Daily Archives: July 2, 2015

Variety Lights (1950)

Posted on July 2, 2015 | 2 comments

Variety Lights (Luci del varietá)
Directed by Federico Fellini and Alberto Lattauda
Written by Federico Fellini, Alberto Lattaudo, and Tullio Pinelli
1950/Italy
Capitolium
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

 

[box] Checco Dal Monte: [to Lily] I’m an artist. So are you. You’ve got spunk, spunk! You’ll see. You and I together, always! I will be the performer. I don’t need anyone. I will form the company. I promise you.[/box]

OK, the Fellini years have started!  I’m a fan.  This one is the “1/2” in 8 1/2 as he co-directed with Lattauda but all his signature touches are here.  Comedy predominates.

Checco del Monte is the empresario of a third-rate variety show that plays small towns in Italy.  Even the small towns don’t think much of the acts and as the movie begins creditors are about to foreclose on the sets leaving the performers without wages.

The company travels together by train.  A beautiful young girl approaches Checco with a portfolio of photos and a story of winning beauty pagents and dance-offs.  She is Liliana and is completely star-struck.  Checco tries to woo her but she is having none of that.

When the troupe gets to their next town.  Liliana bails them out by paying a cart to haul their stuff.  She is still hanging around when the theater owner complains that Checco has not furnished all the dancers he promised.  Liliana figures she has a part in the show when she is counted among the dancers Checco did furnish.  All the cast members look down on her as a talentless amateur.  But when Liliana is accidentally caught on stage in her underwear the crowd goes wild and the show is held over for multiple performances while she morphs into its star.

Now Checco thinks Liliana will be his ticket to greater things.  He dumps his mistress of many years Melina Amour (Giulietta Masina) and takes Liliana to Rome to introduce her to his “contacts”.  These are pretty much non-existent and Checco spends a lot of his time discouraging the many men who vie for her attentions.  The girl has her eyes on the prize at all times, however, and soon has outgrown any need of help from her hapless “manager”.

This is a pleasant comedy.  The best parts, though,  are all the crazy supporting characters and their different acts.  Fellini already has a gift for picking out bizarre and totally perfect faces to fill his scenes.  I had a lot of fun watching this.

Clip

Clip – opening minutes – no subtitles but none really needed

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Posted in 1950, Movie Reviews

Summer Stock (1950)

Posted on July 2, 2015 | Leave a comment

Summer Stock
Directed by Charles Walters
Written by George Wells and Sy Gomberg; story by Gomberg
1950/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Jane Falbury: You really love this, don’t you?

Joe D. Ross: What? Show business? There’s nothing else in the world.[/box]

After many years, Judy Garland is right back where she started in a “let’s put on a show in a barn” musical.  The lackluster plot is made up for by some great dancing and Judy’s “Get Happy” number.

Jane Fallberry’s (Garland) farm has fallen on hard times.  Her hired hands have quit because they need to get paid.  To round out Jane’s troubles she is worried about sister Abigail (Gloria De Haven) who has dropped out of art school to do who knows what.  Jane resorts to asking the bossy father (Ray Collins) of long-term boyfriend Orville Wingait (Eddie Bracken) for a tractor.  He obliges in hopes of putting more pressure on the couple to set a wedding date.

In the midst of this, Abigail shows up with boyfriend Joe Ross (Gene Kelly) in tow. Distressingly, she brings the entire company of Joe’s musical play with them.  They have lost their rehearsal space and need the barn to prepare for and stage an out-of-town preview.  Abigail is to star and Jane can’t bear to disappoint her so she reluctantly agrees to the plan on the condition that the cast and crew help her out on the farm.

These people are inexperienced farmhands to say the least and stage manager Herb Blake (Phil Silvers) is a positive walking disaster.  Things become further complicated as Jane finds herself falling for Phil.  Then Abigail becomes a total prima donna and walks out of the show.  Three guesses as to what happens next.  With Hans Conreid as the musical’s leading man.

This is utterly predictable and most of the songs aren’t too memorable.  Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler’s old standard “Get Happy” is the exception and Garland’s performance here reminded me very much of the kind of thing daughter Liza would do years later.  Kelly has some nice numbers.  I especially liked the one where he kind of riffed with a newspaper.

Clip

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Posted in 1950