Joan Enters Society

On his return cruise to England, Francis, Lord Kelton (Frank Morgan) finds a woman asleep in his stateroom. Mrs. Fay Cheyney (Joan Crawford) has mistaken his cabin for hers. As she leaves, she meets Arthur, Lord Dilling (Robert Montgomery). Both men are intrigued with the attractive Mrs. Cheyney, and spend the trip vyng for her attentions. We turn our attentions this week to The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)

It's hard to go wrong when you have the stellar cast of lead and character actors present in this movie. Joan Crawford is convincing, though she plays Fay with more seriousness than did Ms. Shearer in the 1929 version. Ms. Shearer very much had her tongue firmly in her cheek, whereas Ms. Crawford makes Fay more conflicted. The addition of a fairly nasty gang (Sara Haden (Anna), Melville Cooper (William), & Leonard Carey (Ames)) makes the stakes in this version a lot higher. Myrna Loy had originally been cast as Fay (TCM article), but Mrs. Crawford was so adamant in her refusal to play the lead in Parnell (she'd sworn off costume parts after The Gorgeous Hussy) that MGM decided to switch the actresses.

William Powell is splendid as Charles. Though his part is relatively small, he makes good use of the screen time provided. We speculated on the benefits of casting him as Lord Dilling - his chemistry with Ms. Crawford is better, and he has the charm and gravitas that we found a bit lacking in Robert Montgomery. Mr. Montgomery is not bad, he just doesn't have the savoir faire of either Mr. Rathbone or Mr. Powell. In comparison to these two gentlemen, Mr. Montgomery comes across as a touch callow.  It's been said that Mr. Montgomery and Ms. Crawford were not particularly fond of one another, (Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography by Lawrence J. Quirk & William Schoell) which might be part of the problem. Truth to tell, had we not seen Mr. Rathbone, we might not have given Mr. Montgomery lower marks.

Frank Morgan is a vast improvement over Herbert Bunston. Now Lord Kelton, he is no where near as boring and pedantic as the original. He's a tad naive (just WHY is Fay in his room, wearing nothing but her undergarments??)  and he is clearly older and less dashing than Lord Dilling. But, he's no buffoon, and one could see Fay agreeing to marry him. He's rather a nice man, he's quite wealthy, and he is clearly head over heels about her. 

Nigel Bruce (Willie) is cast in a role in which he, like his friend Kelton, is somewhat innocent (he really doesn't know that Cousin John (Ralph Forbes) is NOT his wife Joan's (Colleen Clare) blood relation), but he's also a decent and not silly man. He doesn't do the fubsy Englishman that we are used to in his appearances as Dr. Watson; he is a too trusting soul, but a good friend with a sense of humor.

We also enjoyed Jessie Ralph as the Duchess of Ebley. This version gives the Duchess a bit of a past, which makes her even more attractive (and makes Fay's reluctance to rob her even more pointed).  A Broadway actress with experience in silent films, she was 63 when she made her sound film debut in Child of Manhattan (1933). She had 50 sound film credits to her name (including such gems as Enchanted April (1935), David Copperfield (1935), and After the Thin Man (1936). Married once (and together until his death), she was forced to retire in 1941 after diabetes complications resulted in the amputation of her leg. She died three years later, age 73, of a heart attack. 

A few new scenes are added to the film - the opening scene with Lord Kelton, a late scene with Mr. Powell (obviously inserted to satisfy the Hays Office), and fund-raising auction scene, with little dolls of our lead character auctioned for charity. Here's a photo of Mr. Montgomery with the Crawford doll. We thought the dolls were absolutely adorable, and wondered if the actors got to keep them.

The New York Times review by Frank Nugent was not exactly glowing, though he did express admiration for William Powell saying that "Mr. Powell is equally fascinating, either side of the pale."  Following the release of this version, the Lux Radio Theatre aired a version with Miriam Hopkins, Walter Pidgeon, and Adolph Menjou in May of 1942. In 1953, Broadway Television Theatre broadcast an adaptation with Vicki Cummings in the lead (AFI catalog). 

Each film has its own merits, and we liked both of them for different reasons. We always enjoy seeing William Powell; we liked the rapport between Shearer and Rathbone. With the changes in film technology between 1929 and 1937, the movies are different enough that it is entertaining to see them both.

