When a rainstorm floods out a train trestle and strands her in the boom town New City, Texas, Lucy Gallant (1955) (played by Jane Wyman) realizes she can make her fortune by selling the nouveau riche clothing from New York and Paris. With the help of local banker Charlie Madden (William Demarest), the owner of the local brothel Lady "Mac" MacBeth Claire Treveor), and rancher Casey Cole (Charlton Heston), Lucy opens a store. But the success of the store creates a barrier between her and Casey - he wants a stay-at-home wife, and Lucy loves working. I try to not give away the ending of films as a rule, but as our major issue with Lucy Gallant was the ending, I'll have to do a bit of a spoiler. We had thoroughly enjoyed it up until the last scene, but the standard 1950s woman as "handmaiden to her man" routine was irritating. The character of Lucy Gallant is so attractive - she's smart, clever, imaginative, kind, and loyal - it's hard to see her giving up her dream because some man doesn't want his wife working. We found ourselves coming up with a five years later scenario in which Lucy was back running her beloved store. Based on a novella, The Life of Lucy Gallant by Margaret Cousins, this is an interesting portrait of the women in New City. The characters of Lucy, Molly Basserman (Thelma Ritter) and Mac are carefully drawn. All are strong characters, well able to take care of themselves (and often having to do so). The script is not so careful of the the men. Casey begins as gentleman-ly and rather attractive, but deteriorates into a petulant, chauvinistic caricature. Gus Basserman (Wallace Ford) may have found oil, but he remains a crude drunk, Jim Wardman (Tom Helmore) is your typical northern carpetbagger, and Charlie Madden is a weakling. In fact, the only reliable male here is Summertime (Joel Fluellen), who remains loyal to Lucy through every crisis, but as an African-American is relegated, per the mores of the time, to being the doorman at Gallant's.
Jeanine Basinger, in her book A Women's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women 1930-1960
posits that the film equates Lucy's life in the
department store as a prison, where freedom is marriage and children. But I would suggest there is another subtext in the film, much more hidden, and possibly more critical of the role Lucy assumes at the film's conclusion. The biggest advocate for Lucy's marriage to Casey is Molly Basserman. At the beginning of the film, Molly runs a boarding house while her husband wildcats for oil. Later in the film, we see Gus Basserman drinking and whoring. Finally, Lucy discovers that Gus has purchased a very expensive fur coat for another woman, and it appears that Molly is blissfully unaware of her husband's infidelity. With this the only symbol of a "happy" marriage in the film, just WHAT is Lucy getting herself into?
In theirreview of the film, theNew York Times comments that Charlton Heston is "not believable" as Casey. We tend to agree. He plays the role as though pouting for the whole film. While at first, Casey seems like a gallant gentleman, after awhile he is merely annoying. He seems to have no regard for Lucy's happiness, and he is unable to compromise on anything. We expected that the character would grow, but he did not. Heston was allegedly dissatisfied with his performance - his mind was elsewhere. When Lucy Gallant wrapped, Heston flew off for his next role - in The Ten Commandments! The film is very much about fashion, and there are some lovely outfits (though most have a 1950s vibe, even though much of the action takes place before the second World War). We also get treated to a Vista Vision fashion show, emceed by the one and only Edith Head (who designed the dresses for the film). The film demonstrates that the growth of Gallant's mirrors the growth of the town of New City, and the dominance of the female clientele in the town. We see other stores begin to appear near Gallant's, including a high-end jewelry story. The women in the town dress better, and there is a decidedly more cosmopolitan air to New City by the conclusion of the film.
According to the AFI catalog, Joan Crawford was at first interested in the part of Lucy. The Hollywood Reporter had also announced that Jody McCrea (son of Joel and Frances Dee) and Julie Dorsey (daughter of Jimmy) were to have made their film debuts in Lucy Gallant; neither however made it to the final version of the film. We'll leave you with an early scene, in which Lucy meets some of the local ladies of New City:
To celebrate National Classic Movie Day, I'm going to break with our usual post, and contribute to the Five Stars Blogathon! I'll be sharing with you today some of my favorite actors, and why I think you should give some of their films a look. It would be easy to go with the well-remembered stars - Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Grace Kelly are all high on my list. But you've all heard of them, and undoubtedly have seen many of their films. So, I'm going to select some actors whose work you might not have viewed, or who don't come to mind in classic film discussions. All have films we've reported on in this blog, and I hope you will click over and learn more about these wonderful actors.
Kay Francis
Ms. Francis started her career on the Broadway stage, but by 1929, she had begun a film career that extended over 69 films and 17 years. Most famous perhaps for a lisp that made the letter r sound a bit like Elmer Fudd, Ms. Francis was an attractive woman who WORE dresses (they never wore her). During the early part of her career, she was often the lead in "women's pictures" - lots of gorgeous clothing and jewelry, and much suffering on her part. But these were roles she owned. She had a strength that shone from her eyes, and when you watched her being menaced, she always seemed to know how to keep control of the situation. One of her best roles was as the woman on trial in Confession (1937). We see her murder Basil Rathbone, seemingly in cold blood, but WHY? Ms. Francis keeps you wondering throughout the film; her mastery of her art is exceptional. She was also quite comfortable in comedies. Witness her standout performance in Trouble in Paradise (1932), and her suggestive and fascinating exchanges with Herbert Marshall. If you've never seen some of her later work, where she got to be a villain, you are missing a real treat. Try In Name Only (1939) where she plays Cary Grant's manipulative and greedy wife. It's a shame that, by 1939 (as a result of being called Box Office Poison), Warner Brothers was relegating her to supporting roles. But, even so, she took these roles and ran with them. When World War II broke out, Ms. Francis devoted herself to entertaining the troops (Four Jills in a Jeep (1944) is a somewhat fictionalized account of that work); after the War, she returned briefly to films and tried her hand at producing at Monograph studios. Sure, the scripts and production values were low, but Kay dominated her parts - take a look at Divorce (1945) and watch her make mincemeat out of Bruce Cabot. By 1946, she was done with films; she made a couple of TV appearances, and went back to the stage. She retired in the early 1950s, but left us a legacy of delightful film performances.
Claude Rains
Was there any role Claude Rains could not play? From Shakespeare to Shaw, playing villain or lover, a man of honor or a man to revile, he could do it all. Let's begin with the start of his film career, The Invisible Man (1933), in which he was literally ALL voice. We see his character briefly, but for the greater part of the film, he is invisible, conveying his increasing mental illness with his voice alone. Five years later, he played Prince John in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), and managed to slide past the censors a subtle performance in which John is decidedly effeminate (Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice by David K. Skal and Jessica Rains). That same year, he would appear as the loving and supportive father to Four Daughters (1938), in a role with both humor and dignity. You can't mention Claude Rains without mentioning his performance as Captain Louis Renault Casablanca (1942) ("I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"), or his sympathetic portrayal of Dr. Jaquith in Now, Voyager (1944). But the two performances that, for me, are truly unforgettable are Job Skeffington and Julius Caesar. In Mr. Skeffington (1944), he again appears with Bette Davis (they had already appeared in Juarez (1939) and Now, Voyager). But this time, he is the sympathetic character - a man passionately in love with a careless and often demeaning wife. In lesser hands, Job would have appeared merely as doormat; under Rains skillful control, Job is a good man who made an unwise choice. When he appeared in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), he made no attempt to disguise the fact that he was over 20 years older than his co-star, Vivien Leigh. He uses his age to good effect - Caesar is a more a tutor than a lover, and entertained by the young queen's advances. He certainly is not immune to her charms, but Rains maintains an amusement, both with Cleopatra, and with himself. Thankfully for us, Mr. Rains continued working until a few years before his death at age 77, leaving us a legacy of films, and radio and television performances to relish.
Thelma Ritter
You just cannot sing the praises of Thelma Ritter too much. Sure, she's funny, but give her a dramatic role, and she will run with it. She was in her 40s when she started acting in films, and gave us performances that are truly unforgettable. Just think about Miracle on 34th Street (1947). She has TWO scenes, and you remember her throughout the film, even though she is uncredited in it (as well as in A Letter to Three Wives (1949)). When she disappears from All About Eve (1950), you wonder where she is; and you keep wanting her to return in Rear Window (1954). Two of the performances that are high on my list are as different as noir and day. In 1953, Ms. Ritter entered the world of Film Noir as Moe Williams in Pickup on South Street. A peddler of necktimes and information, Moe is a rather seedy individual. Ms. Ritter gives her a soul; Moe may be down, but she has her own code, and her life is her own. Compare Moe to Ellen McNulty in The Mating Game(1951). Again, Ms. Ritter is a poor woman, but a lady with spunk. Her desire to see her son happy, and to get to know his new wife without intimidating her is a pleasure to behold. We like her son Val (John Lund) BECAUSE of Ellen's unquestioning love. Ms. Ritter left us 43 television and film performances; she worked until her death of a heart attack at age 66. I'm greedy, I wish there were more.
Ricardo Cortez
Ricardo Cortez began his career in silents. His parts at the time tended to be Latin lovers in the Valentino mold, but with the advent of talkies, the New York City born Jake Krantz changed directions. He was often cast as the heavy, but had his share of leading man roles. He excelled in all of them.
In Ten Cents a Dance (1931), he treads a fine line - we are never sure if he is the hero or the villain until the very end. However, in Mandalay (1934), he is one of the most truly despicable men you could ever meet. He played Sam Spade in 1931's The Maltese Falcon, Perry Mason in The Case of the Black Cat (1936), and the slightly shady, but best of friends to Kay Francis in The House on 56th Street (1933).
Mr. Cortez worked steadily throughout the 1920s and 1930s, but his acting career started to peter out in the 1940s. He had directed a few films, but ultimately opted to leave the film industry for a new career as a stockbroker. In 1958, he appeared in his last film, The Last Hurrah and two years later he was in an episode of Bonanza (playing a Latino!). Ricardo Cortez is an unknown gem of an actor, and one I recommend you seek out.
Barbara Stanwyck
Yes, I said I was going to concentrate on the underappreciated actors of the Classic Era, but to my mind, Barbara Stanwyck should be better known and admired. Years ago, when going on my first job interview, I needed a focus for my demeanor. I thought about Katharine Hepburn, but it was wrong. So was Rosalind Russell. But Barbara Stanwyck was perfect for me - a woman who projected an aura of strength and intelligence, who brooked no nonsense, but could also be kind and understanding.
She started her career with talkies in 1929, and never really looked back. Her work in pre-code films is something to see - start with Baby Face (1933) and Night Nurse (1931) to see just a sample of her nuanced performances. She could do drama (Stella Dallas (1937)), comedy (my personal favorite, Ball of Fire (1941)), farce (the brilliant The Lady Eve (1941), suspense (Cry Wolf (1947)), romance (Remember the Night (1940)), and westerns (The Moonlighter (1953)). She could be a convincing victim (Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), and an even more persuasive villain (Double Indemnity(1944)). She even could elevate a B movie to a new level (The Night Walker (1964)).
Rather than appear in inferior films, Ms. Stanwyck moved over to television to continue her career; The Big Valley showcased her talent and her tremendous beauty. One of her last television roles was as Mary Carson in The Thorn Birds (1983). Watch her lust after the considerably younger Richard Chamberlain in the scene below:
Missy, as she was called by her friends, was much admired by her co-stars, such as Linda Evans, as well as the crew on her various sets. Her co-star in Golden Boy (1939). William Holden, credited her with his success in the business - she worked with him in his first film role, helping him prepare for scenes. Holden would be instrumental in campaigning for the Honorary Oscar that Ms. Stanwyck finally received in 1982. It was an honor long overdue, and I think that, if you give some of her movies a viewing, you'll agree she was one of our greatest stars.
So, for National Classic Movie Day, why not put some popcorn in a bowl and settle down with one of these marvelous actors - or pick one of your own. You'll be glad you did!
As Deborah Bishop (Jeanne Crain), Lora May Hollingsway (Linda Darnell), and Rita Phipps (Ann Sothern) are about to leave on a charity boat ride, a young man delivers A Letter to Three Wives (1949). The letter informs them that their "friend", Addie Ross (voiced with just the right amount of venom by Celeste Holm) has left town - with one of their husbands. Unable to leave the boat, the women spend the day worrying about their husbands and reviewing their marriages. Based on A Letter to Fives Wives by John Klempner (the film eliminated two wives, which tightens it up), this is an exceptional film, especially given that it is really a series of vignettes. The use of Addie's narration as a glue to hold together this tale of three marriages in trouble is both inspired and entertaining. That narration brings the tale to a different level, making the film a fully cohesive unit instead of a series of short stories. Two of the stories especially stand out. Rita and George Phipps (Kirk Douglas) are a relatively happy couple, but Rita, a successful radio writer, is trying to have it all - career, husband, and children. She's pretty good at doing it, but George is frustrated that he and their twins often take second place to the demands of her clients (ably represented by Mr. (Hobart Cavanaugh) and Mrs. (Florence Bates) Manleigh). Kirk Douglas plays George as an educated, reasonable and progressive man; he really doesn't mind that his wife works and that she out-earns him by quite a bit. Her job and her impressive salary afford them all a good life, and enable him to pursue his career - an underpaid high school teacher - without guilt. George loves his job and his wife. He just wishes that she wasn't constantly afraid, and would occasional say no to her clients unreasonable demands.
In flashback, we see the courtship of Lora May Finney (Linda Darnell) and Porter Hollingsway (Paul Douglas). Both are from the wrong side of the tracks (in Lora May's case, quite literally - she lives with her sister Georgianna (Barbara Lawrence) and mother, Ruth (Connie Gilchrist) on the edge of the train tracks). But Porter, the owner of a successful department store, is now well-off, and enamored of Lora May's beauty. But he is not interested in marriage; Porter's been married, and he didn't care for it. Plus, his ideal is Addie Ross - he keeps her picture on his piano, and talks about her "class," a quality he doesn't find in Lora May. Linda Darnell is impressive as the tough talking Lora May. The viewer is quick to realize that, despite her comments to the contrary, she loves Porter. But she knows the only way to keep him is to play the game his way - Porter likes to fight, and Lora May is more than willing to oblige him to get what she wants. To a point, of course. When Porter shows up at her front door, honking his horn for her to come out, Lora May ignores it: "Anybody wants me can come in and get me, this ain't a drive-in." For more on the life of Ms. Darnell, please see our blog post on her work in The Mark of Zorro (1940).
The third story, the marriage of Deborah and Brad Bishop (Jeffrey Lynn) is possibly the weakest of the three. It's not bad, its just that Deborah seems weak next to these two dynamic women. One sympathizes with her truly ugly dress, since we know she's not had time to procure a new one, but really, it is so hideous, it's hard to understand why even a simple farm girl would purchase it. And WHY does Rita have to TELL her to cut off those ugly flowers? But it should be acknowledged that Deborah has left the farm, the WACs, and her past life for a new, more upscale environment with a husband she really doesn't know - the story of Brad and Deborah is a brief glimpse into the marriages that began because of the war. Jeanne Crain began her film career at age 18, with a bit part in The Gang's All Here (1943). Winner of the Miss Pan Pacific pageant, she attracted the attention of film scouts; by 1945, she was starring in State Fair and Leave Her to Heaven. She could sing, dance, ice skate, and she was a pretty good actress, but also in 1945 she married Paul Brinkman, and began having babies - seven in total. She was pregnant during the filming of this movie, and may have lost the role of Eve in All About Eve due to one of her pregnancies. Regardless, her portfolio is quite impressive: I'm particularly fond of Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) and People Will Talk (1951) Ms. Crain and her husband remained married until his death in 2003, but after a messy divorce proceeding (which was never completed), they lived apart. She also lost two of her sons before she died in 2003 of a heart attack at age 78.
We've raved about Thelma Ritter (here playing Sadie Dugan) before, and she does not disappoint in this film. Whether it is her interactions with her pal, Ruth Finney or her sass when she is working as a maid for Rita Phipps, Ms. Ritter is the queen of the bon mot. Take, for example, her response to Rita's request that she wear a uniform: "The cap's out. Makes me look like a lamb chop with pants on." or her answer to the Manleighs about their radio program: "You know what I like about your program? Even when I'm running the vacuum I can understand it." At the same time, it is Sadie who cautions Ruth about her passion for her new refrigerator, when Ruth seemingly puts keeping it (in many respects, for Ruth, the refrigerator is a symbol of respectability) above her daughter's happiness: "
You got to make up your mind whether you want your kids happy or your icebox paid up." A number of different actors were proposed for the film, including both Joan Crawford and Ida Lupino as the voice of Addie Ross (AFI catalog). Though the film was nominated for Best Picture, Screenplay, and Directing Oscars (winning the latter two), no acting nominations came its way. Interestingly, Jeanne Crain, Kirk Douglas, and Celeste Holm were all nominated for other film work that same year (none of them won, however).
Contemporary critics received the film enthusiastically (see this New York Timesreview and this TCM article). Since then, regard for the film has increased, as is evident by this New Yorkerdiscussion, especially as a sophisticated examination of marriage. As Jeanine Basinger notes in her book I Do and I Don't: A History of Marriage in the Movies, films that actually examine marriage itself are rare. A Letter to Three Wives does this, and does it well.
Both Lux Radio Theatre (1950) and Screen Players Guild (1952) performed radio versions of the play. Then, in 1985, the story made its way to television, with Ann Sothern appearing as Ruth Finney in a version which starred Loni Anderson, Michele Lee, Stephanie Zimbalist as the three wives. We'll leave you with a trailer from the film - an introduction to the three wives.
This month TCM Presentsoffered a theatrical screening of the story of the woman who is #23 (on the Villain side) of the Greatest Heroes and Villains of all time (according to the American Film Institute). We are speaking, of course, of Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) in All About Eve (1950) The event was hosted by TCM's own Ben Mankiewicz. In his commentary, he spoke briefly about his Uncle Joe, who at the 1951 Oscar ceremony took home two Oscars for the film as Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The was the second year in a row for him to receive the same awards: he had won the previous year, for A Letter to Three Wives, and he remains the only person in Oscar history to accomplish this feat. All About Eve was nominated for 14 awards (a record at the time. It has since been tied by Titanic), and won 6, including Best Picture. Two of the nominations were in the category of Best Actress. Both Bette Davis (Margo Channing) and Anne Baxter vied for the Award (Ms. Baxter was not willing to be nominated in the Supporting Category, since she was the title character). It's been speculated that they split the vote, resulting in Judy Holliday winning for her performance in Born Yesterday (certainly a worthy winner as well) If you are not familiar with the story, a few words are in order. On the evening of the annual Sarah Siddons Society Awards, Broadway actress Eve Harrington is being presented with its highest honor. From the audience, fellow awardees director Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) and playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe), Lloyd's wife Karen (Celeste Holm), and famed actress Margo Channing look on. As she watches the action, Karen recalls the night she met Eve, introduced her to Margo, and changed their lives forever.
The film has a fascinating history, and I heartily recommend the book All About "All About Eve" by Sam Staggs. The film was based on a short story that appeared in Cosmopolitan. "The Wisdom of Eve" is allegedly based on a real incident involving actress Elisabeth Bergner and her secretary Martina Lawrence, but it has also been speculated that supposed impetusis a rivalry between Tallulah Bankhead and Lizabeth Scott, when Scott understudied Bankhead in The Skin of Our Teeth. Regardless of who was the factual inspiration, the screenplay gives us a portrait of a woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals - a woman who is just one in a long line of ambitious individuals. Once you've seen the film, it's hard to imagine anyone but Bette Davis in the role of Margo. She literally inhabits the character. However, Ms. Davis stepped in at the last minute when Claudette Colbert severely injured her back, and had to bow out. At age 42, Davis was fast becoming a has-been - her last part was in Beyond the Forest (1949), after which she and Warner Brothers studio bid each other a not-so-fond farewell. Beyond the Forest has one major claim to fame - it's the film in which Davis uttered the immortal - and often parodied line - "What a dump." When Joseph L. Mankiewicz called and offered her the part, if she could be ready in 10 days, she jumped. She credited Mankiewicz with "resurrecting her from the dead." (TCM article) Tallulah Bankhead would claim that the film was "all about" her. And while Ms. Davis steadfastly denied Ms. Bankhead as an inspiration, some aspects of the role do seem to very much hearken up images of Ms. Bankhead. When she started filming, Ms. Davis had laryngitis, so she maintained a lower
vocal range throughout the film - a voice that closely resembles that of Ms. Bankhead. The "surprise"
curtain call as Margo stands alone on the stage of "Aged in Wood" was
also taken directly from Ms. Bankhead, who it was reported used that
gimmick when she did her own curtain calls. And accidentally or not, Ms. Davis' most famous dress in the film looks amazingly like dresses worn by Ms. Bankhead (see below).
About the dress - Edith Head had to quickly alter or remake dresses for her new star. When Ms. Davis tried on the party dress, Ms. Head was horrified to realize that the dress was too big above the waist. Davis saved the day by pulling the neckline down around her shoulders, giving the dress a sexy (and coincidentally more Bankhead-like) look. Ms. Davis' is not the only stellar performance in the film. Anne Baxter is an impressive Eve, going from wide-eyed innocence to malevolence with the merest flick of an eye. Eve will use anyone and anything to get what she wants, and it is never more apparent than when she sets her cap at Lloyd Richards. Watch as she sexually manipulates her friend (Randy Stuart) to call Lloyd for her. There's a hint of relationship that's more than just friendly between the two.
Marilyn Monroe, in an early role as would-be actress Miss Casswell is quite amusing - the scene in which she sets set her sails to accost Max Fabian (Gregory Ratoff) after calling him an "unhappy rabbit" is priceless. And Celeste Holm brings charm and poise to the part of Karen. But for me, it's the "character" performances that make this film what it is. Let's start with Thelma Ritter as former vaudevillian, and Margo's dresser, Birdie Coonan. It sometimes seems that Birdie gets a good portion of the wonderful lines. For example, after Eve tells the story of her life, Birdie retorts "What a story! Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." Or, when Bill asks her what message she would like delivered to Tyrone Power once Bill arrives in Hollywood - "Just give him my phone number; I'll tell him myself." But more than the lines (and this is a phenomenal script for good lines), it is Ritter's delivery that makes them. Her Birdie is smart and cagey - she is the first person to spot Eve as a phony. As always, Thelma Ritter is a gem, and it is always sad for me that Birdie disappears in the last third of the film. But can any discussion of the perfect delivery of perfect lines be complete without a discussion of George Sanders. His Addison DeWitt (who may have been based on critic George Jean Nathan - AFI catalog). is a masterpiece of wit and malice. A theatre critic who describes himself as: "My native habitat is the theater. In it, I toil not, neither do I spin. I
am a critic and commentator. I am essential to the theater." We learn quickly that Addison is an impressive judge of people. Without a word, Sanders shows us that Addison, like Birdie, knows that something about Eve is not right. Eve, who has managed to play nearly everyone like a violin, does not realize Addison is not be played. Sanders is a perfect partner for Eve, and a perfect foil for Bill Sampson and Lloyd Richards, both of whom remain far to oblivious of Eve's manipulations for a very long time.
Claudette Colbert was not the only person considered for Margo - Susan Hayward (deemed too young), Ingrid Bergman (didn't want to leave Italy), Marlene Dietrich, and Gertrude Lawrence were all in the running at one time or another. Jeanne Crain was also considered for Eve, but her third pregnancy prevented her from getting the role (she and her husband eventually had 7 children). John Garfield and Ronald Reagan were discussed for Bill, and both Jose Ferrer and Clifton Webb mentioned as Addison. The film would be performed four times as radio productions (the last one, in 1954 featured Claire Trevor, Ann Blyth, William Conrad and Don Randolph). It would ultimately be remade as a musical - Applause, which starred Lauren Bacall as Margo in the original cast. (I saw it after Ms. Bacall left. Her replacement - Anne Baxter!) As I mentioned before, All About Eve is an awards favorite, and the praise just keeps on coming. It was #28 in AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies, and in 2014, Richard Brody of the New Yorker discussed the film as a commentary on the difference between film and theatre. But All About Eve was not just a film that was discovered later in its life. These reviews in Variety and the New York Times demonstrate that the film was immediately a critical hit. I'll leave you today with a clip from the film - perhaps the most famous line in the film (though there are others that are just as magnificent). It was voted #9 in AFI's 100 Greatest Quotes; so here's Ms. Davis warning us to "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night"
Though Christmas is now but a memory, theTCM presentation of Miracle on 34th Street (1947) on the big screen was a real treat for the holiday season. The story focuses on Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn), an elderly gentleman who takes Christmas quite seriously. When he encounters a drunken Santa Claus at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, he confronts the parade's organizer Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), who immediately hires him as a substitute Santa, both for the parade, and later to work in the store. Doris is rather matter of fact about Christmas; she's raised her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to view it as a commercial holiday - Santa Claus isn't real nor are fairy tales to be regarded as anything more than silly fictions. There is, she tells Susan, no such thing as "happily ever after," something their neighbor Fred Gailey (John Payne) finds distressing, since he is hoping for a "happily ever after" with Doris. So, when Kris announces he IS the real Santa Claus, and is labeled as mentally incompetent by Mr. Sawyer (Porter Hall), the Macy's staff psychologist, Fred decides to represent Kris in court - and prove Kris is the REAL Santa. As someone who grew up in New York City, shopping at Macy's and Gimbel's, this film has resonances that cannot be escaped. At one point, we see a shopper's book that Macy's has created to help guide customers to products they don't carry (but that other stores do - one of Kris' innovations). Most of the stores in the book, including Gimbels - have since closed. I've been to the Parade once, and watched it on television nearly every year - and the metamorphosis of the Parade from a "home town" event to an advertisement for New York City tourism is something this film makes very apparent. (I'm not complaining - I like seeing the Broadway plays show their stuff). So, regardless that this is an annual event, the film provides a time capsule view of a New York that is long gone, when the parade was a local event run by a local store, not a national pastime. (To this day, Macy's in Herald Square uses Miracle on 34th Street as a window display at Christmastime.)
This Fathom presentation of the film was made especially poignant by the death of Maureen O'Hara on October 24, 2015. The last survivor of the lead actors in the cast, her portrayal of Doris is on spot. She makes the character tough, but never heartless - her affections radiate from her lovely eyes, but she is always in charge of her home and her business. Born in Ireland as Maureen FitzSimmons in 1920, Ms. O'Hara started her career at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. After a screen test, Charles Laughton signed her to a contract and starred her, with him, in Jamaica Inn (1939). The rest, as they say, is history. In 1941, she appeared as Angharad in director John Ford's How Green Was My Valley, the first of their 4 films together. Her most famous screen partner was certainly John Wayne - a collaboration that didn't begin until 1950 in Rio Grande. Never even nominated for an Academy Award (is that even possible), Ms O'Hara was finally given an Honorary Oscar in 2014. With her flaming red hair and a complexion that looks like pure butter, Ms. O'Hara was so staggeringly beautiful in color films she was sometimes called The Queen of Technicolor. Regardless of that beauty, she was an actor without compare.
Edmund Gwenn actually appeared as Santa in the 1946 Thanksgiving Day Parade, and other members of the cast (like Ms. O'Hara) were shot in the parade to add scenes to the film (see these TCM articles and the AFI catalog for more background on the film). Ms. O'Hara was initially reluctant to appear in the film, as she had JUST been allowed to visit her family in Ireland (she was barred from visiting her homeland because of War restrictions. Ireland was a neutral country during World War II), and was now being called back immediately to appear in " silly little movie about Santa Claus". She stated that, once she saw the script, she changed her mind - the film, by the way is still #9 in AFI's 100 Years, 100 Cheers.
There have been other attempts to trap the lightning in a bottle that is Miracle on 34th Street, with limited success. Maureen O'Hara, John Payne and Edmund Gwenn reprised their roles for the Lux Radio Theatre version on December 22, 1947. In 1955, Thomas Mitchell appeared as Kris in a live television version (also starring Teresa Wright and MacDonald Carey) for the Twentieth Century Fox Hour. Meredith Wilson (of The Music Man fame) wrote a musical version of the tale in 1963 entitled Here's Love, which ran for 334 performances and starred Laurence Naismith as Kris. On December 14, 1973, another television version ran, starring Sebastian Cabot as Kris and Jane Alexander as Doris (now named Karen!). Finally, a big screen version was again attempted in 1994, with Richard Attenborough as Kris - Macy's refused to allow their name to be used in the film! Even star John Payne tried for many years to produce a sequel to the story, based on his own screenplay, but the attempts ended when he died in 1989.
Many character actors contribute to this film - Gene Lockhart as Judge Henry X. Harper, the man who must rule on the reality of Santa Claus; William Frawley as Charles Halloran, Judge Harper's cagey political advisor; Jerome Cowan as district attorney Thomas Mara, whose own son is called to testify as to the reality of Santa Claus (how does Tommy know there really is a Santa Claus: "Because my Daddy told me so"), and Philip Tonge as Doris' colleague Mr. Shellhammer. But in many senses, the film is stolen in one brief scene by Thelma Ritter as the harried mother who can't find the fire truck her son wants in time for Christmas. This was Ms. Ritter's first role, and of course, she shines. We'll close with the scene in which Doris asks Kris to tell Susan he isn't really Santa Claus:
Marriage, and the difficulties of dealing with the in-laws, is the subject of The Mating Season (1951), a wonderful (and underrated) romantic comedy, which stars Gene Tierney and John Lund as newlyweds trying to deal with their respective mothers. When Maggie Carleton (Gene Tierney) meets Val McNulty (John Lund) after she nearly runs her car off a cliff, love is almost immediately in bloom, much to the consternation of Maggie's wealthy suitor Junior Kalinger (James Lorimer) and Val's secretary, Betsy (Jan Sterling). But, if the young couple thought life with Junior and Betsy were their only problems, they were mistaken, because in comes trouble in the form of his mother Ellen (Thelma Ritter) and HER mother Fran (Miriam Hopkins). Problem 1 - Fran is a horror, who thinks her son-in-law is far beneath her (and Maggie's) notice. Problem 2 - Maggie has mistaken Ellen for a housekeeper who was being sent over by an employment agency, and Ellen doesn't want her to know that she is Val's mother. So, when both mothers move move in - Ellen as housekeeper, and Fran by taking over the master bedroom, the marriage begins to feel its growing pains.
Though Gene Tierney and John Lund are the official stars of this film, the movie really belongs to Thelma Ritter as the down-to-earth Ellen. Though Miriam Hopkins thinks it is her movie (see this TCM article for Ms. Hopkins hijinks), there is no way even Hopkins, the ultimate scene stealer, can get the film back from Ritter. As with pretty much everything she does, when Ritter is on the screen, you are looking at HER. Do you recall Ms. Ritter in Miracle on 34th Street? She has two, very brief scenes, but you will always remember her as the harried mother in Macys. In 1951, she was nominated for her second Academy Award for her supporting role in The Mating Season; ultimately, she was nominated six times (and never won. Go figure). Ellen is the emotional core of the film, with Ritter providing a perfect foil to Hopkins meddling mother, as she carefully tries to maneuver past the dangers that come with two mothers-in-law in the same house. There are perhaps no scenes more telling than the pair that show each child with his/her mother. In one, we see Maggie and Fran in the master bedroom - where Fran has not only separated husband and wife, she has even gone so far as to steal Maggie's only pillow; this is followed by a conversation between Val and Ellen, in which Ellen's desire to sacrifice for her son and his wife is so very clear.
Ritter returned to acting in 1947 after a hiatus to raise her two children (she was married to her husband, Joseph Moran, for 42 years). Her first picture was Miracle on 34th Street (1947), in which she was not credited. By 1950, however, she had received her first Oscar nomination (for her work as Birdie in All About Eve), and was then nominated again the next four years in succession (for this film, With a Song in My Heart, and Pickup on South Street). In her 21 year screen career, she appeared in 44 films and television shows. In 1958, she returned to Broadway, and won a Tony for her role in New Girl in Town (a tie - with her co-star Gwen Verdon). Ms. Ritter died of a heart attack in 1969, at age 67.
Gene Tierney is also quite wonderful as Maggie. Badly played, Maggie could be a wimp, but Tierney gives her spunk and integrity. Her blossoming relationship with Ellen is warm and affectionate. And when Ellen's real position in the household is revealed, you sympathize with Maggie's fury for the deception that has robbed her of an even better relationship with her new mother.
Equally wonderful in as very small role is Larry Keating as George Kalinger, Sr. The wealthy head of Val's company, Mr. Kalinger, Sr. is impressed by both Val, and especially with Val's mother. How he got a son like Junior is a puzzle - and one Mr. Kalinger doesn't understand. The comfortable nature of his relationship with Ellen provides a lovely picture of mature love - placed in juxtaposition to our young lovers, we can almost see the future for Maggie and Val. Keating, who would eventually go on to a noted television career (as the original Harry Morton in The Burns and Allen Show, and as next-door neighbor Roger Addison in Mr. Ed), died in 1963.
John Lund, on the other hand, is rather banal. It's hard to understand why Maggie falls for him so quickly, as he often appears stiff and up-tight. It's not that Val isn't in a precarious position - it's just that, even when he is with Maggie and Ellen, Lund gives us a Val who doesn't ever seem to become comfortable. Interestingly, Lund himself was not really taken with his appearance on film. He is quoted as saying (IMDB): "Each picture has given me an inferiority complex. I've become face
conscious. Projection rooms are torture chambers to me, at this point.
When I saw the first day's rushes on To Each His Own (1946), I went home and started packing. I had thought I was smiling tenderly at Olivia de Havilland,
but, on screen, I looked as though I were ready to bite her ear off,
and I didn't have any eyes at all. After that, I refused to look at
myself, but I began enjoying the work." A competent actor, he might have been better off in character parts - and in fact, in his later years, he switched to radio, voicing the titular detective in Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. But for the most part, his leading man looks shoved him into the romantic lead. But when he finally got to turn that model on its head - as the uptight George Kittredge in High Society (1956) - he was at his best.. Eventually, he left acting to become a successful businessman. He died in 1992, after a battle with heart disease, aged 81.
Filmed under the working title of A Relative Stranger (AFI Notes), the film was given okay reviews (though Bosley Crowther of the New York Times was not particularly amused). Regardless, this is a film that has aged remarkably well, and is just a delight from start to finish. We'll leave you with the trailer:
TCM Fathom Event recently aired the magnificent Rear Window (1954), and we were quite delighted to be able to attend. Starring James Stewart as
L. B. "Jeff" Jeffries and Grace Kelly
as Lisa Carol Fremont, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and with a supporting cast to die for, this is unarguably a Hitchcock masterpiece. For those unfamiliar with the plot, here's a brief rundown of the premise. Jeff Jeffries, a highly regarded international photographer has been laid up for 5 weeks in a cast up to his hip, having broken his leg trying to get a photo of a race car in action (he got the picture). During a hot New York summer (it's the 1950s - there's no in-home air-conditioning), with one week of immobility left (stuck in a walk-up apartment he's not left since his injury), Jeff is bored, so he stares out his window, peering into the lives of his neighbors. He's got nicknames for all of them, and he imagines their life stories from his "rear window" view. Then, one hot night, as he dozes in his wheelchair, he thinks he sees a murder. Some years ago, I attended a class on Hitchcock's film. The class was taught by Donald Spoto, author of many books about Hollywood, but most especially, the author of The Art of Alfred Hitchcock. One of the points he made was that, as Jeff looks into the windows of his neighbors, what he sees are alternate versions of his own life and that of Lisa, the woman he loves (but is determined NOT to marry). He sees a pair of newlyweds, a satisfied older couple doting on a beloved dog, a couple who bicker constantly (with Raymond Burr as the husband, Lars Thorwald), a lonely middle-aged woman (Judith Evelyn
as "Miss Lonely Hearts"), a young woman surrounded by suitors, and a composer (played by Ross Bagdasarian), who can't seem to get his work noticed. Which life will Jeff get? We'll never know (hopefully not the Raymond Burr thread!), but Lisa has own ideas, and is a pretty determined lady!
I don't think there is a movie on earth that has Thelma Ritter (Stella) in it that is bad. Her very presence moves the film up a notch, in my humble opinion. Ritter's part was not in the original short story by Cornell Woolrich (neither was Grace Kelly's), and according to one of the TCM articles you'll find here, Ritter's part was enlarged after the initial script was completed to provide some humor and humanity to the part of Jeff. The film needed, according to writer John Michael Hayes, some comedy to get the audience immediately engaged with the character. He knew that Hitchcock had cast Ritter, and there is no better mouthpiece for the human condition than the phenomenal Thelma Ritter. And then there is the other lady in Jeff's life, the ever-glorious Grace Kelly. A woman of jaw-dropping beauty, Hitchcock, perhaps more than any other director, was able to make her a woman of parts - beautiful, fashionable, smart, daring, passionate. Her Lisa is unexpected - Jeff leads us to expect she is only a fashionplate - interested in clothing and nothing else. And while her entrance - twirling around the room in a dress that I would give my eye-teeth for - seems to support that, it isn't long before we realize that Jeff is an idiot - as Stella told him - Lisa is a jewel beyond price.
Seeing Rear Window in a theatre is a treat beyond compare. While it is good on a television, it's even more magnificent when you can see the framing the way Hitchcock meant it to be seen. Filmed in wide-screen and Technicolor, the movie still manages to convey the claustrophobic atmosphere that has become Jeff's life, as he goes from a boundless world, to a confined, one-room apartment. It is a film you can see again and again, and each time see something new and exciting. Grace Kelly's marvelous wardrobe was designed by Edith Head. Every one of her dresses is glorious, but I'm going to leave you with a clip that contains my personal favorite dress. Meet Lisa Carole Freemont!:
Before Walter Lord wrote A Night to Remember, before James Cameron went trolling on the ocean bottom to snatch images of the wreck of a great ship, there was Titanic (1953). Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb as Julia and Richard Ward Sturgess, the film used a family dispute to tell the tale of the doomed ship. Not that this was the first telling - there had been a 1915 silent version, as well as a German film from 1943 (which the commentary on my disk stated was more a diatribe against the inefficiencies of Great Britain than a tale of the factual Titanic). And while the 1953 film is focused on the marital discord of the Sturgess family, it also attempts to tell - within dramatic reason - the true story of the sinking of RMS Titanic. Julia Sturgess and her two children, Annette (Audrey Dalton) and Norman (Harper Carter) board the HMS Titanic, ostensibly on a brief vacation to see Julia's midwestern family. Unbeknownst to her children, however, Julia intends to relocate the children to America permanently. Her husband's chosen lifestyle - wandering from hotel to hotel to partake in the social season for that particular venue - has become stale to Julia, and she sees her children becoming petty snobs who look down on their family and their country. In hot pursuit is Richard, who manages to board the sold-out ship by bribing the head of an immigrant family - give Richard his steerage ticket, and Richard will pay the man what amounts to a small fortune to take a later boat. Richard then boards with the rest of the Uzcadum family, and boldly forces himself into first class and his wife's cabin. The couple begin a battle for what they both see as the future of their offspring.
The film mixes the lives of the fictional
characters with those of historical ones. We see John Jacob and
Madeleine Astor, and Isidor and Ida Strauss board. We meet Maude Young
(Thelma Ritter), a character based on the Unsinkable Molly Brown. We
also follow the activities of the crew, most notably Captain E.J. Smith
(Brian Aherne) and Second Officer Lightoller (Edmund Purdom, in his film debut), who
periodically converse about the iceberg that will doom the ship. It's particularly enjoyable to see Robert Wagner in the role of Gifford Rogers, a young man who becomes instantly smitten with young Annette Sturgess. This was one of Wagner's earliest movies - he had come to the public's attention the year before, when he played a shell-shocked soldier in the Susan Hayward film With a Song in My Heart. In Titanic, he has only a few scenes, but one that is worth noting is with Stanwyck: he seeks her advice on how to best court her daughter. Their easy conversation doesn't give any hint of the feelings of the two stars. In the video below, Mr. Wagner discusses his relationship with Stanwyck. He fell in love with her on this set of this picture, and, after a four-year affair, proposed marriage. Stanwyck declined, because of their age difference (he was 23 when the affair started; she was 45). Here is a video of Wagner discussing his love for Ms. Stanwyck:
Clifton Webb is always a fascinating actor to watch. He takes a character who could be merely a mustache-twirling villain, and gives him many layers of emotion, affection, and disdain. By the end of the film, his Richard Sturgess becomes something of a hero, as he faces the inevitable with courage. We watch him use his children as weapons against his wife, but then see the love that he has for them, an affection that is quite mutual.
Stanwyck's Julia is likewise layered. She lives in an era where she and her children are still the property of her husband. She must sneak away from him if she is to retain custody of the children. But we also discover that she has betrayed her husband - we never learn if he has been equally lax in adhering to their marital vows (she never accuses him of it, so we must assume he has been faithful). By adding this piece of information, Julia becomes somewhat less attractive. While we don't root for Richard, we begin to understand him. Both Webb and Stanwyck give us flawed, human characters. To choose between them is not easy. It's fun to know that Mr. Webb was actually a big fan of Ms. Stanwyck, stating "that woman's an absolute dream to work with." (Sitting Pretty: The Life and Times of Clifton Webb By Clifton Webb)
Thelma Ritter is one of my personal favorites. In listening to the commentary on my DVD, I was dismayed to hear the film critic Richard Shickel say she always played the same character (he also couldn't remember Robert Wagner's TV credits, but that is another issue). I beg to differ - surely, she played tough-minded middle class women, BUT, her characters are always nuanced. In Titanic, she hasn't a lot to do - there are a lot of characters, as I've previously noted, and she has very little screen time. But what she has, she makes use of. She becomes the eyes of the audience - as Richard suffers an emotional reaction to his wife's betrayal, it is Ritter's Maude who sees his despair. Other appearances worth noting are Richard Basehart as George Healey, a priest who has recently been defrocked because of his alcoholism; Allyn Joslyn as Earl Meeker, a man who survives the disaster by sneaking on a lifeboat dressed as a woman; and the lovely Frances Bergen - mother of Candace, and wife of Edgar - as the pregnant Madeleine Astor.
The story of a man dressing as a woman to escape the ship is a common one in Titanic lore. The only truth to the story that is known is that John Jacob Astor put a woman's hat on a small boy, in order to get him onto a lifeboat. The rule of the era was that women and children were evacuated first, and while men did survive in lifeboats, none are known to have sneaked on in women's garb. Originally, the film was to be called Nearer My God to Thee, the song that was allegedly playing as the ship slipped into the ocean, though there is no historical basis for this rumor. This TCM article provides more information on both that rumor and the film itself.
In the meantime, we'll close with a trailer that serves as an introduction to some of our main characters. We'll be back next time with another Barbara Stanwyck film:
