The "horror" of Divorce (1945) is the topic of this film, which stars Kay Francis as Dianne Carter, a four-time divorcee who has just shed her latest husband, gaining both her freedom and a pot of money. Following the divorce, Dianne decides to return to her home town for a brief visit. When she arrives, she reconnects with her former boyfriend, Bob Phillips (Bruce Cabot), now a real estate professional, happily married to Martha (Helen Mack) and the father of two sons. But happiness is a relative term; once Dianne sets her cap for Bob, the marriage is doomed, and Martha has little recourse but to seek a divorce and try to start her life over. Kay Francis starred in and produced this, the first of three pictures with Monograph Studios. Her contract with Warner Brothers was over, as was her work during World War II, and it seems that the idea of having more control over her films held some attraction (TCM article). Like the film, Allotment Wives, this picture uses a growing social issue to attract an audience. As the War ended, the number of divorces began to grow dramatically (see this article from the Washington Post), probably a result of the hasty marriages made during the war. Regardless of the actual reasons for the rapid increase, the film looks at divorce as an evil, with the character of Dianne as a predatory homewrecker. And while the plot is a bit simplistic, and some of the characters not entirely fleshed out, it does a decent job of setting a tone.
Though low budget, the film does recruit some strong actors, most notably Ms. Francis, whose performance gives a depth to the character of Dianne. The other excellent performance is that of Helen Mack. Her Martha is not a whimpering wife - Ms. Mack gives her a strength and pride that is not usual for the "loving wife" that she is being asked to play. Within the context of the divorce, she juxtaposes nicely with Dianne, who has built her finances with the settlements from her multiple marriages. Martha, on the other hand, refuses all monies from her husband, even child support - If Bob can not be an actual support for their children, she will work and support them both emotionally and financially. Her refusal to depend upon him both empowers her, and emasculates him.
Bruce Cabot, on the other hand, is a football, passed back and forth between the two women (interestingly symbolized by a football game early in the film, whichMartha attempts with her two boys). Cabot's Bob is almost passive - first guided by his wife, then abruptly manipulated by his former girlfriend. That passivity makes it easy to understand why Dianne would even want him. He's quite a talented real-estate agent - Dianne sees both money and control in any relationship with him. According to the AFI catalog, Cabot was not the first choice for the role - it was originally earmarked for Paul Kelly (who would appear with Ms. Francis later that year in Allotment Wives).
The presence of Jerome Cowan, playing lawyer Jim Driscoll, is another added pleasure. We recently saw Mr. Cowan as the lecherous neighbor in My Reputation; his part here is not all that much bigger, but considerably more sympathetic. A character actor who brings veritas to any role that he plays, Mr. Cowan appeared on Broadway beginning in 1923, and would continue appearing on stage until 1959 (his final stage appearance was in Say, Darling). His work on Broadway led to his casting in Beloved Enemy (1936), starring Brian Aherne and Merle Oberon (Mr. Cowan took on the role of the villain of the piece). He worked continuously from then on - probably his most noted performance is that of Miles Archer in The Maltese Falcon (1941), but he was also excellent as one of Bette Davis' suitors in Mr. Skeffington (1944) and as the harried district attorney Thomas Mara in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). As the age of television began, he deftly moved into the medium, appearing as a guest star in such shows as The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, and Bonanza. His final appearance was on an episode of Alias Smith and Jones in 1971. He died in January of 1972, survived by his two children and his wife of 43 year, Helen Dodge.
One other appearance worth noting is that of Larry Olsen, as Michael Phillips, the older of the two boys so devastated by their parents divorce. Mr. Olsen had a decent career as a child actor, but is bet remembered today as the older brother of Susan Olsen (of Brady Bunch fame). We will return again with another film from one of our favorite actresses.
A wealthy woman decides she has found religion in Susan and God (1940). Joan Crawford stars as Susan Trexel, the estranged wife of Barrie Trexel (Fredric March). Susan has been in England for several months, and as the action of the film opens, has returned to America, accompanied by her mentor, Lady Millicent Wigstaff (Constance Collier), the founder of Susan's new obsession. While Susan's friends are not amused by her ardent proselytizing, they like her a lot more than they like her husband, a drunk who can be rather unpleasant in his cups. They plot to keep the two apart as long as possible, to avoid the inevitable scene. But, when Barrie and Susan finally do meet up, they agree to reconciliation of sorts, primarily for the sake of their daughter, Blossom (Rita Quigley). Susan has one proviso - if Barrie takes another drink, she gets a divorce. We are big fans of Crawford, and she does not disappoint in the film. Susan's obsessive personality is very reminiscent of two portrayals that were years off - the over-the-top mother in Mildred Pierce and the maniacal homemaker in Harriet Craig. Crawford purposefully makes Susan annoying, with a patronizing voice and attitude that make you want to throttle her. The minute we meet her, we understand her friends' mixed reaction to her return - she's unable to do anything without making everyone else a party to her interest.
Crawford was stepping into some big shoes in this character - on Broadway (the play by Rachel Crothers opened in October of 1937), the role of Susan was played by Gertrude Lawrence. Added to that, MGM had purchased the play for Norma Shearer (who is reputed to have turned it down due to her reluctance to play the mother of a teenager), and later considered Greer Garson (who, the year before had played her breakthrough role in Goodbye, Mr. Chips) for the part (briefly noted in the AFI Catalog).
Frederic March, usually a very powerful actor, plays Barrie as a very weak man. The slightest pressure results in his again hitting the bottle. It's hard to understand what Barrie and Susan ever saw in one another, because they are so totally different and so unkind to one another. It sometimes feels that Barrie is still married to Susan so he has an excuse to drink. Without giving too much away, we were disappointed with the story line, which we felt really needed a lot of tweeking. The ending was too off-center, and felt as though it came out of nowhere. The screenwriter is Anita Loos, no stranger to comedy, or to satire, but the film doesn't really continue the satirical tone that allegedly made the play popular, though this TCM article maintains that some felt the film improved on the play. Without comparison, it's hard to say, but we felt that the satire was severely muted by the film's conclusion.
The film is rich, however, in supporting players: John Carroll in an exceedingly small part as Clyde Rochester, Nigel Bruce as 'Hutchie', Bruce Cabot as Michael, a very young Gloria De Haven as Enid, Blossom's rival for the affections of a boy and Rita Hayworth as Hutchie's young bride, Leonara. But the person who really shines is Ruth Hussey as Charlotte, probably the only decent human being among Susan's cadre of friends. Hussey is a longtime favorite - especially as Ray Milland's sister Pamela in The Uninvited (one of my personal favorite films, and perhaps the best ghost story ever put to film - we can argue between that and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, but I digress). She really never seemed to get the lead parts (which is a shame) - the preceding year, she had appeared for what seemed an instant as the over-efficient Miss Watts in The Women. She started in films in 1937, had the lead in a few "B" movies like Bedside Manner (1945), and eventually moved over to television, where she appeared in shows like Marcus Welby, M.D. (which starred her H.M. Pulham, Esq. co-star Robert Young) and The Jimmy Stewart Show (featuring her love interest in The Philadelphia Story). Married for 60 years (and the mother of 3 children), she also performed on Broadway in the 1940s and 1950s (including the lead in State of the Union). She died in 2002, aged 93. While not the best of Crawford's film, Susan and God is rich in excellent performances. Here is a trailer to get you acquainted:
This week, we're discussing Errol Flynn's first western, 1939's Dodge City. In it, Olivia plays Abbie
Irving, a young woman who is forced to move to the godless Dodge City
after the death of her father. Unfortunately, she has to get there with
her drunken brat of a brother (William Lundigan),
who starts a cattle stampede with his gun-play, and ends up getting
himself killed. Of course, Abbie blames wagon master Wade Hatton
(Flynn). Wade meanwhile, enters Dodge City to find it being run by
former adversary Jeff Surrett (Bruce Cabot), and after a horrible incident decides he is the one to bring law and order to Dodge.
This
movie is full to the brim with wonderful character performances. We
have the usual Flynn sidekick, Alan Hale as well as Guinn "Big Boy"
Williams. We have a rare character visit from the gorgeous Ann
Sheridan (one wonders if Jack Warner was angry at her that week to give
her such a small part), as well as the ever-wonderful Frank McHugh as newspaper
publisher Joe Clemens. And the adorable Bobs Watson as Harry
Cole, the reason that law comes to Dodge. With a cast like this, (and
these names are just the tip of the iceberg) can you really lose?
I
have major problems with seeing Bruce Cabot in pretty much anything
since I heard about his horrible actions to Errol Flynn later in their
careers. But one must admit he is truly loathsome here. Olivia is
spunky, in all the best senses of the word, especially in the later
portions of the movie (it is as though we get to watch Abbie grow up). Here is one of their love scenes:
It is truly funny to see the screenwriters making an excuse for
Flynn's presence in a Western (Wade is from Ireland, and has traveled
the world). Finally, we all adored Frank McHugh - he is funny and
touching in this small, but important role. His performance in the film is well worth emphasizing.
