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.
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.
Kitty Foyle Directed by Sam Wood
Written by Dalton Trumbo and Donald Ogden Stewart based on a novel by Christopher Morley
1940/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
First viewing/Streaming on Amazon Instant Video
[box] Kitty Foyle: Boy or Girl?
Dr. Mark Eisen: Boy. Almost lost the little fella. (Looks around the poor apartment) Mighta been better if he hadn’t pulled through.
Kitty Foyle: Don’t say that, Mark. It’s always better to pull through.[/box]
Regular readers already know how I feel about Ginger Rogers. Her Academy Award winning turn was the best thing about Kitty Foyle.
The movie begins as Kitty Foyle is pondering whether she should run away with her married ex-husband Wyn Strafford (Dennis Morgan) or marry long-term steady date Mark (James Craig). The rest of the tale is told in flashback.
Kitty grew up with her widowed father in a working class household but always dreamed about the glittering social life of Philadelphia’s “Main Line”. After she gets secretarial training and becomes a “white-collar girl”, she starts working for Main Liner Strafford at his magazine. They quickly fall in love but Kitty moves to New York for work when the magazine fails. Wyn eventually finds her and proposes. Kitty initially refuses because she thinks they cannot be happy in Philadelphia but caves in when Wyn says they will live in New York. They marry but Kitty nobly walks out when she discovers how much Wyn’s heritage means to him.
Many melodramatic turns follow but at least Kitty has the constant support of faithful idealistic doctor Mark. Just when it appears Kitty has gotten over Wyn to the extent that she can appreciate Mark, Wyn turns up again and we are back at the beginning of the film where she has to make a decision. I think you won’t need three guesses as to what it is.
This is a classic example of a “woman’s picture” of the era. The heroine overcomes many obstacles through sheer pluck, warming the heart and tugging at the heartstrings. I thought the Code-based necessity of the marriage deprived the tale of some much needed realism. (Why the heck would Kitty walk out when Wyn had reiterated his pledge to move to New York?) There is no denying that Ginger is as appealing as always and that this is worth viewing for her alone.
In addition to Rogers’ Best Actress Oscar, the film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Sound Recording.
My Little Chickadee Directed by Edward F. Cline
Written by Mae West and W.C. Fields
1940/US
Universal Pictures
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Flower Belle Lee: Any time you got nothin’ to do and lots of time to do it, come up.[/box]
This had potential — if only Mae West had not been trammeled by the production Code.
A narrow-minded gossip (Margaret Hamilton) gets Flower Belle Lee (West) banished from a frontier town for consorting with a mysterious bandit and threatens to prevent her from settling elsewhere until Flower Belle has a wedding ring on her finger. She captivates ne’er-do-well Cuthbert J. Twillie (W.C. Fields) on the train to Greasewood City and the two are “married” by an incognito poker hustler(Donald Meek).
When they arrive, the corrupt town boss (Joseph Calleia) is immediately smitten by our little flower and appoints Cuthbert sheriff to get him out of the way. But Flower Belle is still romanced by the mask man and has a trick or two up her sleeve as well.
This is an enjoyable movie but could have been so much better. You can see Mae West moving in the direction of some truly delicious double-entendres but the Code wouldn’t really let her be her outrageous best. Fields is good but I really loved the supporting cast, especially Calleia who has a bigger than usual part here.
Road to Singapore Directed by Victor Schertzinger
Written by Don Hartman and Frank Butler based on a story by Harry Hervey
1940/USA
Paramount Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Ace Lannigan: I just want you to stand there and admire me for a while. I just got an idea that’s gonna make us a fortune. I don’t know how I do it.[/box]
It looks like the cast had a very good time making the first in a series of seven “Road” pictures.
Josh Mallon (Bing Crosby) is the son of a wealthy shipping family but prefers to bum around with his pal Ace Lannigan (Bob Hope). His father (Charles Coburn) is pressuring him to settle down, get married, and become active in the family business. Instead, Josh and Ace take off for Singapore where they meet and vie for the affections of beautiful Mima (Dorothy Lamour). Hilarity and songs follow.
Evidently, Singapore resembled a South Sea island in 1940, at least in the minds of the filmmakers. This is a light fun romp with some catchy tunes. The best part of these movies is the evident camaraderie among the key players. They sometimes seem to be making it up as they go along.
The House of the Seven Gables Directed by Joe May
Written by Lester Cole and Harold Greene based on the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne
1940/USA
Universal Pictures
First viewing/Streaming on Amazon Watch Instant
[box] “Shall we never never get rid of this Past? … It lies upon the Present like a giant’s dead body.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables[/box]
Hawthorne called his novel a Romance due to its fantasy elements. The writers here decided they would go one step better and make the story a “romance” by changing an elderly brother and sister into sweethearts. I have not read the book but I am completely confident that the heavily modified story is not an improvement over the original.
