Thanks to TCM's latest "Summer Under the Stars", we've been able to
assemble a number of Joan Crawford (and Carole Lombard) movies that we
had none of us seen before. We look forward to sharing them with you in
the coming weeks. This week, we again visited with Ms. Crawford in her
1935 film I Live My Life. Joan is a young society girl Kay
Bentley , on a cruise through the Greek Islands with her father (played
beautifully by Frank Morgan). While riding her rented donkey on Naxos,
she stumbles (literally) on the archeology site that is being excavated
by Terry O'Neill (Brian Aherne). It doesn't take long for Terry to fall
head over heels for Kay (though he thinks she is a secretary on the
yacht), but Kay resists his charms. For awhile. When he follows her to
New York, she is truly smitten. But complications, as they say, ensue.
The course of true love is rather rocky, especially with two such
wonderfully headstrong people.
Crawford is gorgeous here, and the
chemistry between her an Aherne fairly smokes. As we know from Ann
Blyth's introduction to Ms. Crawford on TCM, Joan was a small woman -
barely 5 feet tall. Mr. Aherne, however, was 6'3" - together, they make a
fairly arresting couple. Crawford's gowns, by Adrian, are lovely; we
rather drooled to try some of them on! (And the sight of the attractive
Mr. Aherne in a tuxedo was nothing to sneeze at!). Crawford pokes fun
at herself in one scene, commenting on the amount of money she spends on
her manicures and on her eyebrows. She doesn't mention her EYELASHES!
She could dust the windows with those eyelashes.
We enjoyed Frank
Morgan as Crawford's loving father. It seems at first that he will
betray her, but he is impressive in his affection for his daughter -
ready to give up everything he has to make her happy. And, while you
will have to wait awhile for her to show up, it is worth the wait to see
Jessie Ralph as Joan's grandmother, the frightening Mrs. Gage. She is
an absolute hoot, and you will enjoy her tremendously.
All in all, this is a fun film, with a great cast and a really nice script. If you get a chance, see it. You won't regret it. In the meantime, we can direct you to a scene from the film:
This time, we are going forward in Ms. Crawford's career to her 1956 film Autumn Leaves.
Joan plays a lonely spinster, Milly Weatherby, who works from her home
as a typist, and has given up on finding someone with whom to share her
life. One day, as she eats alone in a crowded restaurant, she is
interrupted by a young man - the restaurant is crowded, could he eat
with her, rather than wait for a table. Though Millie is reluctant, she
agrees, and finds herself drawn to the rather odd Burt Hanson (Cliff
Roberson). They date; she breaks it off - primarily because she is in
her early forties, while Burt is about 30. Burt however, will have none
of this, and continues to pursue her, finally convincing her to marry
him. Though happy with him, Millie finds that Burt is lying to her,
first about small things (like the daily presents he brings her) and
finally a huge one - revealed when his ex-wife (Vera Miles as Virginia
Hanson) shows up at their door.
In the hands of a different
director, we felt this little melodrama could have been quite touching.
But directed by Robert Aldrich, famous for action pictures like The Dirty Dozen and the ultimate in horror camp, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?,
this film goes WAY over the top. Witness Cliff Robertson's
performance, as Burt becomes ill. Had it been AFTER 1960, we would have
said he was (badly) aping Anthony Perkins in Psycho. However,
we can't use that excuse here; Robertson is all but required to froth
at the mouth to portray Burt's descent into madness (gee, couldn't
Aldrich have watched such subtle performances as the Olivia de Havilland
in The Snake Pit, and Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend?) Poor Joan is left trying to make Milly sympathetic - which she does do, but it is a lot of work!
We did enjoy seeing Vera Miles, even though the part is small. Ms. Miles is catty, manipulative, and having a relationship with her father-in-law that is quite sickening. Here she is meeting Milly for the first time:
And watch for Lorne Greene, pre-Bonanza, already playing older than his years. Like Ms. Miles, his character is totally reprehensible, more than he really needs to be.
On the plus side, it was a genuine pleasure to hear the title song sung by Nat King Cole! And Ms. Crawford really is able to make the most of minimal script to give a well-rounded character.
More Crawford coming up soon - and some Carole Lombard (we hope), thanks to Summer Under the Stars!
This week, we were able to get hold of 1942's They All Kissed the Bride. In it, Joan Crawford plays Margaret J. Drew, the
head of a trucking company. She is a stern boss, with a passel of rules
for her employees, which makes her despised and dreaded by her truck
drivers. Enter Michael Holmes (Melvyn Douglas) who is publishing
articles on her tyrannies, much to her ire. Michael meets her (though
she doesn't know who he is) when he crashes the wedding of MJ's younger
sister Suzie (Mary Treen). Rapidly, MJ and Michael become involved as
he tries to loosen up this very up-tight lady. She, however is
immediately attracted to this unknown man.
This is a
particularly odd little movie. First of all, the title has NOTHING to
do with the plot. We barely see the bride, in fact, we see more of her
groom as the action progresses. Also, the film can't decide if it wants
to be a screwball comedy or a romance. Clearly filmed (at some point)
after the start of World War II, it makes only passing reference to the
war, and there is no implication that all the male characters will soon
be deep into the fighting. And Crawford's MJ is rather annoying. She
WANTS to be the head of her father's company, but she acts like a total
idiot when she meets Michael. Oh, sure, love at first sight and all
that, but really!! There is no way anyone could efficiently run a
conglomerate like MJ does, yet be such a blithering moron. Poor Melvyn
Douglas doesn't get to do much better, really. Michael is pretty much
as silly - and he KNOWS who MJ is. At least she has the excuse of
ignorance.
Some good supporting actors here - Billie
Burke is very sweet (and of course, addled) as MJ's mother; and Roland
Young is rather likeable as MJ's business associate, Mr. Marsh. Here's a scene where she meets Allen Jenkins:
But in
the long run, one rather wishes the authors and director had made a
decision about which direction they wanted the picture to take.
Instead, they end up with a mishmash that never does find its genre.
We follow with another Joan Crawford movie from 1937; this time The Last of Mrs. Cheyney,
with Crawford as the title character, Fay Cheyney, Robert Montgomery as
Lord Arthur Dilling, and William Powell as Fay's butler Charles. Or IS Charles the butler? THAT is one of the questions in this delightful comedy. Fay meets Arthur when she accidentally
ends up in his stateroom on a trans-Atlantic trip.She becomes the
darling of his social circle, finally getting a treasured invitation to
the estate of Arthur's wealthy aunt, the Duchess of Ebley. But is everything on the up and up? And WHY is Charles so familiar to Arthur?
The
person who really shines in this film is the always wonderful William
Powell. It is hard to resist a film that has Mr. Powell in it.
Understated, attractive, dignified, compassionate - he is everything
one would want in a man. And his Charles, though suspicious, is always
good and kind to Kay. Also fun to watch is Frank Morgan as Kay's suitor
Lord Kelton, and Nigel Bruce as Willie, who WOULD be a suitor if he
weren't married. As with so many MGM movies, the magic is as much in
the supporting cast as in the stars.
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
is based on a 1925 London and Broadway play, which starred Helen Hayes
as Fay in the New York cast. It also had 3 directors, the result of the
sudden death of the listed director, Richard Boleslawski.
Interestingly, the film was completed by Dorothy Arzner, the director of
our last film.
This week, we return to Joan Crawford with her 1937 outing The Bride Wore Red. Anni Pavlovitch (Joan Crawford) is a singer in a cheap dancehall. One night, her performance is seen by aristocrats Count
Armalia (George Zucco) and his friend, Rudi Pal (Robert Young). The
Count bets Rudi that he could take a member of the lower class, and pass
her off as an aristocrat. Rudi laughs off the suggestion, and leaves;
to prove his point, the Count offers Anni a two-week vacation, all
expenses paid, in an elite resort, on the proviso that she convinces
Rudi she is, in fact Anna Vivaldi, an aristocrat. Anni is soon buying
clothing, including a gaudy red evening gown - something she has desired
her whole life - and is off to the country to live a life of leisure for
two weeks. However, she soon decides she would rather continue to live
the life of an aristocrat - by seducing and marrying the already-engaged Rudi.
Filmed during the period of time when
Crawford was married to Franchot Tone (who plays the peasant Guilio,
the postmaster who loves Anni at first sight), the movie is a bit slow
in pace. Crawford is excellent as Anni, but it is rather hard to
understand why Guilio remains interested in her while she repeatedly is
nasty to him; just as it is equally hard to understand why Maddalena
Monti (Lynne Carver) stays true to Rudi. We know early on he is a cad
and philanderer. Why such a nice girl would stay with him is a mystery.
Much
of our discussion focused on Robert Young. Though a good actor, he never
really seemed to find his niche before he landed on TV. On the small screen he easily engaged the audience, whereas on the
big screen he always seems overshadowed by his costars. Here too,
Crawford and Tone are much more dynamic than Young. It is hard to
understand, money withstanding, why Anni would feel anything for Rudi.
Even as a skunk, he is rather banal.
Certainly
worth a look for this wonderful cast. And be on the lookout for Mary
Phillips as Maria, a former employee of Anni's dance hall who has found a
better life as a maid in the resort; and for Dickie Moore as Guilio's
young cousin Pietro. They add to the film immeasurably. You'll also get a chance to hear Crawford sing. Here is a clip:
It is also worth noting that the film was directed by Dorothy Arzner, the only
female director of this period.
This week, we decided to try a musical as we waited for more
Crawford or Lombard movies to show up in the pipeline. Our choice was Good News starring June Allyson (as library assistant and French tutor Connie Lane) and Peter Lawford (as football hero Tommy Marlowe).
Our stars are college students who become involved with one another
when Tommy decides he needs to learn French to impress recent transfer Pat McClellan (played by Patricia Marshall).
This
is fun, if odd little movie. Some really cute dance routines, but with
the most remarkably unmusical cast you have ever seen. Only Mel Torme
(as Danny) can really sing. Certainly Allyson and Lawford did not have
the greatest sets of pipes in the business, though their dancing is
indeed earnest. Surprisingly, even the second string player
(particularly Joan McCracken as Babe Doolittle)are not really what
one could call singers. Regardless, it is an enjoyable film. We, the
viewers, however, did want to take Tommy and launch him into another
solar system for his casual attitude towards our heroine, Connie.
On
the DVD of this film, there is a cut number. According to the notes, it
was removed because it slowed down the action. We decided to take a
look, and found that we agreed. It's a shame though; it was the only
chance Patricia Marshall had a chance to sing), and June Allyson had on
the most attractive evening gown! So much nicer than the Peter Pan
collar numbers she is forced to wear in the rest of the picture! Here is a clip of a number that did NOT slow down the action - "The Varsity Drag":
We
were not familiar with either Ms. Marshall or Ms. McCracken, and their
history is rather interesting. For Ms. Marshall, this was basically her
only film (she would appear one more time, almost 30 years later in The Prisoner of Second Avenue). She returned to New York, and appeared in the casts of Mr. Wonderful and Pajama Game.
She married Larry Gelbart, and was with him until his death in 2009.
Joan McCracken had nearly as short a career; she did some television
work, and married Bob Fosse in 1951 (they divorced in 1959, but he
remained a source of support for her until her death in 1961.
So, do take a look at Good News. It's lots of fun, and you'll get to see two actresses you'll not see again.
As we wait for a few more Crawford or Lombard movie to appear on
our favorite channel, we visit with a pair of truly lovely, talented
ladies - Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow - in the hilarious Libeled Lady(1936).
Loy is Connie Allenbury, a wealthy young lady with lawsuit on her mind
after a newspaper, run by Spencer Tracy's Warren Haggerty inadvertently
libels her. To circumvent the suit, Haggerty comes up with a plan -
marry his fiance Gladys (Jean Harlow) to writer Bill Chandler (William
Powell), then have Bill seduce Connie, so Gladys can sue Connie for
alienation of affection! Only problem is, both Gladys and Connie
actually fall in love with Bill, who is head over heels for Connie.
This
is a very funny movie. If you have a decent script (which this does),
it is rather hard to miss with this cast. Spencer Tracy as the
reluctant groom is a riot; and you are rather pleased when he gets a bit
of his comeuppance. Harlow as the doubly spurned woman is lovely.
Thankfully, she gets her man in the end (this is a comedy!).
And can you
miss with that wonderful team of Powell and Loy! They had already made
the first Thin Man together, as well as Evelyn Prentice and Manhattan Melodrama.
You cannot see the credit list and not assume that they will end up
together. They are perfectly matched, and Powell does his utmost to
turn Bill from cad to dream.
A screwball comedy in the best sense, this one is well worth a look. We highly recommend it. Here's a trailer to give you a taste:
None of us had seen 1933's Today We Live, so when we
discovered TCM was airing it, we were very eager to see it. A great cast
(Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone, and Robert Young) and a
marvelous director (Howard Hawks) led us to expect another forgotten
gem. But, it turns out, this one was probably forgot for a reason. The
word "turgid" rather sums up the odd movie. During WWI, Richard Bogard
(Cooper) has just arrived in England to rent a country mansion on the
day when his landlady, Diana Boyce-Smith (Crawford), finds out that her
father has been killed in action. Quickly, they discover they love one
another - only problem Diana is engaged to childhood friend (and war
officer) Claude Hope (Young), who is serving in the military with
Diana's brother Ronnie (Franchot Tone). Diana flees to the continent to
work in the war effort; Richard follows her, joining the air corps. Of
course, they meet. Of course, Ronnie and Claude are there too.
Complications, as they say, ensue.
This film is very much inspired by director Hawks' experience in World War I. Indeed, his earlier film, The Dawn Patrol, also looked at fliers during the war; his later Only Angels Have Wings
would be his penultimate tribute to the men who risked their lives in
the air. The problem with the film is that we have a bunch of obvious
Americans playing Brits. The writer seems to think that speaking in
clipped sentences is the way to convince the audience that his actors
are really English. It doesn't work.
This is clearly a pre-code movie.
Diana is no innocent. In fact, we realize that she is living with Claude
while in Europe. But other than that, it is not really all that racy,
or even romantic. The scene where Cooper and Crawford announce their
love for one another rather leaves the viewer going "HUH? Where did THAT
come from?" Too bad, really. They should have made an interesting
combination.
We'll be taking another short break from Crawford for
the next two weeks (while we wait for a few movie that will be aired in
July). Next week, we look at a comedy the great Jean Harlow. We hope
you'll join us.
Some time ago, we did a Carole Lombard film festival. There were a
few movies we didn't get to see because we couldn't lay hands on them,
but we finally got a copy of 1934's Twentieth Century, a
delightful comedy in which Carole trades tirades with John Barrymore.
Would be actress Mildred Plotka (Carole Lombard) comes under the spell
of producer/director Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore). Their professional
partnership results in a name change (to Lily Garland) for Mildred, as
well as fame and fortune to them both UNTIL yet another fight results in
a rift that drives Oscar into near bankruptcy. His solution - woo Lily
back into his latest play, featuring her as Mary Magdalene. As they
say, high-jinx ensue.
This is a very funny movie, but it is LOUD.
Neither Oscar nor Lily believe in talking - they scream, screech, yell,
bellow, cry, but they NEVER just talk. Much of this movie resembles an
old fashioned farce, with lots of noise, slamming doors and just
generally weird characters. Some good character actors here - including
Walter Connolly as the much put-upon Oliver Webb (Oscar's favorite hobby
is firing poor Oliver), as well as Oscar's other aide Owen O'Malley
played with gusto by Roscoe Karns, Of course, one really does want to
see Barrymore and Lombard together, as they duel endlessly. And then,
there is Oscar's oft repeated line "I close the iron door..." Here's a little montage of the action:
Our thanks to Carole and Co.
blog for mentioning our efforts here. It was just a coincidence that we
had another Carole movie in the pipeline. We hope to find a few more.
In the meantime, we also hope for some other fine performances down the
road.
We were able to get a copy of Above Suspicion when it
last aired on TCM, much to our delight. The advertisements which aired
on TCM made the film seem to be a much more tongue-in-cheek story than
we would have expected from a World War II vintage (1943) film, and
while there are some moments that are humorous, on the whole, this movie
very much reminded us of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (plug for my
favorite TV show), it had those same elements of seriousness that one
expects from good spy story, combined with humor. Here, we have a pair
of innocents, newlyweds Frances and Richard Myles (Joan Crawford and
Fred MacMurray), who are recruited to locate a scientist with essential
war related information. Because they are Americans, and because they
are on their honeymoon, it is believed that they are "above suspicion".
Of course, they are not, and rather rapidly they come under the eye of
Count Sig von Aschenhausen (Basil Rathbone), a former classmates of Richard's who is deeply involved with the Gestapo.
There
are a number of nice touches in this movie. The introduction of the
character of Thornley (Bruce Lester), who also came to Germany to assist
the English, and who also was considered "above suspicion", much to his
sorrow makes a nice counterpoint to our couple. Also, it was wonderful
to see that excellent actor Conrad Veidt as Hassert
Seidel, who is working AGAINST the Nazis. Veidt escaped from the Nazis,
yet spent most of his years in Hollywood playing rather horrid Nazis.
Robert Osborne, in his introduction, reminded us that this was Veidt's
last movie - he died a short time later from a massive coronary - a
great loss to film.
This was also Joan Crawford's
final MGM film (and her only film with MacMurray). She is really
delightful in it. And the ending, in which she has to assume a disguise
in order to escape from he Nazis, is wonderful. She really is
convincing in her costume! Add to all this excellent performances by
Fred MacMurray and Basil Rathbone, and this is certainly a movie that is
worth your time. It was our belief that the film did not do especially
well in 1943 - a shame, because it is certainly a film that keeps you
interested. A truly neglected little gem. We found a trailer for you to look at:
