Category Archives: 1951

The Model and the Marriage Broker
Directed by George Cukor
Written by Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch, and Richard L. Breen
1951/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box]Kitty Bennett: Oh, I didn’t realize – you’ve got people in there, haven’t you?

Mae Swasey: About 50-50.[/box]

1951 was Thelma Ritter’s year it seems.

Mae Swasey is a marriage broker who introduces lonely hearts to other lonely hearts for a fee.   Sometimes one half of the couple does not know it has been set up as is the case of radiologist Matt Hornbeck (Scott Brady).  But the mother of the fiancee refuses to pay up and Matt gets cold feet at the last moment.

One day, Mae picks up the handbag of department store  model Kitty Bennett (Jeanne Crain) by mistake. In it, she reads a love letter from a married man.  When Kitty comes to return Mae’s bag and retrieve her own, Mae gives her some strong motherly advice to dump him.  Then Mae decides to do a little pro bono marriage brokering and bring Matt and Kitty together.

She keeps her involvement secret from the two and her scheme works swimmingly until Kitty discovers Mae’s profession.  Initially Kitty is  furious but eventually she decides the best revenge is to do a little secret marriage brokering of her own.  With Zero Mostel as one of Mae’s clients.

This was pleasant, if not great.  Ritter is always good and she is undoubtedly the lead here.  I am beginning to like Crain more and more, too.  There is some snappy dialogue but mostly it’s a fairly predictable but solid romantic comedy.

The Model and the Marriage Broker was Oscar-nominated for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yQwZU5kUCU

Trailer

Susana
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Written by Luis Buñuel and Rodolfo Usigli from the novel by Manuel Reachi and Jaime Salvador
1951/Mexico
Internacional Cinematográfica
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Sex without religion is like cooking an egg without salt. Sin gives more chances to desire. – Luis Buñuel[/box]

This is an OK melodrama with a few signature Buñuel touches.  I would have liked more of them.

Susana (Rosita Quintana) has been locked up in a girl’s reformatory for unspecified crimes.   She apparently goes wild on a regular basis and is once again locked up in solitary.  Her prayers are answered when the bars of her cell window come loose and she escapes into the pouring rain.

Susana finds herself on the farm of a very happy family, headed by Don Guadalupe (Francisco Soler).  They take her in and everyone loves the “innocent” lass.  This is not enough for Susana, however, and she proceeds to seduce and enslave the father, the son and the overseer.

I don’t have much to say about this one.  The seduction scenes are the best and most Buñuelean.  The director seems still to be on a fairly short leash here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W0kEyA2OlM

Clip

Ginza Cosmetics (Ginza keshô)
Directed by Mikio Naruse
Written by Matsuo Kishi from a novel by Tomoichirô Inoue
1951/Japan
Ito Productions
First viewing/Hulu

[box] “I earnestly wish to point out in what true dignity and human happiness consists. I wish to persuade women to endeavor to acquire strength, both of mind and body, and to convince them that the soft phrases, susceptibility of heart, delicacy of sentiment, and refinement of taste, are almost synonymous with epithets of weakness, and that those beings are only the objects of pity, and that kind of love which has been termed its sister, will soon become objects of contempt.” ― Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman [/box]

This quiet film got under my skin.

Yukiku Tsuji is a single mother who supports herself and her son by working as a hostess at a bar in the Ginza district of Tokyo.  Her work primarily consists of flattering the losers that come in so that they continue to buy overpriced drinks while she talks with them.  Some of the other girls are tempted to earn more money by accepting invitations to go out with the men after the bar closes for the night, but not Yukiko.  The beginning of the film illustrates the hazards of the bar hostess trade from non-paying customers to old admirers who stick around to borrow money.  The business is doing so badly that the owner is thinking of selling.  Yukiko has almost no time with her young son.

Yukiko tries help out the owner by borrowing 200,000 yen from a horrible old admirer and is practically raped in the process.  Then a friend asks her to show a visitor from the countryside whom the friend is interested in around Tokyo.  The decency of this young man begins to make Yukiko think a better life might be possible but she is called away when her son goes missing.

This is a small film without much in the way of plot. It has some humor, mostly derived at the expense of Yukiko’s clients.  I found it kind of depressing though.  I really can’t think of anything worse that relying on cajoling men you don’t like to stay afloat.  The prospects just get worse as the women begin to age.  Naruse is famous for his compassion for women and their situation in post-war Japan and it is fully in evidence here.

Laughter in Paradise
Directed by Mario Zampi
Written by Michael Pertwee and Jack Davies
UK/1951
Associated British Picture Corporation/Mario Zampi Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Deniston Russell: With all this on my mind I just cannot face her tonight.

Simon Russell: Couldn’t face her any night. [/box]

I was in the mood for a good comedy and this one fit the bill perfectly.

Henry Russell is a millionaire and notorious practical joker.  His will contains his crowning achievement.  It leaves 50,000 pounds each to a number of relatives but only on conditions designed to challenge their greatest personal weaknesses.  Each relative must complete a task within 28 days.  The relatives will be disinherited if they reveal the will’s terms to any one before 28 days pass or if any of them contest the will.

Henry’s sister Agnes is a bitter spinster who has become nasty taskmaster to her staff.  She is required to get a job as a domestic and hold it without getting fired or quitting.  His nephew is a timid bank clerk.  His job is to hold up the bank with a toy pistol.  Brother (?) Denniston (Alistair Sim) is a retired military officer who writes pulp fiction under an assumed name on the sly.  His fiancee and her father would be scandalized if they knew.  Denniston must manage to get himself arrested and spend 28 days in jail.  Finally, chronically broke playboy Simon must marry the first woman he talks to after the will is read.

All these people have one difficulty after another completing their assignments and get themselves into thoroughly ridiculous situations in the process.  With Ernest Thesinger as the family solicitor and Audrey Hepburn in a tiny part as a cigarette girl.

I came for my beloved Alistair Sim and ended up thoroughly enjoying myself.  I laughed out loud several times – something I have not done at some of the more famous Ealing Studio comedies of the period.  Recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBi80VGvyrU

Clips

Don’t blink!

The Red Badge of Courage
Directed by John Huston
Written by John Huston and adapted by Albert Band from the novel by Stephen Crane
1951/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] He went slowly to his tent and stretched himself on a blanket by the side of the snoring tall soldier. In the darkness he saw visions of a thousand-tongued fear that would babble at his back and cause him to flee, while others were going coolly about their country’s business. He admitted that he would not be able to cope with this monster. He felt that every nerve in his body would be an ear to hear the voices, while other men would remain stolid and deaf. — Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage[/box]

This adaptation of the classic novel is the simple story of a raw young soldier’s coming of age.  We follow the soldier and his comrades as they move from wingeing unsure recruits to fighting men.

Young Henry Fleming (Audie Murphy) sets out with dreams of glory only to find himself paralyzed by fear when he sees real combat.   After his brief desertion, he returns to the regiment and tries to cover up his flight.  Gradually he finds that he was not alone in his fears.  The regiment is once again tested and Henry and his fellows rise to the occasion.

John Huston got some real life experience in combat during World War II.  It shows here in the convincing footage of the chaos of combat.  The cinematography looks like something out of an old Matthew Brady photograph.  The dialogue has an old-timey ring perfect to this story.  Despite its butchering at the hands of studio executives, I thought this was excellent.  Recommended.

According to the IMDb trivia, “John Huston considered this his best film. After a power struggle at the top of MGM management, the film was cut from a 2 hour epic to the 69 minute version released to theaters. It was never released as a A-list movie but was shown as a 2nd feature B-list movie. Both Houston and star Audie Murphy tried unsuccessfully to purchase the film so that it could be re-edited to its original length. The studio claiming that the cut footage was destroyed. Unless there is an undiscovered copy of the uncut version, this movie will never be viewed as John Huston intended.”

Trailer

Joe Dante talks about the film – Trailers from Hell – Dante’s comments  made me order Picture, Lillian Ross’s book about the making of the film

Miss Julie (Fröken Julie)
Directed by Alf Shöberg
Adapted by Alf Shöberg from the play by August Strindberg
1951/Sweden
Sandrews
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] “Life is not so idiotically mathematical that only the big eat the small; it is just as common for a bee to kill a lion or at least to drive it mad.” ― August Strindberg, Miss Julie[/box]

I’m still processing this film.  It is undeniably beautiful to look at but I don’t know if I quite got the message.

The story takes place in the midst of Midsummer’s Day festivities while the servants are all frolicking and dancing in the fields and barn.  Miss Julie (Anita Björk) is the haughty daughter of the count who owns the estate.  On this particular day, she has set her sights on Jean (Ulf Palme), one of the house servants.  Jean is half-heartedly engaged to the cook.

After several rounds of wrangling, Jean and Miss Julie make love.  After this, although the gender and class warfare continues unabated, Julie is in the subservient position.  She gradually reveals the story of her life.  Her mother was a commoner and feminist who initially refused her aristocrat father but ended up marrying him.  She spent the remainder of the marriage getting her revenge.  This included dressing young Julie as a boy and demanding that all the women’s work be done by men and vice versa.  By the end of the film, it seems that Miss Julie is just carrying out her mother’s evil plan.  Max von Sydow appeared in his second screen performance as a (mostly silent) stable hand.

This is the adaptation of a classic of world literature and I’m sure the themes deserve deeper study.  Unfortunately, nothing about this movie inspires me to undertake the task.  The cinematography and staging is very beautiful, though.  Sjöberg won the Grand Prize at Cannes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1TJ3g0_GnU

Trailer

No Highway in the Sky
Directed by Henry Koster
Written by R.C. Sherriff, Oscar Millard, and Alec Coppel from a novel by Nevil Shute
1951/UK
Twentieth Century Fox Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Theodore Honey: It’s about the condition of this airplane, I’m afraid we’re in very serious danger. I’m rather afraid that the tail may drop off at any moment. Now when that happens…[/box]

This one came out of nowhere to delight me.

Widower Theodore Honey (James Stewart) is the very picture of the eccentric absent-minded scientist.  He lives a quiet life with daughter Elspeth and is totally engrossed in his work.  Currently, he is working for an aviation company testing out its new aircraft, the Reindeer.  All Honey’s calculations tell him that certain structural forces will cause the tail section of the plane to suddenly fall off after 1440 hours of flight.  The actual test has gone on for less time due to complaints from the neighbors about the noise.

Then one of the Reindeers crashes.  The tail section is not found and the accident is blamed on pilot error.  New research head Dennis Scott (Jack Hawkins) orders the test speeded up and sends Honey to Labrador to inspect the wreckage from the crash.

Ironically, Honey has been booked to fly there on another Reindeer.  A chat with the pilot reveals that the plane is nearing its 1440th hour.  Honey reveals his fears to the pilot but must admit that his tests are not complete and his idea is only a theory at this point.  The pilot is concerned enough to ask for instructions but refuses to take action when he can’t get through to his superiors.

Meanwhile, Honey figures out that the men’s room on the plane will be the optimal location for survival in the event of the crash.  He decides to alert movie star Monica Teasdale (Marlene Dietrich) because her films meant a lot to his deceased wife.  Monica takes him pretty seriously after she gets to know him a little bit.  Honey also befriends stewardess Marjorie Corder (Glynis Johns).  Both women prove to be his biggest allies when the plane reaches its refueling destination without crashing.

I knew almost zero about this film when I watched it and it came as a very pleasant surprise.  The plot probably does not bear much resemblance to reality but the story is tightly written and suspenseful, with a nice dollop of humor to lighten matters.  Jimmy Stewart is absolutely superb in this role.  It’s hard to think of a part more different than the hardbitten anti-heros he was playing around this time!  Recommended and currently available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umu7U6wVGLo

Trailer

Show Boat
Directed by George Sidney
Written bu John Lee Mahin from the musical play by Oscar Hammerstein II and the novel by Edna Ferber
1951/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Fish got to swim and birds got to fly/ I got to love one man ’til I die/ Can’t help lovin’ dat man of mine — Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II[/box]

I love the 1936 version of the musical but this is almost as good.

It is the deep South at about the turn of the last century.  Cap’n Andy Hawks (Joe E. Brown) and his wife Parthy (Agnes Moorehead) use their paddle wheeler to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River.  Their daughter Magnolia (Kathryn Greyson) dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by the strict Parthy.  One day Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel), a down-on-his-luck riverboat gambler, comes by the boat looking for work as an actor.  He and Magnolia fall in love at first sight.

Initially, there is no work for him.  But soon a spurned lover turns in leading lady Julie (Ava Gardner), who has been passing as white, on a miscegenation charge.  She and leading man Steve, her husband, are forced to leave the show.  Now Magnolia and Gay become lovers on stage and in real life.  They soon marry and Magnolia leaves for the high life of a successful gambler’s wife.

Soon enough Gaylord’s luck turns and everything goes to hell.  He leaves her and she tries to make a go of it as a singer.  Though she does not know it, she receives help from her friend Julie, now a washed up alcoholic having been deserted by her husband.  There is a tearful reunion with Cap’n Andy and Magnolia returns to the Cotton Blossom where she raises Gaylord’s daughter.  With William Warfield as Joe and Marge and Gower Champion as the dance act.

This is a less stagey rendition of the story than the 1936 version which is not to say that the direction is better.  In fact, James Whale’s staging of the earlier version is just about perfect in my book.  I prefer Howard Keel to Alan Jones and it’s hard to choose between Warfield and Paul Robeson.  Irene Dunne’s Magnolia and Helen Morgan’s Julie are definitive.

Comparisons aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this for the beautiful music, color, and acting. For some reason, “Ol’ Man River” gives me the chills every single time.

Show Boat received Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Cinematography, Color and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Trailer

Clip – William Warfield sings “Ol’ Man River”

Alice in Wonderland
Directed by Clyde Geromini, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske from the novel by Lewis Carroll
Written by Winston Hibler, Ted Sears et al
1951/USA
Walt Disney Studios
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

White Rabbit: [singing] I’m late / I’m late / For a very important date. / No time to say “Hello, Goodbye”. / I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.

This is perhaps lesser known than some of the other classic Disney cartoons but I like it because it is so silly, just like the Alice books.

Alice falls off to sleep while her governess is reading from a dull history book.  She dreams a white rabbit comes running by and follows him down his rabbit hole.  There she encounters the characters in both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Everything seems to be upside down in this world and Alice can’t seem to stay the same size for long.  None of the inhabitants have heard of such a creature as a “little girl”.  Finally, the Red Queen puts Alice on trial for talking back but Alice wakes up before she can be beheaded.  With Ed Wynne as the voice of the Mad Hatter, Richard Hayden as the voice of the Caterpillar, and Sterling Holloway as the voice of the Cheshire Cat.

Well this is 75 minutes of pure fun.  The songs are pretty catchy too.  The Mad Tea Party (spinning teacups) has been a fixture at Disneyland since opening day and an Alice in Wonderland dark ride opened there in 1958.  Both were fixtures of my childhood.  We lived close enough to the park that we went there every time relatives visited.

Alice in Wonderland was nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5FC6E5Gh4E

Clip – The Unbirthday Song