Sunday, March 17, 2024

Roman Scandals

Roman Scandals

 (1933)
Directed by
Frank Tuttle
Written by William Anthony McGuire, based on a story by William F. Kaufmann
Starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold, David Manners, Verree Teasdale, Willard Robinson
IMDB Entry

Eddie Cantor was a big film star of the early 1930s, best know for his big eyes.* And one of his biggest hits was Roman Scandals.

Eddie (Eddie Cantor) is a jack-of-all-trades living in the midwest city of  West Rome. Warren Finley Cooper (Willard Robinson) is a millionaire who runs the town by bribery, and who had a fixation on ancient Rome. Eddie stays in one of his museums and becomes an expert on Rome. When he crosses Cooper by stopping his attempt to tear down peoples' homes to build a jail, he is kicked out of town. As he walks away, he suddenly finds himself in ancient Rome. He is sold as a slave to Josephus (David Manners), who frees him and needs his help to rescue Princess Sylvia (Gloria Stuart). Eddie -- now called Oedepus -- runs afoul of the Emperor Valerius (Edward Arnold) and is appointed his food taster, a very risky job, since the Empress Agrippa (Verree Teasdale) keeps trying to poison her husband.

The plot is slight, mostly a vehicle for Cantor's jokes, some dated, others still funny. You can see this as his star turn and he makes the most of it.

Slave Auction Scene
One of the best known sequences is the musical number portraying a Roman slave auction. Choreographed by the great Busby Berkeley, it shows a group of woman chained and nude and looking very distressed. Their long blonde wigs keeps things PG rated and the woman -- billed as the Goldwyn Girls -- included future stars Lucille Ball** and Paulette Goddard. Another Berkeley touch was that a woman falls to her death at the end, presaging "Lullaby of Broadway."

Given the time, it's not surprising that there is a blackface number. This one, however, is relatively innocuous other than the makeup itself. Cantor doesn't attempt any of the demeaning mannerisms usually portrayed and it really wouldn't have been any different if he hadn't smeared on the makeup.

Edward Arnold had a long career, often playing heavies, but occasionally the hero. Gloria Stuart, a

The songs were written by the great but underappreciated team of Harry Warren and Al Dubin.

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*He often showed up in Warner Brothers cartoons

**Lucy has recounted that they actually were nude during the scene.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Behind Stone Walls

(1932)
Directed by
Frank R. Strayer
Written by George B. Seitz
Starring Edward J. Nugent, Priscilla Dean, Robert Elliott, Ann Cristy, Robert Ellis
IMDB Entry 

I have been concentrating on pre-code films and film noir, primarily because there is a lot of good stuff out there if you seek it out. Behind Stone Walls is interesting because it had elements of both.

Esther Clay (Pricilla Dean) is married to the DA John Clay (Robert Elliott). She is also having an affair with his friend, fellow lawyer Jack Keene (Robert Elliott). When Keene breaks it off, Esther, enraged, shoots him. Her son Bob (Edward J. Nugent) comes upon the scene and goes to protect his mother. She escapes, but he is captured and charged with the crime. His father offers to resign as DA and take his case, but Bob refuses, so his father prosecutes and sends him to prison. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Peg Harper (Ann Cristy) in convinced of Bob's innocence and sets out to prove it.

The pre-code element is the outright acknowledgement of the adultery. It's portrayed without any hiding the fact. But it also fills the film noir penchant for portraying an evil, scheming woman.

Esther is short-tempered and definitely evil. She has no compunction in shooting Keene when he tells her it's over.  She doesn't care when her son*goes to prison for her crimes and has no compunction at trying to kill again.

The movie does not have the shadowy images that gave noir its name. It's also quite stagy; most of the scenes could easily work as a play. The pacing is also a bit slow. But the situation is a fascinating one. Bob refuses to rat out his mother, and the mother takes advantage of it all. She's even blackmailed by Keene's valet, who knows the truth. Esther is a prime example of a noir femme fatale.

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*Actually, her stepson, but Bob doesn't realize that, since she married his father when he was still an infant. This is used as an excuse to show why she has no motherly love for the boy.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland

Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland

by George Gamow
 
(1939)

Twentieth Century physics became a little daunting to the layman, with with relativity and quantum theory and the Big Bang. George Gamow decided to make it a bit easier with his book, Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland.

He created Mr. Tompkins, a middle ages banker type who decides to attend a professors lectures on the newer concepts on physics of the age. The lecture is boring and Tompkins falls asleep and starts dreaming.

The dreams cover various topics. The professor is there to guide him by showing how things work. It starts out showing the expanding universe. The key is that the setup allows a minimum of lecture and shows the concept with concrete examples that are easy to grasp. Quantum theory is shown by the example of a pool room, where the balls move in quantum paths, so that they appear to be in multiple places as they move. 

Tomkins is not a deep character; he is there to ask questions that the professor can explain to him.Still there is some character development as Tompkins finally proposes to the professor's daughter.

Speed of Light

My favorite were two chapters where the speed of light is only 10 mph. Cars and bicycles contract as they try to go faster, but when on a train, the telephone poles along the tracks get closer together. They also show how tune dilation works.

The book was a hit, and soon other volumes followed.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Call Her Savage

 

Call Her Savage

(1932)

Directed by John Francis Dillon
Written by Edwin J. Burke, from a novel by Tiffany Thayer
Starring Clara Bow, Gilbert Roland, Thelma Todd, Monroe Owsley, Antony Jowitt
IMDB Entry

Call Her Savage is one example of the freedom allowed in pre-code Hollywood. There are several elements that soon became unacceptable once the Hayes Office took over, but even without them, it's a very strong story overall.

The movie starts out with a preamble in the 19th Century west, as well as a moral lesson that really doesn't have much to do with the rest. Eventually, we are introduced to Nasa Singer (Clara Bow), the granddaughter of the man in the early scenes. Nasa is a woman with a mind of her own, and plenty of courage -- when faced with a rattlesnake, she takes out a whip and drives it back. The scene is witnessed by Moonglow (Gilbert Roland), a half-native man who clearly is enamoured of her. Her father, though, tired of her temper and antics, sends her to a finishing school in Chicago.

Nasa, free of her father's disapproval, has a high time partying in the city. Lawrence Crosby (Monroe Owsley), to get back at his cheating girlfriend Sunny De Lane (Thelma Todd), asks Nasa to marry him out of spite. She accepts. She quickly finds out he didn't love her when he stays away on their wedding night to play poker (possibly). Crosby leaves her, but lets her use his money as long as she wants. It's a good thing, since her father completely cuts her off. She lives large until she gets a note that Crosby is dying and rushes to New Orleans to say goodbye, even though she hates him. A month later, she gives birth to a baby.

Nasa goes through ups and downs, some tragic, some comical, until she finally discovers her shameful heritage.

The movie is usually mentioned today for its portrayal of homosexuality, in the form of a scene in a nightclub where two men perform a risque song,* but that only lasts a few moments and has no bearing on anything.  There is also the taboo subject of mixed race and it's more than suggested that Crosby is suffering from tertiary syphilis.

On the other hand, while it is certainly entertaining, there are plenty of plot holes. Nasa's pregnancy, for instance, is never mentioned until the baby is born, one month after seeing Crosby for the last time, and she clearly is not eight months pregnant then. 

This was Bow's next-to-last film. It was a success, as was her next film, But Bow had grown tired of acting and retired the next year.

Gilbert Roland had a very long career in Hollywood, usually as a Latin lover and the go-to guy if they needed a handsome Mexican in the film or TV show.

Thelma Todd is best known today as Groucho Marx's "romantic" interest in Horsefeathers and Monkey Business.**

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*They are more like modern day drag queens, though not in woman's clothes. That was how homosexuality was perceived at the time: men with a "female" personality.

**Her death is still an unsolved Hollywood mystery.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

William Boyett (actor)

 (1927-2004)

William Boyett as -- what else? -- a cop
Actors are, more often than not, typecast. Few were typecast more than William Boyett. 

Boyett went into acting around 1950 and started appearing in TV shows. His second role was that of a detective, and he was quickly typecast. Looking at the characters names, you find "Grand Jury Bailiff," "Policeman Cooper," "Agent Lansing," "Special Agent Bob Marshall,""Lt. Keith," "Military Policeman Escort," "Policeman," "Constable Malloy," "State Trooper," "Pier Cop," "Sgt. Geary," "Detective Sergeant Harris," and others (including roles as military officers).

He got his break as a regular in Highway Patrol, where he played Officer Johnson, Broderick Crawford's assistant.* He appeared in over 60 episodes.

When the show ended, he went back to being a cop.  He did several episodes of Dragnet, and Jack Webb liked him enough to give him another regular role as Sgt. "Mac" MacDonald in Adam-12, Mac was the boss of  Malloy and Reed and appeared in more episodes than anyone but them and the woman who did the voice of the despatcher.

After the show ended, he continued to act in TV, including in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he played a policeman. You kind of wonder if this became a bit of a joke in Hollywood: "We need a cop, let's see if Boyett is available."

But Boyett was clearly a professional, and always was able to do his role believably. Spotting him in old TV shows is plenty of fun.

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*And often carried the narrative, since Crawford was an alcoholic and had troubles playing the part.

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Hildegarde Withers (Part II)

 Edna May Oliver left the series after Murder on a Honeymoon, but RKO decided to continue the series. They were cheap to make and could fill out a double feature bill. So they cast other actresses and forged on.

Murder on a Bridal Path

Murder on a Bridal Path
(1938)
Directed by
William Hamilton, Edward Killy
Written by Dorothy Yost, Thomas L.  Lennon, Edmudh H. North
Starring Helen Broderick, James Gleason, Sheila Terra, Willie Best
IMDB Entry

The choice for Hildegarde in the next film was Helen Broderick. It was decent casting.  Broderick*was most prominent at the time for her role in the classic Astaire and Rodgers musical Top Hat, where she played Ginger Rogers's best friend and confidante and the inadvertent cause of the central misunderstanding. 

The movie announces its plot in its title.  A woman dies in a horse riding accident, but Hildegarde realizes it's murder and Inspector Piper (James Gleason) is forced to admit she is right. It goes to an estate on Long Island, where the various suspects are gathered for a weekend and Hildegarde has to unravel the mystery

Hildegarde fits Broderick well. She was already known for her sardonic and dry sense of humor, and they used it to good effect. She is less bristly than Oliver's portrayal, but still keeps the character interesting.

The movie also features Willie Best as a horse's groom. As usual for the time, he's portrayed as slow and simple, and does the best he can with the part. Hildegarde treats him straightforwardly and accepts his answers to her question.

The movie never is more than the routine, though. Very little stick in the mind.

The Plot Thickens

The Plot Thickens
(1936)

Directed by Ben Holmes
Written by Jack Townley
Starring James Gleason, Zasu Pitts
IMDB Entry

Broderick did only the single film before moving on, so RKO looked elsewhere, settling on Zasu Pitts.

The plot involves a murder in the park when a man tries to keep his girlfriend (a witness) out of it, muddying the waters by moving the body and confusing Piper (James Gleason). At the same time, a priceless silver cup is stolen.  Hildegarde sees through the ploy and unveils the killer.

I will say that The Plot Thickens is the weakest entry in the series. It's just a forgettable mystery and I have a hard time remembered a single scene.

I've been a fan of Zasu Pitts for years, ever since I saw her in reruns of The Gale Storm Show. She is miscast as Hildegarde. Her persona is usually described as "fluttery"** and is at odds with Hildegarde's more sarcastic mein. The lines just don't have the bite they should and her mannerisms changed from formidable to a bit ditzy. It is clear from the staging of her entrance that they were trying to build her up.

Still the interactions between Hildegarde and Piper are nice to watch.

Forty Naughty Girls

Forty Naughty Girls
(1936)

Directed by Edward F. Cline
Written by John Grey, Harold Kusell
Starring James Gleason, Zasu Pitts, Marjorie Lord
IMDB Entry

The final entry in the series was an improvement overall. Zasu Pitts wasn't trying as hard to emulate the actresses who had originated the role, and found her own style, and it looks like it had a bigger budget.

The movie, like so many in the thirties, is set in a theater. A press agent -- something of a letch -- is murdered just before the performance of the musical that gives the movie its name. Hildegarde and Piper are in the audience and start to investigate, and when someone is murdered on stage, things get even more serious.

At this point, they altered the character to fit more closely into Zasu Pitts's talents. Hildergarde is less snarky and a bit more ditzy, but still manages to solve the case. 

There must have been a bigger budget, since they do show a Broadway show with a chorus line and original songs. And the film was directed by Edward Cline, W.C. Field's favorite director, which may account for its improvement. Cast members of note was Marjorie Lord, who played Danny Thomas's second wife on Make Room for Daddy.***

The series of films ended with this one. Everyone seemed to have lost interest. Pitts continued as a character actress, and Gleason continued as a supporting character, usually a cop, in the Falcon**** series and Joe Palooka. It was never a strong or memorable series, but there was some delightful interaction between Hildegarde and Piper.

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*Her son, Broderick Crawford, won an Oscar for All the King's Men and became a TV star with Highway Patrol in the late 50s.

**Her mannerisms inspired the design of  Olive Oyl in the early Fleischer Popeye cartoons.

***The first wife, Jean Hagen, left the show after three seasons. The producers wrote her out by having her die, the first time a TV sitcom character did so. (Of course, the idea of her divorcing was never going to fly in 1956.)

