Kay Loves a Thief

The Amateur Cracksman has struck again, and the police are baffled. Despite his success as a thief, A. J. Raffles  (Ronald Colman) is giving up his life of crime for Gwen (Kay Francis), the woman he loves. But that is before he discovers his best friend, Bunny (Bramwell Fletcher) is deeply in debt. To save his friend, Raffles (1930) decides to pull one more job - steal the diamond necklace belonging to Lady Melrose (Alison Skipworth).

This was a fun, enjoyable movie. It's very much like the 1939 remake, if a bit more static in places (this is 1930, after all. Sound is still an infant).  Regardless, the film's creative team tries to insert some movement and action to the proceedings, which does help to make the film seem less talky.

Ronald Colman is the perfect choice for A. J. Raffles. He's charming, debonair, well spoken, and someone you can imagine scaling walls - all the things that are needed to make the audience root for him. His relationship with Bunny is just the icing on the cake - Raffles is a loyal friend.  Bunny may not deserve him - he's in debt because of gambling - but this loyalty makes Raffles even more attractive. There was no question as to who would play Raffles in this version. Mr. Colman had proved so successful with Bulldog Drummond the previous year that Sam Goldwyn rushed this film into production (TCM article).

We wanted more Kay Francis.  Gwen disappears for much of the film (as Raffles cases the premises to steal Lady Melrose's jewels), then returns towards the end.  One thing that her absence accomplishes is to make sure that it takes some time before she realizes that her fiance is actually a robber. Had she been around, we might be shaking our head at how stupid she is for not realizing his hobby (shades of Lois Lane not recognizing Superman when he is wearing glasses!) Once we see her later in the film, Gwen is pretty quick to catch onto Raffles' objective, so it was sadly expedient to not have her around for a bit.

The clever, witty script caused the original director, Harry d'Abbadie D'Arrast, to push for a comedic style. It was deemed to be too fast by producer Goldwyn for Ronald Colman - Mr. Goldwyn saw Mr. Colman as less a comic than a wit, and changed directors; though neither Mr. D'Arrast nor his successor, George Fitzmaurice was listed in the credits (AFI Catalog). By casting actors like Ms. Francis and David Torrence (Inspector McKenzie), both of whom prove to have excellent repartee with Ms. Colman, the film is smart rather than silly.

With excellent reviews, like this New York Times review which said that Mr. Colman "does well  by the part" and Ms. Francis "is also excellent," the film turned a tidy profit (The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies by Daniel Bubbeo). It isn't surprising that it would be remade in nine years with David Niven in the lead. Both films are enjoyable and well worth a viewing.

Joan Visits Germany

Art critic Carol Cabot Hoffman (Joan Bennett) is taking an extended vacation with her husband of eight years, Eric Hoffman (Francis Lederer).  Eric's father, Heinrich (Otto Kruger) needs help selling the family business, and the couple and their seven year old son, Ricky (Johnny Russell) are going to Germany to mix business with pleasure. But, when they arrive, Carol begins to wonder if The Man I Married (1940) is the same person with whom she is now living.

Joan Bennett is excellent as the wife who gradually realizes that her husband is not only having an affair with his childhood friend, Freda Heinkel (Anna Sten), but is also becoming a fervent Nazi. For the 21st Century viewer, the latter is the most hateful. But like the 1940 audience, Carol is initially less concerned about Eric's political leanings. She serves as the eyes of the audience, slowly learning about the evils of the Nazi party, primarily through her friendship with American newsman Kenneth Delane (Lloyd Nolan). It's a frightening revelation for all concerned, as Carol learns of unjust imprisonments, torture, and murder.

As the husband who is seduced into the Nazi party, Francis Lederer is impressive. It would be easy to go over the top with the part, but he doesn't fall into that trap. When Eric and Carol attend a Nazi rally, his fervor becomes apparent. Mr. Lederer does it with a Nazi salute - it's an effective and terrifying moment. George Saunders was originally considered for the role, but he was involved with another film, and was unavailable. (AFI catalog)

Francis Lederer was born in Austria. After stage and silent film work in Germany, he went to London to appear in the play Volpone. Another London production (Autumn Crocus) and a transfer of the play to Broadway (he would appear in four Broadway plays during his career) brought him to America.  As he had no desire to return to Germany - Mr. Lederer was Jewish - he stayed and became a U.S. citizen in 1939. He worked in Hollywood (in both films and television) from 1934 until 1971. His third marriage lasted for nearly 60 years, until his death in 2000 at the age of 100. The home that he helped to design is a protected Los Angeles monument (and is now a wine tasting room).

