and he proposes. The End. (You don't really consider that a spoiler, do you? Don't Dick and Ruby always end up together?!)

This time around the Warren-Dubin score didn't introduce any songs which became lasting hits, but Dick Powell's crooning of "I Don't Have to Dream Again" and "An Evening With You" is pleasant. Ruby has two very enjoyable dances with Paul Draper which I liked as much as any of Ruby's past work; her movements are very fluid and she doesn't do the tapping hunched over and looking at her feet as she sometimes did in earlier films. I've always found Ruby endearing, and I love watching her teamed with Powell, who's one of my favorites.

One of the film's delightfully ersatz moments is when the struggling dress shop puts on a fashion show...and suddenly the shop has a gigantic stage and dozens of models performing a Busby Berkeley style dance number! Even better, bookkeeper Ruby, who has just invited Dick to watch the fashion show with her, is suddenly the dancing star of the show. She does a marvelous tap number with Paul Draper depicting a courtship and marriage. And when it's over, she's back in her bookkeeper wardrobe without a hair mussed or a drop of sweat; you'd never know she'd just been tapping her heart out! Draper and Bobby Connolly created the dances.

Another of the really fun things about the film is watching the faces that float by. There's Charles Coleman, the perennial butler...Mary Treen as Hugh Herbert's secretary/baby-sitter...the tall second process server turns out to be Ward Bond...and if you watch verrrrry closely, Dennis O'Keefe is an extra who dances right behind Dick and Ruby on the ship.

Other highlights include the gorgeous art deco ship, Joan Blondell as a "candy topper," and risque bits of dialogue and song lyrics which almost seem as though they belong in a film of the pre-Code era, which had ended a couple years before COLLEEN was released.

Then there's the down side, which I alluded to earlier. I believe it was Ivan of the blog Thrilling Days of Yesteryear who described Hugh Herbert as the equivalent of a "cinematic toothache" a couple of years ago, and the description was certainly apt. I have a hard time finding any humor at all in a man who is so imbecilic that he can't string a sentence together and comes across as a serious mental case. I like my humor to spring from smart people saying witty things, not idiots in need of round-the-clock observation.

A couple years ago John of Greenbriar Picture Shows, who otherwise enjoyed the movie, wrote "Maybe if Warners told you enough times that Hugh Herbert’s funny, you’d eventually wear down and agree he was... Suppose folks actually found him amusing? What does that say about our forebears?"

Jack Oakie isn't much better, although at least he's capable of talking coherently. By all accounts he was a lovely, popular gentleman off the screen, not to mention a generous contributor to the USC School of Cinematic Arts. But I just didn't find him fun to watch in this.

This movie was directed by Alfred E. Green. It runs 89 minutes. The supporting cast includes Marie Wilson, Louise Fazenda, Luis Alberni, J.M. Kerrigan, and Hobart Cavanaugh.

COLLEEN is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive. The sound struck me as slightly muffled early on, but the print was otherwise acceptable. The disc includes a trailer.

This film can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies. The trailer is on the TCM website; it's pretty cute.

Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler movies previously reviewed here at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933), FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933), 42ND STREET (1933), FLIRTATION WALK (1934), and DAMES (1934). When I catch up with SHIPMATES FOREVER (1935), I'll have completed seeing all seven Powell-Keeler films.

Book Review: A Maverick Life: The Jack Kelly Story

2012-01-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

When I was a teenager I discovered the TV series MAVERICK in syndicated reruns shown on what was then known as KHJ Ch. 9 in Southern California. I fell in love with everything about the show -- the terrific stories and scripts, the recurring cast members, the running jokes ("As my old Pappy used to say..."), and the lead actors, James Garner and Jack Kelly.

As surprising as it may have been, given the series was then 20 years old, I was also fortunate to develop friendships with a couple other people my age who were equally interested in the show. Perhaps just as surprising was that, pressed to choose a favorite, I think we all shared a preference for the less famous Maverick brother, Jack Kelly. As the years went by, the three of us were fortunate to meet both Mr. Garner and Mr. Kelly on multiple occasions, and both men couldn't have been more gracious to their fans.

I looked forward to MAVERICK each day after school, doing whatever I could to avoid missing it; this was before the advent of the home VCR! I became familiar with every episode by name and collected as much information about the show as I could, going so far as to quickly dictate names from the end credits into a tape recorder as they flew by.

In that pre-VCR, pre-cable, pre-IMDb era, movies and TV shows were fleeting events which might not be available again for years, and gathering information about them was usually a solitary and painstaking process. There was no "rewind" for the credits on those shows and no comprehensive reference source. For the most part, save for brief references in my film books, any data I had on the show was what I put together on my own. I even created a card file for each actor who guest-starred on the program, listing their episodes. Now, of course, all these credits are available via the Internet with just a few keystrokes!

In my quest for more information, I even once wrote a letter to Jack Kelly's business office, which happened to be located in a neighboring city, in which I asked if he was the same Jack Kelly who appeared as a child in the 20th Century-Fox films YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (1939) and THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL (1939). I reasoned that it was likely him, since his older sister, Nancy Kelly, was then appearing in films such as JESSE JAMES (1939) at Fox. I was gratified when Jack's wife sent me a quick note back confirming that it was indeed the same person!

Back then I mused about the possibility of writing a book on MAVERICK one day in the vague future -- a task I never undertook, but which was ably completed by Ed Robertson in his 1994 book MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST.

Never, however, did I dream that one day someone would publish a full biography on Jack Kelly's life and career. The introduction to this review hopefully helps to illustrate how delighted I am that that day has arrived with the publication of A MAVERICK LIFE: THE JACK KELLY STORY by Linda Alexander. It's from Bear Manor Media.

Ms. Alexander previously wrote RELUCTANT WITNESS: ROBERT TAYLOR, HOLLYWOOD, AND COMMUNISM which I reviewed back in 2008. Her Kelly biography has been in the works for several years, and coincidentally James Garner happened to publish his autobiography within weeks of the Kelly book, making MAVERICK fans quite happy indeed.

A MAVERICK LIFE was written with the cooperation of Jack Kelly's wife, daughter, and close associates, including his first wife, actress May Wynn. Jack's MAVERICK costar Roger Moore was, according to the author, "extraordinarily helpful"; James Garner declined to participate, but his daughter Gigi offered some help.

The book is an honest "warts and all" account of Jack's life, including his struggle with alcohol. This comprehensive look at both Jack's personal life and career, which reflects extensive research and the use of many primary sources, is a valuable piece of film and TV history. I'm very glad that it was written when so many people were still alive to help provide insights and information.

Jack Kelly was part of an acting family; as mentioned previously, his older sister was Nancy Kelly (THE BAD SEED), whose husbands included Oscar-winning actor Edmond O'Brien and cinematographer Fred Jackman Jr. During the '50s Jack worked his way up through the acting ranks at Universal, where his films included supporting roles in several Westerns. By the mid '50s he'd graduated to more significant supporting roles in films such as DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD (1954), TO HELL AND BACK (1955), THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR (1955), FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956), and JULIE (1956).

He landed his signature role when Warner Bros. needed to create a brother for James Garner in order to help maintain the busy production schedule for MAVERICK. It turned out to be fortuitous casting, as Kelly and Garner had a magical chemistry in their shows together, and Kelly was also excellent in his solo episodes. He was on MAVERICK from 1957 to 1962, longer than either James Garner or his later costar Roger Moore, but unlike those actors, his career never really took off after that point. Alcohol was probably a factor; perhaps it also played a role in his somewhat haggard appearance at a relatively early age.

Although he never took his stardom to a higher level, Jack worked steadily in episodic television and also appeared in several theatrical films in the 1960s and '70s. Gradually he developed interests in business and politics in addition to acting. He was elected to the Huntington Beach, California city council, eventually serving as the city's mayor. He passed away in 1992, age 65.

Linda Alexander covers all of this history in extensive detail, with comments from friends, family, and Jack's own interviews over the years helping to convey his personality. I learned countless new bits of information, such as that in the '50s Jack seriously dated former child actress Cora Sue Collins, or that he was a singer and starred in a stage production of THE MUSIC MAN. (Actor James Drury, star of THE VIRGINIAN, thought Jack was a better Harold Hill than Robert Preston, and said, "I sat there with my mouth open...He could sing like an angel.") By book's end the reader has gained a great deal of insight into the life of a complex man of varied interests who was lively and full of fun -- actress Kathleen Hughes said he was "one of the nicest, sweetest, dearest people I have ever met" -- yet also troubled, included ongoing issues with drinking.

The book is a well-illustrated 6" by 9" paperback with a very attractive cover illustration, seen at the top of this post; including the index, the book runs 374 pages.

I especially appreciated the inclusion of both an index and a detailed list of Kelly's screen appearances in A MAVERICK LIFE. This information was absent and very much missed in Alexander's previous Robert Taylor biography, so I was quite pleased to find she had taken the step of including both in her latest book. The investment of this extra effort really pays off over the long term for the readers. A few days ago I was flipping around in June Allyson's autobiography looking for passages on STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (1955), wishing her publisher had included an index!

In the interest of completeness, I mention that the book contains a couple of minor errors here and there, such as the misspelling of Stefanie Powers' and Edmond O'Brien's first names, but I didn't notice anything substantive. Any such errors are far outweighed by the wealth of new information now available in one volume.

My sincere thanks to author Linda Alexander for providing me with early access to an electronic review copy of this book. After the book was released I then purchased my own hard copy, completing my review once I had a chance to see the book in its final format.

A MAVERICK LIFE: THE JACK KELLY STORY is highly recommended.

Tonight's Movie: Bunco Squad (1950)

2012-01-24T23:49:00.000-08:00

BUNCO SQUAD is a minor "B" police procedural. Its chief pleasures are some marvelous, all-too-brief glimpses of Los Angeles in 1950 and Robert Sterling as an earnest LAPD detective.

Sgt. Steve Johnson (Sterling) is a detective with the LAPD bunco squad, charged with rounding up swindlers, con men, and other crooks. His latest case is working on breaking up a ring of con artists headed by Anthony Wells (Ricardo Cortez); the group uses seances to convince a wealthy bereaved woman, Mrs. Royce (Elisabeth Risdon), that her recently deceased son wants her to leave them her fortune. Believe it or not, she's dumb enough to buy into the plot.

Before it's all over, a murder has been committed and a whole lotta brake lines have been cut on cars. Was it really that easy to turn a car into a potential deathtrap?

Sterling is a genial presence as the dedicated detective, and there's a cute side plot involving his girlfriend (Joan Dixon) being a bit part movie actress. However, in this straightforward role Sterling doesn't get the same opportunity to shine as he did in the previous year's RKO Western ROUGHSHOD (1949), a really fine little movie which made me wish Sterling had done a lot more Westerns.

There are some great shots of 1950 L.A.; I even freeze framed a couple scenes just to take a moment to take in all the signs before the action moved on. There are lots of old gas station signs, in particular. For a Southern Californian, the glimpses of how L.A. used to look are great fun.

The film is also a great example of how to economically and quickly move a plot forward on a low budget. There's a great car wreck scene where the ultimate crash is depicted with a single shot of a spinning wheel on the corner of an overturned car. Another death is instantly conveyed via a newspaper headline, without a second wasted showing it.

Where films like this tend to lose me is when they spend too much time focusing on the crooks and the commission of the crime. In particular, there's a couple seance sequences here I really didn't care to watch; they were just silly, and I didn't find the plan to free Mrs. Royce from the bad guys' clutches believable. Watching Cortez and company plot their crime struck me as ho-hum. I'm much more interested in the procedural aspects, watching how the detectives conduct their footwork and use various resources to solve the crime. The movie would have benefited by showing more of that type of thing than it did.

Side note: What's with Tol Avery, playing Sterling's police captain, pronouncing Los Angeles as Los Angle-ees?! I actually rewound the movie just to listen to him say it a second time.

This was the first film appearance in 14 years of Marguerite Churchill, who plays Mrs. Royce's secretary. Churchill's movie roles included starring opposite John Wayne in the landmark early widescreen Western THE BIG TRAIL (1930), directed by Raoul Walsh.

Douglas Fowley, John Kellogg, Bernadene Hayes, and Robert Bice round out the cast.

This 67-minute film was directed by Herbert I. Leeds. Leeds directed a number of entries in the Michael Shayne, Mr. Moto, Charlie Chan, and Cisco Kid series. He passed away in 1954.

The screenplay by George Callahan was based on the novel FORTUNEER by Reginald Taviner.

BUNCO SQUAD is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive. The print is very good.

Watch for this RKO film to be shown on Turner Classic Movies.

I love "B" movies and am glad I saw BUNCO SQUAD, but it could have been better. For a different take, check out Mark's enthusiastic post at Where Danger Lives.

84th Annual Academy Award Nominations

2012-01-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

The 84th annual Academy Award nominations were announced this morning.

HUGO led with a total of 11 nominations, closely followed by THE ARTIST with 10.

This year there are nine nominees for Best Picture. As was the case last year, I've seen three of the nominees: THE DESCENDANTS, MONEYBALL, and MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.

I'm mildly surprised MONEYBALL was nominated for Best Picture; it was pleasant but had some glaring weaknesses. I didn't feel it had anything extra-special meriting recognition as a potential Best Picture.

I was glad to see George Clooney nominated for Best Actor for THE DESCENDANTS; I'll be quite surprised if he doesn't win. Clooney was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for cowriting THE IDES OF MARCH, a film I really enjoyed.

The biggest surprise to me was that MIDNIGHT IN PARIS didn't receive a nomination for Best Cinematography.

There were only two nominees for Best Song. That being the case, I'm baffled that "Man or Muppet" from THE MUPPETS was nominated for Best Song, but not "Life's a Happy Song."

It's also a mystery to me how KUNG FU PANDA 2 got a nomination for Animated Picture, but the very creative, visually delightful ARTHUR CHRISTMAS was ignored.

As an aside, my oldest daughter has seen seven of the nine Best Picture nominees and is strongly in favor of THE ARTIST. She loved parts of HUGO but felt it was two stories competing for time in the same movie. She's baffled by the nomination for EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE, especially when TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY was ignored in that category.

The awards ceremony will take place February 26th.

Previously: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011. 2009 was such a bad year I didn't bother to comment!

Tonight's Movie: Midnight in Paris (2011)

2012-01-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

When I sat down to watch MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011), the latest arrival from Netflix, I knew virtually nothing about it other than it was written and directed by Woody Allen. I figured how could I not watch a romantic comedy with such a great title? I was both surprised and charmed by the film, a delightful piece of movie-making which left me with a smile on my face.

I was entranced from the opening "overture" of sorts, a visual tour of Paris set to some wonderful music; perhaps the idea was borrowed from the opening of THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN (1954), but it has a style all its own. As this section drew to a close I commented to my family that I really hoped it would be a good movie because I sure liked the opening. And happily, it was.

Gil (Owen Wilson) is a successful screenwriter who dreams of putting his career on hold and moving to Paris to write a novel. As Gil tours Paris with his fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy), it's clear that Gil and Inez are a mismatched couple with very different goals. This problem is underlined when they spend time with Inez's friend Paul (Michael Sheen), a boorish bore of a know-it-all. Inez admires Paul and constantly criticizes her fiance.

Late one evening Gil escapes from socializing in order to walk back to the hotel. The clock chimes midnight and a vintage car pulls up. The passengers invite Gil to come along for a ride, and strange things begin to happen...

Although I tend to be a viewer who likes "spoilers," I have to say this was one of the rare occasions when I enjoyed approaching a film without any idea what it would be about. It was great fun watching the story unfold, and for that reason I'm going to be as vague as possible about most of the film's content and characters.

Other than HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986), which I enjoyed, I've always been distinctly uninterested in watching Woody Allen movies and have just seen bits and pieces of things over the years. So I was perhaps a little slower on the uptake than others would be to connect that Owen Wilson's Gil was an Allen-like character. As I watched, I thought I might like the film even better with an actor capable of delving into the part more deeply, with more emotion. And frankly his demeanor didn't seem quite intelligent enough at times to be a successful writer, though it was clear he knew great literature.

Wilson's performance seemed very surface, almost more of a place holder than a three-dimensional character. On the other hand, he was pleasant enough, and his "chill," vaguely surfer boy attitude meant he rolled with whatever happened to him without questioning it. I really liked that the movie didn't spend a whole lot of time worrying about explanations for what he experienced.

For me the film's only other flaw, which happens too often in a film depicting a collapsing relationship, is that the viewer has very little idea what drew Gil and Inez together in the first place. Perhaps it was physical attraction on his part, and on her end the desire to marry someone in the film business and live in Malibu. Perhaps there was initially an element of opposites attracting between the relaxed Gil and brittle, prickly Inez. There's not much more to go on than that. Other than this issue, Allen's script is excellent, both funny and thoughtful; incidentally, it was just awarded the Golden Globe.

The film's many strong points include a superb cast. My favorite supporting player was Kathy Bates, who absolutely nails her role and has some great lines and an upbeat philosophy I liked very much. Corey Stoll was also excellent in his larger-than-life role. Marion Cotillard and Lea Seydoux were both very good as two new women in Gil's life. Adrien Brody, Yves Heck, Allison Pill, and Tom Hiddleston are among the large cast.

Model Carla Bruni, also known as the current First Lady of France, is briefly seen as a tour guide and translator who assists Gil. I seem to recall having read in a London paper that Bruni's part was cut back due to her having difficulty handling the demands of acting, but any struggle on her part isn't apparent on the screen. She's quite charming.

The film's strongest point is the glorious cinematography by Johanne Debas and Darius Khondji. Paris simply glows; I'm not sure it's ever looked lovelier in a film. This is surely one of the most visually beautiful films released in years; the depiction of Paris is art in and of itself. The jazzy score adds the perfect finishing touch.

The movie left me with a smile on my face and very glad I'd invested 94 minutes in watching it. In fact, I'm going to buy my own copy so I can watch it again in the future. There's a lot to take in, and I think the second time around I'll notice things I missed on the first viewing.

Last May Kenneth Turan wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write again: Woody Allen has made a wonderful new picture...and it's his best, most enjoyable work in years." I also found, after writing my own review, that he agreed with me about approaching this film blindly: "This is also a film with an unanticipated twist, so the less you know about it the better. Try to see it immediately, before well-meaning friends tell you more than they should. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is too charming to be ruined by anything, but this is a case where ignorance really is bliss."

Parental Advisory: This film is on the mildest end of PG-13, due to some risque conversation and smoking. With a little judicious editing here and there, it would have been downright old-fashioned and family friendly. It has a sweet, upbeat spirit and is even a bit educational.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is available on DVD. It's also available for rental from Amazon Instant Video.

Update: The Oscar nominations are out, and MIDNIGHT IN PARIS was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Art Direction. I'm rather shocked it did not receive a nomination for Best Cinematography.

Tonight's Movie: Libeled Lady (1936) at UCLA

2012-01-22T23:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight's focus at UCLA's Spencer Tracy festival was a pair of films from 1936. The evening led off with the dramatic SAN FRANCISCO, which netted Tracy an Oscar nomination as Best Actor. The second film of the evening was a complete change of pace, the lively screwball comedy LIBELED LADY, shown in a 16mm print from George Eastman House.

