Some time ago, we did a Carole Lombard film festival. There were a
few movies we didn't get to see because we couldn't lay hands on them,
but we finally got a copy of 1934's Twentieth Century, a
delightful comedy in which Carole trades tirades with John Barrymore.
Would be actress Mildred Plotka (Carole Lombard) comes under the spell
of producer/director Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore). Their professional
partnership results in a name change (to Lily Garland) for Mildred, as
well as fame and fortune to them both UNTIL yet another fight results in
a rift that drives Oscar into near bankruptcy. His solution - woo Lily
back into his latest play, featuring her as Mary Magdalene. As they
say, high-jinx ensue.
This is a very funny movie, but it is LOUD.
Neither Oscar nor Lily believe in talking - they scream, screech, yell,
bellow, cry, but they NEVER just talk. Much of this movie resembles an
old fashioned farce, with lots of noise, slamming doors and just
generally weird characters. Some good character actors here - including
Walter Connolly as the much put-upon Oliver Webb (Oscar's favorite hobby
is firing poor Oliver), as well as Oscar's other aide Owen O'Malley
played with gusto by Roscoe Karns, Of course, one really does want to
see Barrymore and Lombard together, as they duel endlessly. And then,
there is Oscar's oft repeated line "I close the iron door..." Here's a little montage of the action:
Our thanks to Carole and Co.
blog for mentioning our efforts here. It was just a coincidence that we
had another Carole movie in the pipeline. We hope to find a few more.
In the meantime, we also hope for some other fine performances down the
road.
Our latest movie is Grand Hotel, wherein Joan Crawford appears as Flaemmchen,
a stenographer who almost falls into a fate worse than death. Released
in 1932, this movie certainly falls into the Precode period. With
a stellar cast, that includes John and Lionel Barrymore, Greta Garbo,
Wallace Beery, and Jean Hersholt, the movie runs several different
plotlines that have all managed to intersect by the conclusion of the
film. Most famous as the source of Greta Garbo's most famous line ("I
want to be alone"), Grand Hotel is a showcase for MGM's biggest stars.
The
relationship of Crawford's Flaemmchen, John Barrymore's Baron, and
Lionel Barrymore's Kringelein is perhaps the most enjoyable part of the
movie. There is a real chemistry among the three, and watching the two
Barrymore brothers bounce off one another is a delight. We also get to
watch Crawford's character become infatuated with the Baron (who, of
course, is falling in love with the ballerina Grusinskaya
- played by Garbo). When we get to the conclusion, with Flaemmchen
falling into a temptation she finds almost impossible to resist, the
Baron getting into a predicament he cannot escape, and General
Director Preysing (Wallace Beery) finally getting his comeuppance, we
find ourselves mostly satisfied with the ending, if a little saddened by
its inevitability.
If you get the
opportunity to see the DVD of this film, do check out the excellent
mini-documentary that is included in the special features - it is a real
treat. This trailer will give you a look at all the stars:
As Dr.Otternschlag (Lewis Stone) tells us, "Grand
Hotel... always the same. People come, people go. Nothing ever
happens." But of course, it does, and with life-changing effects. Next
time, join us for another star-studded Crawford film.
This week, we watched True Confession, with Ms. Lombard,
Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore. It is surely interesting to see her
reunited with not one, but two of her prior co-stars, and, at least for
MacMurray, in such different parts. Lombard's Helen is nothing short
of a compulsive liar. There isn't a problem she won't try to fix with a
lie. Her husband, Ken, is the total reverse - a lawyer who despises
liars, and won't take on a guilty client (which makes him a very
underemployed lawyer indeed). When Helen is accused of murder, Ken's
insistence that she own up to her guilt ends in another lie, and in
creating a celebrity couple. And, when John Barrymore enters the
picture, hijinks ensue. Watch Carole lie her way out of a creditor repossessing a typewriter:
Certainly this movie easily fits into the screwball mode, and while it is no Love Before Breakfast, it isn't My Man Godfrey
either. Our group had rather mixed reactions to Ms. Lombard - one
person describing her performance as "shrill". But all were agreed that
it was at times quite amusing. Though, we did want to take Ken and
launch him into outer space. He is rather a self-absorbed piece of work.
Insisting his wife not work, because it will look like he can't support
her. And of course, he can't. His ethics won't allow him to represent a
guilty client. One can feel for Helen's predicament being married to
such a prig. As for Barrymore, his Charley is just weird. Not as manic
as the character he played in Twentieth Century, but certainly cut from the same eccentric cloth.
Next week, we visit Carol in the land of another star. Much smaller,and with curlier hair. Tune in then.
