Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) works as a junior writer on the comedy series Comedy Cavalcade starring Stan "King" Kaiser (Joseph Bologna). He has a crush on K.C. Downing (Jessica Harper), but she's not interested. Benjy's life takes a dramatic change when a guest star on the show has to be minded, Benjy is required to keep an eye on Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), an actor famed for his swashbuckling roles, and his deep regard for alcohol and women. Benjy spends the next several days trying to keep Swann sober and out of trouble, while being tutored by Swann about life and love. This week, we'll discuss My Favorite Year (1982). Allegedly based on Errol Flynn's appearance on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, this is a film chock-full of wonderful performances. However, the film rises and falls on Peter O'Toole, who he is wonderful as the conflicted actor. He
manages to give the character just the right amount of pathos (his lack
of interaction with his young daughter is a source of embarrassment and
regret to him), but never wallows in it. Albert Finney was also considered for the part (AFI catalog).
This was Mr. O'Toole's seventh
(of eight) Oscar nominations (he lost to Ben Kingsley in Gandhi).
I suspect even Mr. O'Toole didn't expect to win this one - despite the
fact that "dying is easy, comedy is hard" (attributed to Edmund Kean on
his deathbed and repeated by Alan Swann), actors just don't win for
comedies (TCM article). The role for which he should have won - T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia (you can see him discussing the film in this TCM commentary) - was released in the wrong year. Mr. O'Toole lost to Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (and it's hard to argue that selection). That he lost the Golden Man to Cliff Robertson (for Charly) the same year his co-star, Katharine Hepburn, won for The Lion in Winter, is doubly sad. He was enthralling as King Henry II, a role for which he'd been nominated four years earlier in Becket. Ultimately, the Academy tried to make up for his record of most nominations by an actor without a win (Entertainment Weekly) by awarding him an honorary Oscar in 2002. You can see him accepting the Award here,
(and let me just add how furious I am that the Academy no longer gives
due credit to the Honorary Award winners, relegating them to a separate
ceremony and allowing them no opportunity to share their win - usually
one long overdue - with their fans and colleagues). Robert Osborne provides a very lovely overview of Mr. O'Toole's impressive here in this video which introduces an interview at the TCM film festival.
The film boasts an amazing ensemble of character actors. Selma Diamond as Lil, the costume designer is a beyond funny, especially in her one scene with Mr. O'Toole (in which they discuss his presence in a Ladies Room. Her reaction to him is spot on). Ms. Diamond had been a comedy writer on Your Show of Shows and was the inspiration for Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show (Jewish Women's Archive). While one spends a lot of time shaking one's head (and laughing) at Belle Steinberg Carroca (Lainie Kazan), it's clear that Alan Swann admires her honesty. They clearly like one another, and Swann is both impressed and humbled when Belle scolds him for avoiding his child. Ms. Kazan is over-the-top, as is Belle, so it works. Many of the other characters are based on real people: Rookie Carroca (Ramon Sison) was based on a Filipino sailor that lived in Mr. Brooks Brooklyn neighborhood; Herb Lee (Basil Hoffman) resembled Neil Simon, a writer on Your Show of Shows; Benjy Stone is a combination of Mr. Brooks and Woody Allen; Boss Karl Rojeck (Cameron Mitchell) was Jimmy Hoffa (Mr. Brooks personally asked Mr. Mitchell to do the part while both were eating lunch at the MGM commissary); and of course, King Kaiser (the always excellent Joe Bologna) was Sid Caesar, The King of Comedy!
Make sure you take a look at the actress who dances with Alan Swann in the Stork Club - that's Gloria Stuart, 15 years before her Oscar-nominated performance in Titanic. Adoph Green - the songwriter with partner Betty Comden of musicals like Bells are Ringing and Wonderful Town - appears as producer Leo Silver (based on Your Show of Shows producer Max Liebman). Mr. Green was himself nominated for two Oscars - screenwriting for The Band Wagon and It's Always Fair Weather. So, was this really based on Errol Flynn's appearance on the Sid Caesar variety show? Two opinions seem to exist. According to this Los Angeles Timesarticle, Flynn's appearance on the show was uneventful, and the writers had little interaction with him. However, in 1997, Brooks stated that "I was locked in the Waldorf Towers with Errol Flynn and two red-headed Cuban sisters" and that Flynn kept trying to get the 20 year old Brooks drunk (The Baltimore Sun; Ben Mankiewicz intro). Which is true? Who knows.
I was looking forward to viewing this film with my group; it's a
favorite of mine, and I was expecting they would all like it. I was
wrong. One person disliked it; one said it was okay, but no more than
that. The other members really enjoyed it. It did do well on release - the opening weekend, it earned over $2 million. The New York Timesreview was quite positive. The story was remounted as a Broadway musical (with Lainie Kazan reprising her role) which didn't do particularly well - it only ran for 45 performances. Here is a trailer from the film and a suggestion to visit the films of the always impressive Peter O'Toole:
It's England, 1940. Robert Wilson (Robert Donat) has volunteered for service in the Royal Navy. He'll be leaving his wife Catherine (Deborah Kerr) behind and he worries that she'll not be able to care for herself. Catherine seems to have a perpetual cold, and without her husband's income will have to struggle to get by. Once onboard ship, Robert is shocked when he learns that Catherine has joined the Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service). In the three years that they are separated, the Wilsons mature - and begin to wonder if this Vacation from Marriage (1945) should be a permanent one. Filmed during the war (TCM article), this movie paints a picture of the results of war-related separation on a marriage. We'll see something similar in America in 1946, with The Best Years of Our Lives, where we are introduced to the three couples whose relationships have been altered by years of division, and the requisite responsibilities that the parties need to assume. In Vacation from Marriage, we are introduced to one couple whose marriage is already troubled before the war. Being independent and forced to face a world turned upside down, the two are forced to grow. But neither is aware that the other has matured as well. Thus, any reunion is going to result in a horrible tension for individuals who are no longer the persons they once were. Quite frankly, the Wilsons are initially dull and uninteresting. To quote Henry David Thoreau, they "live lives of quiet desperation." Robert hates his boring office job; his stomach is an ongoing problem, requiring bland foods. Catherine, a stay-at-home wife, is always sick; at the same time, she lives her life to please her husband - her constant reply to change is that "Robert wouldn't like it." Four years of marriage has made them into ghosts who go through life on autopilot. Whatever love they felt for one another has deteriorated into a routine of sameness. They are together because they are used to being together.
It's likely that Catherine joins the Wrens merely from financial necessity, but she finds a purpose in the work that she assumes. Deborah Kerr is almost unrecognizable in the early scenes, so plainly is she made up. Ms. Kerr is able to make the gradual changes to Catherine very believable. It is obvious that, by contributing to the war effort, Catherine begins to find the self-worth that she lost as a housewife. And she quickly realizes that she cannot go back to the life - and the man - she left behind. Similarly, Robert Donat goes from milquetoast to assertive seaman as he too finds his wings. Like Ms. Kerr, he shows the steady growth of the character; the communication with his wife in the three years they are apart are sent to the woman he left behind. Neither reveals anything about their new lives to the other, creating a disconnect. Then again, how do you tell your spouse by mail that you've become someone else?
There is a grittiness to the story: it's very dark because most of the the scenes are at night. Even when they go into pubs or nightclubs, they are dimly lit; it accentuates the danger inherent in the wartime atmosphere - the night is the time of the bombings that are devastating London. Our one breath of fresh air to the sorrow we feel for the Wilsons is Glynis Johns as Catherine's new friend, Dizzy Clayton. Dizzy is funny and upbeat. Ms. Johns is excellent as someone who (in spite of the fact that her fiance is also overseas) brings humor to the character. Dizzy may be changing as well with her new responsibility, but as a person, she tries to maintain her humanity; you know that she and her fiance will have a future together after the war's end.
In the US, an introduction was added, with an uncredited Peter Lawford
providing the narration. The film also marks the first (uncredited) role
for Roger Moore as a soldier. The movie is based on a story by Clemence Dane (who also wrote A Bill of Divorcement). Ms. Dane won an Oscar for original story.
Filmed primarily in London (AFI Catalog) (where it was called Perfect Strangers), it did well there, though it was not really successful in the U.S.. Reviews here were very mixed. For example, the New York Timesreview
was quite complimentary, admiring the leads and the supporting players
alike in a story they called an "oft-told tale ...[told] easily and well,"
while Variety's review was scathing. We'll leave you with a clip of the not-so-happy couple parting for their various war work, and a suggestion that you give this one a viewing:
Jerry Young (Fredric March) is an American flyer during World War I. Stationed in England with his colleagues Mike Richards (Jack Oakie) and Henry Crocker (Cary Grant), the team is eager to get to France and see some action. But when they get their orders,Young finds that the emotional and physical toll is more than he counted on. Our film this week is The Eagle and the Hawk (1933). This is not a film for the faint at heart. It's tough-minded and there is nothing uplifting about it. Every second of it is a condemnation of war and its barbarity. It's also well-paced and to the point - in a brief 73 minutes we learn all we need to know about the life of this flyer squadron in general and about Jerry Young in particular. Fredric March is excellent as a man who is much too good at his job, and who is tormented by the demons of those who he has killed or have died with him. Early in the film, he is devil-may-care - excited to begin fighting the good fight, as he sees it. But, much like the men in The Way to the Stars (1945), that eagerness doesn't last long, and in Jerry's case, gives way to horror and despair. One scene that is especially striking occurs late in the film. Jerry is on R&R, and is attending a dinner party in the home of a wealthy family. After being bombarded by congratulations on his kill record and on his bravery, he attempts to leave. However, more is in store - the wife of the family brings down her small son, a lad of about 8 who wants to know all about the war. "Don't you like to kill the enemy" "What do they look like when they fall? Are they on fire? Do they explode with a great, big bang?" the eager child inquires. The look of revulsion on March's face tells us all we need to know of the agony he is experiencing.
This is a very early effort in Cary Grant's career, and so the character we get is very different than the actor we are used to from his later films. Henry can come across as petulant at times, but Grant is able to demonstrate Crocker's resentment and anger at what he feels is a bias on Jerry's part. Crocker is NOT an attractive character - in one scene, we watch as he shoots at an enemy pilot who has parachuted from a disabled plane. At the same time, it's hard to argue with his rationale - a dead man is not going to kill either Crocker or his colleagues. In the end, we appreciate the grudging respect that Jerry and Henry have for one another; but where Henry feels that morals have no place in war, Jerry cannot disassociate from his ethical code, no matter the cost. Mr. Grant was not originally cast in the part - it was intended for Gary Cooper, who had to bow out due to conflicts (AFI catalog).
Carole Lombard had already appeared in 37 silent and sound films, including The Racketeer and No More Orchids, both starring roles. Her work here is very short - she is only in about two scene, both towards the end of the movie. Regardless, the scenes are crucial in better understanding Jerry Young. Ms. Lombard's character doesn't even have a name - she is billed as The Beautiful Lady - however you will remember her after the film ends. Importantly, these are not the start of a romance, rather, it is a woman who comprehends far too well what this soldier is going through, and who seeks a way to relieve his pain, albeit temporarily. Ms. Lombard had hoped for more to do in the film; alas it was not to be (TCM article). The next year, she would finally get the opportunity to show her comedic chops in Twentieth Century; her real breakthrough was in My Man Godfrey in 1936. Jack Oakie spent much of his career in comedies; while Mike gets the humorous lines, his part is in no way comedic. None of us were particularly fans of Mr. Oakie, but he's very good in this role. It is perhaps the kind of part he should have had more of an opportunity to perform.
Most of the reviews were positive: The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and the Pre-code.com blog all expressed their regard for the film. Only Variety logged complaints. We wondered if this film might have had an impact on the pacifism that kept the U.S. out of World War II until 1942. It certainly is a film that makes demonstrates the pointlessness of war. We'll leave you with this scene, in which you'll see both Mr. March and Mr. Grant.
When steel magnate Arthur Parker (Robert McWade) brings his steel boss to his home for dinner, his wife, Henrietta (Florence Roberts) is insulted, and his daugher, Dorothea (Dorothy Mackaill) is amused; both expect an unkempt worker who will slurp his soup. But Dot is rapidly converted when she meets Richard Brunton (Joel McCrea); she almost immediately decides to marry him. But there is a problem; Dick is poor and is decidedly opposed to Kept Husbands (1931). This is not a great movie, but it has some nice moments, thanks to its strong cast. Dorothy Mackaill does a good job of portraying a selfish, greedy brat of a girl, who is more interested in her own satisfaction than in the needs of anyone else, including her husband. There are times that it is hard to believe that Dot truly loves Dick, though Ms. Mackaill makes it quite clear that Dot is definitely in lust for the hunky steel boss. She plays Dot as thoroughly spoiled, and quite used to getting her own way by any means possible. Watching Ms. Mackaill summon up phony tears to play on Mr. McCrea's emotions is a pleasure; her delivery is perfect. Also amusing is the wedding night scene (remember, this is a pre-code film!)
Joel McCrea is excellent as Dick. He's a man with ambitions, who knows that wealth comes from being productive, and he is willing to pay his dues to reach the top. He genuinely loves Dot, but is thrown by the contradictions of this woman who claims to love him, but is unwilling to let him be anything but her lapdog. It's interesting that Dot falls in love with a man much like her father (who states that he is "the only one in this family that works") but then tries to change that husband into a layabout. When the final confrontation happens, you want him to stand his ground. We favorably compared Dick to Gene Raymond's character in The Bride Walks Out - Dot's wealth is not the sticking point. It is her insistence that he abrogate his career and dreams, and become a parasite on her and her father that is the issue. (We would argue with this TCM article that the film is less about taking down the heiress than showing that hard work is important, whether you are wealthy or not).
There
are several noteworthy supporting actors in this film. Ned Sparks as
Hughie is amusing at times, but after a while becomes an annoyance. We
liked Mary Carr as Dick's mother, Mrs. Brunton. She's sweet (though by
the end, she is a bit too oblivious to what is going on with her son and
daughter-in-law). Ms. Carr had a lengthy career during the silent era
(unfortunately, many of those films are currently lost). She worked from
the beginning of sound (1928) through 1956 (when she played a Quaker
woman in Friendly Persuasion).
Five of her children with silent film director William Carr went on to
show business careers (son Thomas was a prolific film and television
director). When Ms. Carr found herself nearly destitute after silent
films ended, her friends in the film industry found her jobs. She died
at the age of 99, in 1973.
Clara Kimball Young (Mrs. Lucille Post) returned to film after a six-year absence with this, her first talkie (AFI catalog). She had her own company during the silent era (Women Film Pioneers Project), though there was involvement on the part of her husband, James Young, and her lovers Lewis J. Selznick and Harrry A. Garson (her eventual ex-husband would attack Mr. Garson with a knife in 1917). After this film, she primarily appeared in westerns, and in 1956, she was a correspondent for the Johnny Carson's first television show. She died in 1960, at the age of 70. In the end, we did enjoy this film. It's not the best film that either Joel McCrea or Dorothy Mackaill ever made, but it's interesting - with the caveat that you may want to throttle Dot or her mother at various points in your viewing. At 70 minutes, it's worth a look if you are interested in pre-code films or in seeing silent stars like Clara Kimball Young and Mary Carr. (By the way, it lapsed into the Public Domain and is available for viewing on the Internet Archive).