****Note to linguists: in the 30s and 40s, "falcon" was pronounced "faw-con." As time went on, the "l" began to be pronounced, so nowadays it's pronounced "fal-con." One example of how pronunciation changes to match odd spelling.

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Hildegarde Withers (Part I)

Hildegarde Withers was a fictional detective/schoolteacher in a series of books by Stuart Palmer in the early 30s, popular enough to be the basis of a movie series of light mysteries. I'll be covering the series in the next two weeks, starting with the first three starring Edna May Oliver.*

Penguin Pool Murder

The Penguin Pool Murder
(1932)
Directed by George Archainbaud, Ray Lissner
Written by Lowell Brentano (story), Willis Goldbeck (screenplay), based on a novel by Stuart Palmer
Starring Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, Donald Cook, Mae Clarke, Robert Armstrong, Edgar Kennedy
IMDB Entry

Hildegarde Withers (Edna May Oliver) is taking her elementary school class to the aquarium, when they find a body in the Penguin Pool. Detective Oscar Piper (James Gleason) is called in and Hildegarde is there to assist. The body belongs to Parker (Guy Usher), who has caught his wife Gwen (May Clarke) thinking of leaving him for Barry Costello (Robert Armstrong). Piper resents Hildegarde's meddling, but as she is always pointing out clues he missed, he tolerates her.

The joy of the movie (and the series) is the interplay between Hildegarde and Piper. Oliver plays her as  sarcastic and somewhat cynical, with a sharp tongue, always ready for an insult. Gleason is a perfect foil, trying to run an investigation, but finding his conclusions being objected to by Hildegarde. He gives the appearance of wanting her to leave him alone, but, despite his antipathy, he doesn't dismiss her words out of hand and, in the end, shows affection to her, and proposes marriage.

One interesting note is that Hildegarde's class is integrated and a Black child is shown to be smart and conscientious. It was a rare type of portray of the era.

You can also spot Edgar Kenney -- the master of the slow burn -- and Mae Clarke, best known for getting a grapefruit in the face in The Public Enemy. Robert Armstrong was prominent in King Kong, as Carl Denham, who leads the expedition to find Kong.

Murder on the Blackboard

Murder on the Blackboard
(1934)
Directed by George Archainbaud
Written by Willis Goldbeck from a novel by Stuart Palmer
Starring Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, Bruce Cabot, Regis Toomey, Edgar Kennedy
IMDB Entry

The movie succeeded well enough that RKO did a sequel the next year.  Hildegarde is teaching at her school when she finds a body of Louise Halloran. Piper is called, but the body disappears.** Various suspects show up, all with reason to kill the woman. 

Once again, the movie focuses on the sharp-tongued Hildegarde and her exasperated cop friend. She is still a memorable character, even if the mystery is also somewhat routine.

Edgar Kennedy repeats his role of Sgt. Donohue, and is shown giving his famous "slow burn" expression. He had a long career in films, starring in a series of short films and most prominent to modern fans at the lemonade vendor in Duck Soup. Bruce Cabot was also in King Kong as the boyfriend of Fay Wray.

I did note that the schoolchildren no longer showed an integrated classroom.

Murder on a Honeymoon

Murder on a Honeymoon
(1935)

Directed by Lloyd Corrigan
Written by Seton I. Miller, Robert Benchley from a novel by Seaton Palmer
Starring  Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, Lola Lane, George Meeker, Leo G. Carrol, Willie Best
IMDB Entry

This time, Hildegarde is traveling to Catalina Island. On the short flight from the mainland, one of the passengers gets sick and dies. The local police are uninterested, but Hildegarde calls Piper, who shows up because the murdered man was a key witness against a crime lord. There are multiple suspects, including Hildegarde herself, plus a Honeymooning couple Kay (Dorothy Libaire) and Marvin Deving (Harry Ellerby), film director Joseph B. Tate (Leo G. Carroll). With the help of a hotel porter Willie (Willie Best), Hildegarde dives into the mystery in her usual snarky way, while Piper tolerates her because she is interested in the truth.

The plot here is slightly better, and the dialog is stronger, probably because Robert Benchley contributed. Hildegard's tongue is sharper and the dialog was more witty.

The movie also featured Willie Best, one of the few Black actors who was successful in Hollywood at the time. Unfortunately, his character had to hew to the stereotype of being slow and childlike. Quite a change from the performance of the young man in the first movie. But at least Hildegarde accepts him and asks for his help.

Modern viewers probably spot Leo G. Carroll. Carroll was a favorite of Alfred Hitchcock, and had TV success as Topper and The Man From U.N.C.L.E

After this film, Edna May Oliver left the series. But it did well enough for RKO that they brought it back with different actresses playing Hildegarde.***  I'll talk about them next week.

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*In the early days of sound, it was possible for women who were not Hollywood beauties to star in films. Nowadays, Oliver would be shunted into supporting roles.

**Despite the fact they were going to get married at the end of the first film, that is completely ignored in this one and is never mentioned in the series.

***Gleason kept playing Oscar Piper.

Sunday, January 28, 2024

The Vampire Bat

The Vampire Bat (1933)

Directed by Frank R. Strayer
Written by Edward T. Lowe, Jr.
Starring Lionel Atwell, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, Dwight Frye, Maude Eburne
IMDB Entry

Hollywood loves to jump on the bandwagon. And when Dracula became a massive hit, other studios started making movies with vampires in them. The Vampire Bat was one of the better examples.

The village of Kleinschloss is suffering a rash of people dying from mysterious blood loss and suspect a vampire. Kerl Brettschneider (Melvyn Douglas), the chief of police, thinks the whole idea preposterous and meets with Dr. Otto van Niemann (Lionel Atwell), who cares fpr the victims. They are visited by Hermann Gleib (Dwight Frye), a strange man who liked bats, calling them "soft like a cat."

There are more attacks and things seem to point to Gleib as the vampire.  The townspeople get out the pitchforks and hunt down Gleib. But the real story is not what they think.

This is a pretty routine vampire flick and the twist should be obvious. As for the cast, this seems to be Lionel Atwell month at Great But Forgotten. But it should be clear to the viewer that he is behind all this, though not in the way you might expect.

Melvyn Douglas became a respected actor thirty years later, getting two Oscars and several nominations. He's quite good as the skeptical chief of police. 

Dwight Frye was the go to actor to play madmen during the 30s, appearing in Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein,* and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, with walk ons in other Frankenstein films as Universal. He also appeared in the first version of The Maltese Falcon as Wilmer.

Fay Wray was once again paired with Atwell after their success with Doctor X

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*Brought back as as a different character, since he had died in Frankenstein.


Sunday, January 21, 2024

Doctor X

Doctor X
(1932)

Directed by Michael Curtiz
Written by Robert Tasker, Earl Baldwin from a play by Howard W. Comstock
Starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wran, Lee Tracy.
IMDB Entry

It's rare that a sequel is better known than its original.  Doctor X  is usually overlooked for its sequel (though it's not really one), The Return of Doctor X because it shows up in Humphrey Bogart's filmography as the only horror movie he made. But the original is worth seeking for several reason.

Women are being murdered in New York City every month, when there's a full moon. The victims are strangled and then cannibalized.  Police are baffled, but reporter Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy) and the police see Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill) as suspicious, and that the killer might be connected with his Academy of Surgical Research. He asks the cops to have him investigate first at his estate on Long Island. Taylor -- a practical joker as well as a reporter -- sneaks in and meets Joanne Xavier (Fay Wray), Dr. Xavier's daughter.* Xavier devises an experiment to find the killer, but when someone is murdered, the mystery deepens.

The interesting thing is that the movie was originally in color, using one of the two-strip technicolor processes.** Warner Brother/First  National, who had struck it big with sound pictures three years earlier, hoped that technicolor would give it an equivalent boost. But that didn't happen. The extra expense didn't improve the box office enough to make it worthwhile, though it was successful.

The appearance is different from later versions of technicolor. The two-strip process was decent at showing flesh tones, but everything had an orange cast and it was overall quite dark. Certainly nothing to make the colors pop.

Lee Tracy seemed to specialize in breezy reporter types.*** Atwill is once again a sinister presence, and it's fun to see Fay Wray without a giant ape.

The movie does set up a nice red herring to obscure the identity of the killer, but one that does not come out of nowhere.

Director Michael Curtiz soon became a top director at Warner Brothers, notably for White ChristmasYankee Doodle Dandy, and Casablanca.

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*It's interesting that at her very first entrance, she screams, reminiscent of her most iconic role, where she screams nonstop.

**When I first watched it, it struck me as a bad example of colorizing a film.

***He played Hildy Johnson in the original Broadway production of The Front Page.

Sunday, January 14, 2024

The Sphinx

The Sphinx

(1933)
Directed by
Phil Rosen
Written by Albert DeMond
Starring Lionel Atwell, Sheila Terry, Theodore Newton, Luis Alberni
IMDB Entry

Pre-code movies are a mixed bag and many could not be made today, not because of censorship, but because audiences wouldn't accept the contrivances. The Sphinx is probably too contrived to fly now, but it is a solid bit of film noir.

It starts as a janitor (Luis Alberni) is working at night and encounters a man, who asks him for a match, and then the time. The janitor obliges and, after the man leaves, discovers a corpse.

The man is identified as Jerome Breen (Lionel Atwell) and he's quickly apprehended and taken to trial. It seems an open-and-shut case, except Breen is a mute and a doctor testifies he has paralysis of the vocal cord and cannot possibly speak. He is acquitted.

But reporter Jack Burton (Theodore Newton) is convinced that Breen committed the murder and goes to investigate. He soon spots a pattern in the murder of several representatives of investment firm. At the same time, his girlfriend, Jerry Crane (Sheila Terry) finds Breen fascinating. Not believing him a murderer, she starts to spend time with him.*  

Now, today, you'd just think that Breen is faking it and that the courtroom testimony about his voice was faked. But in the movie, there's another explanation which, though certainly cliched, comes as a surprise that ties together all of Breen's behavior.

Lionel Atwell was a solid star in the 30s and 40s, best known today as the one-armed Inspector Krogh in Son of Frankenstein.**  He ranged from romantic lead to character actor. Leads Theodore "Ted" Newton and Shiela Terry had successful careers, but never really made an impact. The director, Phil Rosen, was busy and prolific, but not in anything major or well-known today.

This is a production of Monogram Pictures, one of the poverty row studios of the 30s, makers of low-budget films, usually with new or washed up talent. It's clear that the movie was made quickly and with a minimum of sets, but that doesn't detract from it.

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*He "talks" to her using a pad of paper.

**Mostly because of Kenneth Mars's parody of him in Young Frankenstein.

Sunday, January 7, 2024

The Killers


(1946)
Directed by
Robert Siodmak
Screenplay by Anthony Veiller, from a story by Ernest Hemingway
Starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Virginia Christine, Albert Dekker, Sam Levene, Charles Mcgraw, William Conrad
IMDB Entry

During his lifetime, Ernest Hemingway was not happy with the way Hollywood treated his work.* But there was one movie that he approved of, saying "It is a good picture and the only good picture ever made of a story of mine."  That movie was The Killers.

The story starts out as a couple of shady characters Max (William Conrad) and Al (Charles McGraw) show up in a diner in Brentwood, NJ. They make no bones about the fact that they are killers and looking for Pete Lund (Burt Lancaster), who is working as a gas station attendant. When he doesn't show as usual, they seek him out and kill him. Lund is resigned to the outcome.

Lund had an insurance policy and it intrigues insurance investigator Jim Reardon (Edmond O'Brien) when the money goes to a hotel maid who barely remembers Lund. It turns out the Lund was a former boxer Ole Anderson, who had to quit once he broke his hand.  Reardon interviews a friend of Anderson's, Police lieutenant Sam Lubinsky (Sam Levine), who starts to fill things in. Sam's wife Lilly (Virginia Christine) dated Ole, but she was thrown over when Ole met Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner), an enticing femme fatale.  When Kitty is found with a stolen brooch, Ole claims he was the guilty party and is sent to prison for it. Once out, he joins in with a payroll robbery planned by Big Jim Colfax (Albert Dekker). From there on, things get complicated.

The story is strong and it's easy to get caught up as Reardon slowly uncovers the mystery. This was Lancaster's first role and he makes a strong impression as a man who's impulsive and under the spell of Kitty. This was also the first big role for Ava Gardner, but the part doesn't give her a lot to do other than be beautiful. It's not shown why she has such a power over men and really doesn't get any chance to act until nearly the end of the movie.

Edmond O'Brien is fine as an insurance investigator** and Sam Jaffee also stands out as the policeman and friend of Anderson.

The movie mad stars of Lancaster and Gardner. The director wanted actors who were not well known for the parts, so audiences didn't have any preconceptions.

The movie is well regarded in noir circles and is worth seeking out.

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*One of the best movies made from his novel was To Have and Have Not, but that was the opposite. Director Howard Hawks, a fishing buddy of Hemingway, said he could make a good movie of his worst novel. Hemingway asked what novel Hawks thought was his worst and the answer was To Have an Have Not. Hemingway agreed, but the result was a film classic, mostly because Hawks jettisoned nearly all of the original story.

**He later played an insurance investigator, on the radio show Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar for a few years. I wonder if there was any connection; this movie could have been a Johnny Dollar plot.

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Santa in Animal Land

Annie and Horace

(1948)
Written and Directed by
Stephen L. Sharff
Puppets by Alfred Wallace
IMDB Entry
Youtube version

There was a time in the late 40s-early 50s when puppets were common in children's entertainment. Movies and TV shows for kids were designed for what was perceived as an uncritical audience, and puppets were cheaper than animation, especially the full animation that was the mainstay of animated films. But the results were bizarre to modern eyes, and one major example of this is Santa in Animal Land.

The story is simple. It's Christmas and four animal puppets -- Felix (a frog), Annie (a duck), Horace (a dog), and Kitty (obvious from the name) -- lament that fact that Santa doesn't come for animals.  Kitty and Annie go out to ask why, and meet Santa, who comes up with a solution.

The story line is beyond simple, with only a minor complication along the way that is easily fixed. The animals get their presents and all is well.

The puppets look cheap and their voices are sing-songy and shrill.  They can't change expression, either.  It's bizarre to watch.

The original was in black and white, but in 2021, Jeff Joseph colorized it and it's been used as fill on TCM, where more people have seen it than in its original run. The added garish color only makes it more bizarre. 


Sunday, December 17, 2023

Do Not Adjust Your Set (TV)

 

Terry Jones, Denise Coffey, Michael Palin, David Jason, & Eric Idle

(1967)
Written by and staring: 
Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, David Jason, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
IMDB Entry 

The second UK sketch comedy show that gave birth to Monty Python was Do Not Adjust Your Set. While At Last the 1948 Show headlined John Cleese and Graham Chapman, this one featured three of the troupe:  Eric Idle,* Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.

This one was pitched as more of a children's show and featured the same type of skits that were later a feature of Monty Python

The part that interests me the most was the appearance of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The Bonzos are one of my favorite groups, the Monty Python of rock music. They used creative anarchy on stage, and they performed a song in every episode. Reportedly the TV appearances were toned down from their stage act. Neil Innes, one of the principle songwriters with Vivian Stanshall, later wrote songs for the TV show and for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, performing "Sir Robin's Song" in the movie.

Denise Coffey is not well known in the US, but was very successful in the UK after the show. The same goes for David Jason, who had a major role in Only Fools and Horses, which did make it across the pond. He was eventually knighted.

Jones, Palin, and Idle, of course, became big stars with Monty Python and various other shows. Once they joined forces with Cleese and Chapman, and hired the American animator Terry Gilliam, comedy history was born. But it is interesting to see how it got started.

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*Idle appeared in both, though not as a regular in At Last the 1948 Show.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

At Last the 1948 Show (TV)

At Last the 1948 Show cast
(1967)
 Written by and starring John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman, Tim Brooke-Taylor
Also Starring: The Lovely Amie McDonald
IMDB Entry

 Monty Python didn't come out of nowhere.  All its performers had already had sketch comedy shows on the BBC before then. The next two weeks, I'll be looking at a couple of them, starting with At Last the 1949 Show.

The cast are giants of sketch comedy. John Cleese and Graham Chapman, of course, founded Python and were a writing team throughout it. Marty Feldman -- who started as a writer -- became a surprising movie star, most notably in Young Frankenstein. 

Tim Brooke-Taylor is lesser known, but he starred in The Goodies, a major success in the UK.* In addition, there were small roles for Python's Eric Idle and the Goodies' Bill Oddie.

The show was a series of sketches, with linking material provided by the Lovely Amie McDonald. Yes, that's what she called herself and the played a dumb blonde who was pure ego. She also introduced the line "And now for something completely different."

The sketches covered some of the ground the Python would -- shopkeeper interactions, parodies, etc. They are funny, but not reaching that height.  Pythons did reprise some of them -- the "Four Yorkshirmen, where each of the people kept topping the other to show how miserable they were growing up, was used in their live films.

The show only lasted a season before the actors went their separate ways. As usual, the BBC didn't save any of the tapes, but they have since been uncovered and are available both online (TubiTV) and on DVD. The shows repeat sketches since some of them were compilations. It is a great look at how Monty Python's origins.

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*So funny that one of their audience members literally died laughing.

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Bodies (TV)

 

(2023)
Created by Paul Tomalin, based on a graphic novel by Si Spencer
Starring Amaka Okafor, Kyle Soller, Shira Haas, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Tom Mothersdale, Stephen Graham. Gabriel Howell

IMDB Entry

Time travel is fascinating, and when I heard good things about Bodies, I decided to take a look.  It was a good decision.

It starts out in the present day. Detective Shahara Hassan (Amake Okafor) is called to investigate a naked corpse in Whitechapel in London. The corpse has been shot in the eye and has a strange tattoo on its wrist. She tracks down a man who found it and, to her utter shock, he commits suicide, uttering the words, "Know you are loved." Her investigation leads her to Elias (Gabriel Howell), a troubled teen.

Then we move to 1941. Charles Whiteman (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) in out to investigate the death of the same naked corpse in the same location with the same characteristics. He is also following orders from a mysterious woman who contacts him by phone, ending each conversation with the line, "Know you are loved."

The scene shifts to 1890. A third detective, Alfred Hillinghead (Kyle Soller), investigates another copy of the same corpse. A photo was made of it, with a man lurking in an alley.  He goes to find the man and slowly uncovered a conspiracy that's involved with it all.

One more shift to 2053. This time, it's Iris Maplewood (Shira Haas) who's investigating. She is called by Elias Mannix (Stephen Graham), the nation's leader, who took over the country after an atomic bomb destroyed much of London, using the slogan (Know you are loved or KYAL). He sends Iris to get to the root of the matter.*

The miniseries is based on a comic book by Si Spencer with art by Dean Ormiston, and it seems to be a fine adaptation. They keep the story lines straight by using titles showing the year, and often a split screen to switch from one to another. The mystery is strong and revealed in small chunks, as is the relationship between the various stories. What's especially good is the resolution, which is more an example of the butterfly effect than it is a single event.

The acting is all fine. Especially of note is Amaka Okafor as Shahara, a detective and mother who learns that she must act to save her son and family. The characters are all tormented by the events, and the actors play their parts that make you feel their pain. I especially like the way the narratives are woven together, and the logic of time travel.**

You can watch it on Netflix.

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*It tough to write a spoiler-free synopsis of this without giving things away, especially since you have four different stories, all with some connection. 

**Though I will admit that the final scene, while a terrific sting, doesn't make any sense given what was established.


Sunday, November 19, 2023

Queens of Mystery (TV)

 

Queens of Mystery
(2019-2021)
Created by Julian Unthank 
Starring
 Julie Graham, Sarah Woodward, Siobhan Redmond, Olivia Vinall, Florence Hall, Martin Trenaman, Andrew Leung, Michael Elcock, Juliet Stevenson
IMDB Entry

I've been enjoying British cozy mysteries lately, where the murders have a minimum of blood, and everyone is so polite to each other. That's when I decided to try Queens of Mystery.  It turned out to be delightful.

In the small British town of Wildemarsh, Matilda "Mattie" Stone (Olivia Vinall, Florence Hall) is assigned as a detective in the local police force.  Mattie grew up in Wildemarsh, raised by her three aunts Cat (Julie Graham), Beth (Sarah Woodward), and Jane (Siobhan Redmond), who are all mystery writers. And when there's a murder, the three can't resist investigating, despite the warnings of Police Inspector Derek Thorne (Martin Trenaman) to stay away.  Of course, they don't, and end up supplying information to Mattie so she can figure out the murderer.

But the tone of the series is different from most. That mostly comes from the narration of Juliet Stevenson, who wryly comments on the action and even shows the secrets of some of the characters. She is very reminiscent of the narrator in Pushing Daisies. The show has the same sense of whimsey and, indeed some of the narrative quirks of that show.

There are also several subplots throughout the series. The big one is Mattie trying to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her mother. Hints and clues are found, but her way is always blocked, usually by a deliberate effort.  And where does that raven fit in?

Mattie also has a crush on the handsome Medical Examiner Dr. Daniel Lynch (Andres Leung), which keeps getting thwarted. At the same time, Police Constable Terry Foster (Michael Elcock) feels the same way about Mattie, though he keeps it secret. And Inspector Thorne is infatuated with Jane, and also keeps it under wraps.**

There are two women playing Mattie; Olivia Vinall was unavailable for the second series, so Florence Hall took her place.  The two women look alike enough so that you have to know about it to realize what happens. Mattie is a great character, a typical detective type, but one with issues due to the main mystery in her own life.

Julie Graham is especially memorable as Cat Stone: she writes and illustrates graphic novels, rides a motorcycle, was in a rock band, and had romances with other women.  

Two series were filmed, but the main mystery of Mattie's mother was not resolved. I hope there's another one soon.

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*Indeed, some of her narration clearly is influenced by it

**The unrequited romances are OK, but have the potential to be tedious.


Sunday, November 12, 2023

Berkeley Square/I'll Never Forget You

Berkeley Square

Berkeley Square

(1933)
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Written by John Balderston (play, screenplay), Sonya Levien (screenplay)
Starring Leslie Howard, Heather Angel, Valerie Taylor, Irene Browne
IMDB Entry

Time travel is a common trope these days, but, outside of Will Rogers's A Connecticut Yankee and several silent iterations of A Christmas Carol, it rarely made it to movie screens. I was surprised to see that one of the earliest sound features with time travel as a major element was Berkeley Square, and its remake I'll Never Forget You.

Peter Standish (Leslie Howard) lives in a house in Berkeley Square in London and is fascinated by its history, finding letters and diaries from its inhabitants from 1784. He begins to believe that he'll be transported to the time and finds it happening.  He takes on the identity of his ancestor from America* and falls in love with Kate Pettigrew (Valerie Taylor), even though arrangements were made for Standish to marry her sister Helen (Heather Angel).  Kate has been betrothed to a gross, rich merchant, a way for her family, who are in financial straits, to get on their feet again.

Peter starts causing trouble by using words that haven't been coined, and by mentioning things that haven't happened yet. People wonder why he can know these things. At the same time, he misses all the 20th century conveniences.**  Kate learns his story and urges him to return to his own time. She says they'll be back again one day in heaven.

Peter returns to his own time. His 18th century counterpart has been in his place, with people thinking he is mad.

The movie is quite slow moving and takes some time to get to the story (though it does open with a frame tale of Peter traveling to London). 

I'll Never Forget You

I'll Never Forget You

(Alternate title: The House on the Square)

(1951)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Written by Ranold MacDougall, based on the play Berkeley Square by John L. Balderson
Starring Tyrone Power, Ann Blyth, Beatrice Campbell, Michael Rennie, Irene Browne
IMDB Entry

The remake keeps the same basic plot but does add some differences.  Peter (Tyrone Power) is now an atomic scientist*** who tells his friend Roger (Michael Rennie) of his theory of time travel, and, after a literal stroke of lightning, Peter goes into the past. He falls in love with Helen (Ann Blyth) and she begins to discover where he came from. Peter invents some more modern technology -- electric lights, for instance -- and Helen is impressed. But history says he marries Kate (Beatrice Campbell). In addition to that complication, Peter is deemed mad and sent to Bethlem Royal Hospital (i.e., Bedlam) before he finally returns home. It is then that he meets Roger's sister Martha -- who looks exactly like Helen.

The remake tries to explain the time travel element, but it really doesn't add anything to the film. In this one, though Peter really isn't very smart and goes much too far in giving himself away.  But the ending is a bit better, with its hint that Martha and Peter may be together. And, like The Wizard of Oz, the opening and ending sequences (in the present) are in black and white, while the scenes from the past are in color.

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*Also named Peter Standish

**Plumbing, especially

***Though that has nothing to do with the main plot.

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Heroes for Sale

Heroes for Sale

 (1933)
Directed by
William Wellman
Written by Robert Lord, Wilson Mizner
Strring Richard Barthelmess, Aline MacMahon, Loretta Young, Gordon Westcott, Charley Grapewin, Robert Barrat
IMDB Entry

Sometimss pre-code movies could be exceptionally dark. Heroes for Sale certainly fits this description, and also confounds audience expectations even today.

It begins during World War I. Tom Holmes (Richard Barthelmess) is part of a platoon ordered to capture a German solder. When is friend Roger Winston (Gordon Westcott) freezes and refuses to leave a foxhole, Tom goes out and accomplishes the mission, but is shot when returning the soldier to Roger, who is celebrated for his bravery in bringing the man back. Tom is found by the Germans and nursed back to health but develops a morphine habit. Roger, feeling guilty over his unearned adulation, helps get Tom a job in his father's bank, but when the habit is discovered, Tom is fired and goes into rehab.

Once clean, Tom rents a room from Pa Dennis (Charlie Grapewin) and his daughter Mary. He also meets Ruth Loring (Loretta Young), who helps him get a job at the commercial laundry where she works. Tom is given more responsibility and pay by the kindly owner Mr. Gibson (Grant Mitchell). He also sees an invention for an improved laundry device by the inventor Max Brinker (Robert Barrat) who is a committed Red. Tom implements the new device and marries Ruth; soon she has a baby boy.

Then tragedy strikes. Mr. Gibson dies and the new ownership takes over. Gibson has promised that no one would be fired because of Tom's new device.  The new owners ignore that. Despite Tom's trying to stop them, the fired workers riot. Tom is trying to stop it, but is mistaken for one of the rioters and, far worse, Ruth is killed.

Tom is sent to jail. When he gets out, he is marked as a Red. At the same time, he had been receiving royalties for the use of his invention. He gives the money to Mary and her father, to run a soup kitchen, feeding hundreds who have lost jobs due to the Depression. Mary also raises Tom's son. Tom is kicked out of town and goes from city to city, trying to find work.  It ends, however, on a hopeful note.

I've been more detailed in my usual description because the movie deserves more analysis. Tom is constantly getting the short end of the stick but still manages to keep a positive attitude. Audiences were probably shocked when Ruth died, and also surprised that Mary and Tom didn't become a couple.

Richard Barthelmess was a major silent film star, appearing for D.W. Griffith in Broken Blossoms and Way Down East, and becoming a heartthrob. His career faded as he grew older and he quit films in 1942.

This was early in Loretta Young's extensive career, which included an Oscar for The Farmer's Daughter.  Aline MacMahon also worked for decades, usually as a wisecracking character actress, a role that describes her here, though she turns more serious as the movie goes on. She also was part of the inaugural class of Method actors, and the first to appear in film. Charley Grapewin also worked regularly, notably as Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz.

Wilson Mizner, who co-wrote the screenplay, was renowned as one of Hollywood's greatest wits. There are several lines (given by MacMahon) that show some of this, but this is not a comedy.

Director William Wellman was a major success, with an Oscar for the script of A Star is Born and three other nominations. 

Thursday, October 12, 2023

In Memory of Keith Giffen

 Ambush Bug

https://greatbutforgotten.blogspot.com/2007/07/the-heckler-comics.html

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga 

(2019-23)
Directed by 
Shūhei Yabuta
Written by Hiroshi Seko, Kenta Ihara, based on a Manga by  Makoto Yukimura 
IMDB Entry

I don't watch much manga or anime, but when someone recommended Vinland Saga, I decided to see what it was about. It turned out to be well worth looking for.

It's based on a manga by Makoto Yukimura and follows Thorin, living in Iceland and son of the great Viking warrior Thors. His father is called to join the ruler, but it turns out to be a trap, and Thors is killed while Thorin watches. Thorin vows revenge on Askeladd, the warrior who trapped him and, with nowhere else to go, he is taken on by Askeladd as something of a mascot. The young boy learns how to fight, with an eye to challenging him to a duel and killing him. Askeladd a mercenary, fights for the Danish king Sweyn and the Danish mercenary Thorkell, who is fighting for the English against Sweyn's invasion. There's also the issue of Canute, king Sweyn's son, who plays into Askeladd's plans.

The star of the show is Askeladd. He's a Viking warrior who is smart, treacherous, devious, willing to use anyone to get what he wants. Yet, despite this, he's a fascinating character. Indeed, many of the episodes focus on him, with Thorin, nominally the main character, barely plays a part.*

Thorin is a bit one-dimensional, defined by his revenges, but Askeladd is fascinating, and the story arc of Canute is surprising and emotionally strong.

The show is violent and filled with battle scenes, but the story is compelling from start to finish. It's available on Netflix.

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*Neither does Vinland. It's mentioned early on (by Leif Ericksson) but not much afterwards.

Sunday, October 1, 2023

The Front Page



The Front Page
(1931)
Directed by
Louis Milestone
Written by Bartlett Cormack, Charles Lederer, based on the play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
Starring Adolphe Menjou, Pat O'Brien, Mary Brian, Edward Everett Horton, Mae Clark, Walter Catlett, Frank McHugh, George E. Stone
IMDB Entry

 The Front Page is a classic play about newspapermen in Chicago that was turned into the just as classic movie His Girl Friday, which switched the gender of one of the main characters. There was also a 1974 remake starring Walter Matthau (perfect casting) and Jack Lemmon as well as other adaptations. But the original was made in 1931 and still holds up very well.

The city of Chicago is about to execute Earl Williams (George E. Stone) for killing a cop, and much of the action takes place in the press room waiting for the fatal hour. It's filled with a motley crew of reporters who are cynical to a fault. They also talk about Hildy Johnson (Pat O'Brien) who is of high regard* and whose editor, Walter Burns (Adolphe Menjou), keeps calling to find out where he is. Turns out Johnson is engaged to Peggy Grant (Mary Brien) and is leaving on a train to New York, where he had a job waiting for him in advertising.  When Williams escapes, Johnson, who is visiting the press room to say goodbye, lucks into the story of his life.

Most of the movie is filled with sharp dialogue as the reporters make their cynical comments on the execution, seeing it as a political ploy to win an election and pointing out the incompetence of the police in trying to find him.  

Comparing it to His Girl Friday, it is much the same.  Howard Hawks didn't change the setup, only changing what was necessary to create the relationship between Burns and Johnson. Menjou is not Cary Grant, but he was at the time similarly regarded as the epitome of sophistication and wit. It's hard to pick who was better.  O'Brien can't really be compared, but he is fine as the reporter torn between his sweetheart and the excitement of his job.   Edward Everett Horton plays the prissy Bensinger, a hypochondriac who would rather write poetry.

Much of the dialog was reused for His Girl Friday; Hawks and his writer Charles Lederer (with Hecht contributing) knew not to mess with a good thing. I was particularly surprised to see that Johnson refers to Williams -- hiding in a roll-top desk -- as "mock turtle." Grant used the line, too, and I had thought it was an in-joke** referring to his role in the 1933 Alice in Wonderland. Grant must have liked the reference, though.

I was especially interested in what they would do with the final last line, the brilliant "That son-of-a-bitch stole my watch." It could not be used in the Hawks's remake since the Hays Office would never allow it. But Menjou delivers it just as written, accidentally banging against a typewriter to slightly obscure the word "bitch."  Even before the code, there were limits.

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*It's fairly common for plays to talk about the main character before they come on stage.

**His Girl Friday is full of them.




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*I have noticed that many plays begins by people talking about the main character before their entrance.

Sunday, September 24, 2023

I Cover the Waterfront

 

I Cover the Waterfront
(1933)
Directed by
James Cruze
Written by Wells Root, from a novel by Max Miller. Additional dialog by Jack Jevne
Starring Ben Lyon, Claudette Colbert, Ernest Torrence, Hobard Cavanaugh
IMDB Entry

Ben Lyon is pretty much forgotten today, but he was a busy leading man in the 1930s, appearing in over 30 films during that decade. He usually played a bland but likeable hero, and I Cover the Waterfront seems to be a typical example of his work.

Joe Miller (Ben Lyon) is a reporter working the waterfront beat. He finds it dull, as he explains to his friend McCoy (Hobart Cavanaugh). He gets a report that a woman is swimming naked and goes to check it out. He finds Julie Kirk (Claudette Colbert), who is the daughter of Eli Kirk (Ernest Torrence), who Joe suspects of being up to shady deals -- like smuggling Chinese into the country.*

Joe decides to romance Julie to find out what her father is doing. But Eli keeps his unsavory side secret from her, and Joe begins to fall in love with her for real. 

