Charles Poncefort "Hopsy" Pike (Henry Fonda) has led a relatively sheltered life. The son of the Pike's Ale magnate (Eugene Pallette), he's been guarded all his life by the inimitable Muggsy (William Demarest). Having finally ventured out on his own, to research snakes in South America, Hopsy is now on his way home to Connecticut. While onboard ship he meets a trio of con artists: "Colonel" Harrington (Charles Coburn), Gerald (Melville Cooper), and Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck). While Jean's initial goal is to fleece this lost lamb, she finds herself falling in love with him, a feeling that is mutual. But, when Hopsy discovers Jean's stock in trade, he dumps her. Determined to get her revenge, Jean invents The Lady Eve (1941). If you have never seen The Lady Eve, please add it to your viewing queue immediately. You're in for a real treat. Besides the inimitable Ms. Stanwyck in one of her finest role, you also get Henry Fonda being totally adorable and a script without compare by director Preston Sturges. It's a win-win scenario! Henry Fonda is in the unenviable position of portraying a character you really want to hate, but can't quite bring yourself to do it. Hopsy is so totally guileless that, even when he is wooing Lady Eve Sidwich with the same lines with which he wooed Jean, you just laugh at his inept lovemaking and forgive him. Of course, you also want Jean to give him is comeuppance. But with two actors who are so equally paired, they are both able to succeed.
Ms. Stanwyck is a sexy delight as the two ladies in Hopsy's life. The scene in which she tries to seduce him by allowing him to put on her shoes is magnificent. It's a wonder they got that and some of the more naughty dialogue past the censors. And her running commentary as she watches the ladies in the dining room lust after Hopsy is a hoot. It's next to impossible to imagine this film without her, but Ms. Stanwyck was not the first (or even the second choice) of the studio. They wanted Claudette Colbert; Madeleine Carroll and Paulette Goddard were also considered. But Mr. Sturges wanted Ms. Stanwyck, and thankfully he won the argument (AFI catalog). Ms. Stanwyck has the unique ability to make the audience (who is in on the joke) believe that Eve and Jean are distinct characters. The studio also considered Brian Aherne, Fred MacMurray, and Joel McCrea for the role of Hopsy (TCM article), but again, Mr. Sturges was victorious and got his choice of Mr. Fonda. There is a lot of slapstick in this film - Hopsy takes a number of pratfalls - not something for which Mr. Fonda was known (sure, he'd done the screwball comedy; for example, The Mad Miss Manton with Ms. Stanwyck, but she's the screwball in that, not him). So, it was perhaps a risk to cast him in the part. But, frankly, he is perfect as the innocent abroad.
The quartet of supporting actors who grace the film are impressive. William Demarest, who must have been in the Preston Sturges stock company (he appeared in 8 of Mr. Sturges' films) is hysterical as the bodyguard/valet, Muggsy, who seethes with suspicion of anyone who approaches his charge. He's cagey though - he knows that Jean's father is not on the level; he's the only one who suspects that Eve is really Jean in disguise. But, his suspicious nature is also his downfall - like Cassandra, Muggsy's warnings go unheeded, to riotous effect. Eric Blore has a small part as Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith, or Pearly
to his mates, one of Colonel Harrington's con artist pals. Mr. Blore is
wonderful at looking exasperated, and does it quite well as he watches Eve get in deeper and deeper. We only
get a few scenes with him - he's a device to get Jean into Hopsy's
house, but he is always enjoyable.
From his entrance singing Come Landlord Fill the Flowing Bowl, Eugene Pallette is also excellent as Charles' father. The only member of the family with any common sense, he plays Mr. Pike as an endearing, if somewhat exasperated individual (witness his frustration as he tries to get breakfast). I look forward to seeing him in films, though my recent discoveries about his private life are dismaying. A supporter of Adolf Hitler, he refused to sit down at a table with actor Clarence Muse (TCM article) while filming In the Meantime, Darling, resulting in his firing by director Otto Preminger. Mr. Pallette eventually retreated to Oregon to hide near his own personal bomb shelter. He would return to Los Angeles in 1948, after a two-year retreat, but he never worked again. He died of throat cancer in 1954, at age 65.
Last, but certainly not least is Charles Coburn. Harry is a rogue, and Mr. Coburn makes no bones about it. He's willing to go against his daughter's wishes, the fleece an easy mark, but it is clear that he loves Jean dearly. One is never quire sure of Harry's motives, but one is sure of his personal integrity among his colleague. As a result, we like him, though we would be very wary of playing cards with him. For more on Mr. Coburn's life, visit our blog post from October 2, 2017.
The Lady Eve was based on a story Two Bad Hats by Monckton Hoffe. A radio version aired on the Lux Radio Theatre on March 1942 with Ray Milland and Barbara Stanwyck (For a discussion of Ms. Stanwyck's participation in this episode, see this article from Film Comment). It was remade as The Birds and the Bees (1956), starring Mizti Gaynor, George Gobel, and David Niven. (Having not seen this film, I won't comment, except to say, George Gobel? Really??) In 1994, The Lady Eve was added to the National Film Registry; since then, it has appeared on two of the AFI Lists: it was #26 on 100 Years, 100 Passions and #55 on 100 Years, 100 Laughs.
We're going to leave you with the trailer from this highly enjoyable film. We'd also like to mention this Vanity Fairarticle on Preston Sturges which you might find interesting. If you've never seen this film, please do give it a try.
Robert Merrick (Rock Hudson) is afraid of nothing, and is constantly putting himself in jeopardy. When he finally manages to crack up his speedboat, his life is saved with the personal respirator of Dr. Wayne Phillips. But while Bob's life is being saved, Dr. Phillips suffers a heart attack, and there is no way to resuscitate him. Widow Helen (Jane Wyman) and daughter Joyce (Barbara Rush) are left to deal with the aftermath, with Helen forced to fend off the unwelcome attentions of the ever-on-the-prowl Bob. Our film for this week is Magnificent Obsession (1954). If you don't like melodrama, you won't like this film. But, we do enjoy a good weeper and this is an excellent one. In his first major role, Rock Hudson is outstanding as the callow youth who needs a good kick to make him grow up (TCM article). Early in the film, we are told that Bob attended medical school, only to drop out and assume the life of a dilettante in the wake of his father's sudden death. We get no more information than that, but the way Mr. Hudson plays the scene speaks volumes about Bob's bitterness; a bitterness that resulted in his decision to devote his life to pleasure - something it seems his father never got to do. It is important that Mr. Hudson slowly grow his character, and he does so. With subtle allusions to the passing of time by director Douglas Sirk, we watch as Bob Merrick changes from a heel into an admirable human being.
Equally, Jane Wyman is terrific as a woman who loses her husband, only to find her entire life upended by the actions of one irresponsible human being. Like Mr. Hudson, Ms. Wyman's character has to change, but the changes are more subtle. We need to understand why she is attracted to Bob Merrill (sure, she doesn't know who he is at first, but she is recently widowed, and was very much in love with her husband. Any new man should be a hard sell.). More importantly, we need to see her sacrifices as well thought out and not self-pitying. Ms. Wyman does that convincingly. Ms. Wyman was nominated for an Oscar for the part (losing to Grace Kelly in The Country Girl). Agnes Moorehead (Nancy Ashford) is one of the great character actresses of her generation, and she gives a fine performance. Especially notable is her early scene with Rock Hudson, in which she lets him know that he is acting like a complete moron, but does it with professionalism. Ms. Moorehead started her career in radio; her later involvement with Orson Welles Mercury Players led to her casting as Charles Foster Kane's mother in Citizen Kane (1940). She would go on to play nearly every kind of character - Humphrey Bogart's nemesis in Dark Passage (1947), Jane Wyman's rough-hewn Aunt Aggie in Johnny Belinda, Edward G. Robinson's loving wife in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), and the abused Madame Fosco in The Woman in White (1948). She did Broadway and regional theatre, but it was on television where she would finally make an indelible mark. A generation of viewers can't forget her memorable performance as a farm woman threatened by minature "Invaders" in The Twilight Zone. And then there is Endora on Bewitched. Take a look at
her performance in the fourth episode of the series, "Mother, Meets What's His Name"
When she asks Darrin (the ultimate idiot) "Why do you object to my daughter being herself?" you want to cheer. Her delivery is spot on (and you really want to shake Samantha for submitting to Darrin's domestic tyranny). Ms. Moorehead continued acting until her death of cancer in 1974 at the age of 73.
Also in the cast (and happily still with us) are Barbara Rush (who plays Joyce Phillips). Ms. Rush is 91. She was working until 2007, and since seems to have retired. Judy Nugent, who plays Helen's young friend, Judy, continued acting on film and television until 1978. Around the time she retired, she, husband Buck Taylor, and their three sons moved to Montana. They were divorced in 1983. In an interview for Western Clippings, Ms. Nugent stated this film was her favorite role. Jane Wyman was not the first choice for Helen - Olivia de Havilland, Eleanor Parker, and Joan Crawford were considered for the part. Jeff Chandler was in the running for the role of Bob Merrick, and Charles Bickford was considered for the role of Edgar Randolph (the role would go to Otto Kruger). (AFI catalog)
The film is a remake of a 1935 film with Robert Taylor and Irene Dunne (which was aired on Lux Radio Theatre in April of 1937, starring the film's leads). The New York Times did an excellentDVD review of 1935 and 1954 versions when Criterion released them as a set. The film was such a success that the cast we reunited in All That Heaven Allows the following year. This is a film that becomes richer with each viewing, and we encourage you to give it a try. We'll leave you with a trailer:
The Reverend Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley) and his sister Rose (Katharine Hepburn) work as missionaries in Kungdu in German East Africa. When "jack of all trades, master of none" Charlie Allnut, skipper of The African Queen (1951) arrives with their mail, they discover that Britain is at war with Germany. Blithely believing that no war in Europe can affect them, they are stunned when German soldiers appear, kidnapping their parishioners, and burning down the village, church and all. The Reverend protests their treatment, and is struck on the head by a rifle butt; he becomes disoriented, and dies within a few day. When Charlie returns, he agrees to take Rose to safety. Only she has another idea - journey down the un-navigable river to Lake Tanganyika, and attack the German steamer Louisa. We had the opportunity to see this wonderful film on a big screen as part of the ArcLight Presents series. A restoration of the technicolor film provided a glowing film, rich with the colors of Africa - for indeed The African Queen was filmed in Africa (for more on how the filming dealt with this on-location work, I suggest Katharine Hepburn's humorous account in The Making of the African Queen: Or How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind). But more than that, The African Queen is a pas de deux between Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.
Though other actors appear in the film, notably Theodore Bikel as the First Officer on the Louisa and Robert Morley as Rose's pedantic brother, the bulk of the film centers on Rose and Charlie. There relationship starts as one of bare tolerance. Charlie finds the Sayers to be snobs, and Rose is revolted by Charlie's unkempt appearance and rumbling stomach. When circumstances force them together, Charlie is horrified at Rose's plan to attack the Germans (who wouldn't be!), and is convinced that a little bit of stress (like minor rapids) will convince this meek woman that her goals are impossible. But Hepburn's Rose is indomitable. "I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating," she marvels.
Katharine
Hepburn credited the success of her performance to director John Huston.
She first had a problem getting a handle on Rose. When she spoke to
Huston about it, he suggested that she pattern Rose after Eleanor
Roosevelt (TCM article).
One of my favorite lines in the film is delivered by Ms. Hepburn with
pure Mrs. Roosevelt attitude - "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put
in this world to rise above."
Hepburn was deservedly nominated for an Oscar for her performance (she lost to Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire). John Huston and James Agee were also nominated for the screenplay (based on the C.S. Forester novel), and Huston was nominated for directing. Ms. Hepburn relates in her book that she found everything "divine" (that is, until members of the cast and crew started getting sick), much to Mr. Bogart's annoyance. But the big winner of the night was Humphrey Bogart, finally winning his only Oscar (to great applause from the attendees that evening). Leaving toddler Stephen Bogart behind, Lauren Bacall ventured to Africa with her husband, who was allegedly miserable the whole time. (Bogart: In Search of My Father by Stephen Bogart and Gary Provost) However, he found some respite by teasing Ms. Hepburn - she (and her partner, Spencer Tracy) became fast friends with the Bogarts, and were among the last people to visit Mr. Bogart when he was dying of cancer. Mr. Bogart is amazing in the part - then again, he always is. He is able to grow the character and make it believable. The change in Charlie Allnut, from polite disregard of Rose, to abhorrence, to regard, to love, is so swift that, in the hands of a lesser actor, it would not be credible. With Bogart in charge, you buy it wholeheartedly.
Bogart would reprise his role for the Lux Radio Theatre in December 1952, with Greer Garson stepping in for Ms. Hepburn (AFI catalog). The film was added to the National Film Registry in 1994. It's also on multiple of the AFI lists: It was named #65 on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies, 10 Anniversary List (and #17 on the original list), #14 on 100 Years, 100 Passions and #48 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers. This is another film that you should run to see. Even on you television screen, it's an amazing film. We'll leave you with a trailer.
Trailer:
Private investigator Bill Reardon (Melvyn Douglas) is trying to find the thief who robbed the jewelry store owned by Francine Nacelle (Margaret Lindsay) and her husband (Pierre Watkin). While he's preoccupied with this case, his wife, Sally (Virginia Bruce) is taking on new clients by pretending she is herself an agent. Highjinks ensue as Sally again complicates Bill's life and career in There's that Woman Again (1938) Some years ago, we saw There's Always a Woman (1938), the precursor to this film. Frankly, we didn't enjoy the first one all that much, and we disliked this one more. The crew seems to think they are making a new Thin Man movie, but they aren't even in the universe, much less the ballpark. The script is plodding, the characters are underdeveloped, and the character of Sally is just plain silly. With Joan Blondell in the part of Sally, you had a slight chance at humor, but Virginia Bruce, who really is quite a good actress in other films, is beyond annoying. It's not Ms. Bruce's fault really. She doesn't have any chemistry with Melvyn Douglas, and the script gives her precious little to do except get in the way of everyone. (Though hats off to her in the very last scene - the only funny one in the film!) Ms. Blondell was pregnant when shooting began (The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies by Daniel Bubbeo), and thus escaped being embroiled in this fiasco.
Though the film is only 72 minutes long, it feels as though the screenwriters needed to pad it out. And much of the padding makes no sense. The so-called comic bits go on for too long - there is a scene in a gym that has nothing to do with the plot and just goes on forever - and it's not funny. It's clear that they are not sure if they are making a comedy, a mystery, a farce, or pure screwball. Poor Margaret Lindsay has nothing to do in this morass of a movie. She is involved in one of the better scenes - a fairly ingenious murder - but otherwise you want to tell her to run as far away from the film as she can get. Watch The House on 56th Street or B.F.'s Daughter if you want to visit with her.
According to the AFI catalog, this film was supposed to be the second in a trilogy. Thankfully, that idea was mercifully put to sleep after this debacle.Columbia Pictures Movie Series, 1926–1955: The Harry Cohn Years by Gene Blottner says it all: "the comedy is forced and unfunny. The story lets the viewer down when the murderer is revealed long before Douglas comes up with solution. No wonder the series was cancelled after this one." We agree. This is one to pass up.
