Ms. Hale is Having a Baby

As Jacqueline Walsh (Barbara Hale) is about to take her wedding vows to her second husband, Herbert Fletcher (Robert Hutton), she faints.  Her uncle, Dr. William Parnell (Lloyd Corrigan) believes she is pregnant. The father of the child is her first husband, Vernon Walsh (Robert Young), whom she divorced after he was named as the co-respondent in the divorce of Wanda York (Janis Carter). Though Vernon protested his innocence, Jackie does not believe him, and wants him to surrender any claim on the pending child. Vernon, however, sees the baby as a way to get her back. Our film is And Baby Makes Three (1949)

This is a potentially cute film that would have been considerably better had it been about 15 minutes shorter (it's 84 minutes). The plot, which is entertaining up to a point, goes completely over-the-top by the end. It felt as though the writers had no idea how to end the film, so they just kept throwing elements into a blender to see what they could get. What they got was a mess.

Given that they have little in the way of a script, Robert Young and Barbara Hale work well together. Both were second (and in Mr. Young's case, third) choices for their roles. Columbia initially assigned Evelyn Keyes the part of Jackie, and she refused - she ended up on suspension (AFI catalog). Both Ronald Reagan and Robert Cummings were offered the opportunity to play Vernon. Both said no.

In a sense, Ms. Hale has the more outlandish part. Either we have to believe that she left her marriage, found Herbert, went to Reno, and came back to her wedding in under two months, or we have to believe that in more than three months (it takes 6 weeks to get a divorce in Reno, and it is hard to believe that she agreed to marry Herbert immediately after leaving Vernon), she didn't realize that she was pregnant.  It's somewhat mind boggling.

Barbara Hale started as a model; by 1943, she was off to Hollywood, a contract with RKO, and her first picture - an uncredited role in Gildersleeve's Bad Day. She worked in films, primarily in B pictures, until 1958 (she would make a few more films between 1968 and 1978), when she was offered the role of Della Street in Perry Mason (which ran from 1957-1966). She originally considered declining the role - she had three small children at home, and was spending her time with them (Medium.com article), but her friend Gail Patrick (who was producing the show with her husband Thomas Cornwell Jackson) said that the role was small and was show was only going to last for 18 episodes! Ms. Hale would go on to star in 332 episodes and 31 TV movies with her good friend Raymond Burr (the final 4 movies were filmed with Paul Sorvino and Hal Holbrook subbing for the Perry Mason character. Mr. Burr died in 1993). Ms. Hale was married for 46 years to Bill William. She was intrigued with him from the start - it took him awhile to realize she was the woman for him (Eddie Muller commentary on The Clay Pigeon). The couple had three children, one of who is the actor William Katt (who starred in The Greatest American Hero, and as Paul Drake, Jr. in several of the Perry Mason films). Ms. Hale died in 2017, at the age of 94.

Both Billie Burke (Mrs. Fletcher) and Melville Cooper (Gibson, the Butler) are wasted. Ms. Burke, in particular, is doing a retread of roles she's done before - she's the mother who is afraid of scandal (her son's fiance's pregnancy by another man), and who dithers around echoing her husband (Nicholas Joy as Marvin Fletcher). She doesn't even have a name - she's just "Mrs. Marvin Fletcher".

Though her part is minimal, and rather irrelevant to the main story, Janis Carter takes what she has and runs with it. She's amusing as the predatory Wanda; the character is added at the last minute (like a lot of things in this film) to stretch it out a bit. Sure, she's not really necessary, but she is fun to watch.

This was the second film produced by Santana Productions, Humphrey Bogart's production company. Founded in 1948 and named after his boat, Santana produced 7 films, 5 of which starred Bogart. At the time, the Santana films didn't do well financially, but In a Lonely Place (1950) is now regarded as one of the best of Bogart's films, and highly regarded as a film noir (here is Eddie Muller introducing it on TCM's Noir Alley).

New York Times review called And Baby Makes Three "A thin joke is stretched beyond the point of fun." The review in Variety was positive. Regardless, the film did not do well at the box office, and it's really not surprising. One is bored about an hour in.  There are better Barbara Hale films (try The Clay Pigeon, in which she starred with her husband ). This is not one of her best. 

A small treat - we recently were able to participate in a tour of the Library of Congress Packard Campus. Part of the tour was a visit to the Cold Room, where nitrate copies of films from many studios are housed. In the Columbia vault, I found a can with a nitrate copy of And Baby Makes Three!  You can see it below (thanks to my husband for taking the picture - follow the link to see more of his work):

Alexander Joins the Army

Successful novelist Paula "Polly" Wharton (Irene Dunne) and newspaper editor Max Wharton (Alexander Knox) are a happily married couple. Max is highly regarded at the New York Bulletin, the newspaper at which he is the chief editor. Though he is well Over 21 (1945), (39, in fact) he feels it is his duty to enlist in Officer Training School and serve in the military during World War II, much to the disgust of the paper's owner, Robert Drexel Gow (Charles Coburn), After successfully completing Basic Training, Max is off to Florida to attend Officer Training School, where Polly will join him as an Army wife. Both must adapt to a life that is alien to anything they have ever encountered.

This is an entertaining film with light humor and an interesting point of view. While most films focus on the man's adjustment to the military, Over 21 is more concerned with Polly. She's led a relatively privileged life; the career successes of herself and her husband mean that she's never had to do the "housewife" tasks - until now. Ms. Dunne plays Polly as a determined woman. She's succeeded in everything she's ever tried - she can surely prevail in this as well. Her goal is to be with her husband and support him in his efforts in the Army. Ms. Dunne avoids having the audience pity Polly - we laugh with her as she manipulates the peculiarities of her new housing and new life style. We also watch as she protects her husband from the intrusions of his former boss. Ms. Dunne was not the first choice for the role - Rosalind Russell was originally considered for Polly, but dropped out to appear in Sister Kenny (AFI catalog)

It's a bit harder to get involved with Max. He is convinced that he can only write about the war if he experiences it in some direct way. It's clear from the start that, at age 39, he does not expect to see combat, but he does wish to learn about what the men who are going into battle will face.  We appreciate his motives, but we get very little information about him; we know he is an intelligent man, who is lost as he tries to learn a new job. Mr. Knox doesn't get a lot of help from the script, with all the really good lines going to Ms. Dunne. As a result, Mr. Knox is left looking frustrated and unhappy. Any empathy you feel is because of Polly's devotion to him than to the depth of the character.  

Alexander Knox was born in Canada. His acting career started in Boston, with a repertory theatre, but when it closed, he returned to Canada to work as a reporter. After two years, he went to England, and appeared in several films. By 1940, he was on Broadway, first as Friar Lawrence in a production of Romeo and Juliet (that starred Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh), then in Jupiter Laughs, starring opposite Jessica Tandy. He'd already appeared in several Hollywood films, including The Sea Wolf (1941) and This Above All (1941), when he was offered the lead in Wilson (1944), which earned him a nomination for Best Actor. His film career ended abruptly, when he was unofficially blacklisted for his involvement with the Committee for the First Amendment (Actors on Red Alert: Career Interviews with Five Actors and Actresses Affected by the Blacklist by Anthony Slide). He returned to England with his wife, Doris Nolan (they were married from 1943 until his death in 1995), and worked there (and eventually back in the U.S.). He died in England of bone cancer.

Charles Coburn as publisher Gow is, as always, very good and very funny. But Gow's attitudes towards Max's desire to serve in the military are unpleasant; Mr. Coburn plays him as a completely selfish man, who would rather sell his paper than do the work necessary to make it a success without Max. While you laugh at his antics, a lot of head shaking occurs as he tries to manipulate Polly and Max.

I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but some of the best moments in the film occur at the end, when Polly decides it's time to intervene in saving the paper for her husband and for Gow. The look of sheer delight on Max's face when he discovers her work is something that really appealed to us. For that reason alone, this film is worth a viewing.

Over 21 is based on the Broadway play, which was written by and starred Ruth Gordon; it ran for 221 performances in 1944. The play's time-frame is 1943, and while the film does not give us a date we know that World War II is raging.

Over 21 opened at Radio City Music Hall to poor notices: here is Bosley Crowther's New York Times review. Several factors contributed to the reviews. The movie was released just after VJ-Day (TCM article), which greatly influenced its reception - it was seen as a relic, discussing issues that no longer needed consideration (Irene Dunne: First Lady of Hollywood by Wes D. Gehring). 

Another problem was the original Broadway play. Some criticisms at the time considered that Ms. Dunne's performance was too close to Ms. Gordon stage rendition. Finally, other reviews focused on  Mr. Knox's performance, stating that it was too reminiscent of his work in Wilson. (Military Comedy Films: A Critical Survey and Filmography of Hollywood Releases Since 1918 by Hal Erickson). 

None of that is relevant today, as it is not possible to see stage play.  We can also relate to Max's desire to do all in his power to stop another war from happening.  We'll leave you with this short clip from the film, and a suggestion that you give it a viewing:

Ida and Her Sisters

Ellen Creed (Ida Lupino) works as a companion to Leonora Fiske (Isobel Elsom), a retired actress with savings that will keep her living comfortably for the rest of her life. Ellen works to support her two sisters, Emily (Elsa Lanchester) and Louisa (Edith Barrett) in London. The sisters, however, are somewhat odd in their habits, and their landlady has demanded that Ellen remove them from her boarding house immediately. In desperation, Ellen asks Miss Fiske if the sisters can visit with her at Miss Fiske's house for a short time. But when the short time extends to six months, Miss Fiske has had it.  Our film this week is Ladies in Retirement (1941)


A melodrama very much in the vein of Night Must Fall (1937), the film's power is driven primarily by the performance of Ida Lupino. Playing a woman who should be much older her 23 years  (TCM article). Ms. Lupino gives the character grit, and emphasizes that this is a woman who feels overwhelmed by circumstances. Clearly, Ellen is the breadwinner for the family. She's tried leaving her sisters on their own. She's exhausted her last chance of supporting them from afar - their landlady has threatened to have them institutionalized. Ellen's desperation is evident as she tries to keep Louisa and Emily with her. But the two women, one a temperamental hoarder and the other a grown child, are not controllable, even with Ellen there. Keeping them at Miss Fiske's abode is her last chance to protect them, but their continued antics make this impossible. Ms. Lupino would later list it as one of her favorite film roles (TCM Notes).

Louis Hayward (Albert Feather) was married to Ms. Lupino at the time this film was made. He's good as the shady Albert; he makes the character even likeable at times, though one is always suspicious of his motives.  Mr, Hayward started his career on the London stage, a protege of Noel Coward. In 1935, he did a Broadway play; this led to his first film role, The Flame Within (1935). He was cast as the first Simon Templar in The Saint in New York (1938), but is probably best remembered for his performance in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). When World War II broke out in the U.S., he joined the Marines, commanding a photographic unit and eventually producing the Oscar winning short With the Marines at Tarawa (1944). He returned from the war severely depressed, which caused the breakup of his marriage to Ms. Lupino (Ida Lupino: A Biography by William Donati). He would marry twice more, the third producing his only child. His career continued, in both film and television until 1974. In 1985, he died of lung cancer (he'd smoked four packs a day for 50 years), at the age of 75.

Emily  and Louisa are well acted by Ms. Lanchester and Ms. Barrett - they give the characters just the right amount of insanity, so that, for awhile, you are able to sympathize with them and with Ellen. Rosalind Russell had expressed interest in playing one of the parts. Also in consideration for the sisters were Lillian Gish, Judith Anderson, Pauline Lord, Laurette Taylor and Helen Chandler (AFI Catalog). 

Evelyn Keyes does a reasonably good job as Lucy, the housemaid (in fairness, it's not a great part). She spends most of her scenes with Mr. Hayward, and he steals all the audience's attention. As I said, he's quite the rogue. 
  Based on a 1940 Broadway play (which ran for 151 performances) the screenplay was written by Garrett Fort and Reginald Denham, based on Mr. Denham's script with Edward Percy. The play starred Flora Robson as Ellen, Estelle Winwood as Louisa, and Isobel Elsom who reprises her role of Miss Fiske in this movie.

It's not surprising that the film received two  received two Oscar nominations - for Black & White Art  Direction (Lionel Banks and George Montgomery) and for Score (Morris Stoloff and Ernst Toch). Though we know that the film was shot on a backlot, the film gives the feeling of the moodiness of the moors, and is reminiscent of atmospheric Wuthering Heights. The score also makes interesting use of the music from The Mikado; of course, it is a comedy, but it is the story of Ko-Ko, a man forced to become the Lord High Executioner of Titipu. The film got other awards:  Isobel Elsom received the Best Acting nod from the National Board of Review (NBR); Ida Lupino received a joint Best Acting Award from NBR - for this film and for High Sierra.

New York Times review was positive calling Ladies in Retirement "painstakingly done, beautifully photographed and tautly played."  The story been redone several times. In September 1943, Lux Radio Theatre presented Brian Aherne and Louise Barrett.  Robert Montgomery Presents (1951) had Lillian Gish and Una O'Connor in a television broadcast. 1954 saw a version with Edith Barrett, Elsa Lanchester & Claire Trevor as part of the Lux Video Theatre. The film was remade as The Mad Room (1969) with Shelley Winters and Stella Stevens. 

While our group had some mixed feelings about the film (one member said she found it sometimes frustrating), the consensus was that it's certainly a film worth watching.  If you like melodramas, this one is for you.

Riley Moves

Eleven year old Riley Anderson (Kaitlyn Dias) is a happy little girl - she lives in Minnesota with her parents (Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan), plays soccer, and has many friends. But when her father gets a new job in San Francisco, Riley's life is up-ended. We see the changes in her Inside Out (2015), as the emotion that has always governed her life - Joy (Amy Poehler) - begins to lose control of Riley to Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Fear (Bill Hader).

