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. 

Our First Christmas in Essex

Another quiet Christmas at home, but it's our new home. After Christmas breakfast, fruit, and champagne, we opened gifts in the living room in front of the fireplace--not the greatest picture, but I'm too lazy to take another. 

Now, we're watching Christmas in Connecticut--a favorite screwball Christmas comedy. I'm happy to be home; glad that I don't have to go anywhere. 

Book 19: Round Up the Usual Suspects the Making of Casablanca--Bogart, Bergman, and World War II by Aljean Harmetz

This was a fun read; Casablanca is my favorite movie. Even though I already knew some of the back story, this book gave me a lot more. For one thing, I didn't realize how much the United States government tried to steer movie content during the Second World War. I also didn't knew about the conflicts between studio head Jack Warner and producer Hal Wallis or that Warner Brothers was known to be extremely cheap (e.g. Harry Warner picked up nails dropped by careless carpenters; Jack Warner turned off lights when not in use.)

There were rumors that Casablanca was originally to star Ronald Reagan, Ann Sheridan, and Dennis Morgan. The book reveals that the story came from Warner Brothers publicity department even though it was never true.

The book mentions that Director Michael Curtiz liked to reuse techniques that had worked in previous films. I had noticed this in dueling anthems scenes. I've also noticed his use of reflections in Kid Galahad and The Sea Hawk.

Author Aljean Harmetz also wrote about the making of The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. I'll keep my eyes open for the latter. 

Latest Films

 It's been a while since I wrote about movies I've watched, so here goes. 

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey: I'm not familiar with the comics and didn't see Suicide Squad. This was kind of fun, but I absolutely hated Margo Robbie's (Harley Quinn's) voice. Unfortunately, she's the narrator. 

JoJo Rabbit: We enjoyed this movie and its quirky mixture of comedy and drama. Example: Adolph Hitler as JoJo's imaginary friend. 

Kind Lady: I watched this for Basil Rathbone who starred as a conman posing as a poor artist in an attempt to fleece a generous art collector. He recruited a fake wife, doctor, friends and borrowed a baby for his scheme. I caught a problem early in the film when Rathbone's character went to get a doctor. Of course he brings his crony. How would a homeless artist know a neighborhood doctor? Fun Fact: the doctor was played by Murray Kinnell who was memeorably killed by Jimmy Cagney in The Public Enemy. Kinnell also recommended Bette Davis to George Arliss for a role in The Man Who Played God. That was Bette's big break.

Miller's Crossing: This is a Coen Brothers film that I've wanted to see for a long time. We watched it tonight, and I want to see it again. On the surface, it's a battle between Irish and Italian gangsters. But, there's a lot more going on than that.

Eyes in the Night and The Hidden Eye: I've seen these movies before and wrote about the first here. I liked these films and wished the series had been longer. I did miss Allan Jenkins and yes, Mantan Moreland, who were in the first, but not the second film. Moreland was funny in his talks with the German Shepard Friday. Friday is the best character in the film. 

Noir Classic Re-Watch: Double Indemnity

"It was a hot afternoon. I can still remember the smell of honeysuckle all along that street. How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?"

Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) has just met Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) and murder is in the air.

There's a reason this film is a classic. The opening credits run over an image of a man on crutches walking toward the camera. A car rushes through the Los Angeles night running through an iconic "STOP/GO" light. Walter Neff stumbles into his office to dictate his story of murder for his co-worker Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson.) 

The narration makes sense here based on the close relationship between Neff and Keyes. Neff wants to explain how he and Phyllis Dietrichson planned the murder and how they dealt with unforeseen problems and complications.

The three main actors shine in strong performances. This film was shown as part of the evening line-up when Robinson was star of the month. Robinson is excellent, even in a scene where MacMurray listens to him on a dictaphone. The supporting cast is also good. 

I really enjoyed seeing this movie again. It reminds me that there's always something more in good films. It can be something you didn't notice before or something you forgot. It can be a look, a prop, a shadow. There is always something more to discover in good films.

Happy Birthday Bette

I spent the morning thinking that April 5 meant something to me. Then it dawned on me--it's Bette Davis's birthday. She was one of the screen's great actresses and my favorite.

I've seen most of her films and several of her TV appearances. An early film I'd like to see is The Menace. On TV, I'd love to see Madame Sin; I think I've only seen excerpts of that. Another telefilm I'd like to see is Right of Way with Bette and James Stewart. She had always wanted to work with him, she finally got her chance.

Last Day for the Star of the Month

Technically Bette Davis is Star of the Month for another three days. But Tuesday was the fourth day of a 24-hour Bette Davis-athon, and I didn't see any other Bette Davis movies on the schedule for the rest of the month.

The Tuesdays featured films in a rough chronological order. The first Tuesday covered films from 1931 to 1935, the second 1935 to 1940, the third 1940 to 1948, the fourth 1948 to 1987. I've seen all the movies before. I recorded some I hadn't seen in a while and watched parts live when I was home.

A few thoughts. I was disappointed not to see Beyond the Forest on yesterday's listing. I haven't seen that film in years. It may be Bette's worst performance.

The first film yesterday was Winter Meeting, It's a boring film; Bette is unattractive with short bangs (worse than those my mother cut for me) with no makeup. I did fall in love with Bette's New York apartment.

The best of Tuesday's bunch was All About Eve. Bette is so incredible as Margo Channing that it's hard to believe that Claudette Colbert was originally cast in the part.

I recorded The Star: one film I hadn't seen in a while.

I would love to create my own Bette Davis film festival.

More Favorite Films

One of my first posts listed my five favorite movies. I decided to expand my list. I'm not putting this in any particular order.

The Best Years of Our Lives: I wrote about it here. It's a great film with a wonderful cast.

All About Eve: One of Bette's best performances--posted about this film too.

F/X: I learned to appreciate Brian Dennehy from this film.

The Hidden: just re-watched this tonight after years. It still holds up.

It's A Wonderful Life: not just a Christmas favorite.

Laura: Dana Andrews falls in love with a murder victim, or did he?

Double Indemnity: a classic noir

Too Late For Tears: a rediscovered noir

The Sea Hawk: swashbuckling Errol Flynn at his best

Nancy Drew and The Hidden Staircase: Bonita Granville may not be the Nancy Drew of the books, but she's fun.

Black Sunday and Kiss of the Vampire: 60's movie matinee horror at its best

Smart Blonde: the first Torchy Blane film

Auntie Mame: have this on the DVR to rewatch soon.

Little Miss Sunshine: a crazy road trip, Proust, a self-help course and a beauty contest

Silver Linings Playbook: I need to rewatch this to see if I still like it as much as I did.

Marked Woman: Bette against the gangster responsible for her sister's death

Dick: the "true" story of Watergate

70 Years Ago Today

The Best Years of Our Lives premiered.

I first saw the film as part of a college course: Film and American Society 1930's through 1950's. That course was awesome: I saw so many good films for the first time, including A Night at the Opera and Citizen Kane. My father later told me that my stepmother was appalled that he was paying good money for me to watch movies in college. But what I learned from that course has stayed with me.

The Best Years of Our Lives is the first film I saw that didn't show a rosy view of returning veterans. It wasn't all parades and cheers. Al, Fred and Homer each faced challenges adjusting to civilian life. The three love stories of Al and Milly, Fred and Peggy, and Homer and Wilma were poignant.

I'll never forget Peggy's (Teresa Wright) line: "I'm going to break that marriage up." It led to laughter and cheers when I watched the film with my class

The acting is incredible across the board: Fredric March won his second leading actor Oscar and Harold Russell became the only person to win two Oscars for the same role.

The Best Years of Our Lives is one of those films that I can watch over and over and never get tired of it. A great film.

TV's Fargo

Fargo is one of my favorite movies.

I was skeptical about about the TV series until I heard that the Coens were involved.We gave it a try, and I loved it. In the first season, I tried to match show characters to the film's. TV's Lester was the closest to the Jerry character in the film, but Lester was worse. He actually killed his first wife, and then allowed his second wife to be killed. At least Jerry "only" had his wife kidnapped.

At first, I thought Molly wasn't smart enough to stand in for Marge. But Marge was already a success when we see her in the film. In the show we watch Molly become an excellent police office

In the first season, Molly was awesome; so was her dad Lou. The acting was solid; the story intricate and compelling.

I've been obsessed with the second season. Lou is back as a younger state police officer. Molly is an young girl around six. The season's plot revolves around a local crime family's battle against the acquisition hungry Kansas City mob, a car accident and its aftermath, and the story of Lou and Molly's family.

The finale aired on Monday. For me, it was a slight letdown from the action-packed penultimate show. But that's what it was supposed to be--a denouement for the season. I need to re-watch it. I have mixed feelings about Lou and Peggy's conversation.

Overall, the second season was incredible. The story was fascinating--I couldn't wait until the next installment. The acting was incredible. There were so many layers. I'd like to re-watch it all.

Quiet Moments and Thoughts of Future Christmases

It's Christmas Eve. Everyone but my niece Lindsay and I have gone to church. I called us the heathens.

We're watching Christmas movies on TV. Two of Lindsay's top three are have been on: Elf and The Polar Express. For the record, her third is Rudolph.  I must have seen Rudolph over the years, but this is my first time watching parts of Elf and The Polar Express. But then she's never seen Christmas in Connecticut. The generation gap.

Jeff and I have our own Christmas viewing traditions.This year we haven't seen It's A Wonderful Life. Yet. I know it's on TV tonight, but it's broadcast TV with tons of commercials I'm sure. Maybe we can watch it after we go home tomorrow night.

Tonight is our Christmas dinner with Jeff's family: beef tenderloin, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, peas and Caesar salad. (I don't know what's for dessert.) We'll stay overnight and open gifts in the morning. Then it's on to my mother's for a Christmas brunch.

I talked to a few of my friends who don't have Christmas day plans with their families. In some cases, their families are as dysfunctional as mine is. Sometimes it's just distance or work obligations that keep family members apart.

I foresee a future in which various friends stranded without family on Christmas Day come to our home to share the holiday with Jeff and me.

Life is a Banquet...

and most poor suckers are starving to death.

Those are the immortal words of Mame Dennis as played by Rosalind Russell in the film Auntie Mame. I was flipping through channels this evening and found that this movie was on as part of TCM's program, The Essentials. It's been a long time since I've seen the movie and it's always a pleasure to catch it, especially when I see the whole movie.

Here's one of my favorite scenes from the movie.

In a moment...

After my afternoon walk with Spike, I realized that I had misplaced a glove. I retraced my steps to the front door. Not only did I drop my glove in the doorway, but I had dropped it in the exact spot that propped our exterior door open.

We've had some security issues in our condo. If I hadn't noticed my dropped glove, I could have created a new security problem in my home.

What a set up. What could have happened in those few moments between my dropping and my recovery of the glove?

What if I hadn't discovered it...until after someone took advantage...

One small action, one moment can change everything. Yes, that sounds a bit melodramatic like a promo for ABC soaps. But it could still be true.

I've always been intrigued by the idea of alternate timelines and parallel universes, most brilliantly portrayed in "It's a Wonderful Life" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650. A writer I know wrote a story about
different outcomes that cascaded from a man's decision to turn left or right at a corner. The story ended with Tom is dead or Tom is dead or Tom is dead or Tom is dead.

Chance, coincidence, synchronicity, destiny, a writing prompt, whatever. Always food for thought.

Great Performances: Ian McKellen as Gandalf

I often have the TV on as background while doing chores. Over the past week I've caught parts of "The Fellowship of the Ring" a few times.

Tonight I saw my favorite scene--when Frodo volunteers to go to Mordor during the Council of Elrond. The reaction shot of McKellen is incredible--Gandalf's face reflects his fear, pride and acceptance of Frodo's destiny.

Gandalf knows he is at the crossroads--the end of the age of wizards and elves and the dawn of the age of man. At this point, Gandalf can only assist as part of the Fellowship.

All About Eve

I just turned on this film before the iconic line, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night."

Great timing; it's one of my favorite lines in a witty, snappy script.

I'm not sure where I would rank this film. I have always loved Bette's performance. She is sophisticated, glamorous, smart and sexy. I also enjoy the work of George Sanders, Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter. Marilyn Monroe is memorable in her few scenes.

A quibble--Anne Baxter's performance is the weak link. She's good but she's just a little over-the-top. There's something in the tone of her voice that brings me out of her scenes. Everything she says sounds so fake. In a way that works for the character because she is constantly creating her own history. But it's hard to believe that people find her sincere.

I also have issues with the 1950's gender roles. Bill tells off Eve when she comes on to him. One reason for his rejection is understandable--he's in love with Margo. But then he insults Eve for making the first move. He goes after what he wants; it doesn't come after him.

I cringe when I hear Margo's theory about woman's career of being a woman. In true 50's fashion, a woman can't be happy or fulfilled without a man. I try to focus more on Celeste Holm's face during that scene--her guilt over her trick on Margo. Holm is very powerful and subtle.

Great film, even with the 50's baggage.

My Fifth Favorite Movie: The Letter.

The Letter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3nv1zmp0Dg

From the opening scene when Leslie empties her revolver into a man running down her veranda--you are drawn in her world: the Singapore heat; the moonlight; the rhythm of the ceiling fans. Leslie Crosby's explanation of the shooting is clear cut; her husband was away--an acquaintance's visit grew sinister. She defended herself as any woman would.

But there is more to Leslie's story. Her crochet lace work grows more intricate throughout the film as her clear cut story is obscured and contradicted by the evidence in, you guessed it, the letter.

Bette Davis is my favorite actress. Of all her roles, I believe Leslie Crosby is her best. (Margo Channing is a close second.) She also has an incredible supporting cast: James Stephenson, Herbert Marshall, Gale Sondergaard and Victor Sen Yung.

Don't forget director William Wyler. He had to work around Hayes office censorship and make his film make sense. He succeeded brilliantly.

Bringing Up Baby

This is the quintessential screwball comedy and my fourth favorite movie. http://lynnecoll.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-five-favorite-movies.html

A madcap heiress ropes a reluctant paleontologist into helping her transport a tame, music-loving leopard from New York City to Connecticut. What could be screwier than that?

Katharine Hepburn is charming and intoxicating and Cary Grant is at his flustered best. They first meet on the golf course when Susan Vance (Hepburn) plays the ball of David Huxley (Grant) interrupting his important game. Next she takes off in his car. Things just get crazier from there at a nightclub with the olive trick and the ripped dress, a drive around Riverdale. Then the fateful trip to Connecticut: an encounter with a pair of swans, a stolen car, a shifting riverbed, an escaped circus animal, multiple arrests and a memorable interrogation.

Backing Hepburn and Grant is a brilliant supporting cast: May Robson as Aunt Elizabeth, Charles Ruggles as Major Applegate and Walter Catlett as Constable Slocum (among many others.) Don't forget Skippy, the wire haired terrier who played George, "...a perfect little fiend and you know it," as Aunt Elizabeth says. Skippy worked with Grant earlier in The Awful Truth and is best known as Asta, Nick and Nora Charles' dog in The Thin Man Series.

 

The dialogue is fast and snappy--jokes fly so fast it's easy to miss some. One of my favorites is when Constable Slocum asks why Susan is limping. She says she lost her heel. Slocum says, "Well, forget about him." I'm not giving it justice here--trust me, it's very funny.

The film includes what may be the first modern movie use of the term, gay. When Aunt Elizabeth asks why David is wearing a negligee, he says he just turned gay, all of a sudden (apparently, an ad lib by Grant.)

A great film and a funny movie: see it.

 

3. Fargo

It's time to return to my favorite movies http://lynnecoll.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-five-favorite-movies.html. Fargo from 1996 is the newest film on my list http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116282/.

I've always enjoyed movies about heists that have gone wrong. While Fargo isn't technically a heist movie, it has some of the same elements. I mean what could possibly go wrong with hiring two guys you don't know to kidnap your wife for ransom?

The actors are incredible. I can't think of a weak performance in this film.

The characters are fascinating and the film's successful characterizations start and end with Marge. I'm not sure I've ever seen a pregnant woman as a hero, unless the pregnancy itself was the plot line. Marge is not only smart and good at her job, but she is also empathetic to her subordinates and acquaintances (e.g. Lou and Mike Yanagita.)

Plus Marge has a happy marriage. That may seem like a minor point but many films show that a woman who is professionally successful cannot be personally happy. Marge and Norm are in love and supportive of each other. The movie ends with them both experiencing professional success--Marge has solved the case and apprehended one of the kidnappers while the Post Office has selected Norm's mallard for the three-cent stamp. Their personal success is shown as they happily await the birth of their first child--"Two more months," says Norm.

Fargo has many funny lines and situations, but never makes light of the deaths of its characters: the state trooper who stops the Ciera, the witnesses, Jean Lundegaard, Wade Gustafson, the parking lot attendant, even Carl Showalter himself (I hope I didn't forget anyone.)

The Oscar nominated cinematography is incredible--you feel the bleak cold. You understand Jerry's anger and frustration as he starts to scrape the ice off his car and throws the scraper, only to retrieve it and scrape the windshield in earnest as he has no other choice.

A great film.

Remakes

I was channel surfing the other day and saw that Double Indemnity was on. I was surprised to see it was a 1973 TV remake with Richard Crenna in the Fred MacMurray role, Samantha Eggar as Barbara Stanwyck's Phyllis and Lee J. Cobb as Keyes originally portrayed by Edward G. Robinson. This post by Riku tells how EGR made the film http://rikuwrites.blogspot.com/2009/04/busby-b-edward-g-and-woody-makes-three I turned it on in the middle and only caught a few minutes. The scenes I saw seemed to mirror the original movie (later I saw on IMDB that Steven Bochco of Hill Street Blues fame worked on the screenplay.) I'm sure the actors relished the chance to play such great characters and they were good in the scenes I saw, but why remake such a classic? Perhaps TPTB in Hollywood thought that remaking films would bring in the audience. It worked for the Maltese Falcon; the third version was the classic everyone knows today. I liked the original Ricardo Cortez version and would like to take a closer look at it. The second version in 1936, Satan Met a Lady, was almost unrecognizable. It was bad, even with my favorite actress, Bette Davis. On the other hand, my favorite film of Bette Davis, The Letter, is a remake. I'd love to see the original from 1929. Herbert Marshall plays the murdered lover in that version and the husband in the 1941 version with Bette. I have to admit that as much as I love Bette, her version of The Letter suffered from restrictions imposed by the censors (though the filmmakers did as well as they could under the arbitrary code.) There are no clear-cut rules for remakes--but please hold off on TV shows for now. For every somewhat enjoyable Brady Bunch, there are dozens of mistakes such as Car 54 (I long to see the original TV shows again) and Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Favorite Lines: "This is an outrage..."

It's funny what lines stick with you, It can be a lyric that gets stuck in your head that you sing over and over. Or it can be a line from a movie or TV show that you appropriate for your own.

One favorite line is from A Night at the Opera. Groucho as Otis B. Driftwood is late for a dinner engagement with Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont). She has him paged to discover he is sitting directly behind her, dining with another woman. After the waiter brings Groucho the check, he says, "This is an outrage." Handing the check to his dinner companion, he adds, "If  Iwere you I wouldn't pay it." Here is the entire scene; the line appears around 2:17. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9sRTTKwvys

My husband, Jeff and I use this line almost every time we go out to dinner. My father also used it often. It's now a permanent part of our family lexicon.