Ministry of Fear

 

(1944)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Written by Seton I. Miller from a novel by Graham Greene
Starring Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Hillary Brooke, Carl Esmond, Dan Duryea, Erskine Sandford.
IMDB Entry

Fritz Lang shows up on most lists of great film directors and most film students encounter him with Metropolis and M. He left Germany when the Nazis came to power,* but continued to make films in the US. They were mildly successful, but were not considered great films when they came out, until critics began to notice in retrospect.  The Ministry of Fear, from a novel by the great spy novelist Graham Greene, is one of several of his anti-Nazi themed films of the 1940s.

We first see Stephen Neale (Ray Milland), being released from an asylum. While waiting for a train to London, he decides to enjoy a village fete.** One of the booths has you guess the weight of a cake to win it. He is told to go to a palm reader's tent and Mrs. Bellane tells him what to guess.  He ends up winning the cake, but another man arrives and the people at the booth say Neale was wrong and should give the cake to the person who made the correct guess.  Neale refuses.

When he gets on the train, he's joined in his compartment by a blind man. When the train is stopped due to an air raid, the blind man reveals himself as a fraud and tries to shoot Neale.  A bomb lands on the fake blind man and Neale finds his gun in the debris and goes to London, trying to track down what's going on.

With the help of a private detective George Rennit (Erskine Sandford), Neale tracks down the head of the Mothers of Free Nations, who ran the fete.  Willi Helfe (Carl Esmond) and his sister Carla Helfe (Marjorie Reynolds) are in charge and are shocked to learn that their organization was being used for something so devious. Neale goes to see Mrs. Bellane (Hillary Brooke) and discovers she's a much younger woman than the one telling fortunes.  He attends a seance and there is a murder and, of course, Neale is the suspect.  He goes on the run, with Carla helping. He explains why he was in the asylum -- for a mercy killing of his dying wife that he didn't actually do -- and they began to fall in love.

The film is well structured with plenty of plot twists and I was quite surprised at the ending. The spycraft is a little bit silly -- the issue with the cake would be too risky to be seriously considered.  But the film doesn't make things easy for the characters.

Many in the cast were notable. Ray Milland, of course, won an Oscar a few years later for The Lost Weekend. Marjorie Reynolds is best know for helping Bing Crosby introduce "White Christmas" in Holiday Inn. Erskine Sandford showed up in Citizen Kane as the editor of the Inquirer when Kane takes it over. And Alan Napier, in a smallish role, is well known for playing Alfred in TV's Batman.

There's also Dan Duryea, who made a career playing bad guys.

The movie was well received but seems to have left little impression. It is well worth checking out.

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*He often told the story that the day he was planning to leave Germany for good, Josef Goebbels summoned him to his office and offered to make him head of UFA, the German film company. Lang talked about how he kept looking at the clock, hoping to be able to leave before the banks closed so he could take all his money and get out of the country.

**A British fundraising fair, with games and rides and other entertainment. We had the same thing when I was growing up, but we called them "Block Parties."

In Memorium: Dave Mason

 https://greatbutforgotten.blogspot.com/2008/09/dave-mason-together-music.html

Adam and Evelyne

(1949)
Directed by Harold French
Written by Noel Langley (story), George Barraud, Nicholas Phipps, Lesley Storm
Starring Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons, Raymond Young, Fred Johnson, Wilfred Hyde-White
IMDB Entry

I've seen people list movies online that could never be remade, usually due to dated or offensive story matter. When I stumbled upon Adam and Evelyne, I realized this was something whose subject matter is far too cringy, especially for what was supposed to be a light romantic comedy.

Evelyne Kirby (Jean Simmons) is a teen who lives in a girl school.  Her mother is dead, but her father, Chris Kirby (Fred Johnson) has started writing to her and promises to take her home. Kirby is a jockey and after being fatally injured in a fall from his hose, confesses to his best friend Adam Black (Stewart Granger) that he's been writing to Evelyne, but send a photo of Black and saying it was of him. Black goes to see Evelyne and she immediately thinks he's her father. Black doesn't want to tell her the truth, and takes her home. 

Eventually, of course, the truth comes out, but Evelyne becomes his ward*, and is sent to a boarding school.  But Black won't tell her the source of his income:  he runs illegal gambling parties.  And Evelyne hates gambling.  She returns and starts dating Black's ne'er-do-well brother Roddy (Raymond Young), and through a series of misunderstandings, true love blossoms.

The problem with the movie is obvious. Black has to be old enough to be Evelyn's father, and that sort of age difference is creepy these days.** Another problem is the ending, which is a sort of "never mind"  that lets it have a happy ending.

Simmons had a long an tumultuous career in Hollywood, with one Oscar nomination; this was her first film as an adult. Granger these days is best known for having to change his name from James Stewart. Both, however, were major stars of the 1950s.

Notable in the cast is Wilfred Hyde-White, who cornered the market on droll and kindly English gentlemen in the 50s and 50s. And I spotted Mona Washbourne in a minor role; I remember he fondly playing the "Lion Aunt" in Stevie.

The issue of age difference didn't come up when it was released, and it got good reviews and was nominated for awards. But today it is creepy to watch.

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*People do smirk about the relationship with his "ward," though there is nothing untoward in the movie, and Black vehemently objected to the gossip.

**Rumors had it that Granger and Simmons (she was 16 years younger), were romantically involved at the time. They denied it, but married soon afterwards.

Extraordinary (TV)

(2023-2024)
Created and Written by Erin Morin
Starring Máiréad Tyers, Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna, Luke Rollason, Siobhán McSweeney
IMDB Entry

I'm always searching for new things to feature in this blog and I came across a list of the best situation comedies of the 21st century. There were, of course, the usual names, but one I had never heard of. Extraordinary has a clever concept and makes the most of its premise.

It set in a world where everyone has superpowers, usually developed when you turn 18. Jen (Máiréad Tyers) is twenty-five but has no powers yet and is frustrated that they haven't shown up. She lives with her best friend Carrie (Sofia Oxenham), who works for a lawyer and can channel dead people, and Carries' boyfriend Kash (Bilil Hasna),* who can reverse time, but who doesn't have a job. Jen takes in a stray cat, naming him Jizzlord (Luke Rollason) before she discovers he's a shapeshifter and has been a cat for some time, and has little idea how to behave like a human.

Jen keeps looking for ways to unlock her power, mostly by trying to get the cash for a counseling program designed to help her. Kash tries his hand at being a vigilante, while Carrie has to deal with the dead people -- usually celebrities, of course -- who she brings back and interacts with. And Jizzlord has to learn about human things.

I was delighted to learn that Jen's mother is played by Siobhán McSweeney, who was spectacular in Derry Girls as the seen-it-all-before Sister Michael. Another surprise is Ardal O'Hanlon, who I remember from Death in Paradise; he doesn't appear, but his voice is easily identified.

It mostly a comedy of human reactions, but I do love the way things are set up. The various superpowers are not always the usual things.** And some remain in the background. I'm especially impressed by the guy walking around Cassie's office with a cloud over his head that seems to show his mood, though it's not explained. There's also Jen's boss, who is in her 50s, but who looks like a preteen girl.

Jen is a bit self-centered (a fact that is hit home in one of the stories), but still sympathetic. I especially like Luke Rollason who is just wonderful as the cat: naive without being stupid.

The show ran two seasons of eight episodes but was abruptly cancelled. You can find it on Disney+.

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*It was a couple of episodes before I caught on to the pun of Kash and Carrie. I did get the pun in the title very quickly, though.

**A couple seem to be taken from the great superhero series Misfits.

Burke & Hare

 (2010)
Directed by John Landis
Written by Piers Ashworth, Nick Moorcroft
Starring Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry, Jessica Hynes, Hugh Bonneville, Ronnie Corbett, Christopher Lee
IMDB Entry

As some of you might have noticed, I am the author of the novel, The Cadaver Princess, a story about body snatchers in 1831 London. It is based on a real group of people plying that trade, called "The London Burkers," whose actions led to the laws that killed that practice. But despite their influence, when you think of body snatchers, two names come to mind:  William Burke and William Hare.*  They are by far more notorious** and it was inevitable a movie might be made about them, and several were, including The Body Snatchers, with an Oscar-worthy performance by Boris Karloff. Burke & Hare had a new take on the story, turning it into a black comedy.

Burke (Simon Pegg) and Hare (Andy Serkis) were small-time con artists in Edinburgh. Hare runs a boarding house with his wife Margaret (Jessica Hynes). When a boarder dies, she has them remove the body, but on the way to the cemetery,  the learn that anatomist Robert Knox (Tom Wilkinson) pays for cadavers to teach medical students. The two sell the corpse and see this as a good way to make money.  They first try to rob graves, but fail, but when a old lodger in the inn (Christopher Lee) seems close to death, they finish the job. Gradually the two graduate to murdering people in the streets.

Burke meets actress Ginny Hawkins (Isla Fisher), who has a dream of doing an all-women version of Macbeth and becomes infatuated with her. He continues plying his trade to help her out. Meanwhile, Captain Tom McLintock (Ronnie Corbett) starts to investigate the various people who vanish off the city streets.

The movie is rather tame, though there are some funny moments. Pegg does his lovestruck and sexually frustrated romantic part quite well, and Corbett's performance livens everything up whenever he appears (alas, too late in the film). Most of the bigger names -- Lee and Curry*** -- are little more than cameos. 

The movie was a disappointment when it came out. John Landis -- who had directed several comedy classics -- had not done a film in 12 years, so this comeback was disappointing. The black comedy is more black than comic.

But it was a great concept, and worth a look. Still, The Cadaver Princess is more entertaining overall, even if I do say so myself.

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*It's why the London Burkers got their sobriquet.

**Though they didn't influence changes to the law. I think that's because they were doing their dirty work in Edinburgh, Scotland. Londoners didn't care much about what happened up north, but once it happened in their own city -- well, something had to be done. 

***Hugh Bonneville had not done Downton Abbey yet.

Three on a Match

 (1932)
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Written by Lucien Hubbard (screenplay), Kubek Glasmon (story), John Bright (story)
Starring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, Warren William, Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Bogart, Edward Arnold, Buster Phelps
IMDB Entry

Three on a Match was a pre-code film with several familiar faces, in a situation that would be frowned upon when the code came.

It starts with an extended flashback, where three elementary students are fast friends. Mary Keaton is a hellion, ignoring rules and getting deep in trouble; Vivian Revere wants to marry a rich husband and live it up, while Ruth Westcott has no grand ambition.

They meet by accident years later. Mary -- now Mary Bernard (Joan Blondell) -- is a successful showgirl, while Vivian -- now Vivian Kirkwood -- has married a wealthy lawyer, Robert Kirkwood (Warren William) and has a young son, Robert Jr (Buster Phelps).  Ruth (Bette Davis) is getting along as a stenographer. The three use a single match to light their cigarettes, going against the superstition of the time.

Vivian is unhappy with the marriage, discovering that money doesn't give  her happiness. Robert tries to be supportive, but she feels she needs to get away. He gives her the monty for a trip to Europe. Before sailing, she runs into Mary, who takes her to a going away party, where she meets Michael Loftus (Lyle Talbot), who convinces her to run away with him. Impulsively, she leaves, taking Junior, then vanishes, Robert Sr. is distraught and Mary and Ruth come to support him. Vivian wants a divorce, and Robert asks to have Junior back.  Vivian agrees and once it's final, Robert marries Mary and hires Ruth to be Junior's governess.

The movie takes a dark turn. Vivian has lost all her money and Michael is a gambler who owes $2000 to the gangster Ace (Edward Arnold). In a desperate attempt to get the cash, he kidnaps Junior. Ace learns about it and sends his henchmen, including the nasty Harve (Humphrey Bogart).

As you may have noted, the cast is filled with actors who had long careers in Hollywood. Ann Dvorak is quite good as Vivian, a woman who is not unsympathetic despite her actions, and is redeemed at the end. Joan Blondell is good in a dramatic role in contrast to her usual role as a comedienne.  Both characters show change as they go through life. 

Bette Davis does not show much, but there's really little for her to do. She clashed with the director, but the character is there mostly so there can be three people using the match. Warren William as big during the pre-code era and this was a different sort of role for him -- a decent man instead of someone with a scheme.

Lyle Talbot had a long career, moving from leading man to character actor as time went on. He was very busy in television, but is probably best known for his one scene in the classic Plan Nine from Outer Space.

This was Bogart's first time playing a gangster and you can see how well he takes to it. And Edward Arnold was an all-purpose villian on the Warner's lot.

What is interesting is how divorce is portrayed. The code did not allow for it, yet here it's pretty straightforward. Kirkwood realizes it's the only answer, and marries Mary as soon as it's official. The film also straightforwardly portrays Vivian's infidelity.

Mervyn LeRoy was one of the top directors of the 1930s, his reputation starting with the classic films Little Caesar. I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Golddiggers of 1933, and many others.   The movie is fast paced and LeRoy cleverly uses montages to show the passage of time.

The film did poorly, but as time went by, audiences and critics responded to it.  

Chuck Rothman is author of the hidden historical fantasy novel, The Cadaver Princess

Working (TV)

 (1997-1999)
Created by Michael Davidoff, Bill Rosenthal
Starring Fred Savage, Maurice Godin, Yvette Freeman, Sarah Knowlton, Arden Myrin, Steve Hytner, Dana Gould
IMDB Entry

Workplace comedies are big these days, probably due to the massive success of The Office. But they usually deal with the quirks of the people who work there, and steer away from the issues of a satirical look at a workplace. The gold standard for this was the delightful Better Off Ted, but the earlier show Working also handled the satirical look with aplomb.

Matt Peyser (Fred Savage) gets a job with Upton/Webber, a big, soulless corporation. Matt is an idealist, eager to do a good job and soon learns that his ideals don't do him much good. His boss, Tim Deale (Maurice Godin) quickly disabuses him  of the notion the company thinks of him as anything more than a drone at his beck and call. Other workers include Abby (Arden Myrin), a perky woman who always tries to keep a positive attitude; Delaney (Steve Hytner), the cynic of the group; office manager Evelyn (Yvette Freeman), who enforces the rules with subtle glee; Hal (Sarah Knowlton), a woman who is a Yale graduate and is frustrated by he sexism she has to face; and Jimmy (Dana Gould), who is a bit slow and a lot of weird.

The big bosses of Upton/Webber are clearly evil as they come up with nonsensical rules. Matt tends to suffer for his gung-ho attitude, but sometimes manages to earn small victories.

The humor is well wrought, with some nice touches of the absurd. The office, for instance, has a suggestion box for employees, but when Matt tries to put something in it, he learns it is just a tromp d'oeil painting on the wall. When they discuss that taller men are more likely to be in upper management, we see an exceedingly tall man from upper management walk by. There are also meta jokes, like where Matt is at a party, saying he always ended up alone in a corner in parties, while he is standing alone in the corner. One gag was having Matt dating an woman played by Danica Patrick, saying she reminds him of  someone he knew when he was a kid.*

The show also used a concept that was repurposed for Better Off Ted, a fake ad for Upton/Webber at various commercial breaks.

Fred Savage is well known from The Wonder Years and The Princess Bride. This is his second longest run in a TV series. The other actors worked steadily, but with no spotlighted roles.

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*If you don't get it, remember the two of them appeared in The Wonder Years.

Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys

 

(1967-1973)
Personnel: Roy Michaels (bass, vocals), Charlie Chin (guitar, vocals), Bob Smith (drums, keyboards, vocals), Larry Packer (guitar, violin), Michael Equine (drums, guitar), Jay Ungar (violin)
Wikipedia Page

Many groups try hard, but never make a big success. Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys was one example. Two of their songs made a minor splash, but they were never able to capitalize on it, and the best known piece connected to one of their members became a familiar melody years after they broke up.

Roy Michaels played with Steven Stills and Rich Furay in the Au Go Go Singers, and joined with Bob Smith, Charlie Chin, Larry Packer and Michael Equine. They started out  in New York, performing in the Woodstock area*  and in New York city. They became friends with Jimi Hendrix, who used them as an opening act and produced their first album, The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away. Despite its title, which hints at a punk sensibility, they were more an early example of soft country rock.. 

But they did have a minor hit with "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll." The song has a short intro waxing nostalgic at the old rock and roll songs, and then includes excerpts of "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Long Tall Sally," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and others. 

Remember that in 1969, a lot of younger music fans rarely had a chance to hear Chuck Berry or Little Richard. No radio stations specialized in oldies; if they played them, they were playing songs from two or three years previously, not from the previous decade. Even the oldies were played sporadically. "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll" was featured often enough to give the fans a chance to hear the songs.

The album did well enough, and the Jimi Hendrix connection helped a bit, but not enough.  The group moved from New York to California and added Jay Ungar on violin before coming out with their next album, Albion Doo-Wah. Reception was mixed but one song became an minor classic:  "Strike a Match and Light Another." This country-tinged tune was a humorous song about marijuana that got a lot of airplay on underground and college radio.

Still, it was not enough to keep the band going. After a couple of failed albums, the group broke up.

One member, however, did have a major success.  Jay Ungar, living in the Woodstock area composed a charming little waltz called "Ashokan Farewell." You may not recognize the name, but you probably have heard it:  Ken Burns used it extensively (25 times) in his documentary The Civil War.

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*Possible giving people the idea of doing a music festival there.

Royal Wedding

 (1951)
Directed by Stanley Donen
Written by Alan Jay Lerner
Starring Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, Sarah Churchill, Keenan Wynn
IMDB Entry 

Some movies are known only for one classic scene. The most obvious is Five Easy Pieces, for Jack Nicholson ordering in a diner: that's been shown often, but far fewer people have seen the entire movie. Another example is Royal Wedding. 

Tom (Fred Astaire) and Ellen (Jane Powell) Bowen are Broadway stars who take their show to London around the time when Elizabeth marries Prince Phillip. On the voyage over, Ellen falls for Lord John Brindale (Peter Lawford). Later, in the UK, Tom meets Anne Ashmond (Sarah Churchill) and falls for her. Complications ensue:  Brindale, despite being a lord, is a playboy who's unwilling to settle down, and has very little money. Anne is engaged to be married to a man who has moved to the US, but still keeps up the long distance relationship.

This is a romantic comedy and the story is a very slight one. It's sabotaged by having the romantic couples join up early on, which leaves little room for conflict. Lots of movie musicals used a similar plot, but in this it seems very tired.

But the movie achieved immortality due to Astaire's "Dancing on the Ceiling" routine, which shows up in any compilation of his work. It is still technically impressive today, and probably even more so when it first came out. This is also the movie where Astaire danced with a hat rack, and where he and Powell performed "How Could You Believe Me when I tell You that I Loved You when you Know I've been a Liar All My Life?"  There's also the technical challenge of "Open Your Eyes," where Astaire and Powel dance on the ship as it goes through a storm. Its rocking causes them to slip and fall, and musical instruments to roll behind them.

Astaire is Astaire, performing his usual light romantic comedy to perfection. Powell is also quite good.* Lawford is a bit too stiff as a romantic lead, but manages all right.

Sarah Churchill was primarily a stage actress and doesn't have much chemistry with Astaire. She is the daughter of Winston Churchill and was successful at that despite having a British national hero as a father.

Also of note is Keenan Wynn as their American theatrical agent, Irving Klinger, and his English twin brother agent, Edgar Klinger.

Alan Jay Lerner wrote the script and lyrics. He did better when he joined with Fredric Lowe a couple of years later.

The movie had a difficult production history. June Allyson was first hired to play opposite Astaire,  under the direction of Charles Walters. Allyson got pregnant and Judy Garland was tapped for the role. Garland was in a troubled state of mind and missed rehearsals until she was fired and replaced by Powell. Walters left at about this time (possibly due to Garland's firing) and Stanley Donen took over.**

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*It's interesting that her character dates several different men, sometimes going from one to another an back in a few days, much like Lawford's character going through women,  The the movie's credit, this is treated lightheartedly, with no shame attached.

*Donen directed Singin' in the Rain the next year.

Up the River

 (1930)
Directed by John Ford
Written by Maurine Dallas Watkins
Starring Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Claire Luce, Warren Hymer, Morgan Wallace, Joan Lawes
IMDB Entry

When sound came in, Hollywood brought in an influx of actors, hoping they would be successful on the screen. Up the River features two of the greatest names of the golden age of Hollywood, as well as one of the screen's greatest directors.

The film is set in a prison. Saint Louis (Spencer Tracy) is sent to prison, where he meets with Steve Jordan (Humphrey Bogart).  Steve is a trustee and helps with the intake of new prisoners, including Judy Fields (Claire Luce) in the woman's prison next door.*  She is there because she was innocently involved in a stock fraud scheme run by Frosby (Morgan Wallace). Steve and Judy develop feelings for each other, and when Steve is paroled, he promises to get together with Judy when she is released in a few months. 

Saint Louis learns that Frosby is going to Steve's home town, and breaks out of jail along with Dannemora Dan (Warren Hymer) to warn Steve. 

The movie was conceived as a dark prison drama, but the release of The Big House caused director John Ford to rethink it as a romantic comedy. The romance between Steve and Judy takes center stage, as does business among the inmates, who are concentrating on winning a baseball game against another prison. The movie even contains a musical sequence as a stage show put on by the inmates. At the same time, there are some dark moments, but they are off stage and only implied.

Bogart is quite bland as Steve, showing little of the personality that made him a star.** Tracy does show promise and his acting has the wonderful naturalness that made him a star.. Claire Luce was primarily a stage star*** and is perfectly fine. 

This is the only time Bogart and Tracy worked together. They spent their careers at different studios, and by the time they got out of the studio system, there was problems with billing that kept them from working together.

Of note is Joan Lawes as the warden's daughter. She is allowed to walk among the inmates, who treat her as though she was their own.

The film is a bit slow, but entertaining.

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*It doesn't seem a likely setup, though having woman around has been shown to help the male inmates to stay away from violence.

**This was the first of his films to be released.

***Even appearing with Fred Astaire in The Gay Divorce.

Libelled Lady

 

(1936)
Directed by Jack Conway
Written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, Howard Emmett Rogers, George Oppenheimer
Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, Walter Connolly
IMDB Entry

Screwball comedy is about love and romance. Despite all the frenetic action, slapstick, and fast talk, the ultimate story involves people falling for each other. A lesser known example of the form, Libelled Lady, shows it in all its glory.

It starts out with a mistake. The New York Evening Star prints a false story about the rich Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy) without it being checked by its editor Warren Hagerty (Spencer Tracy), since he is preparing to marry his long-suffering fiancé Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow). Connie sues the paper  for $5 million,* which would put it out of business. Frantic, Hagerty hires Bill Chandler (William Powell) in a scheme to discredit Allenbury. He has Bill marry Gladys -- who objects but is forced to play along -- then send him to romance Connie. Hagerty plans to reveal to the world that Connie is with a married man. The scandal will discredit the suit, and Gladys can then divorce Bill and marry Hagerty.**

Bill sets up a meet cute as Connie boards a boat to sail to the US*** and charms her father (Walter Connolly) by pretending to be an avid fisherman, a passion of her father. Slowly, Bill and Connie fall in love, complicating the plan.  Even more complicated is the fact that Gladys begins to fall in love with Bill, too.

Powell and Loy had already become the screen's number one romantic couple from the Thin Man movies and the same romantic chemistry is shown here. Tracy's reputation as the actor's actor is obvious here; at no point does he ever seem to be acting.

Jean Harlow was at her peak. It's interesting that she ditched the Platinum blonde locks for something a bit more subdued, but she puts on a strong performance.

I did notice a plot hole that was glossed over at the end.  I don't know why the Hayes office let it pass, but it may be because the story was working toward something that was perhaps even more objectionable (see note for spoiler)****

Powell was together with Harlow at the time and wanted Connie and Gladys to switch parts, but the studio wouldn't allow it.

The movie was a hit, but Harlow's death (she only made two more movies after this) cast a pall over it over the years.

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*Almost $120 million today

**An extremely convoluted plan, which is unlikely to work out even under the best of circumstances. But that's why they call it "screwball."

***Even more convoluted: Bill has to sail to England in order to get to the ship back to the U.S.

****The final scene deals with the fact that Gladys was previously married and then divorced. Bill shows that the divorce was invalid, so their marriage was bigamous and illegal. Gladys says she got a legal divorce later, making the marriage between Connie and Bill illegal. This is not dealt with. However, there are obvious grounds for annulment of the marriage, but the censors probably didn't want to talk about non-consummation.

It All Came True

 (1940)
Directed by Lewis Seiler
Written by Michael Fessler, Lawrence Kimble
Starring Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn, Humphrey Bogart, ZaSu Pitts, Una O'Connor, Felix Bressart, Jessy Bussley
IMDB Entry

Humphrey Bogart has a long road to stardom. Warner Brothers didn't know what to do with him, thinking of James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson for lead gangster roles. Bogart was usually secondary and not the star. But one film on his rise to becoming a star was a forgotten comedy called It All Came True.

It's starts with a boarding house run by Maggie Ryan (Una O'Connor) and Nora Taylor (Jessie Busley). We meet the boarders, including Miss Flint (ZaSu Pitts), who can't walk down the street without thinking men are harassing her* and the Great Boldini (Felix Bressart), a down-on-his-heels magician. The calm of the boarding house is upset when Mrs. Ryan's daughter Sarah Jane (Ann Sheridan), returns after pursuing a career as a singer. Sarah Jane was close to Mrs. Taylor's son Tommy (Jeffrey Lynn), and aspiring songwriter.

Tommy is working for nightclub owner and gangster Chips Maguire (Humphrey Bogart). When Maguire murders a squealer, he forces Tommy to take him to stay at the boarding house because the gun that committed the murder is registered to him.  He hides in his room, calling himself Grasselli, but slowly gets drawn in to the community. Sarah Jane recognizes him at once, but helps to keep his secret.

Even though Bogart was third billed, he stands out throughout the film. He downplays the menace most of the time. 

I hadn't seen much of Ann Sheridan before, and she's good as the hard-boiled dame who can see what's up. ZaSu Pitts has been a favorite actress of mine and this is one of her best comedy role, especially in a scene where Sheridan discourages her from going to the police about Maguire. Other notables in the cast include Una O'Connor from Bride of Frankenstein, who plays the comic Irish woman to perfection, and Felix Bressart -- from The Shop Around the Corner -- who is delightful as the incompetent magician.

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*Don't worry.  They aren't.

Murder at the Vanities

 

(1934)
Directed by Mitchel Leisen
Written by Carey Wilson, Joseph Gollomb, Earl Carroll
Starring Jack Oakie, Carl Brisson, Kitty Carlisle, Victor McLaglen, Duke Ellington, Gertrude Michael, Gail Patrick
IMDB Entry

During the early days of the 20th century, the Broadway musical slowly evolved. One aspect was the  musical revues of the teens and twenties. The Ziegfeld Follies is probably the best known these days, but another series of them was Earl Carroll's Vanities. While Ziegfeld strived to be high class, Carroll didn't  care about that. In 1933, he tried with a book musical and the result was filmed as Murder at the Vanities.

Jack Ellery (Jack Oakie) is the producer of one of Carroll's shows, starring the couple of Eric Lander (Carl Brisson) and Ann Ware (Kitty Carlisle). The two of them plan to mary after the show, but Rita Ross (Gertrude Michael) is jealous, having been with Eric some time before and still believing he loves her. There are various attempts on Ann's life, and when a woman private investigator (Gail Patrick) is found dead on the catwalk, Ellery calls in a cop, Bill Murdock (Victor McLaughlin) to keep from getting worse. Of course, things get worse, and Rita ends up dead.

The murder mystery is pretty routine.* but the musical elements are delightful.

First of all, this movie introduced the song "Cocktails for Two," first as a duet, then as a full production number. I knew the song primarily through Spike Jones's version, one of the funniest songs ever performed. I kept expecting to hear the sound effects that made it so memorable.

And one sign that this is a pre-code film is a short number called "Sweet Marijuana."  In her memoirs, Kitty Carlisle said she had no idea what marijuana was at the time, thinking it a musical instrument. It also wasn't illegal until a few years later.

The third element was the production number "Ebony Rhapsody," which starts out as a classic version of Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody. But slowly, Duke Ellington and members of his band and group of Black dancers replace the original and turn it into jazz. It's a nice use of the song. The ending, though, is a bit problematic as someone pretends to shoot all the Black people down with a machine gun.

As for the leads, I've always liked Jack Oakie for his breezy charm. He's only known these days for his role as fake Mussolini in The Great Dictator, but also shows up in the underrated Million Dollar Legs. Victor McLaughlin earned an Oscar the next year for his dramatic turn in The Informer, and becomeon of John Ford's stock company,

I mostly remember Kitty Carlisle for her appearances as a panelist on game shows, but she did star with the Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera. Other names of note in the cast include Gail Patrick,** Charles (Ming the Merciless) Middleton, and Donald Meek***

Carroll's Vanities were always a bit more risque than Ziegfeld's Follies. Many of the chorus in the movie had appeared on Broadway, and did appear nearly nude in the film. Lucille Ball, Ann Sheridan, and Alan Ladd has roles in the chorus.

Director Mitchell Leisen started out a set designer, but moved to directing in the 1930s and was known for his keen eye for composition.

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*Indeed, it only works because it is contrived so that the person who can clear up everything is always ignored when they try to alert people.

**Later the producer of Perry Mason.

***His name described his character. He shows up as the whiskey drummer in Stagecoach.

Under Capricorn

 

(1949)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by James Bridie, Hume Cronyn from novels by Helen Simpson (novel) and John Colton and Margaret Linden (play)
Starring Joseph Cotten, Ingrid Bergman, Michael Wilding, Margaret Leighton, Cecil Parker
IMDB Entry

I've been a fan of Alfred Hitchcock for years and have seen nearly all of his films. But even Hitchcock had his stinkers. Jamaica Inn  is what usually comes to mind, and it certainly deserves the "honor." But I have found the Under Capricorn is also pretty bad, just in different ways.

In 19th Century Australia, the new governor, Sir Richard (Cecil Parker) arrives with his cousin Charles Adare (Michael Wilding).  Adare is approached by Sam Flusky (Joseph Cotten) to help with a shady land deal. He goes to a dinner at Flusky's house, which is only attended by other men, their wives unavailable due to flimsy excuses. When Sam's wife, Henrietta (Ingrid Bergman) joins, Adare realizes he knew her when they were children. Henrietta is now an alcoholic and embarasses herself in front of the guests. Sam asks for Adare to stay to help cheer up his wife.

She begins to feel better, but is sabotaged by the housekeeper Milly (Margaret Leighton), who wants to keep Henrietta helpless (supplying her with whiskey) so that she can be gotten rid of for Milly to marry Sam. When Milly spots Adare and Henriette kissing in a moment of weakness,* she has the ammunition she needs to destroy them. But Henrietta holds a deep secret.

The main problem with the film is that it's all talk and little else. It's written more like a soap opera than the tightly plotted films that made Hitchcock famous. The characters are stiff and generally uninteresting.  The obvious source of potential conflict -- Henrietta choosing between Sam and Adare -- is just sloughed off.  Milly has her moments as the scheming villain, but it also devolves into telling, not showing. There is an opportunity for suspense near the end, but, oddly, Hitchcock drains all the suspense out of it.

The film doesn't reach the level of badness of Jamaica Inn, but ultimately is too long, too melodramatic, and completely lacking in the set pieces that make movies pop. It might have been better with a director more attuned to the soap opera elements, but it a disappointment from the man billed "The Master of Suspense."

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*Featured on the poster, which gives the impression that it's a story of forbidden love between Adare and Henrietta.

The Horse's Mouth

 

(1958)
Directed by Ronald Neame
Written by Alec Guinness from a novel by Joyce Carey
Starring  Alec Guinness, Kay Walsh, Renée Houston, Mike Morgan, Robert Coote, Veronica Turleigh. Michael Gough, Ernest Theisinger
IMDB Entry

Most people these days remember Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi or Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai and categorize him as one of the British dramatic actors. But Guinness was a gifted comic actor, too, and The Horse's Mouth shows this off.

Guiness plays Gully Jimson an artist with a strong ego and utter disregard for what others think about him. We first see him leaving prison for harassing one of his sponsors, Mr. Hickson (Ernest Theisinger). He is met by Nosey Barbon (Mike Morgan), who idolizes him and wants to be his protege. Jimson tells him to leave him alone. He continues his campaign against Hickson for buying his art from his ex-wife for a very low price. Lady Beeder (Veronica Turleigh) contacts him for a commission, and after seeing a blank wall, he insists on painting his masterpiece "The Raising of Lazarus" on it. When the Beeders leave for six weeks on vacation, he sneaks into his house and begins to paint. A second artist, Abel Bisson (Michael Gough) catches wind of the plan, and uses the house for a major sculpture, which leads to some slapstick disaster.

The movie is most a character study of Jimson. He is crude, egotistical, devious,and selfish. Speaking in a raspy voice, he tries to dominate anyone who gets in his way. Guinness is superb in the role, making the character likeable despite his flaws. Guiness also wrote the screenplay, and got an Oscar nomination for it.

The other characters are adjuncts to Guiness. Kay Walsh stands out as the woman who admires him despite all is flaws. Renée Houston is his ex-wife, who can  be just as devious as Jimson. Ernest "Dr. Pretorius" Thesiger and Michael Gough (Alfred in the Burton Batman) are familiar faces.

The music soundtrack was all taken from a single source, Prokofiev's "The Lieutenant Kijé Suite." It's up there as one of the most familiar pieces of classical music that most people can't name:  the "Troika" portion of it has become a popular Christmas piece, though it's only used once in the film.

Homicide Hlls (Mord mit Assicht) (TV)

(2006-2022)
Created by Marie Reiners
Starring Caroline Peters, Bjarne Madel, Meike Droste, Petra Kleinert
IMDB Entry

One of the great things about the Internet and TubiTV is the ability to find TV shows from all over that the standard streaming services don't carry. I happened to stumble upon Homicide Hills, a charming German police series.

Sophie Haas (Caroline Peters) is a chief of detectives in Cologne who is sent to be the head of the police in Hengasch, a small town in the Eifel mountains.* It's a small force, with Dietmar Schaffer (Bjarne Madel) and Barbel Schmied (Meike Drost) the only other cops. Thing rarely happen in Hengasch, but when Haas arrives, there are murders galore. Dietmar's wife Heike (Petra Kleinert) is a nosy type who gets involved with the police business.

Caroline Peters** is great as Haas. She is very expressive and her expression is a source of the show's humor. Bjarn Madel is amusing as the slightly clueless deputy who is overwhelmed by his busybody wife. Meike Drost is the more serious of the two officers. All have quirks to make the show so watchable.

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*Hengasch in German sounds like "hanging butt." 

**The name sound English, but she was born in and lives in Germany.

The Beautiful Blonde from Bashville Bend

 

(1949)
Directed by Preston Sturges
Written by Preston Sturges from a story by Earl Felton
Starring Betty Grable, Cesar Romero, Rudy Vallee, Olga San Juan, Porter Hall, Hugh Herbert, El Brendel, Margaret Hamilton, Sterling Holloway
IMDB Entry

A few years ago, I did a series of posts on Preston Sturges and stopped after covering his major films. Sturges's career fell apart in the late forties, and I wondered if any of his work was worth considering. So I'm starting with a film from 1949 and his last film from his Hollywood years, The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend.

It begins with a short scene about a grandfather teaching his granddaughter how to shoot. Years later, the girl, Winnifred "Freddy" Jones (Betty Grable) is a saloon singer with a boyfriend Blackie Jobero (Cesar Romero). When she catching him romancing another woman, she shoots -- hitting Judge O'Toole (Porter Hall) in the butt. He vows to put her in jail, so, with her friend Conchita (Olga San Juan) she jumps on a train with a stolen ticket to Bashful Bend. She is mistaken for the new schoolteacher and takes up the job, attracting the eye of Charles Hingleman (Rudy Vallee). But Blackie tracks her down and there's a price on her head, leading to complications.

The movie misses the wild bawdiness that was a part of Sturges's stock in trade. The Hayes Office loosened up on its censorship during World War II, but it was back in place by 1949. There are hints of it, but nothing like his earlier films.

The film is also hurt by the lack of Sturges's stock company. There are plenty of great character actors in it, but they are not as wild and revolutionary as things were at his peak. The ending was an extended gunfight scene that just goes on too long.

Still, there are some funny scenes. The judge being ministered to by the town doctor is very amusing, as are several of the bits in the schoolroom.

There are some very good actors in the film. Betty Grable is just fine as a character that seems to be highly influenced by the story of Annie Oakley.* Cesar Romero makes a good cad, but one who isn't really all that bad, if having a bit of a wandering eye.

There is a whole host of memorable character actors.  Porter Hall is best known today as Mr. Sawyer in Miracle on 34th Street. Margaret (Wicked Witch ) Hamilton, Hugh Herbert (well known enough to be charactured in Looney Tunes occasionally), and El Brendel (famous for his Swedish characterization) all appear.  

Most notable is Sterling Holloway, best known for being the voice of Winnie the Pooh and other characters with Disney and also a busy actor in television, where his squeaky voice made him memorable. I remember him well playing a couple of mad scientists in The Adventures of Superman.

The movie flopped. Sturges already had a dicey reputation in Hollywood and no one was willing to hire him. Time had passed his type of comedy by, and he was discarded by the studios, directing only one more film (in France) after this.

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*She later played the role in Annie Get Your Gun when Judy Garland was removed from the part.

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife

 

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett from a play by Alfred Savoir
Starring Gary Cooper, Claudette Colbert, Edward Everett Horton, David Niven
IMDB Entry

Billy Wilder is one of the giants of film, one of the first writer-directors.* He often collaborated, first with Charles Brackett and later with I.A.L. Diamond. Bluebeard's Eighth Wife was the first of his collaborations with Brackett and an odd take on a romantic comedy.

Michael Brandon (Gary Cooper) is an American millionaire who insists on getting his way. He shows this in a store, where he insists on buying just the top of a set of pajamas. The store won't budge until a passing woman named Nicole (Claudette Colbert) offers to buy the bottoms. All is settled and they go their separate ways. Brandon later insists on getting a different room in his hotel because of his insomnia and when shown it, the previous resident, the Marquis de Loiselle (Edward Everett Horton) is in the bed despite being evicted from non-payment. Brando sees that de Loiselle is wearing the pajama bottoms that Nicole has bought and learns she is his daughter. He decides he wants to marry her. Nicole already has a platonic relationship  with Albert De Regnier (David Niven) who turns out to work for Brandon. Brandon romances Nicole and it blows hot and cold until she finally falls in love with  him.

There are a couple of snags. The Marquis is a small-time con artist and sees this as a way to pay off his debts. But the bigger snag is that Brandon has been married. Seven times before. A couple of his exes have died, but most divorced him. Nicole is appalled and refuses to go through with the marriage, but her father insists she does so he's not arrested.  Brandon offers a prenup** that will pay Nicole $100,000 -- twice what his other wives are getting -- if they divorce. Nicole marries Brandon, but keeps her distance from her husband.

The movie is a tug of war as the two spouses fall in and out of love.

The movie was directed by Ernst Lubitsch and has his trademark touch and hints of sex that push the Production Code without actually crossing the line.  There are many good touches and jokes.

Gary Cooper is a fine actor, but really not a romantic leading man. In his best work, any romance is secondary and it just doesn't seem right to be at center stage, though he makes a good effort. Claudette Colbert does have a knack for this sort of film and is fun to watch. Edward Everett Horton is also cast in a different type of role than usual, but he's not really convincing as a con man.

The film was a disappointment at the box office, possibly because Cooper was miscast. Still, Wilder and Brackett were a wildly successful pairing, with thirteen films together and two Oscars.

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*The great Preston Sturges preceded him as a writer-director in Hollywood, though Wilder had co-directed a film before coming to America.

**It's not called that in the movie, but it has the same effect.

The Bigamist

 

(1953)
Directed by Ida Lupino
Written by Collier Young, Lawrence B. Marcus, Lou Schor
Starring Edmond O'Brien, Ida Lupino, Joan Fontaine,  Edmund Gwenn
IMDB Entry

During the studio days, women were rarely allowed to direct. One of those who bucked the prejudice and who made several films was Ida Lupino. Lupino is best known today for her starring role opposite Humphrey Bogart in High Sierra, the film that made Bogart Bogart. But she liked the idea of being in charge of a film and thought directing was more interesting than acting. Eventually, she formed her own production company so she could do that and one of her better films was The Bigamist.

Harry and Eve Graham (Edmond O'Brien and Joan Fontaine) wish to adopt a child and apply to Mr. Jordan  (Edmund Gwenn) at an agency. Jordon investigates to see if they are truly fit parents. The Grahams run a business with branches in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Harry often spends time in LA when Eve stays home. Jordan, who gets some odd vibes from Harry, goes to Los Angeles and tracks him down to an apartment. While talking outside, a baby cries. Jordon follows and finds that Harry has a son and is also married to Phyllis Martin (Ida Lupino).

Harry explains what happened. Lonely and bored in LA, he takes a bus tour of the stars' homes, where he meets Phyllis. They start to date and when she becomes pregnant, he marries her. His plan was to adopt a child with Eve and then divorce her, but Jordan will have nothing to do with it.

Edmond O'Brien plays the part very sympathetically. He is a decent man and want to do the right thing, but things spiral out of his control. Ida Lupino also makes Phyllis very sympathetically. She doesn't know that Harry is married, of course, but tries to do the right thing herself, refusing to trap Harry into marriage. Joan Fontaine is also strong as Eve, who dives into the business -- neglecting Harry -- when she learns she can't have children.

Edmund Gwenn is, of course, great. I've yet to find him in a bad movie, and he is representative of the law and of society, who understands Harry's behavior, even though he disapproves of it strongly.*

The film was produced by the Filmakers  Inc. Lupino formed it with her then-husband Collier Young,*  a special project to allow her to overcome  sexism and direct and produce her own films. They produced a dozen of them, with Lupino directing five.***

Lupino continued to direct and act as time went by, moving to television as movie gigs became hard to get. In The Bigamist, she became the only woman to director during the studio system years to direct herself. 

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*One minor joke is that, while touring the houses of the stars, the driver shows Edmund Gwenn's house and mentions his role in Miracle on 34th Street. It looks like the tour showed actual houses of stars of the time.

**Young later produced Ironside and Wild Wild West. 

***She also wrote and acted in some of them.

Perfect Murders (Crimes Perfait) (TV)

 

(2017-2023)
Starring Isabel Gélinas, Arthur Mazet, et al.
IMDB Entry

My local library offers Hoopla as a service to patrons where you can borrow books and video on your library card. That was how I stumbled upon Perfect Murders*, an interesting addition to the detective genre.

Its structure is similar to Columbo: we first see the meticulously planned murder take place. The police are called in to investigate. Like Columbo, the detective latches onto the clues until they prove what happens, but one twist is that the motive is not revealed until the end. The police are often quite blunt as to who they suspect, but they have to add up the clues.

Another twist is that there are multiple detectives. I have trouble keeping them straight, partly because the show is a French/Belgium co-production and they are all unfamiliar.** They are all nicely drawn, smart detectives, with interesting outside lives. The one that stood out best for me was Agnès Gélinas (Isabel Gélinas) and Thibaud (Arthur Mazet). Agnès refuses to used computers or cell phones, and has two husbands. Thibaud is more straitlaced and a bit nonplussed by her attitudes, but she is a crackerjack detective.

This doesn't give short shrift to the other detectives, all of whom have their own quirks, but the multiple detectives do make it hard to keep them straight.

The plots are cleverly done and the motives, once revealed, are cleverly constructed. 

Read my novel, The Cadaver Princess, a tale of body snatchers in early Victorian London.

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*The French title translates to "Perfect Crimes," so I think they decided to jazz it up for English speaking audiences.  Of course, the crime is usually a murder, but not always.

**The show is in French with subtitles.

Green for Danger

(1946)
Directed by Sidney Gilliat
Written by Sidney Gilliat, Claud Gurney from a novel by Christianna Brand
Starring Alastair Sim, Trevor Howard, Sally Gray, Rosamund John, Judy Campbell
IMDB Entry

Alastair Sim achieved filme immortality for his definitive version of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. But, of course, he didn't come out of nowhere and his first lead film role was in the mystery Green for Danger.

It's during the Blitz and England is being plagued by attacks by the V-1* jets. After one attack, the local postman is badly injured. While they operate on him, he dies. One of the nurses, Sister Bates (Judy Campbell) claims he was murdered and immediately after, she is stabbed to death. Inspector Cockrill (Sim) investigates and decides that the postman was also murdered.  The suspects are all those in the operating room, including Dr. Barnes (Trevor Howard) who doesn't like how Cockrill is handling the investigation. The murderer is eventually revealed, but with a surprising twist.

Overall, a decent British cozy mystery. I'm dubious about the timeline, but the motive is interesting. Sim plays Cockrill as a major wiseass who rubs everyone the wrong way in getting to the bottom of things he is a softer version of the pre-ghosts Ebeneezer Scrooge. Trevor Howard was the epitome of the stiff-upper-lip Englishman, often playing military officers. Sally Gray play Nurse Linley, who is used as bait to trap the killer.

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*Called "doodlebugs" by the Brits. They were a pulse jet that made a buzzing sound as they flew overhead. If you heard the buzz, you were safe, but when it stopped, it meant the V-1, out of fuel, would fall and destroy. It caused more damage than the rocket-powered V-2 because it would fall onto the surface, while a V-2 would bury itself and dampen the explosion.

Chuck Rothman's novel, "The Cadaver Princess," is available from Amazing Stories Selects.

The Return of Doctor X

 

(1939)
Directed by Vincent Sherman
Written by Lee Katz, based on a story by William J. Makin
Starring Wayne Morris, Dennis Morgan, John Litel, Lya Lys, Humphrey Bogart, Rosemary Lane
IMDB Entry

Humphrey Bogart took a long path to reach stardom.  He started in very small (and bland) parts in films, then acted on Broadway* and would have probably stayed there until he gained notice playing gangster Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest. Warner Brothers bought the film rights and wanted Edward G. Robinson, who was already under contract, for the part. Leslie Howard, the lead and who, importantly, owned the film rights, insisted Bogart play the role.  He was a sensation.

But Warner Brothers didn't know what to do with him, They already had Robinson and James Cagney to play gangsters, so Bogart got a lot of supporting roles. And, in one case, they put him into a horror film:  The Return of Doctor X.

Reporter Walter Garrett (Wayne Morris) gains a plum interview with movie star Angela Merrova (Lya Lys(, but when he arrives, he finds her dead. When the police arrive, though, she is gone and she shows up later, perfectly fine and ready to sue. Garrett is fired and goes to his friend Dr. Mike Rhodes (Dennis Morgan) to try to figure out what happened.  They talk to Dr. Flegg (John Littel), who pooh poohs the idea that Merrova was dead at all, while his assistant Dr. Marshall Quesne (Humphrey Bogart) looks on and acts very suspicious.  Eventually Flegg spills the beans:  Quesne is really the infamous Dr. Maurice Xavier, alias "Doctor X," who was believed dead after his experiments developing an artificial blood failed. Flegg has brought him to life, but he needs a specific rare blood type to stay that way. And Garrett's girlfriend, Joan Vance (Rosemary Lane) just happens to have it.

The movie is not going to scare anyone these days, and probably didn't do it back when it was released. Quesne is too obviously the villain, despite an attempt to try to make Flegg seem that way. Garrett is  a wisecracking reporter of the era with having any gravitas in the role.  Bogart is sinister, but really doesn't show a lot of menace.

