Dorothy is a Young Mother

Claudia and David (1946) picks up nearly four years after we left the Naughtons in Claudia.  Claudia (Dorothy McGuire) is very much involved in mothering her little son, Bobby (Anthony Sydes), with the assistance of Bertha (Elsa Janssen), who now serves both as nanny and housekeeper. While at a dinner party hosted by David's sister-in-law Julia (Gail Patrick), the Naughtons meet Elizabeth Van Doren (Mary Astor), a wealthy widow who wants to completely redesign the farm which she purchased some years before. David (Robert Young) is thrilled to be offered what he sees as a dream job, but Claudia becomes annoyed at the amount of time David is spending on the project, pulling him away from home for longer periods of time.

There was no difference in opinion on this one - the entire group enjoyed the film, and found the more mature Claudia very appealing.  Sure, we have an initial driving sequence where we discover that Claudia is a terrible driver, but other than that, you spend a lot of the movie rooting for Claudia (and conversely getting very aggravated at David for being a total jerk).  Dorothy McGuire gives us a Claudia who wants to be a good mom; we know that she learned from the best, and it is reflected in her attitude towards her child. Her irritation towards David is the result of his unjustified petulance. David is almost blase about his son's illness and is oblivious to Claudia's concerns when she suspects the little boy is ill. I found myself cheering when she told him off.

One scene in particular is very telling in demonstrating the growth of the character of Claudia. Confronted by Edith Dexter (Rose Hobart), the wife of neighbor Philip Dexter (John Sutton), who has been visiting Claudia and little Bobby (Philip had driven Claudia home the night before, when he realized her concern about her child's health), Claudia is able to ultimately disregard Edith's nastiness (Edith smacks Claudia across the face), and have a kind and moving heart-to-heart with the older woman. Claudia's gentleness of spirit shines through, and you can see her reflecting back the teachings of her mother.

It's always good to see Jerome Cowan (Brian O'Toole); and he is very good in the part of stage medium.  We did feel that Brian's telling Claudia that David is going to have an accident seemed a bit over-the-top for a man who is essentially a performer. It is perhaps that the screenwriter wanted Claudia to seem silly for believing him, but her naive belief in him isn't all that odd - he's summoned up memories of her late mother, and already convinced several of the other dinner-party attendees of his veracity. By the conclusion of the film, you do have to wonder if he really has ANY psychic powers.

This was Anthony Sydes first film; though his name was not immediately familiar, he had a respectable career as a child actor.   Most of us probably remember him as Thelma Ritter's son, Peter in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) or as Tony in Sitting Pretty (1948).  Born in 1941, he worked in films and television until he was 17 years old, after which, he joined the Army, serving two tours in Vietnam. His next career was as a professional auctioneer - he started an auction business and an auction college (to train new professionals in the field). His firm was still in business in 2015 when he died at age 74.  (For more information, see this obituary in The Hollywood Reporter).

For those of you who might wonder if the mustard bath that is used was actually a treatment of the time, it was. It was a long-time home remedy for fever.  By 1949, according to this Archives of Disease in Childhood article, it was considered by doctors, at any rate, as a way to keep parents busy until the doctor could arrive (back in the era of house calls!) -  much the way Philip sets Claudia doing tasks that will keep her occupied until the Doctor (Harry Davenport)'s arrival.

We also enjoyed John Sutton, who gave Philip a kindness that (for us) eliminated any thought of a pursuit of Claudia.  Sutton had a fascinating life - before becoming an actor, he worked as a tea plantation manager, a hunter, and a rancher; living in what is now Pakistan (where he was born), China, Malaya, and the Philippines. With over 103 film and television credits, he had an impressive career (usually as a villain or second lead) in such films as Jane Eyre (1944), Captain from Castile (1947), and The Three Musketeers (1948). He died of a heart attack in Cannes in 1963, age 54.

The New York Times review was fairly positive, though we think they were harder on Claudia then she deserves (and much kinder to David than HE deserved). There was a third Claudia film planned (AFI Catalog), but as Ms. McGuire and Mr. Young were never free at the same time, the picture never happened. Regardless, this is a nice conclusion to the series, and worth a visit.

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?

Ronald Duels

We aren't quite done with swashbucklers, as our film for this week is The Prisoner of Zenda (1937).  Ronald Colman plays Major Rudolf Rassendyll, an English officer on a fishing trip to Ruritania, when he meets Colonel Zapt (C. Aubrey Smith) and Fritz von Tarlenheim (David Niven).  Both are flabbergasted at Rassendyll's resemblance to King Rudolf V (also played by Colman); Rassendyll, it turns out, is descended from the Ruritania royalty on the wrong side of the blanket.  The King is also amused at the resemblance, and invites Rassendyll to his palace for a night of conversation and drinking, at the end of which, the Rassendyll, Zapt and von Tarlenheim discover the King unconscious, his wine drugged by servants in the pay of his half-brother, Black Michael  (Raymond Massey).  With the King's coronation scheduled for that afternoon, Zapt convinces Rassendyll to step in for the King, for if King Rudolf doesn't show up, Michael will stage a coup to take over the goverment.  Reluctantly, Rassendyll agrees, only to discover that Michael and his henchman Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) are all too quickly aware of the masquerade, and kidnap the King from his vacation palace.  Add to the problems - Rassendyll has fallen head over heels in love with the Princess Flavia (Madeleine Carroll), Rudolf's betrothed.  

With an absolutely magnificent cast, this is a film that is not be missed.  Colman creates distinctive personalities in the characters of King Rudolf and Rassendyll (and given he has very little to work with when it come to the King - who we barely see - it is all the more exceptional).  With his fantastic voice and his engaging personality, it is quite clear why Flavia would fall for him almost instantly, even when she thinks he is the King (who she dislikes).

His equal is Douglas Fairbanks, Jr as the arch-villain Rupert of Hentzau.  Fairbanks gives him a sparkle that makes him attractive and treacherous at the same time.  When the film was remade in 1952, James Mason took over the role; while Mason had the evil down perfectly, he just doesn't have the charm that Fairbanks does in the role.  That little twinkle in his eyes, as he performs his nefarious deeds is the difference.  Interestingly, Fairbanks badly wanted the lead role, and almost turned down the part of Rupert when that was offered instead.  His father, Douglas Sr, is the one who talked him into doing it - he told him the character was "witty, irresistible, and as sly as Iago".  That the part was "so actor-proof... that Rin Tin Tin could play the part and walk away with it!", we are inclined to disagree (in our opinions, Mason didn't walk away with it!).  It's proof of the talent of Fairbanks, Jr. that he could make you look away from Colman on occasion.   (This TCM article goes into more detail on the history of the film).

With actors like Mary Astor (as Michael's lover, Antoinette de Mauban), David Niven and Madeleine Carroll in the film, even the small parts are performed by experts.  Niven, who had started in films in 1932, primarily in unbilled parts, was about to become a star.  By 1939, he was the second lead in Wuthering Heights and starred (with Ginger Rogers) in Bachelor Mother.  A versatile actor, noted for his wit (if you've never read his autobiography, The Moon's A Balloon, you owe yourself a treat - many stories of him and Errol Flynn and their bachelor pad are included), Niven was highly regarded in the Hollywood community; in his article for Niven's Star of the Month turn on TCM, Robert Osborne recalled being at an event where a group was laughing at someone's tales.  Mr. Osborne surreptitiously wandered over, to discover Mr. Niven regaling the table with stories.  Mr. Niven married twice - he was widowed when Primula Rollo died after falling down a flight of stairs during a game of hide and seek.  Two years later, he wed Hjördis Tersmeden, and though they were together until his death in 1983 of ALS, it was allegedly not a happy marriage (Niven's close friends Roger Moore and Robert Wagner actively disliked her).  Niven served in the British Army during the Second World War, returning home from America when war broke out.  This hiatus had little effect on his career - he returned from military duty to make such excellent films as A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), and his Oscar-winning turn in Separate Tables (1958).

Madeleine Carroll is probably one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood history, but not only is she lovely, she is a strong, intelligent, and talented actress.  You believe that Princess Flavia could lead a nation, thanks to Ms. Carroll's strength of character.  After appearing in two Hitchcock films (his earliest "cool blonde") in Great Britain, Ms. Carroll came to America to appear in this film and The General Died at Dawn.  The parts she was given were uneven in quality, and she left filmwork in 1949.  She continued for a few years more in television (appearing, for example, in a Robert Montgomery Presents of "The Letter" in 1950).  She also appeared on Broadway in Goodbye, My Fancy, in the role Joan Crawford would assume on screen).  She also worked on film production aimed at promoting "better understanding among the peoples of the world".  He efforts also helped to raise money for an orphanage housing children injured in France during World War II.  She died in 1987, at age 81.

The film that we see today did change from the original concept.  It seems there was a prologue and an epilogue that were filmed and never used.  The film would have opened with the much older Rassendyll recounting the story of his adventures in Ruritania, now many years in the past.  As the film ended, he would have learned of the death of Princess Flavia.  Interestingly, this differs from the sequel written by Anthony Hope, entitled Rupert of Hentzau, in which Flavia become Queen after the deaths of King Rudolf and Rassendyll.

We'll close with the fencing scene from the end of the film.  According to the AFI Catalog, David O. Selznick was not satisfied with the scenes originally filmed by John Cromwell and brought in W.S. Van Dyke to reshoot them.  The fencing, as you will see, is excellent:

Jean Takes a Bath

Red Dust (1932) is the second pairing of that remarkable screen duo of Clark Gable and Jean Harlow.  Not surprisingly, they make the screen sizzle from the minute their characters, Dennis Carson and Vantine Jefferson, meet.  Carson is the manager of a rubber plantation, somewhere in the jungles outside Saigon.  The work is dirty and unpleasant, and Carson finds it difficult to manage the native population of workers.  When Vantine arrives unbidden on his doorstep (she's avoiding the authorities in Saigon), their initial verbal battle turns to bedplay, and finally to love (on her part).  But when the time for her to leave arrives, Denny slips her some money, and scoots her onto the awaiting boat, just as surveyor Gary Willis (Gene Raymond) and his bride Barbara (Mary Astor) alight.  Denny thinks his only problem will be getting Willis accustomed to life in this backwater, but he is mistake, because Vantine returns (her boat broke down) and Barbara is proving even more irresistible to Denny than he ever could have imagined.

Clark Gable is wonderful as Dennis Carson; he makes the character appealing, as well as somewhat disreputable.  Dennis was raised on the plantation; his only absences were trips to Saigon for some R&R. It's not surprising that this man, who would probably have had very little acquaintance with any women but the native population (and whores in Saigon), would be so immediately captivated by Barbara.  She, to him, is exotic.  Whereas, Vantine, who is far better suited to the life he has selected, is just another hooker like those he periodically visits.  Gable is able to make us ignore his rather dastardly behavior - towards Vantine, towards Barbara, and towards Gary - but never allows us to forget it.

And then there is Harlow - wise, smart, strong, resourceful.  Her Vantine is capable of love, but smart enough to not let it ruin her life.  She tries to protect both Barbara and Gary, and she understands Dennis better than he understands himself.  Harlow's quick reaction to the payment Dennis offers her says so much about her character.  And Harlow is a smart enough actress to play the reaction down.  It's there - you see it, but she won't let Vantine - or the audience - dwell on it.  It is enough that we all know he has wounded her deeply.

The interlopers to the lives of Dennis and Vantine, the Willis', initially come off rather badly.  Barbara is officious and whiny; Gary seems like a wimp.  But, we eventually discover from Vantine that Gary is a rather nice guy; and is, in fact, the only person who treats her with kindness and courtesy.  Gene Raymond does a good job with the character - he is often cast as a weakling, but he does make Gary someone that you feel for.  You may be rooting for Gable's Dennis, but you want Dennis to realize that Gary cannot be hurt by his actions.

Astor's Barbara, never loses the officiousness.  She's constantly nasty to Vantine, as much from jealousy as anything else.  But one wonders if she resents Vantine's freedom?  Whatever happens, Barbara will never be anything but a "wife".  She has created herself in the image of her husband.  It is only at the very end of the film that Barbara finally gets a backbone, and does something neither man would do. You can't help but admire it (as Vantine does).  One scene that rather sums up Barbara is the couple's arrival at their new digs, and her horror on seeing the bathing area.  Contrast that to Vantine's freewheeling attitude towards her toilette - it nicely sums up both characters.

This TCM article mentions that the film did NOT run into any censorship issues - a surprise when you see the scene we are highlighting this week.  When Red Dust ran on The Essentials, host Robert Osborne commented on the friendship between Gable and director Victor Fleming that arose from their work on the film.  This relationship would culminate  in Fleming being selected to replace George Cukor as the director of Gone With the Wind - he was Gable's choice for director of what is perhaps Gable's most famous role.  Critic Mordaunt Hall, in the  NewYork Times was not particularly thrilled with the film, but fellow blogger at Pre-Code.com gave it his stamp of approval. We concur.

Red Dust is unusual in that it was remade over 20 years later with the same lead actor.  We'll take a look at Mogambo next week.  In the meantime, we'll leave you, as promised, with Vantine's bath.  Enjoy:

Mary and the Green-Eyed Monster

Poor Nancy Gibson (Mary Astor)! Just returned to New York from Europe, where she went to look after her ailing mother, she finds her beloved husband Donald (Robert Ames) is head-over-heels in love with a younger woman, and eager for a divorce.  Thus begins Smart Woman (1931), a pre-code film which focuses on Mary's clever plan to recover her husband's affection - make him believe that SHE returned for a divorce, to marry her "lover",  Sir Guy Harrington (John Halliday). 

This is a clever little movie, made all the more pleasurable by the presence of Edward Everett Horton as Nancy's brother-in-law, Bill Ross.  We are so used to Mr. Horton as a buffoon, it was great to see him being smart and even, at times, cagey.  Disgusted with his Donald's behavior, he and his equally smart wife, Sally (played by Ruth Weston) collude with Nancy in her quest to convince Donald that she strayed long before he even thought of it.  We were also intrigued by the performance of John Halliday.  His Sir Guy is genuinely in love with Nancy, but his is an unselfish love - he attempts to break up the affair between Donald and Peggy Preston (Noel Francis) in his own inimitable fashion.  But we won't spoil the end by revealing his plan.

We found the relationship between Peggy and her mother as rather reminiscent of a later film - The Parent Trap.  Think Vicki Robinson (Joanna Barnes) and Mama Edna (Linda Watkins).  Vipers awaiting their wealthy prey. Mary Astor is just delightful as she realizes Peggy's motives, and has to keep up the front that she is all sympathy for their "love".  Watch her as she tells Peggy exactly WHO owns the house!  Here's the scene where Peggy and Nancy meet:



Next week, we invite you to a mystery

Other Men's Women

 After Bill (Grant Withers) succeeds in ducking his marriage to Marie (Joan Blondell), his pal Jack (Regis Toomey) offers to put him up. Jack's wife, Lily (Mary Astor) has no objections, but as time goes on, Bill and Lily start to have feelings for one another.

Other Men's Women is rather an odd movie. The consensus of our group was that it didn't quite know what it wanted to be: a romance for the women, or an action-adventure movie for the men. It did have both elements, with the love story between Grant Withers and Mary Astor playing out within the context of railroad men.  Mary Astor's character, Lily, disappears for most of the end of the movie, and one wonders why she would leave her now-blind husband even with the danger of a ensuing flood.

We did enjoy this early James Cagney appearance. His characterization of Eddie was a delight - from his first appearance atop a railroad car to the scene where he meets his girl friend at a fancy club in work clothes - then proceeds to strip down to the tux he had donned underneath.  Add to that a little dance step of joy, and you can't help but smile at the man who will launch to "overnight" success as Tom Powers in only two months. He was an amazing dancer; it's a shame he didn't get to do more of it, but it does make what we have even more to be appreciated.

The juxtaposition of the beginning and ending scenes, both set in the same cafe, really gave you a good look at the development of Grant Wither's Bill White.  A nice advantage of seeing these on DVD is the ability to go back and compare the two scenes. 

Here's a brief scene with Mary Astor and Grant Withers:


Next week, on to The Purchase Price.