Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda team up for the first time in The Mad Miss Manton (1938), a delightful screwball comedy. Stanwyck is Melsa Manton, a wealthy society girl, and a member of the Park Avenue Pranksters, a group of nine young ladies with too much time on their hands, who inevitably end up getting into hot water. After a late night of partying, Melsa takes her little dog out for a walk. She spies an acquaintance, Ronnie Belden run from an empty building. Curious, Melsa wanders inside and finds a dead body. She races to a phone, calls the police, and returns to the house. But when Lieutenant Mike Brent (Sam Levene) arrives, the body has disappeared, and he's convinced that Melsa is having a joke at his expense. The next day, newpaper editor Peter Ames (Henry Fonda) prints an article condemning Melsa. Incensed, Melsa and her merry band decide that they will find the missing body and solve the mystery of the murder. This is a hysterical romp, it's delightful and enjoyable - a little candy confection of a movie. Instead male bonding movie, we have a dynamic young woman and her Scoobies. It's not great literature, but it is silly and funny and totally relaxing. Watching Stanwyck is a screwball heiress is great fun; nicest of all is that, while Melsa is a bit of flake, she's a SMART flake. She's brave, and she's always in control One realizes quickly that her lunacy is based on boredom - give her something to do, and she takes it on and runs with it.
Henry Fonda, in his first of three films with Stanwyck, was allegedly not thrilled with the part of Peter Ames. He particularly did not like the scene in which the Park Avenue Pranksters overpower him, and tie him to a bed. On loan from Walter Wanger, Fonda was furious during the shoot, and ignored everyone as much as possible (see this TCM article). Luckily, his dissatisfaction with the picture did not sour him on performing with Ms. Stanwyck, or we would not have the magnificent The Lady Eve! Regardless of his annoyance, Mr. Fonda turns in a good performance, in a role in which he is clearly a very second banana. Another performance that really stands out (not surprisingly) is that of Hattie McDaniel as Melsa's maid, Hilda. As is to be expected. her part is small, but she makes the most of what she has. According to Hattie: The Life of Hattie McDaniel by Carlton Jackson, some audience members had a problem with Hilda tossing a vase of water in Peter's face (on Melsa's orders). We personally, thought it was a hoot (she did use "distilled water") Ms. McDaniel can do with a raised eyebrow what other actors cannot do with their entire body. Her retorts to Melsa are brief and pointed (Melsa: "Miss Beverly is our guest.". Hilda: "I didn't ask her"), but there is an affection between the two that is undeniable.
The film opened at
Radio City Music Hall, which speaks to a film from which the studio
expected a great deal of interest. The costumes by Edward Stevenson are
quite lovely, especially considering that he is having to gown nine
girls in stunning clothing. Interestingly, in 1944, when Dick Powell walks past a movie marquee in Murder, My Sweet (1944), this is the film being shown.
The screenplay was based on an unpublished novel by Wilson Collison. The role of Melsa was also considered for Katharine Hepburn and Irene Dunne; Stanwyck took the part to fulfill requirements in her non-exclusive RKO contract (AFI catalog). She became ill during production, but despite her having to stay home for a week's recuperation, her director, Leigh Jason, said of her: "I've worked with perhaps eight or nine hundred actors and actresses. Barbara Stanwyck is the nicest."
We will leave you with the scene in which Peter and Melsa meet at the newspaper office, after his article comes out. Next time, more Stanwyck, but with another actor with whom she appeared in multiple films.
Barbara Stanwyck again plays a working woman reluctant to wed, though this time in a more comedic vein, in The Bride Walks Out (1936). Stanwyck plays Carolyn, a successful model (she's earning $50 a week in the middle of the Great Depression), who is in love with would-be engineer Michael Martin (Gene Raymond). Michael wants to marry immediately - and wants a stay-at-home wife to live on his $35 a week salary. He doesn't care that Carolyn loves working and appreciates the independence and the luxuries her job allows her. And while she is, at first determined to stay single, her love for Michael wins out, and she reluctantly marries him. Within a few months, she discovers that, even with scrimping, she is unable to make ends meet: they owe the grocer and their landlord, and cannot make the payments on the apartment full of furniture Michael bought on credit. Add to that, Carolyn just can't cook. The biggest problem with this film is that you wonder why is Caroline so in love with Michael. He's supposed to be intelligent - he has an engineer degree, but he hasn't enough common sense to spread on a cracker. He has no clue of what things cost; he buys new furniture that he cannot afford, when Carolyn has perfectly good furniture from her apartment. And WHY is he so unwilling to let her work? They could be socking away some money for a nice home, and to finance his professional ambitions before they have children. He claims that this is just the way it is in his family, but we never meet his family. (We wondered if seeing his family would have given us more insight into him). Besides - it's still the Depression - any income in this period is good income.
Gene Raymond plays Michael as someone who lives in the moment and cannot look
forward to the future, either financially or emotionally. He
marries Carolyn hoping to change her. He ignores their finances and
the debts he has incurred, yet over her objections, squanders $50 on a party. Yes, she is hiding some of the financial woes from him, but he isn't looking either. And when money starts to magically appear, it never occurs to him that their sudden financial security is not possible on his salary. He wasn't able to save very much when he lived alone on his salary, how he intends to support and save for two with only one person working is unbelievable. We need a triangle, so early on the film introduces Robert Young as Hugh McKenzie, a wealthy ne'er-do-well, who meets Carolyn and Michael in court, and falls head over heels for the new bride. As portrayed by Young, Hugh is the only character who grows within the course of the film - he begins as an incorrigible drunk, but with Carolyn's help, he matures into an unselfish individual who wants only what is best for Carolyn.
As an actor, Young had a remarkable and long career (he was, in fact, on loan from MGM for this role. See this brief article at the AFI database). His career started with a role in a short film in 1928 (uncredited), but he quickly had a nice role in The Sin of Madelon Claudet as Helen Hayes' adult son. He worked steadily throughout the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in such films as Journey for Margaret (1942), The Shining Hour (1938), The Enchanted Cottage (1945), and Crossfire (1948). As work in films disappeared in the 1950s, Young segued rather seamlessly to television, first as the titular head of the family in Father Knows Best (1954-1960) and then as the kindly general practitioner in Marcus Welby, MD (1969-1976). He was married to Betty Henderson for 61 years, and they had four daughters; however, Young's private life was a troubled one. He battled alcoholism and depression for much of it, even to the point of attempting suicide in 1991. He recovered, and spent much of his later years encouraging those likewise afflicted to seek help. He died of respiratory failure in 1999, five year after wife Betty's death. The Robert Young Center in Illinois is named in his honor, for the work he did in campaigning for the passage of 708 Illinois Tax Referendum (which created a financial base for the support of a mental health board)
Also notable in the cast are Ned Sparks (Paul Dodson), Helen Broderick (Mattie Dodson), and Hattie McDaniel (Mamie); as well as a brief visit from the wonderful Charles Lane (as a Judge)! Precursors of the Bickersons, Paul and Mattie spend most of the film sniping at one another, but they prove to be the perfect foils for Carolyn and Michael, as the Dodsons truly love one another without any desire to change the other person. We have a similar situation with Mamie - like Mattie, she cannot understand this man who is forcing his wife to live on a pittance anc be miserable. Ms. McDaniel, as always, makes Mamie quite feisty and humorous.
Since I first saw her in Top Hat, I've been a fan of Ms. Broderick, who can deliver a bon mot with the best of them. She appeared in 37 films, from silent shorts to talkies (though she is someone that it's hard to envision silent) and 15 Broadway plays (from 1907 to 1934), notably in The Band Wagon (with Fred Astaire). Her lengthy marriage to Lester Crawford produced one child - her son, Broderick (the Oscar winning star of All the King's Men). She had retired from the screen by 1946; she died in 1959 at the age of 68.
One thing we found an interesting counterpoint in the film was the
wedding scene of Carolyn and Michael. As we watch them try to get married, we see another couple in which
the husband is nervous and uncomfortable - his mirror is Carolyn. She
is the one is reluctant, who doesn't appreciate the rushed ugliness and irresponsibility of a marriage that has to be hurried, so her husband can return to work. It made me think of a similar scene in Woman of the Year, where Katharine Hepburn's Tess doesn't listen to the marriage service, and so has no understanding of the responsibilities she is taking on. Michael similarly will not listen to the service. The question is - will he ever listen to anyone?
It's intriguing that, in this New York Times review, the reviewer not only didn't like the film, he thought that Michael and Carolyn's marriage was doomed. And unless Carolyn can work another miracle on Michael like the one she worked on Hugh, we thought the reviewer was probably right. Other reviews, according to this TCM article were acceptable, and the film did well, probably because of Stanwyck and Broderick. We'll close with this scene from the film; its an interesting look at a couple who aren't exactly on the same wave length. Next time, another film about marriage, this time from the 1950s.
Gone with the Wind on a big screen - can it get any better than that? Thanks to TCM and Fantom Events, we got the opportunity to see this magnificent movie where it deserves to be seen, in a theatre, on a huge screen, surrounded by fellow devotees of Ms. O'Hara (Hamilton-Kennedy-Butler) and Captain Rhett Butler. We've had a prior discussion about the film, in the context of Olivia de Havilland's superb depiction of Melanie Hamilton Wilkes, but it's impossible to talk too much about Gone With the Wind. Every time you see it, you see something new. (By the way, my favorite of her many glorious dresses is to the left). Let's get one thing out of the way. I love this film (surprise!), but I'm always waiting for the alternate reel wherein Rhett finally figures Scarlett out and doesn't leave. Sure, we'd lose some great lines, but Rhett frustrates me a lot. He knows from the get-go that Scarlett is stubborn, that she has a crush on Ashley, and that she doesn't think she loves him. But at the first sign of moon-face from her, he gets mad. It also doesn't help that the motivating factor is her weight gain (after all, he was the one that told her "If you don't stop being such a glutton, you'll get asfat as Mammy. Then I'll divorce you."). In fact, in the novel by Margaret Mitchell, she's already had three children - can one blame her for wanting to stop being a baby-making machine (the poor woman gets pregnant if a man LOOKS at her)?
The problem is, I like Rhett so much, I just always think he should know better. It also struck me this time that, by the end of the film, what he wants most is to become Ashley - "I want peace. I want to see if somewhere there isn't something left in life of charm and grace..." The very thing he always ridiculed about Ashley is the life that he himself desires. But, Rhett is a continual source of self-contradiction - he loathes the war, but runs off to fight as the cause is lost; he laughs at polite society, but struggles to join it when his daughter is born, and he claims no ability to love, yet loves Scarlett with a depth it is hard to fathom.
There are a lot of people who don't like Ms. O'Hara, but I'm one of the ones who does like and rather admire her. Scarlett is someone I want on my side. I know that, if the chips are down, and I'm one of her "folk", I'll be protected. Think about her relationship with Melanie: Scarlett claims to disdain Melanie, to want her gone, so there will be a clear path to Ashley. Yet, she puts herself in danger to protect Melanie when she could easily leave Atlanta in advance of the invasion. With cannon-fire surrounding her, and no one to support her, Scarlett stays to safely deliver Melanie's baby, then transports Melanie and baby Beau (and Prissy, who anyone else would have left behind) to Tara, where Scarlett becomes responsible for their care and feeding - when there is no food for anyone. And, when they do have some food, and Melanie is handing it out to every soldier that comes by, Scarlett chides Melanie, but there is no animosity in her comment. She says it for effect. Scarlett knows very well that Melanie will not stop. Let's not forget Scarlett is 19 years old when she is forced to assume responsibility for Tara, and she and Melanie are afraid that Ashley is dead. Certainly, Scarlett is a lot harder in the novel; the film does clean her up a bit. But all in all, she handles her responsibilities pretty well for a teenager. Visit A Person in the Dark for yet another fan of the magnificent Ms. O'Hara!
I had a rather amusing realization this viewing (the big screen helped a lot). Olivia de Havilland knows how to crochet! In the scene where Melanie, India, Mrs. Meade and Scarlett are waiting for the return of their men from a "political meeting" (translation - a raid on Shanty Town that will have very bad results), Scarlett is embroidering, India is knitting, and Mrs. Meade and Melanie crochet. First off, the distribution is interesting. Scarlett is the only one performing a purely decorative craft - there's not much practical use for crewel work except to ornament a home. While the other three ladies work on projects that are practical. But while it's not clear if Alicia Rhett and Leona Roberts know what they are doing, Ms. de Havilland clearly does. In fact, her crocheting speeds as she becomes anxious - the true sign of an experienced handcrafter - the craft acts as a stress reliever. Obviously, there is a lot of information available on this film. One interesting take is Gavin Lambert's The Atlantic article "The Making of Gone With the Wind." We learn that Gable was terrified to break down in front of Melanie, and even threatened to walk off the set rather than cry. But his respect for Victor Fleming won the day, giving us perhaps the most remarkable scene of a wonderful career. We also learn that, since only 1,500 extras were available to film the railroad station scene, 1,000 dummies were interspersed among the extras to portray the vastness of the war's damage. My husband was particularly looking forward to this scene. It is a stirring moment, displaying all that is now lost, and the endless suffering caused by a pointless war. Done with the special effects capabilities of 1939, it is nonetheless a breathtaking scene We leave you with two clips this time - first, the railroad station scene...
And since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, here is Carol Burnett's over-the-top homage to Ms. Scarlett Went with the Wind.
Our film this time is Crawford's 1938 melodrama The Shining Hour.
Crawford is Olivia (Maggie) Riley, a nightclub singer who weds Harry
Linden (Melvyn Douglas) and moves with him to his farm (really big,
wealthy farm) in Wisconsin. The new couple moves in with Harry's
brother David (Robert Young), sister-in-law Judy (Margaret Sullavan),
and much older sister Hannah (Fay Bainter). Unfortunately, what we have
here is not one big, happy family - it rather more resembles the Ewings
of Dallas - lots in infighting, jealousy, and sexual tension.
It seems that David, who is one of these guys who is never satisfied
with what he has, develops an infatuation of Olivia. She begins to
respond, but fights it, by urging her husband to build them a new home
away from the family mansion, which he does. And then there is Hannah,
who hates this competition for her brother's affection, and makes it
perfectly clear that Olivia is not welcome. Moving out seems like it
should be the perfect solution, however, problems pursue them to their
new abode.
The real problem with the movie is that the characters
just don't ring true, especially our supporting characters. Judy is
just WAY too sweet and self-sacrificing. Our group felt that David
needed a good swift kick - or the corned Judy demanding BIG alimony.
And then there is Hannah. Without giving too much away, her bitchy
treatment of Olivia, her domineering attitude towards her brothers and
her home were one thing, but then there is a scene close to the end
where she gets, well, VERY strange indeed. We won't even talk about the
last scene. We wondered if the character had had a brain transplant;
we though manic-depression medications might actually be in order. As
to Robert Young, whom we all like as a general rule, he is annoying and
self-centered throughout the film. Then again, David is supposed to be
annoying and self-centered, so Young is doing his job.
Douglas
and Crawford are good here, but the script makes it hard to really sink
ones' teeth into anything. What we really enjoyed was the relationship
between Crawford and Hattie McDaniel (here playing Belvedere, Maggie's
maid and confidante). One thing that really surprised us was a scene in
which Olivia leaps out of her car, runs to Belevedere and embraces
her. 1938, and a white woman is hugging a black woman! It was lovely,
genuine and somewhat astounding. And, of course McDaniel makes YOU want
to hug Belvedere as well.
Next time, we'll be doing a film that is slightly different from our norm. Join us then. In the meantime, here is a trailer:
Our discussion this time centered on the role that Olivia de
Havilland is perhaps best remembered for: Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in Gone With the Wind.
Perhaps there is nothing that can be added to the volumes that have
already been devoted to this film, but when has that stopped us? First
off, Olivia is positively radiant as Melanie. And it is more than just
Melanie's goodness ("the
only truly kind person I have ever known", as Rhett Butler so aptly
puts it). It is her iron will and strength of purpose. Watch her come
down the staircase with a sword she can barely carry; then look at the
steely determination in her eyes when her husband's safety depends on
her. As Scarlett so aptly puts it "What a cool liar you are, Melly!"
Could another actress have so effortlessly merged two such apparently
divergent characteristics so beautifully? It is hard to imagine!
We
also spent some time discussing the other characters, primarily
Scarlett and Mammy. Of course, the wonderful Hattie McDaniel is dynamic
here. Her eyes tell us everything we need to know about her attitude
to Scarlett. And did you ever notice that, though she is quick to
correct Scarlett on every other thing, when Scarlett goes after sister
Sue-Ellen's beau, Frank Kennedy, Mammy says nothing? Could it be she
knows that Scarlett will support her entire family on Frank's money,
whereas Sue-Ellen will high-tail it out of Tara faster than scat, and
leave them all to fend for themselves?
Finally,
there is Scarlett. I personally like Scarlett. The film's Scarlett is
no way as hard as Scarlett in the book (that Scarlett is so clearly a
collaborator after the war; the film's Scarlett is just selling to
them), but she is basically a responsible person. Even though she
believes that Ashley is dead (more evident in the book than here), she
still supports his wife and child because she made a promise to do so.
And her vow to "never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk."
And she means it. Everything she does supports the family, not just
herself. A brat? You bet. But if I had to have someone in my corner,
it would be Scarlett. And Melanie, more than anyone else, with her
clear picture of all those she loves, knows it.
Just for fun, here's a deleted scene that we found:
Next time, we jump to the 1950s for our next film.
This week, we turn to another dramatic movie. Olivia de Havilland takes second billing again to Bette Davis in In This Our Life. This time, they are sisters, Stanley and Roy Timberlake. Roy (Olivia) is married to Dr. Peter Kingsmill (Dennis Morgan) and Stanley (Bette) is engaged to
Craig Fleming (George Brent), but Stanley has developed a grand passion
for Peter, and induces him to run off with her. Roy and Craig become
friends out of loneliness, and then decide to marry. Only Stanley, of
course, comes back. And, of course, has decided that Craig would make a
nice trophy on her mantle. And so it goes.
The
movie is very much Davis'. Her Stanley is an unapologetic bitch. She
wants everything, and gives nothing in return. Davis' scenes with her greedy
uncle, played by almost lasciviously by Charles Coburn, are wonderfully revolting. The old man
slobbers over his "favorite" niece, giving her anything that she wants.
And, she takes whatever he offers; she is beyond flirty as she butters him up for
even more rewards. Here the trailer from the film, to give you a glimpse of Ms. Davis' character:
The men are
merely window dressing to the women. Too bad really, with actors as
good as George Brent and Dennis Morgan, you would like them to have more fleshed out characters. But this movie is much more concerned with the ladies: Bette and Olivia
are yin and yang to one another - with Olivia as the good, loving, kind
sister. The men are there to function as sex objects - the temptation
for Stanley and the source of goodness for Roy.
An
interesting acting turn in the picture is that of Billie Burke as Lavinia
Timberlake, the girls' mother. For those of us used to the dippy
Billie of Topper or Father of the Bride, this role is a
bit of a surprise. You can see where Stanley got her attitude: her
mother is a piece of work, totally self absorbed, whiny, and nagging. She is an invalid who is trying to rule her husband and daughters with guilt, but since it doesn't really work any longer, she just tries harder and gets more whiny.
I
don't want to forget Hattie McDaniel, as the Timberlake's maid, but also
as a mother whose innocent son is accused of murder. Her scene with
Roy is extremely touching. As always, Ms. McDaniel takes a small role and makes it pivotal. Next week, another drama. Do join us.
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.
