Anne Gets a Flower

Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) is deeply in love with her fiance, George, a soldier serving in Korea. After a long silence, she receives a letter from him; she decides to save it so that she can open it on her birthday evening. Sitting alone in her apartment, a glass of champagne in her hand, she reads the letter to discover George has met someone else and is breaking his engagement to Norah. The telephone rings; a devastated Norah answers it. The caller, Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) assumes Nora is her roommate, Crystal Carpenter (Ann Sothern). Harry, an artist who has been working in her office, invites Noar to dinner at The Blue Gardenia (1953) and hangs up. Norah decides she will keep the date, with shocking results.

Welcome to the world of Film Noir and our contribution to The Noirathon, a chance visit other blogs and read about some of the amazing - and oft ignored - films noir.  Our contribution is  a well-paced film with just the right number of twists and very little fluff - The Blue Gardenia, a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging mystery. It has an excellent cast, with strong performances from Raymond Burr, Anne Baxter, and Ann Sothern. Director Fritz Lang and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca create an almost claustrophobic atmosphere, with much of the film shot indoors or at night (TCM article).

Allegedly, Margaret Sullavan had originally been approached for the role that went to Anne Baxter (Wikipedia). Ms. Baxter is convincing as a woman plagued by guilt for a crime that she doesn't remember committing. Her scenes with roommates Jeff Donnell (Sally Ellis) and especially Ann Sothern, add to our understanding of the character. Equally engaging are her interactions with Raymond Burr - she suffered a torn ligament in their fight scene (AFI Catalog) and the intensity of their battle translates to the screen. Ms. Baxter had already won an Oscar for her performance as Sophie in The Razor's Edge (1947), and been nominated for her role as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950). Though she moved to Australia for four years, following her second marriage to Randolph Galt (The Washington Post), she continued to work in film, television, and on Broadway until her death in 1986. [She wrote about her time in Australia in Intermission: A True Story.]  

Prior to Perry Mason, Raymond Burr was best known as a villain, and he doesn't disappoint in this film. Harry Prebble is a serial rapist, pure and simple. He could be just a stock bad guy, but Mr. Burr manages to make him interesting. You don't, by any means, root for him. However, you grasp why women might succumb to his date requests, despite his reputation as a Lothario.  Partly, it's his work as an artist; with many men aware in Korea, his competition is also diminished. But, it's mostly Mr. Burr's skill as an actor, talents he would get to really demonstrate on television. Like Ms. Baxter, Mr. Burr also worked up until his death, primarily in a series of Perry Mason movies that were hugely popular - and reunited him with his good friend, Barbara Hale. He'd spend much of his off-screen time raising orchids, one of which is named after Ms. Hale, with his life-partner, Robert Benevides. He died of liver cancer in 1993.

Ann Sothern is an actress who rarely missteps, and she is in top form in this film. She wisecracks, she teases, but she is a support to her friend in a time of need. It's rather a shame that she is so often a supporting player, rather than the lead, but it's also true that Crystal gets the best lines in the script, like " Honey, if a girl killed every man who got fresh with her, how much of the male population do you think there’d be left?"

We were not as intrigued with Richard Conte as reporter Casey Mayo. It's not all that interesting a part, and unfortunately, Mr. Conte doesn't make it more compelling. Casey is supposed to be a powerful, popular journalist, but Mr. Conte not very dynamic. He also should be more comfortable with the police, as represented by George Reeves (Captain Sam Haynes).  We wondered what would have happened if Mr. Conte and Mr. Reeves switched parts - quite frankly, Mr. Reeves is a lot sexier and stronger. As an aside, Ruth Storey, who plays Harry's former victim, Rose, was Mr. Conte's wife at this time.

The lovely title song is performed by the unforgettable Nat "King" Cole. As is often the case with African-American performers in films of the period, Mr. Cole is removed from the action - playing the piano in the Blue Gardenia nightclub. The only "interaction" he has with the cast is with Celia Lovsky (May, the blind flower vendor), who approaches the piano to place a flower on it. In venues that objected, the scene could have been eliminated. But the song could not, as it turns out to be integral to the storyline. Whether he was physically visible or not, Mr. Cole is felt throughout the film.

In his interview with Fritz Lang in Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with ... Peter Bogdanovich called the film "a particularly venomous picture of American life" Lang replied that "it was the first picture after the McCarthy business, and I had to shoot it in twenty day. Maybe that's what made me so venomous." [Lang was never called before the committee, but he did have difficulty getting work as a result of HUAC's investigations (Continental Strangers: German Exile Cinema, 1933-1951 by Gerd Gemünden)]. I'm not sure that I would call the story "venomous" but in the era of #metoo, it is a sad reminder that women have long been victimized by men, whether it is the Harry Prebbles, Casey Mayos, or Georges of the world.

Based on the short story The Gardenia by Vera Caspary (it was re-titled to capitalize on the Black Dahlia mystery of 1947),the story was reprised on the Lux Radio Theatre in November 1954, this time starring Dana Andrews and Ruth Roman.  Bosley Crowther didn't like the film in his New York Times review, calling it "routine melodrama. He also tries to ruin the film by revealing the ending, so be warned if you choose to read the review.

We heartily recommend The Blue Gardenia for your viewing pleasure. We'll end with this trailer, featuring Nat "King" Cole:

This post is part of The Noirathon

Rita Finds a Husband

His eldest daughter now married, Edwardo Acuna (Adolphe Menjou) requires - per family tradition - that his next daughter, Maria (Rita Hayworth) will be the next to wed. Maria, however, is in no hurry to tie the knot, much to the consternation of her younger, engaged sisters, Cecy (Leslie Brooks) and Lita (Adele Mara). To tempt her towards marriage, Edwardo devises a plan - he sends her love letters and orchids every day, intending that she'll pick out some local man (of whom Edwardo approves, of course) as the wooer. But when dancer Robert Davis (Fred Astaire) is unintentionally asked to deliver the day's orchids, Maria sees him and decides HE is the suitor - and she is pleased. Her father however is not. This week we're discussing You Were Never Lovelier (1942).

This is by no means a great film; as a story, it's in fact, rather lame. The plot is silly, and at times feels like the authors were trying to stretch it out to full movie length. But this is not a movie that you watch for the story - when the plot starts, you wait for the next dance routine, because they are well worth the wait.

It's been said that Fred Astaire praised Rita Hayworth as "the first natural dancer he had worked with since his sister, Adele, had retired" and his favorite screen dancing partner (Puttin' On the Ritz: Fred Astaire and the Fine Art of Panache: A Biography by Peter Levinson). Mr. Astaire was an admirer of Ms. Hayworth's father, the dancer Eduardo Cansino, but had concerns that Ms. Hayworth - at 5"7' - would be too tall a partner for him (he was 5"9') when she put on her heels (TCM article). She was also 20 years his junior. However, once they began dancing, he was convinced. She's amazing in beautiful numbers like "I'm Old-Fashioned" and novelty routines like "The Shorty George." As was usually the case, she was not permitted to do her own singing; Nan Wynn provided the vocals as she had done on other Hayworth films (Being Rita Hayworth: Labor, Identity, and Hollywood Stardom by Adrienne L. McLean). This was their second - and last - film together (the other was You'll Never Get Rich).

It's apparent that Adolphe Menjou's character is supposed to be funny, but after awhile, he is just an idiot. It's no reflection on the actor - he does what he can with the part he is given, but he's not been given all that much with which to work. His attempt to convince his daughter to marry by sending her orchids and love letters is rather creepy (it might not have been in 1942, but it is now).  When his wife, Delfina (Barbara Brown) begins to suspect that he is carrying on an affair with her best friend (Isobel Elsom as Maria Castro), it's all too much. Plus, no one is dancing in these scenes.

Gus Schilling (Fernando) was a burlesque performer who came to the attention of Orson Welles, and essentially became part of his film stock company. He would ultimately appear in five of Mr. Welles films (Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Lady from Shanghai, Macbeth and Touch of Evil). Mr. Schilling is amusing as Acuna's abused secretary, but he doesn't have a whole lot to do except be exasperated.  Similarly, the noted Latin band leader, Xavier Cugat (playing himself) has a relatively minor part - he functions as a means of getting Robert introduced to the Acuna family. Throughout his film career, Mr. Cugat would generally play himself, or an unnamed band leader. Married five times, most notably to Abbe Lane (who was one of his band singers) and to Charo (who also appeared with the band. Charo is a classically trained flamenco guitarist. Another guitarist who worked for the Cugat band was Desi Arnez), Mr. Cugat died in 1990, at the age of 90.

By the 1940s, with the War in Europe already started, Franklin Roosevelt was aware that the U.S. would probably be drawn into it. He was determined that the U.S.'s neighbors in South America not support the Axis nations, so he began a goodwill campaign that would eventually involve filmmakers like Walt Disney and Orson Welles. Latin American films became quite popular, as did performers such as Carmen Miranda. It's likely that this films setting reflects some of that interest. The original working titles of the film, Carnival in Rio and The Gay Senorita (AFI Catalog), emphasize the Latin American influences.

The New York Times review by Bosley Crowther found the film worth watching for the musical numbers, and we agree. With gowns by Irene, and choreography by Fred Astaire (and Nicanor Molinare, both of whom were uncredited), watch this for the dancing and for delightful songs like "Dearly Beloved", with music by Johnny Mercer and lyrics by Jerome Kern (the song was nominated for an Oscar). We will end with the dancing scene that we promised: "I'm Old-Fashioned" (by Mercer and Kern). Skip the plot, listen to the music and watch some really impressive dance routines by two masters.

Bette Designs

Con man Sherwood Nash (William Powell) decides to forgo financial scams in favor of fashion scams when he meets would-be designer Lynn Mason (Bette Davis). Using Lynn's talent for sketching and eye for successful dresses, Nash "borrows" dresses en route from Paris to New York design houses, and sells cheap copies ("designed" by Lynn) to low-end competitors. He then convinces the New York designers to send him to Paris to do the same for them - get the  Fashions of 1934 (1934) to them at a lower price.

Part of the AFI Silver Theatre's Library of Congress Film Preservation Showcase. Fashions of 1934 was projected with a newly restored 35mm print of this film. Like it's sister film, In Caliente, Fashions of 1934 is an excuse for elaborate musical numbers as well as stunning dresses exhibited in various fashion shows. If you've seen The Women, you are familiar with this kind of scene - lovely, period dresses, but the kind no member of the film audience would probably ever be able to afford. However, add a little Busby Berkeley magic, and you've got production numbers that you will long remember.

The biggest number involves human harps - yes, you read that right. The image below will give you just an idea of the piece. The trailer will show you another - lovely ladies with feather fans that are used to create gorgeous shapes. There's no way these routines would ever be on a stage at a fashion show, but I doubt anyone really cared.

William Powell is delightfully suave as the con man extraordinaire "Sherry" Nash. The part is reminiscent of the role he played in Jewel Robbery (1932). Even though he's unabashedly dishonest, the audience roots for him - he's just charming. He also has quite a good rapport with his two female co-stars, Bette Davis and Verree Teasdale (Grand Duchess Alix/Mabel McGuire), two very different actresses with extremely different acting styles.  With Mr. Powell there, you don't notice a change of tone.

Not surprisingly, Bette Davis was not thrilled to be in this picture. She wanted meatier parts, and this certainly was not what she was looking for. She stated that she was "all done up like a third-rate imitation of the MGM glamour queens. That isn't me. I'll never be a clothes horse or romantic symbol." (TCM article). Regardless of her discomfort with the part, she acquits herself well (though she is much better looking as a brunette). As for her desire for better parts, she would get her wish later that year, when she FINALLY was given permission to play Mildred in Of Human Bondage (1934) (The Lonely Life: An Autobiography by Bette Davis).

Verree Teasdale is amusing as Hoboken native and faux countess Alix. Ms. Teasdale started on Broadway, ultimately performing in 13 plays between 1924 and 1932; she appeared in her first film in 1929, and worked fairly steadily until 1941; thereafter, she did some radio work, often with her husband, Adolphe Menjou. Their marriage lasted from 1935 until his death in 1963 (they had one child). Ms. Teasdale died in 1987 at the age of 83.

In a part reminiscent of his character in One-Way Passage (1932),Frank McHugh plays Snap, a photographer - and con man/thief - who is Sherry's right-hand man.  Mr. McHugh makes the most of what he's got, though the part is mostly comedic.  It must be mentioned that, as intriguing as his little cane camera is, it's odd that he has to constantly hold it up to his eye to get pictures - resulting in the "secret camera" being not very secret.  There is an emphasis on this particular gimmick, and our reaction was that you'd have to be particularly stupid to not figure out what he is doing.

Several other character parts are worth mentioning - Hugh Herbert (Joe Ward) is actually not annoying in this film.  Reginald Owen (Oscar Baroque) and Henry O'Neill (Duryea) as part of the fashion industries in Paris and New York (respectively) are frankly as dishonest as Sherry and his crew.  Arthur Treacher makes a brief appearance as - what else - a butler.

Originally titled King of Fashion (AFI Catalog), this is a pleasant film with some lovely Berkeley numbers. Certainly, it is reminiscent of other films released around the same time, but with William Powell delivering the dialogue, you barely notice that it's typical.  I'll leave you with a trailer from the film (and a preview of one of the amazing dance routines.

Dolores Dances

Magazine editor Larry MacArthur (Pat O'Brien) is in way over his head. He's somehow become engaged to golddigger Clara (Glenda Farrell), he's frequently drunk, and he is making up theatre reviews because he's too drunk to remember what he saw (if he even sobered up enough to the show). His associate editor and friend, Harold Brandon (Edward Everett Horton) decides the only recourse is to pack Larry up while he's drunk, and take him on a month's vacation to Agua Caliente, Mexico. While  In Caliente (1935), Larry become smitten with Rita Gomez (Dolores Del Rio), a dancer of whom Larry (while intoxicated) gave a blistering review in the magazine.

The AFI Silver Theatre recently hosted the Library of Congress Film Preservation Showcase. In Caliente featured a newly restored 35mm print of this film. The print was gloriously beautiful, and looked as it must have done in 1935 upon release. With numbers by Busby Berkeley, this rarely seen film was a lot of fun to watch.

The plot is really a hook on which to hang some musical performances, like this number by the Dancing De Marcos (Sally and Tony, who actually didn't marry until 1944), and a performance by Ms. Del Rio. The film introduced the song "The Lady in Red", as well as featured a previously released song "She's a Latin from Manhattan". There's even a brief comic bit from Judy Canova.

Ms. Del Rio is good as the love interest. It's hard to understand why she would fall for Larry - he's drunk much of the time and he's also insulted her in print by calling her "a bag of bones."  But, the story must prevail, and love him she does. After her strong work in the silent era, Ms. Del Rio was finding it hard to get good parts (even when she got the lead a few years earlier in Flying Down to Rio, she was eclipsed by that dynamic dancing duo, Astaire and Rogers); she returned to Mexico in the 1940s (TCM article). 

Glenda Farrell  has a bit more to work with as Clara, even though it is a relatively small part.  Since it's evident that Clara wants a settlement, and Larry's drunken escapades will help her get her money, Ms. Farrell can play broadly; as always, Ms. Farrell is entertaining.

Edward Everett Horton made a career playing dolts. Harold is actually a lot smarter than many of the characters Mr. Horton gets to play. He's smart enough to get his friend away from New York in an attempt to quell his great thirst, but his protective instincts don't seem to work well for himself. He ends up in agua caliente himself because of his desire to help his friend. 

Leo Carrillo as Jose Gomez, Rita's uncle and manager is entertaining as the con man who uses his position to cheat anyone who will play cards (or anything else) with him. He's got a lot more screen time than Ms. Farrell, but like her, he plays the part broadly to good comic effect. 

Originally titled just Caliente (AFI Catalog), the film at one point was supposed to feature Rita Cansino (Rita Hayworth) in one of the numbers; she was eliminated from the final cut.

This is not a film that is in any way deep, but it was a lot of fun. We'll leave you with a trailer from the film.

Jeanne Finds an Apartment

Peggy Taylor (Jeanne Crain) has a big problem - she needs to find an apartment quickly. The people who lent her the place where she and husband Jason (William Holden) have been living are about to return. But there are issues - Jason is attending school on the G.I. Bill, their allotment is barely enough to keep their heads above water, and Peggy is pregnant. So, when it suggested that Professor Henry Barnes (Edmund Gwenn) has an attic that might be suitable, Peggy leaps at the chance to find an Apartment for Peggy (1948).

Note the billing on the posters displayed here. This is not William Holden's movie - it belongs to Jeanne Crain and she runs with it.  She does an excellent job carrying the film. She portrays Peggy as an independent woman, who speaks her mind and does what she thinks is best. She worked to support her student husband for as long as she could, and now, pregnant and forced out of the workplace (pregnant women were routinely fired - it wasn't considered seemly for a woman who was showing to be out in public, according to employers), she works to keep her husband from losing his drive.  Peggy is a character who thinks ahead and outside the box; she hides nothing, not even her pregnancy (which, before 1948, would have been the norm for films). The result is the audience roots for her. (TCM article)

It helps that she has the always wonderful Edmund Gwenn to bounce off. The previous year, Mr. Gwenn had appeared in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as Kris Kringle. Like that film, Apartment for Peggy was written and directed by George Seaton, but the character Mr. Seaton created for Mr. Gwenn in this film is far different. Professor Barnes is done with life - he's lost his wife, his son (who died in the war), his job (forcibly retired due to his age), and he is about to finish his book. He feels he has nothing to live for, and that his presence on Earth merely uses valuable resources to no purpose. Yet, Mr. Gwenn plays him as facing death matter-of-factly. He is not self-pitying; he is simply finished. The arrival of Peggy shows him that his life's work is not over.

Though not a war movie per se, like The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), the war is a key focus of this film. Prof. Barnes lost his son to a war, Jason still has nightmares about the friends he lost when his ship was sunk and he survived on a raft. The women, too, are victims of the war; their men have changed, and now their ability to get an advanced degree through the GI Bill is widening the gap further. 

Peggy obviously worries that she - like her friend Ruth (Marion Marshall) will find her husband straying as the distance in their educational levels increase. So, she arranges for the wives to be tutored. The women eagerly drink in the lectures. They have sharp minds, and only need help in creating a path for their learning. These are not dependents - these are equal partners to their husbands.

I loved that the women arrived with their knitting - and that it is clear that their busy hands increase their ability to listen to the lecture. As a knitter myself, I appreciate it when films show that knitting increases attention; it's a concept that is hard to get across to the non-knitter.

Lee J. Cobb was scheduled to appear as Dr. Philip Conway, the part that eventually went to Griff Barnett. (AFI catalog). Mr. Barnett is fun as the doctor who is trying to prevent his friend from committing suicide, and who is supervising Peggy's obstetrical care.  Gene Lockhart is memorable as Professor Barnes' best friend, Professor Edward Bell.  

Also in the cast is the always enjoyable Charles Lane as Professor Collins, Jason's chemistry teacher.  Mr. Lane had a career that started with uncredited performances in 1930 and continued in film and television until 1995. A founding member of the Screen Actor's Guild, Mr. Lane was married for 70 years to his wife Ruth Covell; they had two children. Mr. Lane died in 2007 at the age of 102.

The New York Times review by Bosley Crowther was glowing - he called it "one of the best comedies of the year" and "a delightful and thoroughly heartening estimation of the capacities of modern youth." The review from Variety was also positive.

The story (which was originally titled  Apartment for Suzie) was used for four radio broadcasts. Lux Radio Theatre, aired it on 28 February 1949 with Jeanne Crain, William Holden, Edmund Gwenn, and again on 4 December 1950 with Ms. Crain and William Lundigan. Versions were also broadcast on the Screen Directors' Playhouse (again with Jeanne Crain) on 2 September 1949 and on 31 May 1951 as part of the Screen Guild Players.

We'll close with the scene in which Peggy tries to rent an apartment from Professor Barnes.  Do give this delighful film a viewing!