Back Log

Oh, yes, I have an enormous backlog of stuff that I want to watch and/or talk about.

The Thin Man series -- awesome, awesome, awesome! But I would like to watch all of ones that I have taped before getting into them. Even if I did miss Song of the Thin Man, featuring Keenan Wynn as a crazy jazz musician. (He's like, totally, my favorite second lead/character actor from the '40s. Plus he's got a weird Van Johnson connection.)

Van Johnson love -- I've got not just one, but two of his movies waiting to be watched. A Guy Named Joe for the more traditional VJ flick and Slander for the older, more weathered VJ. It should be a good time -- when I finally get around to watching it.

Plus the musicals. I did watch On the Town last weekend, but I was doing other stuff at the same time. But I keep remembering Ozzie (Jules Munshin) going "Woo-woo-woo!" Bizarre what I remember from a darn good movie.

Yeah, hopefully it'll all change once I move. And I've got Monday off, so I can at least try to watch a couple movies while unpacking. Maybe.

FILE UNDER: News and Notes ; Van Johnson

Singin' in the Rain

I'm starting off with my favorite musical of all-time. It's got the best singing, the best dancing, and the best plot of all the musicals that I enjoy.

Singin' in the Rain begins with a credit sequence while Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor literally sing in the rain. I can't believe that this musical was suggested by the song "Singin' in the Rain." Betty Comden and Adolph Green were definite geniuses when it comes to writing musicals. (They also did On the Town, Good News, The Band Wagon, It's Always Fair Weather, etc.)

The film really starts at the premiere of The Royal Rascal starring Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) and Don Lockwood (Kelly). Before the stars of the film show up, several silent movie star stereotypes walk down the red carpet -- there's Zelda (Rita Moreno, believe it or not!), the flapper, accompanied by her older husband and the exotic star with her Rudolph Valentino-esque husband. Then it's Cosmo Brown (O'Connor)! The crowd isn't as impressed by the studio musician, no matter how close of friends he is with Don Lockwood. Then, complete with a police escort, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) arrive! The gossip columnist gushes about the duo, saying they're a household name, like bacon and eggs! She convinces Don to tell the story of how he got to where he is today.

Don protests at first, but acquises, sharing his motto: "Dignity. Always dignity." Of course, Cosmo features prominently in Don's story, as they have been friends since childhood. The contrast between the spin Don puts on his journey to Hollywood and the scenes illustrating the reality is great! The first number -- "Fit as a Fiddle" shows Don and Cosmo while they are in vaudeville, playing the fiddle and tap dancing in awesome checked suits. They go from vaudeville to Hollywood, where both of them become studio musicians, playing mood music for the silent film actors. But opportunity knocks (literally!) and Don becomes a stuntman. His ensuing stunts include an aeroplane crash while on the ground, driving a motorcycle off a cliff, and an exploding cabin. Meanwhile, as a stuntman, Lina brushes off Don when he tries to introduce himself. But in her presence, Don is given a contract by the studio head and he gets to brush her off! It's a fitting start to their relationship.

The Royal Rascal is a costume drama, complete with longish hair and lavish costumes. The end is shown, and includes Don in a big fight, intersected with Lina crying, "Phillippe!" It ends with a kiss, and Don and Lina come out to thank the audience for their applause. Lina's voice is revealed off-stage, and despite being a beautiful girl, she has a voice like...like...no one on earth! She also buys into the publicity the studio puts out about her "romance" with Don, and wants him to accompany her to the party. The studio publicist convinces her that they should go in separate cars to break up the mob.

So Cosmo and Don go in Cosmo's car, and Don is bemoaning the cooked up romance to Cosmo when the car gets a flat! And Don's adoring public just happens to find him and start demanding souvenirs. Don tells Cosmo to call him a cab, so Cosmo agrees, and says, "You're a cab!" Don manages to find his own escape route, and climbs up a trolley and jumps into a moving car. Aaaahhh! screams the girl (Reynolds). You're a criminal, I've seen your face before! She stops and tells a police officer to arrest this man, and finds out that he's not a common criminal, just Don Lockwood, Hollywood star! She introduces herself to Don as Kathy Seldon and offers to take him to Beverly Hills. Don decides that he likes this girl, and starts putting the moves on her. (I have to say, I love how she sees he's coming on to her and decides to play it cool.) Kathy is not familiar with his films -- if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Dueling and Lina Lamond, right? Don doesn't like the fact that she isn't falling for his persona, but Kathy sings out, "Here we are, Sunset and Camden!" Don finds out that she's a stage actress and is planning to make it big in New York City. He leaves, but only after menacing her and then spoiling the effect by closing the door on his jacket and proclaiming, let me tear myself away from your presence! But, as we soon find out, Kathy is a performer from the floor show at the Cocoanut Grove and will be part of the entertainment at the very same party Don is going to!

Don enters the party, and everyone rejoices. Now they can show the movie, as Cosmo says, "You gotta show a movie at a party; it's a Hollywood law." The advent of sound pictures are introduced, and everyone pronounces it a fad -- or is it? But the live entertainment is here -- in the form of a big cake that Kathy just happens to pop out of! "All I Do is Dream of You" is their big dance number, and it features a very jazzy Charleston. Don captures Kathy before she can leave with the rest of the girls. He flirts with her, and Lina becomes jealous. Kathy decides to take the situation in her own hand and tries to throw a cake in Don's face, but he ducks and she gets Lina...who is very, very upset. Don tries to follow Kathy, but she bolts and he can't keep up with her car.

A few weeks later, Don begins filming the next Lockwood-Lamont picture, The Dueling Cavalier, another costume drama. While walking through the studio soundstage, Cosmo and Don talk about the fact that they can't find Kathy. Cosmo remarks that she's the first girl who hasn't fallen for Don's line, and that's why he's still interested. Cosmo decides to cheer up Don with my absolute favorite number in this film, "Make 'Em Laugh." It's the greatest mix of comedy bits ever, and the end -- when Cosmo runs up the walls -- always makes me pause.

The Dueling Cavalier starts filming, and Lina is jealous because Don is still looking for Kathy. It turns out that Lina is the one who got Kathy fired from the Cocoanut Grove. They start filming a love scene, and trade insults instead of romantic platitudes. But wait! The studio is being shut down -- The Jazz Singer is such a hit that they are changing to sound too! And they're going to be starting out with their best foot forward -- The Dueling Cavalier is going to be a talkie! Uh-oh...what about Lina's voice?

As the studio transitions to sound, there is a montage of musicals being filmed, including the songs "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" and "I've Got a Feeling You're Foolin'." Then we see "Beautiful Girl" being filmed, complete with Kathy Seldon in the chorus! It's a slightly bizarre number, but is a great fashion show of the 1920s, and also allows for the "discovery" of Kathy Seldon. Cosmo and Don show up to collect Kathy.

Kathy and Don walk outside the studio, and it is revealed that she does read the fan magazines...and has seen all of his movies. Kathy admits that she said "some awful things that night" but all is forgiven. Don wants to tell her something, but "I'm such a ham...I can't do it without the proper setting." So Don takes Kathy onto a soundstage and serenades her with "You Were Meant for Me." It's a nice romantic number.

Who else is benefiting from the talking movies? Diction coaches, of course! Lina is having issues with her coach -- cahn't versus keen't. But Don has excellent diction; he can even roll his "R"s properly. Cosmo shows up at the end of the session, and one of the best numbers, "Moses Supposes" comes from the diction coach's book. Enthusiastic tapping by both, and O'Connor really manages to keep up with Kelly!

After the brief interuption, The Dueling Cavalier begins filming again, this time also recording for sound. Intitially, there are issues with the microphone -- Lina can't remember where it is, then it picks up her heart beat, and finally they end up sewing it high up on the shoulder of her dress. Don decides that he doesn't like the dialogue given to him, and chooses to go with "I love you, I love you, I love you" in increasing intensity.

The Dueling Cavalier has a sneak preview at a theater, and it doesn't quite turn out as the spectacular success that they wanted. You can hear Don's breeches as he moves around, and the sound is pretty awful. Finally, the synchronization of the sound goes wrong, and Lina's character says "Yes! Yes! Yes" while the villian protests "No! No! No!" The audience laughs hyesterically at the film, and plans to never see another Lockwood-Lamont film again. Lina thinks that the movie was good and loud, while Don tries to slink away.

Back at Don's mansion, Kathy and Cosmo try to cheer Don up. It could be worse -- well, at least he could go back to vaudeville. Or dig ditches. Or block hats! But Don gets the idea to rework The Dueling Cavalier as a musical. (How he, as an actor, is able to make these decision, I don't know, but I suppose if it saves the movie the studio would be happy, despite the additional cost of reshooting the film. Maybe I'm getting a little too technical wtih my analysis of this, but still...) The trio sings "Good Morning," an infectuously cheery song and dance number. But after collapsing on the coach, Don realizes that Lina will be a sticking point -- she can't sing, dance, or even talk! Kathy brings up the best part of the preview -- Yes!Yes!Yes! and No!No!No! Cosmo gets a great idea and invents lip synching -- Kathy could be Lina's voice. Don doesn't want Kathy to throw away her career, but he agrees after Kathy says she'll only do it for the one movie.

Don drops Kathy off at home, leading into the most famous song and dance number in the movies, "Singin' in the Rain." It's justifiably considered on of the best moments in musical history. It's got good singing and wonderful dancing. It looks so spontaneous, but knowing the fact that there was so much planning going into creating the precisely correct environment for it just adds to my enjoyment.

Don and Cosmo pitch the idea to the studio head, and it's greenlighted. But it needs a new name -- and Cosmo comes up with The Dueling Mamie. But his second idea, The Dancing Cavalier wins out. He also comes up with a great new plot -- a modern setting, which would enable them to use modern dance numbers and the Charleston, but a dream sequence, set back in the French revolution era to keep some of the costume scenes. Ah, what a genius Cosmo is!

Meanwhile, Kathy sings "Would You" for the dubbing. It's obviously not Debbie Reynolds singing -- the voice is too low -- and in fact it's Jean Hagen dubbing for her!

Don also has to tell the studio head about how the modern bits are coming along, and he begins to describe the "Broadway Melody" section. I really love the beginning of the number, when Kelly is the young hoofer trying to get into Hollywood, but the nightclub parts with Cyd Charrise don't do much for me. And of course, there's the big scarf dance number. They had to use airplane fans to get that scarf where they wanted it! The studio head listens to the description of the number, and then remarks, I can't picture it, I'll have to wait until you shoot it.

Lina eventually finds out about Kathy and Don -- and that she won't be getting credit for her voice or singing. She threatens the studio. "What do you tink I am, dumb or something?" She wants to keep Kathy on as her voice permenantly, and uses her contract to threaten the studio head. The studio head is actually kind of a nice guy -- people don't do things like that! Lina responds, "People! I ain't people!" Needless to say, she manages to intimidate the studio head enough that things go her way.

Another premiere, this time it's The Dancing Cavalier. The movie is a great success, and goes to Lina's head. She threatens Don, and the studio head is torn between both their arguments. Lina ends up going too far -- threatening to take over the studio -- and so she gets to do a speech. And she's going to sing -- with Kathy doing her vocals, of course. Don threatens her, and Kathy says she'll do it, but she never wants to see Don again! "Singin' in the Rain" in A flat is what Kathy/Lina decide to sing, but the boys pull the curtain open, revealing Lina to be a fraud. Even Cosmo manages to sing a verse for Lina before she realizes what's going on.

Kathy takes off to leave the theater. Stop that girl! says Don. She's the one that you've loved tonight. He serenades her with "You are My Lucky Star," complete with Cosmo leading the orchestra. The film ends with Kathy and Don by a billboard for the movie Singin' in the Rain with Lockwood and Seldon. They kiss, and it's the end!

I LOVE this movie. Gene Kelly - fantastic. Debbie Reynolds - adorable. Donald O'Connor - my singing and dancing boyfriend! The songs are so fantastic -- "Fit As a Fiddle" with it's wonderful coordinated dances (take that, Oscar Levant!), "All I Do is Dream of You" ("Why, if it isn't Ethel Barrymore!"), "Make 'Em Laugh," "Beautiful Girl," "Moses Supposes," "Good Morning"....fantastic songs! Excellent dancing. My only minor quibble is the Broadway Melody dance sequence that doesn't really fit in so well. But I love the interaction between Kelly and O'Connor.

However, I am a little disappointed by the DVD. Initially it seems to have a whole bunch of really interesting commentary -- Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Cyd Charisse, Kathleen Freeman, Stanely Donen, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Baz Luhrmann (?), and Rudy Behlmer. But it isn't like they watch the movie and talk about what is happening on the screen as it happens. No, their commentary is recorded ahead of time and spliced in when it seems relevant. The worst is Baz Luhrmann, who seems to be included just because he's done some good modern musicals (Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom). But a close runner-up is film historian Rudy Behlmer. He tells this long elaborate story about how Cosmo was originally supposed to be played by Oscar Levant. And then he never manages to explain why Donald O'Connor got the role. From what I understand, Levant had some kind of alcohol/mental problems after An American in Paris and never really worked after that. But I had to do the research myself to find that out -- despite being a librarian, I would have liked to know that during the commentary!

FILE UNDER: Classic Films ; Top Ten Lists

Promise of More Reviews

I haven't been watching as many movies lately, partially because of TCM's lousy September schedule and also because of new network TV. However, there is a Van Johnson movie that I have taped, a little gem from 1956 called Slander. And next Monday, they're showing A Guy Named Joe, which I am totally looking forward to as Van's breakthrough movie role. And it's also probably the only movie where you won't see his forehead scars.

I'm also working on the musicals. I wrote a couple of good reviews of in the other blog that will be good starting points. I'm hoping to do a more in-depth recounting of the plots -- although for some, it will be less -- and then discussing it critically and as a musical fan. It's a bit ambitious, and since I'm moving soon, it may be tabled until I get settled in my new place. But it will happen! I will review ten musicals hopefully by the end of September!

FILE UNDER: News and Notes ; Van Johnson

My Top Ten Musicals

Since I've been totally disappointed by the movies Turner Classic is showing in September, I've decided to pose a new challenge to myself. Sadly, this challenge is not going to be as involving as the 31 Movies in 31 Days. Instead, I'm going to be creating top ten lists in various movie genres.

And the first top ten list is going to be musicals. I'm also limiting myself to musicals that I own -- so it's definitely not coming from a comprehensive list of musicals. Basically, I have only bought musicals that I really like, so it was a tough decision to narrow the list down from nineteen to ten.

So, without further ado, My Top Ten Musicals:

1. Singin' in the Rain
2. West Side Story
3. Summer Stock
4. Moulin Rouge
5. Gigi
6. Take Me Out to the Ball Game
7. On the Town
8. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
9. The Sound of Music
10. Chicago

Over the next few days -- or weeks -- I'll be writing reviews of all the musicals, hopefully after rewatching them and taking notes. I love musicals -- especially the great Hollywood era musicals. There is a reason Gene Kelly shows up in four movies! (Well, it might be just that I don't own any Fred Astaire movies that I have watched yet.)

But first, what movies didn't make the cut? They're all great -- but just not as great as the first ten. In no particular order,

• Meet Me In St. Louis
• An American in Paris
• Guys and Dolls
• For Me and My Gal
• The Pirate
• The Harvey Girls
• High Society
• In the Good Old Summertime
• My Fair Lady
• Pagan Love Song

FILE UNDER: News and Notes ; Top Ten Lists

The Bad & The Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties

The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties by Sam Kashner and Jennifer MacNair was a different book than what I was expecting. I expected stories about movies from the fifties -- but instead I got a more interesting story of Hollywood, movies, and stars of the 1950s in a definite gossipy tone.

The chapter titles should have given away the more lurid tone of the book. The Bad and the Beautiful uses a lot of Confidential Magazine, an early tabloid, to cover the exploits of Hollywood stars, including the lavendar closet, which contained the gay stars. There's also chapters on the assorted "Juniors" -- Manny Robins (Edward G. Robinson's son), Sydney Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin's son), Charlie Chaplin Jr. (duh), and John Barrymore Jr. They also talk about how Rock Hudson became a star, despite being gay, and his marriage. Some other highlights -- Lana Turner and the story behind Peyton Place and Sammy Davis Jr.'s interracial relationship with Kim Novak.

I'd recommend The Bad and the Beautiful only if you're really interested in Hollywood, or enjoy lots of old Hollywood gossip. For me at least, it was somewhat eye-opening, especially with the mention of Confidential Magazine. I have seen L.A. Confidential and knew about Hush-Hush, the magazine Danny DeVito's character ran, and after reading this book, I realized that it must have been based on Confidential. After reading this book, you definitely won't think that the '50s were an idyllic time any more. A definite revealing look at Hollywood.

FILE UNDER: Books on Film

Ginger: My Story

Ginger Rogers' biography, Ginger: My Story, is actually pretty darn interesting. I have to say, I didn't know much about the actress before reading the story except that she had starred in a number of films with Fred Astaire and could dance really well. I think I'd actually only seen one of her films -- The Major and the Minor which I love -- which is definitely not the typical Ginger Rogers film.

But Ginger: My Story is quite a revealing look at the Rogers' career and how she came to be Ginger Rogers. Rogers started out in vaudeville, then moved to Broadway, and eventually came out to Hollywood. Contrary to popular opinion nowadays, she was actually in many movies before starring in films with Astaire -- he didn't make her career happen, but their pairing definitely allowed more things to happen!

Ginger goes on and on about her dresses -- I'm not real familiar with all of her films, so I just kind of went with it. She is also is very into Christian Scientology and much is made about how she goes into each of her marriages -- Rogers was married five times! -- believing that they were going to be sober and religious like her. But of course, none of them worked out.

Ginger also talks about her various romances with other Hollywood leading men -- including an aborted relationship with Cary Grant. Bummer -- I would have taken Grant over another failed marraige to a younger man! She also dated Astaire briefly while they were both on Broadway, but she ended up moving out to Hollywood. Ginger says,

"If I had stayed in New York, I think Fred Astaire and I might have become a more serious item. We were different in some ways but alike in others. Both of us were troupers from an early age, both of us loved a good time, and, for sure, both of us loved to dance" (91).

There is also an anecdote about Van Johnson (ah, what biography would be complete without notice of him?). Apparently, Rogers made it to Pal Joey on Broadway and picked out a tall, blonde and handsome chorus boy that should be put under contract and brought to Hollywood for a screen test. But her agent talked her out of it -- what would people think if she put a chorus boy under contract? So Ginger passed up the opportunity to be the woman who discovered Van Johnson -- but he still made it to Hollywood anyway and even managed to do a movie with Rogers -- Week-End at the Waldorf.

Ginger: My Story is pretty tame stuff -- no big revelations about Hollywood stars, but she spins a pretty good story. It's an interesting look at an actress whose career spanned the early years of Hollywood through the 1950s.

FILE UNDER: Biography ; Books on Film

31. Jezebel

Jezebel is often mentioned in the same breath as Gone With the Wind. Yes, both movies have a Southern sensibility about them and a headstrong and selfish main character, but those are pretty much the only similarities between the two.

Jezebel opens in New Orleans in 1852 at a party for Julie Marsden (Bette Davis). However, Julie hasn't shown up yet -- and some of the guests are scandalized that she would be late for her own party! Julie is quickly established as a non-traditional Southern girl -- she rides a horse vigorously, wears her riding outfit to the party because she can't be bothered to change, drinks whiskey, and worst of all, she's marrying a Northerner! Julie's engagement to Preston "Pres" Dillard (Henry Fonda) is to be announced shortly.

However, Pres is busy with his work as director of a bank, and doesn't have as much time as Julie would like to spend with him. She shows up while he is in a meeting to request his presence at a dress fitting. Pres decides that he'd rather be at the meeting than go to Julie's fitting, and she gets mad. And Julie doesn't just get mad, she decides to get even. She attending the Olympus Ball with Preston that very evening, and at this dance, all the unmarried ladies wear white. Julie decides to wear a scandalously red dress. Preston comes to apologize to Julie that evening -- although he brings a cane up to her room with him to "discipline her to be more obedient" -- and eventually she shows him the red dress. He says that she must be dressed properly for the ball...in white!

Julie decides to try to get Buck Cantrell (George Brent), her old beau, to take her to the Olympus Ball in the red dress, but he won't take her -- he's got his rules and he goes by them. Preston reluctantly takes Julie to the ball in her red dress, after she makes him ashamed -- he's a coward who won't defend her. However, once they get to the dance, Preston decides to teach her a lesson and dances with her until they are the only couple on the dance floor. They leave the dance together, and Preston says good-bye. Julie won't call him back -- she's convinced that he'll be back.

One year later, Julie is still waiting for Pres to come back. She has closed up her house and doesn't receive any visitors, but once she hears Pres is coming back, she decides to have a house party at the Halycon Plantation. But Preston isn't coming back alone -- no, he has a Yankee wife, Amy.

Julie shows up in a lovely white dress and kneels before Preston and asks for his forgiveness. And then Amy enters and Preston introduces the two, causing Julie to react by tilting her head and taking control, becoming brittle again. Julie isn't going to take Amy sitting down -- she says to Aunt Belle, "I've gotta think, to plan, to fight." Aunt Belle says, "But you can't fight marriage." But Julie disagrees, saying, "Marriage, is it. To that washed-out little Yankee. Pres is mine. He's always been mine. And if I can't have him... "

It turns out that yellow fever is sweeping throughout New Orleans, and no one can leave Halycon Plantation. But Pres makes it back to New Orleans just in time to get the fever. Julie sneaks back on the river, with the help of one of her slaves, and nurses him back to health. The doctor won't not report Pres to the authorities, so it looks like he's going to be heading to the fever victim island to die. His wife shows up and is willing to go with him to the island to die, but Julie takes control. However, she does ask very convincingly, "I'm askin' for the chance to prove I can be brave and strong and unselfish. Help me, Amy. Help me make myself clean again as you are clean. Let me prove myself worthy of the love I bear him." So the film ends with Julie and Pres going off in the wagon to the island of fever victims.

I really enjoyed Jezebel. It's definitely different than Gone With the Wind, and is actually effective in its brevity, compared to GWTW. Bette is fantastic, and I loved her hair. Sounds silly, but she looks absolutely gorgeous in this film. Henry Fonda is super dreamy, and even manages to pull of the silly facial hair of the Civil War period. I would definitely recommend this film as a good counterpoint to Gone With the Wind, although Jezebel also suffers from some of the same revisionist history as GWTW -- happy, happy slaves singin' with their mastah. Honestly, I think it's good enough to overcome those few cringe enducing moments. So, Jezebel is worth watching!

And so ends the Thirty-one Movies in Thirty-one Days Challenge! It's only took me forty-two days to do it, but I'm done. Sadly, with the TCM schedule, I don't think I'll have another challenge for a while. But, looking ahead to October, I might be convinced to do a series on musicals. Who knows?

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days

30. Wife Vs. Secretary

I had very high hopes for Wife Vs. Secretary. I mean, just look at the cast list -- Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, and James Stewart. All celebrated stars of their era. But this film is dated, and honestly, the entire plot could be solved through more direct communication between husband and wife. But I digress...

The battling duo of the title is Linda Stanhope (Loy) and Helen "Whitey" Wilson (Harlow). Naturally Whitey is the indispensible secretary to Van "V.S." Stanhope (Gable), while Linda is the adoring wife. Van is an advertising man and extremely good at his job. Linda loves her husband (and vice versa) and neither has anything to worry about until...Van's mother says something to Linda. You see, Van's mom is concerned for Linda about Van having Whitey as his secretary. She's too pretty, you see, and Van could be like his father and have a girl on the side.

And so the thrust of the movie is put into action. Should Linda trust Van to keep his hands off of Whitey? Linda does to a point, but when Van goes to Cuba (ah, what fun those giddy pre-embargo days must have been!) with Whitey in tow to complete a last minute and very hush-hush deal, her faith is shaken. Worst of all, Whitey answers Van's room phone at a very early morning hour!

So poor Linda refuses to listen to Van's explanations and plans to dump him. But she hears from Whitey that she's an idiot -- and Whitey reminds her that she'll (Whitey) be there to help Van pick up the pieces, and this time, Whitey isn't going to say no! Linda, of course, changes her mind and all is well with the happy couple.

Wife Vs. Secretary isn't bad. It's a movie that I'm glad I saw once, but I feel as though I will never need to see it again. Not exactly high praise, but it's entertaining enough. I love James Stewart as Whitey's boyfriend though. Apparently Stewart flubbed some of his lines on purpose to keep canoodling with Harlow.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days

29. The Petrified Forest

I wanted to watch The Petrified Forest because it was said to have been a vehicle that started the careers of both Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis. The Petrified Forest was originally a Broadway play which both Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart starred in. Howard wouldn't make the film version of the play unless Bogart returned to reprive his part, and the rest is history. Bogart even named his daughter Leslie after Leslie Howard.

The Petrified Forest begins with a man walking through the desert. There is a service station/cafe in the middle of nowhere, and Gabby (Davis) is the waitress and daughter of the owner. She has a flirtation with Boze, the service station attendant. Then they find out that Duke Mantee, killer of six people, is loose in the area!

Then Alan Squier (Howard) shows up -- he's an Englishman traveling across the U.S. Gabby is very interested in him, and ends up telling him about her French mother and how she wants to go to France because she can't stand the desert. Alan calls her Gabrielle and tells her his life story -- about how his first novel did very well, but he couldn't write a second one and his wife left him. Gabby proposes to him -- she like him for a companion. But Alan turns her down to wander lonely across the U.S., but he does give her a good-bye kiss. Gabby finds Alan a ride to Phoenix and they part saying that perhaps they'll run into each other in France.

The car gets on its way, but runs into a broken down car. Mantee and his gang take the car and head back to the cafe. Alan tries to make it back to the cafe in time to warn everyone, but he's too late -- the gang is already there and they're hungry!

Later, after some scuffles with Mantee in the cafe, Alan changes his life insurance policy to have Gabbie as the beneficiary. He asks Mantee to kill him before he leaves. Alan says that he is worth nothing to her alive, but dead he can give her everything.

It is later revealed that Mantee is waiting at the cafe for his girlfriend Doris. But she's been caught by the patroll and Doris gave Mantee up. The posse shows up at the cafe and there is a shootout in a sandstorm. Alan has the will to live restored to him, and he talks with Gaby under the table. He doesn't want to be killed now, but Mantee shoots him and he dies. Gabby says he'll be buried in the petrified forest.

The Petrified Forest was a little bit different -- perhaps it shows a little that it was a stage play first and perhaps also that it is from 1935. It's definitely a thinking movie, with lots of philosophy provided by the traveling Englishman. However, Davis was great, and Bogart is definitely a menacing bad guy. And now I can understand the appeal of Leslie Howard. His character in Gone With the Wind never really did anything for me -- he just definitely fits the character of Ashley Wilkes, but...eh, I never did understand why Scarlet kept going on and on about him. But! -- in The Petrified Forest, I get why he was so good as a sensitive thinker. It's oddly appealing, and he does it very well.

So, do I recommend this film? Well, if you're in the mood to think a little, I definitely wouldn't turn it off. But if you're looking for brainless fare, don't turn on The Petrified Forest.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days

The Thin Man Omnibus

TCM showed all the of the Thin Man movies last night. I kind of watched The Thin Man and went to bed midway through the second one, but I taped all the other ones. (My eight hour tape wasn't enough to tape all of them and I wasn't getting up at quarter to six to put in a new tape.) Anyway, it was fun. I really like Myrna Loy. She's just so cute.

And best of all, it reminded me of the episode of Mathnet when George Frankly and Pat Tuesday posed as Nick and Nora Chuck (what an homage!) to solve a murder. And there was the butler Peeved who kept saying "I'm Peeved" to which Nick or Nora would say "I'm a little ticked off myself." Oh, that was an awesome show.

Okay, so the point of this blog isn't to get all nostalgic about old TV shows, but at least they're related!

And since I started this post, I appear to have missed taping the last Thin Man movie -- The Song of the Thin Man (with Keenan Wynn!) -- because I used PM instead of AM. Anyway, I'm hoping to finish up the 31 Movies in 31 Days Challenge (which has now become 31 Movies in 41 Days!) tomorrow and get together some cohesive thoughts on The Thin Man series over the weekend. Plus I have several film related books that I've finished reading but haven't managed to write up yet. Yes, you can look forward to hearing all about Ginger Rogers and her many, many marriages. Plus Scientology: not just for crazy modern stars!

FILE UNDER: News and Notes

This Just In!

According to an article on the IMDb, Lauren Bacall does not consider Nicole Kidman to be a "legend." During an interview, Bacall didn't want to call Kidman a legend, saying "She's not a legend. She's a beginner. What is this 'legend'? She can't be a legend at whatever age she is. She can't be a legend, you have to be older."

Well said, Lauren! Nicole Kidman a legend, pshaw! Legends are made over time, and Nicole has definitely not been around long enough -- or made enough quality movies -- to be considered a legend. And especially since she started her career by riding on the coattails of then husband Tom Cruise (also not a legend!), I think Nicole has a little bit longer to go before she deserves the title of "legend."

FILE UNDER: News and Notes

28. Dodge City

Yes, it's another Errol Flynn-Olivia de Havilland movie. I've actually seen four of their seven movies together -- Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Santa Fe Trail, and Dodge City. All quality films!

Dodge City is in beautiful Technicolor and is a post-Civil War movie about the building of the West. It starts in Kansas, 1866 with a race between the stagecoach and the train. The horse can't keep up, and it foreshadows the technological advances to come.

Wade (Flynn) is from England, but he fought in the Civil War and is here to help organize Dodge City and drive cattle. He helps bring in some families along with the cattle, and Abby (de Havilland) and her brother are in their own covered wagon. But Abby's brother has been drinking, and he begins to shoot and startle the cattle. Wade can't have the cattle stampeding, so he tries to convince the brother to stop, but ends up shooting him to save the cattle. Things have started out between him and Abby on the wrong foot...

Eventually, there is a big saloon brawl -- probably the precursor to all barroom brawls to come -- and Wade ends up becoming the sheriff to clean up Dodge City. He, of course, does a fantastic job -- although the jails overflow with prisoners. Wade manages to regulate gambling and drinking, much to the dismay of many residents. There is also a side plot about someone being owed money, but shot before they could collect it. Of course, Abby is one of the people who knows the whole story and Wade has to protect her. Eventually, there is a big shootout on the train and Dodge City is a happy place again!

Later, Wade is offered a job cleaning up another town in Nevada, but he turns it down, citing his impending nuptials and not wanting to become a pioneer again with his delicate wife. Abby is a great wife and says that they should go to Virginia City. So they drive off into the sunset.

Honestly, this movie was better than my notes seem to indicate. It's kind of a complicated plot, but very entertaining. Alan Hale shows up as a sidekick and partial instigator of the big barroom fight. It's a really beautiful movie, and the technicolor sky seems so blue that it seems a bit surreal. Perhaps that's how it was back in the 1870s. Also, Errol Flynn really reminds me of Cary Elwes. Not that Elwes has done a lot of swashbuckling movies -- just The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. But they both have a great accent and kind of handsome and athletic look about them. Too bad swashbuckling movies aren't in vogue any more.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days

27. Santa Fe Trail

As I have said before, I didn't plan on watching any of the films on Olivia de Havilland's day. I thought that I would only enjoy one -- Gone With the Wind -- and it is so long. But I ended up watching three of her films with Errol Flynn that were actually quite entertaining. I didn't plan to watch Santa Fe Trail, but after seeing that it included both Ronald Reagan and Van Heflin, I knew that I would have to suffer through the mangled history lesson.

The film starts out at West Point right before the boys are graduating. It's the eve of the Civil War and J.E.B. Stewart (Flynn), George Armstrong Custer (Regan), and Rader (Heflin) are all getting ready for their commissions. But Rader has some kind of pampflets that insight violence among the boys, and he ends up getting kicked out. Custer and Stewart get off easy -- they are disciplined and sent to somewhere dangerous in the Calvary.

They end up at the Santa Fe Trail -- in Kansas territory where John Brown (Raymond Massey) is sneaking slaves in. It turns out that Rader is part of John Brown's party, so he can try to get his revenge on Custer and Stewart. There is some fighting between the camps, and eventually a girl shows up. Kit (de Havilland) was the sister of one of their classmates, and now she's in Kansas territory to serve as the love interest. Between all the fighting, both Custer and Stewart manage to try courting her, but Kit only likes Stewart.

Eventually, the boys end up back in D.C. to get a commission. Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry occurs, but Rader gives the boys the low down on his plan and they try to stop it. Eventually Kit forsees the Civil War at John Brown's funeral. They all get married on the train -- ah, love! -- and kiss. The train drives off into the sunset and it's the end.

Would I recommend Santa Fe Trail? Definitely not as history! But I have to say that I really enjoy Flynn. He definitely pulled off the debonair swashbuckling hero as no one else really can. (Excepting Douglas Fairbanks, but they are from totally different eras.) Watching Ronald Regan play Custer is pretty entertaining and I love Van Heflin, even if he is playing a bad guy.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days

26. The Shopworn Angel

Unfortunately, I missed the first fifteen minutes or so of The Shopworn Angel, but honestly, I don't think it really mattered. The Shopworn Angel is another James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan vehicles, and is actually quite entertaining in a light-fluffy way.

Bill (Stewart) is the army -- it's before WWI -- and he's training at a camp near New York City. He ends up pretending that Daisy (Sullavan), a famous Broadway actress, is his girlfriend because she gave him a ride. Bill hasn't ever had a girlfriend, and he treats her very nicely. Daisy doesn't want Bill, but his sacrifice to become a soldier eventually gets to her. Daisy finally realizes that war isn't fun and that Bill is more than likely going to die, so she takes him to Coney Island for a Saturday of fun.

Daisy has another man on a string -- Sam (Walter Pidgeon) -- her agent who becomes jealous of Bill. They love each other, but Bill shows up after learning that his unit is heading out to France, she decides to marry him. They get married that evening, and Sam shows up at the wedding to give her away. Sadly, the marriage is never consumated, and they correspond every day. (Perhaps this is their preparation for The Shop Around the Corner?) But one day Daisy's maid (Hattie McDaniel) gets a registered letter -- poor Bill is dead.

The Shopworn Angel is okay. I didn't expect it to be a fantastic film, and most WWI movies just have a dated feel to them. But as light entertainment with a sad ending, you can expect The Shopworn Angel to fit the bill.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days

September Preview

I just went over the TCM schedule for September. I'm not very impressed by it! There are, as of today, September 6, only twelve movies that merit being singled out for watching! August was obviously a really good month to watch TCM -- the new star every day really made them show good movies consistently. And I'm kind of disappointed that they are showing some of the "new classics," like Parenthood and Sense and Sensibility. I mean, I like those movies as much as the next girl. Well, maybe not Parenthood. But I can get those on TNT or some other cable channel. I want Turner Classic Movies for old classic movies, not some "new" classics!

Anyway, Myrna Loy fares pretty well. This upcoming Wednesday is a Thin Man marathon, so I'm planning to tape all of them. Well, except The Thin Man which I have on DVD. But After the Thin Man (with James Stewart!), Another Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, and Song of the Thin Man (with Keenan Wynn!) will all be taped and hopefully watched. I really like William Powell, so I'm looking forward to that evening. And there's another Myrna Loy film -- with Shirley Temple and Cary Grant -- The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer which I like. I've seen it before, but it's a really cute movie.

There are also a couple Gene Kelly musicals that I am hoping to catch -- Anchors Away and It's Always Fair Weather. Anchors Away will complete my viewing of the trio of Kelly-Frank Sinatra films. I love Take Me Out to the Ball Game and On the Town, so I'm hoping their first outing is as entertaining. Plus he dances with Jerry the mouse! What fun! It's Always Fair Weather...well, I don't know much about it, other than I probably should have seen it at the AFI this month. Apparently it was made with the widescreen in mind, and the dancing suffers from being on the small screen. So, we'll see.

There's a Bette Davis movie that made the list -- Of Human Bondage. I had a poster for the movie that I really liked -- I wish I still had it. It also stars Leslie Howard, who is oddly appealing in a sensitive man type of way.

Of course, there are two Van Johnson movies on my list. Slander and A Guy Named Joe are both being shown this month, and I am going to watch both. Slander is a later Johnson movie, and I don't know that I would watch it if I weren't a Johnson fan. But A Guy Named Joe is the one that I'm really anticipating. It's Johnson's star-making role, and also has Irene Dunne and Spencer Tracy. Can you go wrong with a weepie WWII movie? I think not.

So that's a preview of what's to come in September. I also have some films that I taped during August, so there should be lots of celebration of classic film.

FILE UNDER: News and Notes

25. A Stolen Life

I wasn't sure that A Stolen Life was going to be a good movie -- Bette Davis plays identical twins who are romance by Glenn Ford. Well, let me tell you, this is an entertaining movie that pre-dates The Patty Duke Show and does a remarkably good job with creating the twins.

The two twins Kate and Patricia Bosworth (both played by Davis) are vacationing on an island. Kate misses the boat out to the island and has to get a ride in from Bill Emerson (Ford). He reluctantly takes her to the island, and during the ride she begins to draw him. Kate fancies herself to be a bit of an artist, and she decides to complete a portrait of the lighthouse keeper -- who Bill just happens to work for. They begin to have a little romance when Bill meets Patricia, the evil twin, and falls in love with her. Bill describes the difference between Patricia and Kate by saying "You [referring to Kate] were like a cake without the frosting...and today she's got the frosting." (Burn!) Kate can't fight her sister for Bill, so Pat ends up marrying Bill.

Kate decides to exhibit some of her art, but a random artist named Karnock (Dane Clark) shows up at her exhibition and insults her and her art, saying, "I bet you're not even a real woman. I know your kind." They eventually begin working together, with Karnock teaching Kate about art. Bill shows up to get Kate's help in picking out a birthday present for Pat, and Karnock realizes that she's in love with him.

Eventually, Pat and Kate end up back on the island together. They decide to go sailing, and the little sailboat capsizes in a sudden storm. Pat goes under, but not before Kate tries to pull her back into the boat and miraculously pulls off her wedding ring. Can you guess where this is going?

Everyone thinks that Kate is Pat, and she decides to play along with it so she can have Bill. But Kate begins to realize that not everything was sunshine and roses between Bill and Pat. It turns out that Pat even had a man on the side, and Bill is ready to file for divorce. Kate tries everything she can think of to get Bill to love her again, but it doesn't work. Eventually Kate leaves Bill because she can't live life as a liar. "To a man like Bill, the truth is the only way" she tells her friend after admitting that she is Kate, not Pat. So Kate goes to Bill's special place on the island, and guess who shows up? Bill says he wasn't ready for Katie. He fell in love with Pat, but it wasn't right. Big kiss, and it's over!

A Stolen Life was really entertaining. The evil twin angle is really interesting, and seems very technologically advanced. Davis is great at playing both twins, and the last hour or so when she is Kate pretending to be Pat is really interesting. Ford is adorable, as always, and smokes a mean pipe. My only complaint is the artist character. It seems as though he is supposed to help Kate learn about herself, but their romance is not really even finished, so in some ways he seems a bit superfulous. But I would definitely recommend catching A Stolen Life if it's on TV. Honestly, you can't really go wrong with a Bette Davis film!

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days Challenge

24. Thrill of a Romance

I working my way through the last few films in the 31 Films in 31 Days challenge. And I have finally watched 31 films -- actually I've watched and taped way more than 31, but for the challenge's sake, I will only number 31 films. The goal is to write up reviews for the remaining eight films this morning -- I've got notes so it shouldn't be terrible. I just need to be consise instead of thorough!

Thrill of a Romance is a very adorable Van Johnson-Esther Williams movie. It is definitely more Williams movie than Johnson's, despite the fact that V-Jo gets top billing, and it becomes very evident from the amount of time spent around the pool.

Cynthia (Williams) is a swimming instructor who gets picked up by a young tycoon named Robert Delbar. After a month of courtship, she gets married to the tycoon and they head off on their honeymoon. They have just checked into their room when Robert gets a call that he is needed in Washington D.C. So what does Robert do but leave his bride of one afternoon at the hotel by himself!

While Robert is away, Cynthia meets Major Tommy Milvaine (Johnson), a decorated war hero, while crying over her husband. Cynthia eventually begins teaching him how to swim and they become friends with Nils Knudson (Lauritz Melchior), an opera singer who is trying to lose weight. Cynthia and Tommy have quite a cozy friendship, and eventually it is evident to everyone that Tommy has fallen in love with Cynthia, despite the fact that she is married.

Tommy and Cynthia get lost in the woods one evening, and don't come back until morning. Of course, this is the day that Robert comes back! He doesn't believe that nothing has happened between the two, and he decides to get an annulment. Cynthia goes back to her aunt and uncle, and in the end, Tommy shows up to serenade her, using the voice of their operatic friend, and the two are reunited in the end.

Thrill of a Romance was really cute, although the musical numbers by Melchior and Tommy Dorsey get a little old quickly. I'm not an opera fan, so I found myself fastforwarding through his numbers.

However, I must say that I kept expecting Robert to die in a plane crash coming back from Washington D.C. (Although, in retrospect, that wouldn't have been a good solution because then Cynthia would have had to deal with being a widow and grieving and all that jazz. Getting an annulment is much quicker and easier.) I also kept yelling at Tommy that Cynthia is a married woman! It definitely didn't start out the way that I thought it would, but, honestly, having an unattainable love is kind of cute, in a way. Very romantic.

Thrill of a Romance is definitely not one of the best Johnson-Williams pairings, but it's pretty good as a nice, gentle romance from 1945. It is pretty entertaining to watch Williams teach Johnson how to swim. And best of all, Johnson's hair isn't quite as poofy as it will be in the future. He's actually kind of cute in this film.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days Challenge ; Van Johnson

23. Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Let me preface this review by saying that I really, really like this musical. I don’t really know why because Take Me Out to the Ball Game isn’t a great musical, or even one of Gene Kelly’s top films. It’s got Kelly and Frank Sinatra, but the plot is incredibly thin and not exactly believable, but there is definitely something about it that draws me in.

Dennis Ryan (Sinatra) and Eddie O'Brien (Kelly) are members of the Wolves, an early 1900s baseball team, who travel in vaudeville during the off-season. They come back for spring training in Florida, complete with a song and dance about how great their travels across the USA have been. The team has a new owner -- K.C. Higgins (Esther Williams) who runs the team more strictly. Ryan falls in love with her, mostly because of her athletic abilities, and O'Brien has an antagonistic relationship with her. You can guess what happens between the two of them.

The Wolves do well at baseball -- and they even have a song about the triple team of O’Brian to Ryan to Goldberg. There is a plot about throwing the game and making Kelly’s character too tired by getting him involved with putting together a show during the post-season. He gets fired, but manages to come back in time to win the big game.

The movie doesn’t really end typically -- there's a vaudeville-esque song and dance about how Kelly gets Williams and Sinatra gets Betty Garrett (who is my favorite wisecracking second-lead; I absolutely love her in On the Town!).

Take Me Out to the Ball Game is just a cheesily good musical, complete with a few good dance numbers and songs. I do love Shirley (Garrett) and O'Brien’s courtship -- she gets to pursue him and complain about how skinny he is, which is what I tend to think when ever I see him in his early films.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days Challenge; Top Ten Lists

22. Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace is a seriously funny movie. I found myself laughing out loud several times, and it was just too absurd to be taken seriously.

Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant), a confirmed bachelor and New York theater critic, is getting married to a Brooklyn girl at the beginning of the film. Their plan is to head to Niagara Falls (honeymoon capital!) as soon as she tells her father and he tells his maiden aunts. Mortimer gets to his aunts’ house, only to wind up in a sticky situation with their murdering of gentlemen callers. Yes, the aunts have been putting lonely old men out of their misery and burying them in their basement. Mortimer also has a cousin who thinks that he is Teddy Roosevelt, and he digs the Panama Canal in the basement, which becomes the men’s graves.

As Mortimer tries to figure out what to do with his aunts’ dead callers, his older brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) and his friend Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre) show up at the house, complete with a dead body. There are a lot of complications with both parties wanting to bury their body in the basement. Jonathan also looks like Lon Chaney, due to a botched plastic surgery, and Dr. Einstein is supposed to complete surgery on him later.

Eventually, Mortimer gets Teddy and the aunts committed to Happy Trails (?) Sanitarium and his brother gets put back in jail. There are a lot of complications before the end of the film, including some classic lines like “Insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops.

Arsenic and Old Lace is really funny -- I don't think I can say that enough. Cary Grant definitely has one of his best slapstick roles, and plays the type he is so good at -- the lone sane person caught up in insanity. Raymond Massey is great -- he is so intense. I’d only seen him in Santa Fe Trail before when he played John Brown, but he’s great in this film as the crazy brother.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days Challenge

21. High Noon

I’ve reached the half-way point with the AFI 100 Best Movies list. And I was very pleasantly surprised by High Noon. I didn’t think that a movie that is mostly about waiting would be really interesting, but it was, and even delivered on the promise of the first hour and fifteen minutes.

High Noon is the story of Will Kane (Gary Cooper). At the beginning of the film he is getting married to Amy (Grace Kelly) who is also a Quaker. He used to be the marshal for the town, but due to his wife’s religion, he is quitting and moving out of town. But then word comes in -- Frank something or other is coming back to town on the noon train and he’s out for Will. High Noon takes place (more or less) in real time, so the hour or so until the train gets in is spent trying to round up a posse. Will talks to everyone in the town, but they all have excuses for not standing with him, most of which are that it is his problem and he should leave town now. Will doesn’t want to leave town; even if he does, Frank will follow him and he will never have peace. Will’s wife even leaves him because she cannot understand his need to stay and do his job.

The final shoot-out is very dramatic. Will manages to take down two of the outlaws and Amy shoots the other one in the back. After hearing the gunshots, she left the train to come to her husband’s aid. Despite Frank taking his wife hostage, Will manages to kill him. Once Frank is dead, the whole town pours out into the empty street. Will and Amy leave, but first Will tosses his tin star on the ground.

High Noon was not quite a typical Western -- there seemed to be more thought behind it, and generally a typical Western doesn’t have the lone man standing up for what he believes in. I’m sure there is lots of analysis that can be applied to High Noon, but I honestly enjoyed it as a good moral story. I also really enjoyed Lloyd Bridges as Harve, the deputy who can’t grow up. And there is a song that is repeated throughout the whole film that is oddly catchy. It’s kind of a corny melody, but it really works for the film.

Do not forsake me O my darlin'
On this our wedding day.
Do not forsake me O my darlin'
Wait, wait along.

The noonday train will bring Frank Miller.
If I'm a man I must be brave
And I must face that deadly killer
Or lie a coward, a craven coward,
Or lie a coward in my grave.

O to be torn 'twixt love and duty!
S'posin' I lose my fair-haired beauty!
Look at that big hand move along
Nearin' high noon.

He made a vow while in State's Prison,
Vow'd it would be my life or his and
I'm not afraid of death, but O,
What will I do if you leave me?

Do not forsake me O my darlin'
You made that promise when we wed.
Do not forsake me O my darlin'
Although you're grievin',
I can't be leavin'
Until I shoot Frank Miller dead.

Wait along, wait along
Wait along
Wait along

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days Challenge

Executive Suite

Executive Suite was on TCM this morning, and since it stars William Holden, I thought I'd give it a go.

The plot was thin and not very entertaining until the end. Basically, the president of a company died unexpectedly, without leaving a clear successor. The board, which Holden is a member of, negotiates within to find a new president. Holden has to deal with balancing his corporate responsibilities and his family (his wife is played by June Allyson!). The best part is at the end, when Holden gives a rousing speech about how the company needs to become more principled and less focused on the bottom line and more focused on making quality materials. Naturally, he becomes the new president, despite being younger and "less seasoned" than all the other board members.

Honestly, it didn't seem like a very accurate look at corporate America, or perhaps things have just changed a lot since 1954. Wouldn't recommend it, even if you're a Holden fan!

FILE UNDER: Classic Film

Sky Captain...

There is an article in the New York Times today about the process behind making Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

The movie actually looks really pretty, and I'm somewhat intrigued that Laurence Olivier is going to be playing the villain, despite being dead since 1989. So I think I might actually have to see it now. It probably doesn't have the best story, but it should be pretty!

FILE UNDER: News and Notes

The Way We Were

Being a fan of Robert Redford and generally enjoying Barbara Steisand, I had heard of The Way We Were. I’d even seen the end of the film -- the part where they meet back up in New York City. But I’d never really watched the whole thing. And it was showing on Saturday night on Turner Classic Movies, so I decided to invite a couple friends over and watch the film.

The story is fairly interesting -- it's about Katie, a Jewish girl who works her way through college, and Hubbell (yes, that’s his real name), a gentile preppy with a certain sense of entitlement. Katie is a Communist and Hubbell is not, but yet during World War II they manage to fall in love despite their political differences. You see, Hubbell has written a novel -- something about the world being ice cream and melting (?) -- and it has impressed Katie. She knew that he had potential back in college, when his short story beat out hers in class -- everything came easy to him, just like his country. So Hubbell and Katie have a somewhat troubled courtship. She doesn’t approve of his friends; they are too preppy and treat everything as if it were a joke, even the death of President Roosevelt. Hubbell thinks that Katie treats everything too seriously, but they eventually end up moving to California so Hubbell can turn his fantastic novel into a script. Due to the turbulent times, Katie manages to find some trouble to get into and becomes involved with the HUAC Committee meetings on Communism in Washington D.C. Hubbell doesn’t really want her to get involved, and it essentially leads to the breakup of their marriage. They remain married until Katie has the baby, and then Hubble never sees them again. That is, until the end of the movie when Katie runs into Hubble outside of the Plaza Hotel.

Seriously, I feel like this was an interesting story and it did make me more interested in (a) learning more about the story behind the HUAC Committee meetings and Hollywood’s involvement and (b) reading the actual novel version of The Way We Were.

But otherwise, I would never seek this movie out again! I like Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford. I really wanted to like their characters and I did for the first hour, but once they moved out to Hollywood, I felt like there wasn’t enough exposition to really understand why they acted the way they did. I didn’t feel like the characters were growing at all, and I just never understood their motivations to continue acting the way they did. Well, other than the fact that Katie had to remain a political person.

Barbara Streisand’s fingernails were incredibly distracting in this film! As one of my friends pointed out, there isn’t much kissing between her and Hubble, but lots of him nuzzling her neck. And her fingernails, complete with bright red nail polish (how Communist of her!), are always tangling through Hubbell’s blonde hair. It’s almost as if she has to claw him. And at the end of the movie, when Katie no longer has Hubbell, she wears gloves. The cat is sheathed and can no longer maintain her hold on him.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

I saw an article today about Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Honestly, I have to say I wasn't too aware of this movie...I think I might have seen a preview for it over the summer, but it just looked really weird. But it has got the best title of any movie that I can recall in recent history. Plus there is a killer cast -- Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow (eh...she's got an Oscar?), Angelina Jolie, and Giovanni Ribisi. Yeah, so I understand from reading a little bit on the IMDb that it's a totally computer generated film -- what a gimmick! It does appear to have a fun visual appearance though; there's a very 1940s serial feel to it. And there are fun names for the characters like Polly Perkins (Paltrow), Dex Dearborn (Ribisi), and, of course, C'ptain Sky (Law).

But best of all, it's got Angelina Jolie with an eyepatch! Can a movie have a better selling point? I think not.

FILE UNDER: News and Notes

20. Captain Blood

I’m going to qualify this review by saying that I didn’t plan on watching any movies for Olivia de Havilland day on Turner Classic Movies. I had already seen The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and didn’t like it all. And since most of her movies co-starred Flynn, I thought they would all be the same. Was I wrong! Flynn and de Havilland are an excellent pair, and their films, though definitely not the best, are highly entertaining. I totally got sucked into watching three of them in a row! And the first was Captain Blood.

Captain Blood is the story of Peter Blood who is an Irish physician. He ends up being held captive, along with many other English prisoners, on an island. (I missed about the first twenty minutes, so I'm not real sure as to how this happened.) The governor on the island suffers from gout, and goes through all the doctors on the island with no avail. Only Dr. Blood can help him -- and with the gout, Blood gets better treatment, including some interaction with Arabella Bishop (de Havilland), the bishop's daughter. She ends up buying him -- he's a slave -- much to his dismay.

Eventually, Blood leads a rebellion and gets off the island. Then he becomes C'ptain Blood, pirate of the high seas. He gets his revenge on a wide variety of people, but still misses Arabella. There is some complications with Blood taking Arabella and her father hostage, and eventually buying her back. And, of course, a swordfight ending with the loser dying in the surf!

Captain Blood ends happily, although without a big kiss, with Captain Blood being offered a position in King William's navy. He eventually becomes governor of the island, and even wins Arabella.

Honestly, you can't go wrong with a good pirate movie. I think this would be a great movie to show to young boys -- it's got lots of action, not too much romance, and best of all, not a lot of violence/blood. I love some of the dialogue that Flynn manages to make convincing. He really was an attractive man -- the combination of athletism and handsome good-looks definitely make a great combination, even if his wigs are incredibly unfortunate.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days Challenge