We'll leave you with a scene from the film:

Ann Meets Myrna

Reporter Jimmy Lee (Robert Montgomery) is deeply in love with novelist Mary Howard (Myrna Loy). But despite his numerous proposals, she refuses to marry him. Jimmy discovers that Mary has fallen in love with her married editor, Rogers Woodruf (Frank Morgan). Having read the novel on which Mary is currently working - in which she proposes that her heroine, in love with a married man, has a calm discussion with his wife, to talk about her desire to wed her lover - Jimmy knows what Mary has in mind. He decides the best course of action is to introduce Mary to Claire Woodruf (Ann Harding), without revealing to either of them their mutual relationship. When Ladies Meet (1933) will determine the future of both women's relationships.

Though a pre-code film, this one is not really all that shocking. There's a lot of talk, but very little action. Mary has heretofore resisted Rogers' desire for a sexual relationship; just as she is about to give in, Jimmy blunders in and breaks up the rendezvous (certainly his intention!) We later discover from Clair that Rogers is a serial philanderer, and that Claire has turned a blind eye to it because she believes he really loves her. With the exception of some double-entendre blathering from Mary's friend Bridget Drake (Alice Brady), this is a pretty tame film.

 

That being said, this is an interesting and thoughtful movie, primarily because of the performances of Ann Harding and Myrna Loy.  Ms. Harding presents a woman who is both dignified and understated. Even when confronted by betrayal, there is no hysteria, no over-emoting, just a quiet sorrow that is signified only with her eyes and her stance. Ms. Harding can break your heart with a glance.

Ms. Loy mirrors her in dignity playing a woman who is the ultimate idealist. When confronted with the realities of life, she too remains stoic. Her determination lets you know that her life will go on, and she will remake it. But we came away wondering how her new novel would end, with the author enlightened about the truths of life. We come to realize, thanks to the talents of these two excellent actresses, that Mary and Claire are very much alike in their attitudes and emotions. Interestingly, Ms. Loy became great friends with Robert Montgomery and Alice Brady on this production.  Ann Harding remained distant from the "coterie of three." (TCM article)

Growing up with Frank Morgan as The Wizard does make it hard to see him as a romantic figure, especially one who is so deeply loved by these two remarkable women. It is certainly his skill as an actor that makes it obvious to the audience that Rogers is a cad. That he is so awfully unloving - more interested in the chase and in sex - becomes apparent later in the film. But Mr. Morgan does a good job in preparing you for this revelation.

Alice Brady seems to be present to provide the comic relief. Unfortunately, she becomes rapidly annoying.  An Oscar-winning actress - she was nominated twice, and won for her role in In Old Chicago (1937) - in this film, it feels as though she is doing screwball comedy, while everyone else is playing subtle humor and high drama.  We felt that Bridget was too shallow a person, where the other characters are fully developed. It felt as though Ms. Brady was in a different movie.  We wondered if a different actress in the part would have made a difference, and we may find out next week.

The film (based on Rachel Crothers' play, which was produced on Broadway in 1933) would be remade twice: once in 1941, with Joan Crawford, and again on 11 June 1952 as a ABC television presentation with Patricia Morison and Richard Carlson in the leads (AFI catalog). This film was nominated for the Best Art Direction Oscar, for Cedric Gibbons, whose sets are gorgeous (We were especially impressed with Mary's apartment).  We'll leave you with this scene, featuring appearances by three of our leads. Next time, we'll be viewing the 1941 version.

Barbara's Lost

Barbara Stanwyck returns as another literary heroine in A Lost Lady (1934).  Marian Ormsby (Stanwyck) is happily celebrating her wedding - she's supposed to marry the next day - when her fiance, Ned Montgomery (Phillip Reed) is gunned down by the angry husband of a woman with whom Ned has been carrying on an affair.  Stunned into a stupor, Marian is convinced to go away to recuperate.  While out for a walk, she falls down an incline, breaking her leg.  She's rescued by Daniel Forrester (Frank Morgan), a wealthy lawyer who is immediately fascinated by this lost lady.  As she begins to heal from her physical and emotional wounds, he proposes marriage.  Though she doesn't love him, she consents to be his wife, and finds happiness for a time in the safety of his love.  But not for long - for other men are attracted to her: Neil Herbert (Lyle Talbot), Dan's protege and Frank Ellinger (Ricardo Cortez), an aviator who crashes - literally - into her life.

The film is based on the novel by Willa Cather, though the link between this story and Cather's novel is thin at best.  In their review of the film, the New York Times called the novel of A Lost Lady "a genuine American masterpiece," with a film that is "mediocre... by comparison".  But according to A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel True 1907-1940, other reviewers were  not nearly so kind, and neither was Cather - who didn't want any further adaptations of her work.  In fact, her will banned any further film adaptations of her works (along with publications of her letters.  The ban on both was recently lifted by the Willa Cather Trust, as outlined in this New York Times report.)  For someone who's work so focused on the American frontier, and the people who built it, seeing Cather's work made into a mere romantic triangle on rich people from the east must have been very hard for the author, and her fans, to stomach.  While it is undeniably hard to successfully adapt a masterpiece of literature to the screen; script-wise, this adaptation doesn't even come close (and more to the point, doesn't really try).  For more on Cather, visit Willa Cather: The Road is All from American Masters. 

If you go into the film acknowledging that it's not Cather's book, it does have some enjoyable moments, mostly because of the excellent acting of the four leads.  Stanwyck is, as always, exceptional as Marian, a woman who seems unable to select the right man.  And Ricardo Cortez is wonderful; he gives Frank Ellison a subtle shadiness that is perfect for the character, and makes Frank a mirror image of the deceased Ned Montgomery - both men who are more interested in conquest than in love.  Originally, the cast would have included Kay Francis and John Eldredge (see this AFI article.  Eldredge's part is not specified.  Probably, he was being considered for one of the roles that eventually went to Cortez or Talbot).

Lyle Talbot is excellent as Neil, the honorable man who loves Marian from afar, because of his regard for Daniel.  Talbot provides a moral compass in the film, both in his relationship with the Forresters, and in his dislike of the relationship between Marian and Frank. Talbot had a remarkably long and noteworthy career, beginning almost with talkies (he had a lovely voice, in my opinion), and continuing until 1987 (he died at age 94, in 1996).  When film work - primarily as the lead in B movies - began to elude him, he transitioned gracefully to television, appearing on episodes of shows such as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (where he had a recurring part), Bonanza, and Newhart.  His film career was notable: we've already seen him in She Had to Say Yes (1933), Mandalay (1934), and No More Orchids (1934).  His life was recently detailed by his daughter, Margaret Talbot, in her book The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father’s Twentieth Century.

Finally, there is Frank Morgan who shines as Daniel Forrester.  It's hard to make a character who is kind and gentle come across as anything but weak, but Morgan does it.  He gives us a characterization that is pure in heart, but deep in his love for Marian and his desire to build a life with her.  According to this TCM article, he was made up to look far older than his 44 years (though he never really looked young!)  In a few more years, Morgan would be cast in the film that would probably gift him with eternal fame - The Wizard of Oz (1939), but he appeared in over 100 films, and was impressive in all of them. 

We will leave you with a trailer from the film, where you can glimpse some of the lovely gowns designed by Orry-Kelly.  While not a great film, it's certainly worth your time for the excellent acting that is on display; for plot, read the book instead:

Judy's Over the Rainbow - and so is Elphaba

This will probably be one of my odder blog posts, but the coincidence compels me to discuss a recent screening of the much loved The Wizard of Oz along with the Broadway play Wicked.  We literally saw the two within one week of each other, so we arrived at the play with a totally clear picture of the 1939 classic in our heads.

I'm sure you are all familiar with the plot of The Wizard of Oz.  It's a film I grew up with - it was aired once a year (usually around Thanksgiving), and though my father was not a fan of musicals, the decks were cleared so my brother and I could watch it.  I recall being terrified when the image of the Wicked Witch of the West replaced that of Auntie Em in the giant crystal ball.  Interestingly, at a discussion of the film I attended a few months ago, the speaker said that he found that women/girls were frightened by the crystal ball, while men/boys related their fear of the flying monkeys!  We watched on a black and white TV set, and, since I grew up on 1930s and 1940s b&w movies, it was a revelation to me when, seeing it on a big screen for the very first time, Dorothy opened the door to COLOR.  I was able to live the experience that must have greeted most viewers in 1939!

Then there is Wicked, the story of Oz BEFORE Dorothy's arrival, loosely based on the book by Gregory Maguire.  It tells the story of Oz from the point of view of the woman who will become the Wicked Witch of the West.  Born green - the result of her mother's imbibing a "green elixir," which she acquired from the soon-to-be Wizard of Oz - the child Elphaba Thropp is despised by her parents.  Nevertheless, she is a loving woman, devoted to her crippled sister, Nessarose, and eager to please her father (her mother died giving birth to Nessarose).  She accompanies her sister to Shiz University, where the headmistress, Madame Morrible, discovers that it is Elphaba who has the talent to be a witch, not the pouty Nessarose.  And while Elphaba is eager to work with the Wizard of Oz, she is horrified to discover that he is merely a talentless bigot, who is systematically destroying Oz by turning the inhabitants against one another.  He has started by enslaving the talking animals of Oz.  Why? Because a common enemy unites people.  The Wizard intends to make Elphaba a tool in his further efforts to subjugate Oz, but Elphaba will have none of it, and by "defying gravity", she escapes to begin an organized resistance against his rule.

I had seen Wicked several years ago, when Idina Menzel was still playing Elphaba. This time, Elphaba was enacted by Caroline Bowman, an amazing singer and actress.  The role of Glinda was ably filled by Kara Lindsay, who gave Elphaba's description of Galinda's personality ("blonde"...) a whole new meaning (and no, that is not a misspellling.  Galinda changes her name to Glinda).  All in all, it's a wonderful cast in an amazing production, and if you find yourself in New York, or with access to a traveling version of the play, try to see it.

What the play does is tell us how the various characters came to be - from the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda, and the Wizard, to the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow.  We even find out why those damned shoes are so important to the Wicked Witch.  We never actually SEE Dorothy, though we find out she is there (and that Elphaba finds her and her dog "Dodo" REALLY annoying).  Nevertheless, Dorothy is a key ingredient to the success of the story.  As the story ends, you will begin to see how tightly Wicked and The Wizard of Oz link to one another. 

So let's end this post with a little music - first, the ever wonderful Judy Garland sings Over the Rainbow

And the ladies from Wicked sing about their friendship in For Good.

Gary Has a Three Wives (Almost)

Gary Cooper stars in the title role as Casanova Brown (1944), a man who discovers that his one-day marriage to Isabel Drury (Teresa Wright) has resulted in a daughter - a child she is planning to give up for adoption.

Upon returning from a trip, Cas Brown rushes to the home of Madge Ferris (Anita Louis), intent upon asking for her hand in marriage.  Her father (Frank Morgan) is determined to circumvent him - Mr. Ferris is not keen on marriage, having been unhappily with Madge's mother for over 20 years.  When Cas receives a note from a Chicago maternity hospital, Mr. Ferris' curiosity  forces Cas to reveal that he was briefly married about 9 months before.  His bride's family took an immediate dislike to him, and when he carelessly allows a cigarette he is hiding (Mrs. Drury, played by Patricia Collinge, despises "cigarette fiends") to set fire to the house, his goose is proverbially cooked.  He leaves in disgrace, and without his wife.  The marriage is quickly annulled. Though Mr. Ferris discourages it, Cas travels to Chicago to investigate the mysterious letter, only to find out that his former bride has a baby girl she has decided to give up.  A horrified Cas cooks up a scheme to take possession of the infant.

As films go, this one has a fairly absurd plot, with scenes that go on for much too long.  Much of the film is over the top.  The scene in which the Drury's home becomes an inferno is played for laughs (watching a beautiful home and all its contents become an inferno is funny?).  And then, there is the section where Cas arrives at the maternity hospital: men assume CAS is pregnant (huh?) and Cas blithely allows a complete physical to be performed without ANY questions.  We wondered on what planet anyone would accede to multiple blood tests, physicals, and x-rays with nary a question?  In an age of escalating health care costs and uninsurance woes, this just doesn't age well.  Also ludicrous is Cooper's ability to merely don scrubs in order to sneak his daughter out of the newborn nursery.  He's a man in scrubs - naturally, he is a doctor... (?!)

The film plays the Drurys as a farcical couple; Mrs. Drury's penchant for astrology is annoying.  Assumedly, a 1940's audience would find her aversion to cigarettes to be odd as well (though as non-smokers in the 21st Century, we applaud her for that). Luckily, we don't have to put up with her all that long; she is only in the one, extended scene.  Quite frankly, Patricia Collinge is totally wasted. 

We also found it distasteful that the hospital literally sneaks in the news that baby Drury (the name on the bassinet) is being put up for adoption.  The rights of the father (and we know that the doctor and staff are well aware that Isabel and Cas were married at one point) are completely ignored.  Cas' panic at the loss of his daughter is understandable.  And Cooper, with his wide, lovely eyes and amiable demeanor makes Cas' predicament all the more sympathetic.  He is one of the reasons that the film ends up being somewhat enjoyable. The other is his reunion with Teresa Wright.  They are an enjoyable couple (just watch them together in Pride of the Yankees). One just wishes they had a bit more to work with. 

We found it fascinating that the film was nominated for three academy awards: music, art direction, and sound recording.  The competition in Dramatic or Comedy Score category, which had 19 nominations included Max Steiner (for Since You Went Away and The Adventures of Mark Twain), Miklos Rozsa (Double Indemnity, Women of the Town), and Alfred Newman (Wilson).  Since You Went Away took the prize.  Art Direction had 7 nominations (including Gaslight and Laura.  Gaslight won).  Sound had 10 nominations, with Wilson taking the prize from Kismet, Double Indemnity and Cover Girl).

Though filmed right in the middle of World War II, Casanova Brown makes no mention of the War.  Perhaps it was considered escapist fare, but we found it strange that the War was so completely ignored.  It was also the first feature of Independent Pictures.  For more information on Independent Pictures, see this TCM Article on Casanova Brown. 

Though several worthy supporting players grace this film, with the exception of Frank Morgan, most have little to do.  We already mentioned Patricia Collinge;  Anita Louise is similarly wasted.  She really appears as a pretty face with no job but look lovely (which she does do quite well).  The always amusing Mary Treen gets a bit more screen time as the nurse, Miss Clark, and while she is amusing, this clearly is Cooper's film.  He is in nearly every scene, and when he is in the scene, the film focuses on him.  And of course, Frank Morgan is a delight as a character who, in close analysis, one would find despicable in real life.

Finally, a quick mention of Jill Esmond as Dr. Martha Zernerke.  It's always fun for me to find a film with a woman doctor.  Interestingly, Zernerke's sex is not dwelt upon; she is portrayed as competent, and ultimately sympathetic.  Her sex has no impact on her ability to do her job.  Esmond, by the way, was Laurence Olivier's first wife and the mother of his eldest son, Tarquin.
In closing, we leave you with Cooper arriving at a clinic for testing.

Joan Goes to Greece

Thanks to TCM's latest "Summer Under the Stars", we've been able to assemble a number of Joan Crawford (and Carole Lombard) movies that we had none of us seen before.  We look forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks.  This week, we again visited with Ms. Crawford in her 1935 film I Live My Life. Joan is a young society girl Kay Bentley , on a cruise through the Greek Islands with her father (played beautifully by Frank Morgan).  While riding her rented donkey on Naxos, she stumbles (literally) on the archeology site that is being excavated by Terry O'Neill (Brian Aherne). It doesn't take long for Terry to fall head over heels for Kay (though he thinks she is a secretary on the yacht), but Kay resists his charms. For awhile.  When he follows her to New York, she is truly smitten.  But complications, as they say, ensue.  The course of true love is rather rocky, especially with two such wonderfully headstrong people.

Crawford is gorgeous here, and the chemistry between her an Aherne fairly smokes.  As we know from Ann Blyth's introduction to Ms. Crawford on TCM, Joan was a small woman - barely 5 feet tall. Mr. Aherne, however, was 6'3" - together, they make a fairly arresting couple. Crawford's gowns, by Adrian, are lovely; we rather drooled to try some of them on! (And the sight of the attractive Mr. Aherne in a tuxedo was nothing to sneeze at!).  Crawford pokes fun at herself in one scene, commenting on the amount of money she spends on her manicures and on her eyebrows.  She doesn't mention her EYELASHES! She could dust the windows with those eyelashes.

We enjoyed Frank Morgan as Crawford's loving father.  It seems at first that he will betray her, but he is impressive in his affection for his daughter - ready to give up everything he has to make her happy.  And, while you will have to wait awhile for her to show up, it is worth the wait to see Jessie Ralph as Joan's grandmother, the frightening Mrs. Gage.  She is an absolute hoot, and you will enjoy her tremendously.

All in all, this is a fun film, with a great cast and a really nice script.  If you get a chance, see it. You won't regret it. In the meantime, we can direct you to a scene from the film:

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.