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Daily Archives: May 17, 2013

The Ghost Goes West (1935)

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 4 comments

The Ghost Goes West
Directed by René Clair
1935/UK
London Film Productions
First viewing

Murdoch Glourie (The Ghost): I hate America. It’s worse than the first day of battle.

This enjoyable and atmospheric romantic comedy/fantasy film is a bit reminiscent in tone to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It was the highest grossing film of 1936 in Great Britain.

The Glouries and the McGlaggens are two ancient feuding Scottish families. In the 18th Century, the Laird of the Glouries sends his womanizing son Murdoch (Robert Donat) off to the battlefield to avenge the honor of the Glouries on the McGlaggens. Murdoch is killed before he can do this and is doomed to wander Glourie castle until he can find a McGlaggen and get him to apologize and admit the superiority of the Glouries.

In 1935, Donald Glourie (also Robert Donat) is broke and living in the castle which he cannot sell because it is haunted. Wealthy American Peggy Martin (Jean Peters) discovers the castle and talks her father (Eugene Pallette) into buying it and rebuilding it in Florida. Donald is smitten with Peggy at first sight but is shy. Murdoch, the ghost, has no such problems. The ghost keeps things lively both on the sea voyage to America and after arrival.

GHOST GOES WEST

Robert Donat is, as usual, excellent and very appealing and all the other performances are fine. Clair has deftly captured the fantasy and historical elements and kept the comedy sparkling. There is some good satire on American media frenzy and consumerism at the end. Recommended.

Clip available on TCM: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/409420/Ghost-Goes-West-The-Movie-Clip-Enthusiasm-Controllers.html

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Posted in Movie Reviews

The Good Fairy (1935)

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 2 comments

The Good Fairy
Directed by William Wyler
1935/USA
Universal Pictures
Repeat viewing

Dr. Schultz: The, uh, the pants, I mean, they’re not too tight?
Schlapkohl: That depends entirely on the girls, the pants are all the same size.

This charming film has some of my favorite actors and a witty screenplay by Preston Sturges. It is a romantic comedy verging on the screwball.

The setting is modern-day (1935) Hungary. A movie theater owner goes to an orphanage to find an usherette for his theater and selects the sweet, naive Luisa Ginglebuscher (Margaret Sullavan). On one of her first days in the big city she is invited by a waiter (Reginald Owen) to a party in the hotel where he works. At the party, she is approached by wealthy Mr. Konrad (Frank Morgan) who tries to seduce her. This frightens Luisa and she says she is married. Konrad is not deterred and says he will make her husband rich. This inspires Luisa with the thought that she could do a good deed for someone like they were taught at the orphanage. So she selects the name of lawyer Max Sporum (Herbert Marshall) from the phone book. Konrad goes to see Sporum the next day and gives the bewildered man a lucrative five-year contract. Sporum and Luisa meet thereafter and go on a shopping spree and things proceed from there.

Good Fairy 1

The plot description doesn’t sound too amusing but I can assure you the movie is. The dialogue just pops. I adore Margaret Sullavan, whom I have not seen enough of. She would charm the pants off an alligator. Herbert Marshall has probably never been this whimsical and it suits him. Recommended.