Fay Carter (Kay Francis) was born in a trunk. She's spent her life acting and touring the country; first with her actor/father, later on her own. She is determined to build a career on Broadway, but the only parts she are offered are tours. A chance meeting with Peter Snowden (Ian Hunter) may change all that. Peter yearns to produce a Broadway play, and he may have just found the actress to help him succeed. Our film this week is Secrets of an Actress (1938). We really enjoyed this film. It's compact (a mere 70 minutes) with excellent acting, a bit of drama, and a dash of comedy for Ms. Francis (who, as we mentioned in our review of The Cocoanuts is quite a good comedienne). If we had any complaint at all is that we would have liked the film to be a bit longer. A little more backstory, especially for Carla (Gloria Dickson) and Dick Orr (George Brent), as well as for Fay would have been welcome. Ms. Francis, though, has a choice part. She gets to be the straight woman for Isabel Jeans (as the frequently inebriated Marian Plantagenet), be lovelorn with George Brent, and assertive with Ian Hunter. Fay is one of her richer characters - well drawn by the writers, a strong, talented woman who is interesting and attractive to both the audience and to her leading men. It's quite easy to see why both Peter and Dick are drawn to her. She has pizzazz! (For an excellent overview of Ms. Francis, both in this film, and through her career, see this TCM article).
Gloria Dickson as the villainess is also quite good. When Ms. Dickson is on the screen, you cannot take your eyes off her. Her delivery is sharp, and her demeanor has just the right touch of self-assured nastiness. We were not familiar with Ms. Dickson, who made a total of 23 pictures between 1937 and 1944. We'd seen her before as Dolly in Lady of Burlesque (1943), but she frankly didn't make an impression. Unfortunately, she died at the age of 28 when a fire (caused by a cigarette setting fire to a sofa) engulfed her house.
Isabel Jeans as the hard-drinking Marian became rather wearing after a few scenes. The character's drinking could have been toned down a bit, which would have made her much more appealing. Her binges don't add a lot to the film; it's hard to understand what the writers were thinking. Regardless, the relationship between Marian and Fay is well done - they come across as really good friends; we did wonder how long Fay will be able to tolerate Marian in her cups. In the end, we would have preferred less of Marian and more of Ian Hunter and George Brent. There did seem to be one continuity issue. Early in the film, we see Dick ask Carla for a divorce (before he meets Fay). But later, when questioned why he has never asked for a divorce, he says there is no point. We wondered if the censors insisted that the earlier scene be included to emphasize that a physical marriage no longer existed between the couple. It did bother us that Dick didn't tell Fay that he was married - Mr. Brent plays him as an upstanding guy. By hiding the marriage, the audience loses sympathy for him.
The film had two working titles before release: Lovely Lady and The Woman Habit (AFI catalog). It has gorgeous sets by Anton Grot and exquisite gowns by Orry-Kelly. While Warner's was already starting to (undeservedly) sour on Ms. Francis, they do provide her with a lovely setting for the film. The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television by Lynn Kear, John Rossman call the film "uneven."
While this is a fair evaluation, this is still a film worth a viewing. Here is a trailer to whet your appetite.
Writer Tom Garrett (Dana Andrews) attends an execution with his future father-in-law, crusading newspaper editor Austin Spencer (Sidney Blackmer). Spencer has been advocating for the repeal of the death penalty, because of his belief that circumstantial evidence is being used to convict people unjustly. He and Tom come up with an idea - they will concoct evidence against Tom regarding the recent murder of a hooch dancer named Patti Grey. Once Tom is convicted and sentenced, Spencer will come forward with the information that will show it was a setup, and that the conviction could not have been Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956). I try very hard to avoid spoilers in the films we discuss; quite frankly, this is a hard one. The main reason being that the film seems to be going along on a traditional plain. You are sure you know where it is going and how it will end. And then everything hits the fan, and you are gobsmacked to find you were completely wrong. Our group went into this film knowing very little about it, and we were glad; the beauty of the film is in the surprise towards the end.
Dana Andrews is excellent as the writer who is attempting to bring down a District Attorney (Philip Bourneuf as Roy Thompson). He's treading a fine line in the film, and he does it beautifully. You would never believe that he was in the midst of an alcoholic crises that resulted in his arriving at the studio late with immense hangovers and after automobile accidents (Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews by Carl Rollyson). It would take awhile, but Mr. Andrews was able to control his illness by the late 1960s. In 1972, he became a spokesman for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and was able to say he had not had a drink in four years (New York Times).
