Jane is Kidnapped

Laurel Stevens (Jane Russell) is a successful actress with a new film being released - The Kidnapped Bride. She's a tough negotiator, who is careful to protect her career and image, and who uses her power to make sure her studio also protects them. Having successfully brokered several concessions for the release of the picture, she leaves for the premiere, only to find that her driver is, in fact, a kidnapper.  Driven to a beach-side bungalow and handed The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957), Laurel tries to find a way out.

It's unfortunate that this effort at filmmaking is not really successful. It has a decent premise, and a number of good actors, but nothing really gels. It's not that the movie is bad - it has some good moments and presentable performances, but in the long run, the film sinks because of a poorly designed script.

Jane Russell does her best with what she's given. Laurel is a strong woman, who sees her career as the most important thing in her life. She's smart and she is determined, so it is hard to understand why she would fall for someone like Mike Valla (Ralph Meeker). He strikes her, and he has forcibly removed her from her home.  Part of the problem is that the years have made some aspects of the film distasteful - Laurel is hit a several times; when she hits back, it's set up as being amusing. Quite honestly, there is nothing amusing about her predicament.

None of our group are particular fans of Ralph Meeker, and we didn't find that there was any chemistry between him and Ms. Russell. He's not bad, but he is much more convincing in menacing mode (like in Jeopardy) than in as the romantic lead.  Ms. Russell very much wanted Dean Martin to appear as Mike, but director Norman Taurog selected Mr. Meeker after Ray Danton was released from the film (Flashes from Filmland, January 12, 1957 by Erskine Johnson) - it was decided that Mr. Danton looked much too young to be romancing Ms. Russell.

The interactions between Laurel and Mike's best friend Dandy (Keenan Wynn) are far more engaging. There seems to be real affection between the two, and Dandy is a more likeable character than Mike. The son and grandson of actors (Ed Wynn and Frank Keenan, respectively), Mr. Wynn spent his film career as a second banana, with a body of work in some outstanding films: The Hucksters (1947), B.F.'s Daughter (1948), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), and Dr. Strangelove (1964) are just a few examples. He'd started on Broadway (he appeared in 9 plays between 1935 and 1943); worked in radio, and eventually segued into television - he took over the role of Digger Barnes in Dallas when David Wayne's other commitments forced him to leave the role. Mr. Wynn was married three times. His first marriage, to Evie Lynn Abbott ended in divorce (the next day Ms. Abbott married Mr. Wynn's best friend, Van Johnson. She would later state that she was forced to marry Mr. Johnson to protect Mr. Wynn's career (The Independent)). His third marriage to Sharley Hudson lasted from 1954 until his death of pancreatic cancer in 1986. 

There are some other good character actors in the cast, who make the most of what screen-time they have. Fred Clark  (Sgt. Ed McBride) is convincing as a police officer trying to make amends to Mike Valla for wrongly imprisoning him.  Una Merkel  (Bertha) gives a nice turn as Laurel's assistant, confidant, and best friend.  Adolphe Menjou (Arthur Martin), however, is quite over-the-top as the studio head. 

Ms. Russell and her husband Bob Waterfield purchased the novel on which the script is based for Russ-Field, their production company (AFI catalog). The novel by Sylvia Tate was based on the alleged kidnapping of actress Marie McDonald (TCM article). Though Ms. MacDonald was found battered on a desert road in California, police and her ex-husband Harry Karl (who would later marry Debbie Reynolds and ruin her financially) believed the kidnapping was faked to garner Ms. MacDonald some publicity (Pulp International).  The truth of the story was never proved or disproved.

The New York Times review was dismissive, and we have to agree with it. Even at 87 minutes the film seems long. It's not a bad film, it just is a very mixed-up one.  It seems like the writers wanted to write a romance, but then decided it should be a comedy - neither holds for very long.  You wait for hi-jinx you never get; or for a real romance that never quite materializes.  We'll leave you with this trailer:

Loretta Composes

Marion Cullen (Loretta Young) lives in a small town in Kansas with her parents.  The arrival of Jimmy Decker (David Manners), a salesman from New York, presents Marion with a new view on life - she's never felt she fit in her home, and Jimmy is complimentary of her ability as a songwriter. After a row with her parents - and the announcement by her mother that Marion was adopted - Marion decides to leave Kansas and make a stab at a songwriting career in New York, as well as a life with Jimmy. There's a problem - Jimmy is engaged to Enid Hollister (Helen Vinson), the boss's daughter. This week, we'll discuss They Call it Sin (1932).

