Charles Poncefort "Hopsy" Pike (Henry Fonda) has led a relatively sheltered life. The son of the Pike's Ale magnate (Eugene Pallette), he's been guarded all his life by the inimitable Muggsy (William Demarest). Having finally ventured out on his own, to research snakes in South America, Hopsy is now on his way home to Connecticut. While onboard ship he meets a trio of con artists: "Colonel" Harrington (Charles Coburn), Gerald (Melville Cooper), and Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck). While Jean's initial goal is to fleece this lost lamb, she finds herself falling in love with him, a feeling that is mutual. But, when Hopsy discovers Jean's stock in trade, he dumps her. Determined to get her revenge, Jean invents The Lady Eve (1941). If you have never seen The Lady Eve, please add it to your viewing queue immediately. You're in for a real treat. Besides the inimitable Ms. Stanwyck in one of her finest role, you also get Henry Fonda being totally adorable and a script without compare by director Preston Sturges. It's a win-win scenario! Henry Fonda is in the unenviable position of portraying a character you really want to hate, but can't quite bring yourself to do it. Hopsy is so totally guileless that, even when he is wooing Lady Eve Sidwich with the same lines with which he wooed Jean, you just laugh at his inept lovemaking and forgive him. Of course, you also want Jean to give him is comeuppance. But with two actors who are so equally paired, they are both able to succeed.
Ms. Stanwyck is a sexy delight as the two ladies in Hopsy's life. The scene in which she tries to seduce him by allowing him to put on her shoes is magnificent. It's a wonder they got that and some of the more naughty dialogue past the censors. And her running commentary as she watches the ladies in the dining room lust after Hopsy is a hoot. It's next to impossible to imagine this film without her, but Ms. Stanwyck was not the first (or even the second choice) of the studio. They wanted Claudette Colbert; Madeleine Carroll and Paulette Goddard were also considered. But Mr. Sturges wanted Ms. Stanwyck, and thankfully he won the argument (AFI catalog). Ms. Stanwyck has the unique ability to make the audience (who is in on the joke) believe that Eve and Jean are distinct characters. The studio also considered Brian Aherne, Fred MacMurray, and Joel McCrea for the role of Hopsy (TCM article), but again, Mr. Sturges was victorious and got his choice of Mr. Fonda. There is a lot of slapstick in this film - Hopsy takes a number of pratfalls - not something for which Mr. Fonda was known (sure, he'd done the screwball comedy; for example, The Mad Miss Manton with Ms. Stanwyck, but she's the screwball in that, not him). So, it was perhaps a risk to cast him in the part. But, frankly, he is perfect as the innocent abroad.
The quartet of supporting actors who grace the film are impressive. William Demarest, who must have been in the Preston Sturges stock company (he appeared in 8 of Mr. Sturges' films) is hysterical as the bodyguard/valet, Muggsy, who seethes with suspicion of anyone who approaches his charge. He's cagey though - he knows that Jean's father is not on the level; he's the only one who suspects that Eve is really Jean in disguise. But, his suspicious nature is also his downfall - like Cassandra, Muggsy's warnings go unheeded, to riotous effect. Eric Blore has a small part as Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith, or Pearly
to his mates, one of Colonel Harrington's con artist pals. Mr. Blore is
wonderful at looking exasperated, and does it quite well as he watches Eve get in deeper and deeper. We only
get a few scenes with him - he's a device to get Jean into Hopsy's
house, but he is always enjoyable.
From his entrance singing Come Landlord Fill the Flowing Bowl, Eugene Pallette is also excellent as Charles' father. The only member of the family with any common sense, he plays Mr. Pike as an endearing, if somewhat exasperated individual (witness his frustration as he tries to get breakfast). I look forward to seeing him in films, though my recent discoveries about his private life are dismaying. A supporter of Adolf Hitler, he refused to sit down at a table with actor Clarence Muse (TCM article) while filming In the Meantime, Darling, resulting in his firing by director Otto Preminger. Mr. Pallette eventually retreated to Oregon to hide near his own personal bomb shelter. He would return to Los Angeles in 1948, after a two-year retreat, but he never worked again. He died of throat cancer in 1954, at age 65.
Last, but certainly not least is Charles Coburn. Harry is a rogue, and Mr. Coburn makes no bones about it. He's willing to go against his daughter's wishes, the fleece an easy mark, but it is clear that he loves Jean dearly. One is never quire sure of Harry's motives, but one is sure of his personal integrity among his colleague. As a result, we like him, though we would be very wary of playing cards with him. For more on Mr. Coburn's life, visit our blog post from October 2, 2017.
The Lady Eve was based on a story Two Bad Hats by Monckton Hoffe. A radio version aired on the Lux Radio Theatre on March 1942 with Ray Milland and Barbara Stanwyck (For a discussion of Ms. Stanwyck's participation in this episode, see this article from Film Comment). It was remade as The Birds and the Bees (1956), starring Mizti Gaynor, George Gobel, and David Niven. (Having not seen this film, I won't comment, except to say, George Gobel? Really??) In 1994, The Lady Eve was added to the National Film Registry; since then, it has appeared on two of the AFI Lists: it was #26 on 100 Years, 100 Passions and #55 on 100 Years, 100 Laughs.
We're going to leave you with the trailer from this highly enjoyable film. We'd also like to mention this Vanity Fairarticle on Preston Sturges which you might find interesting. If you've never seen this film, please do give it a try.
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.
Joan Bennett and Henry Fonda star in I Met My Love Again (1938). We meet Julie Weir and Ives Towner while Ives is in school. He and Julie are deeply in love and wish to marry, but Ives has been convinced by his mother (Dorothy Stickney) to delay the wedding until he is a success. Two years later, the couple are still engaged, and Julie is frustrated by the delay. Caught in a storm one night, she seeks refuge in the home of Michael Shaw (Alan Marshall), and it is lust at first sight. Julie and Michael elope and move to Paris. Three years later, she has reason to regret her hasty marriage: Michael refuses to work, they are in debt, have a young daughter, and he is constantly partying. Those parties prove his downfall - Michael is shot and killed while playing "duel" with another guest. For the next seven years, Julie attempts to work as a fashion designer. Finally, a letter from her Aunt William (Dame May Whitty) pulls her back to Vermont and to college professor Ives.
Joan Bennett is excellent in the role of Julie. She has to literally grow up in front of you, starting as a naive 18 year old and morphing into the 30ish mother of a young child. This is one of Bennett's last roles as a blonde. The same year as this film, she reverted to her natural brunette color and never looked back. She is stunning with dark hair, and her resemblance to sister Constance is minimized. We have her husband Walter Wanger and Tay Garnett, the director of her film Trade Winds to thank for the change. It also resulted in a change to her career, making her more appealing as a femme fatale in such films as Scarlet Street, The Woman in the Window and the recently discussed The Housekeeper's Daughter.
Some really wonderful character performances are highlighted in the film. First and foremost is Dame May Whitty as Aunt William, the aunt we all want to have in our family. As is often the case, Dame May gets the best lines in the film. When the obnoxious Mrs. Towner comes to find out why Julie is back, Aunt William finally loses her temper: "The next time you come for tea, I'll have rat poison in it". And Stickney is really good as the mother from hell. You wouldn't want to have the family that Ives has. They are all pieces of work, and the actors do a good job of demonstrating that. Henry Fonda's role is somewhat weaker than we are used to from him, but like Bennett he does a good job in growing the character from youth to maturity. Some of our group were not familiar with Alan Marshall, who plays the ne'er do well Michael. Marshall had a long career, appearing in films and on television until his death in 1959 of a heart attack. At the time, he was appearing on stage with Mae West in Sextette. Also in the cast is Louise Platt, whose most famous role was of Lucy in Stagecoach. She left the screen for ten years (between 1942 and 1952), returning to do some television, including a year on the soap opera The Guiding Light. Her only scene with Bennett (which comes at the end of the film) is a doozy. Watch for it!
Next week, we'll be back with a film from the 1950s.
We got to view another winner, this time from 20th Century Fox
(Crawford was on loan from WB): Joan Crawford's next film at WB was the
excellent Daisy Kenyon. Joan plays the title character, a
successful graphic artist involved with a married lawyer, Dan O'Mara
(Dana Andrews). Daisy is dissatisfied with her life with Dan - she
knows that he has no intention of divorcing his wife (Ruth Warrick as
Lucile O'Mara). Enter Peter Lapham (Henry Fonda), a veteran with his
own demons from the past, who falls in love with Daisy almost at first
sight. As the two men war for Daisy's affections, Daisy and Dan's
family, are torn apart by the complicated relationships.
This is
an amazing cast - Crawford's Daisy is powerful and independent. You
cannot help but like her. Her relationship with Dan is so complex, yet
we end up liking Dan. One rather wants to kick him at times, but it is
not possible to truly dislike him. He is too caring of his children,
and we always felt he did indeed love Daisy. Henry Fonda also shines as
Peter, giving us a depth the the character, so that ending (not to be
revealed here) is totally believable. And the story will keep you
involved til the last scene!
We also tip our hat to Ruth Warrick
as Lucile O'Mara, Dan's high-strung wife. We found it interesting that a
film from 1947 would not only imply physical child abuse, but would
implicate a mother in the action. While we never actually SEE Lucile
beat her younger daughter, the film makes it abundantly clear that Dan
and Daisy suspect something of the sort is going on. It is not
surprising that Otto Preminger, who created such a row with his
discussions of rape in Anatomy of a Murder is the director here as well.
After
watching the movie, we also watched the brief, but interesting,
documentary that is included on the DVD. We did have one big argument
with the discussion. Several of the critics, including our personal hero
Robert Osborne, argued that Ms. Crawford was too old (she was 43 at the
time) to play Daisy. We disagree wholeheartedly. First off, Henry
Fonda is exactly the same age so, if she is too old, so is he.
Secondly, Daisy is supposed to be a successful career woman. Given her
position in life (she says she has been working for many years), she
would need to be at least into her late 30s; the same with Dan O'Mara -
if we figure out his age at graduation from law school, and factor in
the age of his oldest child, he must be at LEAST 39 year old. Our
question was, why is it so impossible to believe that Daisy could be a.
near 40, b. still be sexy, and c. that the lovely Ms. Crawford could
pass for a women a few years under 40? Here's a trailer - you tell us if you think Ms. Crawford still has IT:
This week, we watched a comedy from 1942, The Male Animal.
Ms. de Havilland (playing Ellen Turner) stars with Henry Fonda, who
portrays Professor Tommy Turner, an English teacher in a small college,
caught in the middle of school turmoil. When a young college radical
publishes in his newspaper that Professor Turner is going to read a
letter by Bartolomeo Vanzetti in class, he finds his job threatened.
Add to that, the return of his wife's former boyfriend (Jack Carson), a
football hero named Jack Ferguson.
Olivia's part in this is
relatively small. She gets to be patient and loving with Fonda, and
emulate a tiny bit of hero worship towards Jack Carson (never our idea
of a sex symbol, but it's all a matter of taste). The surprising thing
about the movie, though, is the movie's topic. Let's put this movie in
perspective. It is 1942. War has just broken out in America (even if the
film was made before December of 1941, the rest of the world was
already deeply embroiled). The names of Sacco and Vanzetti, just brief
blips in history in 2010, would have been VERY familiar to a 1940's
audience. Convicted and executed for murder, many felt they were put on
trial for their political beliefs (they were considered to be
anarchists) rather than the crime for which they were accused. For a
country reeling from an attack by a foreign nation, the reminder of
Sacco and Vanzetti would have been controversial at the very least.
The Male Animal
is based on a Broadway play by James Thurber and Eliot Nugent (who
played Tommy Turner in the original production AND in two revivals),
that ran for several months in 1940. It was revived in 1952 and 1953
(with Robert Preston appearing as Joe Ferguson). The college board's
willingness in the play to suppress freedom of speech and essentially
blacklist must have also rang very familiar in 1952, as the HUAC
investigations continued in Washington.
All in all, we enjoyed
this movie a lot, and highly recommend it. It is not Olivia's best
movie, but Henry Fonda is wonderful, and the thoughtfulness of the
subject is worth your time (and it is funny too. Here's a trailer:
