Jerry Young (Fredric March) is an American flyer during World War I. Stationed in England with his colleagues Mike Richards (Jack Oakie) and Henry Crocker (Cary Grant), the team is eager to get to France and see some action. But when they get their orders,Young finds that the emotional and physical toll is more than he counted on. Our film this week is The Eagle and the Hawk (1933). This is not a film for the faint at heart. It's tough-minded and there is nothing uplifting about it. Every second of it is a condemnation of war and its barbarity. It's also well-paced and to the point - in a brief 73 minutes we learn all we need to know about the life of this flyer squadron in general and about Jerry Young in particular. Fredric March is excellent as a man who is much too good at his job, and who is tormented by the demons of those who he has killed or have died with him. Early in the film, he is devil-may-care - excited to begin fighting the good fight, as he sees it. But, much like the men in The Way to the Stars (1945), that eagerness doesn't last long, and in Jerry's case, gives way to horror and despair. One scene that is especially striking occurs late in the film. Jerry is on R&R, and is attending a dinner party in the home of a wealthy family. After being bombarded by congratulations on his kill record and on his bravery, he attempts to leave. However, more is in store - the wife of the family brings down her small son, a lad of about 8 who wants to know all about the war. "Don't you like to kill the enemy" "What do they look like when they fall? Are they on fire? Do they explode with a great, big bang?" the eager child inquires. The look of revulsion on March's face tells us all we need to know of the agony he is experiencing.
This is a very early effort in Cary Grant's career, and so the character we get is very different than the actor we are used to from his later films. Henry can come across as petulant at times, but Grant is able to demonstrate Crocker's resentment and anger at what he feels is a bias on Jerry's part. Crocker is NOT an attractive character - in one scene, we watch as he shoots at an enemy pilot who has parachuted from a disabled plane. At the same time, it's hard to argue with his rationale - a dead man is not going to kill either Crocker or his colleagues. In the end, we appreciate the grudging respect that Jerry and Henry have for one another; but where Henry feels that morals have no place in war, Jerry cannot disassociate from his ethical code, no matter the cost. Mr. Grant was not originally cast in the part - it was intended for Gary Cooper, who had to bow out due to conflicts (AFI catalog).
Carole Lombard had already appeared in 37 silent and sound films, including The Racketeer and No More Orchids, both starring roles. Her work here is very short - she is only in about two scene, both towards the end of the movie. Regardless, the scenes are crucial in better understanding Jerry Young. Ms. Lombard's character doesn't even have a name - she is billed as The Beautiful Lady - however you will remember her after the film ends. Importantly, these are not the start of a romance, rather, it is a woman who comprehends far too well what this soldier is going through, and who seeks a way to relieve his pain, albeit temporarily. Ms. Lombard had hoped for more to do in the film; alas it was not to be (TCM article). The next year, she would finally get the opportunity to show her comedic chops in Twentieth Century; her real breakthrough was in My Man Godfrey in 1936. Jack Oakie spent much of his career in comedies; while Mike gets the humorous lines, his part is in no way comedic. None of us were particularly fans of Mr. Oakie, but he's very good in this role. It is perhaps the kind of part he should have had more of an opportunity to perform.
Most of the reviews were positive: The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and the Pre-code.com blog all expressed their regard for the film. Only Variety logged complaints. We wondered if this film might have had an impact on the pacifism that kept the U.S. out of World War II until 1942. It certainly is a film that makes demonstrates the pointlessness of war. We'll leave you with this scene, in which you'll see both Mr. March and Mr. Grant.
The war is over and three servicemen are on their way home. Sailor Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), bombadier Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), and infantry Sergeant Al Stephenson (Frederic March) meet on the plane to Boone City. Each returns to family, but each has changed: Homer lost his hands when his ship was torpedoed; Fred saw his friend crash, and now has horrible nightmares, and Al is tormented by his memories of the men who didn't make it home. Are The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) behind them or still to come? In the first year of its existence (1989), the National Film Registry added The Best Years of Our Lives to its list of films of "enduring importance to American culture." And indeed it is. It is perhaps the best film of the post-war period, if not one of the best of all time. Directed by William Wyler after his return from the European Theatre of Operations, it was, in fact, his first film after spending over three years in bomber planes making documentaries for the U.S. Army Air Force. As a result of the noise in the planes, he lost his hearing, and was virtually deaf for several years. Wyler understood well the life facing disabled veterans. He therefore fashioned a movie (based on Time Magazine article "The Way Home," and a treatment by MacKinlay Kantor) that dealt with disability on a variety of levels. (For more on the film and it's creation, see this Film Preservation Board essay).
The most obvious examination of disability is the casting of double amputee Harold Russell as Homer. Unlike his character, Russell was injured in a training accident, and spent the war in the hospital. Mr. Russell was included in a training film Diary of a Sargeant (1944); when Wyler saw that film, he decided to change the character of Homer from a man suffering from severe spacticity. While clearly not an actor, Russell's gives a genuine performance; his scene, late in the film, with actress Cathy O'Donnell (as Homer's fiance, Wilma Cameron) is truly moving, giving real truth to the film.
Mr. Russell became the only actor to receive two Oscars for the same performance: he was awarded a competitive Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (the other nominees were: Charles Coburn in The Green Years, William Demarest in The Jolson Story, Claude Rains in Notorious, and Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge), as well as a Special Oscar for "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans." (TCM article). Years later, Mr. Russell sold one of the Oscars, in order to get funding for his wife's health care.
Fredric March won the Best Actor award that year, but Myrna Loyas his wife, Milly Stephenson didn't even get nominated! If anything is a travesty of the Oscars, it is the fact that she was NEVER nominated for Oscars for any of her wonderful performances. (The Academy did try to finally rectify the oversight in 1991 by awarding her an Honorary Oscar. You can see her acceptance here). Her performance as Milly is inspired. Watch her face as she realizes that Al is in the house. Then, see if you can refrain from tearing up as she explains to daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright, who was only 12 years younger than her on-screen mother) why even her "perfect" marriage has its challenges. Her quiet dignity, as she silently, but sympathetically, observes the changes in her husband are beyond stirring.
Dana Andrews (who also was not nominated for this picture) is excellent as a man returning to a wife he finds he no longer loves (Virginia Mayo as the rather despicable Marie Derry), and who is forced back into the same dead-end job he left to serve his country. Fred Derry is still suffering the effects of the war. He has vivid nightmares of the death of his friend, he feels ill-equipped to take on a more responsible job ("I just dropped bombs" is his response to any queries about his ability to prove experience based on his war service), and his wife only wants him to wear his uniform and party. It is in the company of Peggy Stephenson that he is able to find any comfort or understanding, but his marriage is a block that he can't get around. Mr. Andrews gives us a character that shows the most growth throughout the movie - he really does go from a boy to a man.
Though they only have a few scenes, Roman Bohnen and Gladys George as Fred's father and stepmother Pat and Hortense are magnificent. Their most powerful scene occurs towards the end of the film; the scene is a simple one - Pat is reading a document aloud to Hortense which explains the citation Fred received from the military. With just Mr. Bohnen's voice and Ms. George's eyes, we see the love and pain that they feel for their son. The war, we see, impacted more than those who fought. Equally effective is Hoagy Carmichael as Homer's uncle Butch Engle. Butch serves as the springboard to Homer's reentry into life - teaching him to "play" the piano, quietly encouraging him to open up to his parents and to Wilma, and perhaps more importantly, keeping him from slipping into alcohol as a refuge from his troubles. Another interesting casting note: Mr. Wyler used his 4 and 7 year old daughters in one of the drugstore scenes.
The film opened to enthusiastic reviews. The New York Times called it "this best film this year..." and Variety said it was "one of the best pictures of our lives." Since then, it has continued to be held in high regard, coming in at #37 in AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies, 10th Edition (the same position as the original list) and at #11 in AFI's 100 Years, 100 Cheers. Richard Brody singled it out for a DVR alert in his New Yorkercommentary. It also was financially successful, earning over $11,300,000 in its first North American release. It was even re-released in 1953 to note the return of troops for Korean, to equally favorable reviews (AFI catalog). Yet, despite this, Mr. Wyler was called before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee - certain scenes were deemed Communist propaganda! If you have never seen The Best Years of Our Lives, we strongly urge you to get hold of a copy. It is worth your time. We'll leave you with the trailer from the film.
Based on the 1930 play by Rudolf Besier (which premiered on Broadway in 1931 with Katherine Cornell and Brian Aherne in the lead roles), Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) tells the story behind the courtship and marriage of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. The Barrett family live in a large house in London with their father, Edward Moulton-Barrett (Charles Laughton). The six brothers and three sisters have been forbidden to marry by their father, who rules the home with an iron hand. Elizabeth, the eldest child (Norma Shearer) and a highly regarded poet, is his darling; that she is bedridden, and therefore quietly dependent upon him is no small part of his affection. The arrival of poet Robert Browning (Fredric March) at Wimpole Street, who comes to discuss her poetry, but leaves totally enamored of her, changes the dynamic between father and daughter, as Elizabeth begins to get well, and to envision a life outside the environs of Wimpole Street. History according to Hollywood is a fascinating thing, and this film is ripe for comparison to the actual facts. For the most part, the story is a quite accurate portrayal of the courtship between Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. The large Barrett family did all live together in Wimpole Street, and were forbidden marriage by their domineering father. Elizabeth was the first to wed (and her elopement actually put some stress on her relationship with her brothers); she was immediately disowned by her father. Henrietta (Maureen O'Sullivan) was romantically involved with Captain Surtees Cook (Ralph Forbes); they ultimately married and had three children. Elizabeth's brother Alfred also married before his father's death; both he and Henrietta were disinherited. (See The Brownings' Correspondence) Elizabeth did seem to recover some of her health after meeting Robert Browning, and Mr. Barrett did forbid Elizabeth to go to Italy for her health. In 1846, Elizabeth and Robert eloped to St. Marylebone Church with Elizabeth's maid, Wilson (Una O'Connor) in attendance; within the week, they left for Italy, where they remained for the rest of Elizabeth's life. In 1849, Elizabeth gave birth to her only son, Robert "Pen" Browning (she suffered four miscarriages). Elizabeth died at age 55 in 1861. After her death, Robert returned to England with Pen; they moved to a residence close to Anabel Barrett (Katharine Alexander), who acted as a surrogate mother to Pen and a confidant to Robert. Robert would live until 1889, age 77. (The Poetry Foundation)
Charles Laughton, as the Barrett patriarch is impressive. Though only three years older than Ms. Shearer, he sears the screen with his overbearing and frightening presence. Laughton is not afraid to make Mr. Barrett a monster. In fact, when he was told by producer Irving Thalberg that, thanks to the censors, the film would need to play down the incest angle of Barrett's affection for his eldest daughter, Laughton objected, telling Thalberg that "...they can't censor the gleam in my eye." (TCM article). Allegedly, Fredric March was disappointed with his performance, feeling that director Sidney Franklin was more interested in the character of Elizabeth, and that his performance suffered by comparison. March felt his performance was too over-the-top, and while he is quite passionate and exuberant, we really felt it worked. Browning was 6 years younger than Elizabeth; March's performance emphasizes that age gap, and also transmits the idea of someone who really could transfer his strength into the body of a sick woman. We found him to be delightful and even the New York Times in their review was rather complimentary.
It's only thanks to Mr. Thalberg that Ms. Shearer agreed to play Elizabeth - she was unsure of taking on a role so closely linked to Katherine Cornell (though Ms. Cornell was not interested in appearing in films - she would eventually do ONE - she appeared in Stage Door Canteen during the second World War.) But she is lovely in the role; she was nominated for an Oscar for the performance (she lost to Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night). The film was also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (also losing to It Happened One Night). Marion Davies was originally set to star (William Randolph Hearst yearned for his lady to play more serious parts). However, Ms. Davies bowed out (after a conversation with Ms. Shearer). Ms. Davies was much happier in her comedies and was not comfortable with appearing in such a serious part (AFI Catalog). Una O'Connor as Wilson is wonderful. Ms. O'Connor plays the part more as a surrogate mother to the ailing Elizabeth, and less as her servant. With a walk that makes her almost appear to glide across the screen, and her stubborn determination to protect her charge, Ms. O'Connor is a delight.
We were somewhat less enthralled with Marion Clayton as Barrett cousin Bella Hedley and Ian Wolfe as her fiance Harry Bevan. Their odd speech patterns (she with a little girl lisp and he with an affected upper class tone) just seemed pointless. We kept wanting them to just shut up and go away. (Bella does serve a purpose to the overall story; Harry, not so much). The costumes, as designed by Adrian, are magnificent, especially Elizabeth's fur ensemble at the end of the film. The play was primarily set in Elizabeth's sitting room, and the film really does very little to extend it from that location (we do outside once with Henrietta, and to Browning's home with Wilson. The rest of the film is set in the Barrett house, and is Elizabeth's perspective) . Despite that, the film is entertaining and not in the least claustrophobic.
The success of the play and this film led to it being remade at least 10 times for radio, film and television. In 1946, Lux Radio Theatre broadcast a version starring Loretta Young and Brian Aherne - Mr. Aherne reprising his stage performance as Robert Browning. In 1950, Helen Hayes starred as Elizabeth on television's Prudential Family Playhouse. Another television production followed in 1955 as part of the Front Row Center series, this time starring Geraldine Fitzgerald as Ba. The Producers' Showcase series in 1956 scored a coup, convincing Katherine Cornell to reprise her Broadway role. There were also two film versions: one in 1957, with Jennifer Jones; and a second in 1982, with Jane Lapotaire and Jeremy Brett. We'll leave you with the scene from the film:
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:
Barbara Stanwyck has a relatively small part in Executive Suite (1954). She plays Julia O. Tredway, the daughter of the late head of the Tredway Corporation, a respected furniture manufacturer, now headed by Avery Bullard (voiced, but unseen, by Raoul Freeman). However, Julia and her love for Bullard are not the focus of the film; Executive Suite is the story of a critical moment in the history of the Tredway Corporation, as the company's various executives battle for control of the firm after the death of Bullard.
The film marks a reunion for Stanwyck and William Holden (McDonald "Don" Walling). Stanwyck was the star of Golden Boy (1939), and Holden was a newbie when he appeared in the title role. As the film rushes came in, Harry Cohn made it clear that was not satisfied with Holden's performance, and was going to replace him. Stanwyck defended him, and worked with him to improve his performance (Check out this TCM article for that story and others). Golden Boy became Holden's breakthrough role. Stanwyck and Holden remained friends, and he tried for years to convince the Academy to present her with an Honorary Oscar for her body of work. Ultimately, he did succeed, but by the time she received the award, he had died. In this video, you can will see Holden's praise of Stanwyck at the 1977 Oscars, and her moving acceptance speech in 1983 as she expresses her affection for her "Golden Boy".
The film actually belongs to Holden's Don Walling, the head of Tredway's research and development arm, and on his evolution into becoming a leader. Disillusioned by his mentor, Bullard, but nevertheless grieved by his death, Don becomes convinced that only he among the corporate vice presidents can keep Tredway afloat. His passion for a quality product and for the continued stability of the company put him at odds with other members of the board of directors. Holden gives Don the necessary sincerity and gravitas needed to lead a major corporation. He also demonstrates a devotion to his wife Mary Blemond Walling (June Allyson) and son Mike (Tim Considine). While some of his colleagues consider him too young to lead a company, the film focuses on his growth into the new position.
Also remarkable is Fredric March as
Loren Phineas Shaw, the chief financial officer for the company. Shaw's economies have put him at odds with Don, having advocated for and won approval of a cheap brand of furniture that, while enhancing the company's coffers, proves an embarrassment to the firm's employees and to many members of the board. March gives Shaw a number of small tics that quickly define his character for the viewer - watch how he constantly wipes his hands. His Shaw is a character you cannot like, and March is not afraid to make him, while not quite a villain, at the very least an unattractive individual.
A greater portion of the film's $1.25 million budget went to actors' salaries, and to good effect, because each actor gives a distinct three-dimensionality to the characters. Though only in about 3 scenes, Shelley Winters is excellent as Eva Bardeman, the secretary and mistress of Josiah Walter Dudley (Paul Douglas). Walter Pidgeon's
Frederick Y. Alderson gives us a man at the end of his career, who must face the fact that he will never rise to the heights of power that he always hoped was his future. But especially worth noting is the performance of Nina Foch as Bullard's executive secretary, Erica Martin. Foch was nominated for an Oscar for her brief, but powerful performance as a woman who is privy to her late employer's secrets, but who is the soul of discretion. In the clip below, Foch describes her conversations with the film's producer John Houseman and director, Robert Wise, as they took a tiny, weak part and made it into the small gem that you see today. To make Erica a real person, Foch and Wise created a backstory for her:
The film opens with point-of-view camera work. Since we are seeing the world through the eyes of Avery Bullard, his sudden death is quite shocking. As a result, we never actually see Bullard, not even a photo of him. This allows the audience to create their own picture of him, based on the various portraits that his colleagues paint.
Also very interesting is the credit role. We are all used to credits which show brief names of the characters' next to that of the actors, but Executive Suite gives us the characters full names - names that were not used within the film. We learn that Don Walling's name is actually MacDonald, and that his wife's maiden name is Blemond. Again, the character's begin to have a life outside the frame of the story - they have a past. They will have a future.
We were unfamiliar with Lucille Knoch, who the end credits inform us was Mrs. George Nyle Caswell (the wife of Louis Calhern's manipulative George Caswell - another masterful character creation), not his mistress, as we all had assumed. Ms. Knoch quite good in this part. She had a relatively short career - this was possibly the largest role she ever had. She seems to have stopped acting after 1957; she died in 1990.
Interestingly, the film did have a future, of sorts. It was made into a TV show from September 1976 through February 1977. It lasted for only 18 episodes, which is not surprising, considering the new show's competition was Monday Night Football, The Rockford Files, and the NBC Movie of the Week. Given that competition, it's shocking that it made it past the first month. Only the Don and Helen Walling characters continued in the TV show - they were played by Mitchell Ryan and Sharon Acker. Even the name of the company was changed in the prime-time soap opera. It was now the Cardway Corporation. You can see a advertisement for the show on YouTube.
We'll leave you with a trailer from the film - an introduction to all the characters, including Stanwyck's Julia Tredway:
The here meets the hereafter in Smilin' Through(1932), a lovely film about a man who lost the
love of his life on their wedding day.
John Carteret (Leslie Howard) still
mourns the loss of Moonyean Clare (Norma Shearer) after 30 years. He spends
much of his time in the garden where they were happiest, and where the spirit
of Moonyean visits him, assuring him of her continued love. As a result, John
has virtually withdrawn from the world, until the day his friend Dr. Owen (O.
P. Heggie) brings the news that Moonyean's sister and her husband have died in
a boating accident, leaving her 6 year-old daughter orphaned. He also brings the child, in the hopes that she will reopen John's heart. Though at first
reluctant to take the child, John is so captivated by little Kathleen (Cora
Sue Collins) that he consents to adopt her.
By 1915, the now adult Kathleen
(also played by Norma Shearer) is the apple of her Uncle John's eye, as well as
being nearly a twin of Moonyean; John is convinced that Kathleen will shortly
marry the somewhat stodgy Willie Ainsley (Ralph Forbes). But when Kathleen
meets Kenneth Wayne (Fredric March), a young American who is heir to a local
home, and who has come to England to join the war efforts, any hope of that is
lost. Kathleen and Kenneth fall desperately in love. But when John learns of the affair, he is horrified; Kenneth's father was drunken lout who murdered Moonyean. John forbids Kathleen to see Kenneth.
Based on a play by Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin, this version is the second time the story was told on screen. The first was a silent version in 1922, with Norma Talmadge as Moonyean/Kathleen. The third time, in 1941, was a musical version with Jeannette MacDonald as Moonyean, Brian Aherne as John, and Gene Raymond as Kenneth/Jeremy.
Like any MGM film, especially one starring Norma Shearer this subtle movie is beautifully done. Exquisite costumes by Adrian, along with convincing makeup for Leslie Howard (who has to age over 40 years during the course of the film), and a sensitive script that really keeps you involved make this a film that wears its age well.
Of course, this is an exceptional acting ensemble. Leslie Howard is especially convincing as John. You have to believe that he is able to communicate with the spirit of Moonyean, which Howard does beautifully. His later rage against Kenneth is equally good. We especially enjoyed his scene with the young Kathleen. Howard carefully unwraps the hidden man, making John blossom in this brief conversation. We were also impressed with O.P. Heggie, who plays Dr. Owen. Owen serves as the link between the past and the present and Heggie does a nice job. He had a fairly short career in talking films. He died at age 59, in 1936, having appeared, in a total of 27 silent and talking films. Included in this list are The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) as the blind hermit and Anne of Green Gables (1934) as Matthew.
Certainly, the play suggested the doubling of Kathleen/Moonyean and Kenneth/Jeremy. It is an especially good decision to continue that casting note. We felt that, especially for the character of Kenneth, the fact that Kenneth looks so much like Jeremy makes John's dislike
more intense, and helps the audience to understand his horror at the younger man's involvement with Kathleen.
The film was nominated for Best Picture in 1932, losing to Cavalcade. This brief TCM article discusses cameraman Lee Garmes and his initial difficulties in filming Norma Shearer (who was sensitive about the appearance of her eyes on film). Obviously, it was a problem his was able to overcome, because she is just lovely, as always.
To close, here is the aborted marriage of John and his beloved Moonyean.
Our discussion this week focused on 1936's Anthony Adverse. Fredric March plays the titular orphan who loves the young peasant girl Angela Guisseppi, who grows up to be Olivia de Havilland AND a great opera singer. Interestingly, we
learned from Robert Osborne that Kitty Carlisle auditioned for the role
of Angela (which makes a certain amount of sense. While she is not the
actress that our Olivia is, she is certainly an opera singer. That being
said, Ms. de Havilland is lovely in the role of a young woman who grows
to be a widely renowned opera star AND the courtesan of Napoleon
Bonaparte.
This is another of those films with an amazing cast.
Let's start with the prologue - Louis Hayward and Anita Louise as
Anthony's parents. And the always wonderful Claude Rains as the
dastardly Don Luis. We did have one question, which might have been
answered in the book (which none of us have read) - why on earth would
the wonderful John Bonnyfeather (Edmund Gwenn)
convince his adored daughter to marry such a horrible man? Short of
reading the book, I guess we'll never know. And then, as Anthony grows,
there is Gail Sondergaard as Faith
Paleologus, Mr. Bonnyfeather's housekeeper. She is just so wonderfully
bitchy. She and Rains make the perfect pair in this movie (maybe even
MORE perfect than Anthony and Angela!!) And Billy Mauch as the
10-year-old Anthony, who is quite good (and rather adorable, without
being sugary).
The one performance we found totally laughable was that of Steffi Duna as Neleta,
Anthony's tropical mistress. Someone seems to have told Ms. Duna that
they way to express evil was to continuously narrow and widen her eyes.
We were in stitches (luckily, she is not on the screen for too long). A
quick check of her film history revealed that she did, in fact, appear
in 22 films - until she married Dennis O'Keefe in 1940. Then she seems
to have retired.
This is one of
those impressive epic adventures, whose reputation seems to have not
survived as well as it should. It has a lot of excellent performances (Gale
Sondergaard won the first Best Supporting Actress award that year - the
first year it was awarded. She won against such notables as Maria
Ouspenskaya and
Beulah Bondi). If you get a chance to see it, it is certainly worth
your time. And while our Ms. de Havilland doesn't have much screen
time, she makes good use of what she has (especially the early scenes
with March).
Here's the trailer:
Next time, join us for one of Ms. de Havilland's more serious performances.
This week, we watched Nothing Sacred, a screwball comedy
which stars Carole Lombard as Hazel Flagg, a young woman from Warsaw, a
tiny New England town, who is diagnosed with radium poisoning. When
reporter Wally Cook (Frederic March) is looking for a story to get him
back on top, he hits on Hazel's misfortune as a means to re-ingratiating
himself with his boss. Only problem is, Hazel has since found out that
her doctor (Charles Winninger) was mistaken. She's fine. Hazel however,
wants her free trip to New York City (the gift promised by Wally), and
to get out of Warsaw, so she conceals her health, and goes to town as
the Martyr Who is About to Die. (My favorite line: "It's kind of
startling to be brought to life twice - and each time in Warsaw!")
In
some senses, it feels as though the writers wrote themselves into a
corner, and couldn't get out. They need a way to end it, so they do,
but whether it exactly works, is a matter of opinion. However, this is
screwball comedy, so on some levels it doesn't really matter. Ms.
Lombard is adorable as Hazel; loving the attention she is getting, but
horrified because people seem to so genuinely care that she is dying.
And, of course, falling in love with Wally who ALSO thinks she is about
to die. Here's a trailer:
There is also a great deal of wonderful character support
here. We were particularly tickled by a brief, uncredited appearance by
Hattie McDaniel, as the wife of a man pretending to be a Middle Eastern
potentate. One word from her, and we were laughing. You can't miss
that voice. Even without the closeup that we never got, we knew it was
her! Another delightful surprise was Margaret Hamilton as a local
neighbor of Hazel. She doesn't have a huge part, doesn't even have a
lot of dialog, but again, she is hysterically funny. We loved it.
Interesting to note is that both actresses were 2 years from their
breakthrough 1939 performances in Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
Tonight's movie was Merrily We Go to Hell. Frederic March seems to almost be in preparation for his future role in A Star is Born,
playing a drunken reporter, who marries wealthy, loving, and innocent
Sylvia Sidney. Our initial reaction was - why on earth would a lovely
woman like Joan (Sylvia Sidney) be attracted to this drunken fool. He
forgets who she is five minutes after meeting her; then shows up hours
late for their first date. At their engagement party, he shows up late,
and so drunk he has passed out in a cab.
It's not clear if the
film considers Jerry an alcoholic or not. He seems quite able to stop
drinking any time he wants to (the usual claim of drunks); there is also
a certain luridness in his drinking. Yes, he is amusing, but not in the
Nick Charles (The Thin Man) way. He humor is vague and silly.
He forgets what he says after he says it. We find out later that he is
drinking to forget a past girlfriend; when he meets her again, he again
begins drinking (having given it up for his now-wife Joan). Finally, his drunkenness and infidelity drive his wife to drink.
As a brief
aside, we have here an early film of Cary Grant, playing a friend of Jerry's
and date of Joan's. I believe he also has a one second bit (we only see
his back) as an actor in a play (it WAS his voice). Interesting to see
Cary Grant not the romantic lead. It won't last for very long.
Here's a scene with March and Sidney:
Without
giving away the ending, there is no joy here; no real redemption. Will
our couple stay together? Will the drinking resume? And what about that
last line. Just who is Joan talking about when she mentions "my baby".
It does give one pause.
