Ginger Rogers
Donna Reed
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Valley of Decision (1945)Mary Rafferty (Greer Garson) comes from a poor family of steel mill workers in 19th Century Pittsburgh. Her insufferable father, played by Lionel Barrymore (picture Mr. Potter on roids), was crippled by an accident in the mill and objects when she goes to work as a maid for the wealthy Scott family who controls the mill. When Mary catches the attention of the handsome Paul Scott (Gregory Peck), their romance is complicated by the conniving ways of Louise Kane (Jessica Tandy) who wants Paul for herself, Mary’s conscience over the social complications of their union, which is not at all relieved by her father who believes the Scotts are evil and is secretly planning a union strike against their mill.
A lovely film despite Barrymore’s overzealous crotchetiness, Greer Garson is a breath of fresh air in the gloomy background of a Pittsburgh mill. It was also exciting to see a young Jessica Tandy who played quite a witch in the film.
Designing Woman (1957)Fast forward eleven years and fall into a smooth comedy featuring Lauren Bacall, Gregory Peck, Dolores Grey, and Tom Helmore. With shades of Woman of the Year sans drama, Designing Woman is directed through first person narrative giving the viewer the perspective from the two main characters. Peck, a sportswriter and Bacall, a fashion designer find they have a lot of adjusting to do when they marry in haste. Add in a little jealousy, a punchy ex-boxer, some minor threats from a mob boss and lots of beautiful dresses and you have a hilarious Minnelli comedy.
Spellbound (1945)
When the head of Green Manors mental asylum Dr. Murchison (Leo Carroll) is forced to retire after a breakdown, he is replaced by the young and handsome Dr. Edwardes (Gregory Peck), whom from day one holds the usually cold and efficient Dr. Petersen (Ingrid Bergman) enthralled. Is it his dashing good looks or is she destined to be spellbound for a more important purpose? Dr. Edwardes seems strange right off and before his second day has ended, Dr. Petersen has figured him out for an impostor. Determined to help “Dr. Edwardes” who she figures is a paranoid amnesiac with a guilt complex, Spellbound is full of suspense and breathtaking moments.
Though Vertigo still reigns supreme for me, I was quite impressed with the effects and usage of camera angles in this film (the image below, when played out, was quite disturbing) and recommend anyone who has not seen it to do so. Quite entertaining, especially the old school psychiatric lingo that always makes me giggle.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
When the Lynnfield Bugle, a small Connecticut newspaper, runs a serial of Caroline Adams' risqué novel, The Sinner, editor Jed Waterbury (Thomas Mitchell) receives many complaints from the prudish women in town. Among them are leading citizens, Mary and Elsie Lynn (Elisabeth Risdon and Margaret McWade), whose niece Theodora (Irene Dunne) is horrified to learn that the Bugle is running them, as she happens to be the secret author of the scandalous novel.
She rushes into New York under the guise of visiting neighbor Rebecca Perry’s (Spring Byington) daughter (who is secretly married and pregnant to a man her mother doesn’t approve of and staying with Theodora’s wicked Uncle John). She frets to her publisher about the serial and is overheard by the illustrator of her book, Dubarry (Melvyn Douglas) an infernal busy body. When Dubarry learns of Theodora’s small town existence, he comes for a visit much to the Lynn’s exasperation and Rebecca Perry’s glee. His goal is to convince Theodora to free herself from her Puritanical existence and really live. Theodora promptly falls in love with him and after scandalizing the hometown gossips, proclaims her love for him. Unfortunately, Dubarry is already unhappily married and though he longs for a divorce, he comes from a politically prominent family. With roles reversed, Theodora sets out to “free” Dubarry. 
Unfortunately, most likely given the times and attitudes towards women, she doesn’t do it with the grace and slyness of Dubarry. Instead, Theodora goes wild…or more aptly, batshit crazy. Gone are the small town gingham gowns and innocent, inexperienced charms. Bring on the fur and feathers, the scandalous flirting and sophisticated cocktail parties. Theodora is set on getting her Dubarry even at the risk of her own reputation and the reputation of her suffering aunts back at home. She becomes what everyone assumes Caroline Addams is like. 
A very entertaining film and one that propelled Melvyn Douglas into witty, leading-man roles, Theodora Goes Wild has wit and charm if you can get past how silly Irene Dunne must become to get her man. Ironically, Dunne didn’t want to do the film at all. "I'd never done a comedy before," she later recalled. "I'd done serious parts like Back Street, and there was this little flipperty small town dummy, and I just didn't like her at all." So, instead, Dunne took off for a two-month European vacation, hoping the Columbia would come up with something better. However, by 1936, everybody from Barbara Stanwyck to Joan Crawford to Bette Davis were involved with the screwball comedy phase. So Dunne jumped right in. They chose an unlikely director as well. Richard Boleslawski up to that time was a director of dramatic film, however, according to Douglas (also known for his dramtic roles on Broadway) he also had his wild side. Dunne was supposed to make an entrance appearing excited, Boleslawski unsatisfied with her reactions, had a crew member fire blanks from a pistol just below Dunne's backside. Needless to say, he finally got the reaction he desired.
Sidenote:
The dialogue from this film is re-used in the film Bedtime Story (1941), in which Fredric March portrays a playwright and Loretta Young his actress wife. All the dialogue in Fredric March's new "play" is actually from the screenplay of the Theodora Goes Wild. It's virtually word for word, with only the heroine's name changed. In Bedtime Story, the actors playing the onstage scene are not meant to be in a comedy. What is borrowed is the confrontation over the gardener between Theodora, her aunt, and the local club ladies. Also, in an early scene, Fredric March has an inspiration for the last line of his play - something about nobody in the town ever calling the heroine "baby" before - an idea that figures in Theodora Goes Wild as well. - IMDb
Tonight on TCM! Love this movie!! It's full of memorable moments and one-liners.
Better Off Dead (1985) A teenager deals with a hilarious assortment of personal crises.
Cast: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade Dir: Savage Steve
Cast: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade Dir: Savage Steve
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Susan Trexel (Joan Crawford), a flighty socialite, undergoes a religious transformation at the hands of Lady Wigstaff (Constance Collier) while staying abroad in Europe. When she returns to America, she takes on the dubious task of spreading her newfound religious experience with her closest friends with one exception; she doesn’t take her own advice. In short order she breaks up her sister’s liaison with a womanizer and the marriage between her older friend, Hutchie (Nigel Bruce) and his young wife Leonara (Rita Hayworth) who gave up her career as an actress. Despite her own marriage being a flop. However, her husband Barrie (Fredric March) and daughter Blossom (Rita Quigley) yearn for a stable family life. Barrie, who still loves his wife, is willing to become sober in the hopes that Susan will heed her own advice, and save their marriage.
The problem is that Susan sucks as a human being. Barrie learns this as soon as he gets her back to their summer home on the bet that if he stays sober she will spend the summer with him and their daughter. When Susan firsts sees Blossom after months of her being tucked away at boarding school she tells Blossom, "If you're not going to be pretty, the least we can do is make you interesting." Blossom takes it in stride but Barrie soon heads out of the house in search of a drink much to Blossom’s disappointment. He doesn’t drink though. Instead he takes a long walk and thinks and when he finally does return home he gives Susan a piece of his mind…finally.At this point you think that Susan, having gotten the scolding she so deserved would start falling for Barrie and his dominance. Certainly in the close up after he leaves the room, you see Susan faintly smile like she’s got a schoolgirl crush. However, it will take some pretty hammy moments, some more speeches, and the threat that Barrie will leave her for another woman for Susan to finally come around. The effect is slightly tedious and exhausting- especially since there are moments when March is the hammiest I have ever seen him. Plus there are a few confusing moments in the film where you question if it’s a real scene or a dream sequence from a young teenager’s mind (I refer to the taffy scene for those of you that have seen the movie). Overall, Susan and God is a lot of fluff and bull on the surface, a lot like the character of Susan, until the real heart of the film is exposed, as is Susan who will eventually confess her faults and her fear of losing Barrie.
Sidenote:
It was intended as a vehicle for Norma Shearer, but the star refused to play the role of a mother with a teenage daughter. Greer Garson was also considered for the role before it went to Joan Crawford.
Tonight on TCM!
So Dark the Night (1946) A French police detective investigates his fiancée's murder.
Cast: Steven Geray, Micheline Cheirel, Eugene Borden, Ann Codee Dir: Joseph H. Lewis
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Patsy features the charming Marion Davies as Patricia Harrington, the much harried and annoyed younger daughter of Ma and Pa Harrington. Constantly provoked to point out how unfairly she is treated by her sister Grace (Jane Winton) and mother (Marie Dressler), Pat finds little consolation in her father's (Dell Henderson) defenses as he ofter overruled by Ma Harrington. Pat is madly in love with Tony Anderson (Orville Caldwell) who is Grace's suitor. She knows grace is just stringing him along and longs to be the center of Tony's attention. She gets that chance when Billy (Lawrence Gray) breezes into town. With Grace giving Tony the slip, Pat reveals to him that she is in love with a guy who doesn't even know she exists. Ever helpful Tony gives her some tips on how to gain a personality- leading Ma Harrington to believe her daughter has gone insane. With Pa's advice to keep up the act, Pat finds that she catered to my Ma and even slips in a kiss with Tony who then discovers he's chasing the wrong sister. When Grace finds out, she threatens to expose Pat's lie about being in love with another man- as Tony hates liars, Pat concedes and let's Grace wheedle another date out of Tony. Pa, seeing Pat's misery offers up that jealousy may bring Tony around so, Pat tries to woo Billy. When she gets no response from him, she calls on Tony to "rescue" her from Billy's "attentions" which Tony promptly does but not without admonishing her for liking someone such as Billy.defeated, Pat returns home with Grace who tells the sordid tale much to Ma Harrington's dismay. Pa Harrington takes this opportunity to let his wife know he will no longer tolerate her incessant complaining and whining and threatens to leave though he truly loves her. The film ends with everyone seeing the error of their ways and making up- with Pat getting her man.
Davies doing wonderful impersonations of Swanson and Gish.
Sidenote:
King Vidor originally did not want to do a film with Marion Davies, thinking her flighty and trivial due to her connection with Hearst. However, once he was invited to San Simeon and met Davies, he found her to be refreshingly intelligent and quite humorous, thus prompting him to direct her in the three "Vidor Comedies", The Patsy, Show People (1928), and Not So Dumb (1930).
The Patsy is also rumored to be a turnaround film for Marie Dressler whose career had hit a slump by 1928. According to Allan Dwan, he saved her life. While dining on her last meal at The Ritz, Dwan said he spotted her and thought she would be perfect for the part of Ma Harrington. He had a note sent over, and Dressler asked him up to her room and admitted to him that she had just eaten her last meal and was going to throw herself out of her hotel window when she got his note. Whether true or not, The Patsy was a success and Dressler's career was on the go once more. Tonight on TCM!
To Be or Not to Be (1942) A troupe of squabbling actors joins the Polish underground to dupe the Nazis. Cast: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
To Be or Not to Be (1942) A troupe of squabbling actors joins the Polish underground to dupe the Nazis. Cast: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
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