We were not as impressed with Joan Fontaine (Susan Spencer). Susan is a decidedly unappealing character - she's spoiled, she's unemotional; Ms. Fontaine seems stiff and uncomfortable in the role. One never feels any love between her and Tom. When she reads a newspaper article that shows him slumming with exotic dancer Sally Moore (Barbara Nichols), Susan is offended that Tom has publicly embarrassed her. She seems far less concerned that he is sleeping with another woman. Ms. Fontaine holds the character distant from everyone, and Susan is uninterested in anything that requires thinking. With a father as intelligent as Austin Spencer, one expects a daughter more like Polly Fulton in B.F.'s Daughter. What Ms. Fontaine gives us is an enigma who cares for nothing.
While one is never sure of the motives of Roy Thompson, Jonathan Wilson (Shepperd Strudwick) and Bob Hale (Arthur Franz) are portrayed as lawyers who are honorable. The discussions between Hale and Thompson in particular, are fascinating, and display Bob's ethics in contrast with Roy's ambitions. This was director Fritz Lang's final film in America (TCM article). In fact, film editor Gene Fowler, Jr. put the film together with Lang's instructions - the director had already left the country. The director of M (1931) and Fury (1936) would make three more films in Germany; after which he essentially retired. Upon retirement, he returned to Los Angeles, where he died in 1976, at the age of 85.
Before Bert Friedlob acquired the script, Ida Lupino had intended it as a vehicle for herself, Howard Duff and Joseph Cotton (AFI Catalog). Unfortunately, the film didn't do well on release and received mixed reviews. Variety called it a "melodrama [that] never really jells." The New York Timesreview by Bosley Crowther, however, praised the "forceful" Mr. Andrews and said that "this a fairly intriguing and brain-teasing mystery film."
In recent years, the film has been discussed in a more positive light, as is demonstrated by these articles in Cineast and The Guardian. It was remade in 2009 with Michael Douglas as the prosecutor. We'll leave you with a trailer from the film. Try to avoid spoilers before you view this movie. You'll appreciate the surprise.
On a recent trip to New York City, I was able to catch a screening of a documentary. Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity (2015) was directed by Roger C. Memos, and is a tribute to Ms. Hunt (who turned 101 October 2018) both as an actress and an activist. With interviews of colleagues, friends, and admirers, this film is a must-see for classic film aficionados, as well as individuals who work to make the world a better place. Marsha Hunt was born in Chicago in 1917, and her family moved to New York City when she was a small child. After graduating from high school (Horace Mann in the Bronx), she had decided to pursue an acting career (Her family wanted her to attend college, but she felt it was a waste of time - she couldn't take any theatre courses until she was in her third year). Ms. Hunt started as a model; by 1935 she had signed an acting contract with Paramount Studios, where she was immediately cast in romantic lead roles. She grew bored with those kinds of parts, and asked Paramount for more character-driven stories. Paramount was not sympathetic; by 1938 she was no longer with the studio. She later signed with MGM, where among other roles, she appeared as Mary in Pride and Prejudice (1940).
Ms. Hunt discussed her disillusioning experience in auditioning for the role of Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind (1939). Assured by David O. Selznick that he had "found his Melanie" after her audition, the following day the trades announced the casting of Olivia de Havilland. She also talked about her favorite part, the film that is often called the first movie to speak of the Holocaust, None Shall Escape (1944). Ms. Hunt recently discussed the film at the 2018 TCM Film Festival. When the writers who would eventually be tagged the Unfriendly Ten were summoned to appear before Congress, Ms Hunt was part of the contingent - The Committee for the First Amendment - that traveled to Washington DC to stand in solidarity with them. As a result (and despite years of war-related work during World War II), Ms. Hunt was eventually blacklisted. During this period, she began appearing on Broadway, ultimately appearing in six plays between 1948 and 1967. She also began working as an activist - first as a protege of Eleanor Roosevelt in support of the United Nations. Even today, at age 101, she continues to advocate in causes centered around homelessness, mental health, and hunger.
I felt privileged to be able to see this excellent film. Mr. Memos is still working to get venues to show it, and it should be seen, along with Ms. Hunt's wonderful films. We've discussed her in our comments on Lost Angel and Blossoms in the Dust, and hope to view more of her work. If you know of a venue that would be able to view the documentary, do contact Mr. Memos. A review of the film is available in the Los Angeles Times. Should you be able to catch a screening, please go - you're in store for a wonderful and enlightening experience.
Senator Sam Foley has died suddenly, and the governor of his state, Hubert "Happy" Hopper (Guy Kibbee) is tasked with naming a successor. The Governor is ordered by local boss Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold) to name one of his flunkies, but the citizenry rebel at the appointment of this yes man. The Governor's children campaign for the appointment of local Boy Ranger leader Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), a naive young man who Mr. Taylor finally agrees is the perfect solution. With no political background, Smith will be easily led by Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains) to vote according to Taylor's wishes. And so, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). This outstanding film was included as this month's contribution to the TCM Presents series. Originally conceived as a follow-up to Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, the film changed titles and actors when Gary Cooper proved to be unavailable. (AFI Catalog) James Stewart brings the needed innocence and gravitas to the role in his second film with Frank Capra and Jean Arthur (they had worked together the previous year on You Can't Take it With You). One problem with Frank Capra films is that he doesn't always know how to end them. It's a big issue with Meet John Doe (1941); it's a smaller issue here. Mr. Capra does seem to back his character into a corner, and then create a deus ex machina to pull him out of his problem. However, in this film the director does set up hints that Claude Rains will be both the problem and the solution to that problem.
Mr. Rains is, of course, excellent as The Silver Knight, the senior senator from Smith's unnamed state. Best friends with Smith's father (a crusading newspaperman who was murdered after he wrote editorials against a mining syndicate), Paine has been in the pay of Jim Taylor for years. But Senator Paine remembers the ideals that brought him to law and to politics. As Mr. Rains looks at Smith, we see his yearning for the purity that he had when he worked with Smith senior. A favorite villain for Mr. Capra is Edward Arnold. Mr. Arnold is able to be both affable and menacing at the same time. He helps us to understand why a respectable man like Senator Paine would fall into his clutches. He also has looming presence that gives the viewer pause - we know he is capable of any dastardly act to get what he wants. A stage actor at the beginning: between 1919 and 1933, he appeared in 13 Broadway plays, Mr. Arnold started his film career during the silent era. With his booming voice (and wonderful laugh) he was a natural for talkies, and appeared as the leading man in such films as The Toast of New York (1937) (he was billed ABOVE Cary Grant) and Diamond Jim (1935). Listed on the notorious "Box Office Poison" list, Mr. Arnold segued into more character parts, like Anthony P. Kirby, Sr. (James Stewart's father) in Capra's You Can't Take it With You (1938). Though he identified as a conservative Republican (and even ran for Los Angeles County Supervisor - he lost), he served as President of Screen Actors Guild, and was vocal in his opposition to the blacklisting of his colleagues during the HUAC era. Married three times, and divorced twice (he had three children with his first wife), Mr. Arnold died of cerebral hemorrhage in 1956 at the age of 66. His turn as Olivia de Havilland's father in The Ambassador's Daughter was released just after his death.
Jean Arthur (Clarissa Saunders) is picture perfect as the tough as nails assistant, who is sick and tired of the dishonest nature of politics. She's seen Taylor's influence on his state for too long, and is convinced that Jeff Smith is either an idiot or a stooge. When she finds he is a man of ideals, she becomes his staunchest ally. She is ALSO the smartest person in the film. She knows the rules of the Senate by heart, she understands the workings of the government, and she knows the people who work on the Hill. It's hard to imagine anyone other than Ms. Arthur giving Saunders such range. The film is also blessed with a bevy of magnificent character actors: Thomas Mitchell (Diz Moore), Eugene Pallette (Chick McGann), Capra favorite Charles Lane (Nosey), Ruth Donnelly (Mrs. Emma Hopper), Astrid Allwyn (Susan Paine), and H. B. Warner (Senate majority leader). But leading this group are the always wonderful
Beulah Bondi (Ma Smith) and Harry Carey (President of the Senate).
Though their parts are small, you remember then. One only regrets that
they are not on the screen for longer. Ms. Bondi would end up playing James Stewart's mother a total of five times (TCM article). This was the third outing in that role.
The film proved to be quite popular, though initially it was reviled by many U.S. Senators and by the Washington Press Corps. (WAMU article). Senate Majority Leader Alben Barkley described the film as "silly and stupid," adding that it made the Senate look like "a bunch of crooks." (U.S. Senate article). The film was also banned in Germany and Italy (they didn't like the fact that the film was about a democratic government, even a government that was having problems); however it did well in England, France (prior to the German invasion) and in the United States. Despite the jabs at journalists, the New York Times review was glowing, calling it "is one of the best shows of the year. "
The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences obviously agreed; it was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Picture, Actor (for James Stewart), Supporting Actor (for both Harry Carey and Claude Rains), Director, Art Direction, Film Editing, Film Scoring, Sound Recording, and Original story (for which it won it's only Oscar). But, in 1939 the competition was fierce, and the juggernaut called Gone with the Wind pretty much swept the awards (winning 9 of the 14 for which it was nominated). Among the other Picture nominees were Dark Victory, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Ninotchka, Stagecoach, Wuthering Heights, and The Wizard of Oz!
