Multi-millionaire John P. Merrick (Charles Coburn) is furious. Though he studiously keeps himself out of the limelight, a recent labor protest by the employees of a department store he owns have brought his name front and center. Determined to fire all of the people involved in the protest, he hires private detective Thomas Higgins (Robert Emmett Keane) to infiltrate the store and find the protesters. Mr. Higgins is unable to start immediately (his wife is about to have a baby), so Merrick fires him and uses the store credentials Higgins has acquired to become an employee in the store's shoe department. It's not long before he discovers that he really likes the store employees and despises the management. Our film this week is The Devil and Miss Jones (1941). The tone of this sweet and funny film is set at the opening credits, when we are introduced to the "devilish" Mr. Coburn and the angelic Ms. Arthur. While Ms. Arthur gets above-the-title billing, this film really belongs to Mr. Coburn, as it should. J.P. Merrick could be a bully and a bore, but not in Mr. Coburn's capable hands. He treads a fine line in being lovable, but still keeping you in suspense as to what he will do in the end. Though, as he becomes increasingly furious at the store managers and supervisors, you really want to give him a hug.
Charles Coburn came to the screen late in life - he was 60. He'd spent his career working in a touring company with his wife, Ivah Wills (they had 6 children). When Ivah died of congestive heart failure in 1937, Mr. Coburn moved his family to Los Angeles to try his hand at film acting. Between 1938 and his death in 1961, he appeared in more than 90 films and television shows. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1944 for his work in The More the Merrier, and was nominated two other times - for his work in this film, and for The Green Years (1946). He was active in the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (Hollywood Traitors: Blacklisted Screenwriters - Agents of Stalin, Allies of Hitler by Allan H. Ryskind), a group supporting the McCarthy hearings. Following a second marriage (he was 81 at the time), and the birth of a seventh child, he died of a heart attack at the age of 84. His papers are housed at the University of Georgia, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Jean Arthur is delightful as Mary Jones. Though her romantic interest is Robert Cummings (Joe O'Brien), it is Mr. Coburn with whom she has the most scenes and the best chemistry. She would work with Mr. Coburn twice more: The More the Merrier (1943) and in The Impatient Years (1944) (TCM Article). The part of Mary Jones was specifically designed for Ms. Arthur - this film's producer was her husband Frank Ross. He had set up an independent production company and was eager to find a property that fit her talents better than the scripts she was being offered. Though Mr. Coburn's part is much stronger, Ms. Arthur refused rewrites that would have given her character more screen time. (Jean Arthur: A Biofilmography by Jerry Vermilyeand). She was fond enough of the part that she planned to do a remake of it in 1966, to be titled The Devil and Mr. Jones, with Ms. Arthur as the Devil; sadly, it didn't materialize.
Robert Cummings is good in a relatively small part. An early scene in the film has Joe cavorting with Mary on the beach at Coney Island. It's quite delightful to watch, and there is a naturalness to the performances. Mr. Cummings was not the first choice for the role - Jeffrey Lynn was originally considered. (AFI Catalog) Also in a small but important part is Spring Byington (Elizabeth Ellis). A gentle woman who just wants to find someone to love, she fixes her sights on Merrick when she thinks that he is indigent. One feels that Merrick has avoided any kind of entanglements because of his money. Ms. Byington makes Elizabeth into someone who cares nothing for money. She wants to find a man she can make happy, and Merrick is the right fit.
There are so many excellent character actors in the film it is hard to focus on just one or two. Edmund Gwenn is marvelous as the repugnant Hooper, one of the bosses who drive Merrick to distraction. S.Z. Sakall appears as George, Merrick's very tolerant butler, and is his usual warm self. William Demarest shows up in the small part of a detective, Regis Toomey is a police officer in Coney Island, and Florence Bates plays a professional shopper - all contribute greatly to the film.
The film, which opened in April at Radio City Music Hall, received an enthusiastic review from New York Times critic Bosley Crowther "Out of the sheerest gossamer the most captivating webs are sometimes spun". Unfortunately, it did not do well at the box offer (Author Jerry Vermilye speculates that the "unsubtle pro-union stance" was a factor"). In January 1942, there was a Lux Radio Theatre production which starred Lana Turner and Lionel Barrymore. The film was nominated for two Oscars: Norman Krasna for his original screenplay and Charles Coburn as Best Supporting Actor.
This is a movie that is not to be missed, especially if you are a Jean Arthur fan. We'll leave you with a clip, in which Charles Coburn meets Ms. Arthur:
It is the 75th Anniversary of Casablanca (1942) and to celebrate AFI Silver featured the film for several days. I've seen the film more times than I can count on television and home video; I've also seen it several times on a big screen, but when your friend tells you that she's NEVER seen the film, what can you do but go again? The opportunity to see the # 1 film on AFI's list of 100 Years, 100 Passions, not to mention #2 on the AFI 100 Years, 100 Films list with a neophyte is just too good to resist. It really is like getting to see the film AGAIN for the first time. If you are like my friend, and have never seen Casablanca, a quick plot rundown is in order (then again, if you've never seen Casablanca, stop reading this blog, and go watch the movie!) It's December 1941, and Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) owns a successful cafe and (illegal) casino in Casablanca. The cafe is inhabited primarily by refugees, trying to get to America. But, on the night when black marketeer Ugarte (Peter Lorre) is arrested for the murder of German couriers (they were carrying non-revocable letters of transit), Rick's past catches up with him, in the form of his lost love, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman).
It's likely that Casablanca is one of the most written about films in movie history - I know of four, one of which was just released: We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Life, Legend, and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Movie by Noah Isenberg (2017); The Making of Casablanca: Bogart, Bergman, and World War II by Aljean Harmetz (2002), Casablanca: Behind the Scenesby Harlen Lebo and Julius Epstein (1992); and Casablanca: Script and Legend by Howard Koch (1995). As a result, it has a much storied history. For example, the rumor (fed by a Hollywood Reporter news item) that Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan were to play Rick and Ilsa has been debunked by numerous sources (including Ms. Harmetz). Ms. Harmetz also clarifies the rumor that George Raft was offered the role - his name was suggested, however producer Hal Wallis wanted Humphrey Bogart. Ms. Harmetz also relates Paul Henried's (Victor Laslo) later antipathy for the part of Victor Laslo, and his disregard for Humphrey Bogart. He told the author in 1992 that "Mr. Bogie was nobody.... Before Casablanca he was nobody...he was a mediocre actor." To give him credit where credit is due, he had had a successful theatrical and film career in German before the rise of the Nazis, and had appeared on the New York stage as well.
The other actor who is impressive (besides our key three players, of course) is Conrad Veidt as Major Strasser. A star of German cinema (Veidt is perhaps best remembered from his amazing performance as the somnambulist in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)), Veidt left Germany in 1933. His wife was a Jew, and Veidt despised the Nazis. He emigrated first to England, then to the United States, where it seems that his most memorable roles were as Nazis (such as All Through the Night (1942) and Escape (1940)). He donated large sums of money to the war effort (TCM article); Veidt also required that, if he were cast as a Nazi, that character must be a villain (Casablanca: As Time Goes By: 50th Anniversary Commemorative by Frank Miller). Unfortunately, Mr. Veidt did not get a chance to escape from the Nazi typecasting - he died of a heart attack in 1943, shortly after he finished filming Above Suspicion.
Of course, Mr. Veidt was not the only refugee appearing in the film: Madeline LeBeau (Yvonne), S. Z. Sakall (Carl), Peter Lorre, Marcel Dalio (Emil the Croupier), Helmut Dantine (Jan Brandel), and Paul Henreid were among the actors who escaped from German and the occupied nations to work in Hollywood. (AFI catalog)
In 1944, Casablanca won 3 Oscars in 1944 (Film, Michael Curtiz (Director), Adapted Screenplay (Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch)) and was nominated for 6 others including Best Actor (Bogart), Supporting Actor (Rains), Score (Max Steiner), Editing, and Cinematography. It appears on several other AFI lists:AFI 100 Years, 100 Cheers at #32, AFI's top Heroes, with Rick Blaine at #4, and 100 Years, 100 Thrills at #37. But the true test of the film is watching it again and again (which I have). It's a picture which you decide you will watch JUST this one scene and end up watching the whole movie. I'll leave you this this conversation between Rick and Louis, and another wonderful Rick quote:
When Professor Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper) discovers that his seven years of relatively isolated research have led to a complete lack of understanding of current American slang, he ventures out of the confines of his enclave. In his quest, he meets Sugarpuss (Katherine) O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck), an entertainer who is currently on the lam from the cops - seems her boyfriend, Joe Lilac (Dana Andrews) is suspected of murder and wants her out of the way, since she could link him to the victim. Sugarpuss arrives on Bertram's doorstep, and within an hour has his research colleagues eating out of her hand, as well as a room in their headquarters. Meanwhile, Joe is planning a wedding - since a wife can't testify against her husband. And Bertram is falling in love with his sexy house guest.
Ball of Fire (1941) is another one of those madcap films that show Barbara Stanwyck's gift for comedy, as well as her chemistry with co-star Gary Cooper. They had worked together earlier that year in Meet John Doe, and Cooper suggested her for the part of Sugarpuss when other actresses turned it down - among those approached were Virginia Gilmore (Sam Goldwyn's first choice, as she was under contract to him at the time), Ginger Rogers (who thought the role beneath her), Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur, Betty Fields, and Lucille Ball. Goldwyn and director Howard Hawks were thrilled at having Stanwyck in the role, and their confidence paid off. (This TCM article gives a little more information on the casting woes of the production).
Stanwyck
carefully balances the greedy showgirl against the young woman who
falls in love - against her will - with a man who "looks like a
giraffe", "gets drunk on a glass of buttermilk," and "doesn't know how
to kiss". Without the fine hand of Stanwyck, the film could have easily
imploded, as it did with the remake (A Song is Born). Stanwyck
gives us a Sugarpuss who glows with love and with sexuality, and who is
finally bested by an innocent man who loves her with all of his heart.
She is intelligent, though uneducated, but she is someone who hungers
for love AND for knowledge. And though clearly Joe has gotten her a job
in a classy joint, Stanwyck shows us Sugarpuss' roots - watch her walk on the stage as she performs - Sugarpuss started as a stripper.
As always, Stanwyck is impeccably dressed by her favorite costumer Edith Head. She has some lovely street clothing, as well as a splendid costume for her act, that is both breathtaking and cheesy at the same time. And watch how it sparkles in the dull environs of the professors' apartment house - Head makes Sugarpuss the real bright spot in the lives of these sequestered intellectuals.
Equally perfect is Gary Cooper as Bertram. It would be easy to make Potts merely a jerk, rather than an innocent, but Cooper carefully walks that line. Certainly Potts is naive, but he is eager to learn and to experience new things. His enthusiasm for the slang he is discovering is palpable. He is a man dedicated to his scholarship - though much younger than his scholarly colleagues, he hasn't had the opportunity to interact with the opposite sex, but when he does, his inhibitions take a back seat to his passion.
It's interesting
to see Dana Andrews in a supporting role. His Joe Lilac is an
egomaniac, surrounded by Yes Men, who is quite sure he can tame Sugarpuss with a large diamond and a marriage
certificate. Given that Andrews has very little screen time, he makes the most of what little time he is provided. You don't forget Joe - Andrews makes him just sinister enough to keep the comic background, but still have a character that is a threat to our lovers. This is a film that is blessed with an amazing supporting cast. We have the always excellent Allen Jenkins as the neighborhood garbage man, who wants to enter a "quizzola" (he's got all the boxtops he needs. What he needs are the answers). Dan Duryea as Duke Pastrami, Lilac's lead henchman is delightfully oily, with his rather disturbing laugh is put to good use. Watch for the scene when he licks his thumb to clean his gunsight - thus tipping his hat to co-star Gary Cooper (who did the same maneuver in Sergeant York). "I saw this in a movie," Duryea quips. (Interestingly, a few days after seeing Ball of Fire, I was watching Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955), and my husband noticed that Fess Parker (as Crockett) does the same maneuver while fighting Santa Ana at the Alamo. Coincidence? I think not.)
And let us not forget the "seven dwarfs" (Yes, the film is loosely based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Professor Potts colleagues in research. Among the superb actors gracing the cast are
Oscar Homolka as
Professor Gurkakoff (Mathematics), Henry Travers as
Professor Jerome (Geography), S. Z. Sakall
as Professor Magenbruch (Physiology), Leonid Kinskey as Professor Quintana, and Richard Haydn as the appropriately named
Professor Oddly (Botany). Sugarpuss calls them a bunch of "squirrelly cherubs", a most apt description. But rather than just have them there for laughs, they are intrinsic to the plot - it is their combined brain power that will save the day for our couple.
One other note of interest, actress Mary Fields, who plays Miss Totten, is the only actor to appear in the remake, A Song is Born. She plays the exact same character in the remake, though there was a seven year gap between the films. Ball of Fire was well received at the time of its release, as is evidenced by this New York Times review. In 2007, it was selected as a TCM Essentials pick (as well as a 2012 Essentials, Jr. selection). AND it is number 92 on the American Film Institute's 100 Funniest American Movies Of All Time list. If you've never seen it, treat yourself to a viewing - and if you have seen it, curl up on a cold evening and watch it again! We leave you with the scene in which Sugarpuss demonstrates "Yum-yum". We'll be back soon with more Barbara!
I haven't been to a double feature in a lot of year, and I miss it. So, it was a pleasure to attend the Fathom Event which featured two Christmas films. I've already discussed the first feature in an earlier post. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) was feature two. Barbara Stanwyck stars as Elizabeth Lane, the popular author of a cooking column in a national magazine. She's an imaginative writer, who shares wonderful recipes and household hints, speaking at length about her life in Connecticut with her loving husband and baby. There's only one little problem. She isn't married, has no children, lives in a small New York City apartment, and she can't cook. At all. Her recipes come from her adored Uncle Felix Bassenak (S. Z. Sakall), the owner of a popular restaurant which Elizabeth helped to fund at start-up. Her editor Dudley Beecham (Robert Shayne) is well aware of her deception, but the magazine owner Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) is not. And he's a stickler for the truth. The action starts just before Christmas, and a young sailor, Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) is hospitalized, after spending 18 days on a raft, with little food and water. His nurse, Mary Lee (Joyce Compton), is eager to get a husband, and Jeff (or "Jeffy-boy" as she calls him) seems like a prime candidate. To encourage a yearning for family in Jeff (who claims to have no family roots), she contacts Mr. Yardley (she once nursed his granddaughter), and asks if Jeff can spend the holiday with his favorite author, Elizabeth Lane. To save her and Beecham's jobs, Elizabeth consents to marry John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner), who has a home in Connecticut where she can host Jeff - and Mr. Yardley, who's decided to tag along. Hijinks, as they say, ensue.
In the various Barbara Stanwyck films we've discussed thus far, we've not had a chance to look at her comedies. She was a brilliant comedienne, but didn't always get the chance to demonstrate her remarkable timing. Interestingly, this film is only one year after the role that she is probably most remembered for - Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity (1944); definitely NOT a comic part. Ben Mankiewicz, in the introduction to Christmas in Connecticut, informed us that Ms. Stanwyck was not the first choice for the role of Elizabeth Lane - Bette Davis was (this is, after all, a Warner Brothers film, and Davis was under contract). But Ms. Davis declined, and Ms. Stanwyck, who had already shown her comedic abilities in The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire, was hired. The film was released two days after the Japanese surrender, but
(since it was filmed while the war was in progress), the military and
the war are very much in the forefront of the story. Jeff is at a military hospital when Mary Lee contacts Mr. Yardley; Yardley sees hosting a war hero as a civic duty (and good publicity for his magazines) and there is an implication at the end of the movie that Jeff will be returning to active service in the Pacific (where he was when his ship was destroyed). War efforts abound in the film - even the dance which Elizabeth and Jeff attend is more a war bond function than a Christmas party. This doesn't detract from the humor, but it is a note in the background of the film. This TCM article briefly discusses the film's positive reception (though the New York Times did NOT like it very much). As a side note, I discovered that, when it was released in New York City (at the Rialto) it was on a double bill with a Lon Chaney, Jr. horror film: The Frozen Ghost!
Wonderful character actors abound in the film. Una O'Connor as Sloane's housekeeper, Norah is very funny. Sidney Greenstreet as Yardley is also amusing, in his always gruff way. But the film is really stolen by S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, primarily because of the way he reacts with both Greenstreet and O'Connor. His love for and loyalty to Elizabeth is ever-present. His tacit dislike of Sloane is always evident. He methodically finds ways to prevent the wedding of Elizabeth and Sloane, making him all the more endearing. He is the film's Cupid, trying to make sure his beloved Elizabeth finds the right man. I'll close with a clip. It's probably the most famous scene in the film, in which Elizabeth Lane tries to flip a flapjack. Stanwyck, as always, is priceless.