An ancestor of the Pynchon family obtained the land on which the family mansion sits by accusing its owner, Matthew Maule, of witchcraft. Maule went to his death with a curse on the whole Pynchon clan on his lips. Segue to the early 19th century when brothers Jaffrey (George Sanders) and Clifford (Vincent Price) Pynchon argue violently about whether the house should be sold to cover their father’s debt. Clifford, a composer, wants to use his share to move to New York and marry his pretty cousin Hepzibah (Margaret Lindsay). Corrupt lawyer Jaffrey believes there is a deed granting the family a huge estate in Maine and a fortune in gold hidden somewhere in the house and changes the father’s mind about the sale. When Clifford and the father have an argument about the matter, Dad drops dead. Jaffrey accuses Clifford of murder and he is tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.
But fate pulls a fast one on Jaffrey and it turns out that Dad left the house to Hepzibah. She becomes a bitter old maid and lives in solitude in the shuttered house working ceaselessly for Clifford’s release. Finally, she can no longer support herself on her tiny income and takes in lodger Matthew Holgrave. When a distant cousin is orphaned and moves in, Holgrave promptly falls in love with her. Then Clifford is granted an early release and plots his revenge on Jaffrey with the help of Matthew who has a secret reason for interest in the Pynchon family. There is a subplot about abolitionists that is shoehorned in there too. With Cecil Kellaway as Hepzibah’s kindly solicitor.
I was looking forward to this because I so greatly admired director Joe May’s German expressionist film Asphalt (1930). I suppose his direction is OK though I wish he had toned down the hammy performance by Price (for an example see the clip). Sanders is his usual sneering self. Lindsay is just the definition of insipid throughout the first half of the film — for some reason I never like her. This one kept my interest throughout so it wasn’t all bad, just not for me.
Frank Skinner was nominated for an Academy Award for his original score to this film.
I will be out of town until April 30.  My brother’s family rented a house near the Sundance Resort in Utah for a family reunion . On the way there, we will stop in Moab, Utah to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  Stops in Sin City, Nevada on the way to and fro, too!
“See” you soon.
New York New York Hotel and Casino
Sundance Resort. No, that’s not the house we are staying in
Many Westerns and other movies were shot in Moab and environs.
The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Written by Ingmar Bergman
1957/Sweden
Svensk Filmindustri (SF)
Repeat viewing/Criterion Collection DVD
#332 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Antonius Block: This is my hand. I can turn it. The blood is still running in it. The sun is still in the sky and the wind is blowing. And I… I, Antonius Block, play chess with Death.[/box]
I always host a little classic film festival when my brother comes to visit and this is what he chose for yesterday. The Seventh Seal is one of my very favorite films. Amid the haunting images of pestilence and death that stick in my mind, I always forget how funny it can be.
In 12th Century Sweden, knight Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) and his squire Jöns Gunnar Björnstrand) return from the Crusades only to find that the land has been scourged with the Black Plague. And although Antonius managed to dodge him in combat overseas, Death (Bengt Ekerot) has come to claim him at home. Antonius’ religious faith was badly shaken by all he had seen and he seeks to postpone his end until he can find some clarity and perform one last meaningful act. So he challenges Death to a game of chess and sets off towards his castle during the pauses between moves. Jöns, a total cynic, goes along for the ride.
On the way, the two come upon an performing company made up of a lecherous actor/manager and an idyllic little family consisting of Mia (Bibi Andersson), her husband Jof, a juggling visionary and dreamer, and baby Mikael. When the troupe performs at a vllage festival, the manager runs off with a smithy’s wife and eventually the smithy and his wife join in the journey to the castle. The final member of the group is a seemingly mute girl who has been been rescued by Jons from a predatory cleric.
Death is never very far away from Antonius and has no answers to his questions about the afterlife and God. The knight is unable to find the key from an allegedly demon possessed witch or in religious rituals like self-flagellation that the faithful believe will protect them. The closest he is able to come to a meaning in life is the serenity of a simple meal of wild strawberries and milk with the good and gentle family. He is ready to face Death with all his doubts when they are safe.
This is a beautiful, mesmerizing experience that is particularly suitable for any film lover’s bucket list. As deep as its concerns are, my brother and I found ourselves laughing out loud throughout. I especially love the part where Death has the manager cornered up a tree. All Jons’ lines are also gems.
The Seventh Seal and its participants won a number of prizes at film festivals, including the Special Jury Prize at Cannes.
‘Northwest Passage’ — Book 1, Roger’s Rangers Directed by King Vidor
Written by Lawrence Stallings and Talbot Jennings from a novel by Kenneth Roberts
1940/USA
Loew’s/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Streaming on Amazon Instant Video
[box] Maj. Robert Rogers: Now w’re under orders to wipe out this town, so see that you kill every fighting Indian – kill ’em quick and kill ’em dead, and for Heaven’s sake, don’t kill any of our own Indians and don’t kill any of the white captives. Our own Indians will have white crosses on their backs, so keep your eyes open. Don’t make any mistakes.[/box]
This is well-made and Spencer Tracy is excellent as usual but ultimately it was not for me.
The setting is on the frontier of colonial America. Langdon Towne (Robert Young) is an outspoken would-be painter who gets on the wrong side of the powers that be. ‘Hunk’ Marriner (Walter Brennan) is his sidekick and also in trouble for speaking his mind. The two need to leave town quick and are finagled by Maj. Robert Rogers (Spencer Tracy) into joining up with his company of Indian fighters in the French and Indian Wars.
The rest of the story covers the adventures of Rogers’ Rangers in combat and as they slowly starve on the long road back to civilization. At the very end of the movie, Rogers is tasked to take his men on an exploratory mission to look for the Northwest Passage. That is the only time it comes up in the film. With Ruth Hussey as Langdon’s sweetheart.
I’m just not too keen on this “glorious battle” manly sort of war story. ‘Northwest Passage’ is also firmly in the “Indians are savages” camp which doesn’t help.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Color Cinematography.
Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta) Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Written by Sergio Amidei, Federico Felini, and Roberto Rossellini
1945/Italy
Excelsa Film
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
#192 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 8.1/10; I say 9/10
[box] Major Bergman: Then I’ll tell you who he is. He’s subversive, he’s fought with the Reds in Spain. His life is dedicated to fighting society, religion. He is an atheist… your enemy…
Don Pietro: I am a Catholic priest. I believe that those who fight for justice and truth walk in the path of God and the paths of God are infinite[/box]
This is must-see viewing for its unforgettable images, outstanding acting, and poetic dialogue…not so much for the rather heavy-handed plot.
The story is divided into two parts but the second flows directly out of the first. The Nazi occupation is nearing its end and Rome has been classified an “open”, or undefended, city. This does not mean that the Germans are scaling back their harassment of the citizenry, however. They continue to round up able-bodied men for work in German factories and to ruthlessly pursue rebels.
Pina (Anna Magnani) and Francesco are set to be married the following day by Don Pietro Pelligrini (Aldo Fabrizi), a partisan priest. It is about time since Pina is obviously pregnant with Francesco’s child. She already has one son, Marcello, who loves Francesco as a father. Francesco is involved with a liberation group and is friends with group leader Giorgio Manfredi. Manfredi is on the run and hides out in Pina’s apartment. But the building is raided by Nazis when local boys blow up a gasoline tanker. Manfredi escapes but Francesco is captured leading the fiery Pina to lose control – to no avail as it costs her her life while Francesco is later rescued.
In the second half, Manfredi decides to hide with his ex-girlfriend Marina, a materialistic drug addict whose habit is being fed by an evidently lesbian German spy. Marina overhears her man talking about going into hiding at a monastery with the help of Don Pietro. In no time at all Marina betrays him and Manfredi and the priest are picked up by the Gestapo. Effete Gestapo boss Major Bergman has discovered that Manfredi is actually Luigi Ferraris and high in the resistance organization. Bergman is determined to get information on the officers before morning and subjects him to the most cruel torture, torturing the priest at the same time by forcing him to listen to his screams. Only Francesco and little Marcello are spared to carry on.
The plot is fairly standard for its time, with not only evil but sexually “deviant” Nazis and innocent Italians but is handled with some finesse by the writers. I enjoyed looking for places where Fellini showed his hand. The paralyzed grandfather in the bed is a close cousin to the man that refuses to come down out of the tree in Amarcord! The scene with the priest and the nude statue at the art dealer is also classic. These elements of comedy and some rather poetic exchanges on morality and survival help lift the story into classic territory. But it is the extraordinary images and powerful acting that make the film. The scene with Magnani running after the truck, the entire torture scene, and an execution are etched permanently in my memory.
I had only ever seen this classic before in an el cheapo edition complete with extremely sparse English sub-titles. The restored and newly re-titled Criterion Collection version was an entirely different experience. I learned from the commentary that while the film is often cited as launching the Italian neo-realist movement, it does not meet the classic definition of the genre since it features professional actors (and what actors!) and many of the interiors were filmed on sound stages.
I’ve been a classic movie fan for many years. My original mission was to see as many movies as I could get my hands on for every year from 1929 to 1970. I have completed that mission.
I then carried on with my chronological journey and and stopped midway through 1978. You can find my reviews of 1934-1978 films and “Top 10” lists for the 1929-1936 and 1944-77 films I saw here. For the past several months I have circled back to view the pre-Code films that were never reviewed here.
I’m a retired Foreign Service Officer living in Indio, California. When I’m not watching movies, I’m probably traveling, watching birds, knitting, or reading.
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