LIBELED LADY has been one of my favorite comedies since I first saw it as a teen at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles. LIBELED LADY is packed with star power, starring Tracy with Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy.

Tracy plays Warren Haggerty, a newspaper editor trying to fend off a libel suit from wealthy Connie Allenbury (Loy). He brings in old colleague Bill Chandler (Powell) to handle the situation. Bill ends up marrying Warren's long-suffering fiancee Gladys (Harlow) as part of a plot to catch Connie in a compromising situation and convince her to drop the lawsuit.

It's all kind of silly, as screwball comedies usually are, but it goes down extremely smoothly thanks to the fine cast and witty, fast-paced dialogue, which is mixed with some well-done slapstick moments.

Powell, in particular, is at the top of his game, whether he's shaking down Warren for money, dealing with his hysterical "wife" Gladys, or learning how to fly fish. He's so appealing that it's completely believable that Connie doesn't bat an eye when she ultimately learns the truth; in fact the complete lack of angst when Connie finds out the truth is one of the film's many positive attributes.

Loy is also charming as Connie, from her entrance bouncing a ball on a tennis racquet, and she's equally appealing flipping flapjacks or taking Powell on a late-evening swim. She's also got a wonderful wardrobe by Dolly Tree.

Harlow takes what could have been a shrewish, unappealing character and makes her very funny. I especially love the sight of her invading the newsroom dressed in her wedding gown. Film fans can also enjoy seeing her play the phony, very funny marriage scenes with the actor (Powell) who was her offscreen love. The "wedding" scene, where she baffles the justice of the peace with her prolonged kiss of the best man (Tracy), is hilarious, especially Powell's aside, "An old friend of the family," then as the kiss goes on and on, "A very old friend."

Tracy has the most thankless role in the film, as a man who isn't too sad to constantly leave his fiancee standing at the altar, but he pulls it off as well as anyone could, without making the audience hate him too much.

Walter Connolly, who had previous experience as an heiress's father in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), deserves special note as Connie's father. I especially like the scene where he and Connie go through the motions of meeting Bill for drinks to thank him for his help early on in the film, obviously wanting to do their social duty and then move on as quickly as possible. It's deftly played with just the right balance of "I'm so important" rudeness and politeness.

LIBELED LADY was directed by Jack Conway. It runs 96 minutes.

It was remade as EASY TO WED (1946) starring Van Johnson, Esther Williams, Keenan Wynn, and Lucille Ball.

LIBELED LADY has been released on DVD in the Classic Comedies Collection and the TCM Jean Harlow Legends Collection. The DVD can be rented via Netflix. It's also been released on VHS.

LIBELED LADY can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies. The trailer is available on the TCM website.

Related posts: Tonight's Movie: Inherit the Wind (1960) at UCLA; Tonight's Movie: Manhattan Melodrama (1934) at the Egyptian Theatre.

Tonight's Movie: San Francisco (1936) at UCLA

2012-01-22T23:45:00.001-08:00

I returned to the Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood this evening to enjoy two fine 1936 entries in UCLA's ongoing Spencer Tracy festival, SAN FRANCISCO and LIBELED LADY. SAN FRANCISCO was shown in a beautiful 36mm print. I hadn't seen this film since watching it on commercial television as a teenager. What a pleasure to see this outstanding film on a big screen!

SAN FRANCISCO certainly exemplifies the old adage "They don't make 'em like they used to." A near-perfect package of entertainment, it features charismatic big-time movie stars in an engrossing story, which as a bonus is filled with beautiful music. Oh, and there's an earthquake!

Blackie Norton (Clark Gable) hires pretty Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) to sing in his Barbary Coast establishment. Mary's a hit with both the audiences and Blackie, but when Blackie offers Mary love, but not marriage, she decides to accept the offer of Jack Burley (Jack Holt) to sing more high-class music in his opera house.

Mary is also a success as an opera star, but off the stage she struggles with her love for the rough, not-too-respectable Blackie, especially when Jack asks her to marry him. Blackie's lifelong friend Father Tim (Spencer Tracy) counsels Mary and tries to help Blackie turn his life around. Then the Great Earthquake occurs...

All the reasons Gable was one of the biggest stars of the era were freshly brought home watching him in SAN FRANCISCO. As I noted when I saw him at UCLA last summer in HOLD YOUR MAN (1933), the commanding power of Gable's screen persona packs a real wallop when blown up on a big screen.

I think sometimes that perhaps over the years Gable has come to be taken a bit for granted, but it takes a very special performer to have an impact on Gable's level. Beyond his star power, he was a superb actor, equally capable of playing light scenes or deep emotion, with the ever-present twinkle in his eye making the audience root for him even when his character isn't always admirable. As played by Gable, it's completely believable that that Bad Boy of the Barbary Coast would have also anonymously donated an expensive organ to a struggling church.

Lovely Jeanette is always delightful, capable of going toe to toe with Gable and Tracy and carving out her own special place in the movie. Mary may waffle between Blackie and the more respectable life Burley offers, but it's a believable conflict, and Mary also shows a great deal of spirit when needed. MacDonald's singing is wonderful throughout the film, but two memorable numbers deserve special mention: the rousing "San Francisco" just before the earthquake, and the beautiful "Nearer My God To Thee," sung near the end of the film. These scenes linger in the mind hours after the film has ended.

I feel the role of Father Tim is one of Spencer Tracy's most likeable performances, low-key yet completely compelling. Just watch the scene in his office where he makes coffee and gets to know Mary; the viewer can't take eyes off of him. There are nice bits of humor sprinkled here and there, such as the sidelong way he looks at Gable near the end of the film. Father Tim effectively provides the audience with enough back story to know that Gable's Blackie is really a decent guy at heart.

Tracy was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, which is a bit curious, as the Best Supporting Actor category would have seemed more appropriate recognition, given his role and the amount of screen time.

In addition to Tracy's acting nomination, SAN FRANCISCO was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director (W.S. Van Dyke), Best Assistant Director, and Best Original Story. It won the Oscar for Best Sound. It's worth noting that an Oscar category for Best Special Effects wouldn't be created until 1939. The earthquake sequence is certainly Oscar-worthy, and unlike the seemingly interminable but less impressive EARTHQUAKE (1974) decades later, it knows when to quit.

This movie runs 115 minutes. The very good script was by Anita Loos, based on a story by Robert E. Hopkins; the script was published in both hardcover and softcover by the Southern Illinois University Press in the late '70s. The black and white photography was by Oliver T. Marsh.

The supporting cast includes Jessie Ralph, Ted Healy, Shirley Ross, Margaret Irving, Harold Huber, Edgar Kennedy, Al Shean, and William Ricciardi.

The boys choir accompanying Jeanette at the organ dedication was the St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers; this church in Long Beach, California, supplied the boys choir for many films over the years, including MRS. MINIVER (1942).

SAN FRANCISCO is available on DVD as a single-title release or in the Clark Gable Signature Collection. The DVD contains an alternate ending; the future San Francisco seen in the final shot was changed for a 1948 re-release.

The DVD can be rented from Netflix, and the movie is available for streaming from Amazon Instant Video.

It was also released on VHS.

Finally, SAN FRANCISCO can be seen from time to time on Turner Classic Movies, which has the trailer available on the TCM website.

Related post: Tonight's Movie: Inherit the Wind (1960) at UCLA.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

2012-01-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Oldies.Com, the best source for the Alpha Video line of public domain films, is having a sale through January 31st: half a dozen films for $25, plus free shipping. Some of Alpha's interesting recent releases: THAT BRENNAN GIRL (1946) with Mona Freeman, DOUBLE EXPOSURE (1944) with Nancy Kelly and Chester Morris, NO HANDS ON THE CLOCK (1941) with Chester Morris, Jean Parker, and Rod Cameron, FOLLIES GIRL (1943) with Wendy Barrie, double billed with CAREER GIRL (1944) with Frances Langford, and THE ADVENTURES OF DANTE, which consists of episodes of FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE with Dick Powell as the recurring title character, scripted by Blake Edwards; directors include Robert Aldrich.

...A few days ago I watched Ray Milland in the excellent CIRCLE OF DANGER (1951), which was based on a book by Philip MacDonald. Over at Riding the High Country, Colin has just reviewed another film based on a MacDonald novel: 23 PACES TO BAKER STREET (1956) starring Van Johnson and Vera Miles. It sounds quite interesting.

...Have a Kindle? Elswyth Thane's YANKEE STRANGER, the second in the series of Williamsburg Novels which are my all-time favorite books, has been released in a Kindle version. I immediately loaded it into my Fire. DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT was previously released in a Kindle version. Hopefully the rest will be coming soon. Thanks to Michele for the tip!

...I've been very impressed by this month's series on VERTIGO (1958) at The Lady Eve's Reel Life. In one of most recent entries, John Greco interviews Hitchcock biographer Patrick McGilligan about the movie.

...A few days after enjoying Steve Cochran and Ruth Roman in TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY (1951), I happened across a 2009 review posted by Mark at Where Danger Lives. I really enjoyed his thoughtful take on the film and its characters. I was also interested to read the strong endorsement by the "Czar of Noir," Eddie Muller, in the comments. The movie is available from the Warner Archive and is very much recommended.

...Page recently posted a lovely piece on Alice Faye at My Love of Old Hollywood, filled with some terrific photos. Alice Faye fans will want to be sure to check it out, and it's a great introduction for those new to the lovely and talented Alice.

...Mail Alert: Stamp prices went up by one cent today. It will now cost 45 cents to mail that birthday card or bill.

...Deb's posted a number of interesting reviews lately at Sidewalk Crossings. I especially enjoyed her thoughts on Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, and Kirk Douglas in THE VIKINGS (1958) and a comparison of the 1937 and 1952 versions of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA.

...Mike Clark has reviewed the Warner Archive release of THE CONSTANT NYMPH (1943) at Home Media Magazine.

...At The Crowd Roars, Anna chooses her three favorite Loretta Young pre-Codes.

...I love PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948), the Joseph Cotten-Jennifer Jones fantasy featured in a new post at Classic Movies Digest.

...Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood had her post on one of my favorite films, STATE FAIR (1945), reposted at MovieFanFare. Judging by the number of comments, it's a popular film!

...Notable Passing: Actress Jenny Tomasin, who played Ruby, the lowly and not-quite-bright scullery maid Ruby on UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, has passed away at the age of 75.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Contraband (2012)

2012-01-20T23:56:00.000-08:00

Regular readers know that newly released "R" rated action movies aren't the typical bill of fare here at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings. But as I mentioned last weekend, I've been intrigued by the trailer and some good reviews for the new film CONTRABAND (2012). With a tight schedule this weekend, off we went to an equally rare late show tonight. I guess that's my version of walking on the wild side! And I had quite a good time.

CONTRABAND is based on REYKJAVIK-ROTTERDAM (2008), an Icelandic thriller. (Iceland has a film industry? Who knew?) Baltasar Kormakur, the star of the original film, directed the remake.

Mark Wahlberg plays Chris Farraday, a one-time smuggler gone good. He now has a pretty wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and two little boys, as well as his own security business in New Orleans.

Chris's pretty nice life heads south in a hurry when Kate's ugly, idiotic little brother Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), a would-be smuggler, tosses a load of drugs overboard when the ship is boarded by customs. The drug dealers don't take kindly to this and put Andy in the hospital. It's up to Chris to get the bad guys off his family's back, and he ultimately decides he has no choice other than to pull off the proverbial "one last job" in order to pay off the kingpins threatening his entire family.

Think of it as a gritty version of OCEAN'S 11, with the ol' gang being a bunch of gnarly seamen. Unlike the OCEAN'S films, though, things constantly go wrong, but Chris is one cool customer, even when caught in the middle of a shootout in Panama. The ultimate payoffs are sweet, and I couldn't help laughing that the ending was very "pre-Code." Crime, it seems, does not always have to be punished in 2012.

If one is willing to ignore the fact that the script is one long "F" word (think I'm kidding?!) and the characters aren't always particularly admirable, it's a fun movie, violent but not very bloody, with some clever bits of business. (And for those who have seen it, I guessed the payoff with the hot art!) I don't usually do children in peril well, but the film was right at a level that was OK for me. Likewise a sequence near the end was creepy, but it didn't cross so far over the line I couldn't enjoy the film.

Wahlberg is perfect as the intrepid hero (or is he an anti-hero?), and I also really liked Beckinsale as his wife. One has the sense, guessing at an unsaid back story, that her life hasn't always been easy either, but together Kate and Chris have found a kind of peace and a normal family life, which they're trying to preserve.

Ben Foster is effective as Sebastian, Chris's best friend who is struggling with his own demons. Giovanni Ribisi is quite scary as a psycho drug dealer.

The cinematography by Barry Ackroyd is annoyingly cutesy on closeups, zooming in and out of focus, but he does a nice job juxtaposing the unique beauty and pathetic mess that is New Orleans. The action sequences with choppers are crisply shot and attractive. As L.A. Times reviewer Betsy Sharkey notes, "What makes the action sequences so mesmerizing is the sheer size of the boats and all those containers stacked like tinker toys. That is the perfect staging ground for mayhem, with such good, clean lines for the lens to frame."

The film runs an hour and 49 minutes.

Parental advisory: As mentioned, this film is rated R for language, along with violence and drug use. I felt the rating was definitely on target.

Sometimes the timing is right to see something completely different from the norm, and CONTRABAND didn't disappoint. Recommended for those looking for a well-made action film.

Tonight's Movie: The Falcon Strikes Back (1943)

2012-01-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

Six months after George Sanders exited the FALCON series in THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942), Tom Conway took over the franchise starring solo in THE FALCON STRIKES BACK.

Conway, who was Sanders' older brother in real life, had been introduced as Tom Lawrence, the brother of Sanders' Gay Lawrence, in THE FALCON'S BROTHER. This time around Tom picks up where Gay left off, waking up with a hangover and immediately involved with three beautiful women: perky reporter Marcia Brooks (Jane Randolph), first met by Tom in THE FALCON'S BROTHER; resort manager Gwynne Gregory (Harriet Hilliard, better known as Harriet Nelson); and the mysterious Mia Bruger (Rita Corday).

Tom becomes entangled with a ring to steal war bonds; along the way he's involved with a group of volunteer knitters and conducts an investigation at the elegantly rustic Pinecrest Hotel.

Harriet Hilliard looks especially lovely as the hotel manager who may or may not be a crook. It's always a treat to see her from the earlier part of her career, before she was better known as Ricky and David's mother!

THE FALCON STRIKES BACK is an especially good entry in the series, 66 well-paced minutes filled with colorful characters and an attractive setting. The hotel makes an especially pleasing backdrop for the mystery; I'd love to know where the exterior swimming pool scenes were shot. (It's also fun to spot the smooth editing in of Rita Corday's diving double.) Tom Conway plays the Falcon as though it's been his part from Day One, and the whole formula works very well.

It's interesting to note this title was directed by Edward Dmytryk, who would soon show his talent on Grade "A" films such as MURDER, MY SWEET (1944), TILL THE END OF TIME (1946), and CROSSFIRE (1947).

The Velma Dawson Puppets add an unusual bit of color to the film; Dawson was the creator of the Howdy Doody marionettes. It's interesting to note that one of the puppets is of Disney's Goofy; RKO, which made the FALCON series, released Disney films in that era.

Jane Randolph returned to the series for the second and final time as Marcia Brooks. Marcia fills the same type of role Wendy Barrie played in the first two films, dazzled by the Falcon's kisses and jealously fending off other women, while occasionally serving as his Gal Friday. In between making THE FALCON'S BROTHER and THE FALCON STRIKES BACK, Randolph and Conway costarred with Kent Smith and Simone Simon in the Val Lewton-Jacques Tourneur classic CAT PEOPLE (1942).

Rita Corday would go on to appear in five more FALCON films, in a variety of roles. Despite a significant number of credits under the name Rita Corday, in 1947 she was billed in Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s THE EXILE (1947) under the name Paule Croset. Then in the '50s she began acting under yet another name, Paula Corday.

Jean Brooks, who plays the Spanish-speaking girl asking the Falcon's help at the end of the movie, would also appear in five more FALCON films, playing a different role in each one!

Cliff Clark and Edward Gargan return as long-suffering Inspector Donovan and the hapless Detective Bates, while Richard Loo succeeds Keye Luke, the most recent actor to have played the Falcon's houseboy, Jerry. Loo is quite delightful in an expanded role, showing up undercover at Pinecrest to help solve the mystery. Cliff Edwards picks up the part of the Falcon's right-hand man, Goldie Locke, from Allen Jenkins, who played the role in the first three films; Don Barclay's Lefty of THE FALCON'S BROTHER is absent.

One almost needs a scorecard to follow the revolving cast members and characters throughout the series -- although, truth to tell, it doesn't really matter very much, except to those of us who like to keep track of such things! Each film is a self-contained story which can be enjoyed by anyone new to the series.

The earlier films in the Falcon series, preceding THE FALCON'S BROTHER, were THE GAY FALCON (1941), A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942), and THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942).

THE FALCON STRIKES BACK is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive in The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Volume I.

It can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Tonight's Movie: The Reformer and the Redhead (1950)

2012-01-17T23:50:00.000-08:00

THE REFORMER AND THE REDHEAD is a lightweight piece of fluff mixing politics, a lion, and the real-life Mrs. and Mrs. Dick Powell.

Mrs. Powell, better known as June Allyson, plays Kathy, a zookeeper's daughter with the proverbial redheaded temper. When her father (Cecil Kellaway) is fired from his longtime post by the boss (Ray Collins) of a political machine, she enlists the help of a mayoral reform candidate, Andrew (Powell).

Andrew must overcome Kathy's temperamental moments, interfering lions, and his own inclination to cut an expeditious but not very moral political deal in order to arrive at a happily ever after ending.

It's all kind of silly, but the film has its pleasures, including the first teaming of Powell and Allyson since their 1945 marriage. (Prior to marrying they had both appeared in the 1944 film MEET THE PEOPLE.) They have a nice chemistry; Powell constantly wears an "Isn't she cute?" expression which one suspects wasn't acting. The couple is pictured at the right celebrating a birthday on the set.

Powell also has good chemistry with David Wayne, who plays his law partner and campaign manager; they do a nice job trading quips and wisecracks. Powell also gets some extended screen time providing comic reactions as he none-too-willingly interacts with lions, tame and otherwise, and he has a pretty cute moment bottle feeding newborn goats.

1950 was a bit of a strange film year for June Allyson. She costarred with Powell in an additional film, the interesting RIGHT CROSS (1950), but instead of looking her nicest, MGM played up the tomboy aspects of her characters in both these movies and gave her the worst haircuts and dowdiest wardrobes of her MGM career.

Aside from my quibbles over Allyson's appearance, she has an interesting character, playing a talkative girl with initiative who quickly captures Powell's attention when she suggests they skip a few dates and go right to a kiss to see if they have chemistry. Needless to say, they do! In fact, Powell and Allyson managed to work quite a lot of kissing into the movie.

The film is made with typical MGM gloss, including a smooth opening credits theme by David Raksin, composer of the themes for LAURA (1944) and THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952). The black and white photography was by Ray June.

The supporting cast of this 90-minute film includes Robert Keith and Kathleen Freeman. Spring Byington provides the voice of Kathy's mother.

This film was directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, from their own script, which was based on an original story by Robert Carson.

THE REFORMER AND THE REDHEAD is not out on DVD or VHS. It can be seen on Turner Classic Movies. The trailer is available on the TCM website.

All in all, the movie goes down pretty easily for fans of the lead actors, but it's missing that special something which takes a comedy to the next level and makes it truly memorable.

Tonight's Movie: Circle of Danger (1951)

2012-01-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

CIRCLE OF DANGER is a most enjoyable film starring Ray Milland as an American who travels to England in an attempt to solve his brother's mysterious death during wartime service. It was filmed in the UK and directed by Jacques Tourneur.

Clay Douglas (Milland) has reason to believe that his brother, who volunteered to serve in the British Army, was killed by one of his fellow soldiers, rather than the Germans. He travels to England on a quest for the truth, but clues are hard to come by, with most of his brother's old unit killed in action. Only a few men remain who might be able to help Clay discover the truth, including Hamish McArran (Hugh Sinclair), Sholto Lewis (Marius Goring), and Reggie Sinclair (Naunton Wayne).

Along the way, Clay also manages to romance lovely Elspeth (Patricia Roc), the author of children's books.

I found the film's tone and style quite reminiscent of Robert Montgomery's very enjoyable EYE WITNESS (1950), another quiet little mystery filmed in England. Perhaps I should not have been surprised to discover that two of the producers of CIRCLE OF DANGER, David E. Rose and Joan Harrison, also produced EYE WITNESS, under the banner of Coronado Productions. Harrison was a longtime Hitchcock associate who also teamed with Montgomery on a few films.

Although for the most part the film is very British and low-key, the last ten minutes or so have moments of Hitchcockian brilliance involving a whistled tune and a confrontation on a windswept moor.

Having now seen Milland in both CIRCLE OF DANGER and Lang's MINISTRY OF FEAR (1944), I wish all the more that he had made films for Hitchcock in addition to playing the villain in DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954). Milland makes a great Hitchcock-style hero, sort of a cross between Joel McCrea or Jimmy Stewart's "everyman" and Cary Grant's debonair style.

Milland's courtship of Patricia Roc was charming. It's fun to watch him slyly put the moves on her and her flustered response. I'm a Roc fan, although I do have to mention that one of my few complaints about the film was the running issue of Clay being constantly late to meet Elspeth due to being distracted by his detective work. It seemed as though it was mostly being used to artificially prolong a happy conclusion to their romance.

The men Clay deals with are very diverse characters. Naunton Wayne, who was half of the team of Charters and Caldicott in Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES (1938) and Reed's NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940), plays a slimy used car salesman who conditions passing information to Clay on the sale of a car! Hugh Sinclair plays a stoic British "officer and gentleman" who also happens to be competing with Clay for the lovely Elspeth, and Marius Goring has the flashiest role of all, as a commando turned flamboyant ballet choreographer. His scenes liven up the film, and he helps provide a very interesting conclusion.

I do have one other quibble, that the opening scene showing how Milland obtains the money to fund his mission was unnecessary and even a bit confusing, as far as the fact it has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. I think it should have been ditched in favor of a different opening more in keeping with the rest of the film.

Jacques Tourneur had previously directed Patricia Roc in the very good frontier film CANYON PASSAGE (1946), which also starred Dana Andrews and Susan Hayward. It appears as though CANYON PASSAGE may have been Roc's sole movie filmed in Hollywood. Roc films previously reviewed here include MILLIONS LIKE US (1943) and LOVE STORY (1944).

Jacques Tourneur worked in a variety of genres, including horror, film noir, Westerns, adventures, and homespun Americana. His films included CAT PEOPLE (1942), I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943), EXPERIMENT PERILOUS (1944), OUT OF THE PAST (1947), STARS IN MY CROWN (1950), and WICHITA (1955). No matter the genre, his work was always stylish and memorable, and CIRCLE OF DANGER proves no exception.

CIRCLE OF DANGER was based on the novel WHITE HEATHER by Philip MacDonald. It runs 86 minutes.

The original score was composed by Robert Farnon. A fun bit of movie trivia is that he was the uncle of Charmian Carr (THE SOUND OF MUSIC) and her sister Darleen (THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO).

This film is available on DVD from Sinister Cinema. It can also be rented from Amazon Instant Video.

Coming to DVD: Joel McCrea Westerns Collection

2012-01-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Toby of 50 Westerns From the 50s for spreading the good word that the Joel McCrea Westerns Collection will be out from the TCM Vault on April 2, 2012.

The four films in the set are THE VIRGINIAN (1946), CATTLE DRIVE (1951), BORDER RIVER (1954), and MUSTANG COUNTRY (1976).

News of any McCrea films coming to DVD is always welcome, although as Toby notes, the selections are a bit perplexing. For instance, THE VIRGINIAN, which I reviewed in 2010, was released just last year in the Universal Vault Collection. And MUSTANG COUNTRY jumps way ahead to McCrea's final film in the '70s.

BORDER RIVER, which I reviewed last year, and CATTLE DRIVE are both excellent choices for a DVD set.

Hopefully more McCrea films, including my personal favorite, SADDLE TRAMP (1950), will be coming in the future. In the meantime, this is a solid start, and as a McCrea fan, I'll want to own the set.

Tonight's Movie: Guest Wife (1945)

2012-01-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

GUEST WIFE is an amusing comedy about marital mix-up mania.

Christopher and Mary Price (Dick Foran and Claudette Colbert) are a happily married couple about to leave on a second honeymoon. The only blot on Mary's happiness is Christopher's loyalty to his best friend Joe (Don Ameche), a scalawag who has taken advantage of Chris once too often.

Joe isn't done taking advantage, though, and when he shows up just as Chris and Mary are leaving for their trip, his latest plot is a pip: he needs Mary to immediately pose as his wife in front of his boss (Charles Dingle). Mary consents after Chris willingly agrees, thinking it's a great joke -- until photos of Joe and his "wife" Mary show up in Chris and Mary's hometown paper.

Chris, Mary, and Joe play musical hotel rooms in New York and then the action moves to the Long Island estate of Joe's boss, as Mary scares commitment-phobic Joe by convincing him she's passionately in love with him, while Chris figures out how to reclaim his wife.

The plot of GUEST WIFE could have easily become irritating or heavy-handed, as it did in TOO MANY HUSBANDS (1940). It's to the movie's credit that never happens. The screenplay by Bruce Manning and John D. Klorer keeps the story moving along briskly, and the actors keep it light, never losing sight of their true loyalties. Claudette Colbert's sidelong glances and secret giggles in the last 15 or 20 minutes are worth the price of admission.

Colbert and Ameche had previously costarred in the classic MIDNIGHT (1939) and would later appear together in SLEEP, MY LOVE (1948). It's interesting they only had a "happily ever after" together in one out of three of their costarring films.

Dick Foran, seen by me a couple of days ago in TREASURE OF RUBY HILLS (1955), here has a relatively rare chance to play a romantic male lead opposite a major star. Curiously billed as Richard Foran -- was he trying to change his image a bit with this major role? -- he's second billed to Ameche, but since he's married to Claudette as the film opens and this was the era of the Production Code, there's not much question from the outset as far as who will get the girl. He has a nice comic touch although he lacks Ameche's star power.

Grant Mitchell has a particularly good part as a curious hotel detective. Grady Sutton, Irving Bacon, Milton Kibbee, Dan Seymour, and Mary Forbes are among the familiar faces in the supporting cast.

The movie was directed by Sam Wood and photographed in black and white by Joseph A. Valentine. Daniele Amfitheatrof was nominated for the Oscar for Best Score.

IMDb lists the running time as 90 minutes, though the print I watched was slightly shorter.

GUEST WIFE has been released on VHS by Republic.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

2012-01-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...The Criterion Collection has announced its releases scheduled for the next few months. Among the titles are ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959), A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (1958), and GODZILLA (1954).

...MAD MEN returns to TV for its fifth season on March 25th.

...CALIFORNIA CONQUEST (1952), starring Teresa Wright and Cornel Wilde, sounds quite intriguing. You can learn more about it at Another Old Movie Blog, which has interesting analysis of the film's politics and Teresa Wright's pistol-shooting heroine.

...Over at Riding the High Country, Colin has a very good post on another Teresa Wright film of the '50s, TRACK OF THE CAT (1954), which also starred Robert Mitchum, her costar from PURSUED (1947).

...I found this Forbes article on poor service at Best Buy to be a worthwhile read. The comparisons between what Best Buy does wrong and Amazon does right seemed correct to me. It strikes me that the reference to Best Buy in the following paragraph could also apply to how Netflix has recently conducted business: "Amazon...simply does what consumers want. Best Buy does what would be most convenient for the company for consumers to want but don’t, then crosses its fingers and prays." A follow-up column is here.

...Glenn Erickson's latest reviews at DVD Savant include JUAREZ (1939), a Warner Archive release starring Bette Davis, Brian Aherne, Claude Rains, and John Garfield, and Criterion's Blu-ray release of DESIGN FOR LIVING (1933). DESIGN FOR LIVING stars Gary Cooper, Fredric March, and Miriam Hopkins.

...George Clooney will write, direct, and star in THE MONUMENTS MEN, an upcoming film about art experts employed by the U.S. government to retrieve artwork stolen by the Nazis. Sounds very interesting to me. It's based on a book by Robert M. Edsel.

...The month of VERTIGO (1958) continues at The Lady Eve's Reel Life with a look at the film's San Francisco locations.

...Speaking of VERTIGO, Kim Novak started quite a kerfuffle last week when she took out a full-page trade paper ad protesting the use of Bernard Herrmann's music for VERTIGO in THE ARTIST (2011). I think she could have phrased her comments a little more tactfully, but have sympathy for her point of view, and her complaint certainly raises provocative questions about "homages" and where lines should be drawn when it comes to reusing things like musical scores. Hollywood has historically borrowed from itself -- composer Alfred Newman, for instance, reused his own themes in film after film -- but I wouldn't want to go see a movie and find I was listening to Korngold's score for THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) or Steiner's score for GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) instead of a new composition. Having just seen VERTIGO, I suspect I would be especially disconcerted to go see THE ARTIST and have the Herrmann score pop up. If nothing else, it takes one out of the picture at hand.

...Incidentally, THE ARTIST won a Golden Globe for Best Original Score tonight. Enough of the score is original that it also qualifies to be nominated for an Oscar.

...Some reviewers didn't like it (notably Leonard Maltin), but I was surprisingly intrigued by the trailer for CONTRABAND (2012) starring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale. It received good reviews in the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal. Might have to give it a try.

...Thanks to 50 Westerns From the 50s for pointing the way to this Ben Johnson web page.

...I can't say I was ever a particular fan of the 1977-81 series EIGHT IS ENOUGH, though I watched it from time to time; it had its enjoyable moments, but the family always seemed a bit plastic, with a touch of crassness thrown in. That said, fans may be pleased to hear it will finally come to DVD on April 17th.

...Cliff has a lengthy, interesting post on CLEOPATRA (1934) at Immortal Ephemera, and there's a related post at Warren William.com.

...French director Olivier Dahan is going to direct the biopic GRACE OF MONACO.

...Just caught up with a late December post on UNCHAINED (1955) at Where Danger Lives, starring Chester Morris and Barbara Hale. Mark's posts are always informative; I'd never heard of this film before!

...I'm planning to see THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (1942) for the first time this year, so I was interested in the post at Jim Lane's Cinedrome where he makes the case that AMBERSONS is Orson Welles' greatest film.

...I was saddened that J.C. Loophole announced he is turning out the lights at the Shelf, as he hasn't had sufficient time at this stage of his life to continue blogging. J.C. has been a good friend since my earliest days of blogging back in 2005, as well as an inspiration for my writing on classic films, and I hope to see him rejoin the blogosphere at a future date.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: West Point Widow (1941)

2012-01-14T23:46:00.000-08:00

WEST POINT WIDOW is one of my favorite kinds of movies, 63 minutes of "B" movie bliss. I enjoyed it from start to finish.

Nancy Hull (Anne Shirley) is a nurse whose coworkers at the hospital find her rather standoffish. She's unwilling to trade shifts and doesn't go on dates. Intern Dr. Jimmy Krueger (Richard Carlson) stumbles into the reason Nancy keeps to a schedule and doesn't socialize: she has a baby girl named Jennifer.

Jennifer was the result of Nancy's very brief marriage to "Rhody" Graves (Richard Denning); at the suggestion (insistence?) of Rhody's wealthy mother (Janet Beecher), the marriage had been annulled so that he could attend West Point. Cadets, it seems, could not be married. Rhody and Nancy had pledged to reunite upon his graduation, when Nancy plans to surprise him for the first time with his daughter. In the meantime, Nancy and Rhody have not corresponded or spoken since the annulment.

Dr. Krueger falls head over heels for both Nancy and Jennifer, even teaching Baby Jennifer to call him "Daddy." Nancy, Jimmy, and Jennifer would seem to form a perfect little family. But Nancy remains confident that Rhody hasn't forgotten her and loyally plans to reunite with him on his graduation day.

I found this movie very entertaining, without a single wasted moment. I'm a fan of Richard Carlson, and he's quite adorable in this as the would-be husband and father who must overcome competition with a man Nancy hasn't seen in years. Shirley is also good; her character is at times overly naive and also a bit brittle, yet that is balanced with warmth and devotion.

WEST POINT WIDOW isn't anything more or less than it aspires to be, a briskly told "B" movie. It may not have the world's greatest script or most believable story, but for the viewer who's looking for an interesting, engaging film, with appealing lead actors, WEST POINT WIDOW provides very enjoyable entertainment.

The cast is filled out by a number of familiar faces, some of whom appear for just a single scene, including Cecil Kellaway, Frances Gifford, Lillian Randolph, Charles Coleman, Gladys Blake, Archie Twitchell, Maude Eburne, and Catherine Craig.

This film was directed by Robert Siodmak, who next directed Carlson in the delightful "B" noir FLY-BY-NIGHT (1942). Siodmak later directed Grade "A" film noir and suspense titles including PHANTOM LADY (1944), CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944), THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1945), THE KILLERS (1946), CRY OF THE CITY (1948), and CRISS CROSS (1949).

My great thanks to my friend Mel for making it possible for me to see this Paramount film at long last.

Tonight's Movie: Young Man With Ideas (1952)

2012-01-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

YOUNG MAN WITH IDEAS is a modest little domestic comedy about a lawyer struggling to get ahead in his career while raising a family.

Quiet Max Webster (Glenn Ford) writes winning briefs for trial attorneys at his Montana law firm but is continually overlooked for promotion. Max and his wife Julie (Ruth Roman) decide to make a fresh start in California.

While Julie is busy raising their three young children in a rental home which was previously the location of a bookie operation, Max studies for the California Bar exam by night and proves to be a hapless bill collector by day.

Complicating Max and Julie's lives are Max's study partner (Nina Foch), a singer (Denise Darcel) he meets when attempting to collect bills, and a local mafioso (Sheldon Leonard) who thinks Max is a bookie who needs to make good paying out on a bet.

It's all kind of cute, about on the level of a good quality TV sitcom, if not especially memorable. (This clip available on the TCM website gives a bit of the movie's flavor.) Ford and Roman make an attractive and believable couple, in terms of both strengths and weaknesses. I confess there were a couple times when I found Max's milquetoast attitude to be exasperating; at home his wife constantly talks past him, and he's so annoyingly wimpy as a bill collector that one wishes he would just quit and find a job more suited to his personality. Happily he finds his voice and stands up for himself near the movie's end.

Donna Corcoran is quite winning as Max and Julie's oldest child. The cast also includes Ray Collins, Nella Walker, Mary Wickes, Carl Milletaire, and Frank Sully. The man in the real estate office is Roger Moore, the older brother of Robert Young who played a couple hundred bit roles in a three-decade-long career.

YOUNG MAN WITH IDEAS is a pleasant but lesser effort by Mitchell Leisen. Leisen's many excellent films include EASY LIVING (1937), MIDNIGHT (1939), REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940), ARISE, MY LOVE (1940), HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), and NO MAN OF HER OWN (1950), to name just a few.

It was attractively photographed in black and white by Joseph Ruttenberg. The running time is 84 minutes.

This MGM film is not available on DVD or VHS, but it is shown periodically on Turner Classic Movies.

Tonight's Movie: Lightning Strikes Twice (1951)

2012-01-13T23:45:00.000-08:00

Within the past few days I've seen a film starring Ruth Roman and another film starring Zachary Scott, so why not next watch them starring in a movie together? That title was LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE, a romantic mystery also starring Richard Todd.

The film's come-hither poster art and tag lines have absolutely no relationship to an interesting melodrama about a very nice, proper actress named Shelley (Roman) who arrives in the Arizona desert planning a restful stay at a dude ranch in order to restore her health.

Shelley quickly meets and falls in love with a mysterious, emotionally remote man, John Trevelyan (Todd), who had been convicted for murdering his wife. Trevelyan was released when the jury hung after a retrial, but the locals in the small desert town continue to view him with suspicion and disdain. Although she's initially a bit wary, Shelley can't help feeling drawn to Trevelyan, and against his better judgment Trevelyan seems equally interested in her.

As Shelley's feelings deepen, she must discover the truth about the death of Trevelyan's first wife...

The movie doesn't always quite make sense; for instance, how did neighbor Liza (Mercedes McCambridge) end up sitting on the jury for a man she knew so well? The film also had its moments with red herrings, such as a scary drive Shelley takes with charming neighbor Harvey (Scott). Most of the cast acts suspiciously at one time or another, even a gas station attendant.

Quibbles and inconsistencies aside, I really enjoyed this film and found it quite entertaining. I very much enjoyed the cast, setting, and story -- with the exception of McCambridge, whom I've always found to be a singularly tedious and unappealing actress. (What a relief when Luz fell off her horse in GIANT!) The proverbial dark and stormy night when Shelley first meets Trevelyan was a particularly effective sequence.

Kathryn Givney provides excellent support to the three leads, as Trevelyan's foster mother. The cast also includes Frank Conroy, Rhys Williams, Darryl Hickman, Frank Cady, Ned Glass, Byron Foulger, and Nacho Galindo.

1951 was a very good year for Ruth Roman, who also appeared that year in TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. I've been enjoying becoming acquainted with her work for the first time.

Todd is effectively dashing as sort of a tortured Mr. Rochester type in this. Scott once again excels at his own particular brand of weasely charm, leading the viewer to variously consider whether he's a good guy, a killer, or something in between.

This 91-minute film was directed by King Vidor with black and white cinematography by Sid Hickox.

The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee was based on a novel by Margaret Echard titled A MAN WITHOUT FRIENDS.

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive. Glenn Erickson reviewed the DVD at DVD Savant.

This film can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Tonight's Movie: Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955)

2012-01-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight's first movie, via Netflix, was TREASURE OF RUBY HILLS, a low-budget Western from Allied Artists, starring Zachary Scott as the enigmatic hero.

TREASURE OF RUBY HILLS is based on a story by Louis L'Amour. The first ten minutes or so of this film are muddled and hard to follow, ultimately establishing that Scott's character, Ross Haney, is an outlaw's son trying to live on the straight and narrow.

The plotline picks up when Ross, wanting to put down roots on a ranch, wanders into the middle of an Arizona range war. He buys up local water rights in an attempt to help the townspeople and put an end to the battles which are driving settlers out of the area. Before it's all over, Ross has fallen in love with Sherry (Carole Matthews), a local rancher, and there's a whole lotta shooting.

There's a really nicely staged shootout in a saloon between Scott and Lee Van Cleef which might, in and of itself, be enough for a Westerns fan to find this 71-minute film worthwhile. It's followed by a larger shootout in a different saloon which is also a good set piece.

Ross and Sherry's romance isn't very well developed, and Matthews was at times filmed in some rather unflattering closeups. One assumes the budget was such that not much time and care was taken with such matters. The black and white cinematography was by John J. Martin.

On the plus side, I always enjoy Scott, who has some good lines, and it's nice to see him as a hero for a change. There's a solid supporting cast including Dick Foran, Lola Albright, and Barton MacLane.

All in all, fans of Scott or Westerns may enjoy checking out this film, but it's not much more than a time-passer.

This movie was directed by Frank McDonald.

TREASURE OF RUBY HILLS has been released on DVD and VHS.

Tonight's Movie: Strategic Air Command (1955)

2012-01-12T23:50:00.000-08:00

STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, directed by Anthony Mann, is my kind of movie, an interesting '50s Air Force film with a great cast.

I smiled from the moment the opening credits began, announcing the film was in VistaVision. What a cast -- James Stewart and June Allyson, in their third and final film together, supported by faves like Bruce Bennett, Frank Lovejoy, Harry Morgan, and Rosemary DeCamp, along with Barry Sullivan, Jay C. Flippen, and Alex Nicol.

According to Jeanine Basinger's book on director Mann, James Stewart was a "driving force" behind the creation of STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND. Stewart, who served with the Air Force for 27 years and retired as a Brigadier General in the Air Force reserves, believed the public should better understand SAC's role defending our nation. He secured the full cooperation of General Curtis LeMay, the head of SAC.

Stewart plays "Dutch" Holland, a baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals who is recalled to active duty to join SAC. Dutch is initially irritated with the interruption of his sports career, but once he's back in an airplane for the first time in several years, he grows to love it, and he also comes to appreciate the vital peacetime defense role of the Strategic Air Command.

I grew up watching Stewart and Allyson in THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1954) countless times, but I'd never caught up with STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND. (Still ahead of me to see is their first film, 1949's THE STRATTON STORY.) Stewart's real-life air force background doubtless lends his performance much of its natural authenticity, and their comfortable relationship with one another also comes through on screen. I thoroughly enjoyed their scenes together, alongside the aviation sequences.

The knock on this film from some quarters seems to be that it's dull. I didn't find it that way at all. I tend to like procedural-type films anyway, and I found learning specific details about what was involved in defending our nation in that time frame very interesting. The aerial sequences were extremely beautiful, perhaps the most impressive scenes of that type I've ever seen on film; these scenes were also inspiring, helping lead this viewer to more fully appreciate the accomplishments of those who made the planes and the brave men with the talent to fly them.

I also enjoyed the film as a window on the 1950s, in general, soaking up all the visual details, from the cars to the home decor to the huge B-36 planes and the gorgeous big map on the wall in the flight operations room. Having focused on Cold War history and politics back in college -- which was just a few years prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall -- I also appreciated being able to go back in time to better understand the post-WWII mindset towards defending our nation.

Another knock I've read in multiple places is that Allyson's character is whiny. To the contrary, she's positive and a great sport for most of the film. She only cracks near the end, when her husband re-enlists without talking to her first -- yeah, I think I'd be upset not to be in on the decision in advance too! It's a major lifestyle decision affecting the entire family. And her emotional response is accentuated by her well-founded concern about her husband's physical condition and safety. In contrast to Allyson's critics, in her Mann book Jeanine Basinger praises Allyson's "grace and delicacy," and I concur.

Lovely Rosemary DeCamp plays June Allyson's mother -- although in real life DeCamp was not quite seven years older than Allyson. That's better, at least, than YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942), where DeCamp's movie son, James Cagney, was over a decade her senior! There's a photo in DeCamp's autobiography which is interesting, insofar it's of a restaurant scene with DeCamp, Stewart, Allyson, and James Bell which didn't make it into the final film.

The screenplay of this 112-minute film was by Valentine Davies (MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET) and Beirne Lay Jr., based on Lay's original story. Lay's name was familiar to me, and I discovered he cowrote the screenplays for two of my favorite military films, ABOVE AND BEYOND (1952), about the dropping of the atomic bomb at the end of WWII, and THE GALLANT HOURS (1960), a film about Admiral Halsey's WWII service which I thought was one of the finest films I saw in 2011.

STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND was released on VHS in 1998. Curiously, given Stewart's longstanding popularity, it does not seem to have had a DVD release.

The movie can be seen via Netflix Watch Instantly streaming. It's also shown from time to time on Turner Classic Movies.

Reviews of additional '50s Air Force films: OPERATION HAYLIFT (1950), AIR CADET (1951), SABRE JET (1953), and BOMBERS B-52 (1957).

Actress Dorothy Morris Has Passed On

2012-01-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

I learned this week of the passing of lovely MGM actress Dorothy Morris at the age of 89.

Boot Hill reports Morris passed away on November 20, 2011.

Morris had roughly two dozen bit parts and small speaking roles in MGM films between 1941 and 1943.

In 1943 she received a more substantial role in Clarence Brown's THE HUMAN COMEDY, playing Mary Arena, the neighbor girl who is in love with Marcus (Van Johnson). She and Marcus's sister Bess (Donna Reed) also enjoy an innocent night on the town with three soldiers; one of the soldiers was played by a young Robert Mitchum.

Morris's best part may have been as the disturbed Ingeborg Jensen in OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (1945). Like THE HUMAN COMEDY, it was a beautifully made piece of MGM wartime Americana. Both films are available from the Warner Archive and are highly recommended.

Morris retired from films in 1946, then returned to acting for a number of years beginning in the late '50s.

Morris's older sister, Caren Marsh, was also an actress, whose work included standing in for Judy Garland on THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and ZIEGFELD GIRL (1941). She's pictured in the photo to the left.

Reports this week of the 92-year-old Marsh's death were, in her words, "greatly exaggerated." Visit Caren's Facebook page, which includes some lovely photos taken with her sister Dorothy.

Western Clippings also has a beautiful photo of the sisters taken back in 1997.

There's a wonderful chapter on Morris and Marsh in the book LADIES OF THE WESTERN by Michael G. Fitzgerald and Boyd Magers. This book, and its companion WESTERNS WOMEN, are must-haves for those who love movie Westerns.

French Actress Denise Darcel Dies

2012-01-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Parisian-born Denise Darcel, the leading lady of the outstanding William Wellman film WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951), has passed away. She died in Los Angeles on December 23rd.

Obituaries, including the London Telegraph and the Washington Post, list her age as 87, while IMDb gives her age as 86.

Darcel played opposite Robert Taylor in WESTWARD THE WOMEN, a gritty and underappreciated film which has received some deserved fresh attention from classic film bloggers in recent years. Darcel played one of the brave women who struggles across dangerous territory, toward the promise of a new life in California. She and the other women earn the respect of the tough trail boss (Taylor), and she and Taylor fall in love.

The movie was shot in Kanab, Utah; MGM made a great little promotional short about the location filming. Darcel can also be seen in the trailer.

She had starred the previous year in Wellman's BATTLEGROUND (1949).

Her other credits included YOUNG MAN WITH IDEAS (1952) and DANGEROUS WHEN WET (1953), both for MGM, as were the Wellman films. She later starred with Burt Lancaster in VERA CRUZ (1954). (Update: I've now reviewed YOUNG MAN WITH IDEAS.)

Her film career was relatively short-lived, and her last screen appearances were in the early '60s.

Tonight's Movie: Crisis (1950)

2012-01-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

CRISIS was one of a small handful of Cary Grant films I'd never seen, so when it turned up this weekend on Turner Classic Movies, I decided it was time to cross this title off my Grant list at long last.

CRISIS was the first film directed by Richard Brooks, who also wrote the screenplay. It's the tale of a brilliant brain surgeon (Grant) and his wife (Paula Raymond) who decide they'd better cut short their vacation in a sunny South American country due to political unrest. As they are leaving the country, they are detained and brought to the palace of Raoul Farrago (Jose Ferrer), the country's dictator.

Farrago has a potentially fatal brain tumor, and he can't -- or won't -- leave the country for expert medical treatment. He also can't entice a surgeon to come to his country. Which means Grant is the lucky man chosen to conduct the surgery, and it probably won't go too well for the doctor and his wife if the operation isn't a success. Matters grow dicier when a revolutionary leader (Gilbert Roland) pressures the doctor to let Farrago die on the operating table.

This was quite an interesting movie, with Grant's doctor coping ably with, as the title says, a crisis. The fact that the character is a self-confident brain surgeon with quite a healthy ego of his own makes the "don't mess with me" way he copes with his predicament, and his dictatorial patient, quite compelling. It's a really fine performance by Grant which in some ways paved the way for the types of roles he played for Alfred Hitchcock, as well as the more mysterious doctor he played in his next film, the unusual -- and excellent -- PEOPLE WILL TALK (1951).

The film happens to have been produced by Arthur Freed's musicals unit at MGM. In THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT, a comprehensive look at the making of all of the unit's films, Hugh Fordin writes that director Brooks spent time watching brain surgery at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital; he also engaged a surgical nurse to train Cary Grant so that he would look authentic in the medical scenes. Grant later joined the nurse training the other cast members for the operating room scenes.

The only part of the film I didn't find believable was how did a man as smart as Grant's surgeon end up vacationing in such a dicey country, anyway? Didn't they have State Department warnings back then?

Otherwise CRISIS seems fairly realistic and remains quite undated, with dictators unfortunately never having left the scene of world events. At certain points the movie might be classified as film noir, with its shadows, mysterious characters, and the dictator's wife (Signe Hasso) serving as a femme fatale of sorts; there's a particularly outstanding shadowy shot of the doctor walking through an empty town square late at night. (The black and white cinematography was by Ray June.) There's a neatly ambiguous ending that I liked quite a bit.

Paula Raymond appeared in a film in 1938 under her real name, Paula Wright, and then was off the screen for several years. In 1944 she had an interesting credit, dubbing the singing voice of Hedy Lamarr in EXPERIMENT PERILOUS (1944), but it was another few years before she began playing bit parts and small roles in films including NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948), ADAM'S RIB (1949), HOLIDAY AFFAIR (1949), and EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE (1949).

With CRISIS, Raymond had her first role as the female lead. The role doesn't require a great deal -- this is Grant's picture all the way -- but her performance is fine. Her appearance and film persona in this reminded me a bit of Laraine Day, Grant's costar in MR. LUCKY (1943) who would also have been a good choice for this part.

Later in 1950 Raymond starred opposite Robert Taylor in the highly regarded Anthony Mann Western DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950), and she also played the second female lead in the Esther Williams movie DUCHESS OF IDAHO (1950). She worked with Mann again in the excellent "historical noir" THE TALL TARGET (1951), in which Dick Powell plays an agent trying to prevent the assassination of Abraham Lincoln before his inauguration. Raymond continued to have a busy, if not especially noteworthy, career in films and television up until the mid-'60s. She passed away in 2003.

This was a very early film in Jose Ferrer's long career, and he's compelling as a man who is accustomed to ruling with an iron fist yet is increasingly disabled by his tumor.

The cast also includes Leon Ames, Ramon Navarro, and Antonio Moreno. According to an article at TCM, Grant campaigned for Roland, Navarro, and Moreno, all one-time silent film actors, to appear in the film.

Miklos Rozsa composed the score. Vicente Gomez, playing a rebel, has an effective guitar solo.

The film runs 95 minutes.

CRISIS is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive.

Tonight's Movie: Tomorrow is Another Day (1951)

2012-01-08T23:51:00.000-08:00

The somewhat oddly named TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY is a very enjoyable film about a man trying to start fresh after 18 years in prison. He finds love in his new life, but he also encounters very serious complications which threaten to send him back behind bars.

Bill Clark (Steve Cochran) was sent to prison as a teenager for killing his abusive stepfather. His attempts to start a new life upon his release are thwarted by newspaper publicity. The lonely Bill meets a dance hall hostess named Cay (Ruth Roman); Cay is a tough cookie without much patience for the socially awkward Bill, yet she finds she can't say no to spending time with him.

Bill and Cay are soon in very hot water due to an incident in which Cay's, er, "boyfriend" is shot in her seedy apartment. The pair go on the run together, ending up working in California farm country. But life has a way of catching up...

This film is one of those little movies you may never have heard of which has many strong points and is worth checking out. I found the noir-turned-romance most enjoyable and entertaining. It's an interesting and absorbing story, and the viewer really roots for Bill and Cay to make good.

Ruth Roman is excellent, although I must say it's a bit strange how completely her character transforms from hardbitten, calculating dime-a-dance femme fatale to a devoted, loving wife, simply with a change in hair color from blonde to brunette! Cay -- or Cathy, as Bill calls her -- becomes a completely different person. That said, I liked her much better in the second half of the film, so I'm not really complaining.

I was unfamiliar with Roman prior to seeing her in COLT .45 (1950) and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951). I've enjoyed her in each of these movies. Thanks to TCM, I've picked up several of her films in a very short time frame, and I look forward to seeing more of her work as the year goes on.

Cochran does a terrific job portraying his character's naivete and awkwardness after so many years in prison, while also conveying Bill's basic decency. And it must be said he's also very easy on the eyes! I've previously only seen Cochran in bit parts, and I'll be looking for more of his films in the future.

Ray Teal and Lurene Tuttle are appealing as farm workers who take the young couple under their wing and help them out. The cast also includes Morris Ankrum, Bobby Hyatt, John Kellogg, Lee Patrick, Harry Antrim, and Walter Sande.

One of this film's really noteworthy aspects is the beautiful black and white cinematography by Robert Burks. TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY was filmed the very same year that Burks began his long collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, shooting STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951). Ruth Roman, of course, was also the leading lady in that film.

I also especially appreciated the art direction and set decoration, by Charles H. Clarke and William L. Kuehl. I found the gradual way Bill and Cay improve their tiny home in the agricultural workers' camp to be really interesting.

This film was directed by Felix Feist. It runs 90 minutes.

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY is available from the Warner Archive.

It can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies, which just showed the film this weekend.

For more thoughts on this film, visit Classic Movie Ramblings.

Update: Just came across a really thoughtful review of this film at Where Danger Lives. I loved Mark's analysis. And be sure to read the comment at the end by Mr. Film Noir himself, Eddie Muller.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

2012-01-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Season 2 of DOWNTON ABBEY starts tonight! Here's a nice story from the Los Angeles Times.

...I really enjoyed Dave Kehr's New York Times review of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944). It's one of my favorite films, but I have to say I've never thought about Minnelli's color choices for each season. I'll be paying particular attention to that next time I see it. I was scanning through related comments at Dave's blog when I happened across a mention of my own humble blog, in conjunction with a discussion of MARGIE (1946) and the terrific comments shared here by Blake Lucas.

...The Lady Eve's Reel Life has a terrific month-long series on VERTIGO (1958), which I just saw for the first time New Year's weekend. I especially enjoyed today's post on Kim Novak's costumes. Don't miss this series.

...My father came across this very interesting 2011 story about Ernie's Restaurant, seen in VERTIGO.

...Jacqueline spent the first week of the year in Las Vegas, at least figuratively! I enjoyed her posts on THE LAS VEGAS STORY (1952) with Victor Mature, Jane Russell, and Vincent Price, and MEET ME IN LAS VEGAS (1956) starring Cyd Charisse and Dan Dailey.

...LUST FOR GOLD (1949), starring Glenn Ford and Ida Lupino, sounds quite interesting. You can read more about it at Kevin's Movie Corner.

...Barnes and Noble is considering selling off its Nook reader business?

...Actress Anne Hathaway says her performance as Catwoman in the upcoming Batman film THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012) was inspired by Hedy Lamarr. (Via KC at Classic Movies.)

...Warner Bros. plans to double the window in which new films will be made available to Netflix, from 28 to 56 days. Warner Bros. says that the 26-day window has increased sales of new DVDs at stores such as Best Buy.

...The Movie Projector reviews the excellent William Wellman Western YELLOW SKY (1948), which stars Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark, and Anne Baxter.

...The next new thing from Roku: the streaming stick.

...Clara of Via Margutta 51 and the Siren posted very enjoyable lists of the classic films they enjoyed watching last year. I was glad to see Deanna Durbin's LADY ON A TRAIN (1945) made the Siren's Top 20 list.

...Speaking of Deanna Durbin, Grand Old Movies reviewed Durbin and Gene Kelly in CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944).

...I learned a lot about Diana Dors from this post by the Self-Styled Siren. I have one of her movies in a set of British films and will have to check it out.

...Susan King of the Los Angeles Times recently interviewed Doris Day. Day will be awarded an L.A. Film Critics Life Achievement award on January 13th. She will not attend the ceremony but says she is "thrilled." I'd sure like to see her also receive an honorary Oscar, even if she doesn't wish to attend the ceremony. She more than deserves it.

...I enjoyed Elisabeth's lists of her favorite movies and books of the past year, posted at The Second Sentence. There are some great ideas here to enjoy in 2012!

...Last week Twitter went crazy with the hashtag FavoriteThingsinClassicFilm, started by Jill of Sittin' on a Backyard Fence. It was great fun reading the wide variety of submissions. Jill shared more about the fun at her blog.

...Dorian has a fun take on NIAGARA (1953) at Tales of the Easily Distracted. NIAGARA stars Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters, and Marilyn Monroe. It's a colorful noir, if that's not an oxymoron!

...Hugh Jackman plans to star in a Broadway musical about Harry Houdini, with Aaron Sorkin serving as librettist. Interesting... Jackman will star in the film version of LES MISERABLES. But Taylor Swift and Amanda Seyfried as Eponine and Cosette?

...The Daily Mail has an interesting story on theories regarding Glenn Miller's doomed flight. The 1944 diary of a 17-year-old plane spotter is involved.

...Notable Passings: I was very much saddened by the death of political columnist and pundit Tony Blankley, former editorial writer for the Washington Times. Blankley had been a child actor, with credits including the Humphrey Bogart film THE HARDER THEY FALL (1956)...Screenwriter Frederica Sagor passed on at the remarkable age of 111. She wrote a number of silent films and later returned to films writing the story for the Betty Grable film THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM (1947)...Master swordsman Bob Anderson has passed on at the age of 87. Don't miss his obituary; I especially liked the part where he says "I believe I learned as much from [Errol] Flynn as I taught him."

...For lots more recent links, please visit last Tuesday's New Year's roundup.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Inherit the Wind (1960) at UCLA

2012-01-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

This evening I was happy to attend the first night of a three-month, 27-film series of Spencer Tracy films at UCLA. Although there was a brief series of Tracy films at the University of California at Irvine in the late '60s, shortly after Tracy's 1967 passing, this is the first-ever film series looking at Tracy's career in depth.

Tracy biographer James Curtis was in attendance. He's a congenial gentleman, and I was appreciative of the opportunity to have him sign my copy of his book. I just got the book, but have to say I'm quite impressed with what I've seen of it to date. This heavy volume, over 1000 pages including the index, appears to be remarkably comprehensive; at the same time, each page I flip open to looks interesting and highly readable.

Prior to the screening, Curtis briefly interviewed actress Donna Anderson, seen here at the right; Anderson played Rachel, the preacher's daughter in love with the teacher. She shared that she was very intimidated by Tracy's acting ability. She said the set would fill with people watching Tracy's scenes and there would be applause after the takes. She also mentioned that director Stanley Kramer liked to move the camera around a lot, but while most of the actors would carefully dance out of the camera's way, Tracy would just stay put, saying "The camera will find me."

Just before the movie began, Curtis announced that Susie Tracy, Spencer Tracy's daughter, was in the audience. It was special to know that we were watching the film with a member of the legendary actor's immediate family.

As for the film itself, I'm a bit surprised, given the talents involved, that I found this film's style overwrought and smug, but I have to be honest and call 'em as I see 'em. I was expecting something a little more thoughtful and nuanced, but I felt that depth and complexity gave way to caricatures, with some of the actors too often engaged in self-consciously showy scenery-chewing.

The film, of course, is a fictional depiction inspired by a real-life case, in which a teacher (Dick York) was put on trial for teaching Darwinism in high school in the 1920s. He was prosecuted by Matthew Harrison Brady (an almost unrecognizable Fredric March), inspired by the real-life William Jennings Bryan. Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy), based on Clarence Darrow, was the attorney for the defense.

Too often the film left me with questions about the characters and their backgrounds. With the film running two hours and eight minutes, there didn't seem to be much time left over from the trial and scenes of hysterical anti-Darwinism marchers to delve into matters of substance such as: Who are these people, and why should we care? Where are they from? What motivates them?

For instance, what do we know of Henry Drummond by the end of the movie, who he was or what his motivations were? We know he tilts at windmills, rubs his face a lot, respects his opponent, and might be a Christian. That's about it. Drummond's character introduces a bit of complexity into the story, such as in the scene where he makes the case that the Bible and Darwinism aren't necessarily at odds. But when it comes to the character itself, we're told very little. Tracy is fun to watch and seems more real than a number of the other characters, but there's only so much he can convey to an audience without the cooperation of the script.

Along those lines, I also had questions about Bert, the teacher. He was unsurprised by the town visitors to his classroom in the opening sequence. We know Bert believed in speaking his mind with his students, but had he consciously decided prior to that day to test the law? His closing statement to the judge seemed to indicate so, when he said he would continue to fight what he believed was an unjust law. Since the film begins with the arrest, viewers are robbed of knowing anything more about his background and motivations at the outset, and not much is filled in later. The story of the little boy who died, while used against Bert in court, comes down to a motivational red herring as far as actually explaining his character.

And for that matter, I was never clear if Bert had taught Darwinism as a theory or as an absolute scientific fact. That's a detail I would have found interesting to have filled in.

Many of the characters are mere placeholders, not fleshed-out, fully rounded people. Drummond is the Cagey Rumpled Lawyer, Bert is the Noble Martyr, and Rachel is the Distraught Fiancee, while newspaperman E.K. Hornbeck (Gene Kelly) -- based on H.L. Mencken -- is the Helpful Cynic. This was one of just a handful of Kelly films I'd never seen, and while he adds a certain liveliness to the proceedings, his dialogue is also very stagey. In the final big close-up, as he's silently listening to Drummond analyze him, we see the "wheels turning" just a little too obviously as his face reacts to the comments.

That prompts an interesting side note -- Spencer Tracy may have relied a little too much here on the crutch of rubbing his face and flopping his body around, but at the same time you never see the thought process behind his character, the "wheels turning" which I just mentioned in regard to Kelly. For Tracy acting was, in the words of his wife Louise, "that natural thing," which is also the subtitle of the film series.

A character such as Claude Akins' minister never comes across as a real person, with strengths, foibles, or genuine human emotions. He's just a Bad Christian, and the portrayal seemed like a parody, about on the level of a Saturday Night Live skit. Similarly odd were the angled shots of the church ladies rigidly marching and singing in a parade behind Matthew Brady; they looked completely unreal, apparently caught up in a religious hysteria of sorts. I couldn't help thinking that the cartoonish way the filmmakers chose to depict these Scary Church Ladies represented its own brand of unthinking hysteria. Real life is generally a little more complicated than two-dimensional cartoon characters.

Delving more deeply into the film's perspective, I also found it interesting that for all of the film's focus on the teacher's right to say and act on what he believed, there was no parallel examination of the rights of the parents in the community to decide -- for good or ill -- how their children would be educated. This angle was brushed aside, although it's percolating under the surface, as far as the fact that the law exists in the first place. Apparently giving even momentary consideration to the notion that the teacher might not be the only one with rights didn't fit the film's point of view.

Regardless of where one comes down on Darwinism, it strikes me that there are all sorts of interesting implications if the door is opened for a teacher to have carte blanche to teach whatever he believes to a captive audience of young people at taxpayer expense. Worth mulling over? The film was already lengthy, but a line or two acknowledging that issue would have been welcome.

The characters I found most interesting were those who seemed the most genuine and real. The single character I enjoyed the most was Harry Morgan as the calm and deliberate judge. Although I have to say his final scene, strategizing with the mayor over the sentence and its political repercussions, reminded me for all the world of the courtroom climax of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947); but that was the fault of the script, not Morgan's acting. He was top drawer in this.

Dick York and Florence Eldridge (Mrs. Fredric March) also brought more humanity to the characters of the teacher and Matthew Brady's wife than was present in many of the other performances. Wendell Holmes also impressed in his brief scenes as a thoughtful banker who steps forward to help the teacher at a key moment.

It's curious I've nearly come to the end of my thoughts and not even mentioned Fredric March. I admire him greatly and have enjoyed him in many films, but my reaction to him in this was a shoulder-shrugging "Meh." James Curtis mentioned that the performance has been criticized as over the top, but may have been faithful to what is known of the real Williams Jennings Bryan and his style. That said, I didn't find March or his character interesting -- again, surprisingly lacking in any depth. (Although what was that business near the end calling his wife "Mama" and her calling him "Baby"?) I was expecting an acting clash of the titans, so to speak, between Tracy and March, and for me it just didn't materialize.

The supporting cast also includes Elliott Reid, Noah Beery Jr., Jimmy Boyd, Philip Coolidge, Paul Hartman, Ray Teal, and Norman Fell.

Based on everything I've read about the film over the years, mine seems to be a minority opinion, but hopefully this rather contrarian view will provide some interesting ideas for consideration. Perhaps it's curious that although I didn't care for the film, I nonetheless enjoyed watching and analyzing it; I think it's worth other viewers doing the same and arriving at their own conclusions.

INHERIT THE WIND is available on DVD and VHS. The DVD is available from Netflix. It can also be rented for streaming from Amazon Instant Video.

Tonight's Movie: He Stayed for Breakfast (1940)

2012-01-06T23:14:00.000-08:00

I marked Loretta Young's birthday by watching HE STAYED FOR BREAKFAST, a giddy piece of fluff in which Loretta plays a banker's wife who awakens a would-be Communist assassin (Melvyn Douglas) to the joys of love and capitalism.

The previous year, Douglas had starred in the much better known NINOTCHKA (1939), in which he famously romances a Communist (Greta Garbo) in Paris. This time around, Douglas is back in Paris, but he's playing the Communist, Paul Boliet. When Paul's not-very-serious plans to bump off a banker (Eugene Pallette) go awry, he ends up hiding out in the apartment of the banker's lovely, lonely estranged wife Marianne (Young).

Marianne and her maid (Una O'Connor) grow to like Paul so much that they are soon inventing reasons to keep him around, and Paul increasingly finds he enjoys the company of the lovely Marianne, not to mention the comforts of steak and silk pajamas.

It's all pretty predictable, but there are some nicely played farcical moments, which also involve a tailor (Grady Sutton) and a reporter (Alan Marshal) who's been trying to woo Marianne away from her husband. Young and Douglas seem to appreciate the absurdity of the story and dive in along with the rest of the cast. Doors slam open and shut, people run around and hide in closets, and Douglas at one point ends up looking quite silly dressed in a woman's bathrobe.

The movie starts out just a bit slow, but it soon builds up a nice head of steam, providing a pleasant if not especially distinguished piece of entertainment.

William Castle, who later became a director known for his horror films, has a bit part as a policeman. The cast also includes Curt Bois, Leonid Kinskey, Nestor Paiva, Frank Sully, and Trevor Bardette.

The film was directed by Alexander Hall, who started out in the silent era and also had experience as an editor; as a director, he specialized in romantic comedy.

Hall had previously directed Douglas in THERE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN (1938), GOOD GIRLS GO TO PARIS (1939), and THE AMAZING MR. WILLIAMS (1939); Hall also directed Young in THE DOCTOR TAKES A WIFE (1940) and BEDTIME STORY (1941).

The black and white cinematography was by Joseph Walker. Loretta Young's beautiful gowns were by Irene and Robert Kalloch.

IMDb lists the running time as 89 minutes, but the print I watched ran 78 minutes, which matches the running time of a copy I just discovered is currently available on YouTube.

A Birthday Tribute to Loretta Young

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

Academy Award winning actress Loretta Young was born on this date in 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Loretta, whose birth name was Gretchen, became the superstar in a family of acting sisters which included Polly Ann Young and Sally Blane, born Elizabeth Jane Young. Loretta's extended family included Sally's husband, actor-director Norman Foster, who appeared opposite Loretta in films of the early '30s, and actor Ricardo Montalban, who married Loretta's younger half-sister, Georgiana.

The full scope of Loretta's career has perhaps only begun to be appreciated over the last few years. Although she is rightly known as a long-running TV star and for her later films, including the Christmas perennial THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947) and her Oscar-winning title role in THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (1947), the availability of Young's earliest pre-Code work on Turner Classic Movies has put her career accomplishments in a new context.

The teenaged Loretta Young of the pre-Code film era was a stunner. It's hard to believe she was only 18 when she confidently appeared oppposite James Cagney in TAXI! (1932). She's absolutely riveting in my favorite of her pre-Code films, MIDNIGHT MARY (1933), running the gamut from childhood to a tormented woman on trial for murder, in not much longer than an hour.

In her pre-Code roles, the glam Loretta often conveyed a kind of steam missing from her later parts. As Jeanine Basinger writes of Loretta's pre-Codes in THE STAR MACHINE, "This is not our mothers' Loretta Young." In COMPLICATED WOMEN, Mick LaSalle refers to this incarnation of Young as the "Drinking-Smoking Loretta."

As the '30s moved on, the busy actress starred in many successful, highly enjoyable romantic comedies -- teaming five times with the equally gorgeous Tyrone Power -- mixed with the occasional costume picture. In films such as DeMille's THE CRUSADES (1935), Loretta simply glows, exuding star power; she mixes steely nerve and a soulful sincerity.

It's fun to note that in one of her period pictures, the charming THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL (1939), Loretta's three sisters played her onscreen sisters.

Her best films of the '40s included the suspense thriller THE STRANGER (1946), opposite Orson Welles and Edward G. Robinson; her Oscar-winning role as the Swedish maid-turned-Congresswoman Katie in the delightful THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (1947); the title role in the evergreen THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947) with Cary Grant and David Niven; the bondswoman who marries farmer William Holden, then catches the eye of roving Robert Mitchum in RACHEL AND THE STRANGER (1948), which was directed by her brother-in-law Norman Foster; and the dedicated, sweetly trusting nun attempting to build a hospital in COME TO THE STABLE (1949).

I've seen most of these late '40s films multiple times over the course of my life, and they never grow old; indeed, the more I watch them, the more I appreciate both the films and Loretta Young's acting skills.

In the '50s Loretta Young moved to television, where she produced her own extremely successful series, helping to blaze a trail for women in a male-dominated business.

Loretta Young passed away on August 13, 2000. Her family maintains an official website.

For more information, books on Loretta Young include her authorized biography, FOREVER YOUNG, by Joan Wester Anderson, which was published just a few months after Young's passing; UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE by Young's daughter, Judy Lewis; and the new book HOLLYWOOD MADONNA by Bernard F. Dick.

Loretta Young films reviewed here at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: THE DEVIL TO PAY! (1930), PLATINUM BLONDE (1931), TAXI! (1932), THEY CALL IT SIN (1932), LIFE BEGINS (1932), PLAY-GIRL (1932), WEEK-END MARRIAGE (1932), EMPLOYEES' ENTRANCE (1933), MIDNIGHT MARY (1933), SHE HAD TO SAY YES (1933), BORN TO BE BAD (1934), THE CRUSADES (1935), PRIVATE NUMBER (1936), THE UNGUARDED HOUR (1936), LADIES IN LOVE (1936), WIFE, DOCTOR AND NURSE (1937), CAFE METROPOLE (1937), LOVE IS NEWS (1937), SECOND HONEYMOON (1937), THREE BLIND MICE (1938), WIFE, HUSBAND AND FRIEND (1939), FOUR MEN AND A PRAYER (1939), THE DOCTOR TAKES A WIFE (1940), HE STAYED FOR BREAKFAST (1940), THE LADY FROM CHEYENNE (1941), BEDTIME STORY (1941), A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (1943), ALONG CAME JONES (1945), THE STRANGER (1946), THE PERFECT MARRIAGE (1947), MOTHER IS A FRESHMAN (1949), COME TO THE STABLE (1949), KEY TO THE CITY (1950), CAUSE FOR ALARM! (1951), and HALF ANGEL (1951).

Related posts: Judy Lewis, Daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable, Dies at 76; New Book: Hollywood Madonna: Loretta Young; Ricardo Montalban Dies at 88.

Tonight's Movie: Cry of the City (1948)

2012-01-05T23:36:00.000-08:00

I'm predisposed to like any 20th Century-Fox film which starts off with Alfred Newman's "Street Scene" playing under the opening credits, but even if it didn't have Newman's classic, often-used theme music, CRY OF THE CITY is excellent film noir.

As the film opens, Last Rites are being said for Martin "Marty" Rome (Richard Conte), who recently killed a cop. Marty is visited in his hospital room by Lt. Candella (Victor Mature), who grew up poor in the same tenements as Marty, and also by the mysterious Teena (Debra Paget). When no one else is in the room, Teena slips in and declares her love for Marty, then vanishes.

Marty recovers enough to stage a jailbreak, but Candella is hot on his tail...

The theme of poor city kids ending up on opposite sides of the law has been done many times, including in MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1934). (CRY OF THE CITY is not, however, a "rehash" of MANHATTAN MELODRAMA, as is asserted in Leonard Maltin's CLASSIC FILM GUIDE.) The film is bolstered by a strong noir atmosphere, charismatic lead performances, and an excellent supporting cast.

Richard Conte has the majority of the screen time as Marty Rome, and he's so good that it turns into one of those movies where the viewer suddenly realizes he's rooting for a murderer to get away! Mature is a worthy opponent. When I was younger I didn't care much for Mature, who seemed all wrong for Technicolor musicals like MY GAL SAL (1942) and MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID (1952), but his still, rough-hewn persona was perfect for Westerns and film noir, including this title.

Debra Paget, as Teena, bookends the film with scenes at the beginning and end of the movie. She was only 15 when she played the young leading lady opposite Conte, and she's quite effective as the only clean and good thing in Marty's life.

The cast also includes Fred Clark, in an atypically muted role as Candella's partner, Shelley Winters as a woman who helps Marty when he's on the lam, and Hope Emerson as a jewel thief. Mimi Aguglia plays Marty's long-suffering mother, and Tommy Cook is his teenaged brother.

The editing is occasionally a bit jerky or sloppy, and I had the sense I might be missing a thing or two; for instance, Shelley Winters' character seems to come from nowhere. Turns out I was correct; there's a comment on an IMDb message board describing two scenes with Winters which are said to appear on a Region 2 DVD from BFI. A 2007 review of the DVD at Home Cinema confirms the DVD contains footage not seen in the print shown in recent years on Fox Movie Channel.

CRY OF THE CITY was directed by Robert Siodmak. It was shot in black and white by Lloyd Ahern.

The screenplay is by Richard Murphy and an uncredited Ben Hecht, based on the novel THE CHAIR FOR MARTIN ROME by Henry Edward Helseth.

The film runs 95 minutes.

For more on this film, visit Dave's post at Goodfella's Movie Blog.

Spencer Tracy Festival at UCLA Opens Saturday

2012-01-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

A major exhibition of Spencer Tracy films begins at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater this Saturday night, January 7th. The 27-film series runs through March 30th.

I'll be attending Saturday's screening of INHERIT THE WIND (1960).

Author James Curtis will be on hand Saturday to sign copies of his highly regarded new biography of Tracy. The book has received excellent reviews from Leonard Maltin, Susan King of the L.A. Times, John McElwee of Greenbriar Picture Shows, and Raquelle at Out of the Past.

Actress Donna Anderson, who appeared in INHERIT THE WIND, is also scheduled to attend on Saturday.

I'd love to see Tracy and Loretta Young in Frank Borzage's MAN'S CASTLE (1933) on January 14th, but I may have a schedule conflict.

I'm very much hoping to attend the double bill of SAN FRANCISCO (1936) and LIBELED LADY (1936) on January 22nd. I haven't seen SAN FRANCISCO in years, and I'd love to see it in 35mm; it also stars Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald. LIBELED LADY is one of my favorite comedies, which also stars Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy.

FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950) and THE ACTRESS (1953) is another appealing double bill. Those films will be shown on March 16th.

Actor Darryl Hickman, who appeared in KEEPER OF THE FLAME (1942), will attend the screening on March 11th. ADAM'S RIB (1949) will also be shown that evening. Both films costar Katharine Hepburn.

Other films being shown over the next three months include UP THE RIVER (1930), FURY (1936), CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937), BOYS TOWN (1938), DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1941), BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955), THE LAST HURRAH (1958), GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER? (1967), and many more.

Most of the films will be screened in 35mm prints. A handful, including LIBELED LADY, will be shown in 16mm.

Consult the schedule for a complete list of titles.

Saturday Update: Susan King has interviewed UCLA Archive programmer Shannon Kelley about the series in the Los Angeles Times.

Update: My review of INHERIT THE WIND (1960) has been posted.

Quick Preview of TCM in March

2012-01-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

Turner Classic Movies has posted the online preview of its March schedule this week, just a couple of weeks after releasing the February schedule.

The March Star of the Month will be Karl Malden. The films shown will include A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), for which he won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor, and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), for which he was nominated again in the Supporting category.

Other Malden films being shown in March are Hitchcock's I CONFESS (1953), BOMBERS B-52 (1957), and GYPSY (1962). TIME LIMIT (1957), which Malden directed, is also on the schedule.

Fans of PAN AM will want to be sure to catch Malden in the very entertaining COME FLY WITH ME (1963).

One of the real treasures showing in March is Frank Borzage's HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT (1937), starring Jean Arthur and Charles Boyer. This very unusual film, combining romantic comedy, heart-tugging drama, and disaster film, is not to be missed.

A relatively little-seen John Ford film, THE RISING OF THE MOON (1957), will be shown on St. Patrick's Day. The movie stars Tyrone Power, who also starred in Ford's THE LONG GRAY LINE (1955).

Ford's DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (1939), starring Henry Fond and Claudette Colbert, also airs on TCM in March, along with a number of other Ford films.

It's great to see that TCM has been licensing more films from 20th Century-Fox, including the previously mentioned DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK. Fox titles airing in March will also include the comedy FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE (1950) with Joan Bennett, Bob Cummings, Clifton Webb, and Edmund Gwenn; and Webb's MR. SCOUTMASTER (1953), costarring Frances Dee.

I'll share more information on the March schedule sometime around March 1st.

TCM Star of the Month: Angela Lansbury

2012-01-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

The decades-long career of Angela Lansbury will be celebrated this month on Turner Classic Movies.

Over two dozen of Lansbury's films will be shown in January, as well as Lansbury's 2006 PRIVATE SCREENINGS interview with Robert Osborne. TCM is also going to show a PBS production of SWEENEY TODD, in which Lansbury repeated the role she created on Broadway.

Lansbury's movies will be shown on Wednesday evenings, beginning tonight, January 4th.

Lansbury was just 18 when she made her film debut in GASLIGHT (1944), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. That film leads off an evening focusing on her career at MGM in the '40s.

GASLIGHT was followed by a role as Elizabeth Taylor's older sister in the classic NATIONAL VELVET (1944).

Lansbury then, rather remarkably, received another Best Supporting Actress nomination, this time for THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945). She was just 19 when it was released.

Lansbury was three years younger than leading lady Judy Garland when she played the imposing saloon gal, Em, in the colorful musical THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946).

The other films shown tonight are THE HOODLUM SAINT (1946) with William Powell, IF WINTER COMES (1947) with Walter Pidgeon, TENTH AVENUE ANGEL (1948) with Margaret O'Brien, and THE RED DANUBE (1949) with a great cast including Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lawford, and Janet Leigh.

More MGM films are mixed with other titles on Wednesday, January 11th, which leads off with Frank Capra's STATE OF THE UNION (1948). This Tracy-Hepburn film also stars Van Johnson.

Lansbury was Queen Anne in MGM's THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1948). The other films shown on the 11th are SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949), TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946), KIND LADY (1951), and the Randolph Scott Western A LAWLESS STREET (1955). The 11th wraps up with a Lansbury episode of SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE.

The gem of the evening on January 18th is THE COURT JESTER (1956), in which Lansbury starred with Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, and Basil Rathbone. Lansbury plays the beautiful Princess Gwendolyn in this giddy, delightful film.

One of Lansbury's best-known roles was in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), also showing on the 18th. Lansbury received her third Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for this film.

The other films that night are THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT (1964), ALL FALL DOWN (1962), SEASON OF PASSION (1959), and a fun supporting role as a gossipy relative in THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE (1958).

The Lansbury series concludes on January 25th with DEATH ON THE NILE (1978), MISTER BUDDWING (1966), DEAR HEART (1964), IN THE COOL OF THE DAY (1963), and THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965).

SWEENEY TODD and PRIVATE SCREENINGS: ANGELA LANSBURY will also air on the 25th.

I wish TCM were able to also show THE MIRROR CRACK'D (1980), in which Lansbury played Miss Marple; the film reunited Lansbury with Elizabeth Taylor 36 years after NATIONAL VELVET. Some of the plot of THE MIRROR CRACK'D was apparently inspired by a tragic real-life incident in the life of a famous film actress, which I won't divulge here. Happily the movie is available from Netflix via both DVD and streaming.

Another well-known Lansbury film TCM won't be showing is Disney's BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (1971), which has been released on DVD multiple times.

For more information on TCM in January, please visit my post TCM in January: Highlights or the complete TCM online schedule.

Happy January viewing!

Tonight's Movie: The Falcon's Brother (1942)

2012-01-03T23:52:00.000-08:00

THE FALCON'S BROTHER was George Sanders' fourth and final film starring as Gay Lawrence, the "Falcon."

The title character of this entry, Tom Lawrence, was played by Sanders' real-life brother, Tom Conway. The Lawrence brothers work to stop the murder of a South American diplomat, after which the series was handed over to Conway. Conway would star in nine more FALCON films before ending his run in the series in 1946.

THE FALCON'S BROTHER is a pretty good exemplar of the FALCON series. The story gets off to a fast start with Gay meeting his brother Tom's ship, only to be told his brother is dead in his stateroom. Gay pretends that the body he's shown is Tom in front of the police, but quickly informs his new chauffeur Lefty (Don Barclay) that the dead man is not Tom. Thereafter, the first order of business is for Gay and Lefty to locate Tom and figure out what's going on.

The mystery gets a bit complicated at times, but it's wound up nicely in 63 minutes. Tom does the majority of the leg work on the case, as Gay is laid up for a while after being hit by a car. I must say that although I knew it was Sanders' last film as the Falcon, I was surprised by the manner in which Gay was written out.

Jane Randolph (CAT PEOPLE) is perky as a newspaper reporter trailing Tom, and Keye Luke is also on hand as Gay's houseboy, who occasionally drops his educated English and uses pidgin to confuse the police. Both actors have winning personalities and bring a nice energy to the film in their scenes.

Edward Gargan returns as dim-witted Detective Bates, partnered this time around with Cliff Clark as Inspector Donovan.

One of the scenes which caught my notice involved Jane Randolph's character being refused entrance to a nightclub because she did not have a male escort with her. Such movie moments are brief but provide an interesting peek at how times have changed over the decades since the film was made. One can only imagine the fuss in the media, not to mention the lawsuits, if such a law were enforced in this day and age.

THE FALCON'S BROTHER was directed by Stanley Logan and photographed by Russell Metty. The editor was Mark Robson, who shortly thereafter became a director himself, starting out with Val Lewton films. Robson directed a Robert Sterling Western I really like, ROUGHSHOD (1949), as well as several Dana Andrews films. As a matter of fact, Robson directed the movie I just watched on New Year's Eve, EARTHQUAKE (1974).

The previous films in the Falcon series were THE GAY FALCON (1941), A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942), and THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942).

THE FALCON'S BROTHER is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive in The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Volume I.

It's also available on Region 2 DVD.

This film can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

2012-01-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...a slightly delayed New Year's edition!

...One of my very favorite actors, Ray Milland, was born on this date in 1905. He made many excellent films; of those titles, I'd like to take the occasion of his birthday to recommend the underrated Western he directed and starred in, A MAN ALONE (1955). It plays occasionally on the Encore Westerns channel; it really deserves to be out on DVD.

...Fans of Turner Classic Movies will want to read "Honoring Hollywood's Departed: The Art of Creating TCM Remembers" from Atlanta Magazine. TCM always does a great job on these tributes. The 2011 edition is here.

...I'm happy to see that the 1981 miniseries THE MANIONS OF AMERICA is coming to DVD. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Kate Mulgrew, Linda Purl, David Soul, and Simon MacCorkindale. I enjoyed the show very much when it first aired, and I have an old VHS edition. The DVD will be released on February 28th.

...Jennifer Garlen lists films which will celebrate their 50th anniversaries this year for the Examiner.

...London's Daily Telegraph ran a piece on "The 20 Classic Films Children Should See." I don't agree with everything on the list -- for instance, I still shudder a bit when I remember THE RED BALLOON (1956), which bored me silly the many times I was forced to sit through it on rainy days in elementary school -- but there are some good suggestions.

...Riding the High Country recently switched to Wordpress and can be found here for those who haven't yet updated their bookmarks. Colin's latest review is of Joan Bennett and Michael Redgrave in SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (1947).

...Barrie Maxwell recently posted his latest column at The Digital Bits. Barrie's columns are always a fun and informative read; this short post includes a review of the new Andy Hardy Collection from Warner Archive.

...Ree Drummond has a new cookbook due out on March 13th, THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: FOOD FROM MY FRONTIER. Her first cookbook, THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS, has become a staple in our household since I acquired it in 2010. My 16-year-old daughter's specialty is Ree's Chicken Pot Pie. The lavish photographs make it easy for any cook to follow along.

...Raquelle takes a look back at a successful year of blogging in 2011 at Out of the Past.

...Toby's got a couple beautiful shots up of a program for BEND OF THE RIVER (1952) at 50 Westerns From the 50s. He's also got interesting news about a forthcoming VCI release of Sam Peckinpah's THE DEADLY COMPANIONS (1961), starring Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith.

...Glenn Erickson reviews MY MAN AND I (1952), starring Ricardo Montalban and Shelley Winters, at DVD Savant. It's available from the Warner Archive.

...I also enjoyed Glenn's recent review of William Wellman's SAFE IN HELL (1931), which sounds as "pre-Code-y" as they come. It's another release from Warner Archive.

...This is fun trivia: actor David Tennant, the 10th actor to play DOCTOR WHO in the long-running classic British sci-fi series, has married actress Georgia Moffett. Moffett is the daughter of Peter Davison, who was Doctor No. 5. Davison also starred in ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and CAMPION.

...Chris Hicks of the Deseret News provides an overview of recent releases from the Warner Archive, including the Robert Montgomery Collection and some interesting pre-Codes.

...Deb has a few recent posts up at Sidewalk Crossings, including her account of our fun time seeing VERTIGO (1958) last Friday. I'm glad she's been enjoying the sword fights in SCARAMOUCHE (1952)!

...Notable Passing: Anne Power Werner, the adopted daughter of Tyrone Power, has passed on at the age of 83. Power adopted his stepdaughter Anne when he was married to her mother, the actress Annabella. Anne was married for a number of years to actor Oskar Werner.

...Finally but most importantly, my deep thanks to Kristina at Speakeasy for the 7 x 7 blog award. I'm very honored, particularly to be listed in the company of such a fine group of bloggers. Thank you, Kristina! There are a number of interesting recent posts at Speakeasy, such as the latest Shopping List, which made me aware of some intriguing public domain titles starring Mona Freeman and Nancy Kelly.

Happy New Year, and have a great week!

10 Classics for 2012

2012-01-02T23:54:00.000-08:00

In January 2011 I jotted down a list of 10 classic films I wanted to make a particular point to finally catch up with that year. Although I've seen countless movies over the years, I'd never gotten around to seeing certain well-known classics, particularly those with darker themes.

I decided on a short, manageable goal to help fill in a few significant titles I'd never seen, and I successfully completed watching all 10 films on the list as of New Year's Day, 2012. The titles and links to reviews can be found at the end of my post regarding the final film on the list, SUNSET BLVD. (1950).

I've made a fresh list of 10 classics to be sure to see this year, and unlike last year, I thought I'd post it in advance. Several of the titles were recommended by family members and commenters here at my blog; other than that, it's a fairly random list. Like last year's list, the films are for the most part fairly dark in theme, which helps explain why I've put off seeing them!

The list for 2012:

DARK VICTORY (Edmund Goulding, 1939)

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles, 1942)

THE RAZOR'S EDGE (Edmund Goulding, 1946)

BLACK NARCISSUS (Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell, 1947)

HAMLET (Laurence Olivier, 1948)

CRISS CROSS (Robert Siodmak, 1949)

STALAG 17 (Billy Wilder, 1953)

12 ANGRY MEN (Sidney Lumet, 1957)

THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder, 1960)

THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

I'm looking forward to exploring these films in 2012 and will value your comments as I see them. I expect to watch and review a couple hundred additional films this year as well!

Happy New Year!

Tonight's Movie: Sunset Blvd. (1950) at the Bay Theatre

2012-01-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

SUNSET BLVD. was the last title on a list of 10 classics I had made it a goal to see in 2011. When I recently learned the movie would be playing at a theater near my home on New Year's Day, I was happy to push seeing it into the year 2012!

SUNSET BLVD. is, of course, the Billy Wilder film about struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden), who happens upon the decaying home of faded movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Dead broke and with his car about to be repossessed, Joe takes a job rewriting the awful screenplay Norma has created for a planned comeback. Joe then turns into a gigolo, becoming Norma's lover in exchange for a comfortable, if creepy, lifestyle.

I reacted to SUNSET BLVD. about as I expected, given what I'd read about it over the years. On one level I enjoyed watching and analyzing it, and I appreciated the artistry behind it, but it wasn't really my kind of movie. Although the film has a distinctive visual look, I found it too ugly and creepy to really like. Dead monkeys, a mausoleum-like house, and Gloria Swanson with nasty-looking patches all over her face just aren't my particular cup o' tea.

The parts of the film I really enjoyed were the scenes Holden shares with Jack Webb, as his assistant director pal, and Nancy Olson, playing the spirited young woman who becomes Joe's screenwriting partner. I was so relieved in each scene when Joe was out in the "real reel world" with normal people!

Holden and Olson had marvelous chemistry and starred in four films together in the early '50s, also including UNION STATION (1950) and SUBMARINE COMMAND (1951); I recorded their other film, FORCE OF ARMS (1951), not long ago.

I found it quite interesting trying to figure out Joe and his motivations. He had been having a tough time financially, but it was hard to understand him being desperate enough to pay the price he paid. Sure, he was going through a rough patch, but he also had a nice friend willing to lend him his couch, and I didn't see his future as entirely without hope. Indeed, as the film moves along, he and Betty (Olson) enthusiastically work on a story for a film, and while it may have been tough selling it, he wasn't alone in the fight to be a screenwriting success.

I was also confused by the New Year's sequence when Joe plans to leave Norma and has asked Artie (Webb) if he can bunk on his couch. When Joe hears about Norma's suicide attempt, he races out of the party and back to Norma. Why? If he planned to leave, he couldn't have been sad that his meal ticket was endangered, and I never really felt that he cared emotionally. What was Norma's pull?

I also wondered about Norma's financial resources. On the one hand she seems hard up for cash, with the exterior of her house gone to ruin. On the other hand she had enough funds to buy Joe clothes, serve caviar, and put the pool back in good working order.

And what were the motivations of Max (Erich von Stroheim), the man who keeps Norma living in her fantasy world? I don't feel that was adequately explained and had the sense he was, in his own way, as mad as his ex-wife.

Maybe this is a film, like VERTIGO (1958), that requires multiple viewings to figure it all out!

My daughter, who accompanied me, now works in the development end of the film industry and reacted with hilarity to some of the scenes. She said some of the crazy ideas for rewriting scripts were very true to life, and Hollywood hasn't changed in that regard, even decades later! She said she sure got a lot more out of the movie the second time around than when she was a college freshman.

Fred Clark has a single scene as a studio exec, and Cecil B. DeMille was quite good in an extended sequence where Norma visits Paramount Studios. I thought I saw Henry Wilcoxon flash by in the DeMille sequence, and according to IMDb, it was him! Buster Keaton, H.B. Warner, Anna Q. Nilsson, and Hedda Hopper have small roles as well.

The film runs 110 minutes.

All in all, I'm glad I finally saw SUNSET BLVD. and filled in an important gap in my film viewing, even if I wasn't especially enthused about it.

This was my first visit to the Bay Theatre in Seal Beach, California. I'm not sure how it is I'd never been there before, given it's just 10 minutes or so from my home. The Bay has been in operation since 1947, and it alternates showing well-known classics with newer releases.

The interior of the theater is a bit shabby, but it was clean and our seats were in good shape given their age. The theater had a slight musty smell, which only added to the overall mood of SUNSET BLVD.! The print was excellent, save for one tiny patch in the middle of the movie where some dialogue skipped. It was fairly well attended for a holiday, with perhaps 60 or 70 people in the audience.

I've had a wide variety of movie viewing experiences over the years, including a revival theater that projected movies onto the equivalent of a sheet and another set in a converted swimming pool, and I found the Bay very acceptable. I will definitely return. It's nice to know there's a theater showing classics so close to home!

Southern Californians who might visit the Bay may wish to know there is only street parking; on this visit I had no difficulty securing a spot near the theater. The other important thing to know is that the box office takes cash only. This necessitated raiding my coin purse but we scraped together enough quarters and dimes to pay for our tickets without needing to make a fast ATM run!

The other nine films on my list of 10 classics to see in 2010: SHANE (1953), DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941), BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955), STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951), THE LADY EVE (1941), BALL OF FIRE (1941), THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955), and VERTIGO (1958).

Tonight's Movie in 2011: The Year in Review

2012-01-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

2011 was another great movie year, with my total of 226 movies seen surpassing my totals for 2010 (211 films) and 2009 (220 films). I was comfortably ahead of my minimum goal to see 208 films per year.

15 of the 226 films seen last year were repeat viewings, up by two from the previous year. There's always a pull between wanting to revisit previously seen films and trying movies never seen before, and usually the completely unknown titles win. Most often this year I revisited films when I had the chance to see them on a big screen or in a brand-new DVD, often from the Warner Archive.

For those who are curious, I've written about how I find the time to watch movies in my posts on 2009 and 2010, linked in the first paragraph.

As I wrote last year, one of the great pleasures of blogging is being able to share my movie viewing experiences with others, hopefully leading fellow film fans to look for some of the same titles I've enjoyed. Below is a look back at some of the highlights of last year's viewing. It's impossible to list all the films seen last year or go into great detail in this post, but I hope the links shared here might provide a resource for readers to explore ideas for their own viewing in the months to come.

...This year Loretta Young was the actress seen by me in the most films. I saw seven Young films for the first time in 2011: PLATINUM BLONDE (1931), THE CRUSADES (1935), WIFE, DOCTOR AND NURSE (1937), FOUR MEN AND A PRAYER (1939), THE LADY FROM CHEYENNE (1941), THE PERFECT MARRIAGE (1947), and MOTHER IS A FRESHMAN (1949). THE CRUSADES made the biggest impression, especially as it was screened at UCLA in a beautiful 35mm print.

...Other actresses seen most frequently in 2011 include Gail Russell (thanks to my friend Carrie, a fellow Russell fan), Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard, Joan Bennett, Virginia Bruce, Jane Greer, Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, and Frances Dee.

...It's a three-way tie for the most viewed actor of 2011, with Fred MacMurray, Glenn Ford, and William Lundigan seen in six films apiece. I love that Lundigan, a relatively unappreciated actor, ranked so high on the list; I have more of his films stashed away to watch in 2012!

...Other actors seen most often in 2011: Dick Powell, Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Ray Milland, Robert Montgomery, Robert Young, Richard Conte, George Sanders, Robert Mitchum, John Lund, Edward G. Robinson, Richard Carlson, Dan Duryea, and Zachary Scott.

...The highlight of my movie viewing year was the Noir City Film Festival at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood last April. I treated the festival as a mini-vacation and cut back on my work and other commitments, attending an amazing 14 films in seven double bills. Only three of the films, HIGH WALL (1947), THE BRIBE (1949), and CAUGHT (1949), had been previously seen and reviewed here, and it was wonderful seeing those films on a big screen. As a Robert Taylor fan, I especially appreciated the chance to see a pair of his films in a theater for the first time. And what a thrill to meet Marsha Hunt!

The eleven films I saw for the first time at Noir City were STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT (1944), WHIPLASH (1948), THE HUNTED (1948), THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947), THE DARK MIRROR (1946), JOURNEY INTO FEAR (1943), FEMALE ON THE BEACH (1955), HAZARD (1948), BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952), FRAMED (1947), and MR. SOFT TOUCH (1949).

...Other films enjoyed at the Egyptian this year were MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1934) and a really terrific Julie Adams double bill, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) -- complete with old-fashioned paper 3D glasses! -- and BEND OF THE RIVER (1952), one of my favorite James Stewart movies. Meeting Miss Adams made the evening extra-special!

...Along with the Noir City festival, UCLA provided some of the most enjoyable movie viewing of the year. CRY DANGER (1951), with its witty script and great L.A. locations, was one of my favorite films of the year and one of my all-time favorite films starring Dick Powell. As I mentioned above, DeMille's THE CRUSADES (1935) was a truly stunning big-screen experience. I also enjoyed a night of Robert Mitchum Westerns, PURSUED (1947) and the previously reviewed BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948); I've always liked PURSUED, and BLOOD ON THE MOON is a gem more people should know. In August I also attended a Jean Harlow double bill, HOLD YOUR MAN (1933) and RED-HEADED WOMAN (1932), again in shimmering 35-millimeter prints.

...As the year began, I jotted down a list of 10 classic films I'd never seen that I wanted to make a particular effort to watch in 2011. Although I didn't get to "work" viewing the titles on my list until this past summer, I saw nine of them; I've pushed the final film on the list, SUNSET BLVD. (1950), to 2012, as I hope to see it on a big screen later today! (Update: Here's the review. My 2010 "classics" list is now complete!)

It was a rewarding experience catching up with these great films for the very first time, listed in the order I saw them: SHANE (1953), DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941), BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955), STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951), THE LADY EVE (1941), BALL OF FIRE (1941), THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955), and VERTIGO (1958). And what great luck that I was able to see SHANE and VERTIGO in theaters!

No matter how many films I've seen, there are still countless titles ahead of me for a first viewing, including additional significant classics. I've been making a fresh list of 10 classics to see this year, and I plan to share it in advance this year; I should have a post up in a couple of days.

...I saw very few "new" movies in theaters this year: MONEYBALL (2011), THE IDES OF MARCH (2011), ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011), THE MUPPETS (2011), and THE DESCENDANTS (2011). I also caught THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) and SOUL SURFER (2011) on DVD. This is roughly half the number of "new" films I saw in theaters the previous year, but on the other hand the number of classic films I saw in theaters jumped enormously. All of these recent films were worthwhile to varying degrees, particularly SOUL SURFER and the two films which starred George Clooney, but I'd have to say the film I enjoyed the most of this group was the completely delightful and creative ARTHUR CHRISTMAS.

...The worst movie seen this year was probably FORT BOWIE (1958). I adore Ben Johnson, but this Western was a turkey from start to finish.

...Below is a month-by-month look back at additional titles which made the biggest impressions in 2011; I didn't list a great many of the films I saw, or this post would be twice as long!

...January started off well, thanks to Toby, with TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD (1950), a charming Christmas Western starring Roy Rogers and Jack Holt...EMERGENCY HOSPITAL (1956) was a fun little find on Netflix Instant, with Margaret Lindsay and Rita Johnson working the night shift at an L.A. hospital...Ruth Hussey was outstanding in WITHIN THE LAW (1939), a "B" level remake of Joan Crawford's PAID (1931), with good supporting performances by Rita Johnson and Paul Kelly...I was delighted to finally catch up with Gail Russell in CALCUTTA (1947), costarring Alan Ladd, and THE UNSEEN (1945), with Joel McCrea...99 RIVER STREET (1953) was top film noir starring John Payne and Evelyn Keyes...I saw more of Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray's films with THE BRIDE COMES HOME (1936) and FAMILY HONEYMOON (1949)...I enjoyed a wonderful "50 and Fabulous" Golden Anniversary screening of ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS (1961) at the Disney Studios lot, with cast members Lisa Davis and David Frankham in attendance...and what classic film fan wouldn't love GREEN HELL (1940), a jungle adventure with Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Bennett, George Sanders and Vincent Price?

...Early February had a real treat in store, Fritz Lang's THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (1944) with Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea...Claude Rains, beautiful music, and incredible Technicolor made PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943) a feast for the eyes and ears...I thought Lang's MINISTRY OF FEAR (1944), starring Ray Milland, was fantastic, rivaling Hitchcock...I saw the interesting documentary WALT AND EL GRUPO (2008), about Disney and the "Good Neighbor" policy of the '40s, on the USC campus...NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1949) was an atmospheric filming of a Cornell Woolrich story with Gail Russell, Edward G. Robinson, and John Lund...the superb D.O.A. (1950), starring Edmond O'Brien, was my contribution to the For the Love of Film (Noir) Blogathon...I crossed another Deanna Durbin film off my list with ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL (1937)...and I saw THE CONSTANT NYMPH (1943) for the very first time, with Joan Fontaine's stunningly perfect performance. How wonderful that my next viewing of that film will be on a remastered Warner Archive DVD!

...March brought a fun little film noir from the Warner Archive, Lawrence Tierney and Priscilla Lane in BODYGUARD (1948)...I enjoyed another Disney Studios 50th Anniversary screening, this time Fred MacMurray and Nancy Olson in THE ABSENT MINDED PROFESSOR (1961)...I'm always glad to see a William Lundigan film, and in March it was ELOPEMENT (1951) with Anne Francis...I enjoyed two imperfect but interesting films from 1947, SINGAPORE (1947), starring Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner, and CRY WOLF (1947) with Barbara Stanwyck and Errol Flynn...March was the month for flawed but worthwhile films, another being GOODBYE, MY FANCY (1951) with Joan Crawford.

...All the films I saw in the first half of April were at the Noir City Festival. After the festival ended, the film noir theme continued at home with the very enjoyable SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT (1946), starring John Hodiak, Nancy Guild, Richard Conte, and Lloyd Nolan, whose work in that film is notably excellent...Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard were delightful in the romantic comedy THE CRYSTAL BALL (1943)...the colors in BACHELOR IN PARADISE (1961) are absolutely eye-popping, a real visual treasure...MADE ON BROADWAY (1933) was a fun pre-Code, starring Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans, which I saw thanks to Kristina...WALK EAST ON BEACON! (1952) was an entertaining FBI procedural from the Cold War era, with future senator George Murphy starring as an FBI man in his last movie.

...May was an especially outstanding movie month, and it's hard to choose just a few titles to highlight! It started off with a pair of films starring Merle Oberon and George Sanders, directed by John Brahm, THE LODGER (1944) and HANGOVER SQUARE (1945)...I thought Dick Powell's intricately plotted docu-noir TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (1948) was excellent viewing...RUN FOR THE SUN (1956) was a colorful reworking of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932), starring a pair of favorites, Richard Widmark and Jane Greer...BLACK ANGEL (1946) was an excellent noir starring June Vincent and Dan Duryea, in a heartbreaking performance...Joan Bennett famously switched from blonde to brunette in TRADE WINDS (1938), though the rest of the movie, which costarred Fredric March and Ann Sothern, could have been better...THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL (1951) was a memorable San Francisco noir with Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortese, and William Lundigan, and a good supporting performance by Fay Baker...CONFLICT (1945) was a most enjoyable film with Bogie as a wife killer who longs for his young sister-in-law, Alexis Smith...NO MAN OF HER OWN (1952), which comes to DVD this year, was an outstanding romantic drama with Barbara Stanwyck and John Lund...THE GALLANT HOURS (1960), with James Cagney as Admiral Halsey, directed and narrated by Robert Montgomery, made a big impression from the very first scene; it was a superb film.

...In June I enjoyed Robert Montgomery in the witty P.G. Wodehouse comedy PICCADILLY JIM (1936)...I also really liked Hedy Lamarr in DISHONORED LADY (1947), about a reformed party girl entangled in a murder case...I saw THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) for the first time...HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949) was an absorbing family drama with excellent performances by Richard Conte, Susan Hayward, and Edward G. Robinson...Conte was also first-rate as the expectant father in FULL OF LIFE (1956), a very good film indeed, which also starred Judy Holliday...I thoroughly enjoyed Romy Schneider in the German-language film THE STORY OF VICKIE (1954), a fictional story about the love of the young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

...We "staycationed" at home in July, and naturally lots of movies were involved! July led off with William Lundigan in a well-done little "B" noir, the 59-minute FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949); this movie had one of the scariest scenes of all last year's movies...ESCORT WEST (1958), from John Wayne's Batjac Productions, was a good "movie comfort food" kind of Western with Victor Mature leading a strong cast including Elaine Stewart, Faith Domergue, and familiar Western faces Ken Curtis, Harry Carey Jr., Noah Beery Jr., and Leo Gordon...STATION WEST (1948) was a wonderful discovery, a well-written Western noir starring Dick Powell and Jane Greer, featuring the singing of Burl Ives...THE GAL WHO TOOK THE WEST (1949) was one of my favorite films of 2011, a delightful Western comedy with Yvonne DeCarlo choosing between John Russell and Scott Brady, while trying to keep them from killing each other...THE VANISHING VIRGINIAN (1942) was another favorite discovery of the year, a lovely family film with especially good performances by Frank Morgan, Spring Byington, and 19-year-old Kathryn Grayson...I got a kick out of Doris Day and Jack Kelly landing a plane in Andrew L. Stone's JULIE (1956), a film in which Day is stalked by husband Louis Jourdan...THE MAKIOKA SISTERS (1983) was an absorbing, culturally broadening Japanese film set in pre-WWII Japan...WHERE THE BOYS ARE (1960) was perfect summer entertainment, with an excellent cast of young actors including Dolores Hart, Paula Prentiss, and Connie Stevens...I really enjoyed AIR CADET (1951), a semi-documentary procedural about the training of Air Force pilots...and I also liked BOYS' RANCH (1946), an MGM family film with James Craig and Dorothy Patrick.

...Moving on to August, I was very happy to see the husband-wife acting team of Joel McCrea and Frances Dee in WELLS FARGO (1937)...the pre-Code comedy BOMBSHELL (1933), starring Jean Harlow, had an unusual setting in the film industry...GUEST IN THE HOUSE (1944) was an interesting drama about the negative impact Anne Baxter has when she moves in with a family headed by Ralph Bellamy and Ruth Warrick...I loved THE BACHELOR'S DAUGHTERS (1946), an unusual Andrew L. Stone film about the creation of a new family, with a cast including Gail Russell, Ann Dvorak, Jane Wyatt, Claire Trevor, Billie Burke, Adolphe Menjou, and featuring the music of pianist Eugene List...the Universal Vault DVD release of the Western TOMAHAWK (1951) has to be one of the best-looking DVDs I watched last year. It stars Van Heflin and Yvonne DeCarlo...and I was very glad to finally see RIDE THE PINK HORSE (1947), directed by and starring Robert Montgomery. I wasn't quite certain what I thought of the film when I saw it, but I've found it's a movie that's "stayed with me" ever since.

...Moving into September, one of my favorite Netflix Instant finds of the year was HIGHWAY DRAGNET (1954), a film noir starring Richard Conte, Joan Bennett, Wanda Hendrix, and Reed Hadley, with absolutely terrific location filming at the Apple Valley Inn and the Salton Sea...I liked John Lund and Joan Fontaine in another Netflix Instant film, DARLING, HOW COULD YOU! (1951), a somewhat silly but sweet period comedy based on a play by J.M. Barrie...I had a good run of Netflix Instant films going in September, with the Andrew L. Stone film CONFIDENCE GIRL (1952), starring Tom Conway and Hillary Brooke, proving to be interesting...what a pleasure to revisit ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS (1948) for the first time in years, with its gorgeous Technicolor and Doris Day's star-making performance...I also liked CORONER CREEK (1948), a Randolph Scott Western based on a Luke Short story.

...In October, I found MGM's LATIN LOVERS (1953) to be colorful fun, starring Lana Turner, Ricardo Montalban, and John Lund...I was moved by THE LION KING (1994), which I saw for the first time in a theater...I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) was a terrifically atmospheric Val Lewton thriller some have compared to JANE EYRE, starring Frances Dee and Tom Conway...SEVEN SINNERS (1936) was an enjoyable early Gilliat-Launder film with Edmund Lowe and Constance Cummings exchanging witty repartee and traveling by train, paving the way for the filmmakers' later THE LADY VANISHES (1938) and NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940)...BEHIND LOCKED DOORS (1948) was a particularly nifty film noir with favorites Richard Carlson and Lucille Bremer...UNION DEPOT (1932) is a must for pre-Code fans, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Blondell; don't miss the spectacular opening tracking shot...I got a kick out of Richard Carlson as an "A-man" trying to tame THE MAGNETIC MONSTER (1953)...and I really liked the Ronald Reagan Western LAW AND ORDER (1953).

...I gave a thumbs up to DANGER SIGNAL (1945), a Warner Bros. noir with Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson, and Rosemary DeCamp...I started the most enjoyable FALCON "B" mystery series with George Sanders in THE GAY FALCON (1941)...SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) was one of the finest films I saw in 2011, with stunning black and white cinematography by James Wong Howe...Thanks to my friend Mel I was able to see William Lundigan in the Robert Wise "B" noir MYSTERY IN MEXICO (1948), which I enjoyed very much...SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! (1943), about nurses serving on Bataan and Corregidor during WWII, made a big impression, with superb performances by Claudette Colbert and the Oscar-nominated Paulette Goddard...I liked two Ann Rutherford "B" movies, BERMUDA MYSTERY (1944) with Preston Foster and OPERATION HAYLIFT (1950) with Bill Williams; the latter was a particularly fine docudrama based on a true story about the U.S. Air Force saving herds of sheep and cattle after a blizzard...YOU NEVER CAN TELL (1951) was a delightful fantasy about a murdered dog who comes back to life in human form (played by Dick Powell) to solve his own killing...HIRED WIFE (1940) was an especially good Rosalind Russell-Brian Aherne comedy, with a witty script...and I enjoyed revisiting Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor in the entertaining little MGM musical I LOVE MELVIN (1953) for the first time in years.

...As the year drew to a close, December started off with seeing another Debbie Reynolds movie I hadn't watched in a long time, GIVE A GIRL A BREAK (1953). It has great dancing by Bob Fosse and Marge and Gower Champion...I enjoyed Henry Winkler in the Christmas TV-movie THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR (2008) so much that I bought my own copy to enjoy in future Christmas seasons...I marked Deanna Durbin's 90th birthday with SOMETHING IN THE WIND (1947), and couldn't get the catchy music, especially "The Turntable Song," out of my head for days!...I love police procedurals, and BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN (1950) was a good one, with Edmond O'Brien, Mark Stevens, and Gale Storm...I revisited seasonal favorites THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1942) and MY REPUTATION (1946)...and I thoroughly enjoyed watching IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH AVENUE (1947) for the first time and adding it to my list of films to see again at Christmastime in the future.

I very much appreciate all of you who stop by regularly to check out "Tonight's Movie," and I wish my readers good health, happiness, and lots of classic movies in 2012!

Previously: Tonight's Movie in 2010: The Year in Review and Tonight's Movie in 2009: The Year in Review.

Tonight's Movie: Earthquake (1974)

2011-12-31T23:45:00.000-08:00

Our family's tradition of the last several years is to watch a disaster movie on New Year's Eve. Whether it's an aviation calamity or a natural disaster, more often than not either Dana Andrews or Charlton Heston is involved!

Tonight it was Heston's turn, starring in the 1974 Irwin Allen flick EARTHQUAKE. Other than Heston, this film is really, really bad; at times the sheer awfulness provides amusement, while at other times it's yawn-inducing.

How bad is it? Let me count the ways...

...A haggard Ava Gardner is supposed to be Lorne Greene's daughter. In real life he was just seven years her senior, and at this stage of her film career, Gardner looks older than Greene. A nutty scene where a foreshock interrupts her faking a drug overdose sets the tone for the rest of the movie.

...The editing at times is nothing short of bizarre. One moment Genevieve Bujold is talking to Heston; the next minute, without a fadeout or any other logical transition, we're suddenly watching a completely different scene and the characters have just made love. There is no logic to some of the film's cuts whatsoever, leading to a jumpy, confusing story.

...Victoria Principal, a few years before DALLAS, inexplicably sports a huge Afro-style hairdo; it's so big several birds could build a nest in it.

...Walter Matthau has a strange multi-scene cameo as a drunk. Apparently he didn't want much credit, as his billing is under the name Walter Matuschanskayasky.

...Even in 1974, surely Southern Californians knew not to crowd into an elevator after a massive earthquake which is in the process of destroying buildings? The in-your-face gore which accompanies this scene clearly served no purpose other than shock value.

...Marjoe Gortner plays a National Guardsman who's a psycho who thinks nothing of machine-gunning three people to death. In fact, not many of the police or military are admirable in this film. Curiously, the most heroic policeman is a rebel who's been suspended from the force! He's played by George Kennedy, who, like Heston, was imported from the AIRPORT movies.

...After all the stress, the film has a pretty crummy ending with the pointless death of a principal actor.

On the plus side, there's Heston, Kennedy, the always-dependable Lloyd Nolan, and a cute little dog.

The cast also includes Barry Sullivan, Richard Roundtree, Monica Lewis, Kip Niven, John Randolph, and Pedro Armendariz Jr., who recently passed away.

EARTHQUAKE may be worth sitting through once if one enjoys cheesy disaster films, but all in all this was a low point in the careers of all involved. It's not really even successful as a "good bad movie"!

EARTHQUAKE was directed by Mark Robson. Robson's earlier credits included directing Dana Andrews in MY FOOLISH HEART (1949) and I WANT YOU (1951).

John Williams composed the score, but it's unmemorable. The next year he would hit it big with JAWS (1975).

The running time was 123 minutes.

EARTHQUAKE has had multiple DVD releases as well as a VHS edition. A DVD can be rented from Netflix. It's also available for streaming from Amazon Instant Video.

Previous New Year's Eve films: CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965) with Dana Andrews, THE CROWDED SKY (1960) with Dana Andrews, ZERO HOUR! (1957) with Dana Andrews, SKYJACKED (1972) with Charlton Heston, and TWISTER (1996).

TCM in January: Highlights

2011-12-31T20:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, and Best Wishes for 2012!

It's hard to believe that it's time to look at the January schedule for Turner Classic Movies. Didn't December get underway only yesterday? On we go!

As I previewed a couple of months ago, TCM's January schedule has some real treats in store. Let's take a look:

...I'm intrigued by THE BEGINNING OR THE END (1947), a film about the Manhattan Project starring Brian Donlevy, Tom Drake, and Robert Walker. The excellent cast also includes Audrey Totter, Beverly Tyler, Joseph Calleia, Hume Cronyn, John Litel, and Henry O'Neill. A must-see for me on January 2nd.

...Later on the 2nd I'm curious about THE STEEL TRAP (1952), with Joseph Cotten as an embezzler who has a change of heart. Teresa Wright, Cotten's SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) costar, plays his wife. It's part of a five-film tribute to Cotten which features some excellent films including PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948) with Jennifer Jones, the Oscar-winning THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (1947) with Loretta Young, the colorful suspense film NIAGARA (1953), and LYDIA (1941), costarring Merle Oberon.

...A six-film lineup celebrating "Women of the West" includes my favorite Robert Taylor film, WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951), directed by William Wellman. I try not to miss any opportunity to recommend this tough, gritty, and unusual Western; I'd love to see more film fans discover it. It airs January 3rd.

...Jane Wyman's birthday will be celebrated on January 5th with half a dozen films, some of them fairly obscure, such as PRIVATE DETECTIVE (1939) with Dick Foran and GAMBLING ON THE HIGH SEAS (1940) with Wayne Morris. THE DOUGHGIRLS (1944) is a diverting bit of silliness about the Washington, D.C. housing shortage, and CHEYENNE (1947) is a Raoul Walsh Western with Dennis Morgan that I enjoyed very much.

...I love that TCM pays tribute to Loretta Young every year on her January 6th birthday. This year seven films will be shown: HEROES FOR SALE (1933), the must-see pre-Code SHE HAD TO SAY YES (1933), THE UNGUARDED HOUR (1936), THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947), the excellent thriller THE STRANGER (1946), RACHEL AND THE STRANGER (1948), and KEY TO THE CITY (1950). I've seen all but one of these films, and it's an excellent lineup.

...A tribute to Betty Grable on January 6th features two 20th Century-Fox films making their TCM premieres, PIGSKIN PARADE (1936) and A YANK IN THE R.A.F. (1941), followed by MY BLUE HEAVEN (1950).

...Western fans will love the lineup on January 9th. It starts off with George Montgomery in BADMAN'S COUNTRY (1958) and is followed by a Gordon Douglas film I'm curious about, GOLD OF THE SEVEN SAINTS (1961), starring then-Warner Bros. TV stars Roger Moore and Clint Walker. That's followed by Walker and Virginia Mayo in another Douglas film, FORT DOBBS (1958); Alan Ladd in Delmer Daves' DRUM BEAT (1954); and Dane Clark and Ruth Roman in BARRICADE (1950). Two films I'll definitely be recording are Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray in ARROW IN THE DUST (1954) and Eddie Albert and Gale Storm in THE DUDE GOES WEST (1948). I've enjoyed Storm in a couple recent films, and this is another opportunity to see her work. The day is capped by Gary Cooper in SPRINGFIELD RIFLE (1952).

...June Haver doesn't turn up on TCM very often, as so many of her films were for 20th Century-Fox, but she can be seen with Gordon MacRae in the Warner Bros. musical LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING (1949) on January 10th.

...It's coincidentally odd timing given his recent health scare, but THE LIQUIDATOR (1966), about a plot of assassinate Britain's Prince Philip, sounds interesting. It was directed by Jack Cardiff and stars Rod Taylor and Trevor Howard. It airs January 11th.

...Robert Osborne's picks on January 17th include a couple of particularly interesting titles, Merle Oberon in A NIGHT IN PARADISE (1946) and Paulette Goddard in Jean Renoir's THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID (1946). I'll have my DVR running! Goddard's onetime husband, Burgess Meredith, is also in THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID, and that film is followed by two more Goddard-Meredith titles, SECOND CHORUS (1940), which stars Fred Astaire, and ON OUR MERRY WAY (1948), starring James Stewart.

...There's another great day of 10, count 'em, 10 Westerns on January 23rd. I'll be recording Sterling Hayden and Karin Booth in TOP GUN (1955). The other films have stars including William Holden, Glenn Ford, Randolph Scott, Bob Steele, Rock Hudson, and George Montgomery. It's great to see multiple Montgomery Westerns turn up on TCM this month.

...Later on January 23rd there's a great evening of films titled "Max Ophuls in Hollywood." The superb Joan Bennett-James Mason film THE RECKLESS MOMENT (1949) leads off the evening; it's only available on Region 2 DVD, and this story of a Balboa Island housewife caught up in a blackmail plot is "must" viewing. That's followed by more excellent films: CAUGHT (1949) with Mason, Robert Ryan, and Barbara Bel Geddes; LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (1948) starring Joan Fontaine; and THE EXILE (1947) which stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and sounds very interesting. Two of Ophuls' European films, LA RONDE (195) and THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE... (1954) will air in the wee hours.

...Betty Grable and Dan Dailey star in the 20th Century-Fox film MOTHER WORE TIGHTS (1947) on Sunday morning, January 29th.

...Later on the 29th there's a Jack Webb double feature, THE D.I. (1957) and -30-. I just bought the latter film, about a day in the life of a newspaper, in a pre-Christmas sale from the Warner Archive.

...TALK ABOUT A STRANGER (1952) is one of those little movies I love to discover. This 65-minute film stars George Murphy, Nancy Davis (Reagan), and Lewis Stone and runs just 65 minutes. It's on January 30th.

...THE CONSTANT NYMPH (1943) will have its second airing on TCM on January 30th. This film was long unavailable due to legal issues, so for those who missed it when TCM showed it several weeks ago, this is a great opportunity to see it.

...THE CONSTANT NYMPH is part of a five-film tribute to Joan Fontaine on the evening of the 30th. The other films showing that night include the TCM premiere of the excellent 20th Century-Fox film JANE EYRE (1944), also starring Orson Welles and a trio of exceptionally fine child actresses, Peggy Ann Garner, Elizabeth Taylor, and Margaret O'Brien. The delightfully soapy Nicholas Ray film BORN TO BE BAD (1950), Hitchcock's SUSPICION (1941), and IVANHOE (1952) with Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor round out the list.

...The month ends with a birthday tribute to Jean Simmons on January 31st. On the schedule are ELMER GANTRY (1960), BLACK NARCISSUS (1947), and YOUNG BESS (1953).

...Mario Lanza and Peggie Castle in the same movie? What an unusual pairing. The film is SEVEN HILLS OF ROME (1958) and it's on January 31st.

TCM's January Star of the Month is Angela Lansbury. I'll be taking a look at the Lansbury films on the schedule in a future post. (Update: Please visit my post TCM Star of the Month: Angela Lansbury.)

Visit the online schedule for a complete listing of all the films showing on Turner Classic Movies in January.

Again, sincere good wishes to all for a very happy New Year!

Tonight's Movie: The Descendants (2011)

2011-12-31T17:10:00.000-08:00

THE DESCENDANTS is an absorbing drama about a family in crisis. It's also a tribute to the human ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other despite being repeatedly smacked in the face by difficult situations. The film's strong points include an outstanding performance by George Clooney, who should be nominated for the Oscar in a few weeks, and a distinctive Hawaiian setting.

Clooney plays Matt King, a wealthy lawyer descended from Hawaiian royalty. Matt's wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has been comatose since a boating accident. Just as Matt learns that the coma is irreversible, he's also hit with the news that Elizabeth had been having an affair with a local realtor (Matthew Lillard).

As Matt struggles to reconnect with his troubled daughters Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller), he's also faced with a decision about selling land which has been in his family for generations.

This is a rich film with a lot of layers to consider and analyze, starting with the meaning of the title. Along the way there are many interesting things to observe and consider; for instance, I was struck that Elizabeth was consistently described as "strong." There was a sense that that was the nicest thing some people could say about her, and as the audience gets to see her cantankerous father (Robert Forster) in action, one also has the sense the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Yet it's clear that she also had at least one devoted friend (played by Mary Birdsong).

Elizabeth is a significant presence in the film, though she's never seen speaking; figuring out who she was is one of the things which makes the film interesting. As it turns out, Matt is trying to figure out who she was along with the audience, as he comes to terms with startling information about her behavior.

Elizabeth clearly made some poor life choices, most significantly, it seems, not being a particularly engaged parent; as the film begins, the children aren't a credit to either of their parents. One of the things which makes the film rewarding is watching Matt realize he needs to make changes in his life and then seeing him follow through, especially in his relationships with his daughters. The film's last shot is believably warm and hopeful.

Although the film deals with the death of a wife and mother, it's not maudlin or tear-jerking. I found myself interested yet emotionally distant; I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but that distance made it easier to watch. Some of this reaction may also be because, while the characters have had their world rocked, the reactions wash over them in phases; they have moments where they break down in tears, but often they're simply numb or trying to keep on going as normally as possible, in a matter-of-fact way. There's also considerable humor found in unexpected moments. All of this feels very real, and it's frankly easier for an audience to watch than if it were an out-and-out tear-jerker, though the film does have its moments of pathos.

I've been mulling over whether THE DESCENDANTS is a movie I'll want to see again. While I'll definitely be watching Clooney's very entertaining THE IDES OF MARCH (2011) again, THE DESCENDANTS is perhaps less "entertainment" and more about accompanying the characters on a difficult though rewarding journey. It will be interesting to see, as time goes on, whether the film's many strong points induce me to relive that journey.

One of the things I especially liked about the film was its somewhat unusual-for-film depiction of "everyday" Hawaii. (SOUL SURFER, released earlier this year, also depicted life in Hawaii, although it was more scenic.) We see the freeways, office buildings, middle-class homes, and a pool badly in need of cleaning. Much of the time the atmosphere is damp and overcast. Combined with the Hawaiian music permeating the soundtrack, it gave the film an authentic feel and made it visually interesting.

I did feel that this 115-minute film was five or ten minutes too long. The sequence I think I might have been tempted to excise was the unlikely hospital visit of Julie (Judy Greer), the wife of the man with whom Elizabeth had the affair. It was the rare moment in the film where I didn't completely believe in a character and what was happening.

There are a couple of interesting faces among Matt's many cousins. Cousin Hugh, who is something of a character, is played by Beau Bridges. I was trying to figure out where I'd seen Cousin Milo before, then realized during the end credits that it was Michael Ontkean of the '70s TV series THE ROOKIES.

THE DESCENDANTS was directed and co-written by Alexander Payne. It's based on a novel by Kauai Hart Hemmings.

Parental advisory: THE DESCENDANTS is rated R for language, including sexual references. Children would be unlikely to enjoy the film's mature themes, in any event.

For more on this film, Leonard Maltin, Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times, and Lou Lumenick of the New York Post are among those who have given the film their strong endorsement.

Tonight's Movie: Vertigo (1958) at the Egyptian Theatre

2011-12-30T23:48:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Egyptian Theatre tonight seeing Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO for the very first time. The movie was fascinating, the 70 mm print was gorgeous, and the company, which included my fellow classic film blogger Deborah of Sidewalk Crossings, was most congenial. All in all, a perfect Friday night in Hollywood!

There probably isn't a whole lot new I can offer about VERTIGO, as so many classic film fans have already seen it. (That said, I'm still going to be as vague as possible about the plot, for the benefit of those who haven't seen it yet.) I found the film mesmerizing, with great mood, thanks to the acting, the beautiful shots of San Francisco, the color palette (lots of greens and yellows!), and the evocative score by the great Bernard Herrmann.

The story is somehow simultaneously simple and very complicated, leaving behind more questions than it answers.

And questions, I have lots of questions:

1) How did Scottie get out of his seemingly impossible predicament in the first minutes of the movie?

2) Midge is obviously hung up on Scottie, so why did she break their long-ago engagement? Did she think he wasn't serious enough about her? And why is he simultaneously a single loner yet always dropping in to hang out with Midge? There are seemingly as many mysteries in the characters' back stories as there are in the film's present-day storyline.

3) Wasn't there anything physical about Judy -- perhaps even the way she kissed -- that told Scottie her true identity?

4) So what exactly was Gavin Elster's motive? He wanted control of the money? His motivations and feelings of animosity are never clearly spelled out.

5) What was Judy's motive for the deception? If she loved Gavin, it's still not clear why she would love him that much.

6) Why did Judy back up to the table in the hotel? She looked as though she were either hiding something or perhaps going to grab the phone to dial for help, but knowing what she knew, why would she consider making the call?

7) What was the nun doing up there, anyway?

8) And the unanswerable question, what happened to Scottie next? Wow, talk about an abrupt ending!

Perhaps some of these questions will be answered in the Month of Vertigo blogathon taking place all next month, hosted by The Lady Eve's Reel Life. In her introduction Eve quotes critic David Thomason as saying the film is both "a masterpiece and an endless mystery," so perhaps I'm not alone in my questions!

An interesting point to consider: I felt that VERTIGO's use of colors and flashbacks seemed to set the stage for the later MARNIE (1964), another film about a chameleon-like woman of disturbed or questionable character.

Novak and Stewart made VERTIGO back to back with BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE (1958). Stewart is superb as the obsessed detective; when it comes right down to it, he's not always a very nice man, yet the audience is completely caught up in his emotions and what he experiences. The fact that it's an actor who has so much audience goodwill at the outset helps prevent him from being perceived negatively, particularly in the closing scenes dealing with Scottie's total obsession. Novak excelled in a role that's difficult on many levels; like Stewart, she engages audience sympathy despite her character's actions.

I especially liked Barbara Bel Geddes as Scottie's friend and old flame, Midge, whose appearances serve to jolt the film out of its melancholy mood.

I smiled when I recognized Bess Flowers, the perennial extra, dining in the first sequence in Ernie's. I was amused by what Jacqueline wrote about her in a recent post on MY REPUTATION (1946): "The inevitable Bess Flowers also plays one of the society friends at the party, but then she always shows up everywhere... I think I ran into her at the grocery store the other day." That gave me a big chuckle.

The highly stylized opening credits sequence, which foreshadows the story to come, was created by Saul Bass. There's a new coffee table book out on his work which I'd really like to get.

VERTIGO is available on DVD in a 2003 Collector's Edition and a 2008 edition in the Universal Legacy Series. It's also been released on VHS, including a widescreen edition I've been told is quite nice.

This film can be rented for streaming from Amazon Instant Video; the DVD can be rented from Netflix.

VERTIGO was Movie No. 9 on my list of 10 "unseen classics" to finally catch up with in 2011. The other films on the list seen to date were SHANE (1953), DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941), BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955), STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951), THE LADY EVE (1941), BALL OF FIRE (1941), and THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955).

I'm pushing the final film on my 2011 list, SUNSET BLVD. (1950), to the very first day of 2012, when I hope to see it on the big screen at the Bay Theatre in Seal Beach, California.

New on DVD: The Magnetic Monster (1953)

2011-12-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

THE MAGNETIC MONSTER (1953), a nifty little Cold War era thriller, was released on DVD yesterday.

This "manufactured on demand" DVD-R is from the MGM Limited Edition Collection. It's available from Amazon and Deep Discount.

I reviewed this film a few weeks ago and found it quite entertaining. Richard Carlson plays a government "A-man" who must find a way to defeat a fast-growing radioactive element which has such a strong magnetic force that it threatens to throw the world off its axis.

THE MAGNETIC MONSTER is hokey at times, but in the best kind of way. It's a great melding of Cold War anxieties with '50s monster movies, as well as a must for fans of Richard Carlson (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON). I found it quite enjoyable and am glad to see it become available to a wider audience.

Tonight's Movie: The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)

2011-12-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

"Silver Bells," composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, is perhaps my favorite Christmas song of all time, and it originated in the Bob Hope film THE LEMON DROP KID.

I saw the movie for the first time this evening. Unfortunately, I found most of it tedious going, but it does have some bright spots, including Lloyd Nolan, Marilyn Maxwell, and most of all, that beautiful song.

The plot, such as it is, is a bunch of Damon Runyon nonsense about the Lemon Drop Kid (Hope), who owes mobster Moose Moran (Fred Clark) a lot of money. The Kid goes to New York and comes up with a money-making scam involving a home for old ladies. Hope hides money in a statue, Hope dresses as Santa Claus, Hope dresses as an old lady, and so on. Yawn. The plot lumbers around without going much of anywhere. Maybe I was having an off viewing night, but this movie just didn't click with me.

It's interesting that both the Christmas films I've watched this week involved leading characters who are scammers or moochers. However, Victor Moore makes his character in IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH AVENUE (1947) likeable and sympathetic -- quite a feat since, as I wrote in my post on it, I've never cared for Moore -- but Hope's character is just a deadbeat who preys on others endlessly. There is absolutely zero explanation for why his girlfriend (Maxwell) finds him so irresistible, when he takes advantage of her good nature time after time. He's just an unpleasant person looking out for No. 1.

Though I can't say any of the story engaged me, I enjoyed the performances by Lloyd Nolan and Marilyn Maxwell, who bring the dull goings-on to life whenever they're on screen. I also thought Andrea King was quite funny as Moose Moran's Southern belle lady friend.

The highlight of the film is the introduction of the song "Silver Bells." According to an article on the Turner Classic Movies site, Hope was dissatisfied with director Sidney Lanfield's static original staging of "Silver Bells." Frank Tashlin rethought the scene as a stroll through the city streets and directed what appears in the final film. The evocative, nostalgic sequence is beautifully done. (Perhaps I should note, for those who care about such things, that there's a very brief bit with Chinese children which is politically incorrect by modern standards.) When the song swells to its lovely conclusion, it feels as though it should be the end of the movie. Alas, there's still half an hour of the film's 91-minute running time left to go.

Frank Tashlin would go on to direct another Christmastime film, SUSAN SLEPT HERE (1954), a stylish and colorful movie which I just enjoyed again on Christmas Eve.

The supporting cast of THE LEMON DROP KID includes William Frawley, Jane Darwell, Jay C. Flippen, and Ida Moore.

THE LEMON DROP KID has had several DVD releases. I watched a DVD released in 2000. It was released again in 2010 as both a single title and as part of the Bob Hope Collection.

It's also come out multiple times on VHS.

THE LEMON DROP KID can be streamed by Amazon Prime members at no additional charge.

The movie was just shown for the first time on Turner Classic Movies.

Bob Hope films previously reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: THE GHOST BREAKERS (1940), MY FAVORITE BLONDE (1942), STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM (1942), VARIETY GIRL (1947), MY FAVORITE SPY (1951), and BACHELOR IN PARADISE (1961).