You can see why Lyon is not remembered. He's not bad, but there is nothing about him that stands out, and the fact that he was never in a classic movie didn't help modern audiences to see his work. On the other hand, Claudette Colbert became a major Hollywood star and brought a strong presence to her role.

The character of Eli Kirk is an interesting one. He shows compassion for the Chinese he is smuggling into the country but throws the same man overboard to drown when he needs to get rid of the evidence. It's a mixture of thoughtfulness and cruelty which makes it easy to understand why Julic believes he had done nothing wrong.  He does show cocompassioned for his daughter and for Joe in the end.

James Cruze was a successful director from the silent days, including movies with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Wallace Reid.** 

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*History lesson -- this was during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Acts, which limited and even banned Chinese from entering the US.

**Reid is best known for his death due to morphine addiction, which brought the issue to the general public.

Sunday, September 17, 2023

Indiscreet

Indiscreet

 (1931)
Directed by
Leo McCarey
Written by Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson, Leo McCarey
Starring Gloria Swanson, Ben Lyon, Monroe Owsley, Barbara Kent, Arthur Kent, Maude Eburne
IMDB Entry

One thing about pre-code movies is their attitudes. Yes, they were willing to include sexual innuendo, but there were still attitudes that seem very old fashioned today. Indiscreet is based on a situation that was far less common these days than it was in 1931.

It starts where Gerry Trent (Gloria Swanson) is breaking up with her boyfriend Jim (Monroe Owsley) since he'd been seeing other women.* Some time later, she meets Tony Blake (Ben Lyon) author of the book Obey that Impulse. Tony practices what he preaches and asks her to marry him as soon as they meet. She falls in love but her aunt Kate (Maude Eburn) insists she tell him about Jim. Eventually she does, but Tony insists she not go into details or ever mention the man's name.

Jim returns from Europe, but now engaged to Gerry's sister Joan. Gerry warns Jim to stay away, but he refuses. He invites her to a house party, and, since Tony is away on business, she accepts. But Tony arrives early and goes to the party.

Of course, misunderstandings are rife.  Gerry decides to pretend to still love Jim, and have Joan see them together. Tony sees it, too, and goes to take a boat to France.

The movie is an odd mixture of comedy and drama. The ending is amusing as Gerry tries to board the boat without a ticket.

What is interesting are the attitudes. The fact that Gerry was engaged to Jim is considered a big enough scandal for it to be a major plot point. But it's not quite a double standard -- Tony hints that he may have been with other women, too. 

The ending is very dated. Gerry and Tony both get on the boat and he offers to pay her ticket. But there are no free cabins. He says she can be in his. Scandal! It's all fixed when they ask the captain to marry them so they can share quarters.** 

Gloria Swanson handles both the silliness and seriousness well. In certain scenes, you can see her silent-film-style acting, but overall, she handles the switch to talkies just fine. Her career had ups and downs after this but she was superb as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.

Director Leo McCarey is known for his comedies, including helming Duck Soup, The Awful Truth, and Going My Way. Writers Desylva, Brown, and Henderson were a strong songwriting team, with hits like "The Best Things in Life are Free," "California Here I Come," and "Button Up Your Overcoat."

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*One nice gag is just after she sends him off, she calls him back. No, it's not a change of mind -- she just wants him to take his golf clubs with him. 

**Of course, captains can't perform marriages, but this was a standard trope in old movies.

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Wonder Bar

 

Wonder Bar
(1934)
Directed by
Lloyd Bacon
Written by Earl Baldwin, from a play by Geza Herczeg, Karl Farkas, and Robert Katscher
Starring Al Jolson, Kay Francis, Dolores Del Rio, Ricardo Cortez, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert, Ruth Donnelly, Louise Fazenda, Robert Barrat
IMDb Entry

Pre-code movies had exceptional freedom that vanished for over 30 years, but sometimes freedom can be problematic in the extreme. Despite its cast, and choreography by the great Busby Berkeley, Wonder Bar is not often shown -- and for good reason.

The movie is set in the Wonder Bar in Paris, run by Al Wonder (Al Jolson) and revolves around pairs of lovers. Al has a crush on Inez (Dolores del Reo), a featured dancer, who has an unrequited crush on her partner Harry (Richardo Cortez). Harry is in love with the married Liane Renard (Kay Francis). Captain Hugo Von Ferring is also at the bar, having one last fling before committing suicide after he lost all his money. There is also a comic subplot of Corby Pratt (Hugh Herbert) from Schenectady, who is visiting Paris with his wife Pansy (Louise Fazenda) and their friends Henry Simpson (Guy Kibbee) and Ella (Ruth Donnelly).*

The movie nicely intertwines the stories, with Wonder acting as master of ceremonies, and Tommy (Dick Powell) the featured singer of Busby Berkeley classic choreography of Harry Warren and Al Dubin's "Don't Say Goodnight." 

But there's another Busby Berkeley song that you rarely hear or see. When I watched it, my reaction was similar to the audience in The Producers when they first saw "Springtime for Hitler." It's appalling.

The song is "Going to Heaven on a Mule." Now, it's not surprising that Jolson is doing a blackface number -- he was famous for it. In this one, he sings about heaven. And heaven is portrayed with just about every offensive racial stereotype imaginable.**

I'm surprised it flew even back in 1934. And it would be difficult to cut it out, since it's the big finish number of the movie. I'm guessing it's just too much of an embarrassment, so the movie was rarely replayed on TV.

The movie makes light of suicide, too -- something not uncommon of the era. It also lets someone get away with murder and portrays a version of the Apache dance,*** only with a whip(!),

There are other things that do show that pre-code had its advantages. One well-reported scene is when a man asks to cut in with a dancing couple, but chooses the man instead of the woman, with Jolson quipping, "Boys will be boys." Mrs. Simpson and Mrs. Pratt let themselves be seduced by gigolos and their husbands hook up with chorus girls,**** There are also sly bawdy references sprinkled throughout.

This isn't a movie I could recommend, but if you want to see just how awful things could be, it's a prime example.

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*Which comes up with a hilarious bit of geographical nonsense if you know the Schenectady area.  When first seeing the Wonder Bar, she says,  "This place doesn't compare to the Bijou Theater in West Schenectady." Of course, this is there to show how provincial the two couples are, but there is no West Schenectady. The area to the immediate west of the city center is the GE plant.  Oddly, the South Schenectady Fire Department is west of the city.

**There's even a hint of antisemitism as a bonus.

***There was an inexplicable fad for these in the 20s and 30s (and beyond -- it even shows up on The Muppet Show, on the insistence of guest star Rita Moreno), where a man would toss around and slap his dance partner.

***If that's what they're really supposed to be.