This film was part of our double feature afternoon at the Shakespeare Theatre Company and it is an absolute delight. The conceit - that we have a console manipulated by five anthropomorphized emotions which color our memories - is fascinating.  The film looks at the need for sadness to create joy, the function of anger, disgust, and fear as protective devices, and the importance of long-term (and short term) memory to emotional development (Psychology Today).

Amy Poehler is endearing as Joy - her love for Riley and the life that her partner emotions have created for the child is true and deep. She understands the need for the protective emotions, but to her Sadness is a useless - and dangerous - addition to the group. It's only when Sadness begins to interact with Riley's long submerged memories - symbolized by Riley's imaginary friend Bing-Bong (Richard Kind) that Joy begins to appreciate the need for Sadness in Riley's life.

The idea of the memory console is one that the filmmaker play with successfully - we see the emotions of Riley's mother and father; of her school teacher, and of the pizza store clerk. It's equally beguiling to see how the emotions combine in adults (and eventually, even in animals!)

The movie is also really funny - Riley's dreams, for example (and Joy's pleasure at meeting Rainbow Unicorn, the star of the dreams who MUST be treated with respect), and the morose Sadness's need to be towed (she's too depressed to walk) are just two examples. There are more, and all add up to the create a film that is interesting on many levels - and for many ages.

 

Roger Ebert's review of the film was enthusiastic, as was the review from Rolling Stone, calling it "a flat-out masterpiece". One of the strengths of Inside Out is that you forget that you are watching animated characters; there are moments that bring tears as the viewer realizes that growing up is the ability to balance emotions. Emotionally, (like Joy) we want Riley to have a life without Sadness, but there is the realization that there can BE no Joy if Sadness is gone.  

We'll leave you with a trailer of this remarkable film.

Peter Visits Arabia

Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) is working in the map division in the Arab Bureau in Cairo, when he was assigned by Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains) to evaluate Prince Faisal's (Alec Guinness) war against the Turks. Lawrence's interest in Arab culture and his eagerness to form a united Arabia impresses Faisal; when Lawrence comes up with a plan to cross the Nefud Desert with 50 men and attack the Turks in Aqaba, Faisal supports it. Lawrence's daring impresses his troops who make him one of their own -  Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

The recent TCM Presents: Fathom Events presentation of this film was a must-see. Jon Stewart was right - you have to see this movie wide-screen (and not on a cellphone!). The heat of the desert and the glare of the sun are visceral in the film - even in an air-conditioned theatre, you are hot and thirsty. With commentary by Ben Mankiewicz, this was an exceptional TCM Presents.

Albert Finney was originally approached for the lead role of T.E. Lawrence; he was even given an extensive, expensive screen test (costing £100,000), but Mr. Finney balked at a five-year contract with Sam Spiegel. (TCM article). At some point, Spiegel tried to interest Marlon Brando, but that raised a row in the U.K., and Brando pulled himself out of consideration (AFI Catalog). Anthony Perkins was also considered (but his appearance in Psycho made him less appealing to Spiegel).  Director David Lean was more interested in an unknown actor, and had seen Mr. O'Toole in The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960). Halfway through O'Toole's screen test, Mr. Lean stopped the cameras - "No use shooting another foot of film. The boy is Lawrence."

It is hard to imagine anyone but Peter O'Toole in the part. He embodies Lawrence, even resembling him a bit, as you can see from the photos below (though at 6'2", Mr. O'Toole would tower over the 5'5" Lawrence). Mr. O'Toole captures the whimsy as well as Lawrence's personal and emotional conflicts. Lawrence was born to unmarried parents (though his father was not an absentee one); he was well educated and lived fairly well, but he was also teased and tormented about his bastardy. In his book Hero: The Life & Legend of Lawrence of Arabia, Michael Korda states that Lawrence was tortured by the pleasure he found in pain. That he also took pleasure in killing is not discussed in this book - in fact, he was a vegetarian (PBS) who professed his gladness that "nothing had to be killed to feed us." His death on a motorbike was the result of his need for speed - he was probably going nearly 100 miles per hour. Mr. O'Toole did an interview for TCM about his work on the film here. His tale on the filming of the scene where Lawrence is given his white robes is fascinating.

Alain Delon was originally cast as Sherif Ali iben el Karish, but David Lean wanted Ali to have brown eyes, and Mr. Delon was unable to wear the contact lenses required to turn his blue eyes brown. So, they hired Maurice Ronet for the part - but his eyes were green. Director Lean, already in Jordan, asked to see photos of Arab actors - he was sent a photo of Omar Sharif, resulting in a collaboration that would result in Mr. Sharif getting the lead in Dr. Zhivago (1965). Mr. Sharif and Mr. O'Toole became great friends on the shoot, learning to do The Twist together; as a result of their dancing prowess,  Mr. O'Toole called Mr. Sharif "Cairo Fred" because "No one in the world is called Omar Sharif." Mr. Sharif won the Golden Globe for Supporting Actor for his work in this film.

The list of actors who almost appeared in the film is breathtaking - Cary Grant, David Niven, Gene Kelly, Kirk Douglas, Horst Buchholz were all considered or approached at one time or another. Even so, the list of actors in the cast is spectacular: Anthony Quinn (Auda Abu Tayi) is strong as a desert chiefan; Jack Hawkins (General Allenby) is both tough and sly as a British officer looking out for the best interests of his country; Alec Guinness is a cagey prince looking for the best deal for his nation; Anthony Quayle (Col. Harry Brighton) portrays an officer who cannot comprehend the man that is Lawrence; Jose Ferrer (Turkish bey) gives us a fiendish enemy to the Arab nation - and to Lawrence. Last, but by no means least, is the wonderful Claude Rains (Mr. Dryden), initially Lawrence's benefactor, but in the end, a pragmatic official using the best man at hand for the job.

Jackson Bentley (Arthur Kennedy) was to have been played by Edmund O'Brien, but he left three days into the shoot. Kennedy is excellent as an opportunistic reporter who builds his reputation - and Lawrence's - with the articles he publishes about the conflict. The character of Bentley is based on Lowell Thomas; the name of the character was changed because Mr. Thomas did not wish any association with the film (Beyond the Epic: The Life and Films of David Lean by Gene Phillips). Mr. Thomas would later state that "the only true things in it [the film] are the sand and the camels." Though initially friends, Lawrence became disillusioned with Thomas when Thomas toured with film footage he had shot of Lawrence in Arabia (PBS); Lawrence felt himself exploited, while Thomas claimed "[Lawrence] had a genius for backing into the limelight."

To say that you should see this film if you have not already done so is redundant. Though Bosley Crowther's New York Times review was unenthusiastic, it has since garnered much praise. Janet Maslin discussed the beauty of the movie when it was restored in 1989 (New York Times). It won 7 Oscars (Picture, Director, Cinematography, Art/Set Direction, Sound, Film Editing, and Score), and was nominated for 3 other (Actor: Peter O'Toole; Supporting Actor: Omar Sharif; Writing: Robert Bolt & Michael Wilson - Mr. Wilson's contributions were finally acknowledged in 1995). It also won best film awards from the Golden Globes and BAFTA, with David Lean taking the Director's Guild Award and Sam Spiegel winning the Producer's Guild Award.  It was added to the National Film Registry in 1991. It's also on five American Film Institute lists: #1 in the Ten Top Ten for Epic; #7 in the 100 Years, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition (#5 in the Original List); #3 in Film Scores; #23 in Thrills; #10 in Heroes.

Even if you can't see it on a big screen, do seek this remarkable film out. We'll leave you with the trailer to this amazing work of cinema:

Tiana Meets a Frog

Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) and her father, James (Terrence Howard) have a dream - to open a restaurant in their home town of New Orleans. After James' death in World War I, Tiana continues to work and save to finally open that restaurant. So, when Tiana's best friend Charlotte "Lottie" La Bouff (Jennifer Cody), hires Tiana to cater the desserts (Tiana's beignets - Lottie's father's (John Goodman) favorite treat) at a big society party, Tiana believes has enough money for the down payment on the restaurant. But there is a complication - the derelict sugar mill that Tiana has offered on has another, wealthier, bidder. Our film is The Princess and the Frog (2009).

Summer in DC means free films, and The Shakespeare Theatre Company hosted a double feature as their new season is opening. The Princess and the Frog tells a tale of dreaming vs. reality, and the importance of knowing the difference. Tiana has become so wrapped up in working towards her dream - she knows that dreams don't come true by magic - that she never has time for anything BUT work. Her mother, Eudora (Oprah Winfrey) worries that she's become so obsessed with the restaurant that she will never have a private life or find love.

Tiana's progress is interrupted by the entrance of a frog - and a frog that talks, no less. He is Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), a young man who is the exact opposite of Tiana. Raised in a wealthy royal family of Maldonia, he's been thrown out of his home and left to fend for himself. His irresponsibility forced his parents to try and make him grow up. But all they've succeeded in doing is pushing Naveen into finding a wealthy wife or a get-rich-quick scheme. It's one of the latter that puts him in the hands of Dr. Facilier (Keith David) a local practitioner of dark magic who convinces Naveen's valet Lawrence (Peter Bartlett) to take on the appearance of Naveen, and marry Naveen's prey himself - Lottie La Bouff.

Anika Noni Rose is excellent as the voice of Tiana. She has just the right amount of strength and sass that you admire this young woman, but also would like to see her find some happiness and ease in her life. She also has an exquisite singing voice. As an actress, she's taken on a variety of roles - she had an ongoing role as assertive lawyer Wendy Scott-Carr in The Good Wife, got to show off her acting and singing chops in Dreamgirls (2006), won the Tony for Caroline, or Change (2004), and was nominated again for her work in A Raisin in the Sun (2014). In 2019, she received the Lucille Lortel Award for Carmen Jones.

The movie has a lot of surprises, not the least of which is that  'Big Daddy' and Lottie are actually nice people. John Goodman gives  'Big Daddy' a bit of pomposity, but he's also loving and generous, not just to his daughter - it's clear he has a deep affection for Tiana and Eudora. And while he certainly loves Tiana's beignets, there is a hint that he is also tipping her a lot to help her start her restaurant.

The trumpet playing alligator, Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley) is a tad silly, but works in the context of our frog-cursed humans. Likewise, Ray the Cajun firefly (Jim Cummings) is amusing, though the accent is sometimes difficult to understand. Both actors do give us sympathetic characters which are worked seamlessly into the story.

All in all, this film is an enjoyable modern fairy tale, with an exemplary cast. We'll leave you with a trailer from the film:

Everyone Buys a Dress

In a series of four vignettes, the purchase of the latest Paris Model (1953) effects the lives of five women in France, in New York and in Los Angeles.

We picked this film because it had some excellent actors in the cast, but having them there didn't help. This is an AWFUL movie. Even at a mere 80 minute running time, it felt like we were watching the movie forever. The script is bad, the sets are cheap, even the dress that is the focus of the film looks like it came from the bargain-basement in Walmart.

The picture consists of four stories; each focus on women who buy this particular dress design (unlike the 1942 Tales of Manhattan where a tailcoat's owners are the focus, it is NOT the same dress). Gogo Montaine (Eva Gabor) in the first vignette buys a Paris original (and charges it to one of her lovers). Gogo is in the boyfriend business - she gives them the look, and they melt at her feet. Except, while Ms. Gabor can be really funny, and she is quite pretty, giving the sultry "look" is not really in her acting ballpark. She looks remarkably silly and unconvincing as she tries to seduce a variety of men into doing what she wants them to do. It's not all her fault - the camerawork also succeeds in making her look idiotic rather than alluring.

In the next story line, the usually wonderful Paulette Goddard plays Betty Barnes, an avaricious secretary in New York City on the make for her married boss Edgar Blevins (Leif Erickson). She purchases her dress (a knock-off of the Paris model - in the first story we see a woman sketching and taking notes at the Paris showroom) in order to seduce Blevins. She's such a despicable woman, you can't possibly root for her, and you surely don't like her. Leif Erickson's characterization is of a unattractive, henpecked husband who is also unattractive. When you see his wife Cora (Gloria Christian) during a phone conversation, you don't think too much of her either. With no-one with whom to sympathize, what's the point?

In the next tale, the dress has become even cheaper (it's now "a copy of a copy of a Paris original"). Marion Parmalee (Marilyn Maxwell) is attending a retirement party for her husband's boss, and she wants to make sure that Patrick James Sullivan (Cecil Kellaway) names her husband as his successor. How better to do it than to wear a sexy dress and tease P.J. into naming Jack (Robert Bice). She needs to get P.J.  away from his wife Nora (Florence Bates), but that, she reasons will be easy with this marvelous dress. As with the prior tale, we have a thoroughly unpleasant, greedy woman, and a horribly lecherous man that you can't wait to get their comeuppance. Cecil Kellaway is ill-served in the part - he's usually an appealing actor; here, he is just creepy.

This particular segment has the benefit of Florence Bates as Nora (one of the only nice people in the film). Ms. Bates, who is best remembered as the odious Mrs. Van Hopper in Rebecca (1940) was equally adept at comedy and drama  - my favorite of her roles was as Florence Dana Moorehead, the author who likes to "eat good" in I Remember Mama (1948). Ms. Bates started out to be a pianist, but had to change careers due to a hand injury. Then, she got a degree in mathematics, and taught math; after her 1909 marriage, she stayed home to raise their daughter. A divorce led her to study law and become the first female lawyer in Texas. Her father's death resulted in her working with her sister in their father's antique store, which Ms. Bates sold after her sister's death. When her second husband (to whom she was married from 1929 until his death in 1951) lost all his money, the family moved to Los Angeles and opened a successful bakery. She went onto the stage after she arrive in LA (she'd done some bilingual radio work in Texas); an introduction to Alfred Hitchcock led to her role in Rebecca and her film career. This film was her last one; she died the following year of a heart attack at the age of 65.

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The final yarn has Marta Jensen (Barbara Lawrence) buying the dress from a thrift shop. She's eager to convince her boyfriend, Charlie Johnson (Robert Hutton) to propose marriage. Charlie, however, is a cheapskate and a bore. While Marta seems a nice enough girl, her eagerness to marry this louse is distasteful. Ms. Lawrence gives the part as much as she can, but she's working opposite Mr. Hutton who is about as engaging as a piece of white bread. Tom Conway, totally miscast as he Maharajah of Kim-Kepore, repeats his role from the Paris story; he might as well be sleepwalking for the energy he brings to it. The whole episode is set in Romanoff's - except it's an obviously cheap imitation (TCM article). We do have a guest shot by "Prince" Michael Romanoff - he's the only personable character in this segment. 

The original title of the film was Nude at Midnight (AFI Catalog), the name of the dress all the women purchase (AFI Catalog). You can see the dress in the lobby card below. The movie really has nothing to offer, and we strongly suggest you pass this one by should it ever show up on your TV screen.

Fay Heads the Mob

Lila Thorne (Ida Lupino) has just become engaged to Fred Leonard (Lee Bowman); Fred is eager for Lila to meet his mother, Hattie (Fay Bainter). So off Lila goes to Maclin City, where she tries to get in Hattie's good graces - not an easy task. Turns out, Hattie's already chased away at least one of Fred's girlfriends. In the midst of this, Hattie discovers that the local dry cleaner, Mr. Zambrogio (Henry Armetta) has been forced to raise his prices - a protection racket is bleeding him for large amounts of money. Incensed when she discovers the mayor will do nothing about about it, Hattie decides to hire her own mob to deal with the gangsters. This week, we'll discuss The Lady and the Mob (1939) and its star. 

As part of the What a Character! blogathon, we're focusing our attention on the wonderful character actress Fay Bainter It's not often that Ms. Bainter gets to lead a film, but when she does, it's always a pleasure. She takes an okay script and an average part, and gives the audience a decidedly better experience. Sure, this film is a B movie, but in Ms. Bainter's hands, you really don't care - she's that good. She's funny and wry - even when she is being tyrannical towards Ida Lupino, you are amused by her. And when she decides that it is up to her to solve the crime problem in Maclin City because the authorities won't, watch out! She's a force to be reckoned with. Ms. Bainter was not the first choice for the role - the studio originally wanted Edna May Oliver (AFI catalog) - interesting choices that would have given two very distinct performances.

Fay Bainter started her stage career on the West Coast, working in traveling companies. By 1912, however, she'd come to Broadway - between 1912 and 1949, she appeared in 26 plays including Dodsworth (1934) (as Fran - the part would go to Ruth Chatterton on screen), She Stoops to Conquer (1928), and The Way of the World (1931). She started working in films in 1934. In 1938 she won a Supporting Actress Oscar (for her role as Bette Davis' aunt in Jezebel), and was nominated that same year for Best Actress (for White Banners), the first of only 9 people who have been given two nominations in the same year. She was also nominated for her role in The Children's Hour (1961). She segued into television in 1949, and worked in both mediums until her retirement in 1965. Her husband of 43 years died had died in 1964 (they had one son); Ms. Bainter died in 1968, at the age of 74.

Ida Lupino is very good in what is an extremely small part (Wendy Barrie was the first choice for the part). Ms. Lupino was still, at this point in her career, relatively unknown and relegated to secondary roles. But in December of 1939 (The Lady and the Mob was released in April), Ms. Lupino would finally get noticed, when she appears as the Cockney prostitute in The Light That Failed (TCM article). Ms. Lupino gives Lila gumption, which she needs when faced with the whirlwind that is Hattie. If there is a problem with the character, it is that one can't imagine Lila staying with a bore like Fred. 

Lee Bowman has very little to do, and his character is a bit of a dolt. He's obviously dominated by his mother - when Lila says "I hope you realize I'm not marrying your mother," Fred's response is "That's what you think". Mr. Bowman isn't present for over half of the movie, and when he does appear, he's pushed aside by Lila and Hattie. They have bigger fish to fry, and he is not part of the solution. Part of the fun of the film is watching the two women bond over Hattie's preoccupation with the crime wave.

The supporting characters are lots of fun, with Henry Armetta as a stereotyped Italian dry-cleaner; Warren Hymer (Frankie O'Fallon) stands out as the chief of Hattie's mob, but they are all amusing; their interplay with Ms. Bainter is excellent. George Meeker (playing George Watson) is the head gangster on the other side of the fence, and makes a nice contrast to Mr. Hymer. 

The film had several working titles: Mrs. Leonard Misbehaves; Old Mrs. Leonard and the Machine Guns; Old Mrs. Leonard and Her Machine Guns. Because of the gangster theme, they had issues with the Production Office. While this movie is not great literature, it's amusing and tidy (one fight scene goes on a bit too long, but otherwise it's a fairly neat presentation). It is certainly worth a viewing.

This post is part of the What a Character! blogathon, hosted by Once Upon a Screen. Please visit the other posts to learn about a variety of amazing character actors.

Cary Loves Music

Louise Fuller (Grace Moore), an opera star of some note, is deported from the United States after she overstays her visa limits. Louise is eager to get back to the States - she has promised to assist her beloved tutor and uncle, Walter Mitchell (Henry Stephenson) by appearing in a music festival being held in his honor. The list for a visa is long - she'll have to wait for a year, unless she can find an American to marry. Enter artist Jimmy Hudson (Cary Grant), a foot-loose and fancy free young man, who initially disdains her snobbish demeanor. Our film this week is When You're in Love (1937).

With Cary Grant in a film, what's not to love? Well, this film, quite frankly. It's not that it is bad; it's that it is banal, and above-the-title Grace Moore really is no actress; she  was an opera singer that the studio was trying to make a star. While she is an wonderful singer, with a very expressive voice and demeanor WHEN she is singing, as an actress, she's a dud. Her lines are delivered with an almost flat tone; she never really seems interested in the action. As a result, she and Mr. Grant don't click.

Ms. Moore appeared in nine films between 1930 and 1939. Born in Tennessee (she was called "The Tennessee Nightingale"), she started her career on Broadway in 1913 (she would appear in 9 plays between 1913 and 1932); working her way from the chorus to featured performer in a number of musical reviews (like the Ziegeld Follies of 1931). After a couple of films in 1930, she signed a contract with Columbia in 1934. She was nominated for an Oscar for best actress for her work in One Night of Love (1934). By 1939, she was through with films, and working more steadily in opera companies. Married once to Spanish actor Valentín Parera, she died in a plane crash near Copenhagen (Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden was also killed in the crash). A scholarship is named for her at the University of Tennessee School of Voice.  

Cary Grant had just begun a new contract with Columbia (TCM article), which may account for him being billed below Ms. Moore and below the title (in his next films, Topper The Toast of New York, and The Awful Truth, he was still billed under his co-stars, but above the title). He really does his best to bring some exuberance to the film, and mostly he succeeds. But it's impossible to work around that fact that he's acting against someone who just doesn't project emotion very well. It is amusing that he is playing the American (with his delightful English-ish accent) while Ms. Moore is supposed to be Australian - with an American accent). One of his most delightful scenes is with the couple who raised him after his parents' deaths. His affection for them is transmitted right through the screen. 

Also in the cast is Aline MacMahon. She's wasted in this film; while she gets some good lines, she just doesn't get enough screen time. Similarly, Thomas Mitchell and Henry Stephenson are given very little to do. It's a shame when you have actors of their caliber who are not permitted to perform up to their abilities.
 

This was Robert Riskin's first directing gig; he'd written the screenplay for the film as well. Producer Harry Cohn was hoping that Riskin would break out Cary Grant in the way his scripts for It Happened One Night and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town had for Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. Perhaps it was the loss of his collaborator, Frank Capra, but the magic didn't work for this picture, and it ended up losing money (Cary Grant: A Biography by Marc Eliot). 

The costumes by Bernard Newman are very lovely.The music includes several opera pieces, two songs by Jerome Kerns and Dorothy Fields, and a really terrific version of Ms. Moore singing (and Cary Grant playing the piano) of Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" (a preview of the film did not, in fact, include that number (AFI catalog).

The film opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The New York Times review by Frank S. Nugent called it "a glib reworking of an ancient operatic formula." The Hollywood Reporter, however, enjoyed it, calling it "a signal triumph for the foremost diva of the screen..." 

For opera lovers, this film is worth a look - you can fast forward to the musical numbers (which mostly have nothing to do with the plot) and watch Ms. Moore sing, which is certainly worth doing. You can watch her doing "Minnie the Moocher" - she is really good!

We'll leave you with a snippet from When You're in Love's premier on GET-TV, which was able to show a restored copy of the film: