Our film this week is Government Girl. None of us had ever
seen it before, and I wish I could say it was a forgotten gem, but not
so much. This is a movie that wants to be screwball in the worst way,
but only manages to be overdone and silly. Olivia play Elizabeth
"Smokey" Allard; Smokey (and her stupid name is never really explained.
Childhood nickname. She doesn't know why) works for the War Department
as a secretary, and ends up under the newly hired Ed Browne (Sonny
Tufts). Of course, there is a funny meeting (he finds her crawling on
the floor looking for her friend May's (Anne Shirley) lost wedding band,
and, of course, he assumes she is the bride. And HE manages to steal
May her her fiance's (James Dunn) hard won wedding suite (because they
were 5 minutes late, and he is important), infuriating Smokey.
Everything
here is overdone. Olivia does a pratfall, but the staging is WAY over
the top. She takes Ann Shirley out for dinner; the staging is
farcical. However, this isn't supposed to be a farce, and we know that
actors like Ms. De Havilland and Ms. Shirley are fully capable of silly
comedy. This just can't quite cut it (and if you compare it to the
similarly plotted The More the Merrier, well, there just IS no comparison)
Meanwhile, Smokey is dating Dana
McGuire (Jess Barker),who has distinct political ambitions. And this is
where the movie really begins to get spooky. Jess Barker plays Dana as
close to being psychologically abusive. When he tells Smokey (having
canceled their date) that she WILL see him the following day, his voice
radiates a threat that is more frightening and sexy. If we are supposed
to at least understand what Smokey seems in this man, Mr. Barker was
certainly not the actor to do it. Apart from white-bread good looks, he
is nothing if not unpleasant. We rather wanted to shower after he
showed up.
One interesting thing
about the film is the "special effects". We noticed a credit for special
effects in the film. Well, scenes of Smokey and Ed riding a motorcycle
around Washington are clearly filmed IN Washington, D.C., while scenes
of Olivia De Havilland and Sonny Tufts on the motorcycle clearly were
not. It is rather fun to see these shots of the District, circa 1943.
And a quick tip of the hat to Ann Shirley and James Dunn as the best
friends of Smokey. Good to see them; we wished they had better parts. Here is a clip of the movie - watch for Agnes Moorehead in a truly bit part:
This week, we were able to watch Devotion, wherein Olivia plays Charlotte Bronte, and gets to write the novel Jane Eyre.
Again, Ms. De Havilland plays second lead, this time to Ida Lupino, who
is playing her sister Emily. Ms. Lupino has the meatier role, as the
tortured, dying Charlotte, but Ms. De Havilland ends up with more screen
time (and more to do than just be tortured). Her Charlotte harkens
back to some of the earlier teen roles we've seen, such as Call it a Day and It's Love I'm After,
where she gets to fall in love with a man who is already taken (and be a
tad silly about it). However, this is no screwball story. Because in
the end, both sisters end up in love with the same man - Paul Henreid as
the Reverend Arthur Nicholls. And he is oblivious to one of them.
As
history, this film rather plays fast and loose. Yes, Bramwell (Arthur
Kennedy) was an alcoholic, and yes, Emily did die of TB. But so did
Anne Bronte (played by Nancy Coleman) and you wouldn't know it from this
movie. In fact, Anne died about 6 months after Emily. Charlotte did go
to London, but after Emily's and Anne's deaths. And Charlotte's
marriage to Arthur Nicholls was no happy ending. Her father was totally
against the marriage, because he feared that marriage would kill his
only surviving child (of the 6 born to him). He was right. Charlotte
became pregnant; she and the baby died, probably the result of
hyperemesis gravidarum, or excessive morning sickness resulting in
malnutrition. Another point, the sisters were all very small and
probably slender - at an exhibit of their books and item at the Morgan
Library in New York City, I saw one of Emily's gloves. It was TINY. I
have VERY small hands - the glove would not have fit me. None of these
ladies is in the least bit tiny or frail-looking!! A couple of items
that they did get right though, were rather fun. The sisters three books
(Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey) did come out together (in fact Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey
were published in the same three volume set). The other little piece
that we enjoyed was that, when Charlotte visits Arthur Nicholls to give
him a copy of her novel, she is holding three books. Indeed, Jane Eyre was published (as many novels were at the time - to accommodate lending libraries) in a three-volume set!
Like
many historical films that play a little to fast and loose, this can be
a problematic movie, but the acting is wonderful. We have some lovely
character pieces here, especially Sydney Greenstreet as William
Makepeace Thackeray, who manages to portray Thackeray as an adorable
egoist! Also fun to watch is Odette Myrtil as Mme Heger, who reminded
us very much of Peggy Wood as the patient wife of the artist in Call it a Day. We hope to see you again next week. In the meantime, here's a trailer from the film:
Garrick was to the 18th Century what the
Method was to the 20th. He developed a less theatrical form of acting,
and in fact, the movie has Garrick discussing his acting style briefly
in the film. (Quite humorous too, as he informs the French actors
that he knew exactly who they were, since they didn't walk or move like
people employed in an inn). And while the real Garrick didn't marry a
French woman, he did marry a German woman in what turned out to be an
extremely happy marriage - he called her "the best of women and
wives,"and it is said they were inseparable for the 15 years of their
marriage. And here's the trailer for Hollywood's version of how he met his great love:
As to the film, it was not entirely successful; it was
based on a London play, but never quite achieved the level of
popularity that the studio had hoped for. However, the lead actors,
Mr. Aherne and Ms. De Havilland are delightful in it. She
manages to hold her own even with such wonderful character actors as
Melville Cooper and Edward Everett Horton (and there is even Lana
Turner in a bit part). Finally, it is worth noting that (according to The Films of Olivia De Havilland), though Mr. Aherne and Ms. De
Havilland dated while making the picture, they ended up related - he
married her sister Joan Fontaine two years later.
Join us next week as we look at some movies that appeared on TCM for Ms. De H's birthday.
We felt we had a real treat this week - Olivia de Havilland's 1946 Oscar-winning performance in To Each His Own,
wherein our heroine plays an unwed mother. The movie is just
wonderful - a chick flick, a melodrama - you bet, but what a
performance! Olivia gets to play Jody Norris, a young woman from a
small town, during multiple stages of her life. We first see her as a
somewhat hardened, middle-aged woman; but thanks to flashbacks, we get
to see her as a young, optimistic girl. Jody meets a young flyer (John
Lund as Captain Cosgrove), falls in love, spends a night with him,
exchanges multiple love letters, only to learn a few months later that
he was killed in battle. Now pregnant, she decided to have her baby AND
raise him. Her plan is simple. She will leave her child on the doorstep
of the town's most fertile woman, knowing that the family will be
unable to take him in. Then, Jody will come to the rescue and offer to
adopt the child. However, Jody's former suitor (Philip Terry) and his
wife (Mary Anderson) have just lost their newborn child. The town
generously offers the "orphan" to them.
De Havilland is a gem in
this picture; she manages to easily demonstrate all the stages of Jody's
life - from young innocent, to hardnosed businesswoman to bitter middle
age. No one else in the cast even comes close. John Lund is really
only window dressing - an object of love, first as the lover, then as
the son. It is not his fault, because everything rotates around De
Havilland. Perhaps the only performance that even comes close is that
of Victoria Horne as Jody's friend Daisy Gingras in the scene where
Daisy relates the story of her youth, and of the grandmother who removed
her from the home of her alcoholic mother.
For some reason, this
movie is NOT available on DVD (WHY????), but it is run occasionally on TCM. Do watch the schedule and try to catch it; we're sure you will enjoy it. Here's a l scene, where Jody falls in love with her aviator:
This week, we turn to another dramatic movie. Olivia de Havilland takes second billing again to Bette Davis in In This Our Life. This time, they are sisters, Stanley and Roy Timberlake. Roy (Olivia) is married to Dr. Peter Kingsmill (Dennis Morgan) and Stanley (Bette) is engaged to
Craig Fleming (George Brent), but Stanley has developed a grand passion
for Peter, and induces him to run off with her. Roy and Craig become
friends out of loneliness, and then decide to marry. Only Stanley, of
course, comes back. And, of course, has decided that Craig would make a
nice trophy on her mantle. And so it goes.
The
movie is very much Davis'. Her Stanley is an unapologetic bitch. She
wants everything, and gives nothing in return. Davis' scenes with her greedy
uncle, played by almost lasciviously by Charles Coburn, are wonderfully revolting. The old man
slobbers over his "favorite" niece, giving her anything that she wants.
And, she takes whatever he offers; she is beyond flirty as she butters him up for
even more rewards. Here the trailer from the film, to give you a glimpse of Ms. Davis' character:
The men are
merely window dressing to the women. Too bad really, with actors as
good as George Brent and Dennis Morgan, you would like them to have more fleshed out characters. But this movie is much more concerned with the ladies: Bette and Olivia
are yin and yang to one another - with Olivia as the good, loving, kind
sister. The men are there to function as sex objects - the temptation
for Stanley and the source of goodness for Roy.
An
interesting acting turn in the picture is that of Billie Burke as Lavinia
Timberlake, the girls' mother. For those of us used to the dippy
Billie of Topper or Father of the Bride, this role is a
bit of a surprise. You can see where Stanley got her attitude: her
mother is a piece of work, totally self absorbed, whiny, and nagging. She is an invalid who is trying to rule her husband and daughters with guilt, but since it doesn't really work any longer, she just tries harder and gets more whiny.
I
don't want to forget Hattie McDaniel, as the Timberlake's maid, but also
as a mother whose innocent son is accused of murder. Her scene with
Roy is extremely touching. As always, Ms. McDaniel takes a small role and makes it pivotal. Next week, another drama. Do join us.
Our movie today is 1938's Hard to Get. Olivia plays
spoiled heiress Margaret Richards; out on a lark, she meets auto
mechanic (and unemployed architect Bill Davis (played by Dick Powell,
with only a little bit of singing). Margaret pulls into Dick's gas
station and demands he fill her auto - on credit. No id, no money, no
nothing. Since he has already filled her car, he demands repayment -
she has to clean all the rooms in his autocourt. Of course, she wants
revenge. And, of course (since this is a screwball comedy), they fall in
love.
The beginning of this movie very much reminded us of the (serious) 1933 Ginger Rogers/Joel McCrea movie Chance at Heaven,wherein
Joel fills the tank of another fund-less/id-less heiress and finds
himself in love (only Joel doesn't make her clean up afterwards). And
Olivia's Margaret harkened back to another screwball - Marcia West from It's Love I'm After.
Dick Powell only gets to sing for a tiny bit; mostly, he gets to be
thrown on his head. And Charles Winninger (as Margaret's irracible
father Ben), gets to be, well, irracible. Interestingly, we also have a
brief appearance by Bonita Granville, again playing Olivia's younger
sister. Sadly, she is only on screen for about 5 minutes total (at the
beginning and end of the movie), but she is always delightful.
In
2010, the idea of a young woman gallivanting around town in her roadster
without a cent in her pocket or any kind of ID is rather unbelievable
(we hoped she didn't want to get into a government building on her
sojourn!!). Heck, when a police officer shows up, he isn't even
concerned that she is without a driver's license! But, regardless of the
silliness, and the fairly unbelievable plot, this is a fun movie, with a
good cast. It made us laugh. We think it will delight you as well. To get you ready, here's a trailer:
Next week, we take a break from comedy - join us for a more serious side of our heroine.
This week, we watched a movie none of us had seen before (or, quite frankly, even really heard of): Call it a Day (1937).
The movie tells the story of one fairly odd day in the life of the
Hilton family, a middle-class English family. Olivia plays the older
daughter, Catherine, who is posing as a model for family friend Paul
Francis (Walter Woolf King). Only problem is, she is madly enamored of
him, and he is terrified to be alone with her. Mother Dorothy (Frieda
Inescort) is being pursued by a would-be Lothario (Roland Young), and
father Roger (Ian Hunter) is in a similar situation when his client Beatrice
Gwynn (Marcia Ralston) decides HE would make an excellent night's
diversion. Silly, perhaps, but also diverting, and with a satisfying
conclusion.
Though given top
billing, Ms. de Havilland really has a secondary part. The main action of the plot
is devoted to Dorothy as she tries to keep Frank at bay. But Olivia is wonderful as a heart-sore teen, who is stuck on a
married man. The rapport between her and Bonita Granville (as her
younger sister, Ann) is perfect. Young Ann is in love with art; when
Paul gives her a Dante Gabriel Rossetti sketch (because she is a fan of
the Pre-Raphaelites), her offer to loan it to Catherine is touching.
And logical - she won't give it up, but loves her sister enough to let
her borrow the precious sketch (and as I Pre-Raphaelite fan myself, I
envied her that picture!!). An interesting note - the part that Olivia
played here was played on the West Coast stage by her sister, Joan
Fontaine.
We should also mention the performance of Roland Young - who would have envisioned Topper
as such a lech! He is very funny as the brother of Dorothy's friend,
who develops an immediate interest in this mother of three when he
meets her in a market. The interactions between the two of them - especially the scene in which she tries to induce the busy members of her family to stay in for dinner
when Frank shows up in an attempt to win his beloved away from her
husband, are VERY well done.
We heartily recommend this under-viewed movie. Well worth a look!
This week, our movie is the 1938 comedy Four's a Crowd.
Olivia plays Lorri Dillingwell, the daughter of a wealthy businessman.
She is engaged to publisher Patterson Buckley (Patric Knowles), who is
being forced to shut down his newspaper. Jean Christy (Rosalind
Russell), a reporter about to lose her job, decided to entice former
reporter (and now successful PR man) Robert
Kensington Lansford (Errol Flynn) back to the paper. Easier said than
done, of course; Bob decides to use Pat as a means to potential client
Dillingham (thought Lorri, of course). Jean is in love with Bob; Pat is
in love with Lorri; Lorri develops a mad crush on Bob. And Bob? Well, we
THINK he loves Jean. Or maybe he loves Lorri. Or maybe he just is in it
for the money. We're not exactly sure for quite a while. But, it's a
WB comedy, so it all turns out right in the end (and I won't tell you
who ends up with whom. You'll have to watch the film).
Sure,
this is a little piece of fluff. Rather silly at times, but with such
wonderful actors, how can you go wrong? Olivia is back playing a
character very similar to Marcia West in It's Love I'm After - somewhat
silly, and rather easily swayed. Errol Flynn gets to be decidedly
silly - the scenes of him running from the dogs that guard the
Dillingham mansion are a riot (and it doesn't hurt that we get to see
him without his shirt. The man had QUITE a nice physique).
Rosalind
Russell is very adorable as Jean, who knows what she wants, but can't
seem to quite get him into her grasp. And while none of us are
particular fans of Patric Knowles as a rule, he's actually pretty good
here. He manages to hold his own, for the most part, with this
powerhouse of talent.
As always, we see some nice character parts - Walter Connolly as Mr. Dillingham, is, as always, very funny. And Margaret Hamilton as Amy, who would easily walk on hot coals for Bob. Both actors it is a pleasure to see. We do get to see a lot of Connolly. Not enough of Hamilton.
Next week, we'll be watching something none of use were familiar with: Call it a Day. In the meantime, here's a trailer to introduce you to the characters:
This week, we watched Princess O'Rourke, a 1943 film
with Ms. De Havilland as the Princess Maria, a refugee from Europe
living quietly - much too quietly - in the United States. When she
passes out (the result of too many sleeping pills) after her flight to
San Francisco is grounded, she ends up hte in home of the pilot, Eddie
O'Rourke (played by Robert Cummings). Maria quickly becomes enchanted
by Eddie, his neighbors Dave (Jack Carson) and Jean (Jane Wyman). Eddie
and Dave are about to be inducted into the army, so there is a certain
urgency as Eddie discovers he is in love with Mary (the name Maria has
adopted). When he proposes, she is forced to reveal to him her royal
status, and he begins to discover the role he will be assuming as the
husband of a princess.
A couple of weeks ago, we complained a bit
about Jack Carson, but he is perfect in this movie. The scene where he
describes his wife's grief at his imminent departure to the armed forces
is truly heartbreaking. Equally affecting are his scenes with Jane
Wyman. Their loving banter is true and ultimately moving as we see them
trying to cope with an impossible situation. Another surprising
performance is that of Robert Cummings. Again, we are not really fans,
but he is wonderful in this. As the rules of being a consort are
explained to him, his reactions are perfect. We stay on his side
BECAUSE of the way Cummings subtly demonstrates the frustration of
Eddie. As always, Olivia is a treat. Warm, sweet, and funny. Her
Maria is a joy, and you will adore her.
On of the images that
recurs in the film is that of the caged bird; Maria is very much that
bird, which is finally released after she falls in love with Eddie. My
friend remembered that the caged bird was also the symbol of France
under the aegis of Nazi occupation. She also recalled an emblem (done
by Cartier)of the freed bird,
symbolizing the French liberation. Though the war is still underway
during the filming and release of the film, we wondered if that image of
the caged France influences the screenwriters as well.
Finally,
we loved the script. So often, writers go for the cheap release. But
these do not. Eddie ONLY rejects his role as consort when he discovers
that he will have to renounce his U.S. citizenship. Every other
"indignity" (being subservient to his wife in public, not being allowed
to serve in the armed services) he is willing to agree on. But even
today, we found the insistence that he lose his very identity as an
American to be just that one step too far.
If you've never seen
this movie, run right out and see it. In fact, set up a reminder on
TCM.com - it is being run in August. This one is a treat! Here's a scene where the Princess is on a plane:
Next time - join us for another visit with the dashing Mr. Flynn, as he rejoins our Olivia for Four's a Crowd.
This week, we turned to a more serious film - The Heiress,
with Ms. de Havilland in one of her Oscar winning roles. And is this
ever a tour de force performance! Olivia stars as Catherine Sloper, a
plain, shy, unmarried woman who lives quietly with her father, Dr.
Austin Sloper (played with grave superciliousnessby Ralph Richardson)
and widowed aunt Lavinia Penniman (Miriam Hopkins). Though we learn
little of Catherine's history prior to this movie, we know that her
mother is long dead, and that her father finds her a huge
disappointment. Her mother was a great beauty, to which poor Catherine
could not hope (in his opinion) to hold a candle; Dr. Sloper mourns his
wife, and bemoans that fact that it was SHE taken from him (and not
Catherine). Catherine is blithely unaware of her father's true feelings,
until she meets Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift), a young man who has
spent his inheritance on a long trip to Europe. He pursues Catherine;
professes his love for her, but meets with resistance from Dr. Sloper.
It soon becomes apparent that Dr. Sloper is convinced that Morris'
motives are less than worthy primarily because Catherine is not, in his
opinion, worthy of love. She could not possibly attract (he feels) such
an attractive man, unless the only motive was her money.
We'll
never know if Catherine and Morris would have been happy together. And
that was much of our conversation following the movie. The film is
based on the book Washington Square, by Henry James.
Interestingly, in the book, both Catherine's mother and brother have
died, leaving her an heiress because of her brother's death. Catherine
(in the film) never discusses her mother; we wondered if she had even
known her mother. Mrs. Sloper's death in childbirth would present an
interesting motive for Dr. Sloper's antipathy towards his daughter, but
of course, we can only present this as another way to view Dr. Sloper's
attitude.
The cast is magnificent. Olivia de Havilland's
Catherine is shy, but with a biting wit when she allows it to show;
controlled, but passionate when she finally meets the man of her dreams;
romantic, but caustic when she has to face the truth about Morris.
Miriam Hopkins' Aunt Lavinia walks a fine line (successfully) between
matchmaker and pander; Ralph Richardson is cold, aloof, and ultimately
cruel as Dr. Sloper. And finally, Mongomery Clift, who creates a Morris
that it is hard to dislike, but easy to distrust.
A hearty thumbs up for this movie. You should run right out to see it. In this trailer, we not only see Ms. de Havilland accepting her Oscar from Ray Milland, we see a few clips from the film:
Next week, we'll be looking at a comedy - Princess O'Rourke. Hope you'll join us then.
