The Month of Fredric March comes to a close...

I meant to do so much more with this month yet found myself reluctant to view all the films of Fredric March, even his last film, The Iceman Cometh. Time constraints and a sudden influx of new information has left me a little tongue-tied as well. That being said, I have decided instead to dedicate an entire blog to Fredric March once I get through Deborah Peterson's biography of him.

For someone who had such a large and encompassing career, it's the least a fan can do. So, please be on the look out for that in the near future.

For those of you with the great fortune of having TCM, Fredric March is their star of the month in October. If you have never seen any of his films, give yourself the ultimate October treat and check him out!

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Fredric March Milestones

1917: Enlisted in the US Army; eventually commissioned as a lieutenant
1919: Moved to NYC after a year in the Army to become a banker; worked as parttime newspaper and magazine model and as trainee at National City Bank until he suffered appendicitis and turned to acting during recuperation leave
1920: Professional stage debut in David Belasco's production of "Debarau" in Baltimore; later moved to Broadway
1921: Worked as an extra in films
1924: At suggestion of director John Cromwell, changed name to Fredric March
1926: Joined stock company in Denver where he met Florence Eldridge
1927: Last Broadway appearance for over a decade, "The Devil in the Cheese"
1928: Enjoyed stage success as Barrymoresque actor Tony Cavendish in the Los Angeles production of "The Royal Family"; spotted by a talent scout from Paramount and signed to a contract
1929: Film debut in "The Dummy"
1929: Played a professor who catches the attention of student Clara Bow in "The Wild Party"
1929: Co-starred in the film version of Philip Barry's play "Paris Bound"
1930: Acted in "Sarah and Son"
1930: Reprised role of Tony Cavendish in the film "The Royal Family of Broadway"; garnered first Academy Award nomination
1931: Received first Oscar for title role in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"; tied for award with Wallace Beery ("The Champ")
1933: Starred in the film adaptation of Noel Coward's play "Design for Living"
1934: Portrayed Death in human form in the film "Death Takes a Holiday"
1934: Had title role in "The Affairs of Cellini"
1934: Portrayed Robert Browning to Norma Shearer's Elizabeth Barrett in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street"
1935: Cast as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" and Vronsky to Greta Garbo's "Anna Karenina"
1936: Had title role in "Anthony Adverse"
1937: Portrayed the washed-up, alcoholic actor Norman Maine in the first screen version of "A Star Is Born", opposite Janet Gaynor; received Oscar nomination for Best Actor
1937: Teamed with Carole Lombard in "Nothing Sacred"
1937: Listed as the fifth highest-paid actor in Hollywood (earning nearly $500,000 a year)
1938: Called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee
1938: Returned to Broadway with Florence Eldridge in "Yr. Obedient Husband"; show was quick flop
1940: Appeared in the Oscar-nominated Best Picture "One Foot in Heaven"
1941: Cast a playwright trying to stop his actress-wife from retiring in "Bedtime Story"
1942: Starred opposite Veronica Lake in "I Married a Witch"
1942: Had lead role in the award-winning play "The Skin of Our Teeth" by Thornton Wilder
1944: Played the title role in "The Adventures of Mark Twain"
1946: Received second Academy Award for playing a returning soldier in "The Best Years of Our Lives"
1947: Earned one of the first Tony Awards for Lead Actor in a Play for his work in the Broadway production of "Years Ago"; tied with Jose Ferrer
1948: Starred in "Another Part of the Forest"
1949: Offered the stage role of Willy Loman in the original Broadway production of "Death of a Salesman" but rejected it as being too "grim"; later starred in the 1951 film version
1949: Had title role in "Christopher Columbus"
1950 - 1951: Acted on Broadway with Florence Eldredge in "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep", "The Autumn Garden" and "An Enemy of the People" (the latter adapted by Arthur Miller)
1951: Earned fifth Academy Award nomination for "Death of a Salesman"
Was "grey-listed" during the 1950s
1954: Played an unscrupulous financial executive in "Executive Suite"
1954: Once again played Tony Cavendish in a CBS TV production of "The Royal Family"
1954: Cast as Scrooge in CBS musical version of "A Christmas Carol"
Co-starred with Eldridge on Broadway in premiere of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night"; won second Tony Award
1958: Played Arthur Winslow in the CBS version of "The Winslow Boy"
1960: Starred opposite Spencer Tracy in the fictionalized version of the Scopes trial, "Inherit the Wind"; played character based on William Jennings Bryan; Eldridge portrayed his wife
1961: Final Broadway role, "Gideon"; nominated for a Tony Award
1964: Appeared as the US President facing a military plot to overthrow the government in "Seven Days in May"
1967: Acted in "Hombre"
1970: Returned to features in "... tick ... tick ... tick ..."
1970: First diagnosed with cancer; underwent treatment
1973: Last film appearance as Harry Hope in "The Iceman Cometh"

Timeline via Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

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The Young Doctors (1961)

The Young Doctors is a film about transition and change, the question of life as seen through death. Dr. Pearson (Fredric March), a pathologist, lives by the motto seen in most autopsy rooms- Mortui Vivos Docent (the dead teach the living). Unfortunately, Dr. Pearson is a bit dated in his policies and instead of getting more administrative assistance as he has been requesting for years in his over worked lab, he is sent another pathologist, Dr. Coleman (Ben Gazzara). Dr, Coleman is not only younger and more knowledgeable in modern techniques, he is also a force to be reckoned with. Through resentment, personal tragedies, and human error, Dr. Pearson and Dr. Coleman learn a painful but valuable lesson from one another- being young and idealistic is par for the course, unfortunately it has a habit of getting in the way of getting the job done. Dr. Pearson is reminded of an earlier version of himself in Dr. Coleman and gives him the best advice any elder can- never let anything get in the way of being idealistic, of advancing yourself through knowledge and research. Like most, Dr. Pearson had to learn that the hard way.

Another wonderful performance by Fredric March but as anyone who knows me knows- even if March serves ham I gleefully eat it up! I say this because in all the films I have seen March in, both serious and comedic, there are moments, in my opinion, where he has come across a bit hammy. I don't know if this is because he started out as a stage performer and remained so throughout his career, if this was his way of humanizing a character, or if it's as I have read before, that when he didn't like certain points in a film or the film altogether, he intentionally hammed it up. Either way, he always makes up for it with his overall performance.

I noticed in The Young Doctors that he displayed less of his usual mannerisms in this film, mainly the puckering of his lips as he made a decision, and a complete absence of the darting tongue usually seen when his character is angry. This made me concentrate more on his delivery of dialogue, meant to be direct, authorative, but also empathetic. He almost sounded like a different person altogether.

The film also includes the talented Ben Gazzara whom I have kept my eye on since seeing Anatomy of a Murder and Husbands. A very talented actor in his own right, Gazzara does not disappoint. I was also pleasantly surprised to find Aline MacMahon in this film, she's become a real favorite of mine as I watch my thirties films. Though it's always sad to see the stars of yesteryear age , I was happy to find her playing a respectable role outside of a horror film, so very commonplace for the sixties.

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Inherit the Wind (1960)

I'm not going to go into the synopsis of this movie for two reasons: one, it's a pretty famous case that essentially boiled down to casting doubt on the literal translation of the bible, and two, it'll be shown on TCM on October 26th as a part of the TCM October tribute to Fredric March.  If you have TCM and love riveting performances, I would suggest you watch this film. Rumor has it that March's and Tracy's performances were so powerful, that other stars would flock to the set to get a seat and check out the action. On one instance, Tracy delivered a speech so effectively that applause broke out before March could deliver his next line.

I have provided a clip of what I consider one of the best scenes in the film. A lot of the dialogue in the film was taken from the transcripts of the actual trial that took place in 1925. Having heard some of the speeches delivered by both Darrow and Jennings Bryan and doing research on the Scopes Trial, you can tell those two were putting on a performance much like March and Tracy would decades later.

Gene Kelly should get an honorable mention for playing a rare serious and slightly despicable role as E. K. Hornbeck. A role he initially turned down until he heard that he would be co-starring with March and Tracy. Kelly sums up his character right from the start, "I do hateful things for which people love me and I do lovable things for which they hate me. I'm admired for my detestability."

I especially enjoyed this film because as an Agnostic, I can enjoy and appreciate both sides of the debate. However, if I had to choose who gave the best argument, it would be Tracy's role as Henry Drummond. You'll note that I do not mention any other members of the cast which is understandable when you have two powerhouses like March and Tracy playfully upstaging one another (March would fuss with his props during Tracy's lines, while Tracy would react to March in ways that drew the camera to him). Everyone else falls to the wayside in comparison.


Great scene!

Side note:
Robert Osborne had Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo on TCM as a guest programmer back in 2007. Motherbaugh picked Inherit the Wind as one of his movies and rightly so, the picture below is from a scene in Inherit the Wind that shows the monkey sitting in the middle of the word devolution, the letters Devo showing, thus a band name was born. I LOVE little facts like this!

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Executive Suite (1954)

Executive Suite is one of the first films to deal with the politics and corruption found in the corporate rat race. After the sudden death of its president Avery Bullard, the viewer is invited in to watch how the relationships between the board members, their secretaries, and their wives unfold into a battle for control of the Tredway Furniture Company. Julia Tredway (Barbara Stanwyck), the chief stockholder and daughter of the firm's founder, is tasked with surveying the candidates for the executive position. Unfortunately, she is also the severely depressed and lonely mistress of Avery Bullard, willing to give up her share of the company as she wants nothing more to do with Tredway Corporation. This is particularly helpful to Loren Shaw (Fredric March), who is so ruthless in his quest to reach the top that he uses blackmail as a means of getting support. He blackmails Josiah Dudley (Paul Douglas), who is having an affair with his secretary Eva (Shelley Winters) and George Caswell (Louis Calhern), who sold stock he did not have in order to buy it back cheap when the news of Bullard’s death reached the streets. McDonald Walling (William Holden) couldn’t imagine any thing worse than Shaw being the president. He’s had past battles with Shaw over manafacturing certain products, Shaw’s tactics of increasing profit and decreasing expenses is harmful to a company that once took pride in what it made. Walling throws his hat in the ring but only finds he is supported by Fred Alderson (Walter Pidgeon). Jesse Grimm (Dean Jagger) is the ideal candidate but he wants to retire and he thinks Josiah Dudley would make a better president than the younger, inexperienced Walling. But Dudley can’t run, he’s being blackmailed by Shaw. Walling turns to Ms. Tredway who is unresponsive to his pleas to assist him in saving the company. Walling ends up berating her, so much so, that to Shaw’s displeasure, she decides to sit in on the nominations instead of being there by proxy. She, along with Alderson, Caswell, Shaw, Dudley and Grimm, listen as Walling gives an impassioned speech that makes everyone, even Shaw realize that Walling is the perfect man for president.

McDonald Walling: The force behind a great company has to be more than the pride of one man; it has to be the pride of thousands. You can't make men work for money alone - you starve their souls when you try it, and you can starve a company to death the same way.

McDonald Walling: [picking up a small, flimsy table] And that's when we started doing things like this: the KF line. Walt, are your boys proud when they go out and sell this stuff? When they know the finish is going to crack, the veneer split off and the legs come loose?

Loren Phineas Shaw: Wait a minute, wait a minute. That's priced merchandise - it serves a definite purpose in the profit structure of this company. We're not cheating anyone.

McDonald Walling: Ourselves!

Loren Phineas Shaw: At that price, the customer knows exactly what he is going to get.

McDonald Walling: This! [flips the table over, and easily tears off one of its legs]

McDonald Walling: This is what Tredway has come to mean! [violently throws the leg against the wall]

McDonald Walling: And what do you suppose the people think of us when they buy it? How do you suppose the men in the factories feel when they make it? What must they think of a management that is willing to stoop to selling this kind of junk in order to add a dime a year to the dividend?

Loren Phineas Shaw: After all, that's only part of our business. Eventually we can cut down on the line...

McDonald Walling: We'll drop that line! And we'll never again ask a man to do anything that will poison his pride in himself or his work.

McDonald Walling: We'll have a line of low-priced furniture, a new and different line - as different from anything we're making today as a modern automobile is different from a covered wagon. That's what you want Walt, isn't it - what you've always wanted? Merchandise that will sell because it had beauty and function and value - not because the buyers like your scotch or think that you're a good egg. The kind of stuff that you, Jesse, will feel in your guts when you know it's coming off your production line. A kind of product that you will be able to budget to the nearest hundredth of a cent, Shaw, because it will be scientifically and efficiently designed. And something you will be proud to have your name on, Miss Tredway.

Full of witty, provocative dialogue and edgy confrontation between the many characters, Executive Suite is so brilliantly turned out that it needed no musical score to add emotion or give emphasis to a scene. I really liked this movie- even though I hated that nobody else liked Shaw. That’s how great Fredric March plays his character. He isn’t really a villain, he’s just blinded by what he thinks is best for the company. Unfortunately, what he thinks is incorrect. His nervous habit of constantly wiping his hands on his handkerchief is endearing, especially when you find he has a secret stash in his desk drawer. At the end of the film, though not everyone got what they wanted, they left the boardroom with optimism and with a sense of being a team. That’s how great Walling’s speech was. Despite his dislike of Shaw’s policy, he still believes Shaw is an asset to the company; Shaw was simply doing the job assigned to him, cut the budget.

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A Bedtime Story (1941)

After seven years of marriage, actress Jane Drake (Loretta Young) is ready to quit the stage and retire to a farm in Connecticut as her and her husband, producer-playwright Lucius "Luke" Drake (Fredric March) have always planned. Unfortunately, Luke is not ready to let go. When Luke informs Jane that he has sold their dream farm and invested in a theater, Jane travels to Reno for a divorce. Thus begins a series of plots and twists involving friends, actors, divorce, marriage, and an entire hotel staff as Luke tries to convince Jane that leaving him and the theatre would be a terrible decision.

Supported by great character actors such as Robert Benchley, Eve Arden, and Joyce Compton, A Bedtime Story was full of witty prose, tongue-in-cheek humor and Fredric March as I like him best, a good mixture of indignant and contrite and maybe just a bit hammy.

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Nothing Sacred (1937)

Indeed there isn't in this movie! At one point in the film the Master of Ceremonies is introducing the greatest women in history, each appearing on horseback onstage. One such woman is Katinka who saved Holland by putting her finger in the dyke. The Master of Ceremonies asks her to show the audience the finger- she flips them a bandaged bird! Wow!

To redeem himself after a hoax, reporter Wallace Cook (Fredric March) sets his sights on Hazel Flagg (Carole Lombard), a small-town girl on the brink of death due to radium poisoning. However, Hazel discovers from her perpetually drunken doctor Enoch (Charles Winninger) that she really doesn't have radium poisoning. Despite being happy, she's sad that she's stuck in such a small town with no opportunity to escape until Cook supplies one- a fling in New York on The Morning Star's tab, complete with a ticker tape parade and a key to the city. All goes well though Hazel starts to experience regret, exacerbated by two things, the city's morbid fascination of a dead girl walking and her growing love for Cook. Before an Austrian specialist discovers that Hazel is faking, she tries to fake a suicide. When she gets caught, she tries to fake pneumonia. When that doesn't work, she finally confesses, only to find that the mayor and other important city officials would rather not let the secret get out- too much is at stake, most importantly, their reputations. They resolve to have her write a front page letter thanking the city and informing them she'd rather die alone.





I absolutely adore Nothing Sacred! Carole Lombard and Fredric March had such great chemistry and though the story didn't meld together greatly at some parts, their antics were priceless. There are a few real laugh out loud moments. The best two being when March tries to rescue Lombard from her attempted suicide, and again when he tries to rescue her from being arrested by giving her pneumonia symptoms.
What I liked best about this film was that by pointing out how ruthless media can be and by extension the audience it caters to, the story doesn't depend heavily on moral virtues. Cook doesn't get hung up on Hazel's fraud, and the problem is resolved painlessly. I always dread scenes where one character gets deeply involved with the person they are deceiving in a comedy. There is the inevitable confrontation, separation, and reconciliation that I find so tedious. If it doesn't enhance the comedy, it should be handled as it was in Nothing Sacred.

Trivia:
*The first screwball comedy filmed in color.
*Carole Lombard's only technicolor film.
*Written by Ben Hecht who's specialty was a cynical view of newspapers, reporters, and the stories they go after. See also: The Front Page and His Girl Friday.
*Hecht wrote a role for his friend John Barrymore in the film, but David Selznick refused to use him as Barrymore had become by then an incurable alcoholic. This caused a rift between Hecht and Selznick, and Hecht walked off the picture.

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A Star is Born (1937)

A film ironically satirizing the Hollywood glamour machine during a time considered the golden years of Hollywood, A Star is Born gives the viewer an inside look on the sordid side of fame by not only criticizing the people who create the star but more importantly, the audience that pays to see the star. The very people who, even today, have the ability to build up fame as well as tear it down.

Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) another of many starry-eyed girls dreaming of making it big in Hollywood is about to pay the price for that dream. She catches the eye of actor Norman Maine (Fredric March), a once great actor who has lost his way with the help of copious amounts of alcohol. Maine sees something great in Blodgett, not just for the screen but for himself. He sees a chance to get what fame and fortune have denied him, a chance to love and be genuinely loved by another. He gets Blodgett a screen test, and she is an instant sensation. Maine and Blodgett, newly dubbed Vicki Lester marry but happiness is sacrificed when his career ends abruptly and Lester spends more and more time away as a star is born.









This is the second time I have seen this film. It was even better this time around with my new found appreciation of Fredric March who brought me to tears at the end of the film when he says, “Hey! Do you mind if I take just one more look?” Watching him swim into the sunset as the ocean washes away his robe and shoes is heart wrenching.
I am less certain of Janet Gaynor’s role. I’m still debating on whether or not I am a fan of her acting. Though not an ideal beauty and elfin in stature, I have to admire Gaynor for developing a career in an industry that wants to see beauty first and talent second but her performances, to me, fall a bit flat. In A Star Is Born, she plays the tolerant wife sedately and really only shines when she impersonates Harlow and Hepburn. I need to watch more of her movies and form a better opinion.
Overall, this film is grand due, once again, to the fantastic performance of Fredric March. In the most sincerest role I have yet to see him play, it's no suprise that he was nominated for an Academy Award (third time in his career thus far).

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Mary of Scotland (1936)

Synopsis:
In 1561, Mary Stuart (Katharine Hepburn) , the young widow of Francis II of France, sets sail for her native Scotland to re-establish herself as monarch. In spite of attempts by her politically insecure cousin, Queen Elizabeth of England (Florence Eldridge), to prevent her from reaching Scotland, Mary lands safely with her Italian secretary, David Rizzio (John Carradine), and rides to Holyrod Castle near Edinburgh. Immediately upon her arrival, Mary is confronted by her half brother, James Stewart (Ian Keith), the Earl of Moray, who is the leader of the country's ruling noblemen, and is questioned about her devotion to Catholicism and her refusal to marry. While the noblemen select a council for Mary, the queen is denounced publicly as a "wicked" Catholic by John Knox (Maroni Olsen), an outspoken Protestant leader. Knox's accusations are countered by the equally eloquent Earl of Bothwell (Fredric March), who in spite of his own Protestantism, pledges his loyalty to Mary and demands that he be named Scotland's military chief. Enraged by Mary's success at charming her court, Elizabeth plots with Throckmorton (Alan Mowbray), the new Scottish ambassador, to use Moray against her. At the same time, Rizzio encourages Mary to wed Lord Darnley (Douglas Walton), a Catholic who is the heir to the English crown after Elizabeth. Although she loves Bothwell, Mary rejects his proposal and marries the foppish Darnley. Soon after, Mary's council tries to force her to dismiss Rizzio and, when she refuses, goads the sexually frustrated Darnley into accusing the Italian of adultery. In Mary's bedroom, a group of Scottish lords murder Rizzio and, as a drunken Darnley watches, force the queen to sign a false confession of infidelity. Aided by Bothwell's loyal troops, Mary and Darnley escape and thwart Moray and Elizabeth's conspiracy. A year after Mary gives birth to a boy, James, a still discontented Darnley threatens to disown his son as his legitimate heir. Before he is able to carry out his plan, however, Darnley is burned alive in his private refuge, which is destroyed by planted explosives. As Knox damns Bothwell as Darnley's murderer, the earl "kidnaps" Mary and, in defiance of the council, secretly marries her. Twenty days later, Moray abducts baby James, and the rebel lords attack Holyrod Castle. Outnumbered by Moray's troops, Bothwell finally agrees to leave Scotland if Mary is allowed to remain queen. In spite of his promises, Moray forces Mary to abdicate and, after imprisoning her, makes himself regent. Eventually Mary escapes and, believing Elizabeth to support her cause, flees to England. Elizabeth, however, takes Mary prisoner and, after Bothwell dies a mad man in a Danish jail, puts her on trial for treason. Crushed by the news of Bothwell's death, Mary eagerly accepts her inevitable condemnation and refuses to renounce the Stuart claim to the English throne, even when offered clemency by Elizabeth. Satisfied that she has enjoyed a more rewarding life than the ambitious Elizabeth, Mary faces her exeuction with courage. -TCM

More of a love story neatly fit into an inaccurate accounting of history, I was very entertained by this angle of Mary of Scots story. I especially enjoyed all scenes involving the energetic and manly Bothwell. I could have used less of Mary's sililoquies, Elizabeth's snarling manner, and more detail on how Bothwell ended up in the Danish prison. Ford, known for allowing little of his film to end up on the cutting room floor, makes me wonder if he even bothered filming how that event took place. Overall, I liked the film even though at the time it was considered a flop and another reason to label Katharine Hepburn "box-office poison". Did you know she directed her one and only scene in this film? John Ford was so impressed by her wit, humor and strength that he trusted her enough to film what was one of the better scenes in the movie, the scene where Mary lets Bothwell know that she will marry Darnley and not him.
March is a much rowdier Cellini-like character in this film. I loved his banter with the ladies-in-waiting and his overt manliness especially in comparison with Mary's weaker husband. He shines equally in this film despite Hepburn who is the protagonist.

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