More from 1930s Warner Brothers

I recently rewatched some old movies.

The Big Shakedown (1934): Chemist Jimmy (Charles Farrell) and fiancee Norma (Bette Davis) are running a neighborhood drug store but not making much money. A representative from a big chain store offers a low bid for the store, threatening that what the chain wants, it usually gets. Enter Dutch Barnes (Ricardo Cortez). His beer business is on the rocks and he's looking for a headache powder. Jimmy mixes up one as good as the brand name. Dutch starts a new business counterfeiting toothpaste and makeup that Jimmy makes. When Dutch moves into counterfeiting drugs, Jimmy tries to quit, but finds it's not so easy. 

Bette is the female lead but has nothing to do. At least, Glenda Farrell gets a catfight and a death scene.

The trailer billed Charles Farrell and Davis the newest love team in their first pairing.  Okay, they must have written that before they saw the footage. Or they saw something that I didn't. (Wonder how Glenda Farrell and Davis would fare.)

Bullets or Ballots (1936): I hadn't seen this one in years. The title comes from a speech by anti-crime crusader Ward Bryant (Henry O'Neill) shortly before he is murdered, but voting has nothing to do with the plot.

Robinson plays Johnny Blake a cop demoted to the outer boroughs who expects a break when his buddy is appointed to a special commission. Instead, he is fired. Luckily, local racketeer Al Kruger (Barton MacLane) offers Blake a job. But, his second-in-command Bugs Fenner (Humphrey Bogart) doesn't like it. 

One thing I really liked about this film was that it was halfway through before it was revealed that Blake is working as an undercover cop. What a relief! He was a good guy all along. The Hayes Office must have been relieved. 

Although four bulled, Bogart is the Robinson's main antagonist. MacLane's Al Kruger is more of a crooked businessman than a thug; he's just a link to the big bosses--supposedly upright citizens. It's Bugs Fenner who kills Bryant and later Kruger. He's also responsible for Blake's death, but Blake manages to deliver money to the big bosses to complete his assignment. 

Joan Blondell is second billed as Lee Morgan, the girl that got away. She's actually a pretty well rounded character--a smart businesswoman rather than the girlfriend waiting for her man. Lee was instrumental in Blake's successful assignment. But she must have been racked with guilt for not recognizing he was near death.  I wonder what happened to her after the film ended.

More from TCM--Starring Bette Davis

Lately, I've really been into old movies from the 30s (mostly) and 40s. Some are classics, some not so much. 

One of my top five films and favorite Bette Davis movie is The Letter. I've written about it here. I ended up watching it in bits and pieces as I made dinner, etc. In this last watch, I was shocked that I didn't remember one scene. Leslie (Davis) and her attorney (James Stephenson) go to retrieve the incriminating letter of the title in a store. Leslie handles an ornate knife. The knife appears in one of the final scenes of the movie. I really need to rewatch this film with no distractions to truly appreciate it. 

The most recent film I re-watched was Bordertown; here's my post about it. I don't have a lot to add, but it struck me on this viewing is how unlikable all the characters are. 

At the beginning of the film, Johnny (Paul Muni) is lauded for his hard work ethic and escaping a life of crime. But Johnny is unbelievably arrogant as well as hot-headed, and prone to violence. He takes all the wrong lessons from his failure as a lawyer and from his interactions with snobby socialite Dale (Margaret Lindsay.) Dale is cruelly oblivious to Johnny's feelings. 

Marie (Bette Davis) is a murderer who falsely accuses Johnny. Johnny's mother (Soledad Jimenez) is slightly more than a stereotype because she didn't believe in him. She prays for him to win his first case. Padre supposedly supports him, but might as well be singing, "stick to your own kind" a la Anita in West Side Story.

Only Charlie Roark (Eugene Pallette) Marie's husband and murder victim and Johnny's boss then partner, is remotely likable. And he is portrayed as a drunken clown.

I still enjoy watching this film. 

TCM March Star of the Month: George Brent

I wish I had seen that George Brent was the Star of the Month earlier. He co-starred with Bette Davis in 11 films. I knew some of her films would be included. 

Here are a few that I caught.

First I watched: The Keyhole (1933) the first of six pairings between George and Kay Francis. Kay is unintentionally a bigamist. Her first husband is a blackmailer, and her current husband is suspicious of her activities. She sails to Cuba in a plan to get the blackmailer out of  the US. Her suspicious husband sends PI George Brent in pursuit. George's specialty is seducing married women. Of course, Kay and George fall in love and all obstacles to their romance disappear by the end of the film. 

There's a subplot with Glenda Farrell and Allen Jenkins. Glenda is a gold digger pretending to be a wealthy woman. Allen is working with George, posing at his valet. With Glenda, he pretends that George is the valet. I was hoping they would also get a happy ending.

The Goose and the Gander (1935) I selected this because of Genevieve Tobin. She was memorable as Mrs. Chisholm in The Petrified Forest. She was also good in another film with George Brent, Snowed Under. Here, Genevieve is planning a weekend getaway with George even though she's married to Ralph Forbes. Kay Francis, Ralph's first wife, overhears their plans and plots revenge against Genevieve who stole Ralph from her. After meeting George, Kay no longer cares about her ex nor getting back at Genevieve. They fall in love in record time.

Add in a couple of jewel thieves, and this film has has real potential as a farce. Too bad it doesn't quite deliver.

Stranded (1935) Kay Francis works for Traveler's Aid which is more like all the social service agencies in one. George Brent comes in looking for a worker for the bridge he is building. George falls for Kay in record time (again) and immediately gets bossy and demanding. They want to get married but he insists she immediately quit her job. He tells Kay her work is useless. Kay breaks it off.

But trouble brews at the bridge construction site thanks to Barton MacLane. He's trying to stop the bridge construction because George won't pay safety money. Kay even rushes down to a workers' meeting to defend George.   

Miss Pinkerton (1932) Policeman George Brent enlists nurse Joan Blondell to assist in a murder mystery in a spooky house. Or is it a suicide? I never did understand what the sleazy looking/acting doctor was up to, but apparently, he was just a sleazy guy and not a murderer.

South of Suez (1940) I watched this for Lee Patrick, but she's only in the beginning and end of the film. At least, I think. I watched this film over a few days, lost my place one time, and later fell asleep. Maybe I need another try. 

Happy Birthday Bette Davis

When I saw the date this morning, I knew it was something I should remember. I give Jace his heartworm medicine on the 5th, but that wasn't it. Then I checked imdb.com--it was Bette Davis's birthday. Since George Brent was March's Star of the Month, I recently watched three of his films with Bette, In This Our Life, Housewife, and Special Agent. 

I've always enjoyed In This Our Life, even though it's not a great movie. I'm not even sure I would call it good. I enjoyed watching Bette with Dennis Morgan. Charles Coburn's performance is the highlight--he was great.

I haven't seen Housewife in years. Bette is the other woman in the marriage between George Brent and Ann Dvorak. Bette and George are so obvious in public--it's just ridiculous. Actually, the entire plot is ridiculous. 

Next, I watched Special Agent--one of two films Bette did with Ricardo Cortez. Bette is the bookkeeper to mobster Ricardo and testifies against him. George is the special agent posing as a reporter. Bette has a bigger role than I remembered. Not a memorable film.

Closing Out March

Last week we visited Jeff's sister in North Carolina. We drove down on Monday, and were glad we got to spend more time with her than expected. We also visited with Jeff's other sister, our brother-in-law, and niece. We even met our three-year-old great niece. 

The visit was intense and tiring. The return trip was horrible, taking about two hours longer than normal. We picked up Jace from our friends' Thursday evening. It had been our first trip without him. It was nice knowing that Jace was happy to to stay with our friends. 

Traveling without a dog made things much easier. For one thing, we stayed in a hotel that wasn't pet friendly. It was just okay, but was in a great location. Every place we needed to visit was within a mile. 

Once home, I vegged for most of the weekend after I stocked up on food and wine. Laundry was also involved. I discovered that TCM's Star of the Month was George Brent. More on that later. 

TCM Movie Nght: In Our Time (1944)

I had never seen this film, but I like Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid and fighting the Nazis, so we watched. Unfortunately, it wasn't that good. 

The opening setup is similar to that of Rebecca: a young woman, traveling in Europe with her employer, has a whirlwind romance with a handsome aristocrat.  The film took too long setting up the whirlwind romance before moving on to Jennifer's and Stephan's married life which includes updating farming practices and relationships with the peasants. The script was all over the place.

In the background, the threat of the Nazis is brewing. When the Nazis invade Poland, the film deteriorates into schmaltzy wartime propaganda. 

A good idea, badly executed.

TCM Movie Matinees

On the third day of the four day heat wave, I only left our place as necessary--to walk Jace. Over breakfast, I turned on Fog over Frisco with Bette Davis. 

I like this movie. The cast is good (except Douglas Dumbrille) and the story is fast-paced. Plus, one of the stars is Skippy, the portrayer of Asta in the Thin Man series. Unfortunately, I can't find the article I read the other day: it contrasted the bedroom styles of Arlene (Bette Davis) and Val (Margaret Lindsay) and how they reflect the sisters' personalities. How did I miss that?

I guess I have a reason to watch the movie again.

Crack-Up is the only art oriented noir I've ever heard of. After surviving a train wreck, George Steele (Pat O'Brien) breaks into the art museum where he worked and destroys a sculpture. But there was no train wreck, and Steele remembers nothing after that. Just what did happen? Steele is determined to find out, supported by Herbert Marshall and Claire Trevor (wasted in a blah role as the girlfriend.)

After another miserable loss by the Mets, we caught about half of Now Voyager. Bette is fantastic as repressed "spinster aunt" who finds herself through therapy, a makeover, love, and a new purpose in life. I love the whole cigarette lighting thing that she and Paul Henreid do. The whole cast is great. For the first time in years, I cried at the end. The power of a good movie. 

A Warner Brothers Saturday Morning

Scrolling through selections on TCM yesterday, I picked Crime School (1938.) Humphrey Bogart who sets out to improve conditions at a reform school where the Dead End Kids were sentenced to two years.

Crime School was the second film with the Dead End Kids after the iconic Dead End. It's also a somewhat milder remake of 1933's  The Mayor of Hell starring James Cagney. The following year brought yet another remake called Hell's Kitchen with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Lindsay as the reformers. One subplot in Crime School--a bad guy manipulates an inmate to discredit a reformer--is used another Bogart film, San Quentin.

I don't know if other studios remade as many films or recycled as many plots as Warner Brothers did. I remember turning on TCM once and hearing dialog I recognized from the Bette Davis film Dangerous. But it was Singapore Woman that was on TV: a remake of Dangerous set in a new locale using recycled sets from another Davis film The Letter. In They Drive by Night, Ida Lupino killed her husband using the same technique Bette Davis used in Bordertown. Both characters also went insane on the witness stand in the hero's murder trials. 

The Dead End Kids made 89 films under several names:

Dead End Kids 1934-1939

Little Tough Guys (later known as Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys 1938-1943 

East Side Kids 1940-1945

Bowery Boys 1946 - 1958  

I grew up watching the Bowery Boys--there are 48 films in that series.

When Crime School was released, the characters were still fresh and their environments gritty. As the various series continued, the plot lines became more and more comic.

The next film I watched was Marked Woman from 1937 starring Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. I've always loved this film a fictionalized version of Thomas Dewey's legal pursuit of Lucky Luciano. I can't say much more about the film than I said here. Well, there's one more thing. This could be a good candidate for a modern remake without the Hays Code restrictions. Come on, the women are prostitutes, not clip joint hostesses. Martin Scorsese, where are you?

Tuesday Miscellanea

After a week of sub-freezing temperatures, it's warming up. The "January thaw" has stopped the "Arctic blast." It's so nice to shed the snow boots and the heavy winter coat.  At least for a while. Temperatures will be flirting with 60 at the end of the week. The thaw is timely as one-third of the winter is now over. 

I returned to the New Canaan Nature Center after missing two weeks. I was sad to learn that Jasper died. I thought he was one of the younger birds there. I'll have to get more of the story,

Then Tupelo flew at my head. That was a bit of a shock; he's never done anything like that before.

Today we watched Murder on a Honeymoon (courtesy of TCM.) It's a fun mystery and the third of the Miss Withers/Inspector Piper movies and the last one starring Edna Mae Oliver. The cast includes Leo G. Carroll and Lola Lane. It was horrible to see Willie Best credited as Sleep 'n' Eat. 

I'm almost done with my book American Brutus. My next book will be Bette's latest.    

TCM Presents: Roadblock (1961)

I was scrolling through the TCM schedule and saw Roadblock starring Charles McGraw and recorded it. 

McGraw is insurance detective Joe Peters who encounters a beautiful "chiseler" Diane Morley (Joan Dixon) at the airport when he's returning from a successful business trip. He's attracted to her but she tells him he's not in her league and she's aiming for the World Series. 

They meet again in Los Angeles and suddenly they're in love. But Joe doubts he can keep Diane on his $350 a month salary after she's been with a rich gangster. Suddenly the (previously) straight shooter Joe gives Diane's ex inside information to rob a train for a third of the take. Then suddenly chiseler Diane decides she doesn't need all that money after all. 

It's a good film, that's weakened by the characters' sudden decisions that go against everything previously established in the film. 

McGraw is perfect in the lead. I had never seen Joan Dixon before; I thought she did a good job. One of the co-stars was Louis Jean Heydt who I wrote about here.

TCM Movie Update

It's time for another post on what films I've been watching since my last post was about Halloween movies. These are all classic films, i.e.oldies. 

Born to Kill--a good movie about two amoral people played by Lawrence Tierney (as Sam) and Claire Trevor (as Helen.). I first saw this film in 2021. It's the kind of movie I'll watch over and over. 

Tierney and Trevor are supported by a strong cast. Elisha Cook Junior plays Marty, Sam's only friend who tries to rein in his murderous impulses. "You can't just go around killing people whenever the notion strikes you. It's not feasible." Walter Slezak plays a smart but sleazy detective Albert Arnett hot on Sam's trail for the murders he committed in Reno at the start of the film. One of his victims is Laury Palmer (Isabel Jewell) whose attempt to make Sam jealous by dating another guy succeeds all too well.  

Laury's friend and neighbor Mrs. Kraft (Esther Howard) is the client who hires Arnett to find Laury's killer. Howard is brilliant especially in the scenes when Marty tries to kill her and when Trevor scares her into dropping the case. Her anguish over letting Laury down is palpable. 

San Quentin--I watched this for the pairing of Tierney and Barton MacLane. Jim Roland (Tierney) is a former convict rehabilitated through a prison welfare league, where inmates police each other and learn useful trades. Nick Taylor (MacLane ) is currently imprisoned and faking his participation in the league until he can make his escape. Taylor's opportunity comes when the warden plans to publicize the league at the press conference with Roland, Taylor, and another recently jailed inmate. Taylor's escape succeeds, and the league's reputation is damaged. Roland decides that since Taylor used the league to escape, someone from the league should capture him. Roland gives himself the job, captures Taylor, and gets married at the end of the film.

I was disappointed in this film. First the title is misleading--only a few minutes took place in San Quentin (this 1937 film is better titled.) Tierney is much better as a bad guy than a good guy. MacLane is memorable as the villainous Taylor.

Detour--A rewatch of a classic, low-budget noir. Al Roberts (Tom Neal ) is hitchhiking across country to reunite with his girlfriend. He thinks he's hit the jackpot when Charles Haskell picks him up who is heading all the way to LA. Haskell is killed in a freak accident, and Roberts thinks it a good idea to assume his identity rather than risk calling the police. Roberts's real trouble begin when he offers a ride to Vera (Ann Savage.) Vera had previously hitched a ride with Haskell and knows Roberts is a fraud and blackmails him. For Roberts, things go from bad to worse. Savage gives a raw and dare I say savage performance as Vera. 

The Party--I recorded this because I remember my brother said this was a funny movie (he had seen it years ago.) Peter Sellers plays an Indian actor who destroys an expensive movie scene with his ineptitude. He is then accidentally invited to a party and creates havoc. Seller wears brown face to portray an Indian. This was more acceptable in the sixties than it is today. What I found most offensive is that Sellers' makeup changes throughout the film. He is noticeably lighter in some scenes and darker in others. I'll just add that Claudine Longet is a lousy singer. 

TCM Movie Matinee: The Famous Ferguson Case

Last Monday, TCM showed a series of B-movies--most were from long running series. There were three Philo Vance films with three different actors in the lead role, four Perry Mason movies with three different leads, a Doctor Kildare feature, and two miscellaneous reporter films. I caught bits and pieces of many of these films, but I watched The Famous Ferguson Case in full. 

A prominent financier in an upstate New York town is murdered, and a horde of New York City descend on the town like a swarm of locusts. The banker's wife is tied up and tells the police of burglars, but the reporters don't buy her story. They're aware of her friendship with a local banker and believe this is a crime of passion, and that's what they report. Joan Blondell stars as one of the NYC reporters. 

Oddly enough, I recently watched another film--Back in Circulation--with Joan Blondell as a reporter. Both films portray reporters badly. They just want a juicy story regardless of the truth. And both films have a few good reporters such as Joan Blondell in Back in Circulation. In The Famous Ferguson Case, it's the small town reporter who cracks the case.

Overall, it's an unrealistic film, but kind of fun for an old-movie buff like me.

TCM Re-watch: Bordertown

Bordertown is one of my favorite films from Bette Davis's early years in Hollywood. Paul Muni plays the main character Johnny Ramirez, a poor Mexican who believes he can achieve his dreams when he graduates from night law school. Unfortunately, Johnny loses his first case against socialite Dale Elwell (Margaret Lindsay) who wrecks the truck of a poor friend of Johnny's in an auto accident. When the opposing counsel (who is also Dale's boyfriend) calls Johnny a shyster lawyer, Johnny loses his temper and decks the opposing attorney which gets him disbarred. 

Johnny believes he lost his case because he doesn't have any money. He leaves Los Angeles and ends up working as a bouncer in the Silver Slipper nightclub. He eventually becomes a partner of the proprietor Charlie Roark (Eugene Paulette) and catches the eye of Charlie's bored wife Marie (Bette Davis.)

Johnny tells Marie he could go for her, but he won't betray his partner. Soon Marie sees her chance: she leaves a drunk, unconscious Charlie in the running car and allows the automatic garage doors to close. Charlie's death is ruled an accident.

Marie and Johnny partner on La Rueda--a new high end nightclub. But Marie's plans for a personal partnership are foiled when Dale arrives at opening night. Johnny believes now that he has money, he's worthy of her. He doesn't realize she's just slumming. 

Marie confronts Johnny about his new romance, telling him she committed murder to get him. Johnny leaves her in disgust. Marie then goes to the police and tells them that Johnny made her kill Charlie. 

It looks bad for Johnny until Marie has a breakdown on the stand, and the case is thrown out. Johnny returns to Dale and proposes. She rejects him, telling him he's from a different tribe. Johnny  becomes furious: Dale calls him a brute and runs into the path of an oncoming car.

Johnny sells La Rueda to help endow a law school, and he returns where he belongs with his own people.

There's a lot to unpack here. Johnny is clearly subjected to racism and prejudice, But the movie shies away from dealing with this explicitly. This review discusses the racism. Other user reviews on IMDB.com call the film politically incorrect. 

But I have to say that Johnny is clearly over his head in the trial against Dale. He doesn't understand the rules of evidence and what is admissible in court. I'm not denying that the lawyer and judge are racist and condescending. The judge could have helped Johnny, but immediately declares Johnny is "not a lawyer at all" but "a ruffian at heart, brutal, cheap and bad-tempered." 

Of course, the whole trial scene is ridiculous. Dale's lawyer is also her boyfriend who was in the car at the time of the accident. He would never represent her. Also, why didn't they settle the case? Because then there wouldn't be a movie.

The ending of the film doesn't sit well with me: keep in your own place. There's nothing wrong with Johnny endowing a law school to help his people. It's a shame that he's come to that realization only because of the snobby Dale.

About the performances. Paul Muni is a little over the top, but so is Johnny. I've seen Muni in subtle performances (one is Juarez, his second film with Bette Davis.) Bette is wonderful, expressing her frustration with her drunken husband, her guilt, fear, and paranoia after the murder, her confrontation with Johnny when she confesses the murder. Some commenters on IMDB criticize her courtroom scene as over the top. She toned down what the director wanted. I thought it was effective.  

Eugene Pallette does a good job as happy-go-lucky Charlie. Too bad he doesn't guess what Marie is capable of. Margaret Lindsay is also good as the spoiled socialite Dale. 

One last thing on this already long post. The poster for this movie shows Muni in a sombrero, which he never wears in the film. One last stereotype.

No More Orchids (1932)

There was a Carole Lombard day on TCM recently, and I recorded a few films. I selected this one because Lyle Talbot is the male lead. 

Lombard is the flighty heiress Anne. Talbot plays Tony the "poor" man she falls for, despite being engaged to a prince. Unfortunately, Anne's grandfather is blackmailing her: if she marries the prince, he'll bail out her father's failed bank.

Anne is reluctantly going ahead with the marriage until her father assures her that he has found alternative funding. Anne and Tony can be together because Dad flies his plane into a mountain so his insurance money will save his bank. 

I thought that was a horrible ending. It sours me on the whole film which is well acted with Walter Connolly, Louise Closser Hale, and C. Aubrey Smith. 

TCM Presents Murder, Mystery, and Noir

I've recorded several films from TCM over the past few days. Rainy weather has helped me sit down and watch a few.

First up--Shockproof (1949)--the Noir Alley selection. Cornel Wilde stars as Griff Marat a parole officer who falls for his client Jenny Marsh (Patricia Knight)--a beautiful convicted murderess. Griff believes in Jenny if she can only stay away from her loser boyfriend Harry Wesson. 

This movie didn't work for me. I don't care for Cornel Wilde's acting, I didn't buy the urgency for Griff and Jenny's wedding. Most importantly, I didn't buy them as lovers on the run. The unrealistic "happy ending" that the Studio insisted on--was the final straw.

Gaslight (1949)--I've known about the concept of gaslighting and its literal use in this film for a long time. But I'm not sure I ever saw this film in its entirety. Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton  exudes charm until he suddenly sneers in viciousness as Ingrid Bergman--as his wife Paula--shrinks away in confusion. I wish the maid Elizabeth had been more pro-active in helping Paula. Elizabeth recognized early on that Gregory was trying to convince Paula she was sick when she wasn't.

This film will be forever enshrined in my heart because of its use in a classic Car 54 Where Are You? episode, "What Happened to Thursday?"

Dial M for Murder (1954)--I've seen this film more times than I can count. Ray Milland is excellent as Tony Wendice--a former tennis pro whose gotten used to living on his wife's money. Worried that her affair may put an end to his easy life, he concocts a scheme to have her killed by an old schoolmate he is blackmailing. It doesn't go as planned--instead his wife kills her attacker and is tried and sentenced to death. It looks like Tony will get away with it, but will he?

The Penguin Pool Murder (1932)--This is the first of the Hildegarde Withers/Inspector Oscar Piper film series that I wrote about recently. We first see Hildegarde (Edna May Oliver) as she thwarts a pickpocket with her umbrella. Soon, she and the class she took to the aquarium, find a body in the titular penguin pool. 

I was glad to see this movie again--I like Oliver in the part more than I remembered. I also liked the mystery. 

Four films down and three more to go. Thanks TCM.

Watching the Detectives: Courtesy of TCM

Last Wednesday, TCM aired several movies about amateur detectives. I could have stayed in and happily watched all day (but didn't.) I watched parts of some, recorded others. 

Murder on the Bridle Path: This is one of the Hildegarde Withers series. Hildegarde is a schoolteacher who assists Police Inspector Oscar Piper. Helen Broderick played Hildegarde here. Edna May Oliver was the original Hildegarde; Zasu Pitts took over the role for the last two films. I liked Broderick; Oliver seems like more of the stereotypical schoolmarm. James Gleason plays the gruff police inspector to perfection in all six films.

Haunted Honeymoon: As far as I know, this is the only film adaptation of a Lord Peter Wimsey novel. My sister turned me on to the books--I don't remember the details of Busman's Honeymoon--I should reread it. Robert Montgomery as Lord Peter is the biggest problem for me. For starters, he's not British (and didn't bother to even try to appear British.) Plus I just don't like Montgomery. The movie spent too long on the romantic elements of the story instead of the mystery elements.

Murder at the Gallop: This is one of four Miss Marple movies starring Margaret Rutherford. While not as madcap as the Nancy Drew series, they are more lighthearted than the Agatha Christie originals. Like the Nancy Drew films, I could watch these over and over again. And I do. 

Eyes in the Night: I enjoy this movie (wrote about it here) and wish it had been the beginning of a series. Edward Arnold is great as the blind private detective as is his dog Friday.

Back in Circulation: Technically this film centers on a reporter who detects (Joan Blondell) and not a private detective--a kind of poor woman's Torchy Blane. The plot is absurd--all it takes is an anonymous letter to an out-of-town newspaper to stop a funeral and get an autopsy. But Blondell shines as the reporter who has second thoughts after her stories help get an innocent woman convicted of murder. Blondell is supported by Margaret Lindsay and John Litel. Pat O'Brien is the most obnoxious, unromantic romantic lead ever. Blondell's character deserved much better. 

Movie Musings

Gone with the Wind was on TCM yesterday. We had it on in the background as I dried my hair, cooked and ate dinner, and did the dishes. 

For this viewing I was thinking about Clark Gable's performance. He had been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, but lost to Robert Donat in Goodbye Mr. Chips. I've never seen that film and don't remember ever seeing Robert Donat. Other nominees for 1939 films were Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights, Mickey Rooney for Babes in Arms, James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I tend to dismiss Mickey Rooney but have to admit I haven't seen Babes in Arms. Gable was good as Rhett Butler, but was he better than Olivier and Stewart (let alone Donat and Rooney?) I don't know. 

I read somewhere that Margaret Mitchell pictured Basil Rathbone as Rhett Butler. It takes imagination to see him as Rhett.  

As for Scarlett, I believe Paulette Goddard would have been brilliant in the role. You see Scarlett O'Hara is not beautiful--it's the first line in the book. Vivien Leigh is. I saw a documentary about GWTW with several scenes of Goddard. She could have been a great Scarlett.

Onto Ashley Wilkes. Well, I always had issues with Leslie Howard in the part. He was a very good actor, but he wasn't the young, dashing, handsome Ashley in the book. I didn't get why movie Scarlett was so obsessed with him. My sister said it was because Twelve Oaks was the best, wealthiest plantation in the area. I didn't buy that explanation. I read that Leslie Howard thought (rightly) that he was too old for the part; I wonder if he had protested his casting as a teen-aged Romeo a few years earlier. 

Olivia de Haviland was great as Melanie, but I thought she looked too healthy and robust for the skinny, childlike Melanie. 

The other day I was watching a short between two films on TCM: They're Always Caught. First I noticed an actor who played Bette Davis's husband in Dangerous--John Eldredge. Then I recognized another actor--Louis Jean Heydt--but had to look up his name on IMDB. Heydt might not have been a household name, but he was in several movies, often uncredited. His IMDB page lists his role as "Hungry Soldier Holding Beau Wilkes" in Gone with the Wind under "Known for." In 1939, he appeared in 13 other films, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Each Dawn I Die, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and They Made Me A Criminal. Not bad for an "average Joe."

TCM Movie Review: The Doorway to Hell

I recorded this film in September and kept it until I could watch it again, which I did this week. I love the Warner Brothers crime dramas. I was intrigued by this one because Lew Ayres was top-billed. I don't think of him as a gangster. Hearing his name, my first image of him is an Ned Seton in the film Holiday.  Based on IMDB comments, many people didn't see Ayres as a gangster way either, especially with James Cagney in the film as Ayres' right hand man. I think Ayres pulled off the part--he could be menacing.

The film opens with a running printing press. I've seen this in several movies. Usually the newspaper displays some important plot point. Here it lists the film's credits. In the first scene Monk asks for his violin case. Of course, it has a gun in it. I thought oh, this old trope. Then I realized it was a new trope because this film was made in 1930 before the Warner Brothers gangster classics: Little Caesar (1931) The Public Enemy (1931) and Scarface..

I like Cagney's threat to another mob member, "If you don't watch your step, you're gonna find a way to treat yourself to a handful of clouds." He means "the kind that comes out of the end of a 38 automatic."

Throughout the film, Cagney is carrying on an affair with Ayre's girl and later wife. Since this is a pre-code film, the affair is treated as a matter of fact with no moralizing. Nor is Ayres' wife played by Dorothy Mathews punished for her indiscretion. 

Robert Elliot as the police captain epitomizes the tough cop seen in several films over the years. Again, I had to remind myself that this may have been the first incarnation of such a character in 1930.

I was disappointed when I couldn't find a reference to this film in my book, Warner Brothers Presents. The Doorway to Hell deserves to be remembered. 

Book 20: Laura by Vera Caspary

I bought this book for $.50 at the Norwalk Library the day I borrowed Booth. It's another book purchase inspired by films (others are Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, All This and Heaven Too, Julie and Julia, and Dragonwyck.)

I love the film, Laura. It's one of my favorites. I liked the book. The film begins with a voiceover by Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb.) The book has three narrators: Waldo, Mark, and Laura. I liked the multiple PoVs. 

Book Waldo is fat, but I can't imagine anyone other than slender Clifton Webb as Waldo. Similarly, Vincent Price doesn't strike me as the hunky, handsome Shelby, but I did mention in my other post that he was more broad-shouldered than I had remembered. As it often happens, I read the book while visualizing the film's actors. 

Back to the book: I loved Caspary's choice of murder weapon--much more elegant and unusual than the movie's. Caspary apparently researched this. I didn't care for all the "Mark is a man" commentary, but I guess it's true to the time.

I just checked our cable channel guide. Laura is available on TCM on Demand. I hope to add more later. 

Edit 1 7.24.22: I had bookmarked a phrase in Laura that I liked. I'm not sure why I didn't include it. 

Narrated by Waldo Lydecker: 

 The moon had lost its battle with the clouds and retreated, leaving no trace of copper brilliance in the ominous sky. The air had grown heavier.

Edit 2 7.24.22: I watched Laura on TCM last week. I didn't mind the minor changes such as Waldo's weight, where Laura first approached Waldo for his endorsement of a pen, and the police tail of Shelby. 

I still think the book murder weapon and finale are better than the film's. The second entrance to Laura's apartment in the film hadn't been established beforehand. It was awkward (and too easily broken into.)

Movie Catch-up

It's been a while since I've written about movies. Here are some I've watched this year.

Anthony Adverse 1936: This was on my list to see for awhile: a Warner Brothers historical drama with Fredric March, Claude Rains, and Olivia de Havilland. There are definitely some soapy elements in Anthony's origin story and how he--as an orphan--ends up apprenticed to his own grandfather. Anthony (March) is also separated from his true love and wife Angela (de Havilland) by plot contrivances--including a letter that blows away at the wrong time. Anthony was ruined for me by becoming a slave trader: I lost all sympathy and compassion for him after that. He has a happy ending of sorts, finding Angela and their son, losing Angela to Napoleon, but taking his son to America with him. Good performances all around, including Gale Sondergaard's as Faith Paleologus, which won her the first Best Supporting Actress Oscar in her first film. 

Nightmare Alley 1947: Tyrone Power plays Stan a con man and carnival barker. Stan learns the code to a mind reading game and later teams up with his wife Molly and wows the nightclub circuit. But Stan gets greedy and finds another partner in psychologist Lilith. Things fall apart after that. The carney characters were fascinating and all the performances were good especially Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell as Zeena. I also liked Helen Walker as Lilith. I had never heard of her before. 

Clueless 1995: I saw this when it first came out. When I found it channel surfing two weeks ago when I was reading Emma, I had to watch it. It's still a lot of fun and sweet. 

Galaxy Quest 1999: I was disappointed in this; it was just okay. I did enjoy the scene when the geeky fan (Justin Long) is the only one who can save the crew, but his parents make him take out the trash first.

Cleopatra 1934: Enjoyed this film classic courtesy of TCM. Claudette Colbert makes a seductive and smart Cleopatra. Warren William and Henry Wilcoxon don't fare as well in their roles as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony respectively (and I usually like William.) Director Cecil B. DeMille provides his usual pageantry and spectacle that is fun to watch. 

The Wrong Missy 2020: I forgot about this when I first posted (edited 2-23-22.) I had wanted to watch a romantic comedy type movie for Valentine's Day. I looked through Netflix's list and saw this. I read somewhere (where?) that it was hysterical. No. It had a few funny parts, and I like Lauren Lapkus the lead. The plot is in the title: a man invites a woman to a corporate retreat in Hawaii, but sends a text invitation to the wrong person.