10 for 2015 Recap

Last year I set out to view 10 films that would broaden my movie horizons. Here is how I did:

Movies in my collection:

1) American Madness (1932)
2) My Man Godfrey (1936)

Sometimes the grass is greener in other pastures. In other words, I opted for the movie on TV or the ClassicFlix DVD over the movies I own. "I'll get to it later," I kept saying. Still haven't gotten to them. Some day... 

Movies to complement my reading list:

3) Sorrowful Jones (1949) - Cute. Richard Zoglin's Bob Hope biography inspired this pick.

In addition to Hope's funny asides, there is heart in this film. We see his character, Sorrowful Jones, transform from miserly coward to protective father-like figure, willing to put his wants aside for a child (played by the adorable Mary Jane Saunders). Lucille Ball plays his former girlfriend Gladys O'Neill, a tough dame who won't be pushed around by her night club boss (Bruce Cabot) or his thug sidekicks. She also has a soft spot for the orphaned Martha Jane and is instrumental in pushing Sorrowful in the right direction when needed. Ball is wonderful in the role. 

Our family will be watching Bob Hope and Lucille Ball in Sorrowful Jones for many years to come.

Torch Song (1953) ~ Crawford's Return to Dancing

Part of 10 for 2015
 
From the first number, Torch Song gets off on the wrong foot. While Joan Crawford's legs are exquisite, they dance to a song, "You're All the World to Me," already covered by Fred Astaire's feet two years earlier in Royal Wedding (1951). It's not likely audiences would have forgotten the number either--he dances on the walls and ceiling.

The opening shot of Crawford's gams attempts to establish her great musical comeback. The dance that follows is lackluster.

September/October Viewing Journal

Since my last viewing update in mid-September, I have been immersed in the community college and middle school worlds of lesson planning, teaching and grading. Life is busy but good. My students are fantastic, my colleagues are supportive and my family has been incredibly understanding of my crazy hours. Now and then I even get to catch a movie. Here is what I have been up to classic movie-wise:

*Impressed by Ruth Chatterton's performance in Female (1933), I DVR-ed The Crash (1932) last June. I finally got around to watching it in September. The film stars Ruth Chatterton and her husband at the time, George Brent. Her role is no more than a glorified prostitute, trading herself for stock secrets to assist her Wall Street banker hubby in getting ahead. The turning point occurs when Linda's (Chatterton) sexiness fails, and she is unable to obtain crucial information. Unwilling to admit that she has lost her pizzazz--horror of horrors! as this is her only commodity--Linda lies, which results in everyone they know, from servants to the high-brow company they keep, to lose their shirts in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. She alone is plagued with guilt. At no point does the movie suggest that her jerk of a husband--equally to blame--should share the guilt. In the end, the intended message is one that the Depression Era audience would have wanted to hear: money is the route of all evil. (To avoid spoilers, I won't tell you how the message is achieved. Suffice it to say that the movie follows one of the formulas outlined by Jeanine Basinger's I Do and I Don't.) However, there is a more subtle message warning women of the dangers of getting old and not admitting it to yourself. Accept your place on the shelf of the once sexy, the movie tells viewers. 

Brunettes, Blondes, Disability, & Questions Out of the Past

I have long heard this film's praises which is why I added it to my 10 movies to see in 2015 list. Out of the Past (1947) turned out to be quite a treat. It almost seems morbid to say that with all the deaths in the movie, but you've got to appreciate a film that keeps you on your toes. 

I purposely avoided movie reviews and synopses so I could view the film with fresh eyes. I knew it was a noir and was fairly confident the brunette was going to double-cross the men. (I've watched The Maltese Falcon. I know to watch out for those sneaky brunettes...) Sure enough, the brunette is beautiful, but deadly. Her wardrobe is stunning and her role the juicier of the two female parts. 

The Brunette/Femme Fatale, Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer), in three of her gorgeous outfits

In contrast, the blonde, who plays little more than an audience surrogate (basic purpose: listen to the Mitchum character's past), is plain, but virtuous. She is the one we are to emulate. Go ahead and fall for the mysterious stranger, just don't marry him. 

The Blonde and not-so-glamorous Ann Miller (Virginia Huston)

The stranger in question is Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum), who fights the good fight, but in the end makes the noble sacrifice expected of characters who must atone for sins of a past life. In this case, Jeff gives up the [blonde] woman he loves. And the catalyst for the events? Whit Sterling, a wealthy gambler played by Kirk Douglas, making the leading three a cleft-chinned bunch: 

Robert Mitchum ~ Jane Greer ~ Kirk Douglas

The movie has the standard set of supporting characters: the gambler's tough sidekick (Joe - played by Paul Valentine), the detective's partner (Steve Brodie), the sly secretary (Rhonda Fleming).  

Dickie Moore - Source

In the mix is a character referred to as "The Kid" (Dickie Moore). "The Kid" is a minor role, reminiscent of Dick Tracy's loyal orphan pal of the same name (Dick Tracy, 1990). He doesn't get much screen time, but his inclusion is significant because he gives a positive representation of a person with a disability during a time when it was not common (arguably, still isn't). He is deaf without the stereotypical labeling or depiction. He is not a tragic figure to be pitied like Tiny Tim or fixed like Emily Blair in And Now Tomorrow (1944). Rather, "The Kid" is portrayed as capable and treated with respect by the other characters--even by the antagonists. At the same time, it is unlikely the writer, Daniel Mainwaring*, casually included a character with a disability.  Since "The Kid" is the first person the audience meets in connection to Jeff's new life, his young friend might be meant to tip us off that Jeff is a likeable guy despite his checkered past. In other words, "The Kid" may exemplify what Mariam Nathan Lerner describes as a "representation of deafness [...] to provide a window into audience understanding and appreciation of the protagonist."

*Mainwaring used the pseudonym Geoffrey Holmes when he wrote Build My Gallows High, the novel on which Out of the Past is based. 

The lines--writing and delivery of--are solid. I love the insight into Jeff's character from this exchange -

Taxi Driver: Buddy, you look like you're in trouble.

Jeff: Why?

Taxi Driver: Because you don't act like it.

Mitchum's character doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve. Another favorite -

Secretary: For a man who appears to be clever, you can certainly act like an idiot.

Jeff: That's one way to be clever. (Slight pause) To look like an idiot.

I've heard similar responses from Marilyn Monroe's and Ginger Roger's characters. It's interesting to hear it from a man. 

***Spoilers Ahead***

 
The twists compel the viewer to pay attention or lose track of who is crossing whom. After seeing it once, I feel there are parts that I missed. For example, when Ann's father reads the paper, he says that Jeff is wanted for two murders. I know about Eels. Who is the other victim? And what about the Kathie and Joe angle? Was she playing him like the other men? Or was he focused on not disappointing Whit or saving his neck? Is Whit and Joe's relationship more than platonic (Joe worried about disappointing Whit, Whit's extreme distress and anger at Joe's death)? Finally, Kathie had a remarkably accurate shot, why/how did she miss Whit at the beginning of the story--was there more going on?

These questions aside, the resolution was satisfying. I loved the irony of Kathie's last outfit. As she fully reveals how evil she is, her outfit gives her the appearance of a nun.

 
When Jeff tries to reason with her (like you can with this dame) that if they run off to Mexico, the police will find them, she responds:

I don't care. Just so they find us together.

Dang, I thought, She's ready to go out Bonnie-and-Clyde-style! I didn't know how close I had hit it.

Sources

Lerner, Mariam Nathan. "Narrative Function of Deafness and Deaf Characters in Film." Media/Culture Journal 13:2 (2010). Web. 15 July 2015. 

Williams, Tony. "Movies and the 'Enemy' Within." American Cinema of the 1940s: Themes and Variations. Ed. Wheeler Winston Dixon. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006. 182-199. Print.  

A Frosty Random Harvest

~Part of my 10 for 2015 New Year's Resolution List~

Despite its happy ending, Random Harvest (1942) left me feeling oddly melancholy. The main characters, Charles Rainer aka “Smithy” (Ronald Colman) and Paula Ridgeway (Greer Garson) have undergone a long, emotional journey. When they first meet, Rainer is an amnesic WWI vet who can hardly speak. With Paula by his side, he recuperates. They fall in love, marry, and build a happy life together—complete with a little cottage and baby son. He discovers a passion for writing and is on the verge of translating his talents into a profitable career when an accident changes everything. His memory of life prior to the war returns and the years with Paula are erased. He becomes Charles Rainer, heir of Random Hall and prominent businessman.

10 Classic Films for 2015

At the beginning of each year, Laura at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings puts together a list of ten films she plans to see during the new year. I thought this was a grand idea--what a wonderful way to ensure you are exposed to some new movies while checking off others that you have long been wanting to see! 

I searched my new DVD collection sets (my Christmas gifts were Classic Hollywood themed--yay!), the books I am reading/plan to read, AFI lists, and other classic film fans' opinions to help compile my list. After going back and forth a few times, here is the final list I resolve to see by the end of 2015:

1) American Madness (1932) - I received a Frank Capra set a few years ago, and this is the only movie I have yet to see. I typically enjoy "Capra-corn." Bonus: The movie is pre-code. Seems like a winning combo.

2) My Man Godfrey (1936) - I saw the very beginning of this film but got busy and was not able to finish it before it was removed from TCM On Demand. It looked promising. Plus it stars Carole Lombard and William Powell, two favorites.

The next four are inspired by the books I am either currently reading or plan to read before the year is up.

3) The Impatient Years (1944) - Jeanine Basinger wrote about this movie in I Do and I Don't: A History of Marriage in the Movies. It stars Jean Arthur and looks at what happens when a GI returns home to a wife he hardly knows. In a way, the film picks up where many early WWII movies (such as The More the Merrier, also starring Arthur) leave off. Intriguing. I just hope I can find a copy of this on DVD! Any leads would be welcome.