Four college friends want to make it big in New York City. Catherine “Fiery” Furness (Janet Gaynor) is determined to be a writer. Chris Thring (Charles Farrell) plans on a law career. Mack McGowan (James Dunn) sees himself as a radio singer. And Madge Roundtree (Ginger Rogers) has visions of Broadway stardom. While they are the best of friends, there are complications: Fiery loves Chris, Chris loves Madge, Madge loves Mack, and Mack loves Fiery. Who will have a Change of Heart (1934)? It's always enjoyable to see an actor at the start of his or her career. Here we have Ginger Rogers in a film released only five months before she appeared as Fred Astaire's partner in Flying Down to Rio (if you recall, the duo were second bananas in that film). We also have a glimpse of Shirley Temple, in the dialog-free role of a little girl on an airplane - released just before Ms. Temple became America's darling in Little Miss Marker. The titular stars of the film are Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, who were appearing in their last of twelve films together (Ms. Gaynor was the first actress to win an Oscar. It was awarded for two films in 1927 - Sunrise: The Story of Two Humans and Seventh Heaven, the latter with Mr. Farrell). (AFI catalog) Ms. Gaynor is an always engaging actress, and she gives her character's nickname multiple meanings. Katherine says that she is called Fiery because of her red hair, but Gaynor makes a character who is strong and determined. She takes the hand that is dealt her with little complaint, and makes it work.
Though Ms. Gaynor, who had successfully made the transition from silent to sound films, had a career boost when she garnered raves in A Star is Born (1937), she decided to retire in 1938. She married costumer Adrian in 1939, and they had a child the following year. They remained together until his death in 1959. She returned to films briefly (Bernadine in 1957), as well as doing some television work beginning in 1953. But, by and large she painted, and traveled - often with her friend Mary Martin and Martin's husband. In 1982, a car accident killed one person (Mary Martin's manager Ben Washer) and injured Ms. Martin, Ms. Gaynor's second husband Paul Gregory, and Ms. Gaynor herself. Though Ms. Gaynor lived for another two years, she never fully recuperated from her injuries and died at the age of 77. James Dunn is quite good in the role of Mack. He plays him as a
self-assured young man, who is very much the leader of his friends. Mack is the ringleader - he
is the one who urges them all to journey with them to New York City. One
particularly fun scene involves him trying to con a mother and daughter
to adopt an infant. He's quite engaging.
We also very
much enjoyed Beryl Mercer (Harriet Hawkins). Ms. Mercer made a career
playing motherly types, and she does not disappoint here. She is sweet
and sympathetic, and her affection for Fiery makes the audience warm to
her instantly. That she seems to know (and care) that the young Mrs. Mockby (Drue
Leyton) needs to adopt the baby Harriet has in her care also makes her
appealing. We trust her unerring judgement in what is best for her babies, and for the parents who adopt them because of Ms. Mercer's sincerity.
We were NOT familiar with Ms. Leyton (she only made 10 films, one of
which was uncredited, and two Broadway plays), but her life story is far
more interesting than her career. In 1938, she retired and moved to
Paris to marry Jacques Terrane (also known as Jacques Tartière, a French
actor). She began working on Voice of America,
making herself quite unpopular with the Nazi's. With the outbreak of
the war in France, her husband joined the resistance, and was shot while working with the Free French in
Syria. With the Nazi entrance into Paris, Ms. Leyton was arrested, but managed to
escape. She joined the French resistance, and used her house in Barbizon
to smuggle (in total) 42 downed Allied airmen out of France. She wrote a
book about her experiences - The House Near Paris. She died in 1997 at the age of 93.
Which brings us to Ginger Rogers. We know from the beginning that Madge is not the good girl - she's blowing bubble gum at her college graduation (instead of looking beatific like Fiery). Even with that image, Ms. Rogers presents Madge as problematic. She is ambitious, and willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, but it's still hard to truly dislike her. You just want to give her a shake. As a result, by film's end, you are satisfied with the way it all resolves. The scenes of early New York City are always appealing to this group of natives. Change of Heart was surely filmed in Hollywood, but there is enough stock footage of NYC, circa 1934, to give us pleasure. While this is not a great film, it is enjoyable, primarily because of the two lead actresses. We'll leave you with this scene with Ginger, Janet, and the guys. You can also see Shirley Temple at the 1:08 mark (Don't blink. You'll miss her!)
The Nolan family is poor. Father Johnny (James Dunn) is a singing waiter with a drinking problem, and more imagination than is practical. Mother Katie (Dorothy McGuire) works hard as their building's super to get a few pennies to support the family; while she loves her husband, she has become disillusioned by his dreaming. Son Neely (Ted Donaldson) is a good boy, who can't wait to finish school, while daughter Francie (Peggy Ann Garner) lives for learning - she yearns to be a writer, but is troubled by the increasing animosity between her mother and her adored father. Our film for this week is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) Based on the novel by Betty Smith (which celebrated its 75th Anniversary in October of this year) the film is actually one "book" of the five that makes up the 1943 volume. The movie is also the directorial debut of Elia Kazan, and Mr. Kazan pulls no punches in showing the effects of poverty on this simple family. It would have been easy to gloss over the pain of their lives, but we're given an honest portrayal, thanks in no small part to the magnificent cast. Let's start with James Dunn, who received an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his work in here. According to the TCM article, one of the reasons Dunn was cast was that he had a drinking problem. Kazan felt that having an actor " who probably had some experience with drink" made for a better performance. Dunn brings both dignity and pathos to the role - watch his face in the scene below as he suffers over the consequences of his inability to support his family. Then, compare that to his scene with Francie, as they imagine moving to a neighborhood where she can attend a better school. His love for his child shines from his eyes and you never doubt for a moment that you are seeing Johnny Nolan, not the actor. In the 1930s, Mr. Dunn had been used quite often - he was support to Shirley Temple in four of her films, but by the time he was cast in this film, he had difficulty getting roles, primarily because of his alcohol abuse. After winning the Oscar, he made a few more films, eventually transitioning to television. He died from complications of stomach surgery in 1967, at the age of 65.
It's hard to believe that Dorothy McGuire was not the first choice for Katie - the story was purchased with Alice Faye in mind for the role (and Gene Tierney auditioned for it as well) (AFI catalog). As a poor, uneducated woman who loves her children and husband, but has become stern and introverted as she tries to make ends meet, Ms. McGuire is magnificent. She has no trouble letting us become angry at Katie; at the same time, she allows us to see the young woman who fell in love with Johnny Nolan and his dreaming ways. Aunt Sissy is arguably one of Joan Blondell's best roles. A brash and affectionate woman, Sissy has been married at least three times, but is not the slightest bit embarrassed by her life choices. Like her sister, Sissy is poor and illiterate (though it's never stated, we don't see Katie read, and she asks her children to read to her. Sissy and her mother also comment that they cannot read, so it seems likely that neither Katie nor Sissy received any education). Her marriages seem to have ended in part due to several miscarriages. But Ms. Blondell brings to Sissy the zest for life that Katie has lost. In his review of the 2016 TCM Film Festival, Scott Halloran reported on Ted Donaldson's appearance. Mr. Donaldson discussed his crush on Ms. Blondell, and the signed photo she gave to him at the film's conclusion - "From Joan 'I'm waiting for you' Blondell." Likely this was a rough shoot for Ms. Blondell, as she was in the middle of her divorce from Dick Powell. She was also upset that a scene, which showed Sissy working in a condom factory was cut from the film. Nevertheless, her performance is spot on, and you like Sissy - both in spite of and because of her cavalier attitude towards life.
As a librarian, I particularly love the scene in which Francie goes to the library. Attempting to read her way through the library, Francie is up to Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy. The librarian is horrified that this child is going to attempt such a difficult book. When she realizes that Francie will not be swayed, the librarian asks her to take, as well, When Knighthood Was in Flower (lest she get a headache thinking of the child "wrestling" her way through the book). You can view the scene here. Equally lovely is Francie's relationship with her teacher, Miss McDonough (Ruth Nelson) who encourages Francie to consider writing as a career, but who also subtlety cautions her against pipe-dreaming (like her father!) A trio of remarkable character performances also compliment the film. First, we have Lloyd Nolan as Officer McShane. He's excellent as a lonely police officer who envies the closeness of the Nolan family. James Gleason as McGarrity, the pub owner who cares deeply for Johnny Nolan and who endeavors to assist the family, is exceptional in a very small part. John Alexander as Sissy's exasperated husband, Steve Edwards is also notable. And watch for silent screen star Mae Marsh as one of the Tynmore sisters, and a young Nicholas Ray as a Bakery Clerk.
The heart of the movie is Peggy Ann Garner. As a child with an eager mind, and a heart torn by her parents' troubles, Ms. Garner imbues Francie with a spirit of hope. Her efforts in the film resulted in resulted in her receiving a Oscar in 1946 as outstanding child actor of the year. Ms. Garner started her film career as Carole Lombard's daughter in In Name Only (1939). She was the young Jane Eyre (1943) and the child Nora in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944). As with so many child stars, she had trouble getting film roles as she aged, but worked in real estate to make ends meet between her television roles. She married three times, all ending in divorce, and had one child (Catherine Ann Salmi). Ms. Garner died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 52 in 1984.
A radio version of the play aired on Hollywood Star Time (with Mr. Dunn and Ms. Garner) in January of 1947, on Studio One in October 1947 (with Rosemary Rice and Frank Reddig), and again by Hallmark Playhouse in April of 1949 (with Mr. Dunn and Connie Marshall). In 1951, a musical version of the story opened on Broadway, with Shirley Booth as Aunt Sissy (Joan Blondell would take over the role for the National Tour). Finally, in 1974, the film was presented on television with Cliff Robertson, Diane Baker and James Olson. Besides the awards to Mr. Dunn and Ms. Garner, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was nominated for the Best Screenplay Oscar (it lost to The Lost Weekend) and was selected by the National Board of Review in 1945 as one of their 10 best films of the year. The New York Timesreview was glowing. In 2010, the film was entered into the National Film Registry. It is a magnificent film, and one that you should visit at your earliest convenience. We'll leave you with the Nolan family moving into their top floor apartment.
I recently had the opportunity to see a pre-code film, Sailor's Luck (1933) at a Raoul Walsh Film Festival at AFI Silver. It's a silly little movie, but as an example of pre-code film, it's quite interesting.
Three sailors, James Fenimore Harrigan (James Dunn), Bilge Moran (Frank Moran) and Barnacle Benny Cohen (Sammy Cohen) arrive in port, intent on having an entertaining shore leave. Benny is in search of his girlfriend, Minnie Broadhurst (the character is also known as Mme. Marvelle, and is played by Esther Muir), while Jimmy wants to find a girl - any girl. Bilge is happy to tag along with Benny. After our trio rob a man of two hands of bananas, Jimmy meets Sally Brent (played by Sally Eilers), and follows her to a swimming pool, where she has just landed a job as a swim instructor - despite the fact that she can't swim. Racism, sexism, and - well, add your favorite ism here - are rampant in this film. The banana salesman who gets robbed and the landlord in Sally's building are both Italian, and played with all the caricature possible. The Baron Portolo (Victor Jory), for all the world reminiscent of a low-level Mafia-style gangster, also seems to be Italian. We have a gay bath attendant at the swimming pool (and oh, my, is he a stereotype), a Jewish sailor (Barnacle Benny), who at one point pronounces his name as "Quinn" spelled C-O-H-E-N, with a pause for a laugh. Why would that be funny? Well, the photo below gives you an idea of Sammy Cohen's very ethnic appearance (he's in the center).
The one character
who is NOT a stereotype is Bilge. Again, you can see him in the poster above (to the left). He appears, to all intents and purposes to be a big, ignorant
lug. Yet, he plays classical music perfectly and with feeling, and
reads philosophy. He also seems to be engaged in a menage a trois with Minnie and Benny. It gives one pause.
The film also manages to keep the lovely Sally Eilers as undressed as is humanly possible. We even find her sleeping au naturale. She is constantly being leered at and manhandled. And though she is careful of the proprieties, our Sally still allows a sailor to set her up in a hotel room, since she has no money. It's clear she is not willing to sleep with him when they get to the hotel. It's also clear that HE thought that she was. It's rather fascinating that the film got a very nice review from New York Times back in 1933. It's not that it is a bad film. Sure, it's rather silly and far-fetched, but the very things that make it pre-code are rather shocking to us in 2014. It is, by far, the most politically incorrect film I think I've ever seen.
Sally Eilers is very appealing in the film. Having never seen her before, we were very intrigued with her as an actress. She had a very substantial career, appearing in films from 1927 through 1950, though many were B pictures. By the 1940's, she was only in a few films, and does not seem to have made the transition into television as did many of her contemporaries. An interesting bit of trivia appears on the IMDB concerning her start in pictures. She was discovered by Mack Sennett while visiting the studio to have lunch with an old friend named Jane Peters - better known these days as Carole Lombard. After four marriages - husband number one was Hoot Gibson - and one child (who became a screenwriter), Eilers died in 1978 at age 70.
Mention should also be made of child actor Buster Phelps, who appears as Elmer Brown, Jr. He is quite adorable in this film. I had seen him a few times before (in Libeled Lady and in One Man's Journey), but his presence does a lot to show Sally in a more sympathetic light. Her genuine affection for little Elmer make plain her innate goodness.
Luckily, we can give you a little taste of this odd little film. Here we see Sally waking up after her night alone in the hotel. And notice her lack of garb:
Our film this week is Government Girl. None of us had ever
seen it before, and I wish I could say it was a forgotten gem, but not
so much. This is a movie that wants to be screwball in the worst way,
but only manages to be overdone and silly. Olivia play Elizabeth
"Smokey" Allard; Smokey (and her stupid name is never really explained.
Childhood nickname. She doesn't know why) works for the War Department
as a secretary, and ends up under the newly hired Ed Browne (Sonny
Tufts). Of course, there is a funny meeting (he finds her crawling on
the floor looking for her friend May's (Anne Shirley) lost wedding band,
and, of course, he assumes she is the bride. And HE manages to steal
May her her fiance's (James Dunn) hard won wedding suite (because they
were 5 minutes late, and he is important), infuriating Smokey.
Everything
here is overdone. Olivia does a pratfall, but the staging is WAY over
the top. She takes Ann Shirley out for dinner; the staging is
farcical. However, this isn't supposed to be a farce, and we know that
actors like Ms. De Havilland and Ms. Shirley are fully capable of silly
comedy. This just can't quite cut it (and if you compare it to the
similarly plotted The More the Merrier, well, there just IS no comparison)
Meanwhile, Smokey is dating Dana
McGuire (Jess Barker),who has distinct political ambitions. And this is
where the movie really begins to get spooky. Jess Barker plays Dana as
close to being psychologically abusive. When he tells Smokey (having
canceled their date) that she WILL see him the following day, his voice
radiates a threat that is more frightening and sexy. If we are supposed
to at least understand what Smokey seems in this man, Mr. Barker was
certainly not the actor to do it. Apart from white-bread good looks, he
is nothing if not unpleasant. We rather wanted to shower after he
showed up.
One interesting thing
about the film is the "special effects". We noticed a credit for special
effects in the film. Well, scenes of Smokey and Ed riding a motorcycle
around Washington are clearly filmed IN Washington, D.C., while scenes
of Olivia De Havilland and Sonny Tufts on the motorcycle clearly were
not. It is rather fun to see these shots of the District, circa 1943.
And a quick tip of the hat to Ann Shirley and James Dunn as the best
friends of Smokey. Good to see them; we wished they had better parts. Here is a clip of the movie - watch for Agnes Moorehead in a truly bit part:
