Olivia Finds Gold

This week, we return to one of our favorites, the lovely Olivia de Havilland in the 1938 technicolor epic Gold is Where You Find It.  Olivia plays Serena Farris, the daughter of Colonel Ferris (Claude Rains). She is at odds with her wastrel brother, Lance (Tim Holt), who has no regard for the land, while she endeavors to build a fruit orchard on the farm. 

Enter Jared Whitney (George Brent), the new mining foreman at the Golden Moon Mining Company.  He shares Serena's love for the land, but at the same time, he is the person now responsible for its destruction.  He befriends Lance, loves Serena, and earns the enmity of the Colonel.

Set in California's Sacramento Valley, the story is both a romance between Serena and Jared as well as the more serious story of the effects of hydraulic mining on the environment.  The film vividly portrays the damage caused by high-pressure mining, and on the farmers who are trying to live and work in the midst of this destruction.  The opening is done in an almost documentary style, making its statements about mining even more powerful.  That much of the back-story - the mining itself, its consequences, and the lawsuits initiated by the farmers (specifically Edwards Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company) increase the impact of the film. This chapter from the Public Policy Institute of California may be of interest to those of you who would like more information about this period of history.

Filmed in Technicolor, Gold is Where You Find It was likely the first western to use the process.  (It was also a test balloon for The Adventures of Robin Hood, an attempt to see the results of the process.  Interestingly, Michael Curtiz directed both films).  The special effects are tremendous - though today, we can spot the miniature work for what it is, in 1938 (and on a big screen), it must have been amazing. And if you want to see a really beautiful scene, watch the very last shot.  The technicolor vistas will take your breath away.

We've got some amazing performances here as well.  Let's start with the lovely Olivia.  Serena is only 17 years old when the film begins.  The character is well named.  Though she has a temper, there is a serenity about her when she works in her orchard.  She rather reminded us a bit of Candide, looking to create the best of all possible worlds in her small piece of land.

George Brent's Jared is a good man, in the best sense of the word.  He wants to do his job, and do it well, but he also understands and appreciates that his work is creating damage.  He wants to change it, but he is hamstrung by the greedy, careless men for whom he works.  He loves the land, and falls in love with Serena because she is so much a part of the land.

Margaret Lindsay (Rosanne Ferris), who is married to Colonel Ferris' dull and avaricious brother Ralph (John Litel) is literally a piece of work.  Flirtatious in the worst sense of the word, she has no love for anyone.  She has no interest in her niece and nephew. Then again, she apparently has no children herself; she's selfish and vain enough that children of any age are a burden.  We loved her line to Serena to "not call her Aunt, just Rosanne".  Heaven forbid anyone suspect she has an adult niece!!  The costuming of Serena and Rosanne give us more information.  Look at the lovely, simple country clothing, contrasted with Rosanne's citified, overdone gowns.  We learn a lot about the women from the way they are dressed.

Claude Rains as Colonel Ferris is, as always, amazing.  He is in the midst of a firestorm, with tensions between him and his brother and between him and his son.  Rains' attitude towards Brent is understandable; he sees him as stealing his daughter, corrupting his son, and destroying his farm.  Ultimately, Ferris is shows as a fair man; Rains lets us see the goodness in the man, even when we most dislike his actions.

Tim Holt gets very low billing in the film, but he treads a fine line in his portrayal of Lance.  And he succeeds admirably. He manages to show a young man who clearly has depth, but chooses not to always plumb it.

Finally, one of our favorite moments happened about midway through the film, when we meet Senator Hearst, whose son "Willie wants to be a journalist".  The senator is horrified - running a paper will never make a profit!

For an interesting analysis of the film, visit the article on the TCM website about the film.  Here is a trailer:

Myrna Goes Upstairs

This week, we watched Penthouse, a 1933 film starring Myrna Loy as Gertrude Waxstead, a young woman "with a past" and Warner Baxter as Jackson Durant.  Durant is engaged to Sue Leonard (Martha Sleeper), but the wealthy young woman is distressed that her fiance has lowered himself to practicing criminal law.  Bored with the current activities in his law practice, Durant has just defended (and gotten acquitted) gangster Tony Gazotti (Nat Pendleton).   While acknowledging that he craves the excitement of criminal law, Durant was also convinced that Tony was innocent of the crime for which he was accused (otherwise, he would not have defended him).

But his new interest in the law causes friction between Durant and his partners, and with Sue.  Plus, Sue has found a new boyfriend - Tom Siddall (Philip Holmes), an upper-crust young man, who is not all that pure of heart.  Once Sue tells him she is interested in him,  Tom agrees to break up with his mistress, Mimi Montagne (Mae Clarke).  However, the breakup is just the start of problems for Tom, for Sue and for Durant.  And it also serves as Durant's introduction to Gertie. 

Myrna Loy is just adorable in the film.  Invited to Durant's apartment, she discusses spending the night there; he provides her with pajamas, and then, much to her amazement, leaves the bedroom.  Later, she discusses her feelings for Jackson, but tells him that it would be inappropriate for their relationship to be public - she will live as his mistress.  It's quite clear that she is not quite the prim and proper virgin.  She knows her way around the seamier side of the City.

If there is a slight problem with the film, it is the fact that the murder (we won't say who is murdered), seems motiveless.  We really never find out why the victim was targeted. Was there a threat perceived by the murderer?  The murder is a very complex setup - yet the reason behind it is never discussed.

Long Island here becomes the playground of the rich (Sue's family has a mansion there) - much the way it does in The Great Gatsby.  We suspect that it is just far enough from the City as to have the aura of entitlement.  As New Yorkers, we found that amusing.

We found Charles Butterworth as Layton, Durant's manservant, very amusing.  We also had a long discussion about Warner Baxter.  We have so rarely seen him in films, though he had a long career.  He was the Crime Doctor in the 40s, as well as playing The Cisco Kid in several films. He had a substantial  career in silent films, before making the switch to talkies - even playing the original Daddy Long Legs in 1931.  He died at age 62, the result of infection following a lobotomy (in this case, being used for the relief of extreme pain caused by arthritis. A quick look at the medical literature for the late 1940s and early 1950s does show that lobotomy was being considered as a relief for intractable pain!)

Again, the costuming is quite good, though Myrna Loy only gets one dress - it's gorgeous, but except for a change of costume at the end, this is all we see.  There is a very funny scene in which she tries to describe to Warner Baxter what dress he should bring her from her apartment. Clearly she has quite a nice wardrobe at home.

Before we go, here is a clip from the film - featuring Myrna in her dress.  Next week, another classic film.

Irene Meets a Bachelor

Bachelor Apartment (1931) really stars Lowell Sherman as Wayne Carter, the owner of the apartment, which comes equipped with hot and cold running women.  One evening, while his is entertaining a recent conquest, Helene Andrews (Irene Dunne) arrives, looking for her younger sister.  Turns out, Carter's manservant has enticed the girl there, pretending to be the wealthy Carter.  Attracted to the out-of work Helen, he offers her a job in his organization - and help sister Lita (Claudia Dell) get a chorus job.  The course of true love does not, of course, run smooth.

We had seen Lowell Sherman before - playing the drunken director in What Price Hollywood?  We found him a lot more believable there, than as a roue being pursued by an endless number of women.  WHY they found him so attractive, was beyond us.  Our conclusion - he is quite wealthy, though that did not explain the constant presence of Agatha Carraway (Mae Murray), his former lover, who is now married and eager to restart their affair.  Either he is the world's greatest lover, or something else is going on here.  Regardless, the film, as a result, is very risque, amusingly so. We particularly enjoyed the scene where Helene appears in a bathrobe to protect Carter from Agatha's irate husband.

The costuming, especially Dunne's business clothing is quite impressive.  The wardobe for Murray is very over-the-top, but it perfectly matches her rather loud persona.  It is worth noting that our star, Lowell Sherman is the director here as well.

While not a great film, this is a fun one, and is worth a view.  Certainly an opportunity to see Dunne at the start of her impressive career is always welcome.  And while Sherman is not our idea of manly beauty, he is an amusing actor.  Here's a scene to whet your appetite:

Kay is in Trouble

Trouble in Paradise (1932) is a film that requires you to keep your eyes on the screen. So much happens here that concentration is essential.  The film opens when two thieves - Herbert Marshall (as Gaston Monescu) and Miriam Hopkins (as Lily) - meet and fall in love in Venice, as each attempts to rob the other one!  The following year, they are still together and still on the prowl for victims.  Enter wealthy widow Mariette Colet (Kay Francis); Gaston steals her purse, collects the reward for returning it, and convinces Mariette to hire him as her secretary (with Lily as his assistant). Sound simple? It's not.

