Barbara's Love Nest

Illicit, with Barbara Stanwyck, is easily a Pre-Code film!  Stanwyck stars as Anne Vincent, a young woman in love with Dick Ives (James Rennie).  Dick and Anne aren't married, but are openly living together.  Dick has proposed multiple times, but Anne resists, seeing marriage as the death of love.  Finally, Dick's father convinces her that marriage is the only way to avoid scandal.  But, Anne soon finds that she and Dick are taking one another for granted, and though she still loves him, she is furious when she finds he has been out with his old girlfriend.  And things begin to unravel from there.

It's rather shocking, really, to think of a couple in 1931 living together, and discussing a long-term relationship without a wedding ring.  Sure, they do get married, but Anne is convinced for much of the movie that it is marriage that has destroyed her relationship with Dick.  Stanwyck is just terrific here, both vulnerable and tough.  An interesting casting note is Charlie Butterworth as Dick's gossipy friend Georgie.  A drunk and a ne'er-do-well, Georgie is really one of the major reasons the marriage become troubled. 

It's also good to see Ricardo Cortez (as Price Baines, Anne's old flame).  Ricardo is such a slimy bad guy.  It's a pleasure to watch him work to break up the marriage (and oh, yes, he certainly does try).

If you would like to have a taste of this delicious movie, try this clip:


Next time, another Francis Pre-Code gem.

Nanny in Disguise

Devotion (1931) stars Ann Harding as Shirley Mortimer the maligned and ignored daughter of an intellectual family.  While assisting her family (Shirley runs the house. The rest of the family is “too busy”), she meets David Trent (Leslie Howard), a busy barrister in need of a nanny for his young son. Shirley is smitten with David, and decides to pursue their relationship by apply for the job as nanny. She facilitates this by inventing an older Cockney lady, Mrs. Halifax, and donning a grey wig, old clothing, and glasses. David, of course, is oblivious to the disguise, but it doesn’t take long for his client, Norman Harrington (Robert Williams) to realize that the wig is hiding an attractive, young woman.

It struck us that Shirley was the somewhat less unbalanced mother of Bette Davis’ Charlotte Vale (Now, Voyager). Both are looked down upon by their families, both seem to see themselves as unattractive.< However, Shirley decides NOT to have a nervous breakdown. Instead, she becomes someone else.

Though filmed in the Pre-code era, this isn’t really a Pre-code movie. Or is it? Norman has murdered his wife (and been found innocent, because the wife was a violent lush). And David has his own little secret (which we won’t reveal) that rather smacks of the Pre-code ethos.

Ann Harding is quite endearing as Shirley. Though her family doesn’t think so, she really does have a backbone, is smart, and ultimately quite attractive. Leslie Howard is appropriately befuddled as the overworked barrister. And then there is Robert Williams. Robert Osborne told us about his unfortunate, brief life – a life cut short just as he was receiving attention for his work. His Norman is JUST enough on the edge to make you wonder IF he was really a murderer. One is never quite sure if he is trustworthy or not. And watch for Louise Closser Hale as Shirley's witch of a mother. 

We leave you with a clip from the film. Next time, a real Pre-Code film!

Kay Gives Her Heart - And More

Give Me Your Heart (1936) begins with a parting - Belinda Warren (Kay Francis) and Robert Melford (Patric Knowles) have been having an affair, and it is about to end.  He is married; his wife Rosamund (Frieda Inescort) is an invalid, but he still loves her and cannot leave her. So Belinda and he part; she finds herself alone upon the death of her father - until she has the son that she and Robert conceived.  Belinda is approached by Robert's father, Lord Farrington, who asks if he may raise the child as his son's heir.  The boy will be loved and happy, and will want for nothing.  Reluctantly, Belinda agrees; finally fleeing to the U.S., where she meets Jim Baker (George Brent).  They marry, but Jim cannot understand why his wife is always unhappy. 

This is a soaper, certainly, but it's a lovely film with some great supporting performances.  Henry Stephenson is wonderful as Lord Farrington. He really is the person you would be willing to give your child to.  His affection for Belinda is apparent, and we realize that this feeling is mutual.  Also great is Roland Young as "Tubby", Belinda's dear friend, and friend to Lord Farringon.  "Tubby" functions almost as a Deus ex Machina, descending on Belinda's life to help make the changes that will make things better.  Young plays him with humor, but with a serious concern for this woman who is obviously in so much pain. And Frieda Inescort has one excellent scene towards the end of the film.

Since I'm a fan of women doctors in the movies, it was fun to see that Belinda's doctor is a woman - Dr. Florence Cudahy played by Helen Flint. A good friend to Belinda, she is also a good doctor, refusing to give the insomniac Belinda sleeping pills. Florence prefers instead to try to find the root of Belinda's pain.

As always, any Kay Francis is a pleasure. However, next time we'll be visiting another 30s actress. In the meantime, here's a trailer from this film:

Spot Kay

If any one movie pushed the Production Code into existance, Mandalay from 1934 must be in the running.  Kay plays a Russian refugee, Tanya, who is deeply in love with (and living with) Tony Evans (Ricardo Cortez), a ne'er-do-well, who has the choice of losing his boat or Tanya, to Nick (Warner Oland).  He chooses the boat, handing Tanya over to Nick to work in his club as a prostitute.  Tanya takes on the name "Spot White", and begins to amass jewels and power as she apparently blackmails her clients for her silence.  Finally, she blackmails herself out of Rangoon, and on to a boat bound for Mandalay, where she meets Dr. Gregory Burton (Lyle Talbot).  He is on his way to the plague areas in Mandalay, his penance for his alcoholism.

If that isn't enough to convince you that this is a racy movie, let's throw in some implied nudity and murder as well.  This film has something for everyone!  Kay is great (in spite of having to say a lot of "R's" (as was pointed out by Robert Osborne in the introduction). As she did in The House on 56th Street, she makes the transition from innocence to hard reality beautifully.  And Ricardo Cortez is wonderful as the ever slimy Tony. Finally, we have Lyle Talbot playing Gregory as a tortured soul, whose drunkenness masks his inner pain, but who has the good sense to fall in love with Tanya.  Talbot makes a good counterpoint to Cortez in this film.  Neither is exactly the man of your dreams, but Gregory, at least has a conscience.

Lots of beautiful clothing by Orry-Kelly. And lots to titillate as well.  Watch for the scene when Kay goes after Reginald Owen (as a Police Captain of her acquaintance).  You'll love it. Here's an early scene to get you in the mood:

Peeping Kay

We return to visit our friend, Kay Francis in this wonderful little pre-code from 1933, The Keyhole.  Kay is a former dancer, Anne Brooks.  Now married to Schuyler Brooks (Henry Kolker), Anne is being blackmailed by her former dancing partner – and husband, Maurice (Monroe Owsley).  Maurice led Anne to believe they were divorced. Now that she is married to a wealthy, older man, he’s decided that she can be his meal ticket and provide him with a lifetime annuity.  Anne, of course, is having none of it.  She discusses the situation with her sister-in-law, who suggests heading to Havana, where Portia Brooks (Helen Ware) feels that she can use her pull to prevent Maurice (who is not American) from reentering the country. In the meantime, Schuyler has decided to have his wife followed by a private detective Neil Davis (George Brent), in the hopes of catching her at some indiscretion.

Monroe Owsley

This is a titillating little piece of pre-code fluff.  It’s wonderful to see George Brent in a somewhat questionable role – he is rather a gigolo; paid by his employers to sleep with their wives, in an attempt to get evidence against them. He still manages to make you like him.  And Kay is adorable as Anne.  She really is a good person; she is determined to be true to her husband, even though he doesn’t deserve it (even Portia is disgusted with him!). But she can't resist flirting with Neil. He's much to attractive to ignore.   We also get a shipboard romance, entwined with Anne attempting to outwit the slimy Maurice (Monroe Owsley is good at slimy). And Neil, totally confused by Anne's resistance to his charms.  

Here's the scene in which Maurice connives his way back into Anne's life:

What makes this a tad racy, of course, is knowing that Anne is not married to Schuyler, and watching her and her sister-in-law connive to keep the “marriage” together by getting rid of the legal husband.  There is also a little something at the ending which makes this a more dubious film for the post-code era, but we won't go into that here.

Next time, more Kay Francis. 

Myrna, Jewel Thief

Whipsaw, from 1935, features Myrna Loy as Vivian Palmer.  Vivian has, for several years, been working with a jewel robber. She is tired of the life, however, and tells her accomplices that this is her last job.   She's had little to do with the crime, but the FBI, in the form of Ross McBride (Spencer Tracy), decide to follow her.  Make that, join her, on a cross-country trip.  McBride pretends to be a criminal on the lam.  Little does he know that Vivian had him stopped almost immediately, and is steering him away from her colleagues.  Of course, their enforced togetherness results in love, with Ross conflicted about his feelings for Vivian versus his duty to his job. 
 
Myrna Loy is just wonderful. Her world-weariness; her ambivalence towards her colleagues, her suspicions about Ross, and her growing feelings for him all shine out of her eyes.  Watch especially towards the end when her relationship begins to take a turn for the worse.  Her helplessness is palpable.  The film is also beautifully costumed with Loy getting some really lovely clothing.

Likewise, Tracy is his usual honest self.  He is Ross. It's interesting to watch his eyes as his love for Vivian increases.  You can see his changes in attitude just by looking into his eyes.  Also fun to watch is John Qualen as the expectant father of a woman has has just gone into labor as our team wander by needing shelter.  He is just a joy.

Want a sample? Here is a trailer from the film:
Next week, we'll revisit an old friend of ours - Kay Francis.

Myrna in Egypt

In 1933's The Barbarian, Myrna Loy is NOT playing the exotic.  Ramon Novarro is. He is The Barbarian of the title - Jamil El Shehab, an Arabian prince, who has been working in the city as an erstwhile tourguide and ladies' man. Diana Standing (Myrna) arrives in town with her fiance Gerald Hume (Reginald Denny) and her companion Powers (Louise Closser Hale).  Jamil takes an immediate interest in Diana - she is somewhat less engaged by him.  There is some verbal dueling, some tricks played by Jamil on Gerald, and finally, Jamil kidnaps Diana.  

Today, we would probably say that Diana had Stockholm Syndrome, because, quite frankly, as physically attractive as Jamil is, he is really quite an unattractive individual. He is a bully, he is a male chauvanist, and finally, he is physically abusive.  Why Diana would want him in the end is beyond me. Then again, Gerald is no prince among men either. He's just a wimp who can't even stand up to his mother!

 Loy is just lovely, as always and one is sympathetic to her Diana.  The problem is, one can't understand why she doesn't just leave town with Powers (the always irrepressible Louise Closser Hale) and find a better man.  Certainly the two she's managed to dig up in Egypt should just be left in a pyramid somewhere with a mummy! This is not really a film that translates well in the 21st Century.  We really wanted Diana to get a better break.

And of course, it is ever so racy.  By today's standards, the hint of nudity in one of the scenes is bothing, but in 1933, it would be just enough to upset the would-be censors.

A quick scene from early in the film:

The film is worth a quick peek, especially for the scene where Diana argues with her future mother-in-law about the proper placement of her bridal veil. 

And here she is in the bridal veil

And don't miss the final scene - oh, my, the times they really HAVE changed (thank heavens)!

Very Naughty Myrna

Again, we revisit Ms. Myrna Loy in one of her early, supporting role.  The Naughty Flirt (1931) stars Alice White as, well, a flirt. She's Kay Elliott, a wealthy, irresponsible, flirtatious all-around brat.  She is being pursued by Jack Gregory (Douglas Gilmore) because he and his sister Linda (Myrna) have lost all their money in the stock market crash, and Kay's millions appear quite appealing.  Enter young businessman Alan Ward (Paul Page). He works for Kay's father, but finds Kay to be a major pain in his backside.  She, however, is fascinated by him, and proceeds to pursue HIM. Here is the the opening scene, in which her naughtiness is revealed (it's not all that bad). Plus, you get a glimpse of Ms. Loy :


The naughty flirt of the title is, of course, Kay, but Linda is surely the most naughty.  She prods her brother constantly to be more aggressive in his courtship of Kay.  He is unimpressed.  Myrna is just lovely and sinister as Linda.  She is smart, sexy and assertive.  She's also a decidedly NOT nice person.  Kay, on the other hand, appears on the surface to be a tad naive.  She isn't, of course, but Alice White (who is very good at pursing her lips into a little circle, as though she is about to kiss.  Her silent film experience is evident here.  She uses her eyes and mouth a lot. Her speech still is more cutsey than one would expect.  Loy, on the other hand, is sophisticated and comfortable with the sound camera. It is as though she was born to it.

More Myrna next week. Please join us then.

"Manuella" Loy

This week's film is a little-known Myrna Loy film from 1929 - The Great Divide, in which she plays Manuella, the maid of Steven Ghent (Ian Keith).  Yes, Ms. Loy is a Mexican (with appropriately darkened skin), and she is supposed to be VERY young (I believe 16), but she is quite enamored of Steve. He, however, sees her as a child, and laughs off her advances.  Then, he meets Ruth Jordan {Dorothy Mackaill) and falls head-over-heels.  Only problem is, she is not interested in him. Since she is a brat, and the daughter of a good friend (who is dead), he decides to teach her some manners, so he kidnaps her, and brings her to his hacienda.  Where, of course, she meets our little Manuella.  And here is Manuella BEFORE Ruth arrives, trying her best to seduce Steve:


Given that this film was made in 1929, there is a certain static-ness to the proceedings, and Keith is a bit stiff, but Loy and Mackaill (who we all like very much.  See our blog post about Love Affair) are lots of fun, especially when sniping at one another.  

This isn't a great movie, but getting to see Loy in her exotic period is a enjoyable. When you think that this is the future Nora Charles and Milly Stephenson, one is even more impressed by her fabulous range as an actress.

Mommy Kay

In 1938's My Bill, Kay Francis plays Mary Colbrook, the widowed mother of four children.  3 of her little darlings are rude, selfish, graspy creeps.  But then there is Bill (played by Dickie Moore), who for some unexplained reason calls his mother "Sweetheart", and who is the only sensible member of this family. Though Kay was left some money on her husband's death, she has wasted every cent of it providing the selfish bunch with piano lessons and new dresses.  Now, she's broke. So the obnoxious 3 leave her (after she squanders more money on cabs and flowers); Bill remains, begins a paper route, and takes on the job of "Man of the Family" to support his mother.

I think it would be fair to call this an odd movie. It's based on a play (from 1928), but really the biggest problem is the character of Mary.  By the end, we get a lot more back-story (which does make her story more interesting), but she is such a scatterbrain that one wonders how she has survived as long as she has. Bill, however, is a stand-up young man, and Dickie Moore plays him with verve. Bonita Granville, Anita Louise and Bobby Jordan as the other three nightmarish offspring bring obnoxious to new heights. And Elizabeth Risdon as Aunt Caroline confirms they are from the correct gene pool.

This film came out the same year that Kay got labeled "Box Office Poison" (along with Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich); it's obvious it was less her and more some of the parts she was being given.  She does the best she can, but in a sense, this IS Dickie Moore's movie.  And he kinda runs with it.