Daily Archives: May 4, 2014

Brother Orchid
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Earl Baldwin based on a story by Richard Connell
1940/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Little Johnny Sarto: Brother Superior, I’m gonna blab a little. Then I’m gonna blow.[/box]

My favorite part of this OK Edward G. Robinson vehicle was seeing Ann Southern as a featured player.  The rest of the supporting cast isn’t too shabby either.

Johnny Sarto (Robinson) decides to retire from his racket and go to Europe to get some “class”.  He bequeaths his gang and operation to underling Jack Buck (Humphrey Bogart) and says goodbye to ditzy girlfriend Flo (Southern).  When he returns five years later, having got neither class nor respect overseas, Flo has taken up with super square rancher Clarence Fletcher (Ralph Bellamy).  He tries to get his business back but Buck isn’t having any of that and soon plans to rub him out.

Johnny is shot and escapes to a monastery – “The Little Brothers of the Flower”.  Brother Superior (Donald Crisp) asks no questions and Johnny, now known as Brother Orchid, becomes the star novice.  But when he reads that Flo is marrying Clarence, he takes off to the city to confront her and coincidentally finds himself battling Buck once again over the protection racket in the flower market.  With Allan Jenkins as Johnny’s sidekick and Cecil Kellaway as a monk.

The depth of talent available to the studios during the classic era never ceases to amaze me.  You could build a whole movie around one or two of these actors and here they are all together and giving it their all.  While nothing to write home about, I enjoyed this a lot.

Trailer

Strike Up the Band
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Written by John Monks Jr. and Fred F. Finklehoffe
1940/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Paul Whiteman: Take that boy on the street. Teach him to blow a horn and he’ll never blow a safe.[/box]

There is something comforting about the predictability of MGM’s teen pictures of this era. This one is a good example and features an extravagant setting of the Gershwins’ stirring title song.

Let’s put on a show!  Jimmy Connors (Mickey Rooney) is the drummer for his high school band.  He longs to break away from the marching band into swing music.  Mary Holden (Judy Garland) is his long-suffering “girl” and vocalist.  When Jimmy hears that big band leader Paul Whiteman is auditioning teen bands for his radio show, he is determined to make the trek to Chicago for the audition.  But how to raise the $200 need to travel there? You have guessed!  But dramatic turns of events also require minor miracles before the dream can come true.  With William Tracy (Pepi of The Shop Around the Corner) as one of the guys.

I actually preferred this to Babes in Arms.  I liked a lot of the musical numbers, especially the patriotic title tune and “Drummer Boy”.

Strike Up the Band won an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording.  Roger Edens and George Stoll were nominated for Best Original Song (“Our Love Affair”) and Best Score.

Trailer