There is something to be said for delightful little pieces of froth,
which is exactly what this week's movie is. We're talking about My Love Came Back
(1940), wherein Ms. de Havilland plays Amelia Cornell, a music student
who is having quite a hard time financially. Her family is having
problems back home, so Amelia is forced to take on teaching assignments
in order to continue her training at the prestigious Brissac Academy of Music. Only problem is, her meager scholarship forbids her to teach. Enter Julius Malette (Charles Winninger), a wealthy man (he manufactures
musical equipment) who is captivated by her, and begins to anonymously
send her another "scholarship", and not so anonymously take her to
concerts, theater, and even the circus. However, things get complicated
when he sends his Vice-President, Tony
Baldwin (Jeffrey Lynn), to break a date for him. Baldwin is delighted
with her, but also suspects that Amelia and Malette are MUCH more than
friends. Things get even MORE complicated when her friends Joy
O'Keefe and Dusty Rhodes (Jane Wyman and Eddie Albert) cash another of
Malette's check, further intensifying Baldwin's belief that Amelia is
seeing Malette for money.
We really
enjoyed this movie. Olivia is just lovely in in. Her Amelia is sweet
and unassuming. And the filming of her violin sequences is quite well
done. You will believe she is playing the violin. We also have some
great supporting performances here.
Spring
Byington as Mrs. Malette is delightful. She knows quite well that her
husband is not just working late, but it is also clear that she trusts
him. She seems to understand that he needs to be a little "naughty" and
she is able to give him the freedom he needs to work out his mid-life
crisis. We loved her interaction with Amelia; her ability to gently put
the girl at ease just makes you like Mrs. Malette all the more. We also enjoyed Paul
Malette (as played by William Orr). Originally convinced that Amelia
is a disreputable person, he meets her and falls immediately in love.
And though he thinks badly of his father for his "relationship" with
Amelia, he bravely tries to protect both him and Amelia when he believes
his mother is about to find out "the truth".
Finally,
there is the teaming of Jane Wyman and Eddie Albert. You really want
to kill them when the steal Amelia's check, but it is hard to not like
them. And it is good to see Jane Wyman in almost anything. She is
always a bright light in any film. We found a rather unusual trailer (with George Reeves in it - he is NOT in the picture!):
Next time, we'll be venturing back to more serious Olivia territory. We hope to see you then.
This week, we look at the 1956 comedy The Ambassador's Daughter,
wherein Olvia plays the title role. Joan Fiske lives in Paris with her
ambassador father (Edward Arnold). She is engaged to Prince Nicholas
Obelski (Francis Lederer) and happily serves as her father's hostess.
Into their lives comes crusading Senator Jonathan Cartwright (Adolphe
Menjou) and his wife (Myrna Loy). He has decided that Paris has a
terrible influence on their naive servicemen, and wants to ban it as a
destination for the military. The Ambassador, of course, needs to
prevent this - the soldiers are a huge source of income for the nation
still recovering from the war, and he does not share the conservative
senator's fears. Thus, Joan enters into a bet that she will woo a
soldier (John Forsythe), and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that
American soldiers are gentlemen.
This is not a great movie, but it
has its moments. The scene in which Myrna Loy tries to convince John
Forsythe that Olivia is actually a good girl (he has come to believe
that she is the Senator's mistress) is hilarious, and Olivia doing her
best French accent is delightful. But the movie has one little problem -
the romantic leads are just a tad too old for the subject matter.
Forsythe, who was 38 when the film was released, is far too mature to be
so ignorant. And Olivia, at 40 is just too adult to be mistaken for
any kind of an innocent. The other problem is the timing of the movie -
why is Forsythe still in the armed services? Korea is three years over,
and it is 10 years since the Second World War (which of course would
have been the impact factor in France). Why are all these soldiers still
in France? And why isn't Forsythe back in the states working as an
engineer? Tis a puzzlement!
But if you have a chance, give it a
look see. Just suspend you disbelief at the door, and let Myrna and
Olivia whisk you away to a more innocent time.
Next time, another comedy, but from a much earlier time.
Our discussion this time centered on the role that Olivia de
Havilland is perhaps best remembered for: Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in Gone With the Wind.
Perhaps there is nothing that can be added to the volumes that have
already been devoted to this film, but when has that stopped us? First
off, Olivia is positively radiant as Melanie. And it is more than just
Melanie's goodness ("the
only truly kind person I have ever known", as Rhett Butler so aptly
puts it). It is her iron will and strength of purpose. Watch her come
down the staircase with a sword she can barely carry; then look at the
steely determination in her eyes when her husband's safety depends on
her. As Scarlett so aptly puts it "What a cool liar you are, Melly!"
Could another actress have so effortlessly merged two such apparently
divergent characteristics so beautifully? It is hard to imagine!
We
also spent some time discussing the other characters, primarily
Scarlett and Mammy. Of course, the wonderful Hattie McDaniel is dynamic
here. Her eyes tell us everything we need to know about her attitude
to Scarlett. And did you ever notice that, though she is quick to
correct Scarlett on every other thing, when Scarlett goes after sister
Sue-Ellen's beau, Frank Kennedy, Mammy says nothing? Could it be she
knows that Scarlett will support her entire family on Frank's money,
whereas Sue-Ellen will high-tail it out of Tara faster than scat, and
leave them all to fend for themselves?
Finally,
there is Scarlett. I personally like Scarlett. The film's Scarlett is
no way as hard as Scarlett in the book (that Scarlett is so clearly a
collaborator after the war; the film's Scarlett is just selling to
them), but she is basically a responsible person. Even though she
believes that Ashley is dead (more evident in the book than here), she
still supports his wife and child because she made a promise to do so.
And her vow to "never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk."
And she means it. Everything she does supports the family, not just
herself. A brat? You bet. But if I had to have someone in my corner,
it would be Scarlett. And Melanie, more than anyone else, with her
clear picture of all those she loves, knows it.
Just for fun, here's a deleted scene that we found:
Next time, we jump to the 1950s for our next film.
This week, our movie is from 1959. It is Libel,
starring Dirk Bogarde and Olivia de Havilland, as Sir Mark and Lady
Margaret Lodden, a well-to-do couple living happily in England (he is
English nobility; she is an American who wed him after he returned from
World War II. Their life is happy, until the day a former war colleague
of Mark's who recognizes him, not as Mark Lodden, but as the fairly
heinous Frank Welney, another soldier who was a
dead ringer for Sir Mark. When Mark will not acknowledge that he is
Welney, the colleague, Jeffrey Buckenham
(Paul Massie) goes to the newspapers and provides an interview accusing
"Sir Mark" of killing and replacing the real Mark Lodden. In turn, Mark
and Margaret sue the newspaper and Buckenham for libel.
If
this is not the best movie ever made, it is certainly suspenseful. Is
Mark Frank? Does Margaret believe Mark? And who is Number 15 (to find
out, watch the movie!) You won't be quite sure until the last scene.
And both actors are wonderful at keeping you guessing. Dirk Bogarde's
hesitation throughout the movie keeps you wondering just WHAT his
problem is - is it amnesia, as he claims, or is he really NOT the person
he claims to be. And Ms. De Havilland goes from loving wife to doubter
as the court case progresses. And you understand why. It is a lovely
symmetry between the two actors that you are sucked into the mystery.
The movie, interestingly, is based on a play from 1935-1936, starring Colin Clive (of Frankenstein fame), and directed by Otto Preminger. In the scene below, Margaret sees the toll that that accusations are having on her husband:
Next time, we'll spend a few minutes with an Olivia performance that is one of her most famous, and perhaps one of her best.
This week, another Olivia/Errol adventure flick, and again we get history via Warner Brothers. It's They Died with Their Boots On
(1942), wherein Errol Flynn plays an unrecognizable (but wonderfully
heroic) George Armstrong Custer, and Olivia plays his devoted wife, Elizabeth
"Libby" Bacon. The film starts with Custer's arrival at West Point (we
are told he scored lower at the Point than did U. S. Grant), and where
he meets his future wife. He also meets his nemesis
Ned Sharp (played with mustache-twirling nastiness by Arthur Kennedy).
During Custer's tenure at West Point, the Civil War erupts, and he is
graduated early to serve in the active army. Finally, he is able to get
back to Olivia (having become a hero in the war) and wed her (despite
her father's dislike of the Custer, who has a tendency to drink too
much).
There is an excellent
documentary on the DVD, and if you have a chance to get your hands on
the DVD, do take the time to watch it. There is a bit of discussion
about the actual history of Custer (and of course, he was no way near as
dashing as Errol. Nor was he anywhere near as pleasant as the character
created by the talented Mr. Flynn). Olivia's Libby is just lovely, and
she gets to do a bit more here than in (say) The Charge of the Light Brigade. Of
course, her parting scene with Flynn (much cited when her performances
are discussed) is gut-wrenching. But also lovely are her scenes with
Hattie McDaniel (as her servant Callie). Finally, there is the scene in which Libby
delivers Custer's "deathbed" statement. Her quiet power is obvious. Some other people to look out for here are Regis Toomey as Fitzhugh
Lee, who leaves his position at West Point to join the Confederate Army
(very nicely done) and Errol Flynn's scenes with Sydney Greenstreet (as Lt. General Winfield Scott) are quite funny, with Scott portrayed as a gourmand with a taste for onions. And I must not omit Anthony Quinn as Crazy Horse; his Chief is Custer's
military equal - a nobleman who is in the right, pretty much throughout
the picture.
We'll be back soon with a much later Olivia film. We'll leave you with the trailer to the film:
This week, we looked at The Charge of the Light Brigade, another Warner Brothers attempt at rewriting history. Errol Flynn plays Major
Geoffrey Vickers, a military officer in India who is engaged to Elsa
Campbell (Olivia de Havilland). Only problem is, Elsa had fallen in
love with Geoffrey's younger brother Captain
Perry Vickers (Patric Knowles) while both were in Calcutta (and
Geoffrey was off on a mission). Naturally, this causes a falling-out
between the brothers, and some antagonism from Elsa's father (Donald
Crisp), who MUCH prefers the gallant Major Vickers to his office-bound
sibling.
When all the inhabitants of Chukoti are massacred by Surat
Khan (who spares Geoffrey and Elsa because of a debt he owes to
Geoffrey), revenge becomes the goal of the Light Brigade. And Geoffrey,
who has nothing to live for without Elsa, is the leader in the Light
Brigade's charge to kill Surat Khan (who has escaped to the Crimea!)
What
any of this has to do with the actual Charge is a mystery. They use a
few lines from Tennyson, and the costuming is pretty much on target, but
any other relation to history is purely coincidental. The appeal of
the film though, lies not in its plot; the movie is all Flynn. If there
is a problem with it, it's just that it is hard to understand why
Olivia would prefer Patric Knowles to Flynn (No offence to Knowles, but
he has NOTHING on Flynn. An attractive man, Patric Knowles just does
not have the electricity that Flynn brings to all his roles.)
The
ending scene is glorious. So what if it is totally wrong? Only the
Warner Brothers could make you think that the British actually WON the
Charge of the Light Brigade! Here's a trailer:
Next week, we'll join Olivia and Errol again as the rewrite history.
This time, we're looking at 1935's Captain Blood - Errol
Flynn's first major film role and his introduction to our heroine,
Olivia de Havilland. This film, seventy-five years later, is still
magic. The chemistry between the leads is palpable (yes, the word
chemistry is overused. But with Olivia and Errol, it is the only word
that works), and the sense of adventure is in the air. Our Ms. de
Havilland glows as Arabella Bishop, Flynn has a rakish air as Dr. Peter
Blood, and love-hate relationship between the two characters is
beautifully portrayed.
Perhaps one of our favorite characters here, though, is Captain Levasseur,
as beautifully portrayed by Basil Rathbone. I'm sure all here know
that Rathbone was a brilliant fencer, and could have beaten any of his
co-stars without even breaking a sweat; the fight sequences between him
and Flynn are wonderful - like watching a dance, but a dance where the
prize is Olivia. We also talked a bit about Ross Alexander, who plays
Blood's friend Jeremy Pitt. Alexander
died only two years later, a suicide. This was to be Alexander's
breakthrough role; unfortunately his wife's suicide and his own private
issues (according to the IMDB, Mr. Alexander was gay. Of course, one
didn't admit to that and remain a successful actor in 1926) proved too
much for him. We also noticed
that the pirate ship Captain Blood sails is named the Arabella. It's
never dwelled upon - unfortunately, on a small TV screen, it's hard to
notice; but it must have been quire apparent on a big screen. Such a
little thing, but it tells us so much about Blood and his passion for
Arabella. Here's a trailer from the movie, for your enjoyment:
Next week, we'll be back to visit Ms. de Havilland and Mr. Flynn in somewhat different roles.
Though A Midsummer Night's Dream was actually Olivia de Havilland first film role, the first movie in which she was actually appeared was a comedy. The movie - Alibi Ike,
a vehicle for comedian Joe E. Brown, in which Brown plays Frank X.
Farrell, a big-league baseball player (for the Chicago Cubs, no less!)
who is unable to tell a straight story. Whatever happens, Frank has to
make up some kind of lame story to excuse his behavior (thus, the title
and his nickname on the team). He meets and falls in love with the
sister-in-law of the team's manager (Dolly Stevens, played by Olivia).
Of course, there is eventually conflict between them (because of Frank's
inability to face up to ANYTHING in public), and a threat to our hero
from some gamblers who want him to throw the big game.
Olivia
doesn't get to do much in this film; it is Joe E. Brown's vehicle (who
was at the peak of his popularity at this point). However, she does have
one really good scene - she overhears Frank (who has just proposed to
her) denying their engagement, and saying that she was merely an
annoyance to him. Her rage and hurt are done beautifully. You can see
the pain in her eyes as she listens to Frank being an idiot.
We
spent some time as well discussing Joe E. Brown. No, this is not a movie
to remember, but ultimately, you can see how likeable Joe E. Brown
was. This film points out WHY he was so effective many years later in Some Like it Hot.
Brown is an endearing man. You like him, in spite of all the
nonsense. Thus, in the 50s, Billy Wilder was able to make Daphne's
(Jack Lemmon) gold-digging humorous. Brown's affection and wide-eyed
"Well, nobody's perfect" make everything Daphne and Josephine do all
right. And, an interesting piece of trivia here, Brown played professional baseball for a time, worked as a broadcaster for the Yankees in the 1950's, and was the first president of PONY League Baseball and Softball. His love for the game (he would make two more baseball-related films) ran deep.
In this trailer, you can catch a glimpse of Ms. de Havilland - as we mentioned, she is not the star in this film:
Join us again next week for an early swashbuckler.
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:
