Joan Bakes

There's been a murder. Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott), the second husband of Mildred Pierce (1945) is dead, and the prime suspect is Mildred's (Joan Crawford) ex-husband, Bert (Bruce Bennett). As Mildred relates the story of her life with Bert, Monte, and her children, we realize there are several suspects to the crime, including Bert's former partner Wally Fay (Jack Carson) and the Pierce's oldest daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth).

Our group discussed Mildred Pierce back in 2011;  we decided it was time for a re-watch.  The first reaction to the film this time was remembering how much we all despised Veda Pierce.  Ann Blyth plays her part with such supreme self-obsession that it's hard to find anything good about Veda. Even when she is telling her doting mother how much she loves her, Ms. Blyth has a look in her eyes that displays her manipulative behavior.  It's a remarkable performance, and one which Ms. Blyth does not couch by trying to make the audience like her (Shirley Temple was considered for the part - Director Michael Curtiz was not sympathetic).   Ms. Blyth did an interview at the TCM Film Festival (you can see her discussion of this film begins beginning at 5:14).

Jack Carson  was, at one point, considered for the role of Monte Beragon (AFI catalog). It's hard to imagine him as a loafer - Wally Fay is constantly in motion, always looking for a deal, always on the make for one woman or another. Zachary Scott, on the other hand seems tailor-made for the passive Monte, a man who's never lifted a finger to do anything besides play polo and take other people's money.  The casting of Mr. Scott is an easy choice - it's helpful that he looks rather caddish, and since we know from the start that Monte is the victim, the audience can just wait to find out what he did that resulted in his murder (Zachary Scott: Hollywood's Sophisticated Cad by Ronald L. Davis).

Zachary Scott was born in Austin, TX; he left his home town at age 19 - he dropped out of college and worked on a freighter bound for London, where he worked in repertory theatre for nearly two years. Once back in Texas, he continued to appear on the stage; there, he was noticed by Alfred Lunt. Small parts on Broadway followed (he appeared in 6 Broadway productions throughout his career), which led to a contract from Warner Brothers. He never really evolved much beyond supporting roles in films like Shadow on the Wall (1950) and Flamingo Road (1949); his major starring role was in The Southerner (1945). By the 1950s, he was moving to television like many of his colleagues. Married twice (he had a child with each wife), he died in 1965 at the age of 51 of a brain tumor. 

If there is one person who comes close to stealing the film from Joan Crawford, it's Eve Arden (Ida Corwin). Besides bringing some humor to this melodramatic story, she the voice of truth She has what is perhaps the best line in the film (certainly the best comment on Veda): "Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young."  Ms. Arden received her only Oscar nomination (with Ann Blyth) in the Supporting Actress category (they both lost to Anne Revere in National Velvet).  She would later say that she never expected the part to bring her a nomination (TCM articles). 

Though it was nominated for 6 Oscars, the only winner that night was Joan Crawford, who wasn't even the first choice for the role - Michael Curtiz wanted Barbara Stanwyck. Ms Crawford wasn't at the ceremony, however. Fearing she would not win (see Ann Blyth's TCM tribute to Joan Crawford), Ms. Crawford took to her bed and called in sick. However, when she was notified that she had indeed won the award, she invited the press into her bedroom, where she prettily sat in her sickbed with the Oscar in her hand. 

 

The story was remade as a television miniseries in 2011 starring Kate Winslet.  With more time (five one-hour episodes), and no production code to deal with, the miniseries is closer in plot to James M. Cain's original book.  Carol Burnett did one of her memorable spoofs, "Mildred Fierce" (shoulder pads and all!). The film was added to the National Film Registry in 1996.

If you've never seen this production, treat yourself and find a copy - it's one of Ms. Crawford's finest performances (allegedly, her favorite role), and a film noir par excellence. Here's a trailer to whet your appetite.

Alexander Joins the Army

Successful novelist Paula "Polly" Wharton (Irene Dunne) and newspaper editor Max Wharton (Alexander Knox) are a happily married couple. Max is highly regarded at the New York Bulletin, the newspaper at which he is the chief editor. Though he is well Over 21 (1945), (39, in fact) he feels it is his duty to enlist in Officer Training School and serve in the military during World War II, much to the disgust of the paper's owner, Robert Drexel Gow (Charles Coburn), After successfully completing Basic Training, Max is off to Florida to attend Officer Training School, where Polly will join him as an Army wife. Both must adapt to a life that is alien to anything they have ever encountered.

This is an entertaining film with light humor and an interesting point of view. While most films focus on the man's adjustment to the military, Over 21 is more concerned with Polly. She's led a relatively privileged life; the career successes of herself and her husband mean that she's never had to do the "housewife" tasks - until now. Ms. Dunne plays Polly as a determined woman. She's succeeded in everything she's ever tried - she can surely prevail in this as well. Her goal is to be with her husband and support him in his efforts in the Army. Ms. Dunne avoids having the audience pity Polly - we laugh with her as she manipulates the peculiarities of her new housing and new life style. We also watch as she protects her husband from the intrusions of his former boss. Ms. Dunne was not the first choice for the role - Rosalind Russell was originally considered for Polly, but dropped out to appear in Sister Kenny (AFI catalog)

It's a bit harder to get involved with Max. He is convinced that he can only write about the war if he experiences it in some direct way. It's clear from the start that, at age 39, he does not expect to see combat, but he does wish to learn about what the men who are going into battle will face.  We appreciate his motives, but we get very little information about him; we know he is an intelligent man, who is lost as he tries to learn a new job. Mr. Knox doesn't get a lot of help from the script, with all the really good lines going to Ms. Dunne. As a result, Mr. Knox is left looking frustrated and unhappy. Any empathy you feel is because of Polly's devotion to him than to the depth of the character.  

Alexander Knox was born in Canada. His acting career started in Boston, with a repertory theatre, but when it closed, he returned to Canada to work as a reporter. After two years, he went to England, and appeared in several films. By 1940, he was on Broadway, first as Friar Lawrence in a production of Romeo and Juliet (that starred Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh), then in Jupiter Laughs, starring opposite Jessica Tandy. He'd already appeared in several Hollywood films, including The Sea Wolf (1941) and This Above All (1941), when he was offered the lead in Wilson (1944), which earned him a nomination for Best Actor. His film career ended abruptly, when he was unofficially blacklisted for his involvement with the Committee for the First Amendment (Actors on Red Alert: Career Interviews with Five Actors and Actresses Affected by the Blacklist by Anthony Slide). He returned to England with his wife, Doris Nolan (they were married from 1943 until his death in 1995), and worked there (and eventually back in the U.S.). He died in England of bone cancer.

Charles Coburn as publisher Gow is, as always, very good and very funny. But Gow's attitudes towards Max's desire to serve in the military are unpleasant; Mr. Coburn plays him as a completely selfish man, who would rather sell his paper than do the work necessary to make it a success without Max. While you laugh at his antics, a lot of head shaking occurs as he tries to manipulate Polly and Max.

I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but some of the best moments in the film occur at the end, when Polly decides it's time to intervene in saving the paper for her husband and for Gow. The look of sheer delight on Max's face when he discovers her work is something that really appealed to us. For that reason alone, this film is worth a viewing.

Over 21 is based on the Broadway play, which was written by and starred Ruth Gordon; it ran for 221 performances in 1944. The play's time-frame is 1943, and while the film does not give us a date we know that World War II is raging.

Over 21 opened at Radio City Music Hall to poor notices: here is Bosley Crowther's New York Times review. Several factors contributed to the reviews. The movie was released just after VJ-Day (TCM article), which greatly influenced its reception - it was seen as a relic, discussing issues that no longer needed consideration (Irene Dunne: First Lady of Hollywood by Wes D. Gehring). 

Another problem was the original Broadway play. Some criticisms at the time considered that Ms. Dunne's performance was too close to Ms. Gordon stage rendition. Finally, other reviews focused on  Mr. Knox's performance, stating that it was too reminiscent of his work in Wilson. (Military Comedy Films: A Critical Survey and Filmography of Hollywood Releases Since 1918 by Hal Erickson). 

None of that is relevant today, as it is not possible to see stage play.  We can also relate to Max's desire to do all in his power to stop another war from happening.  We'll leave you with this short clip from the film, and a suggestion that you give it a viewing:

George is in Cleveland

Author Kenneth Bixby (George Brent) is on a book tour with his secretary (and almost fiance) Ann Rogers (Ann Sheridan). Upon his arrival in Cleveland for a book signing, he receives flowers and a mysterious note from "Miriam," the fictional character in his latest book. The sender of the flowers turns out to be Ken's college girlfriend, Julie Wilson (Osa Massen), who's still fixated on him even though she is married to Harvey Wilson (Charles Ruggles). Our film this week is Honeymoon for Three (1941)

With a script based on a relatively successful Broadway play, and an excellent cast, you would think Honeymoon for Three would be a good film. Unfortunately, you would be wrong. The script slides deeper and deeper into silliness, and after awhile, the audience just doesn't care any longer (and starts to look at their collective watches).

It doesn't help that George Brent is miscast as the lothario Kenneth Bixby. Mr. Brent is just to stable to be convincing as a ne'er-do-well.  And why on earth he would respond to a flibbertigibbet like Julie Wilson is beyond comprehension, especially when he has an attractive, intelligent woman like Ann Rogers sitting next to him.

We don't get to see enough of Ann Sheridan. Initially, there is a pleasant rapport between her and Mr. Brent (who would become her husband shortly after the filming ended. The marriage only lasted for a year). (TCM article)  Ann is a calm breath of air next to the overblown Julie, and we DO get too much of Osa Massen. She's a delusional whirligig, with a mania that is just too much to take in. The viewer needs to understand why Bixby would even tolerate her, and the audience just can't.

Jane Wyman, as Julie's almost sister-in-law, Elizabeth Clochessy is also wasted. Ms. Wyman was still playing small roles in 1941 - her real breakthrough as Orry Baxter (for which she was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar) in The Yearling wouldn't come for another five years. All she allowed to do in this film is dither, and look adoringly at her fiance Arthur Westlake (William T. Orr), who really isn't worth all that much adoration.

Lee Patrick is equally ill-served as Mrs. Pettijohn, an idiotic woman with a penchance for naming her children after authors (Booth Tarkington Pettijohn???). The character provides a somewhat deus-ex-machina ending to the proceedings, but Ms. Patrick deserves better.

We did like Charles Ruggles who is the only part of the comedy to underplay his role. You feel sorry for Harvey - his wife is insane, and his brother is a bore - and Mr. Ruggles makes you rather like Harvey. Who can blame him for wanting to get Julie off his hands?  Charles (or Charlie) Ruggles started his career on Broadway (in the 1914 production of Help Wanted), and was working in silent films by the following year. He easily made the transition to sound, often in those early years playing the romantic lead.  As time progressed, he moved to character parts, including Egbert Flout in Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), Major Applegate in Bringing Up Baby (1938), and Grandfather Charles McKendrick in The Parent Trap (1961).  A generation grew up with his voice - he was Aesop in the various Rocky and Bullwinkle shows. He worked frequently in both radio and television, while continuing to appear in films and on Broadway.  He married his second wife (his first marriage only lasted two years) in 1942; they remained together until his death from cancer, age 70, in 1970.

Originally slated to have starred Olivia de Havilland and Fred MacMurray (AFI Catalog), the film was based on the play Goodbye Again, which opened on Broadway in 1932, starring Osgood Perkins (Anthony Perkins father) as Kenneth - and with a very young James Stewart as The Chauffeur (in his second Broadway role).  In 1933, it was made into a film, with Warren William and Joan Blondell. In 1943, and 1956 (with Donald Cook, Patricia Barry, and Tom Poston), the play was again produced on Broadway. 

While critic Bosley Crowther is never a fan of Mr. Brent (his loss, quite frankly), we have to agree with him in his New York Times review Mr. Brent is just all wrong for this one. Then again, no one would have had a great deal of success with this tangled web of a script. Here's a trailer from the film.

Humphrey Finds the Black Bird

This month, TCM Presents featured The Maltese Falcon (1941) as their Fathom Events entry.  The private detective firm of Spade and Archer is visited one day by the intriguing Miss Wonderly (Mary Astor).  During her interview with partner Samuel Spade (Humphrey Bogart), she relates the story of her younger sister, Corrine, who has been seduced by Floyd Thursby.  Miss Wonderly wants Sam to find Corrine and steal her back from Thursby.  The entrance of Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) changes the dynamic, though.  He takes one look at Miss Wonderly and announces he will personally handle the case.  But when Archer is killed that night, Spade begins his own investigation, finding that Miss Wonderly is not who she said she was, and that there is a lot more to the story than she let on.

Often discussed as the first film noir, The Maltese Falcon is beyond doubt, a masterpiece.  It has been placed at #23 in the 100 Years, 100 Films; #26 in their list of 100 Years, 100 Thrills, #6 in their Top 10 Mystery films.  It was one of the first films entered into the National Film Registry.  Even back in 1941, New York Times reviewer Bosley Crowther was singing its praises, especially for the Humphrey Bogart's "excellent revelation of character".  At the 14th Annual Academy Awards, it scored three nominations: Best Picture (losing to How Green Was My Valley.  I make no comments here. I LOVE How Green Was My Valley.  Plus, it was a tough year to pick just one best picture.), Best Supporting Actor (Sydney Greenstreet, who lost to Donald Crisp in How Green Was My Valley), and best adapted screenplay for John Huston (who lost to Here Comes, Mr. Jordan.  Yes - I love that movie too).

Mary Astor was also nominated that year, but not for her role as Bridget O'Shaughnessy/Miss Wonderly.  In 1941, she also appeared as the bitchy concert pianist, Sandra Kovak in The Great Lie.  She was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for that film, and won.    

When you see The Maltese Falcon on a big screen, some little, but interesting things pop out at you.  As Spade walks down the street, we see a movie theatre marquee behind him.  Playing at the theatre - The Great Lie!  A little product placement by Warner Brothers?  It's small, but you can see it in the image below.  The Great Lie was released in April of 1941; The Maltese Falcon in October.

This was Sydney Greenstreet's (Kasper Gutman) first film role - he was 62 at the time.   He began his career on the London stage (in 1902).  By 1905, he was in America. and from 1907 through 1940, he appeared in 30 Broadway plays, including the works of Shakespeare  (As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor), Chekov (The Seagull), Ben Jonson (Volpone), and Oscar Wilde (Lady Windemere's Fan).  Though both the British and American film industries approached him to enter the medium early on, he refused until he was signed by Warner Brothers for our film.  Paired with Peter Lorre (Joel Cairo) for the first time in The Maltese Falcon, the two would become a virtual team, eventually appearing in 9 films together.  Between 1941 and 1949, when he retired, Greenstreet appeared in 54 films, including Christmas in Connecticut, The Woman in White (where he does a magnificent Count Fosco), Flamingo Road, They Died with Their Boots On, and Devotion.  He died in 1954, the result of diabetes, aged 74.

Another thing that was very noticeable on a big screen was the reaction of Wilmer, aka the Gunsel (Elisha Cook Jr.) to Gutman's intention to give him over to Spade as a scapegoat.  Wilmer is crying as he attempts to escape from the apartment.  The he original Dashiell Hammett novel hints at an intimate relationship between Wilmer and Joel Cairo.  That Cairo (and Gutman) would be willing to sacrifice him to Spade is perhaps part of the motivation for his reaction - and subtly hints at a subject the film would not have been able to tackle.

Kudos to Lee Patrick as Effie Perine, the indomitable secretary to Spade and Archer.  Effie is no fool - she knows everything that is going on in the office, but also knows how to keep a secret.  Her loyalty to Spade is boundless, yet we don't have the requisite lover pining for the man who doesn't notice that she's alive.  Effie likes Spade, but she knows who he is, and also knows he's not likely to fall for her.  And she seems just fine with that.

These TCM articles point out that George Raft was (again) slated to star in the role that eventually went to Bogart.  The film, being handled by a new director, was not important enough for Raft's taste (and was he ever wrong!).  Edward G. Robinson was also briefly considered.  Thankfully, though Warner's decided that Bogart's star was on the rise (he'd just had a huge success with High Sierra), and gave him the part.  Bogart is quoted as saying that The Maltese Falcon "was practically a masterpiece. I don't have many things I'm proud of but that's one."  A fascinating array of actresses were considered for the role of Bridget: Olivia de Havilland, Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth, Paulette Goddard, Brenda Marshall, Janet Gaynor, Joan Bennett, Betty Field and Ingrid Bergman (AFI Catalog), and Lee Patrick was originally considered for the part of Iva Archer (which eventually went to Gladys George), with Eve Arden a first choic for Effie.

When a film has the acclaim that this one has, physical objects which represent it become iconic.  The Black Bird that Bogart holds at the end of the film is one of those items.  In this recent Vanity Fair article, the tale of the elusive bird, which sold at auction for $4.1 million, is detailed.  You'll also find a slide show about the Falcon. 

We'll leave you with this opening sequence from The Maltese Falcon, and the question - would you trust this woman?

Gumshoe Lee, R.N.

The Nurse's Secret (1941), based on a novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart, (Miss Pinkerton) is a remake of two prior films: Miss Pinkerton (1932) (which we'd already seen) and While the Patient Sleeps (1935).  The plot of this film is identical to that of Miss Pinkerton -  a young man is found dead of a gunshot wound in his room.  Is it murder, suicide, or an accident? Police inspector Tom Patten (Regis Toomey) figures this case is the one that can get him promoted.  When the doctor of the woman who found the victim, his aunt and insurance beneficiary Miss Juliet Mitchell (Clara Blandick), needs a nurse, Patten suggests his girlfriend, Ruth Adams, R.N.  (Lee Patrick).  Though annoyed at Patten for his constant cancellation of their dates, Ruth is thrilled to be a female Sherlock Holmes.  However, someone is wandering around the house, and whoever it is may be a murderer.  

Miss Pinkerton was a much more lighthearted effort than The Nurse's Secret.  Ms. Patrick makes Ruth far more serious than Joan Blondell's Miss Adams, and while we liked Lee Patrick, we missed Joan Blondell's sassy attitude.  This is a plot that can get very convoluted, and the humor from the first iteration deflected some of the confusion. Early in The Nurse's Secret, we even get a reference to the first film, when Patten (responding to Ruth's comment about being a lady Sherlock Holmes) replies "Or Miss Pinkerton."

What this film does offer is a panoply of wonderful character people.  First and foremost is Ms. Patrick, who spent most of her career as second lead and in character parts.  As this TCM article points out,  the biggest surprise here is that Ms. Patrick gets to carry the film, and she does an excellent job.  Born in 1901, Lee Patrick has 110 film and television credits (and 26 Broadway plays) to her name.  She started her career in films in 1929, and continued until 1965 when she retired to become a painter.  She was lured back to films once more, however - in 1975 she reprised the role of Effie from The Maltese Falcon in the spoof The Black Bird.  Looking at a list of her film gives one pause - you remember her character, but sometimes forget it was her - even with her chirpy voice, she was a chameleon who changed to fit the part she played.  When you realize that the same person who played Mrs. Biederhof in Mildred Pierce also played Doris Upson in Auntie Mame, it's almost surprising.  Married to the same man from 1937 until her death in 1982, Ms. Patrick was a talent that we sometimes forget (and shouldn't), but should NEVER ignore.

The film also contains performances from some interesting character people, most notably Clara Blandick, best known for playing Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz. With over 100 film credits, Ms. Blandick spent much of her career playing crotchety old ladies, as she does here.  But she was also a noted stage actress, appearing in such Broadway plays as Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman and The Enchanted Cottage (as Mrs. Minnett, the role that would go to Mildred Natwick in the film version).  Following her retirement in 1951, Ms. Blandick was quite ill.  Finally, wracked with pain, she committed suicide in 1962, at age 85.

While we think Miss Pinkerton is the better film, this one is not bad, especially if you are more interested in a serious take on the material.  We have a trailer to get you started:

Loretta's Haunted Apartment

A Night to Remember (1942) is one of those films that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be when it grows up. Screwball comedy? Horror? Suspense? Romance? Take your pick, because the film really doesn't do any of them very well.

The film opens on Nancy (Loretta Young) and Jeff Troy (Brian Aherne).  They have just arrived at their new Greenwich Village basement apartment, which Nancy found for them (Jeff's never been there before).  He's a hack mystery writer (he writes as Jeff Yort), and wants to work in the Village, in hopes of writing the Great American Novel. They have arrived early (without notifying their landlord), and are stunned that the apartment isn't ready for them (who arrives two days early, and expects to just move in? They haven't even paid for the apartment yet).  But the real problem is, the landlord is more frightened than annoyed that they are there.  And there is this weird housekeeper who says something keeps crawling on her feet. 

The film is extremely repetitious.  The housekeeper keeps telling the same story over and over; there is a door that is always getting stuck.  It's like the writers had a few jokes, and decided they could keep using them.  Rather than build on humor, the repetitions become inane.The one humorous bit is the introduction of Old Hickory, a turtle that was the mascot of the speakeasy that used to be in the apartment building.  Old Hickory keeps turning up (scaring everyone), and MANY people, including the police inspector investigating the murder (of course, there is a murder!), are fans of Old Hickory.

The film is based on the third in a series of nine mystery books about the exploits of
Jeff and Haila Troy, entitled The Frightened Stiff.  There was also a Screen Guild Theatre radio production of the film, with Lucille Ball playing Nancy Troy and Brian Donlevy playing Jeff on May 1, 1944.  

The supporting cast is good, albeit not well used.  Sidney Toler as Inspector Hankins (shades of Charlie Chan!) is the only smart one within a group of fairly dumb police officers,  That's probably why he is an inspector.  At one point, Jeff comments that the police are no longer allowed to used rubber hoses during an interrogation - shades of the Miranda Warning!.  You get to see the wonderful Lee Patrick  (playing apartment house resident Polly Franklin) right away, but you have to wait quite a while before Gale Sondergaard (as Mrs. DeVoe) shows up.  Both are fun to watch.  We would have liked to have seen more of them, as both Aherne and Young got a bit annoying after awhile.

As the movie opens, it has a creepy air.   We felt that the writers should have emphasized that suspense aspect more, as we think they would have had a better movie.  Not that humor and murder can't be done - Miss Pinkerton, which we saw a bit ago, was able to do it.  So did the wonderful Cat and the Canary.  But the problem with A Night to Remember is that nothing really makes sense.  Why would the landlord would rent an apartment in the building to an outsider, when he and all the tenants are so frightened that an outsider will discover their crimes.   And, the ending is very abrupt. The murderer is revealed with almost no explanation, and the film is over. 

We kinda liked the little apartment, though, with its private garden in the back.  It is supposed to be on Gay Street, which is a real Village street.  But other than that (and Old Hickory), this movie was missing that certain something that makes you want to come back for more.  It's no wonder there were no further Troy mysteries.