This is a neatly done film - tight and enjoyable (69 minutes in total), with characters that you really end up liking. Even those people you think are the most heinous turn out to have streaks of goodness in them. Though a pre-code, most of the naughtiness is Dixie Dare (Una Merkel) in her slip and doing cartwheels that are perhaps a bit immodest.

The film, like many pre-codes, operates a lot on innuendo. We THINK our heroine Marion, may be having a relationship with Jimmy, but she isn't. Later, we think she might be about to bed Ford Humphries (Louis Calhern), but she doesn't. Marion is very much an innocent who spends the film learning to become stronger with adversity. Ms. Young does a good job of portraying that naivety, along with giving the character a strong backbone - this is a young woman who bounces with the punches, and is not afraid to stand up for herself.

There is one other piece of suggestion present in the film. Marion's mother (Nella Walker) is openly hostile to her child from the moment we encounter her. Later, we discover that Mrs. Hollister is not Marion's birth mother; Marion's mother was a showgirl, and Marion is illegitimate. Interestingly, though a religious man, Mr. Hollister is (Joe Cawthorne) is kinder to the girl. We also learn that he asked his wife to take in the orphan child - according to him, an act of "christian charity." Is it possible he is Marion's natural father? The film doesn't tell us the answer, but we left it wondering just WHY he was so eager to adopt the girl. It certainly isn't because his wife wants children.

The men in the film are secondary to Ms. Young; they are moths to her flame. David Manners is the titular leading man. He had recently appeared in both Dracula (1931) and A Bill of Divorcement (1932) (TCM article). Regardless, the character keeps disappearing from the action, and we don't really miss him. George Brent (Dr. Tony Travers) is also absent for a lot of the film; again, the viewer doesn't really care.  Louis Calhern, however, is a lot more interesting as a roué; when he is on screen, you pay attention. Mr. Calhern started his film career in 1921, and on Broadway in 1923, appearing in 28 plays over the course of his lifetime, including The Magnificent Yankee in 1948 (a role he would reprise on film in 1950) and King Lear. With his splendid voice, he was made for talking films, and his career as a supporting player would expand in 1931.  Often he was the villain (as in our film), or the boss (Notorious (1946)). He ventured into the realm of the musical when Frank Morgan died in 1949, taking on the part of Buffalo Bill Cody in Annie Get Your Gun (1950). Mr. Calhern was in Japan for Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) when he suffered a heart attack and died. He was replaced by Paul Ford, and his scenes were reshot, making his last film (another musical) High Society.

The supporting female characters are more interesting then the men. Helen Vinson is rather underused as Enid, but she's always excellent.  The star turn in the film, though, is Una Merkel as the effervescent Dixie Day. She's delightfully funny, and her little cartwheels add that little bit of pizazz (or "ginger" as Warner Brothers phrased in the TCM article above) that one expects in a pre-code . Ms. Merkel is always an actress to look forward to seeing - this film is no exception.

The gowns by Orry-Kelly are quite lovely, and we were impressed by the set design of Jack Okey.  The scenes of Penn Station are splendid, and for us, a piece of nostalgia. Demolished in 1963 (a controversial action at the time, and long bemoaned by New Yorkers - to quote architectural historian Vincent Scully "One entered the city like a God [now] One scuttles in now like a rat."), the building was a wonder of height and light. Mr. Okey used a combination of stock shots and sets to paint the picture of the station.

We'll leave you with the film opening and the suggestion that you give this one a viewing.

Kay Wants a Man

In Man Wanted (1932), Kay Francis plays Lois Ames, a successful publisher who has taken over her late father's company.  As she toils by day, her husband, Fred (Kenneth Thomson) plays polo and essentially lives off her earnings.  When Lois' secretary (Elizabeth Patterson) quits in a huff, Thomas Sheridan (David Manners), a salesman, offers to step in temporarily.  Tom, however, proves to be efficient and capable; as a result, Lois advances him within the company. But complications ensue when Tom finds himself falling in love with Lois, much to the annoyance of Tom's fiance, Ruth Holman (Una Merkel).

Take your mind back to movies of the 1930s and 1940s.  Think of the women in these movies - by and large, they are subservient to men in some way; those that are not sacrifice their autonomy by the end of the movie, or are punished in some way.  Not this one.  As my colleague at  Precode.com, says, this is a movie where "our heroine [is] not punished for being devoted to her job, and she’s damned good at it."  And it is rather amazing to watch.  Kay Francis' Lois is tough, smart, and fair.  She loves her work, and enjoys working with people who also enjoy their jobs.  Her relationship with Tom Sheridan grows BECAUSE they are so good at what they do, and are so committed to it.

It IS hard to believe that Lois could really be in love with Fred.  He's such a lazy and lackadaisical man.  He does nothing except play polo, and doesn't seem to mind doing nothing - he's perfectly satisfied with living off Lois' money.  He's also perfectly satisfied with cheating on her with Ann Le Maire (Claire Dodd).  One particularly interesting scene focuses on Lois' discovery of Fred's relationship - she tosses a hotel room key at him, letting him know she is aware of his infidelity.  Ms. Francis is magnificent in her quiet disgust.  This was Ms. Francis' first film for Warner Brothers (see this AFI Catalog article), and she does an excellent job.

David Manners gives a the character of Tom real force and dignity.  The film is careful to position Tom so he is Lois' equal in everything but job title.  He is as smart and as ambitious as she is.  His love for her is also dignified.  When he believes that any pursuit of Lois would be rejected - she has openly affirmed her love for her husband - he begins to bow out of her life as quietly as possible.  There are no scenes, no impassioned pleas for her affection.  His only indignity, perhaps, is in settling for the very annoying Ruth.  Una Merkel does a good job of making you want to throttle Ruth, if only to get her to shut up.

Mr. Manners began his film career in 1929; within a year, he appeared as the romantic lead in the 1930 version of Kismet.  We've already seen him in two other films: Torch Singer (1933) and The Miracle Woman (1931).  Regardless of his quick advancement in Hollywood, by 1936 he left for Broadway (where he appeared in three plays) and to pursue other interests, such as painting and writing.  He would eventually settle in California, with his life-partner, Bill Mercer (they were together until Mercer's death in 1978).  Mr. Manners died in 1998, at the age of 98.

Elizabeth Patterson has a small role as Lois' first secretary, Miss Harper.  In one scene, we see her literally lounging at a desk, with her feet up.  When Lois tells her they will be remaining in the office to complete some work,  Miss Harper refuses, and then asks should she return in the morning.  Essentially, she quits a well paying job.  Given that the film was released in the middle of the Depression, we wondered if a woman with steady employment would really quit, or refuse to work late, knowing it will be the end of her job (and whether audiences would accept her choice)?  Regardless, Elizabeth Patterson is, as always, excellent as the secretary with attitude.  Ms. Patterson worked in film and in television from 1926 to 1961.  She also appeared on Broadway in 26 plays (between 1913-1954), and was appeared frequently in the television series I Love Lucy.  Ms. Patterson never married, and died at the age of 91 of pneumonia.

Of course, Ms. Francis has magnificent clothing - but much of it is tailored for a working woman (but still exquisite).  Her gowns were credited to Earl Luick.  And Lois' beautiful office was designed by Anton Grot.

We'll leave you with the trailer to the film.  You will also see Andy Devine  in the role of Tom's friend Andy Doyle.  Join us again next week.

Student Nurse Florence

My fascination with in women in medicine extends to way nurses are portrayed in classic cinema.  So, this week, our group watched the 1939 film Four Girls in White. The film follows four young women who enter a three year nursing program, each for her own reasons:  Gertie Robbins (Una Merkel) wants a job which will give her three (or more) meals a day; Mary Forbes (Mary Howard) wants to be a district nurse so she can better support her small daughter; Patricia Page (Ann Rutherford) is there because her sister, Norma (Florence Rice) has entered the program.  And Norma? Norma's decided the hospital is the route to a rich husband. 

This is an interesting film, which combines humor, drama, engaging characters, and a good script.  It's a story which provides a (somewhat glorified) view of nursing education, as well as a nice bunch of stories - some romantic, some comic, some tragic.  But it really is never boring and is often surprising.  It does a excellent job introducing us to our lead character - realizing she and her sister will be late for their school orientation, Norma puts in a phony call for an ambulance, then begs a ride to the school from the answering physician, Stephen Melford (Alan Marshal).  No fool, Dr. Melford quickly figures out their ruse and exacts a punishment (he could, of course, turn her and her sister into the police, but that's never discussed).  Norma, of course, is smitten, primarily because he is a young, handsome, and unmarried physician.

We were especially impressed with Alan Marshall's portrayal of Dr. Melford.  The movie presents him as another physician of the Hollywood hero mode: a doctor who wants to work in the hospital at lower pay because there he treats people who truly need him, takes ambulance duty because a colleague needed assistance, and is a researcher trying to better mankind   It could be a tricky role, because Melford is so innately "good", but Marshall gives him a sense of humor; Melford's discussions with Norma concerning his career choices are sincere without being saccharine. At one point, according to this AFI Catalog article, Gene Raymond was set for the role. We think Marshall was a much better choice. 

An engaging actor, Marshall appeared in 24 films between 1936 and 1959 (he died in 1961, at the age of 51).  An Australian citizen, he was unable to join the US Military during World War II, and acquiesced to his wife's request that he not attempt to return to Australia to enlist (quite frankly, it would have been very dangerous just to travel TO Australia).  Instead, he did numerous bond tours, receiving the The United States Treasury Award for his work.  By 1944, he pulled back from film work - he had always disliked Hollywood, and his film work and bond tours had exhausted him.  He would return to films and to television in the 1950s, and worked steadily - often with friends like Vincent Price (in The House on Haunted Hill).  For more information on Mr. Marshall, visit this webpage that is dedicated to him.  He also worked onstage - his final role was in play of Sextette, starring Mae West.  He was appearing in Chicago in that play (along with his son, Kit), when he suffered a heart attack.

We liked Florence Rice in the role of Norma.  This TCM article is rather critical of her (as well as Ann Harding - who has nothing to do with this movie. We like Ann Harding), but we feel unfairly so.   One isn't supposed to really LIKE Norma - she's an opportunist, and the audience is never clear if her interest in Melford is because he is a doctor, with a potential for wealth, or because she really has a regard for him.  Rice is not afraid to play her as selfish and a bit unpleasant.  Her only saving grace is her loving relationship with her sister (it seems evident that the girls are alone in the world. No other family is mentioned) - that is what gives one hope that her character will eventually grow up.  We were intrigued with the use of a statue of Florence Nightingale in the story.  It serves as a barometer for Norma's growth as a person - she complains to it when her selfishness is the most egregious; it also signals her reform later in the film. It's an interesting way to heroize the character of The Nurse.

Ms. Rice had a decent career, mostly in second leads.  She was still working fairly steadily when she retired in 1943.  She married her third husband, Fred Butler in 1946, a marriage that would last until her death in 1974. 

One character in the film is a bit of a mystery.  Mary Forbes, who has been forced to put her child into a foster  home (on a farm), while she completes the three year nursing program in the city.  Though it is never stated outright, there are hints that Mary is an unwed mother.  She never mentions a husband, never says she is widowed, but she is clearly the sole support of the child.  And the character is, as is often the case for unwed mothers during the "Code" period, punished for her "sins".  It's an interesting plot point, that we suspect would have been evident to the contemporary audience. 

A number of interesting character actors appear in the film, notably Jessie Ralph as the nursing instructor, Miss Tobias, Sara Haden as Miss Bennett,  Kent Taylor as millionaire Robert Maitland, and Buddy Ebsen as orderly Express.  The relationship between Ebsen and Una Merkel provide most of the humor to the film (some of it on the silly side). 

We will leave you with this clip from the film.  As fans of the Cherry Ames books, we found the film an enjoyable look at the start of a career.