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Brewster McCloud (1970)
This one is strictly "for the birds"
This movie is strictly "for the birds," as the idiom implies. Come to think of it, that would have been a spot-on title for it, rather than "Brewster McCloud." It's billed as a dark comedy, comedy, crime and fantasy, but one word would suffice and be more accurate - weird. The only thing I could see that was comical, was the bird droppings at various times. Even though that had dark overtones because the recipients of the gifts from the sky then turned up dead. Perhaps a more comical title and a little rewriting of the script could have turned it into a real comedy. How about something like "The Deadly Bird Poop?"
And, the film reminded me of a situation that would have fit a real comedy plot to a T. I spent many summer days along the Oregon coast over a couple of decades when a group of us would get ice cream cones and stroll on or near the beach. The challenge was always to get our cones eaten before a seagull added a topping to them. Seriously, we had that happen one time to a friend, and for years thereafter it was a matter of humor among an ever-widening group of summer beach strollers.
Well, back to this film. I don't even recall ever having heard of it in 1970. Probably because it was a flop at the box office with a mere $3.9 million in ticket sales. That was even though it didn't need too much in sales because it didn't have any well-known actors of the day who would command large salaries. John Schuck, Stacy Keach and Wiliam Windom would later become well known, mostly through TV series.
Director Robert Altman used several of the same cast for this box office flop as he did for his highly successful M*A*S*H of the same year. That film finished third in box office gross for 1970 at $82.9 million. In it, Sally Kellerman played Major Hot Lips O'Houlihan, Rene Auberjonois was Father John Mulcahy, and Schuck played Capt. Painless Waldowski.
For anyone interested in are real mystery flick about birds, nothing beats Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" of 1963. And, for comedy, "Something for the Birds" of 1952 is quite good.
Bitter Sweet (1940)
The film lives up to its title
Any film with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy can't be bad. But that's about as good as can be said for this one. "Bitter Sweet" is the second last of eight pairings Hollywood made of the couple. And the film is bitter sweet, in more ways than one. Other reviewers delve into the controversy involving Noel Coward over the Hollywood treatment of his play here. So, I'll stick to the film as its presented here.
Of course it has a bitter sweet ending. But throughout the film, the music itself seems so bitter sweet. There are no memorable tunes and much of Nelson's singing here seems almost bland. Together with that is his seeming dour persona for much of the film There's no bouncy, lively, energetic Eddy that was in his other films. He seemed to always have some dreary thought on his mind. Perhaps it was intended that he play it that way, sort of fitting the story, but I think it backfires. I think this must be about the least of the films that the otherwise lovely couple made together.
Waikiki Wedding (1937)
Slow musical set in an alluring Hawaii of the early 20th century
Bing Crosby apparently spent a week in Hawaii on vacation or vacation and business and then Paramount made this film in its Hollywood studios and a California botanical garden. A second unit did go to Hawaii to film some of the scenic shots that were used in this film. This film was made nearly five years before the Japanese would bomb Pearl Harbor and lead the U. S. into WW II. People in the 21st century may not realize that Hawaii then - from the early to well past the mid-20th century, had an exotic allure, especially to Americans. While there had been an American presence on the islands for several decades, and considerable military and naval bases, it would be 22 years after this film before Hawaii became the 50th state of the U. S. A.
That bit of historical background might help modern audiences to understand the somewhat strangeness of the plot for this film. The film is a musical and comedy, and it won an Oscar for best original song< "Sweet Leilani," which became a Bing Crosby favorite over time. "Blue Hawaii" was another memorable song, but none of the rest of the music was memorable. The comedy was so-so, probably better to audiences of that time than it would seem to most people today.
The strangeness in the film are the scenes relative to returning a supposed special large black pearl to a specific location to appease the god that was threatening a volcanic eruption. And, much of the native dances in these scenes is Hollywood creation. The idea for the plot is okay, surrounding a pineapple queen; but the story just doesn't gel very well. The lead opposite Crosby's Ton Marvin was played by Shirley Ross as Georgia Smith. She had a fine voice and made some movies but never became a big star in cinema, She had some good recordings but after 1945 retired from filmdom and settled down to raise her family
Oh, yes, and as some others have noted, there's a young Anthony Quinn in this film. He has a moderately good supporting role as Kimo. Quinn would go on to have high success in cinema, including winning two Oscars.
Even those who enjoy musicals may find this film rather slow going, and with little memorable music.
Private Scandal (1934)
A mystery, low comedy, and a cast of dumb characters and many liars
There is some mystery in this film, which keeps one somewhat interested. I think the comedy is supposed to be in the brash comments by Ned Sparks as Inspector Riordan. That type of humor may have had a slight following in its day, but clearly not much or there surely would have been many more films made with it. But, just as much in holding one's interest as the mystery, is the absolute dumbness of the cast overall. That is, in the roles being played. I can't think of any crime or mystery story I've ever read or seen in a movie, in which so many people lied outright, with little thought, to the police investigator. And, for no apparent reason. It almost seemed toward the end as though the film was intended as a mockery of the law and crime stories. But it wasn't quite clever enough to be satire.
Well, "Private Scandal" is a murder mystery that gets solved in the end. But, after a few minutes of the opening scenes to set the stage, the film soon became little more than a series of short encounters of Riordan with the various other members of the cast. There seemed no end to little discoveries so that it gradually becomes clear that Cliff Barry wasn't the only person who knew anything abut B. J. Somers' demise. And, Barry was also the biggest and multiple liar of the bunch. Sure, Phillips Holmes played the character as jittery, nervous and discombobulated. But his decisions and actions from the start showed a person who was more stupid than reasonable. Imagine anyone not knowing that the police would be able to determine that Somers had died the night before, not that morning.
There was too much of this type of kindergarten thinking and behavior in this script. Imagine that so many employees would say they thought they had seen a mysterious man who was with Somers that morning. Remember that Inspector Riordan questioned them individually. Yet they all fabricated such a lie. And what about the disconnect from the night before when Simons and his love are surprised and the screen goes blank? Strictly kindergarten story-telling.
Judging from the plot, screenplay and various cast members, I would guess this was a movie done by the B unit at Paramount. Zasu Pitts would have a very long career in films with many, many to her credit, bukt no memorable roles. Most of the rest of the cast, except for Sparks, were hardly known much beyond the time of this film.
Deep in My Heart (1954)
Biopic of Hungarian-American composer and impresario, Sigmund Romberg
"Deep in My Heart" is a musical biopic of Sigmund Romberg (1887-19951). The Hungarian-born composer was a major force in American stage musicals and operettas in the early 20th century. Many of his great hits were also made into movies, with varying degrees of alterations. Not many of his songs that were popular in the early 20th century have endured over time. One that has is "Stout Hearted Men" of 1928, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein.
This film was made just three years after Romberg's death, and is adopted from a 1949 biography by Elliott Arnold. The film is accurate in portraying much of Romberg's works. And, to some extent, his personal life and friendships. But as to his persona, only those who knew him back then would know. Some sources refer to him as a demanding person with a temper. José Ferrer's interpretation of the character is very good for this film. He is both serious and light-hearted at times, demanding and easily moving on. The real man may very well have been a driven artist and worker as Ferrer portrays him.
Ferrer has some good support in the rest of the cast who play other important people in Romberg's life. Most notably are Merle Oberon as the multi-talented actress, playwright and musical producer, Dorothy Donnelly (1876-1928). She wrote the libretto for what may be Romberg's most famous operetta, "The Student Prince." Other major cast roles were played very well by Walter Pidgeon as J. J.. Shubert and Pual Henreid as Florenz Ziegfeld.
The film has some fine performances, including a superb dance number by Gene Kelly and his brother Fred, as the O'Brien Brothers. Dancing clearly ran in the Kelly family as brother Fred matched the frenzied movements of Gene to a T. While Fred didn't have the movie career that Gene had, he had a long career of dancing, choreography, teaching and production on and around Broadway. This is the only film of a total of four that Fred made, in which music and dance fans can see the "other" Kelly hoofing it very well.