A number of supporting actors add noteworthy performances to the movie.  Lloyd Nolan only gets a little screen time, but is excellent as the reporter who tries to help Carol locate a missing academic for his brother, Dr. Hugo Gerhardt (Ludwig Stossel). Mr. Nolan serves as the audience's tour guide to Nazi Germany He has little regard for the Hitler regime; by 1940, it's not likely that the audience knew his time in Germany was about to come to an end.

Otto Kruger has a small, but effective part as Eric’s elderly father. He provides the necessary moral compass to the film - a man who lives in Germany, but is not sucked in the the reactionary politics of the Third Reich.

Anna Sten does a decent job with Freda - it's never easy to play a fanatic. If there is any problem with the character, it's that she never seems to be in love with Eric. Her seduction is intended to bring him into the party. Eric is merely another convert for the party.  

Finally, the always remarkable Maria Ouspenskaya has the small role of Frau Gerhardt, the widow of the academic Carol was asked to seek out. Ms. Ouspenskaya has only one scene in the film, but with her quiet dignity, it is not a moment you are likely to forget.

The movie was based on a short story, "Swastika" by Oscar Schisgall. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck changed some names, ostensibly to make them sound less Jewish, but using "Jude" instead of "Jew" didn't hide a whole lot. (The Moguls and the Dictators:Hollywood and the Coming of World War II by David Welky). This TCM article cites it as "one of the first aggressively anti-Nazi films made in the wake of the Invasion of Poland in September 1939."

The press for the film was good as is shown in this review from Variety.  The New York Times review by Bosley Crowther was absolutely glowing: "If we are bound to have a succession of anti-Nazi propaganda pictures...let's hope that they all may be as restrained in their emotions, as frank and factual in their reports and as generally entertaining cinematically as Twentieth Century-Fox's The Man I Married,...."  

Pressure from the German government had resulted in a name change (from I Married a Nazi); the studio underplayed the plot of the film, and didn't distribute it widely. As a result, the film is not as well known as it should be.  You may not have heard of this film before, but we suggest you seek it out. It's worth your time.

Barbara is Shopworn

Her father's sudden death forces Kitty Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) to take a job in a hamburger joint in the city.  One of her customers is David Livingston (Regis Toomey), a medical student. He and Kitty gradually fall in love, but David's snooty mother, Helen Livingston (Clara Blandick) has other plans for her son than a Shopworn (1932) girl.

This post is part of The Queen of Sass: The Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon hosted by Pale Writer. 

Shopworn is a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have a dynamic performance by Barbara Stanwyck, but other elements of the film fall into the banal.  Perhaps the key culprit is the final film itself. There are huge gaps (probably the result of censorship) (TCM article), that make the movie feel helter skelter. In the latter section of the film, we are told that six years have elapsed - it takes a while to find this out - and in the meantime, we are wondering why the sweet Kitty suddenly seems to be such a notorious woman. With almost no transitions between the major sections of the film, one finds oneself bemused by the changes. Regardless, Ms. Stanwyck makes the change easily to accept, and the audience accepts the change because of her skill. Lila Lee was initially considered for Kitty (AFI Catalog); Ms. Stanwyck evidently was sorry the part was not given to Ms. Lee. It probably didn't help that her marriage to comedian Frank Fay was starting to disintegrate. (A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True, 1907-1940 by Victoria Wilson).

The casting of Regis Toomey as Kitty's love interest is another problem. Mr. Toomey is fine as a character actor; he also was a good fit for television. He is a more intimate actor, which makes him ideal for the small screen, but opposite a dynamo like Barbara Stanwyck, he seems insignificant and unworthy of her attention. You spend most of the movie wondering what Kitty could possibly see in this momma's boy. Only when he finally stands up to Judge Forbes (Oscar Apfel) do we finally have any regard for David, but it is perhaps too little too late.

Our villains in the piece are David's nightmare of a mother, and her strongman, Judge Forbes. Given this is a pre-code film, no punishment is meted out. In the long run, we longed for the Judge to get his just deserts. There's no question Helen is a horror, but Forbes is a man of the law, and he misuses his position horribly. He's a despicable man, and the only comeuppance his gets is pitifully inadequate. A lurid trial, and the image of him being disbarred would have been a nice conclusion (but that is probably another movie).

ZaSu Pitts is adorable as Kitty's aunt and best friend, Dot. It's a small, but memorable role, and we looked forward to seeing her reappear on the screen. Her polar opposite is Clara Blandick, who creates the ultimate monster mother in Helen Livingston. It's the women who dominate in this film; but the only woman we really care about is Ms. Stanwyck's Kitty.

While the reviews for the film were not great - Variety called it "the clumsiest kind of literary hoke..." (A Life of Barbara Stanwyck, 1907-1940: Steel-True by Victoria Wilson) and Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times said "It is beyond the powers of such capable players as Barbara Stanwyck, Regis Toomey, Clara Blandick and Zassu Pitts (sic) to make their actions in this film convincing or even mildly interesting" - in the long run, the film did well at the box office (Starring Miss Barbara Stanwyck by Ella Smith). If you are a Stanwyck completest, you should watch it for her performance. 

We'll leave you with a scene in which Kitty shows her strength of character:



Be sure to visit the other posts that celebrate the Magnificent Missy at Pale Writer's The Queen of Sass: The Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon
 

Jinx Inherits a Million

Chorus girl Gloria Carroll (Jinx Falkenburg) discovers she's been left one million dollars by Herbert J. Dinwiddie, an older man with whom she had become friends. Not surprisingly, all heck breaks loose. Her boss, Ned McLane (Don Beddoe) wants her to produce a new revue; the criminals from whom Mr. Dinwiddie stole the money want it back, and the gentleman's two sisters, Annabelle (Elizabeth Patterson) and Hettie (Adele Rowland) want a piece of the action. This week, our film is Lucky Legs (1942).

A pleasant little B movie with an adequate cast (and one outstanding performance), Lucky Legs is a short (64 minutes) film with a little bit of music, several lovely young ladies, and a plot that has been done before but still manages to be amusing. The lead role is filled by Jinx Falkenburg, an unassuming actress who is reasonably pleasant as the heiress. One rather likes her portrayal of Gloria, a common-sense kind of woman who gets swept up the mania surrounding her surprise inheritance.

Ms. Falkenburg started as a model, and was the first "Miss Rheingold" in New York (Rheingold was a local beer). While her success as an actress was fleeting (she never made it beyond B pictures, though she had a cameo appearance in Cover Girl and spent a good deal of the war doing USO shows), her career after films was impressive.  In 1945, she married journalist John "Tex" McCrary. The following year, they launched a radio show Hi Jinx, followed by The Tex and Jinx Show which is credited with being the forerunner of the radio talk show. (You can hear an episode, featuring guest  star Nancy Walker here).  They branched out into television as well, with At Home and The Tex and Jinx Show.  Though the McCrary's never divorced, they did separate in 1980; however they remained close friends. Ms. Falkenburg died in 2003 (one month after her husband's death) in the hospital that she and Tex had helped to found. This opinion piece by William Safire on Jinx's career as a talk radio pioneer was published shortly after her death.

The real star of the film is the delightful Elizabeth Patterson. She sparkles as the mystery loving, Annabelle.  She's funny and upbeat, and the viewer looks forward to her scenes.  An actress with extensive credits on Broadway (26 plays between 1913 and 1954), Ms. Patterson appeared in over 100 films, including Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946) and Remember the Night (1940). She's also remembered for her role as Mrs. Tumbull on I Love Lucy. Ms. Patterson died at the age of 91, in 1966.

It's believed that the story for Lucky Legs was based on a real incident, in which millionaire William Guggenheim  willed a million dollars to four showgirls. And though the film was shot between April and October of 1942, it's notable that not one mention of World War II is made.  (AFI catalog). Regardless, it's a cute film; it might not be first on your list, but it's good fun for a night in which you want a smile.

Rita Fascinates Orson

Told in flashback, our story begins as seaman Michael O'Hara (Orson Welles) is wandering the streets of New York City and happens upon a mugging. He rescues the victim (Rita Hayworth) from her attackers and returns her safely to her hotel. The next day, he is approached by Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane), a noted defense attorney, and is asked to accept a position on Bannister's yacht. The Lady from Shanghai (1948), it seems, is his wife, Elsa. Against his better judgement, Michael accepts the job so he can get closer to the tantalizing Elsa.

The reaction to the rather odd movie was mixed. One person said, having seen it, she would not choose to view it again. It can be cumbersome viewing it. The film feels like pieces are missing, and the viewer can get lost in the convoluted plot. This is not a surprise, since director Orson Welles planned a much longer movie that was cut drastically by Columbia (TCM article). The sections that were removed were destroyed at some point, so hopes for a director's cut are likely futile. Peter Bogdanovich in his commentary on the film, is eager to shift any blame for the film's defects away from Orson Welles and onto other parties, including Rita Hayworth. Mr. Welles' history as a director and producer demonstrate that he certainly is responsible for much of the film's problems.

Welles' opening narration sets the audience up to wonder at just what exactly Elsa Bannister is up to. Rita Hayworth does not disappoint as a seemingly demure, but somewhat shady character. Her voice, her mannerisms, her eyes all signal the duplicity of Elsa. The notorious hair cut and dye job which so irked Harry Cohn also help her to create this very cunning lady.  It's been said that she asked her then-husband Welles for the part - he wanted then unknown actress Barbara Laage, (Orson Welles: The Rise and Fall of an American Genius by Charles Higham) while Ida Lupino was also under consideration at one point (AFI Catalog). Though their marriage was crumbling when she agreed to take on the part of Elsa, she may have been trying to patch up the union, or at the very least assist Welles in providing child support for their daughter, Rebecca.  Sadly, the marriage still ended in November 1947, just around the time filming ended, exacerbated by Mr. Welles infidelities (Orson Welles: A Biography by Barbara Leaming). (AMC Filmsite). At the same time, a New Yorker DVD of the Week notes that Welles' many close-ups of Mr. Hayworth are loving in their attention to her.

Glenn Anders is appropriately creepy and revolting as George Grisby. He is well matched by Everett Sloane as the sly lawyer and husband. According to Mr. Bogdanovich, Mr. Welles decided to put him on crutches because he didn't like Mr. Sloane's walk. The effect of the crutches and the odd gait that Mr. Sloane affects is disquieting.

The film was shot on location in New York, San Francisco, and Acapulco, though one of the early scenes in New York really looks like a poorly designed set (other scenes are clearly of New York). The yacht scenes were filmed aboard Errol Flynn's boat, the Zaca, and it has been said that Mr. Flynn actually appeared in the film, though no one is sure exactly where he appears (Paula's Cinema Club).

Loosely based on the novel  If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King. Welles offered to direct it if Harry Cohen would give him $50,000 so his musical production of Around the World (with music by Cole Porter) could open (the production had run out of funds just before opening night, and they need to pay for the costumes) The rights to the book were owned by William Castle, who was an associate producer on the movie. It went through a number of titles before release including Black Irish,  If I Die Before I Wake, and Take This Woman.

The reviews at the time of release were poor, as is evidenced by this New York Times review by Bosley Crowther, who said that Mr. Welles "has a strange way of marring his films with sloppiness which he seems to assume that his dazzling exhibitions of skill will camouflage." As the years progressed, the regard for the film increased, as evidenced by this Irish Times discussion from 2014 and J. Hoberman's discussion of the film in the New York Times on its blu ray release. The Lady from Shanghai was added to the National Film Registry in 2018

This is an essential film - in a recent Noir Alley, Eddie Muller called it "a cinematic bombshell" and "the most daring, sinister, alluring, and combustible... mess ever released by a major studio."  You may love it or hate it, but it's one that should be seen. We'll leave you with this trailer: