Daily Archives: May 25, 2014

North West Mounted Police
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Written by Alan Le May, Jesse Lasky Jr., and C. Gardner Sullivan
1940/USA
Paramount Pictures
First viewing/YouTube

[box] April Logan: Texas must be heaven.

Dusty Rivers: It will be when you get there.[/box]

This is a workmanlike action/adventure movie but I felt it lacked thrills somehow.

The setting is close to the U.S. border in Western Canada.  Evil half-breed whisky runner Jacques Corbeau (George Bancroft), aided by right-hand-man Dan Duroc (Akim Tamiroff), is fomenting revolution among his kind and hopes to bring the local Indian tribes in on his side.  Corbeau’s treacherous daughter Louvette (Paulette Goddard) has mesmerized Mountie Ronnie Logan (Robert Preston).  Ronnie’s sister April (Madeleine Carroll) is a nurse to the local people.  Sargeant Jim Brett is in love with April but she is undecided.

The regiment of Mounties is gearing up to combat the insurrection when Texas Ranger Dusty Rivers (Gary Cooper) arrives at the fort with a warrant to arrest Corbeau for a murder back home.  He is immediately taken with April and begins a great rivalry with Jim. But soon enough they become brothers in arms.  Meanwhile, Louvette tricks Ronnie into leaving his post at a key juncture and Dusty sets about rescuing him and redeeming his reputation for love of April.  This was one of Robert Ryan’s very first films but I didn’t spot him in his Mountie uniform.

This kept my attention for over two hours so I can’t complain.  It’s just kind of ponderous as I find most Cecil B. DeMille productions to be.  I generally love Akim Tamiroff but here his Russian accent came off as really ludicrous for the part he played.

North West Mounted Police won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing.  It was nominated in the categories of Best Color Cinematography, Best Color Art Direction, Best Sound Recording and Best Original Score (Victor Young).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz4ZPdoSIn8

Clip (spoiler)

Music in My Heart
Directed by Joseph Santley
Written by James Edward Grant
1940/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
First viewing/Columbia Tri-Star DVD

[box] I wanted to study singing, but Harry Cohn kept saying, “Who needs it?” and the studio wouldn’t pay for it. They had me so intimidated that I couldn’t have done it anyway. They always said, “Oh, no, we can’t let you do it. There’s no time for that; it has to be done right now!” I was under contract, and that was it. — Rita Hayworth[/box]

This movie might just define the word “mediocre” for Classic Era musicals.

Bob (Tony Martin) has been waiting for his chance to take the stage as understudy in a Broadway show but the leads have been uncooperatively healthy.  On the night the immigration authorities come to deport him one of them feigns illness and Bob gets his big break.  (You may ask Bob’s nationality.  Why he is American but somehow his partents never bothered to file their citizenship papers.)  After the show, he heads for the ship that will take him to Europe.  Patricia (Rita Hayworth) is catching a ship to marry her wealthy but dull boyfriend (Alan Mowbray).  These two manage to crowd into the same cab which then breaks down causing both to miss the boat.  Naturally they quickly fall in love.

Some Russian emigrants that run a cafe and are somehow connected with Patricia put Bob up.  The requisite misunderstandings and obstacles fill the path of our couple but love conquers all.  With Eric Blore as a butler.

This film is basically a showcase for Tony Martin’s singing.  If you like Tony Martin, possibly this movie would be worth your time.  I did not know before this but it turns out I am not a fan.  The plot could not be more predictable and cliché ridden.

Music in My Heart was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Original Song (“It’s a Blue World”).

Clip – Tony Martin singing “It’s a Blue World”

The Blue Bird
Directed by Walter Lang
Written by Ernest Pascal and Walter Bullock based on the play by Maurice Maeterlinck
1940/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Daddy Tyl: You can’t be unhappy inside yourself without making others unhappy, too.[/box]

Fox’s answer to The Wizard of Oz was a giant flop.  I could easily see why.

Mytyl (Shirley Temple) is a selfish and discontented girl.  She captures a bird in the royal forest.  On her way home, a poor invalid girl asks her to trade the bird for her doll but Mytyl refuses.  Once home, she goes on and on about not being rich.  Mummy (Spring Byington) and Daddy Tyl unsuccessfully try to straighten her out.  Then Daddy is called to go to war.

Mytyl goes to bed and is awoken by the Fairy Berylune (Jessie Ralph) who sends her on a quest to find a blue bird.  (It soon becomes clear that this is the Bluebird of Happiness). She turns the family dog Tylo and cat Tylette (Gale Sondergaard) into human form to assist her and sends Light to guide her way.  Tylette wants to stay human and  does her best to prevent the children from attaining their goal.  Mytyl (and her little brother Tyltyl) look everyhere – in the forest, in the Past, in the land of Luxury, in the future – but fail to find the bluebird anywhere until Mytyl wakes up to find herself in her own bed.  With Nigel Bruce as Mr. Luxury.

Oh to count the ways the filmmakers missed the entire point of what made The Wizard of Oz a hit.  There is little to no humor and the only song is contained in the clip.  Mytyl is an entirely disagreeable character for three-quarters of the story.  The universe of the film is strangely alien and Germanic.  Everyone has a funny name.  I didn’t even think the surroundings were particularly magical but the print could have been in need of a restoration.  The high point was the Eddie Collins’s performance as the dog.

The Blue Bird was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Color Cinematography and Best Special Effects.

Clip – Shirley Temple sings “Lay-de-o”