Rosalind's Showplace

A few weeks ago, we watched two different versions of the same story.  We are doing it again.  The time, we begin with the 1936 version of the Pulitzer Prize winning play be George Kelly (uncle of Grace Kelly), Craig's Wife.  This is the story of a woman who married for a house, rather than for love or position.  And it is directed by Hollywood's only woman director in this period, Dorothy Arzner.

Harriett Craig (as played by Rosalind Russell) is the very model of a total bitch (one of our group said that if you look up "bitch" in the dictionary, Harriet's picture is there).  She is cold and calculating, a liar and a snob.  Her attitude to everyone is supercilious, no one is as smart as she and no one is good enough to set foot in her precious house.  She has no friends, and has made sure her husband Walter (John Boles) is distanced from his friends.  Friends, after all, might want to visit, and no one is allowed into the temple that Harriet has created.  Harriet is fascinated by objects, and revolted by anything that she perceives as mess.  Flowers are forbidden in her "temple". The petals might get on the table.

The film opens while Harriet is away. Her sister is ill, and Harriet goes to visit her for a few days.  While there, Harriet decides to bring her niece Ethel (Dorothy Wilson) home with her (Harriet has decided that he sister will recover more quickly if she is left alone). On the trip back, Harriet lectures the young woman on the benefits of a loveless marriage, and the security of a well-to-do husband.  Meanwhile, back home, her husband has used her time away to visit his friend Fergus Passmore (Thomas Mitchell), an unhappy alcoholic, who suspects his wife's fidelity.

There really is no motivation given for Harriet's obsessive behavior about her home.  We also don't know much about the marriage; in the play, Harriet and Walter have been married for only 18 months.  This film gives us no idea of the length of the marriage.  Since Walter doesn't seem to be unhappy at the start of the film, his switch to utter disgust of his wife is rapid.  Certainly, a lot of small things happen to tarnish his image of her (his Aunt Austen's lecture, Harriet's unwillingness to cooperate with the police), but he's been living with her for awhile.  His rebellion seems a bit precipitous here.  We found it amusing that Harriet forbids Walter to smoke in the house, something that would have been quite offensive to viewers in 1936  (maybe she suspected that second-hand smoke is bad!).

We were very impressed by Rosalind Russell in this film.  She is not afraid to make Harriet unlikeable.  Even her attitude towards her sister and niece is reserved to the point of disinterest.  Her Harriet is totally dead inside.  Also quite good was Billie Burke as the neighbor, Mrs. Frazier, a warm, affectionate woman with a love for flowers and children. She serves as the perfect foil to Harriet.

We've already been told at multiple points what a harridan Harriet is and how difficult it is for her staff.  Poor Mazie (played beautifully by Nydia Westman) is treated shabbily by Harriet, even though she has taken on the  cooking responsibilities (she was hired as a housemaid), the most recent cook having resigned.  We find out that there is so much turnover in the staff, the employment agency won't send a new cook until the home has been inspected. So, when Jane Darwell, as the housekeeper, Mrs. Harold  has her final confrontation with Harriet,  you want to cheer as Mrs. Harold takes the match.  

One thing to note, when you see Thomas Mitchell, you will assume that this subplot will actually have a conclusion.  Like a lot of the subplots here, it does not.  Primarily because these incidents don't affect Harriet - she won't let them.  

We recommend to you the excellent TCM article for more insights into the making of this interesting picture. This is an excellent film, and well worth your viewing.

Joan's on a Caper

We follow with another Joan Crawford movie from 1937; this time The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, with Crawford as the title character, Fay Cheyney, Robert Montgomery as Lord Arthur Dilling, and William Powell as Fay's butler Charles. Or IS Charles the butler? THAT is one of the questions in this delightful comedy.  Fay meets Arthur when she accidentally ends up in his stateroom on a trans-Atlantic trip.She becomes the darling of his social circle, finally getting a treasured invitation to the estate of Arthur's wealthy aunt, the Duchess of Ebley.  But is everything on the up and up? And WHY is Charles so familiar to Arthur?

The person who really shines in this film is the always wonderful William Powell.  It is hard to resist a film that has Mr. Powell in it.  Understated, attractive, dignified,  compassionate - he is everything one would want in a man.  And his Charles, though suspicious, is always good and kind to Kay.  Also fun to watch is Frank Morgan as Kay's suitor Lord Kelton, and Nigel Bruce as Willie, who WOULD be a suitor if he weren't married.  As with so many MGM movies, the magic is as much in the supporting cast as in the stars.

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney is based on a 1925 London and Broadway play, which starred Helen Hayes as Fay in the New York cast.  It also had 3 directors, the result of the sudden death of the listed director, Richard Boleslawski. Interestingly, the film was completed by Dorothy Arzner, the director of our last film.

Join us next time for another Crawford film. 

Joan Sees "Red"

This week, we return to Joan Crawford with her 1937 outing The Bride Wore Red.  Anni Pavlovitch (Joan Crawford) is a singer in a cheap dancehall. One night, her performance is seen by aristocrats Count Armalia (George Zucco) and his friend, Rudi Pal (Robert Young). The Count bets Rudi that he could take a member of the lower class, and pass her off as an aristocrat.  Rudi laughs off the suggestion, and leaves; to prove his point, the Count offers Anni a two-week vacation, all expenses paid, in an elite resort, on the proviso that she convinces Rudi she is, in fact Anna Vivaldi, an aristocrat.  Anni is soon buying clothing, including a gaudy red evening gown - something she has desired her whole life - and is off to the country to live a life of leisure for two weeks.  However, she soon decides she would rather continue to live the life of an aristocrat - by seducing and marrying the already-engaged Rudi.  

Filmed during the period of time when Crawford was married to Franchot Tone (who plays the peasant Guilio, the postmaster who loves Anni at first sight), the movie is a bit slow in pace.  Crawford is excellent as Anni, but it is rather hard to understand why Guilio remains interested in her while she repeatedly is nasty to him; just as it is equally hard to understand why Maddalena Monti (Lynne Carver) stays true to Rudi.  We know early on he is a cad and philanderer.  Why such a nice girl would stay with him is a mystery.

Much of our discussion focused on Robert Young.  Though a good actor, he never really seemed to find his niche before he landed on TV.  On the small screen he easily engaged the audience, whereas on the big screen he always seems overshadowed by his costars.  Here too, Crawford and Tone are much more dynamic than Young.  It is hard to understand, money withstanding, why Anni would feel anything for Rudi.  Even as a skunk, he is rather banal.  

Certainly worth a look for this wonderful cast.  And be on the lookout for Mary Phillips as Maria, a former employee of Anni's dance hall who has found a better life as a maid in the resort; and for Dickie Moore as Guilio's young cousin Pietro.  They add to the film immeasurably. You'll also get a chance to hear Crawford sing.  Here is a clip: 

 
It is also worth noting that the film was directed by Dorothy Arzner, the only female director of this period.