All of the characters are well developed, from our leads to various supporting characters.  Besides the ever wonderful Ms. Francis - who makes Mariette a bit of an airhead, but a brainy one (yes, a contradiction, but this film is full of contradictions), we have Herbert Marshall being oh-so debonaire, and Miriam Hopkins. Quite honestly, Ms. Hopkins can be an annoying actress - she is mannered and at times over-blown.  However, here she is quite funny as the naughty Lily.  When she morphs into Gaston's assistant, Mlle. Votier, she is hysterical -wearing glasses, talking about her little brother, and her mother (who, of course, are sadly dead), and trying to be Mariette's new best friend.

For supporting players, we have some remarkable actors:  Edward Everett Horton as Gaston's Venice victim François Fileba, Charlie Ruggles as The Major, one of Mariette's many suitors (men she loves to lead on, but has no intention of marrying. She's quite happy being in control of her own life), and C Aubrey Smith as Giron, the Chairman of Mariette's company who has been embezzling from her for years. He is a riot when he threatens to resign... eventually.

Director Ernst Lubitsch is having lots of fun here.  Watch for the love scene between Mariette and Gaston.  We know exactly what is going on, as their shadows superimpose on a bed.  Lubitsch doesn't need to be crass; he easily gets his points across by innuendo.  We also have gowns by Travis Banton, and gorgeous accessories and set design.  A major focus of an early scene is a purse, and an exquisite purse it is!

We end with a clip - including the purse!

Interlude: Silent Movie Time

AFI Silver provided another opportunity to see a classic film on a big screen - in this case the seldom seen Mary Pickford silent Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924).  We are all used to seeing Mary Pickford as the waif, her beautiful curls hanging low to her back.  But this film features Mary as the heiress to Haddon Hall, a tempestuous beauty who defies her father by falling madly in love with the son of a rival family.  

So, how different is this from Pickford's usual films?  Well, it is set in the 1560s (an early scene shows young Dorothy Vernon's betrothal - that is dated 1550).  And, Dorothy is quite wealthy; she frequently wears her hair up (imagine - the curls hidden!!)  But what doesn't change is the spirit of the character Ms. Pickford portrays.  Dorothy has spunk, as does Ms. Pickford, who did most of her own stunt work.  There is a rather amazing horse ride (and Dorothy is riding side-saddle), across a narrow wall, over a gap in the wall, and down a gully.  You can clearly see Ms. Pickford in most of the action (a stunt double comes in for a small, fairly risky, piece of the action).

Our screening was enhanced by the presence of the author of a new book:  Mary Pickford Queen of the Movies. Christel Schmidt discussed the film in some detail, including the introduction of the Sir John Manners, played by Allan Forrest.  Forrest was Pickford's brother-in-law (his wife, and Mary's sister, Lottie Pickford Forrest plays Dorothy's maid, Jennie).  And while Forrest is a nice enough looking man, it seems he was not all that muscular.  So, for an opening scene in which we see Manner's bare back, a body double was substituted - the back belongs to Pickford's husband, Douglas Fairbanks! 

Ms. Schmidt will be touring the country, doing screenings of Pickford films, including Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall.  The film will have (as ours did) live musical accompaniment.  If you have the opportunity to see it, do.  You'll really enjoy it.

Connie Has a Baby (Sort of...)

Today we consider another Constance Bennett precode - Rockabye (1932).  In it, Ms. Bennett is Judy Carroll, an actress who has become embroiled in a scandal. Her former lover, politician Al Howard (Walter Pidgeon) has been accused of  being an embezzler. Judy testifies for him at his trial, but this creates huge problems for her, as she is adopting a child.  As a result of the publicity, her adoption is revoked, and the baby, Lilybet (June Filmer) is taken from her.  To help her recover, her manager Tony de Sola (played by Paul Lukas) sends her to Europe for a rest.  When she returns, she comes back with a new play - and an interest in the playwright (Joel McCrea playing Jacobs Van Riker Pell).
Our conversation went off in a number of directions. First, we again we dazzled by the spectacular costuming. No costumer was listed, but our hats are definitely off him or her.  Ms Bennett never looked better. 

We also had a discussion about several of the characters.  We wondered if we should assume that Lilybet is actually Judy's real daughter?   We compared this to such films as To Each His Own, which we discussed some time ago.  Probably not, the child is too old since this little girl is nearly two, and her affair with Al ended the year before.  We thought that Judy would have been more careful about where she placed the child (so she could more easily adopt it) - probably giving the child directly to friends, rather than to an agency.  The little girl who played Lilybet, June Filmer, was just delightful.  She seems to have had a sister (Joy) who also made a few movies.  Little June only made three movies, in 1932 and 1933.

Of course, we've discussed Joel McCrea before (and not always favorably - we like him as an actor, but some of his characters have been rather unpleasant).  Jake, however, is a good guy.  He is honest about his marriage, and is a responsible and loving man.  He takes his responsibilities seriously, and, as a result, finds that his life will become one of pain.  The commentary by Robert Osborne on the film also enhanced our experience.  Mr. Osborne's mentioned that Constance Bennett was attracted to Joel McCrea, but he didn't want to be Mr. Constance Bennett.  He married Frances Dee the following year, and they remained married until his death in 1990.  He's an impressive actor, with a varied career:  for example, he was the original Dr. Kildare (Internes Can't Take Money from 1937). Interestingly, he would never play a member of the military (see Robert Osborne's fascinating piece on him), because he himself was unable to serve during the war.

We also enjoyed the performance of Paul Lukas, Judy's manager, and perhaps the man in the movie who loves her best.  Without giving away the ending, we wished him his own happy ending.  Here's a clip with Bennett and McCrea:

Interlude: WWII Erupts

On December 6, 1941, a group of B-17 Flying Fortress bombers leave San Francisco on a routine run to Hawaii.  As they arrive, they discover that Pearl Harbor and Hickam Field have been virtually destroyed by the Japanese attack of December 7th.  In that instant, the lives of the crew of the Mary Ann change as they attempt to get their plane first to Wake Island, then to the Philippines, to fight in the newly declared war in the Pacific.  This is Air Force, a Howard Hawks film from 1943. 

We had the opportunity to see this interesting film on a big screen at the AFI Silver Theatre, as part of a Howard Hawks retrospective.  Hawks, a member of the U.S. Army Air Service during the first World War, had already demonstrated his interest in aviation with his prior films, Ceiling Zero (1935) and Only Angels Have Wings (1939). Here, as the war rages on in Europe and Asia, with no end in sight, Hawks looks at an event that would have been very much in the memory of his audience.  The film is careful in sticking to the facts, with only a few liberties taken.  In fact, a group of Fortresses was en route to Hawaii just prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, and one of the ships was, in fact, the Mary Ann. 

My companion, who is quite familiar with the history of World War II, pointed out to me some of the liberties taken in the film.  For example, were a ship like the Mary Ann to be sent from Hawaii to the Philippines, it would have flown via Midway, not Wake Island. It's apparent that Hawks wants to reference the events that occurred on Wake Island, as it was attacked and captured by the Japanese (and perhaps tip his hat to the film Wake Island, that had been released the previous year). Towards the end of the film, we see the Mary Ann's crew involved in a battle - it appears to be the Battle of the Coral Sea, but that didn't happen until 5 months AFTER Pearl Harbor (not a few days as portrayed here).  And there is no way a B-17 could hover over a convoy of battleships to mark the way for oncoming planes. It just would not work!

You'll be treated to some fine performances here: a young John Garfield as tail gunner Joe Winocki; George Tobias as New Yorker and gunner Weinberg, Harry Carey - always wonderful - as crew chief Robbie White, Arthur Kennedy as Bombardier Tommy McMartin. and Gig Young as co-pilot Bill Williams.  We even have a cameo by Ann Doran as pilot Irish Quincannon (John Ridgely)'s wife.

Though I'm not usually a fan of war movies, this one was certainly worth seeing, and I hope to view it again. It had a sympathy for the men and an understanding of what they were facing that is not always apparent in World War II propaganda films.  Is it propaganda? Of course, but propaganda of the best kind.

For your enjoyment, the trailer from the film is below:

Our next Constance Bennett movie will be up in a few days.

Connie Goes to Court

Two Against the World (1932), on the service, appears to be your typical, 1930's romantic comedy - wealthy Adelle Hamilton (Constance Bennett) is on her way to a meeting.  She is late, and rude to the man (David Norton, played by Neil Hamilton) she believes to be an elevator operator.  Of course, he is not.  He is a lawyer, on the way to the same meeting.  He is the lawyer for the widow of a woman killed while working for Adell's family.  Adell and her brother Bob (Allen Vincent) cannot be bothered participating in the family discussion - they play tic-tac-toe.  The family seems not worth our time - there is also a philandering sister (Helen Vinson).  All-in-all, not exactly an admirable group.

Only this film is not a simple rom-com.  Things turn dark when the members of the family are involved in a murder, and Adell takes responsibility for the events.  We won't go into too much detail, here, but the film turns quite dark about mid-point.  The film asks us to sympathize with the murderer rather than the victim (Pre-Code, of course);   the murder is even staged in such a way as to minimize your interest in the victim. In the clip below, we see a scene as the intensity increases:


Let's spend a moment discussing the costuming by Orry-Kelly.  It is fantastic.  At one point, Ms. Bennett is wearing a raincoat that any one of us would have worn in a minute.  Also, a black dress that was to-die-for.  And Ms. Bennett, always lovely, wears them well.  You can get an idea from the clip, but better is to come in the film.

The film is a tad disjointed, but it is worth a look.  Certainly, it is never a hardship to watch Ms. Bennett.  She takes even the most mediocre script and makes it shiny.

Interlude: Loretta is BAD

The Movie Group began in New York City, with weekly meetings to watch a variety of films.  Since then, we have continued our meetings virtually.  However, occasionally, a member might get to see something that fits into nicely into our discussions, and so it will be added to the blog.  

This week, I got to see Born to be Bad (1934) at the AFI Silver Theatre in Maryland, where they are doing a tribute to Loretta Young's 100th birthday.  In this film, Ms. Young is Letty Strong, a woman of 22 with a 7 year-old son (Mickey, played by Jackie Kelk).  Abandoned by the boy's father before he was born, she was taken in by Fuzzy (Henry Travers).  However, she now supports herself as a dress-model and paid escort.  She allows her son to skip school, and informs Fuzzy that Mickey will not live life as naive as she - he knows the realities of life.  Here's our first glimpse of Letty:


Enter Malcolm Trevor (Cary Grant), the wealthy owner of a dairy, who Letty tries to bilk. Fascinated by her child, he and his wife adopt the boy, in hopes of giving him a better life. But Letty intends to get the boy back, and enough money to support them - preferably at Mal's expense.

That the film is pre-code is readily apparent.  We get some glimpses of Young in her lingerie (with her legs as bare as they can be!).  And Letty is never condemned for her actions, neither her present day lifestyle, nor the fact that she is an unmarried mother.  Fuzzy, our bell-weather for  Letty's actions, is angry with her for her  actions as a mother - the fact that she does not teach her son proper values.  Though it is apparent he does not approve of her occupation, he does not censure her for it; he remains her friend, and hopes that he can convince her to be a better mother.   He regrets she is compelled to do this, primarily because of the example it sets for Mickey.   An article on the TCM website offers some insight into the reception that the film received (it wasn't good).  The production code was right around the corner.  We see here the last vestiges of the pre-code film.

We'll resume our weekly review in a few days.

Connie Marries the Elite

This week, we again join Constance Bennett in a precode film.  This one is Our Betters from 1933.  Connie is Lady Pearl Saunders Grayston.  We meet her as she has just married Lord Grayston (Alan Mowbray).  She is determined to be a good wife to him, though she is aware that their marriage was one of convenience - he needs her money to  support his lifestyle.  But Pearl finds almost immediately that her dreams of a life as a happy wife are naive.  Her husband has no intention of giving up his mistress.  

The film, taken from a play by W. Somerset Maugham,  produced by David O. Selznick, directed by George Cukor, and with music by Max Steiner is not a great one, but it is interesting.  Besides having some of the best behind-the-scenes talent in Hollywood, we have a fantastic performance by Bennett.  Her Pearl becomes a society hostess, but one who is jaded and cold. We also want to pay homage to the fantastic costuming of Hattie Carnegie - take a look at the stunning (and scandalous) black dress Ms. Bennett wears to a party - it's a knockout!

At one of her parties, we discover that she is planning to bring her sister, Bessie (Anita Louise) into the same lifestyle, by arranging her marriage to Lord Harry Bleane (Hugh Sinclair).  Though Bessie seems willing, it soon becomes clear that she really loves Fleming Harvey (Charles Starrett).  But everything begins to implode at a weekend outing to the Grayston estate, as we learn more about Pearl's rather seedy existence.  
 

Among the party guest are GIlbert Roland.  We enjoy him as an actor, but felt he was wasted here as the gigolo who pursues Pearl, but is involved with the wealthy Duchess Minnie.   We also discover that Pearl is essentially destitute, thanks to her husband's bad handling of her finances, so she is using her wiles to "borrow" money from Arthur Fenwick (Minor Watson).  

Much of our conversation focused on the bartering of American heiresses for English titles.  It is surprising that, in 1933 (this is a contemporary story), this was still going on.  We especially discussed the life of Consuelo Vanderbilt, who was literally imprisoned by her mother until she consented the Duke of Marlborough

Here is a clip from the film: