Daily Archives: December 6, 2022

Blue Collar
Directed by Paul Schrader
Written by Paul and Leonard Schrader; source material Sydney A. Glass
1978/US
IMDb page
First viewing; Amazon Prime rental

Smokey James: Why do you go to the line every Friday?
Jerry Bartowski: Well…
Smokey James: Because the finance man’s gonna be at your house on Saturday, right? That’s exactly what the company wants – to keep you on their line. They’ll do anything to keep you on their line. They pit the lifers against the new boys, the old against the young, the black against the white – EVERYBODY to keep us in our place.

This movie was just not for me.

Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto are assembly line workers in an auto plant. They are all family men who are barely scraping by. Their union seems to be in the pocket of management. They decide that robbing the union office is the thing to do but collect only about $600. But the union is claiming $10,000 from the insurance company. Now, the men are in a position to blackmail the union, or so they think.

Despite its high IMDb user rating, this movie didn’t grab me. The vibe is very 70’s with lots and lots of cursing and corrupt authority figures. Richard Pryor plays a dramatic role where he can pour out a lot of rage. It was reportedly a very unhappy set. Anyway, the movie lost me in the very beginning and never regained my attention.

Love Is News
Directed by Tay Garnett
Written by Harry Tugend and Jack Yellen; story by William R. Lipman and Frederick Stephani
1937/US
Twentieth Century Fox
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

Steve Leyton: Mike, ever had a woman make a fool out of you?
Mike Allegretti: Sure!
Steve Leyton: What happened?
Mike Allegretti: Four boys and one girl.

When the leading lady’s character gets on your nerves, it’s hard to love a romcom.

In another newspaper movie from the ‘30s, Tyrone Power plays Stephen Leyton an ace reporter that is constantly at odds with his irascible boss Martin J. Cavanan (Don Ameche). Power has plenty of attitude and gives as good as he gets. He is fired and rehired several times throughout the movie.

Loretta Young plays Tony Gateson, a “tin can” heiress who breaks up with phony count Andre de Guyon (George Sanders) and returns to New York. Every newspaper in town wants the story, Steve gets it by pretending he is with Loretta’s police escort. Tony gets back at him by announcing they are engaged. Suddenly Steve is mobbed by hordes of men trying to sell him something as well as the media. Through the course of the movie, Tony plays several dirty tricks on him including a false accusation that lands him in jail. You only get one guess who Tony winds up with. With Dudley Digges as Tony’s uncle, Slim Summerville as a small town Judge, Stepin Fetchit as a luxury car demonstrator, and Elisha Cook Jr. hilarious as a reporter.

Loretta Young’s character got on my nerves. She is downright mean and spiteful for at least 3/4 of the movie. This prevents the film from being a favorite though she certainly looks gorgeous and her acting isn’t bad. Her gowns, as usual, are beautiful and she wears them well.  This was Power’s first major film role and he does well. I love Don Ameche and he is funny here.

Tyrone Power plays a drinking game with rival reporter Walter Catlett