The film is a sequel to Doctor X, but that film came out seven years previously and they have little connection other than the title. Also, they were both produced at Warner Brother/First National, a studio not know for any emphasis on horror like Universal was, so it's surprising they decided to film in.

Bogart hated the movie, by the way. He felt at the time that Warner Brothers never gave him roles with any meat in them. 

Of note is a small role for Huntz Hall of the Bowery Boys. Hall had signed with Warners as one of the Dead End Kids and this was one of his few roles of the era outside of the various "tough kid" series that made up his career.

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*Legend has it that, in his early stage days, he was the first to speak the immortal line, "Anyone for tennis?"

Hell's Heroes

 

(1929)
Directed by William Wyler
Written by Tom Reed, C. Garner Sullivan, from a short story by Peter B. Kyne
Starring Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatton, Fred Kohler, Fritzi Ridgeway
IMDB Entry

I  have a set definition about Christmas films: they have to be about Christmas. They can't just have a slight mention of the holiday that doesn't impact the plot.* One list of Christmas films mentioned Hell's Heroes. It is not a Christmas film, but it is a terrific but overlooked movie.

Four men enter the Western town of New Jerusalem, planning to rob the bank. They kill a teller in the robbery, and one of their group is also killed. The other three flee into the desert. The next day, they discover their horses have run off, but they do know of a water hole and head for it. When they get there, the find it has been dynamited and is dry. They also discover a wagon with a pregnant woman (Fritzi Ridgeway) inside. She gives birth, then dies, but names the three men -- Bob Sangster (Charles Bickford), Tom "Barbwire" Gibbons (Raymond Hatton), and Wild Bill Kearney (Fred Kohler) -- as godfathers and charges them to bring them to her husband.

The problem is, the husband was the man they killed in the robbery, and returning to New Jerusalem would have them arrested and probably hanged. 

Bob is all for abandoning the baby, but Tom and Bill agree to take him back to New Jerusalem. Bill is a religious man and has been wounded in the robbery and sits, unable to continue, urging the other to go to the town. Tom eventually goes off to die into the desert to have Bob finish the mission. He uses a desperate stratagem to save the baby, and reaches the town on Christmas, and dies as he brings the infant to the church.

The movie is an adaptation of the story, "Three Godfathers," which was remade as a vehicle for John Wayne in 1948**. The story here is bleaker, coming close to futility, but avoids that by the fact that they succeed in saving the infant.

I do find the technology remarkable. The talkies started only two years before, and recording equipment was big and bulky. Yet the movie was shot entirely on location. Scenes in the desert -- most of the movie -- were shot in the Mohave,  The town of Bodie, California was the location for New Jerusalem.  

Many of the shots stretched the limits of film production. I was particularly impressed by a scene where the three men were walking across the desert, the camera dollying back as they walked toward it. And there was no sign of tracks for the dolly in the sand.

Filming was brutal for the actors. Temperatures reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit and it got so hot in the enclosed camera that the cameraman fainted.

Actor Charles Bickford had come over from Broadway and does a great job portraying Bob Sangster, showing his change from a killer willing to let a baby die to a man who dies to save the baby. This movie came at the beginning of a career that lasted well into the 1960s.

William Wyler was one of Hollywood's most successful directors, helming classics like Dead End, The Letter, Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur, and Funny Girl.

There is a certain amount of symbolism with the three wise men and the baby, but it is only superficial and no more Christmasy than Three Men and a Baby.

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*A local comic book shop talked about the concept of a "red sky crossover," where the characters in one book will say, "Wow.  The sky is red!" because of events in the crossover, and then go ahead as though it doesn't mean anything. This is often the case with movies that mention Christmas in passing, but it doesn't make much difference to the story.

**There were two earlier versions of the story, too.

R.I.P. John Varley

John Varley, author of groundbreaking science fiction, died on December 10.

Varley burst upon the scene in the late 70s with a series of stories that were breathtaking in their imagination. He won Hugo and Nebula awards with the stories “The Persistence of Vision,” “The Pusher” and “Press Enter []” and put forth an amazing body of work, with stories like “In the Hall of the Martian Kings” (a favorite of mine), “Air Raid,” “Overdrawn at the Memory Bank,” and “Options.” Most were set in his “Eight Worlds” future history, where humans were scattered all over the solar system after aliens destroyed Earth.

His novels included Millennium, the Ophiuchi Hotline, and the Gaen Trilogy: Titan, Wizard, and Demon.

He was a major influence in my writing life. Indeed, if it wasn’t for him, I would have a writing life. After finishing Titan, I started writing seriously, cranking out two stories a month to start and continuing to keep writing every day. I had dreamed about being an SF writer, but that book caused me to do something about it.

I have no idea why. But I do know I owe him much.

RIP

Our Man in Havana

 (1959)
Directed by Carol Reed
Written by Graham Greene
Starring Alec Guiness, Noel Coward, Maureen O'Hara, Burl Ives, Jo Morrow, Ernie Kovacs
IMDB Entry

Spies are the subject of countless films. Some are serious, some play it for laughs. Our Man in Havana tries to do both.

Jim Wormold (Alec Guinness) is an expatriate Englishman who sells vacuum cleaners in pre-Castro Cuba. He is approached by Hawthorn (Noel Coward) to spy for the UK.  Wormold is reluctant, but he is not making much money and needs to finance his daughter Milly (Jo Morrow), who is an avid horsewoman and insists on joining an expensive country club to stable the animal there. Wormold consults with his friend Dr. Hasselbacher (Burl Ives) who advises him to take up the offer and to make up a network of spies and concoct secrets. He succeeds too well, sending reports to London about his network along with plans for a new secret weapon (which looks suspiciously like a vacuum cleaner). London decides he needs more staff and sends Beatrice Severn (Maureen O'Hara) to be his secretary. Meanwhile, Captain Segura (Ernie Kovacs) of the Havana police takes a shine to Milly and wants to marry her.

Things get complicated from there. And when someone dies on a mission to find the weapon, it stops being a game.

The movie starts out as a satire of spycraft and bureaucracy, but turns very serious partway through, and returns to its original mood at the end.

People often forget how good Guinness was with comedy. He has a droll, laid-back style -- something like Bill Murray -- and is excellent here. But the real comic star is Noel Coward, who is wonderful as the spy recruiting him, delivering even the most innocuous of lines in a naturally amusing manner. Jo Morrow was the one American actor* in the cast and makes no attempt to sound English; I was amused at a line of dialog that explains her American accent. Maureen O'Hara has little to do and plays the straight woman and love interest.

I do find Ernie Kovacs to be disappointing. Not because he performs badly: Kovacs was a comic genius but this is just a straight role of the corrupt cop. Why they cast him, I don't know, since he was not written to handle his strength. Kovacs form of humor was years before its time, though, and didn't translate well to a narrative film.

The film had scenes shot in Havana. Castro had taken power (though hadn't announced he was a communist), and allowed it because it showed the corruption of the previous Batista regime.

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*Maureen O'Hara was originally Irish. I saw her live on stage many years ago in a performance of Cheaper by the Dozen.