The American Myth -- Broken homes, adultery, suicide and murder - - a pre-code extravaganza

  The Mind Reader (1933, Roy Del Ruth ) ***

            Warren William as a carnival con man who thrives as a fake swami, but his wife (Constance Cummings) wants him to make an honest living.  This is a wonderful pre-code tells the tale of a first class con-artist who works his way from a medicine show to that of a reader of fortunes and the future.  Here he meets and falls in love with the daughter of a rube (a country bumpkin) and marries her with hopes of continuing “the life” but finds it increasing difficult to provide the sleight-of-hand necessary for his craft and his marriage. Cagney, Bogart and Robinson eventually replaced Warren William, a big star for Warner Bros. at the time and an excellent actor at the box-office. But here he is at once convincing as Dr. Muro whose “magic crystal ball” seems to predict the most sordid outcomes for each of his clients as described by a newspaper clipping -- “Dr. Munro’s Magic crystal is relieving the depression, by making business brisk for divorce lawyers – his line of patients are long than the well known bread line – “ Here we have the outing of adultery and avarice; an interesting juxtaposition for Dr. Muro as we have come to know him.  Several things make this movie interesting not the least of which is a knockout performance by Mayo Methot (Bogart’s wife prior to Bacall) in an amazing three-minute suicide scene enhanced with Warner Bros. realism of the day as to make anyone cringe.  Directed by the dependable Roy DelRuth, who understood better than most the kind of gritty, tightly made urban crime melodramas that provided bread and butter to the brothers Warner during the depression.  Lot’s of fun and proof positive of the difference between the Circus and the sideshow.  Only better done by my favorite carnival movie Nightmare Alley staring Tyrone Power.

On the Dark Side -- Why I love film noir

From Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic a wonderful clip reel of the best of film noir in American Cinema. He calls it a "Mental Health Break". Enjoy!

Mental Health Break - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Comfort Food: When Heaven and Hell are both the same place or why we love “B” Movies.

Between Two Worlds (1944, Edward A. Blatt) ***

"The advantages of a misspent life."

When the the Warner Brothers first conceived their studio it they declared the following credo for the pictures made under their name: “Educate, Entertain and Enlighten”. Between Two Worlds serves all three objectives. As an entertainment it features a strong cast of Warner Bros. players; a world weary John Garfield (when wasn’t he?), an international refugee Paul Henreid (always his best character) and Sydney Greenstreet as the pious avatar (when wasn’t he?). The stellar cast includes Eleanor Parker (Chain Lightning 1950, An American Dream 1966), everyone’s favorite Santa Claus Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street 1947), George Tobias and Isobel Elson as the epitome of opulent grand dame haughtiness who gets her due. As opportunity to educate, the moral of the story is that everyone eventually gets their just rewards. Justice only exists in the movies -- or at least what we think of as justice. And lastly the film continued to maintain awareness of the specter of Naziism and its countless victims. In Between Two Worlds we have a contrivance of interconnecting stories occurring on an ocean liner, destination unknown. In true Warner Bros. tradition we know who to root for throughout. The movie turns into a mystical fantasy as we realize that everything is happening after the death of the characters. The story takes place in a limbo or perdition where each character is sentenced to the heaven or hell that they have created in their lives. Movies like this are why we like B-movies. In my lexicon“B” movies include those movies with major stars that were made quickly for audience appeal and box office. They tended to be genre pictures and had smaller budgets all round than their “A” movie counterparts that were released as tent poles of the day -- The VIPs definitely fits into this niche.) Often they are heavy handed yet seductive and always easy to ‘get into’ – these movies exist in an alternate universe where their plots are believable and the stories make total sense, no matter how contrived their reality. All real movie lovers are suckers for movies like this.

Extra: John Garfield the most world weary of the Warner Bros. stable, active in liberal political and social causes, found himself embroiled in Communist scare of the late 1940s. Though he testified before Congress that he was never a Communist, his ability to get work declined. While separated from his wife (who has been reported to a member of the Communist Party), Garfield (at 39) succumbed to long-term heart problems, dying suddenly in the home of a woman friend. His funeral was mobbed by thousands of fans, in the largest funeral attendance for an actor since Rudolph Valentino. More John Garfield to come.

The American Myth/Our Story – Good clumsily triumphs over evil

And One Was Beautiful (1940, Robert B. Sinclair) *1/2

·      This hopes to be a tight B-movie with a “hard left” but it plays more like a predictable melodrama; despite a well executed beginning that set us up for the turn of the story. As a result And One Was Beautiful  fails to raise itself above its “C” grade script and waddles between a romantic comedy of manners, poking fun of the rich, and a heart wrenching melodrama of unrequited love and innocent bystanders. It may have been conceived as a movie to ignite Robert Cummings career beyond the supporting roles and character parts.  Unfortunately And One Was Beautiful was more of predictor of a secure future in forgettable supporting roles with the occasional exception (think Dial M For Murder). More often he played a version of his own stereotype; with the greatest success in The Carpetbaggers. Director Robert Sinclair didn’t hit his stride until television a decade late and Laraine Day fails to breakthrough opposite Bob as we’ve always loved him.  

The American Myth/Our Story -- How we see ourselves in the rearview mirror

 The Happy Years (1950, William A. Wellman) **
 This movie could easily be passed over as a well produced romantic vision of 1890s America’s eastern upper crust at boarding school and how they passed their time. What makes it interesting is that it was directed by “Wild Bill” Wellman; who is primarily known for no holes barred action and urban realism with films ranging from Wings, The Public Enemy, Wild Boys of the Road, Viva Villa!, The Ox-Bow Incident and Yellow Sky. More important this is the movie Wellman made immediately after Battleground -- the seminal WW2 movie of my father’s generation; the most gritty and realistic look at the war on film at the time (nominated for six Academy Awards including picture and director). Despite excellent direction and fine performances, everything about The Happy Years is expected and feels like it would have been better made with Mickey Rooney before the war.  And this isn’t a fault of the production or the actor's performances. The source material is known as the "Lawrenceville Stories" that were published in The New Yorker between 1900 -1910 making them a nostalgic look back when they were written).  Instead of Mickey we have the fresher faced Dean Stockwell who plays young John Humperkink "Dink" Stover, a legacy student at the venerable Lawrenceville Prep.  Stockwell as a child star played supporting sharing the screen with the likes of William Powell and Myrna Loy, Gregory Peck and Errol Flynn all before he was fifteen when he was the lead in The Boy With the Green Hair. He didn’t know it at the time but his career as a child star was about to run out of gas.   Darryl Hickman the older and the less remembered older brother of Dwayne (Dobie Gillis) also had his share of credits, but always in more of a supporting player despite his brilliant role in Leave Her To Heaven where he plays the most innocent of victims. The cast is rounded out with Leon Ames (a perennial father in movies Meet Me In St. Louis and From the Terrace to name two) and the Hitchcock favorite Leo G. Carroll as the schoolmaster. The Happy Years almost makes one believe that everyone lived this idealized life in this view of America’s past, suggesting that all American’s could aspire to be wealthy and have their sons attend an elite school one day. This is the stuff that American dreams are made of; especially during the years after the victory of WWII.

Curiosities & Time Capsules: Liz Taylor and Richard Burton face flight delays.

The V.I.P.’s (1963, Anthony Asquith) **

A slapped together potboiler of a B-movie, often turgid with a star-studded cast who provided box office gold for Warner Brothers and the soon to be, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burton. The V.I.P.’s tells its story of intersecting characters during an endless fogged in night at a London airport, almost exclusively with interior studio shots and little second unit work or location shots.

The whole thing plays like an homage to the Warner Brothers’ extravaganzas of the 1930’s like Grand Hotel and Dinner At Eight. As a time capsule The VIP’s revives the notion that travel was once a romantic undertaking, especially among those of a certain class who were impeccably dressed and quaffed oblivious to those around them sweating the details. 

Hollywood legend has it that screenwriter Terence Rattigan once reminisced that his screenplay was inspired by Vivian Leigh’s difficulty telling Oliver that she was leaving him for Peter Finch.

Capitalizing on the gossip press generated by Elizabeth Taylor’s affair with Richard Burton during the filming of Cleopatra (released 31 July 1963), The V.I.P.’s was made during the failed epic’s lengthy post-production process (released 9/19/64). The hope was to capitalize on the heat of the scandal with a wide release of Liz and Dick feature while Cleopatra was exclusively playing in road show engagements (here in Los Angeles at The Egyptian Theater no less).

I won’t attempt to retell the saga of Elizabeth Taylor and her many husbands (count ‘em it’s either seven or eight depending on whether or not you count Richard Burton twice), scandals and pretty much manufactured life here. Let’s suffice it to say that after being widowed at age 27 she ran off with her best friends’ husband, married him for a while and then ran off to play the lead in the biggest movie of all time at that time (yes, bigger than Ben Hur, a little ditty called Cleopatra) and falls in love with her married costar (Richard Burton). All the while this international Passion play was being had advertised across all possible media venues of the day. Trust me, I lived through this phenomenon as a child (my mother was crazy for fresh gossip about the sensational sexpot Liz Taylor.

In The V.I.P.’s Elizabeth Taylor continues to push the envelope of sexual fury, building on her portrayal of Maggie in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. The fireworks we see here with Burton are but a small preview of what is to come three years later in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Wolfe? Here she again leaving a husband (in this case Richard Burton); this time for an international playboy Louis Jourdan.

During this period in her career Elizabeth only made films with her ‘true love’ and latest husband, Richard Burton.  All were middling (The Sand Piper, The Taming of the Shrew, Dr. Faustus, The Comedians, Boom) with the exception the Mike Nichol’s directed production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? (1966). 

But that’s a post for another day.

Also of interest: 

Margaret Rutherford wins her Oscar (no doubt to a three way tie of the women from Tom Jones competing in the Best Supporting Actress category) playing a stereotypical character opposite her real life husband Dennis Price.  And yet another sterling performance by the under appreciated Michael Hordern.

Orson Wells plays a “life imitating art” faux Alexander Korda styled movie mogul who too is forever being pursued by the IRS. Not particularly memorable but always nice to see. Maggie Smith makes something an American debut opposite Rod Taylor batting clean up in a terrific supporting role.

Curiosities & Time Capsules: “An American Tragedy” 1960’s style.

An American Dream (1966, Robert Gist) * 

“An American Dream' ... is a private nightmare of lust, violence and murder! ... Where a bed is a battlefield and love is armed combat...!” (tagline)

Stagy and overacted (not to mention self-involved), An American Dream is interesting only as a time capsule of the mid-60’s and reflective of Norman Mailer’s larger than life vision of himself.  The story involves a talk show host (Stuart Whitman) who kills his wife (or at least was slow in stopping her from jumping off their balcony 30 stories to the street).

The plot is eerily like a scene from the biography of Mailer; an exercise in life imitates art, and art imitates life. In 1960, Mailer stabbed his second wife Adele with a penknife after a party, nearly killing her. He was involuntarily committed to Bellevue Hospital for 17 days; his wife would not press charges, and he later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of assault, and was given a suspended sentence.

Over the entire movie is a messy adaptation of Norman Mailer's novel, with Stuart Whitman as the ruthless TV commentator who implies that the cops are in the pay of the Mob, only to find himself winding up on his wife’s murder charge. It would like to be nightmarish and Kafkaesque, instead it's just tediously violent.

Eleanor Parker as Whitman's embittered and alcoholic ex-wife, brings the thing to life in her scenes, but otherwise it's a long haul. The film, with a strong beginning intensified by Parker's powerful portrayal of the wife, deteriorates into a cynical look at 1960s society. Janet Leigh is totally wasted as the “whore” who sells him out to the mob. The song "A Time for Love" was nominated for an Oscar. On the upside there are several scenes shot on location shots in and around downtown Los Angels in 1966.

In many ways the look (especially the set design and art direction), feel and attitude (and violence) is reworked the following year in John Boorman’s thriller Point Black with Lee Marvin from the same year; with much better effect.