Jane is Kidnapped

Laurel Stevens (Jane Russell) is a successful actress with a new film being released - The Kidnapped Bride. She's a tough negotiator, who is careful to protect her career and image, and who uses her power to make sure her studio also protects them. Having successfully brokered several concessions for the release of the picture, she leaves for the premiere, only to find that her driver is, in fact, a kidnapper.  Driven to a beach-side bungalow and handed The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957), Laurel tries to find a way out.

It's unfortunate that this effort at filmmaking is not really successful. It has a decent premise, and a number of good actors, but nothing really gels. It's not that the movie is bad - it has some good moments and presentable performances, but in the long run, the film sinks because of a poorly designed script.

Jane Russell does her best with what she's given. Laurel is a strong woman, who sees her career as the most important thing in her life. She's smart and she is determined, so it is hard to understand why she would fall for someone like Mike Valla (Ralph Meeker). He strikes her, and he has forcibly removed her from her home.  Part of the problem is that the years have made some aspects of the film distasteful - Laurel is hit a several times; when she hits back, it's set up as being amusing. Quite honestly, there is nothing amusing about her predicament.

None of our group are particular fans of Ralph Meeker, and we didn't find that there was any chemistry between him and Ms. Russell. He's not bad, but he is much more convincing in menacing mode (like in Jeopardy) than in as the romantic lead.  Ms. Russell very much wanted Dean Martin to appear as Mike, but director Norman Taurog selected Mr. Meeker after Ray Danton was released from the film (Flashes from Filmland, January 12, 1957 by Erskine Johnson) - it was decided that Mr. Danton looked much too young to be romancing Ms. Russell.

The interactions between Laurel and Mike's best friend Dandy (Keenan Wynn) are far more engaging. There seems to be real affection between the two, and Dandy is a more likeable character than Mike. The son and grandson of actors (Ed Wynn and Frank Keenan, respectively), Mr. Wynn spent his film career as a second banana, with a body of work in some outstanding films: The Hucksters (1947), B.F.'s Daughter (1948), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), and Dr. Strangelove (1964) are just a few examples. He'd started on Broadway (he appeared in 9 plays between 1935 and 1943); worked in radio, and eventually segued into television - he took over the role of Digger Barnes in Dallas when David Wayne's other commitments forced him to leave the role. Mr. Wynn was married three times. His first marriage, to Evie Lynn Abbott ended in divorce (the next day Ms. Abbott married Mr. Wynn's best friend, Van Johnson. She would later state that she was forced to marry Mr. Johnson to protect Mr. Wynn's career (The Independent)). His third marriage to Sharley Hudson lasted from 1954 until his death of pancreatic cancer in 1986. 

There are some other good character actors in the cast, who make the most of what screen-time they have. Fred Clark  (Sgt. Ed McBride) is convincing as a police officer trying to make amends to Mike Valla for wrongly imprisoning him.  Una Merkel  (Bertha) gives a nice turn as Laurel's assistant, confidant, and best friend.  Adolphe Menjou (Arthur Martin), however, is quite over-the-top as the studio head. 

Ms. Russell and her husband Bob Waterfield purchased the novel on which the script is based for Russ-Field, their production company (AFI catalog). The novel by Sylvia Tate was based on the alleged kidnapping of actress Marie McDonald (TCM article). Though Ms. MacDonald was found battered on a desert road in California, police and her ex-husband Harry Karl (who would later marry Debbie Reynolds and ruin her financially) believed the kidnapping was faked to garner Ms. MacDonald some publicity (Pulp International).  The truth of the story was never proved or disproved.

The New York Times review was dismissive, and we have to agree with it. Even at 87 minutes the film seems long. It's not a bad film, it just is a very mixed-up one.  It seems like the writers wanted to write a romance, but then decided it should be a comedy - neither holds for very long.  You wait for hi-jinx you never get; or for a real romance that never quite materializes.  We'll leave you with this trailer:

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.

Clark's in Advertising

Victor Albee Norman (Clark Gable) has just returned to New York City after several years service in the military during World War II. Vic is determined to make up for lost time by getting a job in advertising; but not just any job. He wants a high-paying one. He approaches "Kim" Kimberly (Adolphe Menjou) about employ in his agency, but Kimberly is skeptical. He has a problem client, Evan Llewellyn Evans (Sydney Greenstreet) who takes up much of the firm's time, and the only hiring he might do would be someone that would placate the troublesome Mr. Evans. Vic is quite certain he is that man as he enters the world of The Hucksters (1947)

Having served as an officer in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Clark Gable returned to MGM to appear with Greer Garson in the film Adventure (1945). Advertised with the tag line "Gable's back and Garson's got him", the film proved a disappointment to all. Seemingly, there was little chemistry between the pair. It took two years for MGM to pair Mr. Gable with neophyte Deborah Kerr (Kay Dorrance) ("It rhymes with Star!" said MGM's publicity department), and it doesn't hurt that Mr. Gable also had the superb Ava Gardner (Jean Ogilvie) to bounce off of as well!  This time, MGM's investment paid off, with the film making double the studio's investment.

The Hucksters is a fascinating examination of the world of advertising. Certainly, there are times when its message seems a bit over-the-top, but by and large it paints a picture of the advertising world that would later be echoed in the film The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (1956) and in the television show Mad Men.   Based on a novel by Frederick Wakeman, the film is a much sanitized version, as Gable was unwilling to play the part as originally written, calling it "filthy and not entertainment." (AFI catalog). For example, Kay in the book was not a widow - she was very much married and Mr. Gable objected to his character having an affair with a married woman.

Even cleaned up, The Hucksters can be a strong indictment of the world of Madison Avenue. Take the character of Kim, and his drunken confession concerning his career's start. Or, the way in which Vic, who is by and large a good man, manipulates Dave Lash (Edward Arnold) to get what he wants. There is no question that life in this world results in a compromise of integrity if one is to succeed.

Though Mr. Gable was initially reluctant to star in the film, he was extremely supportive of his two co-stars once production started. He'd ask that Ms. Kerr do a screen test; obviously, once he saw it, he was more than satisfied - he had six dozen roses awaiting her in her dressing room. Ms. Kerr later stated that "He did everything possible to put me at my ease, and was a man utterly without regard for himself as a film technician, or for his status in movies." (TCM article) He was similarly supportive of Ms. Gardner, who'd had one major role the year before (she'd done a number of films, often uncredited) in The Killers. When Ms. Gardner had to perform in the night club scene (to an audience of no one - all the extras had left for the day), Mr. Gable arrived, sat down in front of her, providing her with an audience. They became fast friends, and would appear in two other films together (Lone Star (1952) and Mogambo (1953)).

Edward Arnold is excellent in the small role of Dave Lash, an agent who's client, Buddy Hare (Keenan Wynn) has caught the attention of Mr. Evans. Thanks to Gable's demand for changes to the script, the character of Dave Lash was made less charged. Mr. Wakeman's book had made much of Dave's ethnicity - his Jewish heritage was used as a club against him. Instead, the script changes Dave to a man who had had a bit of trouble in his past, but has spent his adult life trying to help children live a better life than he had. Allegedly, Wakeman built the book's character on agent Jules Stein, the founder of MCA (Freddie Callahan as portrayed by George O'Hanlon, was initially a caricature of Lew Wasserman).

A tip of the hat as well goes to the delightfully crude Evan Llewellyn Evans, as portrayed by Sydney Greenstreet. Mr. Greenstreet pulls no punches in making Evans totally reprehensible. The audience is both amused and revolted by his antics, making Vic's rebellion against him a delight to watch. Also watch for Keenan Wynn as the atrocious comic Buddy Hare. His awful routine also shows up the horrid taste of Mr. Evans.

The reviews from Variety and Life Magazine were lukewarm at best (Life said: "Opposite the ladylike Deborah, Clark Gable's mannered virility seems embarrassing - something that never happened to him alongside such tough Tessies as Joan Crawford and Jean Harlow..). Regardless, the film made a respectable profit, Ms. Kerr's career was launched, and Mr. Gable was back the following year in the impressive Command Decision.
 
We'll leave you with a scene from the movie: the introduction of Evan Llewellyn Evans and a suggestion that you look this one up.

Hayley Makes Me Glad

To celebrate National Classic Movie Day on May 16th, I'm going to break with our usual post, and contribute to the Classic Comfort Movie Blogathon, in which we'll discuss films that are sources of comfort when days are bleak. I'll be discussing Pollyanna (1960), starring Hayley Mills as the title character.

After the death of her missionary parents, Pollyanna Whittier is taken in by her Aunt Polly Harrington (Jane Wyman). Aunt Polly takes her position as the leading citizen of the town of Harrington seriously, much to the disgust of Mayor Karle Warren (Donald Crisp). The Mayor feels that Polly's domination of the town's affairs demean his role as a voted official, and eliminates citizen involvement in the workings of the town. Aunt Polly also has very decided opinions on her late sister's marriage to a man who she saw as beneath the Harrington family, and about the rearing of children. But she is not prepared for is Pollyanna, a little girl secure in her parents' love and accustomed to making lemonade out of lemons. Pollyanna brings with her a determination to be happy and to teach everyone around her "the glad game".

Over the years, the name Pollyanna has become an insult. Merriam Webster defines the word as "a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything".  Pollyanna has not had an easy life - her mother died when she was young, and she's recently lost her father. As missionaries, they were dirt poor, and couldn't even get their little daughter a doll. So, her father invented the glad game as a way to help his child appreciate what she had rather than bemoan what she lacked. Like all of us, Pollyanna gets angry, sad, and frustrated, but she tries to look for the good in people, for then (according to the medallion she has from her father), you will surely find it. 

Hayley Mills is perfect as Pollyanna; then again, I'm rather biased when it comes to Ms. Mills - I think everything she does is great. I recently had the opportunity to see her in an Off-Broadway play, and was thrilled (Party Face). She brings a sincerity to the character of Pollyanna. She's not perfect. She becomes furious at Mrs. Snow (Agnes Moorehead) whose obsession with death frustrates the child. She scolds Jimmy Bean (Kevin Corcoran) for his tree-climbing, but finally climbs trees herself. She loves her Aunt Polly, but lies about her maid Nancy's (Nancy Olson) relationship with George Dodds (James Drury). 

Several scenes have always stood out for me and cheer me when I'm down. After Pollyanna's encounter with Mr. Pendergast (Adolphe Menjou), she develops a fascination with the crystals that ornament his lamps - the rainbows they throw when held in the sunlight enchant her. So, in spite of his protestations, she begins hanging them from his window, to fill the house with rainbows - until finally he too is engrossed in the project. Another is her visit to the Reverend Paul Ford (Karl Malden), who has a fire and brimstone approach to religion (primarily at the urging of Aunt Polly). Though forbidden to talk about her father by Aunt Polly, Reverend Ford is intrigued by Reverend Whittier's beliefs, resulting in Rev. Ford's conversion to a more loving approach to God.

And of course, there is the relationship between Pollyanna and Aunt Polly - a woman who has rejected love (in for the form of Dr. Edmund Chilton, well played by Richard Egan), and is astonished by the instant love that Pollyanna lavishes on her. When Pollyanna runs to kiss her good night, Ms. Wyman's amazement sums up Aunt Polly in an instant. It's a marvelous moment.

Pollyanna's ability to try and see the glass as half-full is truly satisfying. She doesn't always succeed, but if she did, then she really would be the blissfully unaware creature of which she is frequently accused. But she's not. She's a wonderful, warm little girl who wants love (and a doll) and who has the magical ability to put a smile on your face. Don't believe me? Ask Tillie Lagerlof (Reta Shaw) or Angelica (Mary Grace Canfield). They will back me up! I'll leave you with one of my favorite scenes: Pollyanna discovers a rainbow:

Golden Boy and the Blacklist

Tom Moody (Adolphe Menjou), a fight promoter, is eager to make enough money to buy off his estranged wife and finally marry his mistress, Lorna Moon (Barbara Stanwyck). When Joe Bonaparte (William Holden) enters their lives, they think they have found their Golden Boy (1939), but there are problems. Besides being a talented fighter, Joe is a gifted violinist, and his father (Lee J. Cobb) strongly objects to Joe relinquishing his potential career as a musician for a life in the boxing ring - the the potential destruction of his hands.

Perhaps it seems unusual to look at a 1939 film as part of the Banned and Blacklisted Blogathon, but this film featured a great deal of talent that was, in one way or another, affected by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC).  We'll take this opportunity to look at both the film, and the experiences of those involved in it during the period of the blacklist, in this year, the 70th anniversary of the beginning of this evil campaign.

My interest in the Blacklist really began in 1972, when Robert Vaughn (yes, THAT Robert Vaughn, the actor who appeared in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and had a PhD in Communications from University of Southern California) published Only Victims: A Study of Show Business Blacklisting.  The book demonstrated that everyone involved in the process in Hollywood was victim - from those who supported the blacklist, to the actual victims. Dr. Vaughn's title was  taken from a quote by Dalton Trumbo: "it will do no good to search for villains or heroes or saints or devils because there were none; there were only victims."

Barbara Stanwyck is, as always, excellent as Lorna Moon (interestingly, the play was purchased as a vehicle for Jean Arthur, with Frank Capra directing! (TCM article)). Ms. Stanwyck can take a scene, as she does when she is trying to convince Joe to continue fighting, and change her reaction on a dime.  Though filmed under the code, Lorna remains unpunished, despite the fact that she is clearly having an affair with the married Tom.  

Ms. Stanwyck was a staunch conservative - she objected to labor unions and only joined the Screen Actors' Guild when it became apparent that the new union would prevent her from working (A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True, 1907-1940). When the investigations of HUAC began, Stanwyck, like her husband Robert Taylor, became a member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Whether she herself named names is information that is not recorded - Mr. Taylor certainly made a name for himself when he testified before HUAC on October 22nd, 1947, and named names (Howard Da Silva and Karen Morley, specifically). But Ms. Stanwyck was involved with a group that was busily hunting for Communists within the Hollywood rank-and-file.

So too was Adolphe Menjou a member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. His Tom Moody in our film is a rather banal man; it's hard to understand why Lorna would be interested in him, so it is easy to root for a relationship between Lorna and Joe. The day before Robert Taylor testified in front of the HUAC, Mr. Menjou testified. He fancied himself an expert on Communism, having read "over 150 books on the subject [of Russia]". He then accused John Cromwell of "acting an awful lot like a communist" (while acknowledging that he had no knowledge that Mr. Cromwell actually was a communist. He considered himself "a witch-hunter if the witches are Communists. . .a Red-baiter. I make no bones about it whatsoever. I would like to see them all back in Russia." Later, he would publicly attack many Hollywood liberals, including Katharine Heburn ("scratch a do-gooder, like Heburn, and they'll yell 'Pravda'."), infuriating Spencer Tracy and Ms. Hepburn who would only speak to Mr. Menjou onscreen when they filmed The State of the Union in 1948. (Katharine Hepburn: A Remarkable Woman by Anne Edwards)

William Holden is quite wonderful as Joe, a part for which John Garfield, Tyrone Power and Richard Carlson were all considered (AFI catalog).  This was his first real picture, and he almost got ousted from the film - only thanks to Barbara Stanwyck's intervention and coaching did he remain in the role that would effectively begin his career. When we discussed their only other film together, Executive Suite, we provided a clip of Ms. Stanwyck's tribute to Mr. Holden at the 1977 Oscars.  Though a participant in Hollywood Fights Back, a radio program hosted by the Committee on the First Amendment (the group protesting HUAC's activities), (J. Edgar Hoover Goes to the Movies: The FBI and the Origins of Hollywood's Cold War by John Sbardellati) Mr. Holden, unlike many of the other committee members (Marsha Hunt and Jane Wyatt among them) seems to have escaped unscathed from the morass of the blacklist. He even rejected vehement anti-Communist Hedda Hopper's advice when he appeared in The Bridge on the River Kwai, co-scripted by HUAC refugee Carl Foreman (Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism by Jennifer Frost). Again, it did not affect his career.

Others in the cast were not as lucky. Lee J. Cobb (named by Larry Parks, himself a victim of the blacklist), and writer Clifford Odets (named by Leila Rogers, Ginger's mother) were blacklisted until they finally, in desperation, went before HUAC to name names (see this Study Guide from Lincoln Center, from a production of the play there). For more information on those affected by HUAC, visit this list.

Golden Boy had started as a Broadway play in 1937; many of those involved in that play were also targeted, including Mr. Cobb, Mr. Da Silva, Frances Farmer, Elia Kazan (who would become a symbol of the traitor when he named names to clear himself), Morris Carnovsky (named by Mr. Kazan) , Phoebe Brand (Mr. Carnovsky's wife; also named by Mr. Kazan), Luther Adler, and Roman Bohnen.  Jules Garfield, who would take Hollywood by storm under the name John Garfield was also in the Broadway play. He dearly wanted to play Joe Bonaparte, but was unable to get the needed studio loan-out to play Joe. Mr. Garfield, too, was targeted by HUAC, probably causing the heart attack that claimed his life at age 39.

These individuals, colleagues in 1939, would become adversaries for no real reason; yet the hatred that the Blacklist generated still remains.  In 2008, when Elia Kazan received a special Oscar, many in Hollywood either boycotted the award, or refused to applaud. (You can see the ceremony here). Was Mr. Kazan the only person who surrendered to HUAC? Are people like Lee J. Cobb and Clifford Odets evil because they caved into the pressure of not working in their chosen profession? And are we going to continue to punish the victims - because of their political beliefs, their race, creed, gender or sexual identity? That we can talk about the Blacklist in 2017 is a step in the right direction - let's keep the dialogue going, and remember it as a symbol of all the bias in our world.

We'll leave you of this scene featuring Ms. Stanwyck and Mr. Holden:

Lieutenant Larry

Captain Geoffrey Roberts (Adolphe Menjou) is engaged in a torrid affair with the very married Alva Sangrito (Lili Damita).  Roberts loves her, and wants to marry her; he encourages her to divorce her husband, Victor (Erich von Stroheim).  After returning her to her home following an alleged outing to the opera, he is appalled to discover that Sangrito is fully aware of his relationship with Alma, and is happy for it to continue as long as Roberts pays for the privilege.  Roberts supplies the required funds, then leaves for his assignment in India, where he is met by his friend Lieutenant Ned Nichols (Laurence Olivier).  It's not long before both men discover that Alma has seduced them both.  After much soul searching, the men agree to banish Alma from their lives, choosing friendship over romance. Friends and Lovers (1931) is the story of that bromance.

Originally titled  The Sphinx has Spoken, the film did not do well upon release, losing $260,000.  Olivier, in his first American film, later claimed that the film "died the death of a dog." (Complete Films of Laurence Olivier); it has also been related that Olivier was having a horrible time converting his acting to a more filmic style.  According to this TCM article, director Victor Schertzinger spent much of his time getting a decent performance out of him:  "It was apparent right from the start that Olivier was completely out of his element acting in movies. He had absolutely no camera sense - my god, we often had to stop takes because he'd look at the camera in the middle of a scene. And he acted the way he did on the stage - all broad gestures and a face forever busy with expressions. He was totally unnatural, an amateur....He was uncomfortable being asked not to 'act,' but just be himself."  In spite of Schertzinger's efforts, Olivier is still obviously uncomfortable in the role.  It would take him years to finally discover the key to screen acting, but when he did - in Wuthering Heights (1939) - it was magic.

But Olivier is not the biggest problem in the film; far more damaging is Lili Damita.   Her Alma not all that attractive, or all that interesting, yet she has every man on the planet hovering over her.  Her husband is making a good living on her "charms," two men who are best friends almost kill one another over her, and despite her reputation, another man is willing to marry her.  Our question was, WHY?  What does Alma have that we don't see? The picture assumes we will take the words of these men that she has something to give, but quite frankly, it weakens the picture. A constant flirt, one wonders of Alma is capable of being in love.

Between 1922 and 1938, Lili Damita made 35 films in France and in the United States, most of them not well remembered today.   She is better remembered for her personal life: in 1935, Damita married Errol Flynn (the same year in which Flynn shot to fame in Captain Blood).  Shortly thereafter, Damita retired from film to raise the couple's son, Sean.  Divorced from Flynn in 1942, Damita would remarry Allen Loomis (who owned a dairy in Fort Dodge, Iowa. They were married until 1983) and left Hollywood for good.  In 1970, Sean, a photojournalist working in Cambodia during the Cambodian Civil War and Vietnam War, disappeared.  Damita never gave up hope that her child was alive, and spent a fortune trying to locate him, however in 1984, Sean was declared dead. Damita died 10 years later of Alzeimer's Disease at age 89.

From an historical perspective, this is a film of interest, since it was Olivier's first film in the U.S., but as a movie, it's not all that impressive.  We'll leave you with a clip from the film - the entrance of Laurence Olivier.  Next time, we'll return with an Olivia de Havilland film from the 1960s.

Barbara Writes a Column

To Please a Lady (1950) stars Barbara Stanwyck as columnist Regina Forbes, a powerful woman who has an influential gossip column.  She sees herself as a crusader for good, but, like all good columnists, she is looking for those items that will intrigue her readship.  When she is told about  local midget racecar driver, Mike Brannan (Clark Gable) by assistant Gregg (Adolphe Menjou), she heads out for the track.  Brannan is a pull-no-punches kinda guy, and will do what it takes to win.  He gives no quarter, and, as a result, has been blamed for the deaths of other drivers.  He shows no remorse for his competitiveness, and Regina goes after him in her column, effectively ending his ability to compete in the racing circle.  Months later, when Regina looks back into his life, she and Brannan find themselves attracted to one another.

Though titled like a romance, this film spends a lot of time on the racing scene.  The last quarter of the film is taken up with the Indianapolis Speedway race, and if you aren't a racing fan (we aren't) it can get rather tedious.  The film was later retitiled Red Hot Wheels for a 1962 re-release, which was more in keeping with the plot line.  As it happens, though Clark Gable was eager to appear in a racing film, he objected to the original title - he thought it would bring up images of his recent marriage to Lady Sylvia Ashley (they would divorce in 1952).  In foreign release, To Please a Lady was titled Indianapolis.  The multiple titles hint at the main problem with the film.

A New York Times review of the film very much liked the racing scenes from the film, liked the actors, but did not like the script, which they called a "hackneyed melodrama".  It is easy to understand why they were so taken with the racing scenes - they were filmed at the Indianapolis Speedway, and showed racing filmed at actual speed.  Gable did some of the driving (primarily the scenes where a close view was required) - stunt drivers took over for the rest.  But they are correct.  The script seems to be seeking its context, making the film disjointed.

On the plus side, there are two dynamite performances by stars Gable and Stanwyck.  Stanwyck's Regina is a tough-minded career woman.  She's very good at what she does and she enjoys doing it.  She literally goes toe-to-toe with Gable; she challenges him to "knock that smile" off her face.  When he does, she merely gives him the eye (at which point, he gives her a big kiss).  As discussed in this TCM article, Gable and Stanwyck had not appeared together since Night Nurse.  As with that film, the fireworks between them are palpable.  Two scenes, with Mike and Regina conversing on the phone, are very titillating - the two exude sexual tension.  It's also fun to see a romance between two grownups, who end by respecting each other's occupations.  The film's ending makes it quite clear that Regina will not be relegated to a little haus frau, nor will Brannan give up racing.  But they will make their relationship work.

According to this AFI article, Lana Turner set was to be reunited with Gable in the part of Regina in June of 1949; by September; Stanwyck had been official signed in the role.  There was a radio version in 1951 of the teleplay on the Lux Radio Theatre, with Donna Reed and John Hodiak in the leads, and Adolphe Menjou reprising his role as Gregg.   It's a part for which Menjou is well suited.  He gives the appropriate amount of sneer to the character.  You'll want to watch for the scene where Regina tries to talk to Mike on the phone, while Gregg listens in.

Also in the cast is Will Geer as Jack Mackay, a car designer with a new engine that Brannan wants to buy.  We were, of course, all familiar with Geer from his later career in television.  He had, however, a substantial film career, primarily in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  However, by 1951, his film appearances were minimal - he had been blacklisted after refusing to testify in front of HUAC (here is a brief newspaper article  which talks about Geer's testimony). He and his wife appeared in theatre during this period, including a run with the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, CT (an avid gardener, he planted a Shakespeare Garden on the theatre grounds)  As the blacklist broke down, he again began appearing in films (including Otto Preminger's Advise and Consent) and television.  He died in of respiratory failure in 1978, during the run of the television show that made him famous - The Waltons. 

This was director Clarence Brown's 8th and final film with Clark Gable (We previously discussed Possessed and Chained). Brown had at one time been an automobile test driver, and had owned a car dealership.  His interest in his subject is apparent in this film, as is his precision in filming the race scenes.  An interesting fact - in 1930, he was nominated for the Oscar for TWO films in the same year - for Anna Christie and for Romance. 

One more note about Clark Gable - he found filming in Indianapolis to be quite hard, as it was the last place that Carole Lombard had been before she died in 1942.  Gable quietly visited several places in the city where his late wife had been on her ill-fated bond tour.  

In closing, we'll just say that we wish there had been interaction between Gable and Stanwyck, because when they are together they smoke.  That Gable and Stanwyck were good friends in real life shows.  We'll leave you with a trailer from the film.

Adolphe's on Vacation

New York City District Attorney Thatcher Colt (Adolphe Menjou) is tired.  He needs a vacation badly, and the only way to get one is to go away and not tell anyone his destination.  So, he throws a dart at a map of NY State, and settles on a small upstate town.  He arrives to find the circus is in town, and with it the mystery of murder attempts on the life of star aerialist Josie La Tour (Greta Nissen).  Thus, The Circus Queen Murder (1933) brings Thatcher and his secretary Miss Kelly (Ruthelma Stevens) very far from a restful countryside.

The Night Club Lady was made the previous year, and was intended to be the first in a series of three movies about DA Thatcher Colt.  However, Circus Queen Murder was the only other one that was made.  It's not really clear why, though perhaps the enforcement of the Production Code played a part in it.  Eventually, Thatcher Colt returned in 1942's The Panther's Claw (starring Sidney Blackmer).  This TCM Article goes into greater detail about the films.

None of us was familiar with Ruthelma Stevens (pictured above), who played Miss Kelly, Colt's secretary, confidant, and more-or-less love interest (he can't go on vacation without her...)  She's excellent in the film; in fact, she is the most appealing part OF the film.  She is a strong actress, with an interesting voice and appealing, intelligent face.  She appeared mostly in B films and in small parts in major films (like The Fountainhead and The Scarlet Empress), as well as on Broadway.  She died at age 84 in NYC.  Though Ms. Stevens is the person you most remember, it is not her that is pictured on the poster - that honor goes to Greta Nissen.   The poster makes it appear that Thatcher Colt is involved with Ms. Nissen, which he most definitely is not.

Another notable actor in the film is Donald Cook, who is best known as James Cagney's brother Mike in The Public Enemy. Featured here as Josie's love interest Sebastian, the character comes across as a gentleman, who is gutsy enough to risk his own life to protect his lover.  And though Josie is married, it's really hard to condemn her for loving Sebastian.  Her husband Flandrin (Dwight Frye) is an insane stalker.  (Of course, this IS a precode film...)  We've seen Cook before as one of Barbara Stanwyck's lovers in Baby Face; he's not the strongest actor ever, and while he is good, he is not the character you will best remember from the film.  It's a well known fact, that he was originally cast in the role of Tom Powers, in The Public Enemy, however Cagney so completely blew him off the screen that the parts were reversed.  Though Cook's film career did not go much beyond the 1940s (he made a few film in the 50s),  he had a substantial career on Broadway, appearing in 20 plays, most notably in The Moon is Blue.  He died in 1961, at age 60.

There were several bits in the film that we found quite intriguing.  First was the use of a bulletproof vest!  Though we were unaware of it, bulletproof vests were being developed as early as 1561.  Also, the film establishes quite early that Miss Kelly is quite proficient at reading lips, a talent that will be important to the film action.  Unfortunately, the one bad aspect of the movie was the tendency to telegraph quite early later action: for example, the knife thrower has the vest to protect his target, so we are waiting for it to be used.  So too the film's title also gives away too much information.

The one aspect of in the film that was a bit off-putting were the circus cannibals.  It turns out, they were a much larger feature in the book on which this film is based - in fact, their chief helps Colt investigate the threats against Josie.  We felt they should either have been eliminated or put to better use.   

All in all, though, we enjoyed the film.  And we enjoyed Ms. Stevens enough that we'll be viewing another of her films next time.

Ms. (Joan) Bennett Goes Home to Mother

The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939) is a light little comedy that is quite funny.  Hilda (Joan Bennett) has been "working" for Floyd (Marc Lawrence) as his moll and his shill.  She's sick of it, and decides to leave him, returning to the home where her mother, Olga (Peggy Wood) works as housekeeper.  There should be plenty of room in the house, as the family is about to go on vacation.  However, the son and heir, Robert Randall (John Hubbard) decides to stay behind.  He has ambitions to become an crime reporter, and, encouraged by Hilda, he heads to the newspaper office, where he offers his services to Editor Wilson (Donald Meek).  Reporters Deakon Maxwell (Adolph Menjou) and Ed O'Malley (William Gargan) are covering the murder of Gladys Fontaine (Lilian Bond). Randall, in a druken stupor (Deak and Ed have gotten him drunk) is told by Benny - the actual murderer, more on him later - that Glady's dead body was thrown off a house boat.  When that hits the papers, Robert becomes a hero - and the target of Floyd's ranker. 

This flick has a little bit of everything - romance, suspense, mystery, and random silliness.  And while a couple of scenes became tiresome (Deak and Ed on the roof of the Randall house throwing fireworks at each other got ridiculous after a few minutes), mostly this is a fun picture that keeps your attention.  Especially funny were two interactions towards the end of the film between Mrs. Randall (Leila McIntyre) and Editor Wood.  Mrs. Randall's particularly deadpan response to the chaos around her was an absolute riot.

We promised more information on the character of Little Benny.  As portrayed by George E. Stone, you know almost immediately that there is something not quite right about Benny.  Regardless, the women in the film, our victim Gladys Fontaine and Hilda, both seem to find him cute, and both agree to be "his girl".  For Gladys, that promise spells her doom when Benny, who is a master at making poisoned coffee, inadvertently kills Gladys when Benny prepares his deadly potion, intending it for Floyd (who Benny sees as a danger to Gladys).  Stone manages to give Benny a spooky, but also rather cute, demeanor. 

The film has a number of rather appealing actors. Adolphe Menjou is particularly appealing, not the least because it is the older woman, Olga, who captures his heart.  He spends most of the film getting into trouble with a twinkle in his eye.  Also present in the film (he's listed WAY down in the credits) is Victor Mature as Lefty, one of Floyd's gang members.  He's probably the only member of the gang who is likeable, because he is the only one who seems to care about Hilda.

On the other hand, we found John Hubbard  (Robert Randall) to be a rather banal actor.  It turns out we've all seen him on TV and none of us recall him; in fact, I had JUST seen him on an episode of Maverick, and could NOT remember who he was.. Unfortunately, with so many strong character actors, Hubbard just fades into the background.

Joan Bennett is quite lovely.  Her Hilda is strong and attractive, both physically and emotionally.  She is a good influence on Robert Randall, trying to encourage him to follow his dream.  She is kind to Benny, and a loving daughter.  Her biggest fault, of course, is that she lies to her mother and to Robert about her prior "employment".  Bennett had a very long career.  Beginning in the silent era (1916), she worked until 1982. Among her notable films are the 1933 Little Women, Scarlet Street, Woman in the Window,  and Father of the Bride.  As her career started to wane, she became a regular on a soap opera, entitled Dark Shadows, which brought her new fame.  "I feel positively like a Beatle." she is reported to have said about the reactions to Dark Shadows.  She died at aged 80 in 1990. 

A quick note about Lilian Bond, the lovely actress who played our murder victim.  She was, it seems, photographed in the nude by Alfred Cheney Johnston, a photographer who specialized in nudes, and was the photographer for the Ziegfeld Follies (Bond was in both the Follies Earl Carroll's Vanities).  She had a fairly long career - from 1929 until 1958. 

One notable appearance - a tribute to her beauty - is as Lily Langtry, the object "Judge" Roy Bean's adoration in The Westerner.  She died in 1991, at the age of 83.

We leave you with a brief snippet from the film:

Connie is Kept

Constance Bennett is back in the 1931 melodrama, The Easiest Way.  She plays Laura Murdock, a department store saleswoman who is offered the opportunity to pose as an artist's model for the Brockton Advertising Agency.  She readily agrees, and finds the work agreeable.  However, she comes to the attention of Willard Brockton (Adolphe Menjou), who offers her a different kind of employment - that of his mistress. 

While visiting friends of Brockton in the country, Laura meets Jack Madison (Robert Montgomery). He knows of her life, but loves her unconditionally.  She eagerly agrees to leave Brockton, and live a respectable life.  Only problem is, Jack is leaving the country, and Laura will need to fend for herself 'til he returns.  Can she do it? Or is the easiest way the only way for her?

This film very much reminded us of Primrose Path, where our heroine struggled to avoid the oldest profession.  But, while that film was set in the early 40s, this one is set smack in the center of the Great Depression - it was hard for a man to get a job, much less a woman.  And while Laura is working, she has a lot on her plate - siblings, a mother, and an alcoholic, perpetually unemployed father.  The money that Brockton provides supports Laura in style, but also allows her to provide for her family.  Mother Agnes (Clara Blandick) refuses to see Laura once she is living with Brockton, yet clearly Laura's money is supporting her.  The only family member who refuses to live on Laura is her brother-in-law Nick (Clark Gable, in one of his first major films).  While NIck is hard, he is true to his principles; he doesn't approve of what she is doing, so he won't take anything from her.  Gable is able to give him that rugged handsomeness for which he was later known.  TCM   points out in that he was the hit of film - women came out of the film asking who he was.  

Some interesting period views here - the film is obviously precode - among other things, we see Laura's parents in bed together.  We see an old New York City railroad flat, and we are provided a view into the world of advertising, circa 1931.  It was fascinating to see the rooms of artists providing copy for department stores; almost an assembly line of painters and models.

We found Robert Montgomery's Jack to be somewhat uncaring; he insists that Laura abandon Brockton, but isn't concerned that she might not be able to earn a living, then stops writing for a time without telling her it might happen.  He even tells her to return Brockton's expensive gifts of jewelry and furs (which might have supported her til Jack's return). It's a relatively small part for Montgomery, but we always enjoy seeing him. 

We were pretty sure that Brockton would have demanded the jewelry back anyway.  Adolphe Menjou's Brockton is a very callous, calculating individual.  He is only interested in controlling a woman, and Menjou is VERY good in the part.  He plays Brockton as matter-of-fact, rather than over-the-top evil. 

We leave you with a glimpse of Laura's work as a model, and a hearty recommendation to give this film a look.   With the paring of Constance Bennett and young Clark Gable, this is a definite winner.