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.
Retired Colonel William Seaborn Effingham (Charles Coburn) has returned to his hometown of Fredericksville, Georgia. He approaches the local newspaper editor, Earl Hoats (Allyn Joslyn) and offers his services as a military commentary columnist. Seeing a possible increase in advertisements, Hoats agrees, only to find that the Colonel's idea of a "military" column is not the same as the publisher. The Colonel is intent on using the column to undermine the efforts of the local government to raze the courthouse, and line their own pockets with the proceeds. Thus begins Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946). The idea that a small town is willing to get together (at the urging of the dynamic Colonel Effingham) to save their 200 year old courthouse is an interesting premise. In an age where what was old should be destroyed to make way for the new, it is refreshing to see a film that is concerned with not only preserving the older structure, but spending the time and the funds required to make it a useful structure again. As people who watched beautiful structures (like Penn Station in New York City) demolished to make way for the new and supposedly better, only to have the change decried AFTER it was too late, we were sympathetic to the efforts to preserve an elegant 18th Century building.
Charles Coburn is compelling as the assertive Colonel Effingham. A military man, used to having his orders obeyed, he sees no difference in his duties in civilian life. His interactions with Ninety Eight (Nicodemus Stewart), who is apparently the only man of color in this southern berg, show Effingham training his "Orderly" to be a soldier. There is a rather odd fencing scene (in which it is clear that neither man knows how to fence), but by in large, the relationship between the two characters is good. At one point, Monty Woolley was considered for Colonel Effingham (perhaps because of his appearance as Retired Colonel Smollett in Since You Went Away two years earlier). Georgia-born Coburn was a far better fit.
William Eythe (Albert Marbury) is attractive in a Tyrone Power-type sort of way. In fact, he spent much of his career assigned to roles that Mr. Power turned down (TCM article). However, unlike Mr. Power, he's not a particularly powerful actor, and his character is easily overshadowed by the more commanding Mr. Coburn. Mr. Eythe's film career was short-lived - a scandal sheet outed his relationship with Lon McCallister, and Mr. Eythe eventually returned to work on stage (he appeared in four Broadway plays) and on television. He was with his partner, Mr. McCallister, when he died of hepatitis in 1957 at the age of 38.
Totally wasted in a part that was originally intended for Alabama-born Mary Anderson (Maybelle Merriweather, and screen-tested actress for Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind) (AFI Catalog), is Joan Bennett (Ella Sue Dozier). Smart and gorgeous, we found it rather horrifying that Albert only notices her when a gust of wind blows up her skirt slightly. We also found the wolf whistle that the director used (much like a laugh track) offensive. Once was bad enough, but the whistle is repeated several times. Ella Sue and Ms. Bennett deserves better. The film demonstrates the abilities - to a greater or lesser degree - of some outstanding character actors: Elizabeth Patterson has a small amount of screen time as Emma, cousin to Effingham. Donald Meek and Thurston Hall make a nice pair of charlatans as Doc Buden and Mayor Edgar. And Allyn Joslyn as the shady newspaper editor is also well-served.
One interesting side note - the film, though released in 1946 is actually set in 1941, just before the American entrance into World War II. That Albert joins (to impress Ella Sue) the Georgia National Guard becomes an issue as the film ends - the National Guard is mobilized, with Albert saying he would have been drafted soon anyway.
Based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Berry Fleming (which was based on an actual attempt to raze the Richmond County Courthouse in Augusta, Georgia). The film got decent reviews - Bosley Crowther in his New York Times review called it "pleasantly amusing". Charles Coburn would reprise the role in 1949 on the Hallmark Playhouse radio show. It's a cute movie - not great. It hasn’t aged very well - it is sexist and borders on racist. The main selling point of the story is Charles Coburn in a lead role - he is always fun to watch.
Marion Cullen (Loretta Young) lives in a small town in Kansas with her parents. The arrival of Jimmy Decker (David Manners), a salesman from New York, presents Marion with a new view on life - she's never felt she fit in her home, and Jimmy is complimentary of her ability as a songwriter. After a row with her parents - and the announcement by her mother that Marion was adopted - Marion decides to leave Kansas and make a stab at a songwriting career in New York, as well as a life with Jimmy. There's a problem - Jimmy is engaged to Enid Hollister (Helen Vinson), the boss's daughter. This week, we'll discuss They Call it Sin (1932). This is a neatly done film - tight and enjoyable (69 minutes in total), with characters that you really end up liking. Even those people you think are the most heinous turn out to have streaks of goodness in them. Though a pre-code, most of the naughtiness is Dixie Dare (Una Merkel) in her slip and doing cartwheels that are perhaps a bit immodest. The film, like many pre-codes, operates a lot on innuendo. We THINK our heroine Marion, may be having a relationship with Jimmy, but she isn't. Later, we think she might be about to bed Ford Humphries (Louis Calhern), but she doesn't. Marion is very much an innocent who spends the film learning to become stronger with adversity. Ms. Young does a good job of portraying that naivety, along with giving the character a strong backbone - this is a young woman who bounces with the punches, and is not afraid to stand up for herself.
There is one other piece of suggestion present in the film. Marion's mother (Nella Walker) is openly hostile to her child from the moment we encounter her. Later, we discover that Mrs. Hollister is not Marion's birth mother; Marion's mother was a showgirl, and Marion is illegitimate. Interestingly, though a religious man, Mr. Hollister is (Joe Cawthorne) is kinder to the girl. We also learn that he asked his wife to take in the orphan child - according to him, an act of "christian charity." Is it possible he is Marion's natural father? The film doesn't tell us the answer, but we left it wondering just WHY he was so eager to adopt the girl. It certainly isn't because his wife wants children.
The men in the film are secondary to Ms. Young; they are moths to her flame. David Manners is the titular leading man. He had recently appeared in both Dracula (1931) and A Bill of Divorcement (1932) (TCM article). Regardless, the character keeps disappearing from the action, and we don't really miss him. George Brent (Dr. Tony Travers) is also absent for a lot of the film; again, the viewer doesn't really care. Louis Calhern, however, is a lot more interesting as a roué; when he is on screen, you pay attention. Mr. Calhern started his film career in 1921, and on Broadway in 1923, appearing in 28 plays over the course of his lifetime, including The Magnificent Yankee in 1948 (a role he would reprise on film in 1950) and King Lear. With his splendid voice, he was made for talking films, and his career as a supporting player would expand in 1931. Often he was the villain (as in our film), or the boss (Notorious (1946)). He ventured into the realm of the musical when Frank Morgan died in 1949, taking on the part of Buffalo Bill Cody in Annie Get Your Gun (1950). Mr. Calhern was in Japan for Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) when he suffered a heart attack and died. He was replaced by Paul Ford, and his scenes were reshot, making his last film (another musical) High Society.
The supporting female characters are more interesting then the men. Helen Vinson is rather underused as Enid, but she's always excellent. The star turn in the film, though, is Una Merkel as the effervescent Dixie Day. She's delightfully funny, and her little cartwheels add that little bit of pizazz (or "ginger" as Warner Brothers phrased in the TCM article above) that one expects in a pre-code . Ms. Merkel is always an actress to look forward to seeing - this film is no exception.
The gowns by Orry-Kelly are quite lovely, and we were impressed by the set design of Jack Okey. The scenes of Penn Station are splendid, and for us, a piece of nostalgia. Demolished in 1963 (a controversial action at the time, and long bemoaned by New Yorkers - to quote architectural historian Vincent Scully "One entered the city like a God [now] One scuttles in now like a rat."), the building was a wonder of height and light. Mr. Okey used a combination of stock shots and sets to paint the picture of the station.
We'll leave you with the film opening and the suggestion that you give this one a viewing.
Assistant District Attorney John "Jack" Sargent (Fred MacMurray) knows how to get convictions. He knows that putting an attractive woman on trial for shoplifting a few days before Christmas is going to result in a not guilty verdict. When presented with such a case just before the holidays, he maneuvers to postpone the trial until the new year. Jack is about to take a long-promised vacation to visit his mother and aunt on their farm in Indiana. Thus, he feels sorry for defendant Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck), as his actions will force her to be incarcerated over Christmas and he bails her out of jail. When Jack discovers that she is from a town near his home own, he offers to bring Lee to visit her mother. Remember the Night (1940) is the story of their journey. I discussed Remember the Night four years ago after seeing it in a theatre, so I was pleased when our Movie Group decided to view it for the holidays. This is a lovely film, blending comedy and drama expertly. With a script by Preston Sturges, and direction by Mitchell Leisen, the movie glides along at a brisk, but engaging pace. This was Mr. Sturges last film in which he only provided the script (thereafter, he would direct his own screenplays), and Mr. Leisen cut the script, much to Mr. Sturges' dismay. (AFI catalog) That being said, it is hard to believe that a longer film would have been half as affective, or that Mr. Sturges' original concept of Jack would have been any better than the one we have today. In the first of his four films with Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray is sympathetic and engaging as a serious lawyer with a big heart. According to this TCM article, Mr. Sturges originally conceived Jack as "almost heroic". Mr. Leisen, however, felt the focus of the film should be shifted slightly away from Jack, and from the "certain articulate quality" that he felt would not compliment Mr. MacMurray's abilities. Mr. Leisen's vision of "gentle strength" is what remains in the film, and Mr. MacMurray is perfect as a man whose emotions and goodness conflict with this part of his job.
Barbara Stanwyck sparkles a Lee, a woman who has been diminished by her mother and her upbringing (more on that later). She escaped to New York City, and ended up a shoplifter, stealing high-end jewelry to support herself. We know that she has tried to work - she mentions a job as a song plugger (like Jack, she can play the piano, but she is a far better pianist than him). But with no real job skills, and no self-esteem, Lee has become a self-fulfilling prophesy. It would be easy to make Lee either rock-hard or pitiable. Stanwyck does neither; her Lee is genuine. She doesn't like what she has become, but she knows nothing else. When she learns there is another way of life, she embraces it. The film does a beautiful job in comparing and contrasting the upbringing of Jack and Lee, primarily through the characterizations of their mothers. On the one hand, we have Lee's Mother, expertly played by Georgia Caine as a cruel and unaffectionate woman who has no desire to be a mother to her child. On the other, we have Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Sargent - warm, loving, and understanding of her son, and of Lee. The children, both raised in small towns in Indiana by widowed mothers, both relatively poor, have turned out so drastically different because of their mothers' attitudes. But the film does not present a hopeless view - there is a road to redemption through love.
Georgia Caine has one scene in the film, but she is unforgettable. Ms. Caine, the child of actors, began her career with a Shakespeare troup. By 1899, she was on Broadway - she had appeared in 28 plays and musicals by 1935, and was at one point called "the queen of Broadway musical comedy". She began her film career in 1930; by the time she retired, she had appeared in 86 films, many of them uncredited. Thanks to her appearance in Remember the Night, she became a part of Preston Sturges stock company, appearing in a total of 8 of his movies, including Hail, the Conquering Hero (1944), where she was the mother of Eddie Bracken. She was married twice - her second marriage to Alphonzo Bell Hudson lasted for 30 years. Ms. Caine died in 1964, at the age of 87. (For more on her life and career, check out Accustomed to her Face: Thirty-five Character Actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood by Axel Nissen).
The film would reappear in a Lux Radio Theatrebroadcast in March, 1940 with Mr. MacMurray and Ms. Stanwyck reprising their roles. In July, 1951 another radio broadcast from the Screen Director's Playhouse starred William Holden and Nancy Gates as the leads. In May of 1955, television, in an episdode of Lux Video Theatre featured Don Defore and Jan Sterling. And finally, in 1969, Ms. Stanwyck's own The Big Valley had an episode - "Judgement in Heaven" (Season 1, Episode 15) with a plot remarkably like Remember the Night.
The New York Timesreview by Frank S. Nugent was glowing - he stated that, though it was "a bit too early in the season to be talking of the best pictures of
1940 [the picture was released in January] it is not too early to say that Paramount's nomination is worth
considering." (It received no nominations, unfortunately). Mr. Nugent praised not only our two stars, but also, Ms. Caine, Ms. Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson (as Jack's Aunt Emma) and Willard Robertson (as Lee's attorney, Francis X. O'Leary). He said "In a cast of such unusual competence the difficulty is not in finding
players worthy of special mention but in being able to keep the list
within a single paragraph." If that doesn't convince you, we'll leave you with the trailer from this exceptional motion picture. Happy Holidays!