MGM touted the number of prominent performers who appear in this film. Most were in the songs, dances and scenes in the Romberg musicals, revues and operettas that were part of the story. Without anything else to do with the plot of the film itself, many favorites of the day appear singing, dancing, etc. So, besides the Kelly brothers there are Jane Powell, Rosemary Clooney, Vic Damone, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Tony Martin and more.
Those who enjoy musicals and like the stories of the early American composers and playwrights for stage and film should especially enjoy this film.
Rosie! (1967)
A nostalgic cast in this good comedy drama
While billed strictly as a comedy, "Rosie" has some tense drama and frightening scenes for Rosalind Russell's Rosie Lord when she is kidnapped and imprisoned in a secluded asylum. Even with that, the story is a good one of a couple daughters and one son-in-law driven by greed to try to put away Rosie so they can have her considerable fortune. There's some fine comedy especially in the courtroom scene at the end when the truth comes out into the open. Rosalind Russell showed her all around talent for acting, whether in comedy, drama or any other genre.
The film has a couple of romances that develop or come out over time. And Rosie's granddaughter, Daphne Shaw, idolizes her grandma and would have nothing to do with the plotting and scheming of her parents and aunt. Sandra Dee plays her part very well, as do all the cast. And, what a cast. This film probably has more appeal to movie buffs who like the cinema of all ages and times.
Therein is the nostalgia among the cast. Russell (age 60), Brian Aherne (age 65) , Reginald Owen (age 80) , and Margaret Hamilton (age 65) are late in their careers and have many wonderful films behind them.
Who could ever forget Russell's performances in "Gypsy" of 1962, "Auntie Mame" of 1958 and a slew of smashing comedies from the 1930s to early 50s? This was Aherne's last film, after a career that began with silent films in the early 1920s. He, too, had many memorable comedies in the 1930s and 1940s among his wide range of films. Those include two comedies that are among the funniest of all time - both in 1937: "Merrily We Live" and "The Great Garrick."
Reginald Owen, at 80, wasn't quite done with his career yet, after four decades as one of the best British comedy actors in leading and supporting roles from the 1930s through the 1960s. He played Scrooge in MGM's 1938 film of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." His performances were hilarious in "The Man in Possession" of 1931, "The Good Fairy" of 1935, "Paradise for Three" in 1938, "Cairo" in 1942, and "Julia Misbehaves" of 1948. And, of course, Margaret Hamilton, while making numerous films of all genres, will always be known for her non-comedy role of the Wicked Witch of the West in MGM's 1939 smash hit and classic, "The Wizard of Oz."
While only 45 at the time of this film, Audrey Meadows already had behind her the roles for which she would be known throughout her career. She was Jackie Gleason's wife, Alice Kramden, on the two 1950s TV sitcoms, "The Honeymooners" and "The Jackie Gleason Show." Others of this cast were up-and-coming stars, notably James Farentino and Leslie Nielson.
The one glaring oddity with this film is the early and ending scenes with Rosalind Russell speeding along highways, including one along the Coast in her Ferrari. Not another car appears on these roads that I can remember. I've driven the California highways up and down the state, in the 1960s, and the 1980s through early 21st century. And anyone else who has, or all the residents of that state, wouldn't believe there could ever be such a deserted highway anywhere in the Golden Gate state. The producers must have arranged to film on a stretch or two of highway that were closed off for repairs at the time. That, or they paid a whopping fee to have a highway stretch shut down for a few hours.
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Rosie, "I'm gonna buy it." Daphne, "What?" Rosie, "I'm gonna buy it." Daphne, "This whole theater?" Rosie, "Well they don't sell it to you in parts."
Rosie, "We spend our lives learning how to live. And then just as we begin to know a little about it, they finish us off. They oughta give us three chances - like a ball player."
Daphne, "Aunt Midred's a bitch." Rosie, "Daphne!" Daphne, "And father's a bore and mother's a bowl of Jello. So there you are."
Rosie, "You're with me too much." Daphne, "I like being with you. I like you better than anyone I know. You're my buddy."
Rosie, "What are you doing? You're fired. Did you hear me? You're fired." David, "You can't fire me. I am deeply attached to you, and shall never leave your side."
Nurse at Vista Home, "Funny, how y'all like to stay when you first come here, and nobody eats."
Mae, "She's as sane as I am." Rosie, "How are we gonna prove you're sane, Mae? You go around singing, too."
A Good Man in Africa (1994)
Sex galore for the lead role, and a big flop as entertainment
Even with a cast that had some big names of movie stars in considerable supporting roles, "A Good Man in Africa" was a flop. It's box office barely matched one-tenth of its production cost. And, author William Boyd even wrote the screenplay based on his 1981 novel of the same title. Critics who read the book said the movie just missed the very good humor and wit in the book.
As a result, this film appears mostly as the portrayal of an over-sexed Brit in the diplomatic service. There is little coherence in the scenes as the story flips between bedroom or related sex scenes, and various projects or efforts Morgan Leafy stumbles and falls through. Occasional scenes of full nudity only add the perception of Colin Friels' character as living a hedonistic lifestyle. And the presence of Seann Connery, Diana Rigg and Louis Gossett Jr. Can't save this film. It's hard to imagine what induced any of these three to be in it -- especially Rigg in the humiliating part of Chloe Fanshawe. Was she that desperate for money?
My three stars are for the little bit of comedy that is there, and the good performances by several of the lesser known supporting actors in the cast. While some may enjoy this type of film, it's safe to say that most people won't. The 1994 audiences proved that with only $2 million in box office sales against a $20 million budget. It may have been the biggest flop of the 1990s.
Maytime (1937)
A very good musical love story and tragedy
"Maytime" is the third of eight films that Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy made for MGM. The plot is a revised story of a 1917 operetta by Sigmund Romberg, but has almost all different music. The setting is the real milieu of the two stars in time. Eddy had already begun a career in opera and MacDonald would later go to the stage for opera. It's natural that this film has quite a bit of operatic singing. So, those who can't stomach opera are not very likely to enjoy this film.
But the plot has a very deep love story. It's a love triangle of sorts, but not on the surface. I enjoy musicals a great deal, with almost all kinds of music, but opera is nowhere near the top of my list. I have been to a couple of operas, and find it very difficult to sit through a whole show, even with great performances. A great deal of soprano singing soon becomes unnerving or irritating. But I do like and enjoy musicals with good plots that include opera numbers and singing. Jeanette MacDonald and Deanna Durbin, later, made some wonderful musicals - some love and dramas, but also some very good comedies. This film has some comedy also - in Eddy's part as Paul Allison, and also with a couple of the great supporting comedy actors, Sig Ruman and Herman Bing.
The addition of John Barrymore as Nicolai Nazaroff, adds a sense of tension and mischief to the story. He is the voice trainer and manager who makes MacDonald's Marcia Mornay a star. With Barrymore's facial expressions, one can't help but think of him in his similar, but more dastardly role, as Svengali in the 1931 movie of that title. It was based on George du Maurier's 1894 classic novel, "Trilby." While Nazaroff doesn't exercise mind control over Mornay, as did Svengali, his portrayal still forebodes evil.
This is a very good musical love story and tragedy. MacDonald and Eddy show why audiences so liked - perhaps, even "loved" the couple, and why MGM made so many films with them. And, this film has a nice message in the end. Love is more important in life than anything else. Marcia Mornay tells her story of lost love to young Barbara Roberts, and in that she sees that a life based on her talent, or a career, or fame would be empty without love.
Inspector Hornleigh (1939)
Delightful British comedy mystery
"Inspector Hornleigh" is a delightful British comedy mystery. With the exception of Alastair Sim, few of the cast of this film would be recognized by audiences much past the mid-20th century. Gordon Harker, who has the lead as Inspector Hornleigh, had a long list of films to his credit by 1939. Although he played in some comedies and other films, his specialty was crime and mysteries. He often played an officer of the law, but had an occasional role on the opposite side of the law. Here, Harker's inspector is a wise investigator who has a sometimes comical or goofy sidekick, Sergeant Bingham. And that role is played wonderfully by Alastair Sim.
Sim had only been in the cinema since 1935, but had a slew of films under his belt. He was at the point in his career where he would get varying top roles from leading actor to top supporting actor or other significant character. Here, he adds some good humor as Hornleigh tackles a murder and theft of high government papers that could wreak havoc on the British economy.
Here are a couple of favorite lines from the film.
Chancellor, "My dear inspector, I may be only a politician, but I can identify my own property."
Michael Kavanos, "I never know whether you English are serious, joking, or mad."
It's a Dog's Life (1955)
A dog's story from rags to riches?
If this movie was an effort by MGM to cash in on Disney studio successes with movies for kids and families, it clearly fails that test. But, as an adult comedy, for those of us who retain something of childhood imaginations (good, or bad), "It's a Dog's Life" has some moments of humor. It's far from a great comedy, but it has moments. And, the comedy isn't really that much with the goings on and voice over of the dog, Wildfire. It's in the characters, especially those played by Jeff Richards (the "meany" and dummy), Edmund Gwenn (the wise, kind and patient), Jama Lewis (whose weakness is for Patch McGill), and Sally Fraser (the good daughter of the gruff Dean Jagger character).
Dog fighting had been held in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of America for gambling and entertainment. Over time it became illegal in all the states. Much of the time it was an underground activity, since most of society didn't approve of it. So, it's likely that
there were staged dog fights in New York's Bowery at the time this film takes place (turn of the 20th century). But, while it's the substance of the plot of this film, the movie clearly isn't promoting dog fighting. And, it keeps serious protests and backlash at bay by not actually showing any dogs fighting. The picture of the hero dog, Wildfire, with some injuries and bandages after a supposed fight are obvious makeup. But, even young kids might not understand this, so it's clearly not a movie for the young of the family.
Two of the cast of this film were senior actors who had already won Academy Awards by 1955 - Edmund Gwenn and Dean Jagger. Their supporting roles are very good and help make the film worth watching. The main leads, Jeff Richards and Jarma Lewis had relatively short careers and short lives and didn't have any remarkable films for which they would be remembered even in the late 20th century. However, both of them give very good performances for the characters they play here. Richards gives much bombast and braggadocio to his Patch McGill. And, Lewis portrays the lady of the night clubs and night life with flare and with an unshakable heart for Patch.
The story is okay and quite silly, with a voice over for the dog, Wildfire. But then, what can one expect about the life of a dog? Even one of a famous line of show dogs?
Here are some sample lines from this film.
Patch McGill, "This is a fighting dog. For twenty bucks, I'll fight him myself."
McGill, "I can make 500 to a thousand dollars a fight." Mabel Maycroft, "Well, who does he flight, Diamond Jim Brady?" McGill, "Other dogs." Mabel, "What other dogs got that kinda money?" McGill, "People! People pay to watch."
McGill, "Why, I could make a fortune with Wildfire. That's what I call him - Wildfire. Did you ever see a fire start in the grass? It goes wild, sweeps right on through. And that's what he's gonna do - sweep right on through to the championship." Mabel, "Where'd you ever see any grass? They got it down at Floyd Corbin's saloon?"
Jeremiah Nolan, "I could find the place with me eyes shut. You can hear the screaming of the dying dogs a mile away." Paddy Corbin, "Oh, those are not dogs. They're my customers who've had their credit cut off."
A Yank at Eton (1942)
Another Yank tangles with a British school and students
"A Yank at Eton" is an MGM comedy drama very similar to the studio's 1938 hit film, "A Yank at Oxford," that starred Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh. Although the characters and backgrounds are different, the story line is generally the same. An American attends a top British school, where he clashes with some of the Brits, makes friends with a couple, and competes in and wins athletic events; eventually to fit in and be heartily accepted by his British schoolmates. The two schools - Oxford and Eton, are at different levels, of course, and the story details differ, including some of the sports competitions. The one that is the same is a running race. But here at Eton, the Yank gets into European football; while at Oxford, he competed in rowing.
Where the collegiate-level Oxford film also had a romantic aspect, this film has more of the school and house structure and its politics. From what I have read, MGM apparently made this film as a sort of compatriot propaganda film. American forces were descending on England to build up for the Allied assault of Germany. So, this film portrayed the friendly relations between the English and Americans. Of course, the war in Europe was raging at the time. The U. K. had survived the German bombings in 1941. So, it is strange that this film doesn't even have a hint of the war going on.
The Oxford film of 1938 was made in England. It was the first one out of MGM's newly established English studio. But, this film was made entirely in Hollywood. The entire cast gave very good performaces. Mickey Rooney gave a believable performance as a talented athlete. He's a young American, Timothy Dennis, who longed to play football at Notre Dame, but finds himself in a prep school in England after his widowed mother marries a prominent Englishman. So, the story isn't about Mickey Rooney, the very short actor. And the scenes of his sports on the field, and his racing are well acted and filmed. If there is a fault here, it's in portraying Ronnie Kenvil in the steeplechase as being so hesitant and fatigued.
Edmund Gwenn is the one key cast member who played a similar role as a school master in this film, to the one he had in the 1938 film. And, of course, this is one of Peter Lawford's very early films - just his sixth. Except for his quite distinct voice, I wouldn't have recognized the youthful 18-year-old Lawford who plays Ronnie Kenvil. Other familiar actors of note in this film are Ian Hunter, Alan Mowbray and Freddie Bartholomew.
"Yank at Oxford" had been a big hit at the box office in 1938 - finishing 29th for the year in ticket sales. This film wasn't as big a hit (well, it didn't have Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh) but was a success and finished the year 60th in box office receipts, It didn't pass the earlier film, but it also had much greater competition with films of all types, including war-related. This was the year of such all-time classics as "Casablanca" and "Mrs. Miniver," and a host of fine musicals, dramas, comedies and other war-related stories.
This is an enjoyable film that reflects something of the time and higher end of English culture of the day. It's a good family film and one most people should still be able to enjoy well into the 21st century.
Lady Luck (1946)
A toss of a coin, a flip of the card, and a preposterous, funny plot
"Lady Luck" is a post-war comedy that brought two actors together who later would become best known for their respective roles in long-running television series. Robert Young and Barbara Hale do okay in their roles as Larry Scott and Mary Audrey. The screenplay and editing are a little disjointed in places, and the plot is quite preposterous. But, then, some, if not many comedies have far out plots or stories. This story revolves around gambling, and most of the film, after a comical opening of a look through history and some early scenes, takes place in Las Vegas. He's a gambler and she hates gambling because of its hold and curse on the men of her family - the latest being her grandfather, William Audrey. She's trying to reform gramps, and she has just opened a bookstore in Los Angeles.
How Larry and Mary get together sets the stage for this preposterous plot, and it's also the venue for the comedy that follows. He falls for her in one day and tells her he's a gambler but is going to give it up. He does, and they head for Las Vegas to get married. But his buddies want to save him, so they contrive a plot to get Mary hooked on gambling herself. The plot stretches more and she does and wins at everything she touches. Now, he's got to save her.
Well, it plays out nicely from thereon, as the story develops so that this romance can come to fruition, with a couple of twists en route. But I think the best thing about this movie is its supporting cast. Especially, the roles played by Frank Morgan, James Gleason, Harry Davenport and Lloyd Corrigan. These guys collectively, have about as much screen time as the two leads. Of course, a bunch of that is also with the leads.
But their roles are very good. Morgan plays grandpa William Audrey. And this is far from the usual films that have his characters as mostly buffoons. He still has some comical traits, but his character has much more substance. Gleason's Sacramento Sam is a mostly affable character as a top card player and gambler. Harry Davenport is a local judge in Vegas, who's part of the "gang" of the old-time gamblers. And Lloyd Corrigan rounds out the group as Little Joe. The way these guys toss money around, none of them seem to take it too seriously.
Robert Young (1907-1998) starred in two long-running TV shows - "Father Knows Best" of 1954-1960, and then, "Marcus Welby, M. D.," from 1969-1976. Barbara Hale was the female lead in the "Perry Mason" TV series of 1957-1966, as Della Street, the confidential secretary to the world-renowned detective. And, she ended her career over an 11-year period starring in the same role in 30 Perry Mason movies made for TV, from 1985 to 1995. Young, in between his two long series, and much before those, also made many films and appeared in various TV shows. And, interestingly enough, he ended his career in a 1988 TV movie that picked up on his popular "Marcus Welby" series.
For those interested in the lives of actors, artists and moguls of Hollywood and cinema, here are some other similarities of Robert Young and Barbara Hale. Both lived beyond age 90. Young died in 1998 at age 91, and Hale died in 2017 at age 94. Both were married just once and had long marriages. Hale's husband, actor Bill Williams, died in 1992, when they had been married 46 years And, Young's wife, nee Elizabeth Henderson, died in 1994 when they had been married 61 years. Both also had families but not the same size. Hale had three children and the Young's had four.
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Larry Scott, "Ah the trouble with you is, Sam, you just never did like women." Sacramento Sam, "What are you talking about? Didn't I stay with my mother till I was 11 years old?"
Little Joe, "Yeah, but it didn't seem to affect your appetite none." Judge Martin, "In many years, my friend, I've learned not to confuse my heart with my stomach."
Judge, "Well now, Antony, it would seem that you've met your Cleopatra." Sam, "You know what I remind myself of?" Judge, "What?" Sam, "Frankenstein! I have made myself a monster."
Gramps Audrey, "Let's go get a beer. I can't think good with a clear head."
Gramps Audrey, "You've broken the 11th commandment, son. Never accuse a woman of your own imagination. Isn't that true, sister?" Manicurist, "You sit it, Pop."
Mary Audrey, crying, "He's gone. He's left me." Larry Scott, "Who, your husband?" Mary, "No, my grandfather." Larry, "You mean the old man who was in here? How do ya like that!" Mary, "I guess he was afraid I'd put him to work. You see, he's a gambler." Larry, "Well, a guy that old can't get very far in half an hour. Come on, I got a car outside."
Mary, "He can't really help it. It's in his blood, like insanity. Poor ole gramps."
Gramps Audrey, "You mean you'd blow $600 for a meal?"
Judge Martin, "It seems incredible. I only married 'em last night. They were so young and gay and blind. Ah, it saddens me."
Judge, "What a tragic misunderstanding. It seems to me that such antipathy against games of chance is most unusuaul. What's the history of the young girl?" Sacramento Sam, "Just a nice little girl, runs a bookstore." Little Joe, "The little dame runs a book?" Sam, "Reading books" Joe "Oh."
Little Joe, "You think that ain't a gamble? So, along comes a cyclone, blows down all your potato trees."
Mr. Magoo (1997)
A big flop and early sign of Disney decline
Slapstick comedy began with the Keystone Kops of the silent era, and the early masters of comedy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon. One after another pratfall, trip, slip, stumble and knock on the head kept audiences laughing. When there was no dialog but occasional script cards flashed on the screen, action and facial expressions were everything in early comedy. But sound brought some changes, to comedy. It brought dialog that broadened the field and experiences of comedy. Some comedies were all with dialog - witty humor, funny expressions and looks, clever exchanges and zingers. But slapstick did still endure, now with some new purveyors of the art. Only now, it was mostly in couples or teams of players. Thus we had Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers and Abbott and Costello from the 1930s into the 1950s. And, some movies were being made with various actors having an occasional scene with a pratfall or some other slapstick situation. Then, since the mid-20th century, situational comedy began to become more prevalent. And by the end of the century, situational and dialog all but dominated the field of comedy, with occasional antics worked in. But for the most part, slapstick was a thing of the past. The few rare occasions when it has been used to any extent since the mid-20th century with much success have been plots with exceptional screenplays.
Now, why all of this background and discussion about slapstick before a word about this movie? It's to put it in perspective and help one to understand the change in human perceptions that have accompanied the technical changes in the motion picture industry. Quite simply, when there wasn't sound, how long would an audience sit just to watch scenes interspersed with cue cards of the script, however funny the lines might be? The silent movies were made for minimal explanation, with much left to the imagination, minds and intelligence of the audience to understand what was going on in the pictures. What would get laughter more or quicker than a slapstick gesture or incident? But with sound, the human mind wanted and looked for more. Which also explains why the plots of films became much more substantial with screenplays to fill them out.
So, on Christmas 1997, Disney released the movie, "Mr. Magoo." It was based on a mid-20th century cartoon character of the same name. And the studio obtained Leslie Nielsen for the lead role. He was one of the few actors who had successfully made a smash slapstick comedy in the late 20th century -- "The Naked Gun," in 1988. That film led to a sequel and then another, in 1991 and 1994, which, following the trend of the vast majority of sequels, declined substantially in quality from the first film. I've never come across an article or source that explained the who, what and why of Disney making this movie. While Disney had grown to become the top movie studio of Hollywood by the end of the 20th century, it was showing signs of losing touch with the populace - with people and audiences, especially for films of family appeal.
Even with Leslie Nielsen in the lead role, I hardly chuckled at a couple of early goofs and then "Mr. Magoo" soon became tedious with its slapstick duds. The movie bombed at the box office and may have been the biggest flop of all movies of 1997 and 1998. It's total box office even fell short of its budget, by more than $1 million, giving Disney a loss of nearly $20 million. My three stars are for the dog that had the role of Angus. Disney apparently had plans to serialize "Mr. Magoo" with sequels, but its big bomb at the box office and unanimous put down by critics ended that plan. The Disney "empire" was begun by a man who loved to tell and show stories for children and families. The modern Disney entity, indeed, seems to have severed its roots with Walt Disney.
The Well Groomed Bride (1946)
Her lips kissed his defenseless mouth
That exchange between Margie Dawson and Lt. Torchy McNeil had me laughing out loud and pausing the DVD. It took a few more laughs before I could go on and not miss any of the rest of the dialog. This is one of several moments of great laughter in "The Well-Groomed Bride." What a hilarious romp, with a very good setting in the spring of 1945. The locale and setting with Navy and Army activities in San Franciso at the time are excellent. And the plot is overboard preposterous. But that's the case with many a great comedy film. Especially those involving romance. This is one very good comedy with a little romance and a great cast to carry it off.
Olivia de Havilland and Ray Milland alternate between affection and sparks as Margie Dawson and Lt. Dudley Briggs. And It's all about who gets the last magnum bottle of champagne in all of the Bay Area. At least at first. Sonny Tufts plays Army Lt. Torchy McNeil who hasn't seen a woman in 16 months. He and four buddies are just back from digging trenches for defense in the Aleutian Islands. And Sonny and Margie are engaged and about to be married. Or, so they think. But, when Navy Lt. Briggs is sent on the mission to get the largest bottle of champagne in the city to launch the new aircraft carrier the next day, the lives of all three - and some more, will change forever.
Adding much to the humor these three provide are James Gleason as Capt. Hornby, Constance Dowling as Rita Sloane, and Percy Kilbride (of "Ma and Pa Kettle") as Papa Dawson. McBride alone had me roaring with laughter when he goes to Margie's hotel room and finds Torchy there. Another long pause, restart, pause, rewind, and restart for the laughter in that long scene.
This film did okay at the box office in a year with many very good films, including 24 comedy romances. Veterans, real movie buffs, seniors and people who enjoy laughter should especially like this film.
Here are some favorite lines.
Capt. Hornby, "You're a good man at sea, Briggs. It wouldn't surprise me if you were a Lt. Commander soon." Lt. Dudley Briggs, "Really, sir?" Capt. Hornby, "Well, in another year, maybe. No need to rush things." Briggs, "Yeah. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
Capt. Hornby, "Oh, yes, San Diego. Blonde or brunette?" Lt. Briggs, "Red head, sir."
Capt. Hornby, "Well, take a tip from a man whose been through many a maneuver. Hold your fire until you get in close." Lt Briggs, "Yes, sir."
Lt. Torchy McNeil, "Aw, gee, Margie, I'm sorry. But what could I do? All of a sudden she saw me and before I knew what was happenin' she kissed me." Margie Dawson, "She kissed you? Right on her lips with your helpless mouth?"
Mr. Dawson, "I'll help the Navy but Margie's a different war."
Lt. Briggs, "Mr. Dawson, she's got to launch that carrier with the magnum. She's got to." Mr. Dawson, "Well, I could spank her, but at her age I think she'd like it better from you."
Road to Bali (1952)
Crosby and Hope's sixth road picture is set in the South Pacific
The road trip films of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope had two aspects about them that dated them terribly and thus didn't contribute to their longevity. The first was frequent references - often ad-libbed outside of the script, to trivia or other forgetful things. These might be a name, incident, news item, or anything that someone 10 years later would never have heard of or would have completely forgotten. So, it might be funny at that moment, but it is short-lived humor. So that years later, it would be meaningless and therefore not funny to people. The second thing was an occasional aside by one of the stars who would talk directly to the camera and audience. Those may have been somewhat funny to audiences at the time, but they sure are spoilers for people getting into the plot of a movie.
"Road to Bali" has some very good comic moments, mostly when the duo are doing a song and dance routine. The plot for this film is wackier than most, and that makes for some of the amusement. I like that this road picture was made in color, even though our first TVs were black and white in the 1950s. The several cameos might have been a plus in 1952, but to audiences of the future most may not even be known.
This film did well at the box office - finishing in 17th place for the year with $8.3 million in ticket sales, and then adding some more in early 1953. Many of the gags and quips are dated or are barbs at one another of the leads. Funny then, but not so much over time when Crosby and Hope were no longer around, in the news or on the air. The lasting value of this and all the road movies is mostly in seeing the fun and often funny routines the two entertainers had together.
An interesting aside with this film was the truckloads of sand that Hope got form the movie set after filming. The sand was hauled to his home and used to fill the sand traps around his small backyard golf course.
Contrary to some Internet sites, this movie was shot solely at Paramount's Hollywood studios and at the Iverson Ranch in California. The short scenes of Australia and Bali were clips taken from other films and edited in as is a usual practice in filmmaking. People interested in old movies especially, and who want information about them, would do well to trust the Internet Movie Database - this IMDb Web site, for the most accurate information.
The Duke Is Tops (1938)
Poor quality production lessens Lena Horne's film debut
Other reviewers give some background on the segregated movie industry in the U. S. In the very early years of cinema there were independent studios and theaters that made movies with African-Americans for African-Americans. "The Duke is Tops" is one of those films. It's too bad that the production quality of this film is so poor. With Lena Horne's debut on the silver screen, there was some great talent to be showcased here. Thankfully, within a few years, major studios (MGM, 20th Century Fox, and others) began to showcase talented African-Americans in movies. And in time, feature films would be made about African-Americans.
Lena Horne and the Berry Brothers had great song and dance scenes in "Panama Hattie" of 1942. And "Cabin in the Sky" of 1943 was a box office hit with an all African-American cast. It showcased the great talents of Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington and his band, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Louis Armstrong and more. These and many more talented African-American actors and entertainers would go on to make countless movies from then on.
The Lyons in Paris (1955)
A wacko, screwball English comedy, packed with laughter
If the scripts of their radio shows were anything like the dialog in this film, it's not hard to see why Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels were so popular in England before and the after World War II. "The Lyons in Paris," aka "Abroad," is a truly wacky, hilarious, frantic and far out screwball comedy. And their daughter, Barabara, and adopted son, Richard, are part of this great comedy, as are a couple of the staple characters from their radio show. Horace Percival plays Mr. (Horace) Wimple, and Gwen Lewis plays Mrs. (Winona) Wimple.
What comes to mind in watching this movie was the "I Love Lucy" TV series that ran in the early to mid-1950s in America. But the Lyons even went more overboard than that. Lucy was mostly a one-person, one-woman comedy - it all revolved around her. Not so with the Lyon's. Both Ben and Bebe were deep into the comedy throughout, and when they weren't, it was their neighbors and friends, and later, the kids. Pretty soon, the Lyons seemed somewhat like the Marx Brothers, and at times like the Three Stooges or Laurel and Hardy.
And, as if their own group isn't wacky and funny enough all by itself, when they finally get to Paris more far out comedy is in store. Barbara meets a man on the ferry across the channel - well, Charles is a disheveled man who comes onto her as an artist. So, she's smitten by him and looks forward to seeing him in Paris. That leads to one night of rollicking laughter as the family and friends are treated to the Parisian hippies response to the decadent bourgeois.
Well, this is one very funny film. I have always loved British comedy and the English sense of humor. And I wonder if the radio and then TV shows of the Lyons didn't have some effect on that later original British comedy created and introduced by the Monty Python group. Surely, the style of the latter was quite distinct and original,. But, might not the brazenness, loud, and outlandish comedy of the Lyons' and their type in America be the push on the envelope that goaded some latent but bubbling explosion of comic talent to come out? I'm not saying it was or did - but isn't it possible that there was some sort of influence?
This is a wonderful comedy for many laughs. The American Lyon's, from England, on vacation in Paris. With their friends, the Wimples, for good measure. What a hoot. Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Barbara Lyon, "You've been married 26 years and you're so satisfied, aren't you?" Horace Wimple, "Yes. I've had enough."
Richard Lyon, "Do you follow me?" Horace Wimple, "I was with you until you started talking, and then it became very confusing."
Bebe Daniels, "Take off your glasses and fight." Ben Lyon, "I'm not wearing glasses." Bebe, "That's another of your underhanded tricks. Put up your dukes."
Horace Wimple, "Wilomena, my love." Mrs. Wimple, "Oh, ho! So you wanna start an argument.!"
Mrs. Wimple, "You might as well admit it. You're just tired of me." Horace Wimple, "Oh, no, my little scarlet pimpernel. You have everything a man desires. Broad shoulders... muscles... and a mustache."
Bebe Daniels, "Young man, young man! You needn't speak French. We all understand English perfectly."
Charles invites everyone to dinner at the Left Bank Club. "There we can see the existentialists and listen to beautiful sad songs about the futility of life." Ben Lyon, "Well, that'll be fun."
Ben, "I'll call a taxi." Charles, "Taxi? Pah! Are you so decadent you can't walk?"
Ben, "Well, why don't we all go out and shoot ourselves, and have a good laugh?"
Charles, "I like your face. It makes me suffer." Mrs. Wimple, "Horace, did you hear what he said?" Horace Wimple, "Yes, my love. How dare you say my wife's face makes you suffer." Charles, "But it does." Horace, "Well, suffer in silence like I do."
Capt. Le Grand, reading a note that Richard and Barbara had written to Fifi le Fleur, his wife, "It is written in French, but it says the most peculiar things . My sweetheart. My dear little cabbage head. I long to see you again. Your teeth are beautiful. And I would like half a dozen delivered to the tradesmen's entrance." Fifi, "But what does it mean? Capt. Le Grand, "You know what it means - it is a lover's code."
Ben, "Stay holding me back." Horace Wimple, "I'm not holding you back." Ben, "Well, you should be. What kind of a second are you?"
The Church Mouse (1934)
The Church Mouse is a rose in disguise
When Betty Miller finagles her way into Johnathan Steele's office to try to nab the job as his secretary, much humor ensues. When he finally tells her to take a note and she begins her shorthand as he speaks, she says, "faster, faster." Steele keeps speeding up his dictation until he can't catch his breath. She tells him she writes shorthand at 195 words per minute, and he is impressed. He then asks her to read it back and she does, exactly as he had dictated it. Then, when they are interrupted by Pinky Wormwood, she takes a call and repeats and jots down a series of numbers. Steele is even more impressed.
All of this leads to Betty, Miss "Church Mouse," as Steele dubs her, being hired as his private secretary. And, in short order, the Church Mouse has become the pinnacle of efficiency and order for Mr. Steele's office, business affairs and the bank. The humor in all of this is a mixed bag of crisp, snappy dialog in the script, some small antics, and a whole lot of mannerisms and persona of the actors. And that was a Laura La Plante specialty. In this film, the Church Mouse turns out to be a rose in disguise.
"The Church Mouse" is based on a 1928 play by Hungarian author and playwright Ladislas Fodor. It had been adapted for films before this. A 1931 German film was entitled, "Poor as a Church Mouse," and a Warner Brothers 1932 version was called "Beauty and the Boss." It starred Marian Marsh and Warren William. And, Marian Marsh made that film, just as Laura La Plante made this 1934 film.
This is a very good comedy in spite of its stagy appearance in the early part. The rest of the cast are very good for their respective roles. Edward Chapman as Pinky Wormwood is especially good. And Jane Carr, as the flirtatious and likeable former secretary of Johnathan Steele, plays a very good Miss Sylvia James. But this really is a film that succeeds mostly on Laura La Plante's role.
The diminutive La Plante was one of the darlings of silent film in the 1920s. She was a star at Universal when it was still a second tier studio, and La Plante played in dramas as well as comedies. She was especially adept in the latter, and she made the transition into sound quite well. But she would give up her career within just a few short years. Some sources say that the wider pool of talent entering pictures reduced her appeal. Others note the decline in quality of the screenplays of her films.
While she wasn't forced out of her career, when she was just 31 years of age, it seems likely that there were a number of reasons she decided to end her screen career. That includes the two already suggested. But, La Plante was also known to be a very private person outside of the studios. So, the big frenzy over movie stars that came with sound pictures must have had something to do with her decision. The prying eyes of the media and apparent hunger of fans to know more about their screen heroes bothered La Plante. From all accounts, the public spotlight was anathema to her.
La Plante left Universal and moved to London in 1930. She made 10 films in England, mostly through the Warner Brothers studios there. She returned to the U. S. in 1935, where she quit her career after just two more films, and made just four more appearances into the mid-1950s, two of which were in TV series. La Pante outlived her second husband of 50 years by eleven years. They had two children. She was 91 when she died in 1996.
Incidentally, the normal speaking rate of people is about 100 words per minute. And a super stenographer in the days before steno machines could write shorthand at 160 wpm. So Miss Church Mouse was indeed super talented at shorthand.
Meet the Missus (1937)
Wonderful comedy and early satire of media contests
Until recently I hadn't seen and wasn't aware of this movie, "Meet the Missus" of 1937. But what a gem it turned out to be. I got the DVD when I saw that Victor Moore and Helen Broderick had the leads. And, what a hoot this film is. It's comedy everywhere as Moore's Otis Foster has to run their household as well as run his barber business and serve as mayor of the town . Otis isn't a henpecked husband, but has taken to cooking their meals, doing household chores, etc., just because wife Emma is consumed with and spends all of her time working on and entering newspaper contests. Well, she wins the local Happy Noodles contest and she and Otis travel from their western Ohio home to Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the national finals. Now, this was NOT the Miss America pageant, but as the comedy starts to ramp up here, the lampooning clearly alludes to certain real pageants as well.
The rest of this film is hilarious and a real scatihing satire of the various contests - and of the sponsors and contestants. It lampoons the American homemakers marching In step to the product tune, proudly wearing their regional sashes. Then the husbands come in and march to the music inn rank and file. The humor includes politicking by women to get selected in various stages of the final competition. Some even try to arrange for husbands of opponents to get caught in street brawls or night spot raids. The publicity in the newspaper the next day announces the woman's disqualification due to her naughty husband. This is the more poignant of the jabs and satire about the allure of the contests to women who would then do almost anything to win.
Well, while helping Emma behind the scenes - making a bed, sewing a dress, etc., Otis comes across a secret gathering room of the husbands. They have a password to gain entry. It's a respite for the guys away from all the rigmarole of the contest, where they can get together to play cards, have a few drinks and socialize. Otis is a teetotaler, but is welcomed and joins the group for relief from all the contest hoopla. The real high point then comes with a rebellion and protest by the husbands of the seven finalists. Otis is behind it, and when all the men shed their clothes and strip down to their gawdy long underwear and parade around to the music, it's a real riot.
The writers and/or director might well have been inspired for this scene by the Miss America pageant, which had begun in 1921. And, as chance would have it, the year after this film came out, the very first Mrs. America pageant was held in New Jersey. I wonder if many people who read about it in 1938 would have seen and remembered this movie from the year before.
Here's a favorite line form the film. Otis Foster, "What are you laughing at?" Emma Foster, "I'd like to see you trying to get out of a girdle."
This is a very funny film and wonderful satire. Modern audiences may not go for it, but old-time movie buffs should get a real kick out of "Meet the Missus" of 1937. Moore and Broderick are a great match for laughs and play off one another beautifully.
A number of movies have been made that had such contests in the plots, and some early TV sitcoms had episodes with radio, TV or newspaper challenges. My favorite movie with such a plot is one of the best comedies ever made. "Paradise for Three" of 1938 was a hilarious comedy romance with a huge cast of comedy actors of the day. Robert Young, Frank Morgan, Mary Astor and Florence Rice had the leads. And the great supporting cast included Sig Ruman, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Henry Hull, and Herman Bing.
Today We Live (1933)
A familiar wartime love triangle drama with four top actors
A cast of four top stars of Hollywood's golden era lead this film. "Today We Live" is a World War I combat film, drama and romance. The core of the plot is a love triangle, and this film has elements of some familiar later films about World War II. Two men love the same woman. She loves one and then the other. One goes missing and presumed dead only to turn up again soon. The woman goes to care for one who is permanently injured, although loving the other.
The film is based on a 1932 William Faulkner magazine story, "Turnaround," with the romance added. And Faulkner himself wrote some of the script. It's not a great film, with the story seeming conflicted or too bunched together in places. But it is a good film to see the four actors together who were already or about to become big stars. Joan Crawford had top billing here, but in a few years, few other actors would be billed ahead of Gary Cooper. This is an early film for Robert Young and only the second one for Franchot Tone. He and Crawford would wed two years later.
Law and Disorder (1958)
He's quite at home when away, yet never far from home, even when in the Orient
This is an absolutely delightful comedy crime flick that will have one smiling throughout. It's not loaded or even peppered with funny lines, or clever quips and witty dialog. Rather, it's a situational comedy - one in which the happenings are the humor. And, this isn't antics either, until near the very end. It's just plain ordinary goings-on, but in a story in which the goings-on are often a hoax or a cover-up or a disguise.
And, what makes "Law and Disorder" such a pleasant, feel-good film to watch, besides the plot and excellent screenplay, is the cast. More than a handful of actors from some of the funniest and best British comedy films of the mid-20th century are here. Robert Morley, Lionel Jeffries, George Coulouris, John Le Mesurier, Meredith Edwards and more are joined by wonder actresses Joan Hickson and Brenda Bruce.
But Michael Redgrave has the main role and is perfect as Percy Brand, who always pleads guilty to some scam or crime he has attempted. From the opening in 1938 when he is released from "one of His Majesty's prisons," Brand goes to his underground friends for an appropriate makeover with clothing, appearance, and souvenirs, etc., to reappear at the home of his sister who is raising his son. So, he serves three years, and then five, etc. Up until the late -1950s. He has returned as a clergyman, as a British officer, and more. Indeed, Percy's quite at home when away from home. Yet, he's never far from home, even when he's halfway around the world.
As of the last trip, his son, now grown, has completed law school and is being assigned as marshal to a prominent judge, Sir Edward Crichton. Robert Morely was never more ostentatious in any other role than he is here as the perfect upholder of the law and the justice system. The one hitch that drives the bulk of this film after Percy's last long trip away from home, is that each time Percy was sentenced to prison in the past, it was by Judge Crichton.
Not wanting his son, Colin Brand (played very well by Jeremy Burnham) to know the truth of his past. Percy must rely on the large cohort of friends from lowly places (i.e., the crime caper underground) to keep son Colin from finding out the truth. And what a frantic, hilarious, last round of goings-on this turns into. It's all much fun and very funny.
Joan Hickson is in her early film years playing Aunt Florence, Percy's sister and Colin's aunt. She's a real card in this role, and a little cards with the help of some marking are her main form of entertainment. Percy's accomplices bring his last arrest to a head by diverting the court proceedings to get Colin out of the way. John Le Mesurier appears as a known misogynistic barrister and judge in a case before Morley's court The bad-mouth parrot case is so obliquely played by Mary and Freddie Cooper (Brenda Bruce and David Hutcheson), that one can't help but laugh, especially as Morley's Chrichton becomes more and more impatient with the whole show.
This is a most delightful and entertaining comedy farce that most movie buffs should enjoy.
Those Endearing Young Charms (1945)
A very good cast in a much conflicted plot
As with another occasional film promoted in part as a comedy, this one needs close attention to find any humor. "Those Endearing Young Charms," even in its title, may be having some sport with audiences. Is the "Young" a reference to the male star, Robert Young? The plot and screenplay would suggest that, with reference to his "charms." Or is to this guy's persona, as a young Army pilot, who sweeps the girls off their feet?
I rate this film six stars just for the performances of the four principal cast members. They do very well with roles in a story that has a number of conflictions. Were Hank Travers (Robert Young) and Jerry (Bill Williams) buddies back in school together? Or, were they just from the same home town? Were they friends, or just acquaintances? Did they ever pal around together, or was Hank more of a loner who went with lots of girls and broke their hearts?
Jerry loves Helen Brandt (Laraine Day), even though he knows Helen looks on him as a brother. Their families were close friends back in their hometown. Helen and her mother, Mrs. "Captain" Brandt (Ann Harding), are close and live together. Mother is concerned about Helen's future, after she is attracted to Hank. She tells Helen of her lost love of the past, and Helen was surprised to learn that it was Jerry's father. The "Captain" and he had met and were in love before the last war. She wouldn't marry him, and when he returned from the war he married Jerry's mother instead. Yet, Helen still loved him, even after she married Helen's father.
Now, the Captain is worried about what Helen will do, regarding Hank. Will Helen let him go, as her mother had let her lover go before? Or would she hold onto him, and not have regrets later over lost love? But what never occurs to either woman, or is never mentioned at all, is an unspoken confliction. If mother had said "Yes" to her man before, and not married Helen's father, there would be no Helen today - she would not have been born. Nor would Jerry have been born to his father and mother.
The conflictions with Hank's character alone, and with Helen and Hank are even more apparent. Was Hank always so cynical and self-centered? His seeming "charm" was mostly in a gentlemanly and polite manner. But then he would revert to a cynical comment or snide remark. Can anyone believe that such a persona would attract lots of girls, or women? Now, it's obvious that Helen is no fool, or floozie, or naive young woman who is easily swayed by a smooth operator. She's intelligent and smart about life. So, she's a good person for someone to do word play with. Hank discovers that right away. So they are able to converse and get along, each one trying to find the real person hidden within the core of the other. Helen is as much a mystery to Hank as he is an interesting man to her, because his dating and love life haven't been so selective.
Now, Jerry becomes upset because Hank and Helen are getting close. He doesn't want to see Helen hurt by being dropped by Hank as just another of his love-em-and-leave-em girls. Or, perhaps Jerry is really worried that Hank and Helen will hit it off and get married? This is another confliction because one doesn't know what Jerry is really thinking or worried about.
So, all of these portrayals are very good, in showing each person as he or she is - and conflicted. But then the plot becomes a little problematic. It moves swiftly toward the end. When Hank takes Helen to the airbase to watch the planes, they run into a couple of his fellow air officers. They kid with him and chide him and he is uncomfortable with them seeing Helen. So, he must be a real down-to-earth guy after all? At least with men, fellows he associates and works with. And Hank falls for Helen and tells her so; but to the audience it's so very hard to believe because he shows no signs of any kind of change - emotion, physical, demeaner, happiness, giddiness, etc.
And, even though Helen shows some determination and a little excitement about going after her man at the end, there still doesn't seem to be a spark of romance or love. I guess the best way to describe their relationship is the old cliched term - that there never seems to be any chemistry between Hank and Helen.
One last observation about the screenplay. It's a very "talkie" script, and that further makes this film very closely resemble a soap opera. But, again, the acting and performances of the leads here clearly raise it above that level. So, it's an interesting, somewhat mysterious slice of life film about the time and place and meeting of people during World War II. The humor is very subtle and below the surface, and the romance isn't anything like the usual, out in the open between boy and girl, man and woman. It's a more sophisticated type of love story without very much romance at all.
Some may like it for all or some of these aspects and reasons. But for others, it may just be too unusual and not very entertaining at all. I saved what I think is the one very funny line in the film for last. When Hank takes Helen to the Dipsy-Doodle for dining and dancing, the waiter (Tom Dugan) shakes his head when Hank mentions food. So, Hank orders two high balls, and he and Helen start talking while the waiter stays and listens. Hank turns to him and says, "We'll tell you what happens when you come back." The waiter says, "Oh, will ya - thanks?" and leaves as he gets the message.
The Hot Heiress (1931)
A fair early sound comedy with Ben Lyon
"The Hot Heiress" was one of 10 movies that Ben Lyon made in 1931. The popular leading man, though mostly in B movies, transitioned well from silent to sound movies with a good voice that could carry a tune along with his looks and persona. This is a fairly good comedy for its time. It's a slice of life about the wealthy and the common working folks. When romance crosses the two with Lyons' Hap Harrigan, and wealthy Ona Munson's Juliette, the sparks fly. Well, sparks fly quite a bit in this film with riveters working on the girders of a rising skyscraper.
Not many films have been made that show men - whether actors, stunt men, or real workers, plying their trades in the skeleton shell of a high rise building. That's quite interesting in itself.
Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels, who were married in 1930, before WW II moved to England where they were hit performers and had a popular radio show for many years. Movie buffs will see Walter Pidgeon in an early sound film, as a jilted suitor of Juliette. Munson would die of a suicide OD in 1955 at age 51. And another cast member, Thelma Todd, as Lola, would die in four years at age 29 of carbon monoxide poisoning. Although there was never a court case, there was speculation over her death. Was it accidental, suicide or homicide?
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Juliette, "Don't bother about money. Money never worried me." Hap Harrigan, "Yeah, money never worries them that's got it."
Hap Harrigan, "I got principles. Haven't you got principles?" Juliette, "Yes. But I've got a heart too."
Juliette, "I don't care about luxuries. I could live in a tent, if the plumbing was good."
The Bride Wore Red (1937)
A subtle comedy, romance and drama with satire of class
"The Bride Wore Red" is based on a 1930 play of the same title by Ferenc Molnar. The Hungarian-born (1878-1952) author and playwright gave the world several wonderful stories that were made into films. They include three exceptional and favorite comedies: "The Good Fairy" of 1935, "Double Wedding" of 1937, and "One, Two, Three" of 1961.
This film is a comedy romance and drama, but of a quite different humor than the others with their hilarious plots and witty dialog. No, the humor here is subtle, and only emerges slowly as the story unfolds more akin to drama. As for romance, there's some obvious, some deceptive and some hidden but real. And, buried just below the surface is a little satire - of the class, times, and culture when some of society thought breeding made a naturally better class of human beings.
The film opens in Trieste, the eastern-most city of Italy along the Adriatic Sea. It borders modern Slovenia and is close to Croatia. The time is the 1920s, when Europe still had many aristocrats and royalties. The scene is a swanky night spot, the Cosmos Club. Count Armalia, played by George Zucco, has a view of life being "a great roulette wheel." He says to his companion, "A human is a little ball... bouncing helplessly from fluff to fluff. Where will he end, with wealth or poverty? As Rudi Pal, a desirable young aristocrat or... or as our friend, the waiter?" Rudi Pal, played by Robert Young, doesn't see eye-to-eye with the Count who then drags him off to a dive on the waterfront.
The Count says that there are no differences in people, the rich or the poor, the educated or the common folk. They are all equal. It's by chance and circumstances that some are wealthy while others aren't. At one point, he says, "Waiters are notoriously better-mannered than those they serve." Pal disagrees with the Count and says there is "breeding." After he leaves, the Count asks the proprietor to send to his table the young woman who had just been singing. Joan Crawford plays Anni, and Count Armalia has a surprise for her that will change her life forever. But will it be as she dreams, with new wealth? Or, in some other way?
The Count is out of the picture after this, but he sets in motion a practical joke and real test to prove his point and fool Rudi Pal. Anni is sent on her way for two weeks to a swanky hotel in Tirano, nestled in the Italian Alps. (The scene from the train window shows the station as Terrano.) There she is taken as a wealthy but somewhat mysterious woman, Anni Pavlovitch. She meets Admiral Monti (Reginald Owen) and Contessa di Meina (Billie Burke). With them is their daughter, Maddelena Monti (Lynne Carver) who is engaged to Rudi Pal. But, before landing at the hotel, Anni is alone at the rail station with no one to meet her. So, the happy, smiling station master who also serves as the local telegraph operator and mailman, offers her a ride to the hotel in his mule-drawn cart. Franchot Tone plays Giulio, who has many cousins in the beautiful mountain area.
The subtle humor here pokes fun in many directions. Most obviously is at the snobbery of the wealthy. While he appears kind, decent and friendly on the surface, Rudi Pal is a real snob deep down. He becomes infatuated with Anni Pavlovitch and calls off his engagement with Maddelena. Anni wants so badly to have everything that wealth can give her, as she has lived it for two weeks, but her heart belongs elsewhere - with Giulio. When Giulio finally delivers a telegram from Count Armalia to the Contessa, which tells her about his prank and Anni's true identify, all at the hotel table are silenced. Maddelena apologizes and Anni thanks her as the only decent person who's much too good for Rudi. And the desirable aristocrat himself has nothing to say. Has he all of a sudden fallen out of his mad love for Anni? Or has he been unmasked for failing to notice the difference in their breeding? The moral of Molnar's tale is driven home.
Anni leaves the hotel, and only Alberto, a waiter and cousin of Giulio, will open the door for her. But on her walk down the trail to the station, Giulio appears in his mule-drawn cart. And they ride off together toward his cozy mountaintop home with a view of the whole valley.
Those looking for a funny comedy may be disappointed. But most may find the subtle humor appropriate in this otherwise very good drama and fairy tale type of story set in early Europe. And, most should enjoy the performances of this top cast of the day. It has three leading actors and a supporting cast with some of the best and well known supporting actors of the day. All do very well in their roles. Billie Burke's character is not the hilarious persona she had in some later comedies, or the kindly persona of Glinda, the good witch of the North in "The Wizard of Oz." A prominent child star of the period, Dickie Moore, plays young Pietro, one of Giulio's many cousins.
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Count Armalia, "Is this the lowest, most decrepit dump in all Trieste?" Cordellera Bar Proprietor (Charles Judels, uncredited), "It is, your excellency. You won't find a more decrepit bar in the world.
Cordellera Bar Proprietor (Charles Judels, uncredited), "We have the most beautiful girls - uh, that is the, lowest, most decrepit creatures...."
Rudi Pal, "It's fashionable I know, to think that the simple and humble things in life are best. They're nothing of the kind. In my opinion, most people prefer sardines to caviar simply because most people have never tased caviar."
How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
A change in lifestyle may not be so bad after all
The bulk of the comedy films in the 1960s were centered around or had three particular aspects in them. The most prevalent was one or more characters having psychoanalysts. Another was mothers-in-law, usually the cranky or disapproving type. The third was wealthy men living a life of luxury and pleasure. The latter tended to the hedonistic, self-centered wealthy or playboy type.
Well, "How to Murder Your Wife" fits the third type, modified from type. And that is that the main character, Stanley Ford, isn't a member of the idle rich. No, he works for a living and has made a fortune for himself by creating the most popular comic strip in American newspapers. His Bash Branigan is a secret agent who has one adventure after another. But Stanley proudly acclaims that he wouldn't have Bash do anything that he himself had not done. What that means is that Stanley has a team of people - actors on-call, one might say, who do his beckoning with plots that they act out on the streets, byways, and environs of the Big Apple.
This is all to the dismay of the mayor and other government officials who have to contend with public complaints about road blocks, apparent murder in the streets, and various disturbances. Of course, Stanley's readers get a kick out of everything in his comic strip. Well, this turns out to the source of some action and
much fun and entertainment for the audience. And, Stanley has a regimen of working out and exercising at his club, writing his cartoon script and spending his evenings boozing and partying with friends and any woman he is able to seduce - or be seduced by.
The hedonism is exaggerated by his valet, butler, man, cook, and confidant who sees to his every need and comfort, and applauds him along the way. That, and his living in a swanky three-story building that is surrounded by skyscrapers or a building going up in the adjoining lot beyond his terrace. It's partly because of that obvious exaggeration that the comedy comes off quite well. It's not fantasy that many or most men would want a lifestyle and situation like that of Stanley Ford. But it is a fantasy world in which his character exists. Far out, for sure. There's not another man in his exclusive club and circle of acquaintances and friends who lives as Stanley does. And the very strange and different aspects of the plot lend nicely to it being funny in places, and generally entertaining.
The lavishness of Stanley's home, the setting, his completely self-centered "free" bachelor lifestyle are played to the hilt for fantasy and smiles. The cast do a great job - especially Jack Lemmon, Terry-Thomas and Claire Trevor as Edna Lampson. Virna Lisi adds the glamor and marital character that the sworn bachelor Stanley slowly learns he can't live without.
The only drawback to the film is a big one. The court scene near the end is a humorless, contrived mess. After all the cleverness of the plot and script up to that time - even accepting an overly dufus part for Stanley's attorney, Harold Lampson, most of the court officers from the judge to prosecuting attorney seem to be morons. And, then, with Lampson's wife suddenly withdrawing from her domineering way, the scene is ruined as a forced conclusion. That could have used some writing to come up with great comedy and a witty conclusion to the court case. Many a great comedy film of the early to mid-20th century had wonderfully funny court scenes in which the characters weren't made out to be idiots. But the dialog and proceedings themselves were packed with humor. Even a very nice and subtle ending couldn't overcome that big deficit of this film.
The theme of the film dates it somewhat to that time in the American culture, especially in the entertainment field. It 's still somewhat funny in places. And a better idea and writing for the long court scene would have raised it two notches and made it much better and a much more lasting entertainment.
Here are a couple favorite lines from this film.
Harold Lampson, "Stanley, you simply cannot continue comporting yourself in the manner of an escaped lunatic."
Harold Lampson, "The family that sautés together, stays together."